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April
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(Robert Frost, 1874-1963) Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1936The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.
THE NUMBERS GAME
The next time you hear the word ‘billion’ used in a casual manner, think
about this. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising
agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its
releases
10 REASONS WHY THE INTERNET IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A LIBRARY
The Web is great; but it’s a woefully poor substitute for a full-service library…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 while not reducing service. The Internet is marvelous, but to claim, as some do, that it’s making libraries obsolete is as silly as saying shoes have made feet unnecessary. (Revised from article of the same name by Mark Y. Herring in the April 2001 issue of American Libraries.)
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHTS ON FREEDOM
Current threats to First Amendment rights got you down? Do visions of banned
books haunt your dreams? Does it sometimes feel like the only people bothered by
intrusions into First Amendment rights are you, me and the guy who said that
folks who are willing to give up freedom for security deserve neither? Well,
just read the following for inspiration & solace and realize that you are not
alone in fighting the good fight…
"I believe that we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom." (Rosa Parks in "The Meaning of Life" article which appeared in LIFE, Dec. 1988)
"There’s something contagious about demanding freedom." (Robin Morgan in SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL)
"We, today, stand on the shoulders of our predecessors…We, as their successors, must catch the torch of freedom and liberty they pass on to us…We cannot lose in this battle." (Benjamin E. Mays)
"We, too, born to freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a speech given when he received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law from Oxford University on 6/19/41)
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (United States Constitution, Amendment 1, ratified 12/15/1791)
NOTE: I heard recently on WPR that lots more people could tell you the names of the members of the cartoon The Simpson Family than could tell you their five 1st amendment rights…no wonder it’s so very easy for government to take away those rights…it’s not surprising that people don’t rise up in anger and fight for their rights when they don’t even know what they are!
-- Heather Eldred
NEED AN ANSWER? ASK AWAY!
Is that what’s bothering you, Bunkie?
Then you need to access the BRAND NEW Ask?Away chat feature from the Wisconsin Valley Library Service. When you use this FREE chat service, you'll be connected to an experienced librarian who has the knowledge and tools to find the information you need. Librarians are available whenever you need information — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
This virtual reference service is brought to you by the Ask?Away Consortium, which is comprised of participating libraries & library systems, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and WiLS, and is partially subsidized through an LSTA grant.
To connect with Ask?Away, visit the WVLS website at
http://wvls.lib.wi.us/, then scroll down and click on the Ask?Away logo/icon. Follow the directions on the screen to begin chatting with a librarian who has an answer tailored just for you.If you would like to have an Ask?Away button/icon on your library’s web site, please contact Ann Mroczenski in the WVLS office at 715/261-7256 or
annmarie@wvls.lib.wi.usAlso, if you have any questions or comments about this service, please feel free to contact Leora Young, the WVLS representative to the Ask?Away Consortium, at 715/261-7254 or
lyoung2@wvls.lib.wi.usStart using Ask?Away today!
A WVLS WORKSHOP THAT LIBRARY STAFF AND TRUSTEES WON’T WANT TO MISS!
Legal Issues That Affect Libraries
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Marathon County Public Library
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Guest Speaker – Tomas A. Lipinski
Tomas A. Lipinski was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on November 16,
1958. After completing his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Marquette University Law
School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he received the Master of Laws (LL.M.) from The
John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, and the Ph.D. from the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Lipinski has worked in a variety of legal
settings including the private, public and non-profit sectors. He has taught at
the American Institute for Paralegal Studies and at Syracuse University College
of Law. In summers, he is a visiting associate professor at the Graduate School
of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
and at the Department of Information Science, School of Information Technology
at the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa (1999-2003).
Professor Lipinski currently teaches, researches and speaks frequently on various topics within the areas of information law and policy, especially copyright, privacy and censorship issues in schools and libraries, and serves as Co-Director of the Center for Information Policy Research at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee and an Associate Professor at its School of Information Studies.
