Index
- Community-Wide Read: Divided We Fall
- Member/Staff News
- 'PAWSC-itivity' for Your Library
- LAWDS Webpage Gets A Refresh
- 2021 Public Library Staff and Diversity Survey
- iSchool Online Professional Development Courses & Webinars
- Lake Superior Libraries Un-symposium
- Continuing Education Calendar
Community-Wide Read: Divided We Fall
$2,000 to Friends of Lodi Public Library
The Lodi Public Library will launch its second community-wide read in response to its initial success. This year, with funding from Wisconsin Humanities, patrons in the Lodi area will be invited to read David French's 2020 book, “Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.” The book considers the divisions in our country today in comparison to the polarization during the Civil War. The library will host a book club and an event at a local park featuring experts on the subject. Additionally, the experts will join library staff for a conversation that will be recorded and shared as a podcast. Funding for this grant comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ A More Perfect Union initiative.
SCLS is pleased to announce that Tim Drexler (of SCLS Delivery Services) will be the new SCLS Data Services Consultant. He will be starting in this position halftime on Jan. 4, 2022 to overlap with Jody Hoesly before she retires on Feb. 11. Tim will continue to work at Delivery halftime through Feb. 11 and then move to full time at SCLS HQ on Feb. 14.
'PAWSC-itivity' for Your Library: Connecting Patrons with Area Workforce and Service Providers More Effectively
While librarians are typically drawn to the challenge of being effective problem-solvers for our patrons, we’ve all encountered situations where we know that other people or agencies would be a better resource for folks in need. Partnerships make all the difference in the world, and the Portage Public Library has experienced this first-hand, by working closely with other area service providers to support the community better. By collaborating in a structured, ongoing way, we are able to eliminate service redundancies between agencies, improve the speed and clarity of communication regarding service referrals, and more accurately guide people to the most appropriate agency to help them.
PAWSC (the Portage Area Workforce and Service Connection) stems from a service priorities discussion in spring 2020 – near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Baker, Adult Services Librarian and Technology Coordinator at Portage Public Library, attended the meeting and talked about a frustrating situation his library continued to face. Patrons often found themselves going back-and-forth between service providers and the library to find and apply for assistance programs. This led to a stressful situation for patrons, library, and service providers. Chris and Mark Jochem met in late summer 2020 to discuss ways to better address and meet the needs of patrons. They identified major needs in Portage and the area service providers who may be best equipped to meet those needs. In fall 2020, service providers were invited to a meeting to talk about the challenges faced by patrons, the library, and the service agencies. At the initial meeting, the group agreed to meet regularly to share information and collaborate where possible.
PAWSC set out to form a referral network among the partners in the group. Members of PAWSC each have a unique focus on the type of assistance their organization could offer. The hope for the referral network was to assemble a group of agencies that would service multiple social needs (food assistance, childcare, mental health care and safety, workforce development, housing assistance, etc.). Participating organizations include:
- WorkSmart Network: Provides Job seeker assistance, dislocated (laid-off) worker assistance, resume building, technology use assistance, employment referrals, and training
- Forward Service Corporation: Longer-term employment training, FSET (FoodShare Employment and Training), and additional support services
- River Haven Homeless Shelter: Short-term housing and assistance in enrolling in social service programs
- Columbia County Health and Human Services Division of Economic Support: Food, childcare, healthcare, and general assistance programs
- Portage Public Library: Information access, technology access, general assistance, and service referrals
The key to success for PAWSC is information sharing. There are, unfortunately, often significant gaps in knowledge about what various agencies can or cannot do; what programs and services they provide, how to actually apply, and how they function. The information sharing that occurs each meeting invariably brings up insights or new ideas for connecting people to services. It also keeps PAWSC partners in the loop of the current situation each member agency is facing. This information sharing comes at a critical time as many programs were developed or changed significantly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major projects of this referral network is a two-sided information sheet (an easily readable “infographic”) designed in consultation with Deb Haeffner.
