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May 2001 Issue Volume XXXVIII, Number 5
Wisconsin Library Sued Over Meeting Room Policy!
Another Wisconsin public library (Portage Public Library, Portage, WI) has been sued for refusing to allow use of its public meeting room for a religious purpose.
In a recent Channel Weekly article, Mike Cross reported that last year a federal court ruled that the City of West Allis violated a man’s First Amendment rights when it refused him permission to use the public library’s meeting room for a program about creationism. The West Allis Public Library policy prohibited use of the meeting room for religious services, religious instruction, and partisan political meetings.
Federal District Judge Adelman ruled that the library’s policies and practices permitting the use of the meeting room for various groups had created a "designated public forum." In a designated public forum, government restrictions of speech are permissible only if they are the least restrictive means to a compelling government interest. Adelman ruled that the city failed to show a compelling government interest in excluding the plaintiff from use of the meeting room.
"It may be that the exclusion of partisan political meetings and religious services or instruction is based on the library’s desire to avoid controversy," Adelman said. "However, the avoidance of controversy is not a valid ground for restricting speech in a public forum."
Reasonable time, place and manner regulations are permissible in a designated public forum. For example, Judge Adelman implied that the library’s prohibition on the use of the meeting room for regular meetings of clubs and other organizations was probably a constitutional regulation because it was intended to make the room available to a wide variety of organizations. The judge also implied that the policy excluding use of the meeting room for "commercial sales or presentations promoting specific companies or products" also was constitutionally acceptable.
Libraries may wish to review their meeting room policies in light of the West Allis court ruling and the new Portage Public Library lawsuit. Sample meeting room policies are available from the Wisconsin Public Library Policy Resources web page http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dltcl/pld/policies/html
The Wisconsin Library Association Board, in an effort to aid funding and hiring agencies as well as position applicants, accepted the salary recommendation guideline for entry-level professional librarians in the state of Wisconsin as proposed by the WLA Library Careers Committee. The Library Careers Committee recommends the starting entry level salary of $32,700 annually. This salary recommendation is based on information given in the Library Journal (October 15, 2000) article on 1999 salaries across the United States and on the 1999 average salary and hourly wage rates for all Wisconsin librarians found on the Wisconsin Labor Market information web pages at http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/dwelmi/ This new salary recommendation replaces the 1998 recommendation.
Public Librarian Certification Requirements and the 2000 Census
The 2000 census figures for Wisconsin municipalities are available from the Department of Administration. It is likely the population increases in some communities will affect the certification requirements for public library directors because the requirements are based on population levels as determined by the latest federal decennial census.
Administrators of public libraries affected by a population increase resulting in a higher certification requirement will be notified by the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) when the new federal census figures have been analyzed. The current directors of the libraries in those communities will be eligible for provisional certification at the new required level without having to meet new educational requirements. This provisional certification is valid and renewable every five years as long as the person continues to work at the same library and complies with the continuing education requirements. If the person with provisional certification leaves the current job, the community will have to hire someone who meets the new certification requirements.
Administrators of municipal, joint, and county public libraries with a population of 6,000 or more are required to hold grade I certificates. Administrators of municipal, joint, and county public libraries with a population between 3,000 and 5,999 are required to hold at least grade II certification. Administrators of municipal, joint, and county public libraries with a population under 3,000 are required to hold at least grade III certification.
More information on public library certification is available on the DLTCL website at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dltcl/pld/cert.html . The Certification Manual for Wisconsin Public Library Directors should be particularly helpful. If you have questions, contact Peg Branson at 608/266-2413 or peg.branson@dpi.state.wi.us. (Channel Weekly, 5/24/01)
Every five years, the Division must re-bid its contract for WISCAT. During the past year, a committee of librarians and Division staff has been evaluating responses to a proposal for a new WISCAT. The committee has narrowed its choices to three vendors: The Library Corporation, Auto-Graphics, and Fretwell-Downing. The Division scheduled a public review of these finalists on May 15th and the committee planned to make their recommendation on May 31st.
Mary Clark, WISCAT Coordinator, says that vendors are proposing the following features for WISCAT:
WISCAT contains 6,964,130 records with 30,045,488 holdings attached to those records. There are 1,274 libraries participating in WISCAT – 33% are public libraries, 50% are school libraries, and the remainder academic and special libraries.
