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QUOTES AND WORDS – I LOVE THEM and this is the perfect season to share some of them with you:

~ ~ Carl Sandberg said, "A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected." As I’ve tried to at least imply over the past few years in the photos that head this column, a librarian needs many more than three hats. Hey! Maybe one of us should run for office since we’ve already got the hat ‘thing’ down.

~ ~ Speaking of needing a variety of hats to get through a typical library day, Svanhild Aabo, Assoc. Prof., Oslo University College, said, "The purpose of public libraries is…to further democracy, equality and social justice, increase access to information, disseminate culture and knowledge, contribute to a meaningful and informative leisure time, and act as a communal institution and a social meeting place." Of course, doing those things means wearing hats appropriate to working with many different political, community and legislative groups.

~ ~ "My two favorite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library." (from Peter Golkin, museum spokesman from the 2006 A Word-A-Day calendar. Submitted by Peg Jopek, WVLS trustee)

~ ~ Many librarians are becoming technology janitors.

~ ~ Computers don’t = information literacy.

~ ~ "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway" (Henry Boye) coupled with "Meet people where they are – not where you want them to be."

~ ~ As you think about where your library is in the world of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0, keep in mind that "The average library decision about implementing new technologies takes longer than the average life cycle for new technologies."

~ ~ Change can be scary. When papyrus replaced clay tablets, and the Gutenberg press calligraphy, did a bit of panic set in? Are we in the midst of a revolution of similar proportion? Very probably.

~ ~ "Anytime you blame another…your credibility goes down." (Debra Schmidt, WLA ’06 conference – Wisconsin Dells)

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YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE!

PLAN TO ATTEND LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE DAY!
It’s not too soon to plan for the annual pilgrimage to Madison to talk with legislators about library issues on Tuesday, January 23, 2007. Since 2007 marks the start of another biennium, with tough budget decisions ahead, it’s especially important that attendance be strong. The more library advocates we can bring to the State Capitol, the more likely library issues are to get a fair hearing. Encourage library trustees, staff, and Friends to attend. Especially if you consider yourself a political novice, LLD is a great way to get acquainted with library issues and your state legislators. For those of you with more experience, you know it’s a time to solidify relationships and underscore the messages you’ve communicated year-round. It’s also a time to thank legislators for their service. For more information, go to http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/legis/day/.
(Edited from Trustee Tale, Summer 2006 as seen in Steppingstones, October-November 2006)

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WISCAT ILL RESOURCE SHARING: TRANSITION FROM OLD TO NEW SOFTWARE
Following are a few reminders for ILL to keep in mind during the transition from the old software for managing requests (VDX) and the new software (AGent from Auto-Graphics):

1. Be sure to check for new incoming requests as a lender in both places (VDX and AGent).　 There are still old requests being circulated and your library may be in the lender list.　 December 12 is the last day that you will need to respond to requests in VDX.　 Also be sure to receive and return your requests as a borrower.
2. When (and if) you no longer have pending requests in VDX before December 12, suspend your library by going to "Location" and choose "Edit Own"; then in "Suspension", choose "Will be skipped when rota moved on" and type in the "From" date.
3. If you decide to cancel pending requests in VDX to resubmit them in the new software, wait until the lender has responded with "Cancel Reply-Yes" before creating the new request.
4. On December 12, please respond to all requests as a lender through the end of the day.
5. On December 12, print remaining pending and shipped requests as a borrower if you would like a record of them.　 Do this only after all other transactions have been completed for the day.
6. On December 12, Leora Young, WVLS Interlibrary Loan Technician, will send paper copies of unfilled VDX requests left in the database as a lender back to member libraries.
7. On December 13, stop using VDX for borrowing or lending or updating requests.　 Print Monthly Statistics if needed.

