Online Update

Remember to contact legislators about fuel tax exemption bill

Last week, many directors in the South Central Library System received a letter asking them to contact local legislators sponsoring two Assembly bills -- AB236 and AB726. AB236 would exempt municipalities from paying the state gas tax, while AB726 would give a rebate to municipalities that have paid the gas tax.

Library systems were left out of the definition of municipalities eligible for these provisions, and we asked the selected directors to make contact with bill sponsors to get systems added. As you are acutely aware, fuel prices have skyrocketed since the beginning of 2005, a situation that has significantly impacted the South Central Library System Delivery budget. Every dollar spent on fuel for Delivery is a dollar that is not available to provide other services to member libraries and patrons.

We’d like to thank those directors that have already contacted their legislators. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to make your voice heard. Letters, phone calls, or emails are all appropriate tools to use, although phone calls will prove the most effective. Remember to explain the significant role Delivery plays in the operation of your library, and how this reduction in fuel cost would directly benefit your library patrons by helping to maintain this valuable service.

If you have questions, please contact me at (608) 246-5612 (or by email).

 

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’60 Books’ sent to SCLS member libraries

Each South Central Library System member library should have received its copy of the handmade book featured in the Wisconsin Book Festival. Created for the Wisconsin Book Festival by the Bone Folders’ Guild (a book arts group based in Madison), the project features 60 blank books in which library patrons can put their writing, photos, paintings, or other creative expressions.

Each of the books is now listed in LINKCat, and they are available to patrons for the next 10 months -- until Aug. 15, 2006. To help promote this exciting new program, each library should have received a sample press release, two 8.5x11 inch posters, and one 11x17 inch poster (materials are available at www.scls.info/pr/60_books/). More of each is available by contacting Mark Ibach at (608) 246-5612 (or by email).

For more information about the project, contact Mary Knapp, Madison Public Library, at (608) 266-6359 (mknapp@scls.lib.wi.us), or Alison Jones Chaim, director of the Wisconsin Book Festival, at (608) 265-5595 (alison@wisconsinbookfestival.org).

More information about the Wisconsin Book Festival is available at www.wisconsinbookfestival.org, and you can read more about the Bone Folders’ Guild at www.valleyridgeartstudio.com/bone_folders/.

 

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Children's Book Week materials available; observance is Nov. 14-20

Reading provides children a strong foundation upon which to build all learning, a fact that gives special emphasis to the annual celebration of Children’s Book Week. This year’s celebration, scheduled the week of Nov. 14-20, marks the 86th annual observance that originated simply to share the joy of reading with children.

Children’s Book Week introduces young people to authors, illustrators, and books in libraries, schools, homes, and bookstores. This annual observance encourages young people and their caregivers to discover through books the complexity of the world beyond their own experience. The 2005 theme is “Imagine.”

Children’s book week is sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, a nonprofit trade association that promotes the use and enjoyment of children’s trade books and related literacy materials for young people. The organization also is the official sponsor of Young People’s Poetry Week. The Council’s membership is made up of U.S. publishers and packagers of trade books for children and young adults, and producers of related literacy materials.

Promotional materials have been sent to libraries, and they also are available at www.scls.info/pr/cbw/.

 

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850 patrons have volunteered to ‘speak up’ for their library

For the past year, library patrons throughout the South Central Library System have made the commitment to “speak up” for their library by signing the yellow campaign cards being displayed in libraries systemwide. To date, 850 individuals have stepped forward in support of their library, and libraries statewide.

The impact of these patrons’ input was significant during this year’s biennial state budget process, but there is more work that needs to be done. There are several important pieces of legislation currently being debated at the committee level, and it is likely we’ll need patron input to influence legislative action.

What does this mean for you? We need you to continue to promote the “Speak Up for Your Library” campaign by prominently displaying the yellow sign-up cards. The goal of the campaign is to collect patron names and email addresses so we can better educate them about the value and impact of the public library.

This is an ongoing effort that can pay potentially significant dividends when we need patrons to “speak up” for libraries at the local, county, or state level. Therefore, we’re asking you to continually remind patrons about the need to volunteer their voice to the cause of libraries. Include an article in your newsletter, ask your Friends group to promote the sign-up cards, and mention the campaign during any programs you sponsor.