If your library hasn’t updated your holdings in a while, contact Mary Clark at 888-542-5543 and learn of the many ways to have your WISCAT holdings updated. (The Library Connection, May 2001)
There’s Snowboarding and Surfboarding but what about Keyboarding? We keep hearing about the ‘digital divide’ – that separation between people of all ages who have (or don’t have) access to technology. We’re told that 44 million Americans are functionally illiterate…that’s 22% of our population! Ensuring that children learn how to read is the #1 way we can fix our educational system. That, in turn, will narrow the digital divide. The ability to read is a basic skill. If you can't master this skill, you can't go on to master others. If kids fail to learn how to read, not only will they not learn how to use the Internet, but they also won’t learn history, science, or social studies, and they will be left behind.
Over the years I have heard a lot about (and agree with) the importance of literacy but I never focused on the fact that without keyboarding skills, i.e., the ability to type accurately and at a reasonable rate of speed (keyboard literacy if you will), a person is just as much or perhaps more a ’have not’ as a person without good reading skills. Mark Beatty pointed this out at a recent netLibrary training session. It was an eye-opening statement to me. It’s such an obvious truth, isn’t it? Let’s share it with others and encourage them to take advantage of keyboarding classes.
If the Swallows at San Juan Capistrano Can Do It…So Can We! – Each Spring the swallows return to ‘their’ mission – the bell towers of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, CA. While their behavior on this matter is instinctive, I think we should learn to emulate it – at least as far as returning to or revisiting our mission once in a while. We don’t always do a very good job of keeping ourselves, our staffs, our board members or our patrons aware of our agency’s mission – its purpose…its function…its task. Since returning to our mission (statement, that is) is not behavior that is instinctive with us, we have to remind each other of the importance of reviewing this document and revising it when necessary. This statement should be our agency’s focal point…the place/services we are aiming at. I’ll start here…you follow suit locally…
"The purpose of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service is to provide, through cooperative efforts, improved library services to individual residents of the system area. The WVLS Board recognizes its responsibilities under Wisconsin law and encourages planning and development of programs with other types of libraries in the system area to assure effective use of all area library resources. This specifically includes provision of legal access to public library services for all residents of the system area. It also includes improvement of library services through development of interlibrary loan and reference referrals, in-service training programs and professional advisory services, increased cooperation between all types of libraries in the system, maximum use of library resources of the area, and improved access to the total library resources f the state." (Article II. Constitution of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service)
Libraries – A Matter of Priority – …Wisconsin’s personal tax rates rank among the 10 highest in the nation…it seems clear that libraries are not to blame…the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics says that total state expenditures for public libraries in Wisconsin rank 19th, behind…Georgia, Montana, West Virginia and Wyoming. Funding lags, despite the fact that Wisconsin ranks near the top in library usage - 2nd in interlibrary loan and 4th in library visits per capita. Given how much citizens value their libraries in this state, you’d think the Governor’s recent budget would have reflected those priorities. It didn’t. (WLTA News, Spring 2001) --Heather Eldred
WVLS Creates WI Library-Related Newsletter List
There is a new item on the WVLS website – a list of library-related newsletters produced by Wisconsin libraries. Each entry includes the following information: Title, producing agency, format, frequency, method of distribution, target audience, purpose, and a contact person.
This list is not complete. It only includes information from libraries that responded to an all-state email request. As we learn of other titles, they will be added. If you know of a newsletter produced by your (or any other) library/ies, please let the WVLS office know about them.
We think that this list is the only place in the state where those interested in the news of other Wisconsin libraries will be able to locate ‘news’ sources of this type. We would like the list to include newsletters from all types of libraries.
It can be a helpful tool for those who produce newsletters – they will learn different places to contact to get copies to see how others handle lay-out/style/etc. and the newsletters are a great source of material (since we all have a tendency to ‘borrow’ from each other).
Just another good reason to keep your eye on the WVLS website! --HE
Reed Bill Passes Senate, Marks Victory for America’s Kids!
The Reed School Libraries Amendment to the Reading First Act (part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) passed May 16, 2001 in the Senate with a vote of 69-30. The amendment amends the "reading first initiative" and provides funds for up-to-date, adequate school library materials, training for school librarians, and after school hours for school libraries. Without this amendment, reading teachers would be trained, reading research would be disseminated but no reading materials would be provided. Senator Reed has worked long and hard for school libraries and school library resources. The latest research conducted by Keith Curry Lance et al ( www.lrs.org ) can be used to show how an investment in school libraries can lead to increased student achievement. For more information on Senator Reed’s bill, visit: http://reed.senate.gov/schoollibraries/ (Monday E-MEMO, 5/21/01)
It's 2001. What Century is Your Library Living In?
