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September
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This is my final regular column for the Lamplighter. My last day of work for WVLS will be Friday, September 28th. I’ll no doubt beg and plead a bit to offer a ‘guest column’ now and then but, mostly, I’ll just be watching WVLS develop from the sidelines. I recently came across a little story about fruit that I saved especially for this final column…
All the fruits had gathered together at a conference to determine why no other fruit but
the grape contained the juice from which the finest wines are made. One peach said,
“Wine is famous throughout the world. Why are grapes more worthy than the rest of us
to be blessed with this gift from God?”
A cluster of grapes hanging within earshot decided to answer. “All of you grow individually,”
they said, “but we grapes grow together in bunches and are faithful to each other. For
that reason our substance is tasty and fragrant.”
For that same reason, WVLS has produced great ‘wine’ over the years, i.e., we’ve grown (and hung) together. Last month WVLS marked its 46th year of service to our member libraries and those they serve. I have had the very good fortune to be part of WVLS for the past 35 years. What changes we’ve seen! What changes, challenges and opportunities for service are on the horizon!
Regular readers of this column can’t help but have noticed that it has been headed for quite some time now with a photo of me in a different hat each month. In case you wondered what the hats were about, let me respond by reminding you (as if you needed a reminder) that folks in the library community must wear many, many, many different hats. You are leaders and financial wizards, and newspaper article writers, and toilet cleaners, and nose-wipers, and hand-holders, and mommy-finders, and minute-takers, and bulletin board putter-uppers, and politicians, and record-keepers, and snow-shovelers, and material selectors, and grant-writers, and angry patron soothers, and library skills teachers and…well, you get the picture…always different hats, different responsibilities, different skills.
Fortunately, you are creative and flexible folks and can handle what you are asked (or told) to do. It has been my great good fortune to be able to spend my teen and adult working life with the wonderful people who keep our libraries functioning. Where would our world be without libraries providing open access to information? Please, don’t ever stop caring.
I’ve also been privileged to work with that volunteer corps of library trustees and library Friends and Foundation members. I’ve always had the highest regard for you because you do what you do simply because you care and for the satisfaction you get by helping your libraries provide better service. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. Please, don’t ever stop helping.
One last time, thanks to all of you for…..everything. Shalom.
Heather Eldred
WLA HONORS STURZL AND LEBAL
The Awards and Honors Committee of the Wisconsin Library Association recently announced the 2007 winners of WLA’s annual awards. The winners follow:
“Give Alice a job and she’ll do it – and do it well! Ask for her opinion and she’ll
give it – thoughtfully and straight on. She adds humor and common sense to
every gathering.” -- Heather Eldred, WVLS Director
“The impact and significance of Alice’s contribution to education and librarianship
stem from her deep commitment to improving library services, supporting teaching
and learning, and serving the library profession.” -- Kathy Pletcher, Associate Provost
for Information Services at UW-Green Bay
“… the library is an integral part of the Merrill Community because of Bea’s tireless efforts to make the library more than just a place to check out books. Bea partners with local artists, the senior center, public schools, legal experts, and others to continually expand services and resources to the community through the library.”
-- Stacy Stevens, Assistant Director, T.B. Scott Free Library
“To Bea’s credit and hard work, the T.B. Scott Free Library is a jewel for our
community, and will remain for generations to come.”
-- Doug Williams, Mayor of Merrill
For complete information about these wonderful individuals and programs, go to http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/awards/awards.htm You can congratulate the winners personally if you attend the Awards & Honors Banquet at the WLA Annual Conference on Thursday, October 18th. The Conference will be held at the KI Convention Center and Regency Suites in Green Bay. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2007/general/index.htm
Congratulations to Alice and Bea, and all the other award winners!
The Honorable Gary L. Carlson, Acting Chief Judge, WI Judicial Administrative District 9, invites public library directors and reference staff to attend this special training program.