If you’d like some of the new reminder bookmarks, or need additional cards, posters (8.5x11 or 11x17), or boxes in which to collect the cards, contact Mark Ibach at (608) 246-5612 (or by email).

 

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DuPage teleconference series begins Nov. 18

South Central Library System will once again offer the College of DuPage live teleconference series. Each program is 1.5 hours long, and all will be held on Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at sites throughout the SCLS region. 

Here's a preview of the 2005-06 College of DuPage series:

• “Google and Your Patrons” -- Broadcast date: Nov. 18, 2005
• “Always a River, Sometimes a Library: Rick Anderson Re-examines Library Practice and Patron Service” -- Broadcast date: Feb. 3, 2006
• “Library Management Hot Topics: A Discussion with Experienced Library Managers” -- Broadcast date: March 10, 2006
• “Serving Immigrant Populations: A Library Prototype for Diversity” -- Broadcast date: April 7, 2006
• “Google Print: Its Impact on Scholarship and Libraries” -- Broadcast date: April 28, 2006

In the first program (Nov. 18, "Google and Your Patrons") Steven Bell explores the myths and realities of this popular search engine and its impact on libraries. Check Bell's article in this month's American Libraries: "Submit or Resist: Librarianship in the Age of Google," for a preview of the issues posed in this important presentation. (AL, October 2005, p. 68-71)

Registration is available online at www.scls.info/ce/program/dupageregistration.html.

The 2006 DuPage programs, as well as many other SCLS continuing education opportunities for 2006, will be available for online registration soon. Information about these and other SCLS continuing education programs is available at www.scls.info/ce/. Question should be directed to Mary Wepking at (608) 246-5613 (or by email).

 

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Member/Staff News

The Dane County Legal Resource Center held a successful Banned Books Week event at the Dane County Courthouse Sept 28. Co-sponsored by ACLU-WI, the event featured a bilingual reading of the Bill of Rights, as well as guest speakers from the ACLU and Library School. Photos of the event are posted at http://wsll.state.wi.us/branch/dclrc/about/bannedbooks2005.html.

Phyllis Davis, Associate Director of the South Central Library System, has been elected the WLA’s ALA Chapter Councilor.

Nichole Fromm, SCLS Library Technology Project Support Specialist, recently was elected the 2006 Media and Technology Section Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect for WLA.

The October issue of WSLL@Your Service has been published at http://wsll.state.wi.us/newsletter/issue05oct.html.

The Wyocena Public Library went live on LINK this past Monday, Oct. 10, 2005. The library’s code (WYO) has been added to the list of pickup locations and the holdings display in all Dynix accounts, and the numbering of these lists has been altered.

 

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Author James Magnuson at Sauk City Public Library Oct. 17

Noted author James Magnuson will be coming to the Sauk City Library Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Magnuson currently lives in Austin, TX, where he is the director of the prestigious James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas.

Magnuson's newest book, “The Hounds of Winter,” is set in the Middleton/Sauk City area. The novel was inspired by actual events, including the abandoned Badger Ordnance munitions plant. Make a point to come listen to this well known author.

 

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Sun Prairie Public Library honors 106 volunteers

The Sun Prairie Public Library Volunteer Appreciation and Awards celebration was held Oct. 7 at the library. The library currently has 106 active volunteers who worked 2,940 hours during the last year.

Sponsored by the Library Board of Trustees and the Friends of the Sun Prairie Public Library, awards and recipients are as follows.

• Special Recognition -- Kevin Brors, Nancy Brors, Sally Campbell, Mickey Colwell, Carol Kincaid, Betty Neff, Dorothy Phillips, Jeri Phillips, Diane Smith, Chuck Spelbring, Cheryl Taulman, George Traeger, Judy Traeger and Beth Van den Berg
• Exceptional Service -- Gloria Cavil, Ann Kramer, Dee Stopfer and Pat Wende
• Community Service -- Demco
• Dale Davis Award for Innovation -- Friends of the Sun Prairie Public Library
• Honor Roll of Service -- Stan Talarek

 

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Kurt Vonnegut extols the value of librarians in interview about new book

During a free-ranging interview last week in USA Today about his new book “A Man Without a Country,” author Kurt Vonnegut said that amid all the doom and gloom he hears and feels, there are things he clings to.