The PDF document from the Reference and Loan Library, Transition to AGent from VDX for Participating Libraries, at: http://www.wiscat.lib.wi.us/pdf/TRANSITIONtoAGent.pdf, provides additional information.
(edited from article by Linda Bailen as seen in the Northern Waters Library System newsletter, Streams, 11/30/06)

IN THE SYSTEM

OVERDRIVE GETS EASIER
In October, OverDrive released a new version of the OverDrive Media Console software that’s used to manage downloadable audiobooks from the WPLC Digital Book Catalog. Version 2.1 makes it much easier to transfer your books to a portable device and instructions for doing so are posted on the Digital Books FAQ wiki at http://overdrivefaq.pbwiki.com. Also, take a look at OverDrive’s Gear2Go program at http://www.overdrive.com/DeviceResourceCenter/gear2go.asp if your library is interested in purchasing a Windows-compatible mp3 player at a discount.
(adapted from South Central Library System’s Wicked Cool post; 11/9/06)

WVLS included a "Fictional Characters Quiz" in the September, October and November issues of the newsletter. Following are the answers to those quizzes:

1. Potter’s Puddle-Duck (Jemima)
2. Girlfriend of Popeye (Olive Oyl)
3. Feral child raised by wolves in the forests of India (Mowgli)
4. Dignified, loyal and intelligent manservant to Bertie Wooster (Reginald Jeeves)
5. Monstrous creature with "jaws that bite and claws that catch" (The Jabberwock)
6. Tom Sawyer’s girlfriend (Becky Thatcher)
7. Peruvian bear with a passion for marmalade sandwiches (Paddington)
8. Villainous slave-owner in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Simon Legree)
9. Irving’s ungainly schoolmaster (Ichabod Crane)
10. Gawky, red-haired, pig-tailed, athletic young Swedish girl in Lindgren’s children’s books (Pippi Longstocking)

1. Magnificent lion of Narnia who acts as an unlikely Christ figure (Aslan)
2. Prince Valiant’s son (Arn)
3. Girl of Green Gables (Anne)
4. Leader of ‘The Chipmunks’ (Alvin)
5. Pogo’s alligator friend (Albert)
6. Daddy Warbuck’s orphan (Annie)
7. Stone-age blonde in Auel’s novels (Ayla)
8. Name of detective couple, Nick and Nora’s dog (Asta)
9. First name of All in the Family’s leading role bigot (Archie)
10. First name of southern attorney who is the father of Scout and Jem (Atticus)

1. Dicken’s master pick-pocket (Fagin)
2. TV’s early ‘60s talking horse (Mr. Ed)
3. Deformed, good-hearted bell-ringer at the Cathedral of Notre Dame (Quasimodo)
4. Christopher Robin’s donkey friend (Eeyore)
5. Girl detective who drives a ‘machine’ through a long-running series of books (Nancy Drew)
6. Little girl who befriended Peter Pan (Wendy Darling)
7. Name of cartoon moose in TV show Rocky and his Friends (Bullwinkle)
8. deBrunhoff’s well-dressed African elephant in books for young children (Babar)
9. Girl of Sunnybrook Farm (Rebecca)
10. Fearsome-looking, good-natured Polynesian harpooner who becomes a good friend of Ishmael (Queequeg)

The first LAMPLIGHTER reader to provide all correct answers to each quiz won a prize. And the winners were: Quiz I - Jane Pearlmutter (Associate Director of the School of Library and Information Studies, UW-Madison); Quiz II - Nancy Becker (Colby School District Librarian); and, Quiz III - Kathy Colclasure (Friend of the T.B. Scott Library, Merrill). Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who participated in the fun! Based on the responses from newsletter readers about the quizzes, we might do this again in 2007. Stay tuned!

BREAK A READING RECORD WITH CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Join schools, libraries and other organizations across the nation to help break the world record for the most people reading the same passage simultaneously in multiple locations.