Recent monographs include: The Library’s Legal Answer Book with Mary Minnow (2003; ALA Editions); Copyright Law and the Distance Education Classroom (2005; Scarecrow Press, Inc.), and The Complete Copyright Liability Handbook for Librarians and Educators (2006; Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.).
Workshop Agenda
9:00 – 9:30 Registration and Coffee
9:30 – 11:00 COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING
11:00 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:45 FREE SPEECH (patron behavior, censorship, meeting room use, etc.)
1:45 – 3:00 PRIVACY/USA PATRIOT ACT
3:00 – 3:30 WRAP UP (question/answer session)
Please R.S.V.P. by Friday, April 14th –
- by phone – Marla Sepnafski, WVLS, 715/261-7252
- by email –
YWCA HONORS SONJA
ACKERMAN AS A WOMAN OF VISION
Sonja Ackerman, Children’s Services Division Head/Librarian at the Marathon
County Public Library has been recognized by the Wausau YWCA as a Woman of
Vision in 2006. This award, which recognizes outstanding leaders and role models
in the community, has been given to 41 women over the past 13 years.
In her 22 years with MCPL, Sonja has raised awareness for the library and helped promote a love of reading throughout the county. She has been instrumental in establishing the Marathon County Reads, an annual literary program promoting intergenerational reading. In the past, this program featured books and visits to Wausau by well-known authors such as Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck and Kate DiCamillo.
Sonja also played a significant role in the creation and success of MCPL’s fundraiser, The Fairy Tale Ball, and has worked collaboratively with the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum to introduce children’s book illustrators to children and adults.
Sonja will receive her award at the 14th Annual YWCA Awards Luncheon on May 10th.
Congratulations, Sonja!
MARY ANN RODMAN’S MY BEST FRIEND WINS 2006 CHARLOTTE ZOLOTOW AWARD
Administered by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), the Charlotte
Zolotow Award is given annually to the author of the best picture book text
published in the preceding year, for children in the birth-through-seven age
range. Following is the list of winners for 2006:
Winner:
Rodman, Mary Ann. My Best Friend. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Viking, 2005.Honor Books:
McKissack, Patricia C. and Onawumi Jean Moss. Precious and the Boo Hag. Illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker. An Anne Schwartz Book / Atheneum, 2005.
Muth, Jon J. Zen Shorts. Scholastic Press, 2005.Highly Commended:
Patricelli, Leslie. Binky. Candlewick Press, 2005.
Turner, Sandy. Cool Cat, Hot Dog. Atheneum, 2005.
Juster, Norton. The Hello, Goodbye Window. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Michael di Capua Books / Hyperion, 2005.
Willems, Mo. Leonardo the Terrible Monster. Hyperion, 2005.
King, Stephen Michael. Mutt Dog! U.S. edition: Harcourt, 2005.
Savadier, Elivia. No Haircut Today! A Neal Porter Book / Roaring Brook Press, 2005.
Graham, Bob. Oscar’s Half Birthday. U.S. edition: Candlewick Press, 2005.
Berman, Mara. Snip, Snap! What’s That? Illustrated by Nick Maland. U.S. edition: Greenwillow / HarperCollins, 2005.
Bee, William. Whatever. U. S. edition: Candlewick Press, 2005.
For more information about the Charlotte Zolotow Award and for lists of winners from previous years, visit
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/zolotow.aspRESOURCES
FOR A SUMMER OF Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales
Also, the pubyac listserv (3/14/06) mentioned that library staff working on Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales library programs could get a "School Visit Script" and a "Sample Letter to the Principal" at
http://summerreading.cla-net.org/workshop2006.html#beth_jones, and six different newspaper ads and flyers at http://www.cslpreads.org/nie.htmNow Available!
In order for a public library or library system to utilize the schedule and dispose of public records, the library or library system board must formally adopt the Records Retention Schedule and notify the State Historical Society and the Wisconsin Public Records Board. To facilitate this process, a Notification of Adoption form was developed and was also approved by the Public Records Board. The final schedule, the adoption form, and information on the process are now available on the DPI web site at
http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/retensch.html (Channel Weekly; 3/16/06)Got 30 minutes?