In an article in the January/February 2001 issue of the Rural Library Services Newsletter, there was a list of "essential equipment" that the writer felt every rural public library should have…
|
Telephone/Fax machine |
Computer/s |
| Laser & color printer/s | Photocopier |
| Postage meter | Typewriter |
| Camera | Scanner |
| Digital camera | Laminator |
| Laminator | Die cut machine |
| Video re-winder |
Many will be surprised that any public library is operating without many of these items (believe it or not, there is still one WVLS public library that does not have an in-house phone). However, many rural public libraries are doing everything they can to simply keep their doors open. These pieces of equipment are seen as luxuries that simply can’t be afforded. Some of this equipment is certainly more basic and/or useful than other pieces, but it’s interesting to compare what others think every library should have – at least in an ideal world – with what your library actually has. --HE
WITH APOLOGIES TO MARY POPPINS…
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet.
He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.
This made him…what?
A super-calloused-fragile-mystic-hexed-by-halitosis!
As devastating as the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) would be on the local level, the legislation, which requires libraries and schools that receive federal funding for Internet access to install filtering software, poses an even greater threat: It may undermine decades of collective networking (in both the human and the technical sense) that have informed modern librarianship.
For decades, regional and statewide consortia have played significant roles in bringing far-flung, rural libraries online, and these efforts have shaped our values as much as our values have shaped our efforts…As a profession, we are nearly unique in the depth of our willingness and ability to reach out to everyone we serve…Now it appears we must filter for our supper, or go unfed. Maybe the hardest part about CIPA is that we are learning the wrong lessons. We are learning to be suspicious of federal funding…We are learning that aggregating our efforts can be dangerous …We, who almost alone in our commerce-crazy era have stood for the value of government services – are learning that government is not necessarily our friend…Your library may choose to provide filtered access alongside unfiltered access; that is your decision. Your neighbor in the next district may choose otherwise. Respect for our mutual decisions is part of our culture. But it is cruel and unfair - not to mention demeaning and patronizing – for the federal government to bypass the hard work we have put in to providing Internet access for our communities and dictate censored access for all. (Edited from ‘Internet Librarian’ by Karen G. Schneider in the March 2001 issue of American Libraries)
Check out
This New Site!
Remembering Pearl Harbor
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/ Capitalizing on the buzz surrounding this summer’s blockbuster, Pearl Harbor, this new feature-rich site from the National Geographic offers a range of facts and figures on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The main attraction is a very interactive map/timeline that relates the story of the attack and offers numerous opportunities to find out more about specific events and ships. This section includes a number of excellent photos and rare movie clips. Also at the site are a bulletin board with user-submitted memories of Pearl Harbor, fact sheets on ships and planes, Pearl Harbor and WWII timelines, and a collection of related links. (The Scout Report)
(edited from Library Letter, Williamsburg [VA] Regional Library, 7/00 as seen in Library Administrator’s Digest, 10/00)Ginny Cooper, director of the Multnomah County Library in Oregon, is always doing interesting and exciting things, even though she has had the kind of "interesting times" noted by the Chinese proverb when it comes to library financing...A recent news release announces an agreement with a developer to build a new 13,000 square foot branch library in Hollywood as part of a mixed-use development project…The developer will build 47 apartments above the library and retail space on the ground floor next to the library. Sounds as if there is going to be a lot of built-in patrons who will not have to drive to the library or get wet when it’s raining.
In the dear dead days beyond recall, when I was working (sort of) at the Free Library of Philadelphia, the library had a branch on the ever-so-fancy Rittenhouse Square. A developer wanted to build a high-rise of apartments, so an agreement led to the tearing down of the library, with a new one built as the ground floor of the apartment building. I believe the branch is still there, operating successfully after almost 50 years holding up multiple apartments.
And you will all remember how about the same time the American Library Association, which had for years occupied a choice piece of land on Huron Street, made a deal to turn over the land to a developer who built who knows how many luxury apartments over the first few ALA-occupied floors.
I have what might be termed a Ginnie Cooper-type idea: Elliot Shelkrot of the Free Library of Philadelphia has wanted a renovated and expanded new central library for years. Hey, why not make a deal with a developer to tear down the present 1928 imitation of a Parisian building and put up an enormous tower on the Parkway? The library can occupy the first, say, 20 floors, and the rest is for rich people. All very fashionable these days, and it ought to be finished just in time for Elliot and his wife Evelyn to move in, at a special founders rate…Remember, you read it here first! (Edited from article by Charles W. Robinson in Library Administrator’s Digest, 10/00)
A real mahogany wall fronted by faux card catalog drawers stretches behind the front desk. The new Library Hotel, which offers 60 rooms across from the New York Public Library, has implemented a creative calling card: Hotel rooms are numbered using the Dewey decimal system, and each floor corresponds to a category of knowledge.
