Online Update

Index

PLAC finalizes library card applications; available online
Planning for Results is subject of May 18 workshop
Register now for Government Information Day conference, June 3 in Madison
Member/Staff News
Copies of ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ available free from SCLS
Patrons can support their local library by using ‘Shop for the Library’
WeLead Task Force looking for future library leaders
WLA responds to Taxpayers Alliance report
Apply now for Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak 2005-06
Jail Library Group releases 2004 Annual Report
Burmaster approved preliminary LSTA grant program for 2006
Libraries@UW-Madison available online
Teen Read Week 2005
CEs

 

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PLAC finalizes library card applications; available online

For the past several months the Public Library Advisory Committee (PLAC) has been developing and refining library card application forms for use by members libraries. Those forms have been approved and are now available for download as PDF files from the SCLS website.

There are three versions of the form in one PDF document, each with a different age range for applications from juveniles -- 0-13, 0-15 and 0-17. Libraries should use that page which best reflects their own policies.

These forms may be accessed from either the Professional page at www.scls.info/pro/ or from the Library Management page at www.scls.info/management/. If you have questions about these new forms and their use, contact Phyllis Davis at (608) 246-7975 or by email.

 

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Planning for Results is subject of May 18 workshop

Effective planning is critical to an organization’s ability to manage the challenges faced on a daily basis. To help its member library prepare for that uncertain future, the South Central Library System is hosting a May 18 workshop around the Public Library Association’s (PLA) planning process -- The New Planning for Results.

This workshop from the American Library Association division was developed specifically for libraries to help them deal with the special challenges they face. Participants will become familiar with library planning concepts including community vision statements, library service responses, resource allocation formulas, and simplified evaluation strategies.

The presenter for this one-day workshop (9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) is Sandra Nelson, author or co-author of four of the books in the Public Library Association Results series. Registrations are being accepted now, and can be submitted online at www.scls.info/ce/program/register.html.

For more information about the workshops, contact Phyllis Davis at (608) 246-7975 or by email.

 

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Register now for Government Information Day conference, June 3 in Madison

Government Information Resources for Business is this year's theme for the annual Government Information Day conference June 3rd in Madison, sponsored by the Government Information Round Table of the Wisconsin Library Association.

Participants will learn about the state and federal resources available to serve your business patrons. Programs include:

• core federal information resources for business marketing and development;
• state agency programs and service to support business (presented by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce); and
• financial and information resources from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

There also will be a demonstration of OCLC's Digital Archive Initiative and its use in preserving Wisconsin documents, a discussion of pending changes to the Federal Depository Library Program, and state and federal depository updates.

The registration fee is $10, and a registration form is available at www.wla.lib.wi.us/girt/. This conference is eligible for continuing education contact hours for director recertification.

 

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Member/Staff News

Karen Kjensrud, Baraboo Public Library teen/volunteer coordinator, retired March 31, 2005.  Georgene Kunze has taken over her duties on an interim basis through August 31, 2005.

After 23 years on the Stoughton Public Library Board of Trustees -- 18 as President -- Doris Tyler is retiring. She will be greatly missed for her dedication and passion for libraries and the role they play in their communities.

 

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Copies of ‘Speak Up for Your Library’ available free from SCLS

Copies of the video presentation “Speak Up for Your Library,” which aired at the April 21 annual meeting, are available free of charge to member libraries. The video features patrons from across the system talking about the value of the library and its importance in their lives.

The 15-minute video is available free of charge on either DVD or VHS. To order a copy, send an email to Mark Ibach, Coordinator of Marketing and Public Relations.

 

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Patrons can support their local library by using ‘Shop for the Library’

Following a two-year test at the Woodland (CA) Public Library, an online fundraising program called Shop for the Library is now available at no charge for any U.S. public library. Friends of the Library groups and library foundations also may participate.

Every purchase initiated through the Shop for the Library website generates a commission for the library of the user's choice. The program features more than 700 online merchants, including big name retailers such as Target, Macys, Gap and Circuit City. Libraries are not required to sign up for the program, but patrons must be willing to download a piece of software to their computer that tracks when and where purchases are made.

Libraries interested in promoting the program to their patrons can find templates for a variety of promotional materials via the "About" link at the bottom of the Shop for the Library homepage.

Shop for the Library is a joint venture of i2i Communications and software developer TopMoxie. For more information, visit www.shopforthelibrary.net or contact Dan Theobald at (415) 431-0329 (dtheobald@i2icom.com).

