February 2004 WVLS' The Lamplighter

"…As librarians, our job is to bring people and information together. We do this by making sure libraries have information and ideas across the spectrum of social and political thought, so people can choose what they want to read or view or listen to. Since libraries provide information for all of the people in their community, we find, from time to time, that not all of our users agree with all of the material we acquire. Some users find materials in their local library collection to be untrue, offensive, harmful, or even dangerous. But libraries serve the information needs of all of the people in the community - not just the loudest, not just the most powerful, not even just the majority. Libraries serve everyone….We call the concept on which we stand ‘intellectual freedom’. It is based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and means that right of every person to hold any belief on any subject, and the right of a person to express her beliefs or ideas in whatever way she considers appropriate. The ability to express an idea or a belief, however, is not very meaningful without an audience on the other end to hear, read or view that expression. Intellectual freedom, then, is the right to express your ideas and the right of others to be able to hear them.

"Beside giving Americans the right to speak freely, the importance of the First Amendment is that it is the mechanism which allows us to be a nation of self-governors. We live in a constitutional republic – a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. But this form of government does not function effectively unless its electorate is enlightened. The electorate must have information available and accessible. And it does – in our nation’s libraries." (Excerpted from a 5/23/02 lecture presented by Judith Krug titled, "Intellectual Freedom 2002: Living the Chinese Curse." For the full speech, see http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/lectures/krug.html )

At the 2/3/04 Library Legislative Day gathering, WLA President Nancy McClements mentioned that libraries got some ‘good press’ in the 2/04 issue of PCWorld magazine. In an article about useful web sites, they said, "Frustrated by the growing number of pay-per-view archives? Your local library’s web site might be able to help, though you may need a library card to enjoy full access. For example, New York Public Library cardholders can read issues of The New York Times online for the past year, and anyone in the world can ask the librarian any question. You’ll find encyclopedias, community information, and more than enough reasons to ensure that your library card is up-to-date." (For the whole article, see http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,113745,pg,10,00asp). Nancy says it’s "certainly a refreshing contrast to a lot of the media coverage libraries get these days. Who knows, maybe LII (Librarian’s Index to the Internet) will be their next Web Star!"

"The richest person in the world – in fact all the riches in the world – couldn’t provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library. You can measure the awareness, the breadth and the wisdom of a civilization, a nation, a people by the priority given to preserving these repositories of all that we are, all that we were, or will be. Our libraries are being eroded alarmingly by inflation. It behooves us – all of us – to stop the rot by the application of that prime preserver – money." (Malcolm Forbes – 1981 as seen at the website http://homepages.gac.edu/~mtwait/favquotes.htm) -- Heather Eldred

Celebrate the Book
a WVLS Reference & Reader’s Advisory Workshop

Tuesday, March 23, 2004
9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Marathon County Public Library Wausau Room
300 First Street, Wausau

Agenda:

9:00 – 9:30

Registration & Coffee

9:30 – 10:30

Reference Refresher

Join Beth Sillars, WVLS reference librarian and consultant, for a whirlwind trip through print (and electronic) resources selected to brush up your reference desk survival skills.

10:30 – 11:30

Book Clubs and Community Reading

books

Linda Gau and Gary Gisselman, Marathon County Public Library reference librarians and leaders of several book discussion groups, bring a wealth of experience to this session. Both have been involved in Marathon County Reads, which is a county-wide effort to promote reading of one book throughout the county. Linda and Gary will recommend great books for book clubs and community reading, and provide you with the tools and information you need to organize and lead a book discussion or an all-community reads program.

11:30 – 12:30

Lunch –

Enjoy the eateries in downtown Wausau; or, for $6.00, feast on the catered lunch provided by WVLS. The catered lunch includes hot sandwiches, salad, dessert and beverage.

12:30 – 3:30

History of the Mystery

Gary Warren Niebuhr, Director of the Greendale Public Library, is no stranger to librarians interested in readers advisory services. Gary is a charter member and founder of the Readers Section of the Wisconsin Library Association. He is an avid collector of mysteries and an author of 3 books on the mystery genre. Gary will present the history of the mystery, explore Readers Advisory resources and provide many mystery-related readers advisory tips.

Inspector

To register for this workshop, contact Marla Sepnafski at 715/261-7252 or msepnafs@wvls.lib.wi.us

Registration deadline is MARCH 19th.

If you need accommodations to attend this workshop,
please contact the WVLS office.