Is polyglotism your preference? Asian, Romance and Slavic language tomes rule on the fourth floor. Book a room on the fifth floor if you’re science- or math-minded. If philosophy is your passion, bed down on the 11th floor, where, depending on your choice of suite or single room, you can immerse yourself in the literature of love or the theories of Aristotle.
Since we all know that expanding the mind requires food for thought, in-room amenities include Belgian chocolate; in the lounge, free snacks are available round the clock. And should your need to read abate, you can view free videos or check your e-mail via in-room high-speed data ports. For more info, call 212/983-4500 or search http://libraryhotel.com (Family Circle, 11/1/00)
School Librarians - Walk a Mile In Their Shoes!
All librarians do is sit at the circulation desk and stamp return dates on books. That’s what many patrons seem to think. Librarian Mary Ludwick recently challenged members of LM-Net (a school librarian listserv) to disprove this fallacy by measuring the distance walked during their daily routine and reporting the results. The survey required participants to record distance walked in the work location for 30 working days. The recording time could be any 30-day period between January 1 and March 30, 2001. At the end of this period, 30 school librarians reported their data. The overall average was 2.8 miles per school day. Elementary school librarians averaged 3.0 miles per day. Middle school librarians averaged 1.7 miles per day and high school librarians averaged 2.4 miles per day. Librarians who served schools with K-12 enrollment averaged 4.05 miles per day. (4/9/01 release at thelibraryplace.com)
So, do you think school library personnel walk as much as or less than public library personnel? If you’re willing to wear a pedometer for 30 days to test it out and make a report, we’ll include your findings in a future issue of the Lamplighter!
The Internet, rather than being like a highway, is more like a flea market. Libraries are like department stores and librarians are like personal shoppers at Nordstrom’s department stores. These views were expressed by Joan Frye Williams at a recent workshop in Rochester, NY.
Frye pointed out that the library has been and will continue to be:
- A cultural storehouse
- A clean, quiet, well-lighted place to work – essential for the sanity of every community
- A safe community gathering place, allowing both anonymity and connections
- A symbol of civilization.
She reviewed what we all know, i.e., librarians are:
…Organizers and integrators of materials and informa- tion – and no one can do it better…
…Guarantors of quality – skilled in selecting materials and building collections
…Guarantors of authenticity – like art appraisers, skilled in determining accuracy and validity
…Advocates and promoters of reading, literacy and
learning
…Instructors and mentors in information seeking
…The last guardians and defenders of confidentiality.
These are our professional responsibilities. We often get bogged down in our day-to-day tasks and confuse procedures and tasks with our ‘job.’ We lose sight of the unique and valuable contributions we can make. It is essential that we learn to free ourselves from projects, procedures, and meetings in order to effectively do this higher level work. Our ‘job’ is to be the organizers, integrators, advocates, instructors and to provide the services we are uniquely qualified to give.
Now is the golden age of libraries, Frye says, and our job is to convince our community members to value these attributes enough to invest more in the library. To do this we need to recognize that librarians are a minority culture (although clearly superior!) and to learn how to speak effectively to the majority culture, i.e.,
…while librarians value ‘completeness’ (we will spend days working to include every possible citation or review)…the majority culture values ‘timeliness’ (most people just want something NOW, that's ‘good enough.’)
…while librarians value ‘perfection,’ the majority culture values ‘functionality’ (if it works and there are some results, it’s ‘good enough.')
…while librarians value ‘objectivity’ (we work hard to be non-judgmental and neutral with patrons… the majority culture values ‘personalized service.’ )
…while librarians value ‘precision,’ the majority culture values ‘flexibility and forgiveness.’
…while librarians value ‘egalitarianism,’ the majority culture values ‘targeted groups’ (different rules for different ages, genders, etc.)
…while librarians value ‘stability,’…the majority culture values ‘growth’ (as good and necessary.)
…while librarians value ‘free services,’ the majority culture values ‘value pricing’ (pay more for better, ‘you get what you pay for’) service. Free equates with low value.
Librarians need to hold on to their values but they need to realize they are ideals and not reality. They may be getting in the way of more effectively connecting with our patrons and our communities. Because we aren’t using words/concepts valued by the majority culture which we serve, we may be getting in our own way when it comes to asking for increased funding. (Pathfinder, newsletter of the Pioneer Library System, Spring 2001)
I think Ms. Frye makes some good points. –HEATTENTION: 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 on the WVLS home page at http://wvls.lib.wi.us under "About WVLS & Services."
a monthly
newsletter of the Wisconsin
Valley Library Service
300 N. First
Street / Wausau, WI 54403
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.