SERVING THE LEGAL INFORMATION NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC
American Legion
6 Boon Blvd.; Neillsville, WI 54456
September 27, 2007; 9:00-3:30
Find out about:
Schedule:
9:00-9:30 Registration, refreshments, conversation
9:30-9:45 Beth Sillars, WVLS Reference Librarian, will review the Gale Legal Forms database, an electronic resource available to all public libraries in the WVLS area.
9:45-12:30 A court administrator, clerk of court, register in probate, pro se program coordinator and a judge will give an introduction to the assistance currently available in Wisconsin to self-represented litigants, along with an overview of their roles and a discussion of ways libraries can help.
12:30-1:15 Lunch ($7.00 lunch buffet is available – see below!)
1:15-3:30 Jane Colwin, from the Wisconsin State Law Library, will provide an overview of Wisconsin’s legal framework, focusing on how to find and use reliable internet websites that provide access to Wisconsin legal materials.
Certified library directors will be able to receive 5.25 contact hours!
Please Register for this workshop by September 21st by sending the completed form (which is on the WVLS web site at http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html ), along with a $7.00 check for lunch made out to the American Legion, to: Jo Ann Gustavson, Director; Neillsville Public Library; 409 Hewett Street; Neillsville, WI 54456. If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact Jo Ann at 715/743-2558 or gustav@wvls.lib.wi.us
OVERDRIVE TRAINING COMING SOON!
OverDrive is offering a new training session designed to help library staff troubleshoot problems that patrons encounter when using the OverDrive services. A session is scheduled for WPLC libraries on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. Pre-registration is NOT required. Training will be done using the web and telephone conferencing. Connection details are provided below.
Please note: This ReadyTalk presentation is best viewed using a hard line connection and using a screen resolution of 1024x768. It is difficult to view the presentation on a wireless network.
Catch the Reading Bug!
STATE KICK OFF TRAINING FOR 2008 SLP
Many libraries throughout the state have expressed interest in a fall Summer Library Program workshop to allow more time to plan programs and events for the next year’s summer library program. As a result, DLTCL is collaborating with ten systems (including WVLS!) to offer a 2008 Summer Library Program Workshop on Tuesday, October 16th (the day before the WLA Conference) at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay. The Sanctuary is an appropriate setting to relax and be inspired with creative ways to implement the 2008 SLP theme, Catch the Reading Bug.
This training session will include presentations by talented Wisconsin youth services librarians as well as by the EEK! Program (within the Department of Natural Resources), and the staff of the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Regency Suites Hotel, which is the WLA Conference hotel. A Green Bay Metro Transit trolley makes a stop across the street from the hotel and can drop people off at the Wildlife Sanctuary. Because parking is limited, participants are encouraged to use the trolley to attend this session.
Registration forms were recently distributed to area public libraries. Space is limited so people are encouraged to register early. The registration deadline is Friday, October 5th. For more information about this workshop, please contact Beth Sillars, WVLS Consultant (at 715.261.7255 or sillars@wvls.lib.wi.us), or visit the WLA web site at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/yss/2008SRP.html
They never rolled down a car window!
MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2011
Beloit College (WI) recently released the Beloit College Mindset List to its faculty. This 70-item list, a creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, provides a provocative look at the cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of first-year students.
On the average, students of the class of 2011 were born in 1989 and are 18 years old. “Latchkey kids for most of their lives, students entering college this fall think nothing of arriving home with parents still at work, then e-mailing or texting their friends, instantly updating their autobiographies on “Facebook” or “MySpace,” and listening to their iPods while doing their research on Wikipedia. Following are other observations from the Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2011 (complete Beloit College mindset lists for classes 2002-2010 are available at http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/):
Text Messaging is on the rise!
R U CONFUSED ABOUT ONLINE JARGON?
