Online Update

Hamon announces retirement from SCLS

After 24 years as director of the South Central Library System, Peter Hamon announced last week that he will retire sometime around the end of 2005.

“Above all else I want to say thanks,” Hamon said. “To everyone. The opportunity to work with the wonderful folks who make up our library community doesn’t come to everyone, and I have enjoyed all of it, the challenges as well as the successes. I don’t think I could have chosen anything I would rather have done with my life, and my only regret, in an era when we are always on the threshold of something new and wonderful, is that I don’t get to keep doing it longer.

“It has been my honor to have worked with the SCLS trustees, staff, and members for 24 years now. You are up to the task. I wish you all the best for the future. It’s been a great ride.”

Download his complete report to the SCLS board of trustees.

 

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Cross Border Task Force recommends 2006 reimbursement rates

The SCLS Cross Border Task Force, a committee of the SCLS Board of Trustees, met May 9 to set the recommended 2006 reimbursement for usage by residents who pay the county library tax and use libraries in other SCLS counties. The Task Force recommended to the SCLS Board that the libraries be reimbursed at the rate of 30¢ per item loaned, and the SCLS Board of Trustees adopted the recommendation.

If your library is typically eligible for a cross border payment under the Task Force's recommendation, you may want to look at "South Central Library System Recommended Cross Border Payments 2006," a PDF document that shows how much each library was used by county residents in other SCLS counties in 2004, and how much each library is eligible to receive from each participating county in 2006. The document is available at www.scls.info/management/cross/payments06.pdf.

Remember that the recommendation is voluntary, so eligible libraries receive payment only from those counties which choose to participate. More information about the cross border reimbursement program is available at www.scls.info/management/cross/crosscounty.html.

For more information, contact Cheryl Becker, public library consultant, at (608) 246-7973 (or by email).

 

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Member/Staff News

The Rosemary Garfoot Public Library in Cross Plains recently received a $50,000 grant from the Madison Community Foundation to be used for the library building project. Leila Tubbs, one of the founders of the Rosemary Garfoot Public Library and generous library benefactor, recently passed away at the age of 101. She bequeathed $5,000 to the library.

Nancy Lukes has resigned as assistant director at the Reedsburg Public Library to take a position as a school library media specialist at Reedsburg’s Webb Middle School.

The latest issue of Libraries@UW-Madison is now available at www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/News/newsletter/42/.

Richard MacDonald has been hired as director of Baraboo Public Library, effective July 1. He most recently served as director of the Plum Creek Library System in Minnesota, which includes 20 libraries, 5 branch libraries, 9 school media centers and a bookmobile. He has worked as a professional librarian for nearly 17 years, the last 11.5 as a director. Prior to that he was director of the Marshall-Lyon County Library in Marshall, Minnesota. He received his MLS from the University of Arizona.

Jay Robinson, the former director at the Poynette Public Library, has settled in New Zealand and recently sent contact information. You can email him at jay_robinson@orcon.net.nz, or you can mail him c/o Ward Farming Co., Maruia Postal Centre, P.O. Box 3, Maruia 7190 Nelson, New Zealand.

Jaime Vache, assistant director at New Glarus Public Library, will begin a new job June 20 as the Public Services Librarian at Stoughton Public Library. Her last day at New Glarus is June 17.

The Wyocena Public Library participated in the Wyocena Memorial Day parade on Monday May 30 (see photo at right). The library entry was made up of several young people from the community, as well as the director Kerri Canepa. Some walked, some skated, some skateboarded and Kerri rode her colorfully decorated bike while sporting a jester's hat. Bookmarks promoting the upcoming Summer Library Program "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds" were distributed to people along the parade route by the young people.

 

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An idea for your Friends Group

Is your Friends Group looking for a new project? Suggest purchasing a walker for in-library use. Nancy Fletcher, Special Needs Coordinator for the Waukesha Federated Library System, displayed a new aluminum walker at the statewide Special Needs Liaisons’ meeting. This light-weight walker, complete with wheels, hand breaks and a wire basket, helps patrons with special needs remain independent while using the library.

