Index
- CSA Launches Public Library Grant
- ALA Invites Application for Third Annual Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant
- Member/Staff News
- Libraries Invited to Apply for Programming Support With the Second Annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant
- Library Director Search, Spring Green Community Library
- Support Your Local Pollinators
- Will Glenn Sr. Stays Himself As Madison’s First Black Teen Librarian
- Wisconsin IDEA Project Call for Applicants
- WWWWC 2022 Registration Now Open
- Continuing Education Calendar
CSA Launches Public Library Grant
The Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin Madison launched a new South Asia in Wisconsin Program to fund public libraries in Wisconsin. Libraries across the state are invited to submit proposals to purchase books and materials and/or facilitate programming that will enable Wisconsin readers to deepen their understanding of South Asia. We encourage applicants to select books from the recommended book list, which includes titles for adults as well as children and young adults. This project is supported with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI. National Resource Center program, in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Library Services team. The application deadline is Dec. 15, 2021. Full South Asia in Wisconsin application details can be found here.
The final link directs to the PDF which contains a full list of recommendations for prospective programs and/or acquisitions:
The full application form can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfw___jPeiHoH4Pr6crRnaCRIU8sncJB7FOhP4S-l0-sfy0tA/viewform
ALA Invites Applications for Third Annual Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant
The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant, an annual award supporting innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries.
Applications will be accepted through Feb. 1, 2022. View the full award guidelines and apply online at www.ala.org/LTCEG.
The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant recognizes, promotes and supports innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries. It will provide two grants of $2,000 for a school, public, academic, tribal or special library to expand its community engagement efforts.
Libraries are invited to apply by designing and outlining activities for a library-led community engagement project. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members—be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students, or local organizations—to address issues for the betterment of the community.
Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a community engagement project with a specific theme. For the 2021-22 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a community engagement project that focuses on a social justice issue of importance in their communities. Examples of potential topics include racial justice, climate justice, or addressing the digital divide. Libraries should work collaboratively with community members and at least one partner organization to develop a project that addresses a local issue and builds upon community assets.
Visit the grant guidelines for more information.
Project activities to be covered by the grant may include developing community engagement programs and services; partnering with a community agency that builds the capacity of the community to address an important concern/issue; or creating a program or event that connects the library to a community-identified aspiration or concern.
ALA announced the creation of the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant in 2019, raising a total of $70,000 from 130 individuals. The initiative was made possible by a matching grant from former ALA president and longtime generous supporter Nancy Kranich.
Last year’s grant was won by Albany (N.Y.) Public Library for their Branching Out program, a community initiative that aims to uplift local Black voices in music and art.
The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant is part of Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC), ALA’s community engagement initiative. Since 2014, LTC has reimagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types, from across the country, have utilized the free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a safe space for residents to come together to discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
LTC is administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office.
To stay informed about future grants and awards offered by ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian e-newsletter.
Laura Gaastra said she is excited to work with the community as the new director at Hutchinson Memorial Library in Randolph. She grew up in Randolph so she knows many faces who enter the library as well as local events in which the library can be involved. She left the area for 6 years around college and has worked as a teacher in the early childhood education field since 2008. In June she started working at the Randolph library as an assistant and had an opportunity to learn the ropes over the course of a few months before officially taking over as the director on Oct. 21.
The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) has announced Jim Ramsey, Director of the Stoughton Public Library, along with Desiree Bongers, Director of the Ripon Public Library, as recipients of the 2021 President’s Volunteer Award. This annual recognition is bestowed by the WLA Board President to association members who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service. Ramsey and Bongers were honored during the WLA Annual Conference in Green Bay last month.
“WLA is a stronger, more impactful organization because of the efforts of volunteer leaders who are willing to share their time and talents for the good of the association and the library community overall.“ said WLA President Sherry Machones.
In recognizing Ramsey, Machones praised his professionalism as volunteer scheduler for the association’s annual Legislative Day event. Since 2017, Ramsey has coordinated appointments between 132 legislators and more than 100 of their constituents representing public libraries throughout the state. According to Machones, this complex effort was made an even greater challenge in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced WLA to move the event to a virtual platform.
