Index
- Registration now open for Library Legislative Day 2021
- Member/Staff News
- More tools for online programming
- New PLSR website and project timeline available
- COVID-19 vaccine allocation process explanation
- ALA condemns violence on Capitol Hill, calls for advocacy
- StarNet information for libraries
- Continuing Education Calendar
Registration now open for Library Legislative Day 2021
Registration is now open for Library Legislative Day 2021, which will be held virtually on Feb. 16-18.
In making this change, WLA said it listened to many members who wanted to plan for the event as early as possible. Others have always wanted to attend but could not because of distance or scheduling.
The traditional morning agenda will be held via video conference on Feb. 16. Virtual appointments with legislators will be spread out during the week. While it won’t be the same as gathering in person, event organizers said they are very excited everyone can still gather together online.
Register now and take this opportunity to re-connect with state legislators and share with them information about the important work libraries are doing every day. Updated legislative day handouts will available soon.
Dan Jacobson, who has worked at the South Central Library System (SCLS) for the past 18 years (see photo ar right from his early years), will work is last day with us on Friday, Jan. 22. He has accepted an IT position in private industry. Dan started his SCLS life as a PC Tech in April 2002 supporting about 25 non-LINK computers, and that number eventually grew to around 625 computes. “Once I fixed a leaky pipe at the North Freedom Library,” Dan said. “and I ran network cable at Columbus and Lodi even though I was not supposed to. Both are still working today.” In 2011 Dan began working on servers and “behind the scenes” stuff, and worked on the team that deployed the first system-wide wireless system. He also worked on the team that took 30+ servers and reduced that number to five using virtualization technology. Most recently, Dan has led the SCLS Technology Team and the Technology Committee. “I also became the official SCLS pizza ordering person, which is not easy.” Dan’s personality and quick smile will be missed at SCLS, but his work will have a lasting positive impact SCLS and member libraries. We wish him well in his new employment opportunity. Thanks for everything, Dan!
In recognition that so many people were going to be staying home for New Year’s Eve, staff at E.D. Locke Public Library in McFarland created a special New Year's Eve show. Director Heidi Cox said they are lucky enough to have a great Communication and Technology Department that helped with the filming and editing. The show aired Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. on the Cable Department YouTube, and for those living in the eastern part of Dane County on TDS channel 1009 and Spectrum cable channel 982. You can watch the trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FxMD3cnw7I and the full program at youtu.be/6hV3OsuPSYg.
Happy New Year! The January issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. Please send comments to the editor, Carol Hassler. In this issue: Word of the Year? Communication -- If the library had a word of the year, it would likely be "communication." This word has factored heavily in our work and will continue to be of utmost importance for all of us in 2021 (read more); New Books -- Our two new featured titles this month are Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn, and Dignity law: global recognition, cases, and perspectives. Our monthly new book list is also ready to peruse (read more); Tech Tip -- The National Conference of State Legislatures offers a Student Loan Bill Tracking Database which tracks state legislation related to student loan debt across several categories. Search this database for a single state, or across several states (read more); Library News -- Learn about upcoming state holiday closures, plus a new State Bar of Wisconsin InsideTrack article (read more); January Snapshot -- New murals brighten the Milwaukee County courthouse walls. Celebrating and representing the diversity of Milwaukee County, these murals feature work from local Milwaukee artists or art collectives (read more).
More tools for online programming
My last TechBits post was about Interactive Tools for Virtual Meetings and Workshops. This time, I want to share a few physical tools that will help you host great online programs.
The inspiration for this topic came from a recent online cooking class I took. It was over Zoom and the presenter, Elyse Kopecky, wanted to be able to see all the participants cooking along with her. I was using my iPad Mini to attend and trying to find a place to put it so I could see Elyse, be seen, and cook was a challenge. As you can see in these photos, my first try was to use my cupboard and my second used a combination of books and storage containers.
If you are regularly presenting or hosting meetings, you may want to invest in a Ring light and a stand or tripod for your phone or camera. My colleague, Jamie Matczak from the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, recently added this Ring light and tripod to her equipment toolkit. There are lots of options out there so find one that works best for your needs. SCLS member libraries: if you need some advice, reach out to Craig Ellefson as he's helped many libraries with equipment needs this year.
Next, let's talk about sound. David Lee King recently tested a mobile friendly lavalier microphone. I like that this one is small and you don't have to wear a headset with a microphone to get good sound quality. On a similar topic, Richard Byrne from Practical Ed Tech recently covered Easy Ways to Sound Better in Virtual Meetings. He mentions a couple of microphones along with some tweaks you can make to Zoom to improve the audio quality. Again, there are lots of options for microphones so look for one that will work for you.
Lastly, attending this cooking class was a lot of fun! SCLS recently added a baking and cooking kit so you can host your own cooking show! Need some inspiration? Madison Public Library has a program called Cooking with Chef Lily and you can see the recordings here. Sun Prairie Public Library's program Books and Cooks features library director Svetha Hetzler cooking from a variety of cookbooks. And I recently attended an event from Penguin Random House which featured a cooking demo with America's Test Kitchen Kids Editor in Chief, Molly Birnbaum.
