Wisconsin Tells Its Libraries to Collaborate --Or Else!

The pressure is on Wisconsin localities to work together. Governor Scott McCallum has endorsed a major recommendation in a report commissioned by former Governor Tommy Thompson that was supposed to come up with "radical and bold" ideas for Wisconsin government. The Governor accepted wholesale the recommendation that the state restructure its shared revenue program for municipalities. The changes would provide financial incentives for communities to collaborate with each other in order to stop the waste and inefficiency of duplicated and overlapping services. The commission recommended that local governments write "Area Cooperation Compacts" with at least two other governments in at least two areas, such as law enforcement, housing, emergency services and public health. The compacts would specify a collaboration plan, performance benchmarks and cost savings. Those that do so would get "growth-sharing" payments, distributed on a per capita basis…Don Kettl, a UW professor of public administration and political science, who chaired the commission said, "Everyone knows communities ought to be working together to provide services. If they work alone, they shouldn’t expect the state to subsidize their inefficiencies." (The above was edited from an article in the April 2001 issue of Governing)

SRLAAW (say SIR LAW) is the acronym for the System and Resource Library Administrator’s Association of Wisconsin. Membership in this group is limited to directors/administrators of library systems and directors/administrators of system resource libraries (or their designees).

The objectives of this group are: to improve the quality of library services to all Wisconsin residents…to facilitate communications among library systems and resource libraries…to provide a forum for problems related to library systems…and to communicate the concerns of library systems to governmental agencies for their consideration and resolution.

SRLAAW has been in existence since the mid '70s when the newly developed/developing systems needed a forum for sharing concerns/ideas/etc. They have always invited representatives from the Division to meet with them to keep that important channel of communication open.

SRLAAW has recently established a web site http://www.srlaaw.org so that others can learn more about the group and its activities. At the site you will find the agenda for the next meeting; minutes of previous meetings; by-laws of the group; a directory of members; a list of current officers; and reports that SRLAAW members have generated.

If you wish to comment on SRLAAW activities past or present, or make suggestions for future SRLAAW consideration, contact Heather Eldred, WVLS Director or Mary Bethke, Director of the WVLS resource library, Marathon County Public Library (Wausau).

SOMBAW (say ‘Samba’, like the dance) is an acronym for System Office Managers and Bookkeepers Association of Wisconsin. Since 1989 the folks who do the bookkeeping, provide secretarial services, act as office managers, etc. for the 17 library systems in Wisconsin have gotten together a few times a year to pick each other’s brains and sometimes brag about how well their system is doing certain things. This group often surveys systems to provide current information about the basic business practices they are engaged in, i.e., what kind of bookkeeping software are you using? What kinds of insurance coverage does your system provide? Is your system involved in the state investment pool? How much of your system dollars are being used for a resource library contract? What does the contract cover? etc. –

Both SRLAAW and SOMBAW are kind of old-fashioned ‘user-groups’ – gatherings to determine if we’re doing OK…a chance to talk to others who talk your language and walk your walk…meetings to reaffirm (or at least assess the current status of) your basic sanity. --Heather Eldred

Library personnel, from all types of libraries in the 7- county WVLS area, may apply for Wessler scholarship funds which pay for costs associated with attendance at continuing education events which will improve their ability to perform their reference, referral, and interloan tasks.

As long as the applicant can describe how their attendance is likely to improve their ability to perform their reference/referral and interloan tasks, their application will be given serious consideration by the WVLS Board of Trustees and/or its Executive Committee.

Topics which could be considered for Wessler funding might include (but are not limited to) the following: reference skills, reference materials, referral patterns, interloan procedures/protocols, collection development, book selection, personal improvement such as how to communicate more effectively, supervisory skills, office efficiency, most Internet and computer skills sessions, space studies in current or new facilities, etc.

If you are interested in becoming a Wessler scholar, call the WVLS office at 715-261-7250 or check out the WVLS web site for more information and application forms.