Charlotte’s Web opens in theaters nationwide on December 20, 2006.
(Children’s Event Organizer, newsletter of the Lakeshores Library System and Mid-Wisconsin Library System; 11/15/06)

HARRY POTTER MOVIE SIGHTING
Harry Potter fans eagerly awaiting any and all news about the wizard will be happy to hear that a teaser trailer for the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie is available online at the official movie web site at http://www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com/ or visit http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/harrypotterandtheorderofthephoenix.html. In this movie, Harry spends his fifth year at Hogwarts and experiences a bout of teenage angst as he harbors a crush on a fellow-student. But a strange prophecy reveals itself, and Harry's wizard exams and romantic entanglements remain in the background as he is called into action again. The movie will be released on July 13, 2007.
(Publisher’s Weekly Children’s Bookshelf; 11/30/06)

GUIDE TO TEEN READING FOR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of ALA, has created a 2-sided informational piece entitled Teen Reading Guide for Parents & Caregivers that may be of interest to parents of teenagers. While the handout was created for library staff in preparation for Teen Read Week, the information in the handout may be helpful any time throughout the year. The Teen Reading Guide is available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2006/ParentFlyer.pdf. Feel free to make copies and distribute them at your library.

WLA CONFERENCE HANDOUTS AVAILABLE ONLINE
By all reports, the 2006 WLA Conference "Making Connections" was a success. For those of you who were unable to attend the conference or for those who had to choose between two sessions, you have a chance to see what you missed.

Also, the WLA Blog, http://wlaweb.blogspot.com/ has notes from the sessions, as well as links to some of the presentations. There are also numerous pictures of many of the hard-at-work librarians who attended the conference. (The Library Connection, newsletter of the Eastern Shores Library System; 11/06)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Barbara Robinson, read by Elaine Stritch
Harper Audio; ISBN 0-061-21522-8
$17.95

The Collaborative Summer Library Program is a grassroots consortium of states (of which Wisconsin is a member) that work together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. To tie in with the 2007 CSLP theme "Get a Clue @ Your Library," two personally autographed printable photos of Emmy Award winner, Tony Shalhoub as crime-solver Adrian Monk, are now available to CSLP members. The inscriptions on the photos are: This summer. Get a Clue @ Your Library and Summer sleuthing @ Your Library. Printed and framed these photos will be perfect conversation pieces for library summer reading program displays. Or, libraries could use the photos to lend some mystery to their newsletters or websites. Visit the CSLP web site at http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/monk.html to download or print the photos.
(edited from pubyac listserv announcement; 11/1/06)

Radio and Television PSAs Produced by Weston Woods
Weston Woods is producing an animated television PSA for the CSLP in 2007. Weston Woods has animated some of Mark Teague’s books in the past and he is looking forward to working on the animation of his poster. It will be in a "Dragnet" style with Detective LaRue (the white dog in the poster) talking in the first person about the case he is trying to solve. Weston Woods is negotiating with actor Paul Giamatti (Sideways and Cinderella Man) to be the "voice" of Detective LaRue. Weston Woods has also agreed to create radio PSAs using LaRue’s voice and the music from the video PSA. The radio PSA will be available at http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/mediastuff2007.html. (System Youth Liaison Posting by Barb Huntington, DLTCL; 10/06)

Take a Look!
NEW REFERENCE BLOG SPONSORED BY WISCONSIN LIBRARIANS
Jan Dibble (Oshkosh Public Library) and Rochelle Hartman (La Crosse Public Library) have started a reference blog called Wisconsin Reference Klatch for public library staff. The purpose is to share ideas, issues, successes, problems, concerns, anecdotes, conference or workshop notes, etc. and/or to discuss the "future of reference" in public libraries. The URL is http://www.wisconsinref.blogspot.com/.