One side of the information sheet will provide an overview of the organizations, major programs, and their contact information. The other side of the information sheet will be organized based on ‘needs’, essentially cross-referencing the organizations with the needs they specialize in addressing. For example, a patron who needs employment assistance can look at the column “Job Search” – and find the contact information for WorkSmart Network and Forward Service Corporation. This addresses multiple concerns: frontline library staff can refer patrons easily (and confidently) to known programs, and patrons feeling overwhelmed by their challenges have a ready-resource to access, without being given the “runaround”. The information sheet is a living document that will be available on the Portage Public Library website, and able to be maintained by the members of PAWSC.
Another outcome was the purchase of a dedicated laptop for access to workforce development and social services interviews, applications, and meetings. This laptop was purchased (mainly through donations from enthusiastic community members who supported the PAWSC mission) by the Portage Public Library, with the intent that patrons needing access to technology could do so at a central space. This could help accomplish multiple job-seeker tasks: applying for work, writing a resume cover letter, interviewing over Skype, setting up an email, registering accounts on job-seeker websites, etc. It can also be used for social service access, such as applying for food assistance, housing assistance, or other needs. It features a webcam and headset for patrons to talk to service providers directly and confidentially.
Forming a partnership with service providers involved identifying needs, finding partners, and sustaining the partnerships, but was well worth the effort. The Portage Area Workforce and Service Connection (PAWSC) group is fortunate to have motivated partners who recognize the potential of working with the library and each other. If you would like to learn more about PAWSC, or learn how to form a group in your community similar to PAWSC, please reach out to Chris Baker ([email protected]) or Mark Jochem ([email protected]).
LAWDS Webpage Gets a Refresh: Check it Out!
Work on the new LAWDS Webpage is completed along with a new name: Library Staff Resources to Assist Wisconsin's Workforce. Be sure to check it out and bookmark it for your staff. The LAWDS (Libraries Activate Workforce Development Skills) Project is a multi-year project funded in-part by a grant from the IMLS (Institute for Museum and Library Services), which sought to help public library staff become more knowledgeable in providing job services to patrons and more connected to the larger regional and state workforce development system.
You can find the trainings from the LAWDS Project on a variety of topics here: Training Webinars and Guides
- Workforce Development Board Roles and Responsibilities—These trainings were provided at the regional workforce development board level. South Central Library System occupies three workforce regions. You can find recorded trainings for each of these regions on the new Library Staff Resources to Assist Wisconsin’s Workforce.
- Job Center of Wisconsin—This training provided an overview of the registration process and main features of the state’s Jobcenterofwisconsin.com website. The Job Center of Wisconsin is a one-stop-shop where job seekers can go to find jobs in Wisconsin, access training to help improve their job seeking, build a resume, and apply for work.
- Unemployment Insurance Basics: Assisting Library Patrons—The training on unemployment insurance provided an overview of the unemployment insurance system, including a view of what the application process entails. It also provided tips and techniques for assisting patrons file their claims.
- Job & Career Search Using Labor Market Information—The Labor Market Information (also called, LMI) training provided a tour of the tools available to Wisconsin’s job seekers (and library staff) to learn more about jobs and job outlooks in the state. It also provided a few examples of incorporating LMI into library programs and patron assistance.
Find additional support and resources on the new Library Staff Resources to Assist Wisconsin’s Workforce by accessing:
- The Marketing Toolkit—Created in partnership with the marketing firm, KW2. This Marketing Toolkit takes visitors through the basics of marketing their job seeker services and includes: marketing tutorials for reaching job seekers; a workforce resources inventory for libraries to identify the assets the library already has; pre-made fillable marketing materials; and ways to create impactful press releases.
- Workforce Partnerships to Help Job Seekers—Find statewide and regional partnerships to support your work helping job seekers. This listing features major partners in the LAWDS project, and features links to connect with them. Partnerships can be an essential part of any job seeker assistance strategy.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)—Not sure how to approach services to job seekers or connections with workforce development partners? You’re not alone. The Frequently Asked Questions section has you covered with information on: getting started on a zero-budget, hosting job fairs, connecting with local partners, inviting outside help, and others.
All of the above training and resources are the culmination (and ongoing-collaboration) of the LAWDS Project partnership between the library community and the workforce development community. Access any of the above If you are interested in enhancing (or starting) the job seeking services you provide to your community.
Also, be sure to be on the lookout for the new statewide digital ad marketing campaign running from Jan. 10, 2022 until Feb. 27, 2022. This ad campaign on a variety of websites will remind job seekers Wisconsin of all the job search assistance and resources available through their local library. If you are looking for additional, more localized assistance to help your communities, please feel free to reach out to Mark Jochem, mjochem@scls.
