Index
- Three SCLS Libraries Receive Star Library ratings from Library Journal
- Vesper Seeks Part Time Library Director
- WLA Scholarship Reports
- Member/Staff News
- Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race
- Conference Committees Seeking Volunteers
- WWWWC 2022 Registration Open
- Continuing Education Calendar
Three SCLS Libraries Receive Star Library Ratings From Library Journal
This is the 14th year in which LJ has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2021 scores and ratings are based on FY19 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS).
Congratulations to Monona Public Library, Cambridge Community Library, and Lester Public Library of Vesper.
Read the complete article in Library Journal.
Vesper Seeks Part Time Library Director
The Lester Public Library of Vesper is seeking a dedicated, creative and energetic person to be our next Part-Time Director.
Our community-centered library serves a village population of 580 and a service area of 1100. We focus on service to our patrons and strive to create a welcoming experience for readers of all ages. The Village of Vesper is located in Wood County between the cities of Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield.
The applicant selected will be responsible for all management tasks related to the operation of a busy rural library. Must have completed 54 college semester credits and must be eligible or willing to take the required courses for Grade 3 library certification in the State of Wisconsin. The ideal candidate will have experience in a library setting using an automated system; knowledge of preparing and implementing a budget; ability to supervise a small staff; demonstrated commitment to professional development for staff and self; proficient technology experience; excellent organizational skills; interpersonal oral and written communication skills; enjoy developing new programs for residents of all ages and be dependable and flexible. Salary is dependent on experience and certification.
To apply candidates should submit cover letter, resume (must include education) and three professional references along with any questions you may have to:
Directors Position
Lester Public Library of Vesper
6550 Virginia St
Vesper, WI 54489
vesperlibraryemployment@gmail.com
Last November, the Wisconsin Library Association Conference was held in Green Bay. Four SCLS member library staff received full scholarships to attend the conference. Here are a few highlights from their conference experiences.
Chris Baker, Portage Public Library
- How to Position Your Library as a Partner in Workforce Development: Staff Training, Marketing Resources, and How to Use Thempresented by Tovah Anderson, Cole Zrostlik, Rebecca Kilde, and Jennifer Savino
This presentation offered a comprehensive overview of the three-year Libraries Activating Workforce Development Skills (LAWDS) project; LAWDS has resulted in a thorough web of collaboration throughout the state of Wisconsin between diverse service agencies and workforce development offices.
Why was this presentation meaningful? Since transitioning from my Teen Services role at the Portage Public Library to the Adult Services Librarian, I have heavily focused my energies on the development of partnerships between area service agencies and Workforce Development in Columbia County; Mark Jochem and I, in tandem with other service figures, have created the Portage Area Workforce & Service Connection (PAWSC). PAWSC includes the Portage Public Library, Forward Services, Columbia County Health & Human Services, the Workforce Development Board of South-Central Wisconsin, River Haven Homeless Shelter, WorkSmart Network, and more. Similar to LAWDS, the hope for PAWSC is to eliminate service redundancies, facilitate better communication, streamline the service/benefit process for clients and patrons, save money, and reach more people-in-need, better. It goes without saying that I’ve learned a lot from LAWDS and have tried to implement some of the resources and strategies that they’ve found success with. This presentation was an excellent opportunity to harvest information, learn from my (and their) mistakes, and identify opportunities that I can bring back to strengthen PAWSC.
Courtney Cosgriff, Waunakee Public Library
- Barriers to Equitable Hiring Practices in Libraries and How to Unmake Thempresented by Adriana McCleer and Nick Demske
Wow! I loved this session. The presenters suggested a great barrier to librarianship is the MLS degree. There are so many great community members who would make great librarians, but only like .01% of them have the degree. You should still hire people with MLS degrees, but don’t make it the end all be all to candidates. I have already suggested this to my director and will be discussing it for our future hires.
- Public Libraries and Fake news: How to Educate and Connect With Your Communitypresented by Barbara Alvarez and Samuel Molzahn
I also loved this session! It was great that they started off with the definitions of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. This is such a relevant and hot topic and I love that the speakers gave tips on how to diffuse any frustrated patrons during the program. Presenters made doing a program like this at your library completely feasible!
Andrea Halbersma, Lester Public Library of Vesper
- We've Got Style, Yes We Do! We've Got Style, How About You?presented by Jennie Fidler and Lissa Radder
This was presented by staff from the Oconomowoc Library, they discussed how to create a style guide for your library, where to go to get inspiration for it, and the importance of having a cohesive style throughout the library. I have been working on a marketing plan for the Vesper library and this is a huge part of it. It made me realize how important even just having the same font and color scheme on your flyers, postings, etc. and how it can be used to make the library recognizable.
I have already started working on a style guide for our library. I spent time pouring over fonts and decided on 3 main ones, like they recommended, and choose colors that speak of the interior of the library and our logo to represent it in all our social media and hard copy postings. I also began making a template for flyers, so they are easily recognized as a flyer from our library regardless of content.
Lisa Renier Thomas, Spring Green Community Library (now at George Culver Community Library)
- Rethinking Library Services and Design in a Post-COVIDWorld presented by Gregg Baum, Emily Kornak, and Bill Wilson
The Lake Geneva Public Library, a Taliesin Architects building located in a lakeside park, was planning for a large-scale expansion and renovation. When the pandemic hit they scaled back to focus on: creating a healthy building, weeding, and reevaluating their service model.