By the way, I made Sweet Potato Biscuits and they were yummy! Happy Cooking!
--by Jean Anderson for TechBits
New PLSR website and project timeline available
A great deal of work on the Public Library System Redesign (PLSR) project has been accomplished, and efforts are underway to implement the first of the recommendations to come out of this process.
To help keep library staff informed about the status of the project, a new website has been created that falls under the oversight of the Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND). The new page is at
https://dpi.wi.gov/coland/plsr-update.
The Final Report of the PLSR Steering Committee was delivered to the State Superintendent's Office on March 8, 2019, summarizing three-and-a-half years of work by the Steering Committee, Workgroups, and sub-committees. DPI staff within the Division for Libraries and Technology have been charged with implementing the recommendations of the Steering Committee and COLAND is actively monitoring the progress of the implementation process. The work of DPI staff will be guided by the information, data, and feedback gathered from the library community.
Current Implementation Priorities
An initial implementation strategy was released to the library community in Fall of 2019 that was prioritized by support expressed during public listening sessions conducted in the Spring of 2019. In June 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting impact on libraries and library systems, DPI staff worked in partnership with the sixteen Public Library System Directors to reprioritize implementation activities.
The PLSR Steering Committee Recommendations (details for each recommendation can be found in the committee’s final report):
- Develop Standards, Best Practices, and Accountability Structures for Public Library Systems
- Enhance Collaboration by Creating Incentives and Removing Barriers
- Reduce the Number of Public Library Systems
- Analyze the Current Funding Formula
- Initiate Delivery Service Pilot Projects
- Create an Effective, Well Managed, State-Scale Discovery Layer
- Implement a Learning Management System for Professional Development
Also available under the COLAND page is a spreadsheet that details out the timeline, work group memberships etc. This document can be viewed at https://app.productplan.com/pr/_MZnitbGzQcTiqFYGxAFTvXHfbf6kULi.
Questions about PLSR should be directed to Project Coordinator Bruce Smith (608-225-5391) at the Division for Libraries and Technology (DLT) at the Department of Public Instruction.
COVID-19 vaccine allocation process explanation
Note: This information is from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue across the state and the scarce supply makes it even more critical for people to understand how vaccine is being allocated.
This first phase (Phase 1a) focuses on health care personnel, specifically defined by the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC).
The SDMAC definition of Phase 1a “health care personnel” is individuals who provide direct patient service (compensated and uncompensated) or engage in healthcare services that place them into contact with patients who are able to transmit SARS-CoV-2, and/or infectious material containing SARS-CoV-2 virus.
DHS incorporates SDMAC’s recommendations into its allocation formula, which governs distribution of vaccine throughout the state. The following information details the logic applied.
Recommendation 1. Fill partial vaccine orders, where applicable. To inform allocation decisions, we input several factors into an allocation algorithm. One factor is the number of vaccine doses requested by each organization. The allocation algorithm prioritizes filling at least some of every order for all entities, rather than filling some orders completely and others not at all.
Recommendation 2. Vaccine should be administered in the shortest possible time after receipt by the vaccinating entity. The bulk of the responsibility to meet this recommendation falls to vaccinators. In the weekly Allocation Survey, vaccinators indicate their current vaccine inventory and request doses only according to what they will use the following week for phase 1a health care providers. We will provide guidance about the transition to later phases as the demand for vaccine for phase 1a providers decreases. Vaccinators are required to maintain their inventory daily and doses administered in the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). DHS reviews this information from the Allocation Survey prior to fulfilling an order.
Recommendation 3. Give greater priority to vaccinating entities who will administer vaccine in communities characterized by higher levels of social vulnerability. DHS is in the process of enhancing its algorithm to consider geographic-level Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) data. This will allow DHS to give greater allocation priority to vaccinating entities in communities characterized by higher levels of social vulnerability.
Recommendation 4. Give greater priority to vaccinating entities who will vaccinate unaffiliated healthcare providers such as emergency medical responders. When vaccinators request vaccine for the upcoming week, they provide a breakdown of how many of those vaccines will be for internal use and how many will be for outside entities such as unaffiliated healthcare providers. Entities vaccinating unaffiliated healthcare providers receive an increased allocation. Entities able to vaccinate unaffiliated phase 1a providers are strongly encouraged to do so and to coordinate messaging and outreach to unaffiliated providers in phase 1a with local health departments.
How has DHS allocated current supply?
DHS has been able to fill most providers’ weekly allocation requests. Health care entities have had primary responsibility for vaccination in the early phases, as they were most equipped to handle administration of initial vaccine shipments within logistical and clinical guidelines. As allocations from the federal government change and/or the number of eligible providers in Wisconsin increase, the allocation algorithm is updated accordingly.
Does SDMAC provide vaccinating entities guidance on prioritizing health care personnel during Phase 1A? Yes, the SDMAC has identified 11 prioritization criteria, in no particular order, that vaccinating entities may include in their vaccination plans, and the recommendations also include demographic and health status information that may be taken into consideration.