Take a look at the blog – it’s just getting started. Please post comments – or if you have something provocative, interesting or new to say about the future of reference, become a contributor by sending your email address to Jan (dibble@oshkoshpubliclibrary.org) or Rochelle (r.hartman@lacrosse.lib.wi.us).
(WAPL listserv post; 11/14/06)

ON COMMAND

RSS FOR NON-TECHIES
The Summer/Fall 2006 issue of the Media and Technology Section of the Wisconsin Library Association (MATS) newsletter (http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/mats/newsletters/sum_fall2006.asp) contains information about RSS feeds from Kim LaPlante, Library Services Manager at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). LaPlante teaches us what we need to know to get started with RSS feeds in very simple, non-technical language, and answers such questions as:

	What Does RSS mean? Depending on who you ask, RSS stands for either "Really Simple Syndication," "Rich Site Summary," "RDF Site Summary" or "Real-Time Syndication."
	What Does RSS do? "It goes to the Internet buffet for you hourly, checks to see if any of your favorite menu items have been recently added, and brings it all to you. And it is FREE (no tip needed!)
	Why RSS? To save you time! If you spend 10 minutes at eac it would probably take you hours! With a RSS feed your time commitment is reduced because you check just one site to see all of the new content. (Editor’s Note: Getting content via RSS also saves on bandwidth. Most RSS feeds contain just links, headlines, or brief synopsis of new information, so lengthy download processes are avoided. Also, RSS gives you control over receiving information you want without revealing information about yourself. Unlike subscribing to an e-mail newsletter, you never have to give out your e-mail address with a RSS feed. That avoids the possibility of receiving spam or unwanted junk-email from the web site.)
	What Information is Available through RSS feeds? Just about anything! Government, consumer and education sites; news, television and radio sites; games and shopping sites; and, blogs and personal web sites. Check your favorite sites for an RSS feeds symbol like the ones posted here. Or, use a Feed Directory to search for RSS feeds. Examples include: http://allrss.com/rssfeeds.html; http://www.syndic8.com and http://www.feedster.com. You could even do a Google search by typingRSS at the end of your search.
	How do I Subscribe to RSS Feeds? Information is picked up and read by simplified web browsers known as RSS Readers (or RSS Feed Readers or RSS Aggregators). To get started, you need to download an RSS Reader to your desktop. Performing a search for "RSS Feed Readers" in Google or Yahoo will produce a slew of software options, many of which are free or at little cost; however, LaPlante’s PowerPoint presentation and handout describe how to download the RSS Reader "Bloglines." These resources further explain how to subscribe to RSS feeds via Bloglines. To print out these resources, check out he MATS Newsletter (Summer/Fall 2006) at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/mats/newsletters/sum_fall2006.asp , and click on Stop Walking Through the Internet Buffet and Start Getting Your Favorite Information Served to You on a Platter for a LaPlante’s PowerPoint presentation, or RSS Workshop Handout by Kim LaPlante for supplemental information to the PowerPoint presentation.

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FROM HITHER & YON

CROSSWORDS

19 Down: Holds your place while reading. 9 letters, second letter is ‘o’. Any ideas?
        Bookmarks!

For many people a daily crossword is a ritual not to be missed.

This December, Americans will have been celebrating 93 years of crossword puzzles. Arthur Wynne published his new style of word puzzle in The New York World on December 21, 1913, under the heading word-cross. While the new newspaper puzzles became popular, it took the publication of a crossword puzzle book in 1924 to really set off a crossword craze. Today most major American newspapers carry one.

In addition to the regular daily newspaper versions, there are many online versions of crosswords, cryptic crosswords, and specialized crosswords in magazine and book formats. Though it held out until 1942 to publish a crossword puzzle, the puzzle most famous and usually regarded as the most difficult to solve is the New York Times crossword edited by Will Shortz.

Shortz has been the editor of the NYT crossword since 1993 and is the most famous puzzle editor. He is the subject of the recent documentary Wordplay and the editor of over 100 word puzzle books, and co-hosts a radio puzzle on NPR. He also has one of the largest collections of puzzle books (over 20,000!) and is the only person in the world to hold a degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles.