 

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WeLead Task Force looking for future library leaders

The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) WeLead Task Force needs your help! WeLead (Wisconsin Emerging Librarians Exploring and Developing) is a 3-year initiative designed to get future library leaders involved in WLA, pairs them with a mentor, and provides leadership development programming.

Libraries are asked to send us the names of new staff members. They need not have an MLS, and need not be a WLA member at this time, or they should not have been a WLA member for more than 3 years. Libraries should send the names of staff members to Cheryl Becker. WLA will follow-up with a letter of invitation to apply for the WeLead program.

There are four WeLead spots available at this time, sponsored by WAPL, WAAL, WLA Foundation, and Embury, Ltd.  Program details are available at www.wla.lib.wi.us/welead/.

 

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WLA responds to Taxpayers Alliance report

The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) recently responded to a report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (Wisconsin's Public Libraries, April 2005, Vol. 73, No. 4 of the Wisconsin Taxpayer) by issuing the news release "Wisconsin Libraries Face Funding Challenges."

WLA attempted to craft a positive, brief response and bridge to issues of concern to libraries. It is not a point-by-point response to everything in the WTA report, and the WLA encourages libraries and their supporters to talk to their own legislators about the WTA report, clarifying key issues for them.

The WLA press release is available at www.wla.lib.wi.us/PLFunding.htm. The WTA report is outlined in their news release, available at www.wistax.org/news_releases/2005/0504.html, and you can request the full report from WTA.

 

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Apply now for Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak 2005-06

For the 10th year the Wisconsin Center for the Book offers communities an opportunity to celebrate and explore the literature of our state with its authors and illustrators. The Center for the Book will award up to 10 grants of $250 each to qualifying organizations wishing to bring a Wisconsin author or illustrator to their community to speak at a public event. The event must be free of admission charges and be scheduled between Sept. 1, 2005 and April 30, 2006. This program is made possible through the generosity and cooperation of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

A Wisconsin author or illustrator is defined as one who has lived in Wisconsin for a significant period of time, including someone who may no longer be living in the state. The Center for the Book does not supply a list of possible speakers.

Wisconsin nonprofit organizations interested in books and reading are eligible to apply. Collaboration among groups is preferred. Such groups may include, but are not limited to, public libraries; public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; community organizations; and places of worship. Applications will be judged on the basis of community outreach and collaboration, thoroughness of planning, and rationale for the choice of speaker.

Application information can be found at www.wisconsinacademy.org/book/basicinfo.html, or contact Jane Roeber, Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak Chair, at jroeber@wisc.edu. Completed applications are due July 1, 2005.

 

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Jail Library Group releases 2004 Annual Report

The Jail Library Group based at UW-SLIS recently released its 2004 Annual Report, which gives a summary of the volunteer group's efforts to provide educational, recreational and community resource reading materials to the residents of the jail facilities in Dane County, Wisconsin.

The 2004 Annual Report is available at http://slisweb.lis.wisc.edu/~jail/learn/history/2004.html.

 

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Burmaster approves preliminary LSTA grant program for 2006

State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster recently approved the preliminary LSTA grant program and budget for 2006 after receiving the recommendations of the LSTA Advisory Committee and considering comments from a public hearing held in conjunction with the LSTA Advisory Committee meeting on March 29 and 30 in Madison.

Final decisions on the LSTA program for 2006 will be made in November and are dependent upon the total dollars available, including the federal LSTA appropriation for FY 2006 and carryover, applications submitted, and other factors.  Congress will be considering the federal budget for FY 2006 over the next several months.

For the complete article see Channel Weekly, Vol. 7, No. 29, at www.dpi.state.wi.us/dltcl/eis/chwk0729.html.

 

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Libraries@UW-Madison available online

The most recent issue of Libraries@UW-Madison is now available online at www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/News/newsletter/41/.

 

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Teen Read Week 2005

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announced the launch of its 2005 Teen Read Week website. Visit the site at www.ala.org/teenread to register, access annotated booklists, get program ideas, download a logo, and much more.

This year's theme is "Get Real! @ your library," and the focus is on nonfiction and realistic fiction. Even though Teen Read Week isn't until October 16-22, librarians can start planning their community's Teen Read Week celebration. To help with planning, YALSA has a Teen Read Week Manual that can be purchased from the website. Librarians also are encouraged to check out the summer ALA Graphics Catalog, which will be mailed out in early May, for Teen Read Week products.

 

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