Death, taxes and …librarians? "It's a mistake to assume that empowerment of the user necessarily means disempowerment of librarians. The truth is that at no time have we been more necessary. In a way, librarians are sense makers -- the ones who are going to help people make sense of all this stuff. All that has happened is that there's a lot more stuff there. The problem of finding the nugget in all this dross becomes a more critical problem than before because the whole pool has increased and also become muddied. There is stuff in there, but how do you find that little bit of stuff that is of value?

High school and choosing a career present challenges and choices for all teenagers and their families, but for teens with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), these years can be especially problematic. Teachers and parents – and even the teens – often find themselves in a quandary about how best to study, learn, and look beyond graduation. Following are summaries and ordering information for three new resources addressing these concerns found in the 4/01 issue of Disability Resources Monthly.

School can often be a stumbling block for teens with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and ADHD. Realizing this fact, teacher and school psychologist Chris A. Zeigler Dendy has written Teaching Teens with ADD and ADHD: A Quick Reference Guide for Teachers and Parents (2000). In this 352-page paperback, the author offers guidelines and tips for teachers looking for ways to make school a successful experience for these students. In addition to her professional credentials, Dendy is also the mother of children with learning disabilities. To learn more about how she combines her teaching and life experiences in this $18.95 (+ $4.50 p/h, prepaid) book, contact Woodbine House, 6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; phone 301/897-3570 or 800/843-7323; fax 301/897-5838; email info@woodbinehouse.com; web www.woodbinehouse.com 

In addition to those students with learning disabilities who frequently get overlooked in the school system, students who are learning disabled and gifted are even more at risk for getting lost in the shuffle. In Uniquely Gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Twice-Exceptional Students (2000), editor Kiesa Kay looks at the very special needs of this group. Providing strategies for teachers in helping them to identify, teach, and motivate this type of student, this 356-page soft cover which sells for $34.95 (+ $4.00 p/h) is the first book of its kind DRM has seen. For a copy, contact Avocus Publishing, 4 White Brook Road, Gilsum, NH 03448; phone 800/345-6665; web www.avocus.com 

While school presents challenges for students with learning disabilities, choosing the right career also requires much work. In Unlocking Potential: College and Other Choices for People with LD and AD/HD (2000), editors Juliana M. Taymans and Lynda L. West with Madeline Sullivan have compiled a resource to help in this decision-making process. Looking at different options such as college, vocational training, military service, or employment, and focusing on methods to achieve these goals, this 368-page paperback costing $18.95 (+ $4.50 p/h) prepaid, is available from Woodbine House as noted above.

Disability Resources Monthly (4/01) also mentions that the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, has funded a new National Center on Secondary Education and Transition to help ensure that youth with disabilities leave high school prepared to successfully participate in postsecondary education, enter meaningful employment, and live independently in their communities. The Center will provide technical assistance and information to educators, employers, youth, and their families. For more information, contact NCSET, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, 6 Pattee Hall, 150 Pillsbury Dr. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; phone 612/624-2097; fax 612/624-9344; email ncset@icimail.coled.umn.edu ; web http://ici.umn.edu/ncset 

Here’s a handful of web sites that offer helpful information about ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Jack Gantos, author of Newbery Honor book, Joey Pigza Loses Control (Farrar, 2000), has turned his attention to kids who have a tough time staying on task. He has this advice for libraries... "Teachers and librarians need to be trained and equipped to spot their behavior and direct their enormous energy toward obtainable tasks. School systems need to address the issues of ADHD kids and prepare to meet their needs. This is all very basic stuff.

There is no magic solution. But we all know that boredom will make any kid (and any adult) squirm. So, if I was a librarian, I would have a selection of books that have great characters and interesting story lines.

A new Summer Library Wrogram web page is available at www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlcl/pld/slp.html  It has links to web pages related to the theme, including those for the State Fair and Historical Sites. There is information on the twelve-state Consortium with links to some of their pages, and the theme for 2003 is listed. Marsha Valance from the Library for the Blind has given us a bibliography of Reading Road Trip items available through the Library for the Blind. You can download clip art for the theme and the template for the Wisconsin driver’s license...and, it also links to the performer page.