If it has been awhile since you last spoke a secret language, then chances are the ever multiplying acronyms and abbreviated phrases popping up in emails and text messages from young adults seem like a foreign language. Navigating Net-speak or texting with young adults can make the average person feel UCWAP (up a creek without a paddle)! When this happens, visit NetLingo (http://www.netlingo.com/) to help you translate specific phrases. It has a dictionary that is updated daily. Following are some common abbreviations you may need to know:
- B4N: Bye for now
- BRB: Be right back
- CWYL: Chat with you later
- CYT or SYT: See you tomorrow or c u tomorrow
- GR8: Great
- J/C: Just checking
- JK: Just kidding
- LOL: Laugh(ING) out loud
- LMK: Let me know
- NOYB: None of your business
- OTP: On the phone
- POS: Parent over shoulder
- QL: Quit laughing
- ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
It’s not easy!
THE TRUSTEE’S ROLE REGARDING INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
When the average library trustee is appointed to his board he seldom anticipates that defending the Constitution will be one of his most important responsibilities. However, the First Amendment to our great Constitution gives American citizens the right to unrestricted access to the expressions and beliefs of others. The place that citizens look toward to find this unfiltered information is in their public libraries. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower said it well when he related “The libraries of America are and must remain the home of free, inquiring minds. To them, our citizens must be able to turn with clear confidence that there they can freely seek the whole truth, unwarped by fashion and uncompromised by expediency”.
So our new trustee realizes that his first responsibility is self-education. There is much more to this new position than just going to occasional meetings, drinking coffee and munching on pastries. There are many materials out there for him to learn from published by the American Library Association, the Wisconsin Library Association, and Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction. He learns that he must defend the “Freedom to Read”. In America we expect people to be self-governing. But to do so responsibly they must be well-informed. They must have free access to diversified opinions in order to make informed decisions.
This sounds like a simple matter. Who could be against that? How would people attempt to subvert that Constitutional right? One word ……Censorship! Attempts at censorship come in many forms and from many different angles.
GOVERNMENT - There are occasional new legal definitions and interpretations of existing laws that can threaten the operations of public libraries. Changing legislation may carry the threat of investigation and of the confidentiality of library records. Political extremists have historically attempted to suppress opin-
ions which differ from their own and “expose” people who read what they feel are dangerous materials.
COMMUNITIES - Under the guise of “Threats to Community Standards,” attempts are frequently made by private groups, both political and religious, to modify the types of materials maintained in their local public library. Local community groups are most often the source of banned books lists. Attempts at censoring these materials come from many different reasons: politics, sex, religion, science, civil rights, and race, to name a few.
LIBRARIANS - Librarians can effectively censor materials through a much subtler method, namely their Collection Development activities. Political pressure, community pressure, or their own personal beliefs can color the acquisition programs the librarian administers. This is a less effective method with the advances in interlibrary loan programs, but it can still affect immediate access to materials.
In most cases the people attempting to censor library materials are not evil people. They are ordinary citizens who believe strongly in one issue or another and simply do not feel that others should be exposed to materials that they feel are blatantly wrong or morally corrupting. So what is the trustee to do to combat these attempts at censorship and fulfill his role in creating and protecting a “right to know” climate in his library?
The trustee must fill three roles:
The role of the responsible trustee regarding intellectual freedom is not an easy one. The true test of a trustee’s commitment comes when he is called upon to allow and defend the expression of ideas which are opposed to the trustee’s personal beliefs of right or wrong. – Jim D. Backus; WLTA Chair-Elect and WVLS Trustee
Spread the word!
CELEBRATE THE FREEDOM TO READ
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed each year during the last week of September. BBW celebrates our freedom to read, to seek, hold, receive and disseminate ideas even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. This year’s BBW, which will be the 26th anniversary of this event, will run from September 29th through October 6th. It is sponsored by the American Library Association, American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, and National Association of College Stores. BBW is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
For resources to help your library celebrate, visit the ALA web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm. There you will find links to a 2007 BBW press kit, a quick and easy guide to Banned Books Week for librarians, what to do to fight censorships and keep books available in your libraries, ideas for programs, lists of censored materials, links to BBW sponsors, and so much more. Also, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is offering a Banned Books Week deep discount through October 6th on t-shirts, buttons, and stickers that incorporate its “freedom” logo. Visit the ABFFE web site at http://www.abffe.org/
IN OMAHA, A TABLOID ANNUAL REPORT!