While we all can’t be enigmatologists, you can certainly practice your puzzle skills today! Check out these online crosswords:

	USA Today Crossword http://puzzles.usatoday.com
	Chicago Sun-Times Crossword http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/crossword/index.html
	Washington Post Crossword http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artsandliving/crosswords/
	Crossword Puzzle Games http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/
	One Across http://oneacross.com/

(edited from Bookmarks!, San Antonio Public Library’s e-Newsletter; 12/06)

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CHRISTMAS CHARACTERS PUZZLE 18-Across might strain your memory, but you can probably get the answers from the crossers.  The other four Christmas characters here include three Dickens creations, and one holiday reindeer. ACROSS 1. Soak, as bread in gravy 4. Domain 9. Olin and Horne 14. Heavy wts. 15. Toulouse toodle-oo 16. “Fur _____” (Beethoven dedication) 17. Sailor’s yes 18. Natalie Wood’s character in Miracle on 34th Street 20. Not polished 22. Hinged item in some cabs 23. He’ll go down in history 26. “Peg ____ Heart” (1947 Harmonicats hit) 27. Green people 29. Sake 34. Rob’s Bon ____
37. R & B singer James 39. Big Gateway user 40. Meanie redeemed in A Christmas Carol 43. Somewhat, colloquially 44. Corleone’s bodyguard, ____ Brasi 45. Take it easy 46. Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras 48. Toy-Truck maker 50. Confession starter 52. He says, “God bless us every one!” 56. Symbols of welcome 61. “____ Mio” 62. Clerk for 40-Across and father of 52-Across 65. Cockpit stat 66. Rockabilly’s Chris 67. Be there in spirit? 68. Fed. Money lender 69. Old gas burners 70. Clear out 71. Phone abbr.	DOWN 1. Outlaw Belle 2. “The joke’s ___!” 3. False front? 4. How some people get tattoos 5. School domain, on the Net 6. Sue Grafton’s “____ for Alibi” 7. Go ahead 8. Author Alice 9. 2000, for one 10. Building wings 11. Goddess of Victory 12. On a yacht 13. Spanish muralist 19. Gestation location 21. Entered 24. Bush, slangily, with The 25. Marvin Gardens buy 28. Swagger 30. Cheers 31. Soothing botanical 32. Staying power 33. Guitar ridge	34. Rib-tickler 35. Slender reed 36. Country singer Gosdin 38. Classy tie 41. Tags 42. “What ____ say?” 47. Word in a Doris Day song 49. Hard to saw, as some pine 51. Beatles classic “I ____ Walrus” 53. Done for, in slang 54. “Well, ____ ----! (“Holy cow!”) 55. Gold or silver 56. Off-Broadway Tony 57. General Foods founder. 58. Israel’s Abba 59. College sports org. 60. Shell game 63. Cadence call 64. What savings accts. pay (From: Uncle John’s Christmas Collection)

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BIGGEST CHRISTMAS "TREE"
The annual Christmas market in Dortmund, Germany, often claims to be the home of the world’s largest
Christmas tree. Though Dortmund’s Christmas symbol has impressive proportions (145 feet high, 45 feet
Wide) and is visited by over 2 million people every holiday season, it is not actually a tree. The "World’s Largest Christmas Tree" is, in fact, about 1,700 fir trees, stacked closely together in the shape of a giant tree, adorned with over 13,000 twinkling lights. (The World Almanac E-Newsletter; December 2006)

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WEB SITES OF INTEREST (tourist traps on the information superhighway!)