 

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UW Ebling Library offers WisLine sessions about online training modules

The Ebling Library for the Health Sciences at UW-Madison has developed online training modules for public librarians to provide education in consumer health information. The modules are available at http://ebling.library.wisc.edu/outreach/index.cfm.

Each of the four independent tutorials takes about 15 minutes to complete. They cover MedlinePlus, using different levels of health information according to patron need, BadgerLink health resources, and finding good web-based health resources. A web browser and an Internet connection are all that’s needed to use these tutorials. They are designed for anyone that would like to understand and be comfortable with using the variety of online health resources available in Wisconsin libraries.

To familiarize library staff with these modules, introductory, interactive WisLine sessions have been scheduled. These sessions will explain the background and development of these tutorials, demonstrate how they can be used for staff training, and provide opportunity for feedback on improvements the library might make and additional training Ebling might offer.

WisLine sessions are scheduled

• Thursday, June 23, from 2-3 p.m., and
• Tuesday, June 28, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Interested staff can sign up for one of these sessions by going to www.uwex.edu/ics/wlwreg/wlw_welcome.cfm. For more information, contact Stephen Johnson.

 

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Alternate web names an option for member libraries hosted by SCLS

Some SCLS libraries with websites hosted on the SCLS web server have requested shorter or catchier URLs -- or domain names -- for their sites. Having a shorter or more recognizable URL can make publicizing services and information on your library's website easier.

If you are interested in getting a different domain name for your site, here's what you do:

• Pick a new URL and find out if it is available -- visit www.register.com or another registration service and search for your selection.
• Once you find a new URL that is available, contact Stef Morrill at (608) 245-5799 (or by email).

SCLS staff will register this name for you and bill you the costs for the annual registration. SCLS currently uses register.com as its registration site, and the costs per domain name are approximately $30-35 per year.

Some work will need to be done by SCLS Automation to complete the connection between your website and your new domain name. This work will only be done on a quarterly basis in October, January, April, and July. All requests collected by the last day of the month before (March 30 for April, for example) will be completed in that month. This means that you have until June 30 to request a new name if you would like it to be set up in this quarter.

For more information about this process, contact Stef Morrill at (608) 245-5799 (or by email).

 

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McFarland seeks youth services librarian

McFarland Public Library seeks a full-time youth services librarian, starting in July 2005. Responsibilities include: planning, organizing, promoting and implementing library services and programs for children and young adults; reference service and reader's advisory; training and supervision of volunteers; collection development; school liaison activities; community outreach; assistance in creating policies and procedures; management of youth services budget; creation of displays and book lists; assistance with administrative tasks.

This position requires a bachelor's degree in the library science field (MLS or MLIS preferred), extensive computer experience and excellent communication skills, with two or more years of professional library employment desired. The first review of applications will occur June 27, 2005. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please send resume, cover letter and contact information for three references to Shelley Hartman, director, McFarland Public Library, 5114 Farwell St., McFarland, WI 53558.

 

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Reedsburg to hire assistant director

The Reedsburg Public Library seeks applicants for the full-time position of assistant director. The Assistant Director position, which includes benefits, is under the general supervision of the library director and assists in implementing the goals and objectives of the library in its daily operation.

Qualified applicants will have a four-year college degree, public library and Dynix experience preferred. A complete job description and application can be found at www.scls.lib.wi.us/ree/jobopen.htm. Interested applicants should send a resume and completed application to:  Susan Steiner Reedsburg Public Library, 370 Vine St. .Reedsburg, WI  53959; fax to (608)524-9024.

 

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Second annual Madison Zine Fest scheduled during Wisconsin book festival Oct. 12-16

The Madison Zine Fest Student Group recently announced the second annual Madison Zine Fest in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival, Oct. 12-16 in Madison.