The 12-page tabloid annual report from the Omaha Public Library apes the kind of publication to which libraries typically don’t subscribe. It contains such headlines as “Willa Gone Wild!” (about Willa Cather, namesake of an Omaha branch), “Scarily Smart Babies” (about the Baby Reads kit), and “Cult Celebrates Free Love (of Books) Two Years in a Row.”
The idea emerged from a staff meeting, said Omaha Public Library director Rivkah Sass (LJ’s 2006 Librarian of the Year); a local novelist and editor helped out. “I’ve gotten emails and calls from people (including the city council and the mayor’s staff) telling me it’s the only report they’ve ever read from cover to cover!” Sass said. (Library Journal; August 2007)
DARK SIDE OF THE NEW LIGHT BULBS
Consumers looking to save energy and money by switching over to compact fluorescent light bulbs should be aware of one little-known fact: once they burn out, the bulbs need to be recycled. The average compact fluorescent bulb contains around 5 milligrams of mercury, equivalent to the tip of a ballpoint pen, making it a universal waste.
Mercury is used in compact fluorescent bulbs to allow the bulb to be an efficient light source. The bulbs last up to 10 times longer than the average incandescent bulb, while expending 75% less energy, according to Energy Star, the government labeling program that identifies energy-efficient products. Upward of $30 can be saved in energy expenditures in the lifetime of each bulb.
“Mercury, because of its toxicity and mobility in the environment, should be recycled,” said Jill Schoen, waste management specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources. “It’s not the type of materials that’s going to break down in the environment. It’s persistent.”
Homeowners are urged to take the light bulbs to the proper hazardous waste site in their area. Businesses must send the bulbs to the proper recycling facility, according to government regulations. If a bulb breaks, take the following precautions:
(Adapted from article in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, by Amy Guckeen as seen in Co-Op News, newsletter of the Marathon County Hazardous Waste Corporation, Fall 2007)
NEW DOCUMENTARY ON LIBRARIANS
The producers of the new documentary The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film, recently announced that the list of screening locations for the film during Banned Books Week (September 29 through October 6) now numbers 42 across the North American continent. This includes three sites in Wisconsin: Racine Public Library, UW Madison and UW Milwaukee. Check the web site http://www.hollywoodlibrarian.com/ for exact places and times.
This original, 96-minute documentary is the first look at the real work and skills of the more than 60,000 librarians working in the U.S. The film provides a glimpse into this well-loved but little understood profession and will leave audiences with a new appreciation for a group of people who have been called “democracy’s heroes.”
The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film is an Overdue Productions film in association with BiFolkal Productions (http://www.bifolkal.org), a non-profit organization with 30 years of service to libraries.
(edited from Library Connection, newsletter of the Eastern Shores Library System; August 2007)
ASKAWAY AWARENESS WEEK WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to Ripon Public Library and Wisconsin Technical College-Superior Learning Resource Center, both of which are recipients of $50 cash prizes in recognition of their promotional efforts during AskAway Awareness Week.
Observed May 7-11, 2007 as a way to increase public awareness of the statewide service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, AskAway Awareness Week helped reinforce the long-time role of libraries as the primary source for general information and reliable answers.
As part of its promotional effort, the Superior Campus LRC prepared a poster of “Ask Away” and displayed it in the computer lab, and promoted AskAway when giving tours, talking to classrooms, etc. Ripon Public Library printed signs and posted them in the library, ordered and distributed bookmarks, sent PR materials to local papers, and highlighted the AskAway Awareness Week on its web site. The library also shared PowerPoint slides, served cookies and posted advertising near the circulation desk.