GIFT GUIDE FOR LIBRARY LOVERS
http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/listgiftguij.html
http://www.story-lovers.com/calendars2007.html
What do you buy for that library or literature lover in your life? What gifts do you give that go beyond that special book or bookstore certificate? These sites have all kinds of ideas to jumpstart your holiday-buying efforts. (edited from the FOLUSA listserv; 12/6/05)

NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/
This site is a highway information directory for travelers from the Federal Highway Administration. Road closures, construction delays, and weather-related driving problems are listed by state with links to information for major U.S. cities and highways. (LII New This Week; 11/22/06; Copyright 2006 by Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII)

NBII DIGITAL IMAGE LIBRARY http://www.nbii.gov/
"Even if you don’t have a professional or personal need for nature- and wildlife-related photos, this site is worth a bookmark anyhow because…well, it’s just nice to browse here. We like to see our tax dollars used for resources like this one." The mission of the National Biological Information Infrastructure’s Digital Image Library is to provide a web-based resource of high quality images associated with plant and animal species, scenic landscapes, wildlife management and biological study/fieldwork. Most of the images are in the public domain, but if permission is needed to use an image, contact information is provided. This site will be of interest to educators, scientists, conservationists, students and the general public worldwide. (Resource of the Week; ResourceShelf, http://www.resourceshelf.com/; 11/30/06)

PW’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6388182.html?display=current
Publishers Weekly released its annual list of 100 best books of the year, divided by review category and arranged alphabetically. There are big books (The Road by Cormac McCarthy) and not so big books (Now Is the Hour by Tom Spanbauer), and books the editors wanted to call attention to (The Unfinished Novel and Other Stories by Valerie Martin). (Publishers Weekly; 11/6/06)

TOYSAFETY.NET http://www.toysafety.net/toysafety.asp?id2=8500
Before you go shopping for toys, check out the tips for consumers and the toy list of potentially dangerous toys here. (Marylaine Block’s Neat New Stuff; 11/22/06)

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 7 – V-Cat Council meeting – Loyal Municipal Building – 9:30 a.m.

December 16 – WVLS Executive Committee meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.

December 25 & 26 – WVLS office closed. The link below is a Season’s Greetings message to all: http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=DP13642011

January 1 – WVLS office closed.

January 19-24 – ALA Midwinter meeting – Seattle, WA. A listing of topics and registration information is available at http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/midwinter/2007/home.htm

January 20 – WVLS Board of Trustees meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.

January 23 – Library Legislative Day – more information about LLD is included above.

April 19 – Greener Pastures: The Wisconsin Rural Library Sustainability Project – a workshop for public library directors – Midway Hotel & Conference Center, Wausau – 9:30-4:30. Details forthcoming.

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During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think." -- Bernard Baruch (RefDesk Thought-Of-The-Day; 11/14/04)

ATTENTION: WESSLER SCHOLARSHIPS are available to cover some/all costs associated with attendance at reference and/or interlibrary loan continuing education events. If interested in becoming a Wessler Scholar, contact the WVLS office (715/261-7250) for more information. The application form and more information are available at http://wvls.lib.wi.us/About/wessler.htm 

LAMPLIGHTER

is a monthly newsletter of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service. 
300 N. First Street / Wausau, WI 54403
Contributions are welcome!

Back issues are available at http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Newsletter/newsindex.htm 
(Note: Web links in past issues are not checked for currency and may no longer work.)

EDITOR: Marla Sepnafski Phone: 715/261-7252 FAX: 715/261-7259

msepnafs@wvls.lib.wi.us

Contributions are welcome! News items should be submitted by the first of the month.
WVLS serves Clark, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, and Taylor counties.

When the most recent issue becomes available, readers are alerted by a notice posted to WISPUBLIB, or sent an email.
To subscribe to WISPUBLIB, send an email message to wispublib@badger.state.wi.us  In the body of the message (subject line is ignored) type: subscribe WISPUBLIB. Then send your email. To have The Lamplighter emailed to you without subscribing to WISPUBLIB, contact Barbara Freimund at 715/261-7252, or email freimund@wvls.lib.wi.us 

You may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, so long as the use is not for resale or profit and the information/article is attributed to this issue of the WVLS newsletter, The Lamplighter.

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