One of these is Librarians, who he said that while "not famous for their physical strength," resist having books removed from shelves and refuse to give names of people who have checked out certain books in the era of the Patriot Act. The article then includes Vonnegut’s well-known library quote, "The America I loved still exists in the front desks of public libraries."

To read the full text of the USA Today article, visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051006/en_usatoday/vonnegutonpoliticspresidentsandlibrarians.

 

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UWDCC’s 1 millionth image represents Wisconsin Idea

Last week, the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center (http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu) digitized an image that represents the Wisconsin spirit and marked a significant achievement for the UWDCC and the university community — digitizing and launching their 1 millionth digital object.

The image “Harvest Time” (http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Arts/Arts-idx?id=Arts.BartonRural) is a painting by Lois Ireland that shows the picturesque nature of Wisconsin’s rolling hills, cobalt skies, regional agriculture and rustic barns. The scene reflects the people, land and products of rural Wisconsin and is likely familiar to anyone who has traveled Wisconsin’s roadways.

For more information visit www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/news/releases/2005/20050921-One-MillionthDigitalObject.shtml. To read about other notable collections from the UWDCC visit www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/News/tabloid05.pdf.

 

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netLibrary announces new interface

NetLibrary 4.0, scheduled for release in late October, will provide an all new user interface offering improved performance, a fresh new look and feel, and powerful new navigation tools. With features like automatic summarization, search within search, site indexing and more, the re-engineered site will provide you and your patrons with a more dynamic, more flexible platform for accessing eContent.

Some of the new features are:

• Improved Query Performance -- Query response will match performance indicators of leading web search engines, typically offering response times of two seconds or less regardless of the search term or type of search.
• New Site Architecture -- A sleek new look and feel combined with simple intuitive navigation makes it easier to search across multiple formats, related databases, and other online resources.
• Automatic Summarization -- Enables users to find the materials they are looking for quickly by providing a brief summary of eContent through the search results.
• Spell Checking -- Automatically checks the spelling of a query term, recognizes commonly misspelled words and offers alternative spellings.
• Concept Recommendations. Recognizes ambiguous search terms and provides recommendations for refining queries, for example: "Java programming" as opposed to "java coffee."
• Foreign Language Support. Offers patrons the ability to conduct searches and view results for content available in their native language. Supported languages currently include English, French, Spanish and Chinese, with more to follow.
• Search within Search. Users can narrow search results by entering an additional search term or terms to drill down to relevant content.
• Search History. NetLibrary's new search technology keeps track of past queries during their session and allows users to easily return to search results.
• Site Indexing. With sophisticated and customizable site indexing, libraries can now link to multiple resources including special online collections, Web sites, PDF files and databases, and allow discovery through the NetLibrary interface.

 

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

Upcoming CEs

October 18 -- Self-Check, RFID, and More: A Road Trip, 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., New Berlin (WI) Public Library and Gurnee (IL) Public Library.

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 8 -- Badgerlink: Humanities, with Linda Miller, 1:30-4 p.m., SCLS Training Room E.

November 11 -- Reference USA Business, with Tana Elias, Madison Public Library, 9-11:00 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

November 17 -- Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales: 2006 SLP Workshop, with Kathy Ross (keynote), Geri Ceci Cupery, Kim Ropson, and Karen Wendt, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Olbrich Gardens, Madison.

November 18 -- Libraries in a Google Universe, Soaring to Excellence Teleconference Series (DuPage), with Steven Bell, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., MATC Reedsburg and Truax, Marshfield Clinic, MSTC Wisconsin Rapids, Monona Public Library, UW-Stevens Point, and the Feb. Center at UW-Madison (tentative sites).

November 30 -- Badgerlink: Humanities, with Linda Miller, 9-11:30 a.m., Pinery Room, Portage County Public Library, Stevens Point.

November 30 -- Badgerlink: Resources for Kids, with Linda Miller, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., Pinery Room, Portage County Public Library, Stevens Point

December 2 -- Badgerlink: Ethnic Information, with Linda Miller, 9 - 11:30 a.m., SCLS Training Room E.

 

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