I think that is about all we will be doing to the page this year because it is already so late in the year, but if you have ideas on other things to be included for next year, let me know. In the next few weeks, Kelly Osborn, DLTCL project assistant, will be making new contacts with performers inviting them to be added to our web site. We worked with a basic list in January and now I have a number of new people to contact and am especially interested in getting more ethnic and cultural groups listed. If you have suggestions - email: barbara.huntington@dpi.state.wi.us; phone: 608/267-5077.

The Governor’s Office is making $28,000 in grants available to libraries, and community-based literacy organizations with 501(c)3 status serving literacy needs with trained volunteer tutors.

Grant funds for libraries are to be used to provide service to child care providers by either 1) creating rotating collections of print materials for center and family-based childcare providers use, 2) provide an outreach service, or 3) any other program that would provide literature enriched environments for children in center or family day care. The goal is to engage children ages 0 to 8, with print material daily, including books, magazines, and newspapers. Examples of outreach are workshops for childcare providers on how to read aloud - engaging children in the story; follow-up activities for books and stories; or having staff or a trained volunteer from the library serving childcare facilities on site over a period of time thereby providing services to model good literature experiences. Storytellers and videos will not be funded. Libraries should state how many day care providers are in their service area, if they are center or family based, how many childcare providers they anticipate serving, and how the rotating print collections will be distributed to childcare providers.

Libraries and literacy providers must state an objective and activities that will achieve those objectives. Indicate how the funds will be spent and specify any in-kind or cash match to be applied to the project. The grant application must be typed and limited to three pages.

Grant awards will range from $500-$1,000 depending upon the number of applicants. Applications will be ranked by financial need and the ability of the organization to better serve literacy needs in their community through the grant funding.

Application deadline is May 15, 2001. Mail grant applications to: Barbara Manthei, Literacy Director; Wisconsin Governor’s Office; P.O. Box 7863; Madison, WI 53707-7863; email barbara.manthei@gov.state.wi.us;fax 608/786-0981.

No applications accepted after May 15th.

Wisconsin Authors Speak 2001 will enable qualifying communities to sponsor free public presentations by Wisconsin authors. Grants of $250 each will be funded by the Wisconsin Academy’s Center for the Book and the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Honoraria will be paid directly to the authors involved.

Wisconsin nonprofit organizations interested in books and reading are eligible to apply. To promote community awareness, collaboration between groups (such as libraries; public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; service clubs; places of worship) is preferred. Applications will be judged on the basis of community outreach, rationale for the choice of speaker, and thoroughness of planning.

TIMELINE

June 15, 2001: Groups must submit their completed applica-tion forms to the Wisconsin Academy’s Center for the Book by this date. If mailed, the applications must be postmarked on or before June 15, 2001.

July 9, 2001: Successful applicants will be notified.

Before December 1, 2001: Programs must be completed by this date.

Application forms are available from the: Wisconsin Center for the Book; Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters; 1922 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, 53705-4099; phone 608/263-1692; fax 608/265-3039; email lyabroff@facstaff.wisc.edu  Application forms are also available online at www.wisconsinacademy.org. If you have any questions, call Loretta Yabroff at the Wisconsin Academy.

In the April ’01 issue of American Libraries, Mark Herring (Dean of Library Services for the Dacus Library at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC) says, "…In an effort to save our culture, strike a blow for reading, and, above all, correct the well-intentioned but horribly misguided notions about what is fast becoming Intertopia among many non-librarian bean counters, here are 10 reasons why the Internet is no substitute for a library..." Here are his first five reasons. For all of them, check the original article.