Creating a healthy building: upgrading HVAC system to include air filtration (at least MERV 13) and increased fresh air intake.
Weeding: Changes to the library layout needed to be made in order to reflect the current ways patrons interact with the building and staff. In order to make this happen, major weeding has begun. “Just in case” collections are being discarded. Instead, they are focusing on what patrons have been utilizing over the past three years. The goal is for 95-99% of the collection to be actively used.
Service model reevaluation: Fortress-like circulation desk in the center of the library replaced by smaller one along the edge, adjacent to staff areas. Staff areas moved from lakefront to street-side of building, so that patrons can enjoy best views. Bookshelf height reduced, and huge, original magazine display removed to improve sightlines. Two study rooms are to be added. Local artist creating large, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired stained glass separators to define seating areas and deflect the noise. Paint and other new décor will reflect the building’s Prairie style.
The Spring Green Community Library is also a Taliesin Architects building with some of the same challenges (linear design, no study rooms, outdated HVAC). Spring Green’s 100th birthday is fast approaching, and I have been encouraging the board to consider investing in improvements to mark the occasion.
Interested in attending a conference? Scholarship applications are currently being accepted for the Public Library Association Conference in March of this year. Deadline extended through January 21, 2022. Scholarships for the spring WAPL Conference will be available later this spring.
*Image by Laura Sauser, Executive Director of WLA, shared from the Whova App.
The January issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. Please send any comments or suggestions to Carol Hassler. In this issue: Legal Research for Public Librarians - Public librarians are part of the network of professionals who help self-represented litigants as they navigate the legal system. In this article, we survey some quick resources for librarians looking to bolster their legal research collections or skills. (read more): Quickly Edit Jury Instructions - In addition to downloading the fully commented Word and PDF versions of each instruction, we are pleased to announce that you may now download Civil Jury Instructions without commentary for quick editing. (read more): New Books - This month’s featured books are Human resource law boot camp, and Legal citation in a nutshell. Our new book list features a number of additions for court and trial practice, family, and employment law. (read more): Tech Tip - Many licensed attorneys are familiar with using Fastcase for legal research. Did you know that the Fastcase database is also available on HeinOnline, a database available to most library card holders? Get tips on using Fastcase through HeinOnline from the State Law Library. (read more): Spotlight on Landlord / Tenant Research - This past fall has seen an increase in the number of evictions filed in Wisconsin and we have received a number of landlord/tenant or eviction related questions at our libraries. We survey some books and online sources we use to help people find more information. (read more): Library News - New this year, sign up for our Tax research sources and strategies class. Space is still available in our upcoming legislative history classes as well. Get more library news in this month’s column. (read more): January Snapshot - 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. (read more)
Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race
How can you better position your library (the heart of your community) as a place where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are celebrated?
In a 2020 survey, library workers statewide (and from libraries of all sizes) identified “the ability to communicate about topics related to race” as one skill they needed to better lead DEI efforts big and small in their libraries and communities.
The IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity in Action) Team invites public library staff from throughout Wisconsin to participate in the 2022 LSTA-funded project, Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race. This project is a continuing education series for Wisconsin library staff members interested in devoting more time to learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion and ways to bring DEI to their libraries and communities.
There are three ways to participate, based on your learning style and schedule in 2022:
- Group education
Participate in one, two, or three one-hour Webinars delivered once “live” virtually and recorded for later playback.
- February 15th, 10am -Let's Talk About Race At Work [Register HERE]
- March 9th, 10am- Engaging in Sensitive Conversations & Handling Pushback [Register HERE]
- April 14th, 1pm- Understanding Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter in Majority White Spaces [Register HERE]
- Group discussion
Explore the content of each webinar in discussion forums made up of no more than 10 participants from across the state. Sessions will be offered virtually to allow for maximum accessibility and will be facilitated by trained library staff facilitators. Dates are forthcoming in 2022.
- Independent study and exploration
Independently explore the content provided in each Webinar, with materials provided by the People Company. Prompts will be provided for participants, in order to practice essential competencies explored in the webinars. Materials will be accessible through the Wisconsin IDEA Team, and are forthcoming in 2022.
For questions and updates, please visit the Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race website, https://www.wislibidea.com , or contact a member of the IDEA Team.
This project was coordinated by the Wisconsin IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Action) Team and made possible by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI) Public Library Development Team, with funding support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Conference Committees Seeking Volunteers
The WAAL, WAPL, and WLA Annual Conference committees are each seeking volunteer committee members. Gain valuable leadership experience, build relationship with other WLA members, and have fun planning our spring and fall conferences. To learn more and volunteer, contact:
- WAAL Conference = Nicole Breed, Conference Chair (nbreed@cvtc.edu)
- WAPL Conference = WAPL Chair David Kranz (dkranz@swls.org) or past WAPL Conference Chair, Teresa Schmidt (director@mercerpubliclibrary.org)
- WLA Annual Conference = Barry McKnight, Conference Chair (bmcknight@lacrosselibrary.org )
Registration is 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.