“What is a zine?” many will ask. A zine is a self-published magazine, a non-commercial enterprise, a gift of communication from one person to another. Zines are created, usually by one or two individuals, on computer, or with old fashioned materials such as glue, paper, typewriters and photocopy machines. Still confused? Come to the fest for clarification. The fest will take place October 12-16, 2005, on the UW-Madison campus.

Last year zine makers and readers came from all over the Midwest, some even from as far away as Portland, to sample the ideas available. Zines made in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Urbana and Minneapolis were on display.

This year there will be more zinesters and zines, as well as workshops and panel discussions. Noted presenters will include Sanford Berman, Tom Eland, Milo and the Queer Zine Archive, Echo Zine Distro, and Microcosm Publishing.

Sponsors of this year’s event include Wisconsin Book Festival, Punk Planet, Open Book Cafe/College Library, Madison Public Library, The University of Wisconsin's School of Library and Information Science, the South Central Library System, and Center for Print Culture in Modern America. Any individuals or groups interested in sponsoring the festival should contact librarian@madisonzinefest.org to receive a sponsorship package.

Anyone interested in presenting ideas for workshops or discussions, reserving a table for their own zines, or volunteering should contact librarian@madisonzinefest.org.

For more information, visit www.madisonzinefest.org.

 

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Register now for WiLSWorld ‘05

WiLSWorld '05, scheduled July 19-20 in Madison, will feature an array of speakers, including keynotes Joe Janes (University of Washington), perhaps best known as founder of the Internet Public Library, and Chip Nilges (OCLC), identified as one of the “movers and shakers” by Library Journal.

There will also be a variety of sessions that will appeal to both the technically-minded and those looking for the executive overview of technology (and everyone in between).  Topics include: User-centric social software; Ethics and technology; A fresh look at the latest web standards; Marquette University's construction of digital collections; Open WorldCat; Gaming and Gamers; Indexing data from heterogeneous digital archives; and more.

For complete conference information, visit www.wils.wisc.edu/events/wworld05/.

A block of rooms is available at special rates at the Double-Tree Madison until June 19 and at Lowell Inn and Conference Center until June 21.  There is no guarantee that the special rates will be available after these dates, so reserve now. More information is available at www.wils.wisc.edu/events/wworld05/acc.html.

 

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Continuing Education -- www.scls.info/ce/

Upcoming CEs

June 16 -- FISH!: Catch the Energy. Release the Potential (video presentation) with Christine Ray, Manager, Learning & Development, Highsmith Inc., 9:30-11:30 a.m., SCLS Administration.

August 25 -- Reader's Advisory on the Latest Titles and Hot Authors, with Jane Jorgenson, Reference Librarian, Madison Public Library-Ashman Branch. Site and time (1.5 or 2 hours) to be announced.

September (date TBA) -- Reference USA Business, with Tana Elias, Madison Public Library, 9-11:00 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

September 9 -- Lapsit Programs for Babies and Walkers, with Jane Marino, director of the Bronxville (NY) Public Library and author of "Babies in the Library" and other books for the very young child, 9 a.m.-noon, with broadcast sites at SCLS Administration and Portage County Public Library, Stevens Point.

September 22 -- Bridging the Generation Gap (compressed Video Broadcast), with Deborah Spring Laurel, Laurel & Associates Ltd., Madison (WI), 9 a.m.-noon, with broadcast sites at SCLS Administration and Portage County Public Library, Stevens Point.

September 26 -- Ancestry Library & HeritageQuest, with Jean Anderson, Sun Prairie Public Library, 9-11:30 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

October 14 -- Literature Resource Center (LRC), with Dawn Foster, Portage Public Library, 9-11:30 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

October 20 -- The Boomers are Coming! What Do They Want? (compressed video broadcast), with Allan Kleiman, Chair, RUSA/RSS Library Service to an Aging Population Committee (ALA) and Head of Reference, Westfield Memorial Library, (NJ), 9-11:30 a.m., SCLS Administration & Portage County Public Library, Stevens Point.

November 3 -- What Do I Read Next? with Liz Amundson, Madison Public Library, 9-11 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

 

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