Index
- Trustee Training Week 2024 Registration Open
- Social Work Intern Cohort Opening Up to New Members
- WSLL @ Your Service
- IMLS Launches InfomationLiteracy.gov
- Public Library Technology Survey Report
- Continuing Education Calendar
Trustee Training Week 2024 Registration Open
Registration is open for Trustee Training Week 2024 - our 11th season! We have a great lineup of webinars this year and I hope to see many of you and your trustees there.
- Monday, August 19: Everything You Want to Know about Book Challenges...and a Bit You Probably Don't with Tasslyn Magnusson
- Join your fellow Wisconsin library trustees and catch up on the news in book reconsideration policies, challenges, and weathering this unprecedented time for libraries across the country. Webinar participants will review some of the latest information and trends on book challenges and attacks on libraries and librarians and, most importantly, strategies for preparing for and managing if (when) these challenges come to your library.
- Tuesday, August 20: Wisconsin Library Law with Kris Turner
- Reading and understanding laws and regulations can be daunting, even more so when you are a trustee or on a library board. This session will focus on demystifying the law and focus on specific statutes and cases that affect Wisconsin libraries as well as a discussion of how to best answer legal questions when they inevitably arise. Topics covered include open meeting laws, statutory delegation of library board authority, basics of legal research, and more. When the session has concluded, you will be able to better locate and answer legal questions that you may face as a library board member and also know what resources are available to you to get these difficult and stressful questions answered. To help Kris target his presentation, we created a short survey to gather input on Wisconsin library legal topics of interest to you.
- Wednesday, August 21: Making Each Other Look Good: The Library Board and the Library Director with Jamie LaRue
- In an ideal world, board and director are on the same page regarding values, vision, and goals. All too often, that relationship breaks down. Communication fails among board members; expectations of the director are not conveyed or are conveyed poorly. The director fails to notify the board of key issues or projects. How can board members and directors build a stronger and more positive communication infrastructure? While this webinar focuses mostly on board and directors, any staff member interested in the larger dynamics of this relationship may find the session illuminating.
- Thursday, August 22: Organization & Governance Best Practices for Boards with Charity Tyler
- A well-defined set of organizational and governance standards and best practices help boost board efficiency and performance, engage current board members, cultivate volunteers and future leaders, and create a positive board culture. Learn the difference between bylaws and operational standards and what belongs in each along with tips for a regular review of both. Learn how to evaluate your current committee structure, determine the needs of your organization, and implement change for increased engagement and improved efficiency and outcomes.
- Friday, August 23: Robert's Rules Refresher with Thomas Pugh
- Whether you’re new to the library board or a long-time member, knowing Robert’s Rules can help your meetings run smoothly and efficiently. This Robert’s Rules refresher will cover some basic parliamentary procedures like consent agendas, making motions, quorums, closed sessions, and more. To help Thomas prepare for the webinar, we want your questions about Robert’s Rules and parliamentary procedure. Please take a few moments to share your questions in this short survey.
Please share with your trustees. See you next month!
Social Work Intern Cohort Opening Up to New Members
The Social Work Intern Cohort is opening up to more member libraries! Started in 2021 through a partnership with UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison, the Cohort works to match member libraries with social work interns, and to help facilitate conversations about the need for social assistance in libraries.
Who are the interns, and what can they do for your library and community? The interns are undergraduate students, often in their final year of social work studies. They have been cleared as qualified to gain field experience and apply the skills and knowledge of their education. They are assigned experienced masters’ level social workers to guide them through their practicum experience. Students assigned to SCLS member libraries have helped in a number of ways:
- Gathering community resources and making connections;
- Helping libraries with needs and assets assessments;
- Providing one-on-one service referral appointments to community members
- Acting as knowledgeable resources for library staff
- And many other ways.
The cohort generally meets four times per year to discuss social service needs, challenges and solutions at their library.
You can learn about the ins-and-outs of social work internships in libraries by watching the overview webinar: The Nuts & Bolts of Social Work Internship, presented by Jess Bowers of UW-Stevens Point and Audrey Conn of UW-Madison. If you are interested in joining the Social Work Intern Cohort, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/Y2h5D8rwv3zNB69s8. Reach out to Mark Jochem or Shawn Brommer if you have any questions or would like to discuss the opportunity further.
In this issue
Wisconsin Municipal Ordinance Research
The Wisconsin State Law Library has maintained a list of links to online Wisconsin municipal ordinances for 22 years, first debuting a comprehensive list in 2002. Learn some tips for researching municipal and county ordinances. Read more
Rental Law Research
Check out this month's book display on tenant and landlord law. These books provide clear and practical advice on rights, responsibilities, and legal steps for both tenants and landlords. Read more
New Books
This month we’re featuring new editions of Social media and the law, and Advising the elderly client – along with our new book list. Read more
Tech Tip
We often think of Wisconsin Eye as covering happenings inside the state capitol, such as legislative sessions, hearings, and Supreme Court oral arguments. However, Wisconsin Eye is frequently "on the road" covering events all over Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Eye website includes coverage of select circuit court matters, meetings, presentations, press conferences, and more. Read more
Library News
Libraries are closed on July 4th, and other updates from our three libraries. Read more
July Snapshot
It's not an exaggeration to say all libraries are connected in some way. Libraries and librarians often work together in the goal of bringing information to users. Reminders of this connection sometimes pop up unexpectedly, such as finding this book plate from Ripon College's Lane Library in our compact storage archive. Read more
IMLS Launches InformationLiteracy.gov
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) introduced a new website with specialized tools and resources designed for library and museum professionals to engage diverse communities in developing critical information literacy skills. InformationLiteracy.gov, which debuted June 27 at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego, is one product of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which directed IMLS to explore ways to improve information literacy within communities. It focuses on disseminating training and technical assistance resources for professionals in libraries, museums, zoos, aquaria, botanical gardens, arboretums, nature and science centers, archives, and other community-serving institutions....
Public Library Technology Survey Report
The Public Library Association (PLA) has published the 2023 Public Library Technology Survey Summary Report, which is freely and publicly available on the PLA website. Read the report to learn about emerging trends around technology capacity, resources for patrons, infrastructure, digital literacy, and staffing in U.S. public libraries. This data is vital to understand how libraries serve as hubs of knowledge and innovation in our communities and continue to evolve to meet patron needs.
The report addresses questions such as: How are library professionals advancing digital equity in their communities? What types of technology devices do libraries loan to patrons, and are more or fewer libraries offering these items compared to in 2020? What are the primary challenges libraries face in providing technology resources and services?
Key findings include:
- Nearly half of libraries (46.9%) offer internet hotspots for checkout.
- 95.3% of public libraries offer some kind of formal or informal digital literacy training, and almost 30% report they offer a digital navigator program to assist patrons.
- Almost one in five (19.7%) libraries are involved in digital equity or inclusion coalitions at the local, state, or regional level.
- Federal funding is critical to supporting library technology needs: almost half (52%) of libraries applied for the E-rate program either individually or as part of a consortium.
PLA is offering a free webinar, July 30, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the survey report.
At the conclusion of this free webinar, participants will be able to:
- Identify current trends in technology infrastructure, capacity, resources, and the digital equity work in public libraries;
- Explore survey results and develop potential next steps; and
- Use Benchmark visualizations and participate in future PLA surveys.