The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. Please send any comments or suggestions to Carol Hassler. In this issue: Indigenous Peoples Law Research—To celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November, we set up a display in the David T. Prosser Jr. Library featuring some of the books from our indigenous law collection. Stop by the library to browse the display through the end of December (read more): Use the Library After Hours—Would you like the convenience of using the Wisconsin State Law Library later in the evening or on weekends? If so, subscribe now to our After Hours Service. Are you already a subscriber? Now is the time to renew for 2022 (read more): New Books—Our two featured books this month are Legal research: how to find and understand the law and The law of easements and licenses in land. Our full new book list is also linked from this article, with new books on court procedure, civil rights, and trusts (read more): Tech Tip—Are you hoping for a new phone or computer this holiday season? If so, you may be wondering how to prepare your old device for selling, re-gifting, or recycling. We link to some recent articles to give you some guidance (read more): Library News—We share recent staff news with you in this month’s article. Be sure to add the upcoming state holidays to your calendar as well (read more): December Snapshot—While we eagerly await the arrival of the winter solstice and gradually lengthening days, it's nice to bask in the illuminated snowflakes lining downtown Madison (read more)
Libraries Invited to Apply for Programming Support With the Second Annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant
The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the second annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, a programming grant named after the transformative ALA leader responsible for the creation of National Library Week and the Celebrity READ series.
The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant is an annual grant that recognizes, promotes, and supports meaningful programs in libraries that have limited and/or no access to budgetary support for programming. This grant aims to help ease budget challenges by annually awarding three libraries $2,500 to support a proposed program, program series, or programming effort.
Applications for the 2021 award will be accepted through Feb. 1, 2022. Read the grant guidelines and apply online.
Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a specific type of library programming. For the 2021-22 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a grant to support humanities-based programming. Proposed programs may be in-person or virtual and should take into consideration local health and safety regulations related to COVID-19.
All library types—including public, academic, K-12, tribal and special libraries—in the U.S. or U.S. territories are eligible. Applicants must have a personal or institutional membership with either the American Library Association OR the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.
Peggy Barber served as ALA's associate executive director of communications from 1970 to 2000. In that role, she established ALA’s Public Information Office, Public Programs Office and the ALA Graphics department. After leaving ALA, she was a principal consultant with Library Communication Strategies and served as co-president of Friends of Libraries USA, now known as United for Libraries. She passed away in August 2019.
The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant was created with donations from Barber’s friends and colleagues. To support the grant, make a contribution to the Peggy Barber tribute fund within ALA’s Cultural Communities Fund.
To stay informed about future grants and awards offered by ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian e-newsletter.
Library Director Search, Spring Green Community Library
The Spring Green Community Library Board of Trustees is accepting applications for a charismatic, organized, and creative individual to foster our thriving community library into the future.
The Library Director position requires a Wisconsin Grade 3 Public Library Certification and 3 years of progressively responsible library experience. An MLS from an ALA-accredited University and previous experience as a public library director are strongly preferred.
Under direction of the seven-member board of trustees, the library director develops, administers, supervises, and coordinates the work of the library staff. Daily operations include managerial oversight related to personnel, budget, collection development, building maintenance, and library services and operations in compliance with the policies established by the Board of Trustees and the regulations of the state of Wisconsin. For a full job description visit springgreenlibrary.org.
Home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, American Players Theater, the House on the Rock, and Tower Hill State Park, the vibrant village of Spring Green is the crown jewel of the River Valley, a place where nature and art meet. Just 45 minutes from Madison, our quiet village boasts endless recreational and creative opportunities in Wisconsin’s beautiful Driftless Region. The busy community library belongs to South Central Library System where we maintain a collection of over 35,000 items and circulate over 80,000 items each year with an annual budget of $270,830. Located in the village center, the Spring Green Community Library serves the village, the River Valley School District, and its outlying communities with a passionate staff, active Friends of the Library group, and widespread community support.
The Library Director position is full time with a salary range of $40,000- $50,000 as well as an excellent benefits package.
Please submit a cover letter and resume to Linda Thering at lthering@frontier.com by January 7, 2022
Support Your Local Pollinators
Applications Are Open for the #PlantWildflowers Nationwide Library Initiative – Support Your Local Pollinators!
To celebrate and support native and wild pollinator populations, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and PBS Nature are launching #PlantWildflowers, a nationwide education and action initiative to highlight pollinator diversity and spark local efforts to support wild pollinators.