2021 Public Library Staff and Diversity Survey – Deadline Extended to Jan. 14, 2022
All U.S. public libraries are invited to complete this new survey to help us better understand public library staff roles, hiring and retention practices, and equity, diversity, and inclusion work. The survey was developed by PLA’s Measurement, Evaluation, and Assessment Committee in response to field-wide discussions and demand for actionable data about evolving staff roles and diversity and inclusion staffing efforts.
Five reasons why your library should complete the survey:
- Library leaders need up-to-date and accurate information about staffing and diversity.
- Contribute to powerful, actionable, and inspirational results for library staff across the country that can help to answer pressing questions such as:
- What are libraries doing to recruit and retain diverse staff?
- What are libraries paying directors and new librarians?
- What types of staff roles exist in US public libraries?
- The result will provide nationally representative data to inform and engage elected officials, the media, and funders to increase awareness of and support for library workers. PLA will share the results in a freely and publicly accessible report.
- Your participation helps PLA create tools, resources, and professional development opportunities that are more useful for you in building and advancing equity in your library.
- The 2021 survey data will create a baseline. When this survey is next administered in 2024, we will be able to see how the field has evolved. We will be able to track and share these trends with the profession.
To complete the survey, login to your library’s free Benchmark account at librarybenchmark.org. Click on “Surveys” in the menu, and you will see this survey listed under “Open Surveys.” All public library directors should have received an invitation with login details; if your library did not or if you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. Please submit your library’s responses by Jan. 14, 2022.
iSchool Online Professional Development Courses & Webinars
The Information School at UW-Madison recently announced a new list of online professional development courses and webinars. Register before 2022 for a 10% discount.
Have a group of 5 or more? Ask about group discounts! Contact Anna Palmer at [email protected].
Tutorials:
- Tutorial: Spanish for Libraries—At your own pace! Start as soon as you register.
- NEW Tutorial: Privacy in Libraries—At your own pace! Start as soon as you register.
- NEW Tutorial: Budgeting for Libraries—At your own pace! Start as soon as you register.
Upcoming Online Courses - Register 2 weeks before the start date for 10% off. Anybody may sign up for these instructor-led courses. No required meeting times!
- NEW!Project Management in Libraries - Jan 24 – Mar 20
- Teens in the Library - Jan 31 – Mar 13
- Basic Public Library Administration - Jan 31 – Apr 24
- Organization and Management of Collections - Jan 31 – Apr 24
- NEW!Cultural Competence in Libraries: Encouraging Reflective Practice - Feb 7 – Mar 6
- Babies in the Library - Feb 7 – Mar 20
- Programming with Purpose - Feb 28 – Mar 27
- NEW!Services to Families Experiencing Homelessness - Feb 28 – Apr 10
- NEW!Libraries and the Customer Experience - Feb 28 – Mar 27
- Strategies for Supervising Part-Time Employees - Mar 7 – Apr 17
- NEW!Promoting First-Generation Student Success through Academic Library Services - Mar 21 – May 1
- Storytime: An Opportunity for Social Justice - Mar 28 – May 8
- Building Your Management Toolkit - Apr 4 – May 15
- NEW!Designing Accessible Library Spaces - Apr 4 – May 15
- NEW!Know Your Community: Survey Design for Results - Apr 4 – May 1
If you have questions or need more information, contact Anna Palmer at [email protected].
Lake Superior Libraries Un-symposium
Our tenth annual Lake Superior Libraries Un-symposium will once again be held virtually this year! Our 2022 “unconference” will be held Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 from 1-4 pm. We hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of conversation, collaboration, and connection–from wherever you are!
Although the option to meet person for the 2022 Un-symposium is not possible, they'll stick to the “unconference” format where discussion topics are brainstormed and voted on by conference attendees! The online platform to be used is yet-to-be-determined, but you’ll be able to ask questions, interact with other participants, and offer expertise drawn from your own experiences. At our Unconference, you determine the conversation!
Join on Jan. 14, 2022 for the virtual Un-symposium for invigorating discussion with other library folks and be prepared to take that enthusiasm back to your library! Registration is open now!