What is the vaccine ordering and delivery process?
- The federal government informs DHS how much vaccine Wisconsin will be allocated on a week-by-week basis.
- DHS issues an Allocation Survey on Monday evenings to enrolled vaccinators who can vaccinate Phase 1a recipients.
- Enrolled vaccinators indicate how many initial doses they can safely store and administer the following week by returning the allocation survey by Tuesday evening.
- DHS generates the recommended number of vaccine doses for each vaccinating entity using an allocation algorithm, which factors in recommendations from the ACIP and the SDMAC noted above; the state’s federal vaccine allocation for the upcoming week; and information from the Allocation Survey from vaccinators.
- DHS reviews the results and places orders with the federal government on behalf of providers, usually Thursday or Friday.
- Vaccinators receive an email informing them about the type of vaccine and number of doses they will be receiving, usually between Friday and Sunday.
- Early the following week, vaccine is shipped to vaccinating entities from McKesson (the Distributor), directly from Pfizer, or from a Wisconsin-based hub.
- Once received, vaccinators are responsible for ensuring vaccine viability. Proper vaccine security, storage, handling, and administration are key to ensuring patients receive a viable vaccine.
When can we move on to Phase 1B?
The State of Wisconsin is committed to a unified, state-wide approach to COVID-19 vaccinations. At this time, when demand is high and vaccine supply is limited, we are carefully following the guidance of the Wisconsin State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC) and facilitating vaccinations only to residents of long-term care facilities and health care personnel. There are many individuals within Phase 1A who have not yet had their chance to be vaccinated. As a state, we will progress to Phase 1B only when a critical mass of those included in the first phase have been vaccinated. Vaccination efforts rest on three equally important pillars: adequate demand, adequate delivery system, and adequate supply. While some counties, cities, or hospitals have made good progress vaccinating their Phase 1A recipients because their demand and delivery system has been strong – as a state, we do not yet have adequate supply to move on to the next phase.
ALA condemns violence on Capitol Hill, calls for advocacy
The Executive Board of the American Library Association (ALA) gives thanks for the safety of the staff in our Public Policy and Advocacy Office in Washington and ALA members who work on Capitol Hill, as well as for elected legislators, congressional staff and other government workers who put themselves in jeopardy to defend the seat of our federal government on Jan. 6, 2021.
ALA forcefully condemns the violent attempts to undermine the integrity of our electoral process and our democracy. The threats, destruction of government buildings and looting witnessed on Jan. 6 do not constitute peaceful protest, but domestic terrorism.
In the span of 24 hours, we witnessed the best and the worst of our nation. The day before Capitol Hill was stormed by a mob, Georgia voters elected the first Black Senator and first Jewish Senator to ever represent their state in Congress.
On Jan. 4, newly elected members of the 117th Congress took the oath of office, solemnly affirming that they will “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Despite the horrific interruption of their work, Congress resolutely returned to carry out its mission, and so must we.
Libraries in America defend the constitutional rights of all individuals and are cornerstones of the communities they serve. We celebrate and preserve our democratic society so that all individuals have the opportunity to become lifelong learners and engaged residents -- informed, literate, educated, and culturally enriched.
A growing number of elected officials are awake to the value of their libraries; but many have yet to understand the role libraries play in education and employment of their constituents and the economic empowerment of their communities. There is much more work to do.
To preserve our democratic society and ensure that the health of America’s libraries is a national priority, library advocates must engage decision makers at every level of government. ALA reaffirms our commitment to advocating for libraries, library workers and the profession. To advance library policy priorities and resources to do our work, ALA calls on every library worker and library supporter to join ALA’ advocacy network, follow the work of our Public Policy and Advocacy Office and sign up to advocate with state chapters.
StarNet information for libraries
Citizen Science Guide Updated for 2021! -- SciStarter has recently released an update to their popular Guide to Citizen Science -- just in time to start planning your programs and activities for 2021. This guide will help you with understanding, planning and sustaining ongoing engagement in citizen science at your library or community-based organization.
Download the Guide | Read SciStarter Blog
Perseverance Arrives at Mars: Feb. 18, 2021 --The Perseverance Rover will touch down on Mars at approximately 2:30 p.m. CST. During landing, the rover plunges through the thin Martian atmosphere, with the heat shield first, at a speed of over 12,000 mph (about 20,000 kph). A parachute and powered descent slow the rover down to about 2 mph (three-fourths of a meter per second). A large sky crane then lowers the rover on three bridle cords to land softly on six wheels. Tune in to NASA's Watch Online page for viewing information.
Landing Preview Video | NASA's Landing Toolkit
NASA: Looking Back and Looking Forward -- 2020 was historic for NASA but 2021 could be epic. Sending the first Artemis mission to the Moon in preparation for human missions, landing a new rover on Mars, and launching the James Webb Space Telescope into space, expanding our ability to see deep into the universe, are just a few of the things NASA has planned for 2021.
NASA Year in Review | Watch NASA's 2021 Preview