The Statewide AskAway Publicity Committee now has a wiki (http://askaway.pbwiki.com/pr) where you will find information to help promote AskAway in your community.
– Renee Ponzio, AskAway PR Committee Chair
(edited from news release, 8/9/07)
WEB SITES OF INTEREST
(tourist traps on the information superhighway!)
Are You Ready for Some Football? http://www.nfl.com/
As the 2007 NFL football pre-season concludes and the regular season gets underway, you might want to direct football fans to the National Football League’s virtual ready reference site. Included here are links to the digest of rules, NFL official signals, 2007 team schedules, retired numbers, standings (back to 1920), player stats, team stats going back to 1932, a year-by-year history of the NFL, and a NFL calendar. Super Bowl XLII will be in Glendale, Arizona on February 3, 2008.
(ResourceShelf.com; 8/30/07; http://www.resourceshelf.com/)
Book TV on C-SPAN2 http://www.booktv.org/
Every weekend, C-SPAN2 offers extensive programming on the best nonfiction, including extended author interviews and even more extended examinations of chosen authors’ entire body of work. You can watch selected programs from the past week here, and search for previous episodes which are available for purchase. Also available are program schedules for the coming week.
(Marylaine Block’s Neat New Stuff I Found on the Net This Week; 8/16/07; http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html)
Knitting Pattern Central http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com
A free knitting pattern directory with links to knitting tutorials and free patterns in 50 different categories.
(Library Journal; August 2007)
The Passenger Pigeon & Other Wisconsin Birds http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/EcoNatRes/subcollections/PassPigeonAbout.shtml
The passenger pigeon no longer graces the North American skies, and for many this represents the disturbing ability that humans have to destroy a particular species. Fortunately, there is another “passenger pigeon” in existence, namely the official scholarly publication of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, an organization of professional and non-professional ornithologists dedicated to the study of Wisconsin birds. Recently the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections group digitized all the January 1939 to Spring 2005 issues and the collection is now available for all to read. Visitors can browse through the archive and also take a look at some of the other collections that deal with ecology and natural resources. (The Scout Report, 8/31/07; From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007; http://scout.wisc.edu)
September 15 – WVLS Board of Trustees meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.
September 18 – OverDrive Training Session – 10:00 a.m. Details above.
September 27 – Serving the Legal Information Needs of the Public: A Program for Wisconsin Public Libraries – co-sponsored by the Neillsville Public Library and WVLS – Neillsville American Legion Hall – for details: http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html
September 29 – October 6 – BANNED BOOKS WEEK – for resources and ideas to celebrate, visit ALA’s web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm
October 4 – WVLS V-Cat Council meeting – T.B. Scott Free Library (Merrill) – 9:30 a.m.
October 10 – Horizon Reports Training Session – Marathon County Public Library – for details: http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html
October 11 – Horizon Reports Training Session – Marathon County Public Library – for details: http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html
October 13 – WVLS Executive Committee meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.
October 14-20 – YALSA’s 2007 TEEN READ WEEK – theme: LOL @ your library – for more information, visit the TRW web site at http://www.ala.org/teenread or YALSA’s wiki at http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa
October 16 – State Kick-Off for 2008 SLP – see details in this issue of The Lamplighter.
October 16-19 – WLA Annual Conference – theme: “Libraries Here and Now” – Regency Suites and KI Convention Center, Green Bay (http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2007/general/index.htm).
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“Books won’t stay banned. They won’t burn. Ideas won’t go to jail. -- Alfred Whitney Griswold
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The Lamplighter is a monthly electronic newsletter of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service. 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.
When the most recent issue becomes available, readers are alerted by a notice posted to WISPUBLIB, or sent an email. To subscribe or unsubscribe to WISPUBLIB, go to http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/wispublib.html and follow the instructions on the web site. 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 are welcome to copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, as 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.
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
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.)
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EDITOR: Marla Sepnafski |
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.