Across the US and Canada, libraries are encouraged to host localized pollinator celebration events that will build community collaborations, highlight the crucial role bees and other pollinators play, and give members the opportunity to support local pollinators by planting native wildflowers. Selected libraries will receive a $1,000 honorarium, regionalized pollinator-friendly wildflower seed packets for distribution, and a variety of informal and formal pollinator-focused educational activity tools.
Join the informational webinar on December 6th (2pm EST/11am PST) for more information about the initiative – register for the event here.
Applications are open TODAY and close on December 31st.
Will Glenn Sr. Stays Himself As Madison’s First Black Teen Librarian
One of the highlights for Will Glenn Sr. is when people recognize him from his time working with kids at the Meadowood Neighborhood Center on Madison’s southwest side early in the 2010s.
As he walked out of his office at the Goodman South Library on a Tuesday this month, a woman asked him how he was and shared that her grandkids still talk about how much they enjoyed time spent with him there.
“I can’t wait to tell them I’ve seen you,” she said.
As Glenn Sr., the Madison Public Library’s first African American male teen librarian, walked away, he shook his head in disbelief. “I’m trippin’,” he said.
Glenn Sr. began in his current position at Goodman South just about a year ago, on Nov. 16. He had previously worked as a library assistant, took what he calls “a sabbatical” and worked for the Madison Metropolitan School District for a couple of years before returning as a full-fledged teen librarian when more funding opened up, giving him more authority to plan programs and dream up ways to get youth connected to the library system.
He said he’s felt especially welcomed by the group of teen librarians from libraries around Dane County, a group whose meetings he calls the “Sister Circles,” and especially “Miss Tiff and Amelia” from the Monona Public Library.
“I had to thank the community and Madison because a lot of people was just automatically saying, 'Man, the library needs you, south Madison can utilize you,'” Glenn Sr. recalled. "That was cool, too, that kind of made you feel wanted, like we want you here.”
Glenn Sr. spoke with the Cap Times about his role, what he hopes to do as an African American librarian and what it means to be “a first.”
Read the complete article in The Cap Times online.
Wisconsin IDEA Project Call for Applicants
As part of the 2022 LSTA-funded project Libraries Talk About Race, the Wisconsin IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Action) Team invites library staff to apply to participate in virtual Facilitation Training, which will occur Feb. 3.
Facilitation Training is a two-hour training provided by The People Company. The goal is to prepare a group of Wisconsin library staff to facilitate group discussions about race. Several of those trained will have the opportunity to facilitate discussions with other library workers about upcoming webinars (in February, March, and April of 2022). The training will prepare participants to:
- Understand their personal facilitation style and adapt their style to different facilitation situations.
- Apply strategies for effective and inclusive large group facilitation where thoughtful, critical dialog can occur.
- Manage group dynamics that may arise in a large group facilitation setting in a way that maintains a trusting, respectful environment.
If you are interested in applying, please take a look at the information sheet, and apply for your spot by Wednesday, Jan. 5. Selected participants will be notified by Monday, Jan. 10.
If you have questions, please contact:
Shauna Koszegi, Southwest Library System
Mark Jochem, South Central Library System
Leah Langby, IFLS Library System
WWWWC 2022 Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the 10th Annual Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference, on Jan. 26-27, 2022.
Fourteen sessions will be available in four different tracks, including Management, Marketing, Small and Mighty, and Wellbeing (new).
In addition, a "Stretch Break" and "Canva Demo" will be held during conference lunch breaks.
The 2022 WWWWC features renowned speakers such as Ozy Aloziem (Denver Public Library), Jennifer Burke (Intellicraft Research), Amy Franco (Glen Ellyn Public Library), Angela Hursh (EBSCO), Felton Thomas, Jr. (Cleveland Public Library), Dan Gingiss (The Experience Maker), and many more!
This conference strives to offer public library workers an experience that is worthwhile, convenient and affordable. Planning for this event has been ongoing since April.
There is no cost to attend! Thanks to donations from Wisconsin public library systems, along with the Department of Public Instruction, registration for this conference is free.
All 14 conference sessions will be captioned and recorded in the event people are unable to attend the live session.
Do you have a Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference memory from the last 10 years? What about a favorite presenter or a presentation that had an impact on you? Share it with us!
For more information about the conference, contact Jamie Matczak at jmatczak@wvls.org.