1. Not Everything is on the Internet – With over one billion Web pages you couldn’t tell it by looking. Nevertheless, very few substantive materials are on the Internet for free
2. The Needle (Your Search) in the Haystack (the Web) - The Internet is like a vast uncataloged library…If a librarian told you, ‘Here are 10 articles on Native Americans. We have 40 others but we’re not going to let you see them, not now, not yet, not until you’ve tried another search in another library, you’d throw a fit. The Internet does this routinely and no one seems to mind.
3. Quality Control Doesn’t Exist – Yes, we need the Internet, but in addition to all the scientific, medical, and historical information (when accurate), there is also a cesspool of waste…any fool can put up any thing on the Web, and, to my accounting, all have.
4. What You Don’t Know Really Does Hurt You – The great boon to libraries has been the digitization of journals. But full-text sites, while grand, aren’t always full…I would not trade access to digitized journals for anything in the world, but their use must be a judicious, planned, and measured one, not full, total, and exclusive reliance.
5. States Can Now Buy One Book and Distribute to Every Library on the Web – NOT! Yes, and we could have one national high school, a national university, and a small cadre of faculty teaching everybody over streaming video…vendors delivering e-books allow only one digitized copy per library. If you check out an e-book over the Web, I can’t have it until you return it. Go figure.

Mr. Herring says, "The Web is great; but it’s a woefully poor substitute for a full-service library. It is mad idolatry to make it more than a tool. Libraries are icons of our cultural intellect, totems to the totality of knowledge. If we make them obsolete, we’ve signed the death warrant to our collective national conscience, not to mention sentencing what’s left of our culture to the waste bin of history. No one knows better than librarians just how much it costs to run a library. We're always looking for ways to trim expenses…The Internet is marvelous, but to claim, as some now do, that it’s making libraries obsolete is as silly as saying shoes have made feet unnecessary.

Two Web Sites Named in ‘Site of the Year’ Awards

The "Library Site of the Year" belongs to Baltimore County Public Library in Towson, Maryland. Judges were impressed by an "attractive yet simple design," strong local content, and breadth of coverage. (www.bcplonline.org)

The "Reference Site of the Year" is your-Dictionary.com of Danville, California. Judges called its content "exhaustive and intriguing," since its good interface leads to more than 1,800 dictionaries in over 250 languages. (www.yourdictionary.com)

For more information, you can visit http://www.libraryspot.com.

(Marketing Library Services, April/May 2001)

Gardening is one of America’s favorite leisure activities, and this is the season when novice and expert gardeners alike seek the library to address their information needs. The Web can be used to answer such garden-related inquiries as what is wrong with this plant?...Will this plant grow well next to this plant in sandy soil?...Where can I buy plants not locally or easily available?...I live in central Wisconsin and would like a list of perennials that bloom in the fall, etc.

Children's Services Supervisor - Rhinelander District Library

Library Media Specialists - 2 positions - Fort Atkinson School District

Assistant Director for Technology - Indianhead Federated Library System - Eau Claire

The LibraryPlace.com http://www.thelibraryplace.com, the first comprehensive Internet community and marketplace for public, school and academic library professionals, is now offering its members professional development resources including free job postings, career development articles and information on upcoming educational events. "This site is an excellent forum for the exchange of professional development information and advice," said Paul Sybrowsky, president of the LibraryPlace.com. "We intend that our portal will become an invaluable career development resource that librarians regularly access throughout their careers."

May 2-4 - WAPL Conference - Wisconsin Rapids.

May 19 - WVLS Board of Trustees meeting - Marathon County Public Library - 9:45.

May 25 - "Arthur, the Lovable Aardvark" created by Marc Brown, and star of many books and a PBS TV series, turns 25! Note this occasion by devoting this week's story hours and displays to Arthur's adventures.

May 28 - Memorial Day -  WVLS office closed

May 31-June 12 - Librarians' Tour of Scotland - for further information, call 608/263-2942.

June 7 - V-Cat Council meeting - Antigo Public Library.

June 16-20 - ALA Annual Conference - San Francisco.

June 28 - WVLS Executive Committee meeting - Marathon County Public Library - 9:45.