Celebrate the Book – a WVLS workshop, Tuesday, March 23rd

Name(s)

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Lunch On My Own

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Library

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Catered Lunch $

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National Library Legislative Day will be held in Washington, D.C., on May 3 and 4, 2004 and it is not too early to put this date on your calendar. This is our annual opportunity to take our concerns to our congressional delegation in D.C., and increase their awareness of issues that are important to the Wisconsin library community. This year is particularly important with so many critical issues on the table:

Each year a group of delegates from Wisconsin attends this meeting to speak with our Senators and Representatives. Fourteen people made up our delegation in 2003, and it would be wonderful to expand that number in 2004. Our Wisconsin library delegation will make a far greater impression with greater numbers.

Monday, May 3, will be a Briefing Day, during which the issues will be defined and guidance will be provided on how to present the issues to our congressmen. Tuesday, May 4, will be the Advocacy Day, with scheduled group appointments throughout the day with our Wisconsin Congressional delegation in their offices.

We would like to encourage members of the Wisconsin library community to attend this meeting and to help deliver our message to our legislators. Funding support will have to be solicited by the person wishing to attend – perhaps from a library, library organization, or library system. If you think you might be interested in attending or would like more information, contact Sue Center, WLA Federal Relations coordinator, at 608/262-1499 or slcenter@wisc.edu --Doug Lay, WLTA Chair, and WVLS Trustee

Based on research conducted since 1958, Search Institute has identified 40 developmental assets that all young people need to grow up to be healthy, principled and caring adults. The more assets a young person has developed, the more likely they are to make positive choices. Conversely, the fewer assets a young person has developed, the more likely they are to become involved in risk-taking behaviors. It has been found nationwide that most students have fewer than half of these 40 assets.

The list of 40 developmental assets as well as tips for focusing on each one is too long to include in its entirety here, but may be requested from Beth Sillars at the WVLS office (715/261-7255 or sillars@wvls.lib.wi.us). Following is the featured asset for February:

Cultural competence begins at home when you teach children about their own heritage. Encourage them to feel proud of their cultural, ethnic and racial identity without feeling superior to others. As a family, attend community events that celebrate different cultures and religions and talk about them afterwards. Discuss how people are different and how we are the same. Create a family environment that encourages positive discussion about differences and doesn’t allow or tolerate jokes or put-downs that demean others. Examine images that television, movies and books project of people from various cultures. Talk about what’s authentic and what’s stereotypical and how to determine the difference. Check yourself for subtle racist attitudes, biases or prejudices, and work to overcome them. Talk to young people about racism, bias and prejudice, and let them help you be more open to accepting people who are different from you.

One of our favorite detectives has a new look! Starting next month, Nancy Drew will have a new car, some new friends, and new cases to crack. The new Nancy Drew, Girl Detective books expand and enhance everything readers have enjoyed about the classic series. Written in the first person from Nancy’s point of view, the books hint at why River Heights is a hotbed of criminal activity, reveal new facets of Bess and George, and introduce new informants and a new nemesis! Following are the latest titles:

The All New Nancy Drew series was featured in the January 15, 2004 edition of USA Today. To read the article, go to http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2004-01-15-nancy-drew_x.htm
(Children’s Event Organizer, 2/11/04, as seen in Kids’ Librarians’ News, 2/9/04)

The Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) announced Amy Schwartz, author of What James Likes Best, as the seventh annual winner of the 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award. This award is given annually by the CCBC for outstanding writing in a picture book.

Articles	Monthly Features
Celebrate the Book a WVLS Reference & Reader's Advisory Workshop	Memo From the Director
National Library Legislative Day, May 3 & 4	In the System
Help Young People Accept Cultural Differences	Legislative Update
Meet the All-New Nancy Drew!	Youth Matters
Amy Schwartz Wins! 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award	Grant Update
Scholarship Available to Women Graduates	Info to Go
ALA Updates Libraries & the Internet Toolkit	On Command
New BadgerLink Resources Added	Web Sites of Interest
Project Vote Smart Seeks Involvement of Libraries	Featured Kit
Spam Scam Scanned	Calendar of Events
Tip: Controlling Word
Wireless Portability: Is It For You?

	The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell;
	Calabash Cat and His Amazing Journey by James Rumford;
	Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert;
	Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! by George Shannon; and
	Two Old Potatoes and Me by John Coy.

	Baby Radar by Naomi Shihab Nye;
	Buster by Denise Fleming;
	Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems;
	George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora;
	Mama's Coming Home by Kate Banks;
	Mary Smith by Andrea U'Ren;
	Snow Music by Lynne Rae Perkins;
	What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page; and
	Yesterday I Had the Blues by Jeron Ashford Frame.