Libraries, schools and book stores are encouraged to participate in this national event. For more information, visit
http://www.dropeverythingandread.com and http://www.readingrockets.org/calendar/dear#resources | Use standard sources such as H.W. Wilson's Children Catalog, Public Library Catalog, and Senior High School Catalog for lists of "core" collections you may want to strive to carry. |
| Look at the circulation statistics and the copyright dates. |
| Check with school librarians and teachers in your area to find out what they would like to see their students find at the public library. |
| From the Florida Department of Education, the SUNLINK Weed of the Month (http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/archive/archive.html) introduces a new weeding subject area each month, beginning with September 1997. For each area, it lists specific titles you may want to consider weeding. |
| The Western Massachusetts Regional Library System |
| (http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html) has good information about determining weeding policies and procedures, including how to convince staff and the public that weeding is necessary. |
| Another site is the Arizona State Library’s weeding page |
| (http://www.dlapr.lib.az.us/cdt/weeding.htm), which includes a nice bibliography. |
| ALA's website has a selected annotated bibliography for evaluating your collection. It is Fact Sheet #15 and may be viewed at: http://www.ala.org/Template.cfmSection=libraryfactsheet&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&/ContentID=119872 |
| Many librarians use the CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding) method for keeping their collections up-to-date. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has a copy on its site (http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/toc.html), or you can check WISCAT and request one through interlibrary loan. The CREW report ends with this statement: "Weeding itself should be an ongoing, routine part of the work schedule, not a onetime operation." |
(The Library Connection, newsletter of the Eastern Shores Library System; 2/06)
GRANT
OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL, RURAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES
In order to encourage and reward local support of libraries, The Libri Foundation will match any amount of money raised by your local sponsors from $50 to $350 on a 2-to-1 ratio. Thus, a library can receive up to $1,050 worth of new children's books. After a library receives a grant, local sponsors (such as formal or informal Friends groups, civic or social organizations, local businesses, etc.) have four months or longer if necessary, to raise their matching funds.
The librarian of each participating library selects the books her library will receive from a booklist provided by the Foundation. The 700-plus fiction and nonfiction titles on the booklist reflect the very best of children's literature published primarily in the last three years. These titles, which are for children ages 12 and under, are award-winners or have received starred reviews in library, literary, or education journals. The booklist also includes a selection of classic children’s titles.
Libraries are qualified on an individual basis. In general, county libraries should serve a population under 16,000 and town libraries should serve a population under 10,000 (usually under 5,000). Libraries should be in a rural area, have a limited operating budget, and an active children's department.
Please note: Rural is usually considered to be at least 30 miles from a city with a population over 40,000. Town libraries with total operating budgets over $150,000 and county libraries with total operating budgets over $350,000 are rarely given grants.
Applications are accepted from independent libraries as well as libraries
which are part of a county, regional, or cooperative library system.
Application deadlines for 2006 are: (postmarked by) April 15th, July 15th,
and December 15th. Grants are awarded April 30th, August 31st, and
January 31st.
Application guidelines and forms may be downloaded from the Foundation's website
at:
www.librifoundation.org. For more information
about The Libri Foundation or its Books for Children program, please contact Ms.
Barbara J. McKillip, President, The Libri Foundation, PO Box 10246, Eugene, OR
97440; 541-747-9696(phone); 541-747-4348 (fax);
libri@librifoundation.org
(email).
An eFlick is a digital video that can be viewed on a computer, laptop, or portable video device. All that’s needed is the free Overdrive Media Console, Windows Media Player, a Denver Public Library card and a high-speed connection to the Internet to select a video, check it out, and download it. The eFlicks will not be accessible to customers in the library. Due to the large file size of videos, customers using dialup Internet access will not want to try this. As with audio Ebooks, downloaded eFlick titles may be kept for a week before they automatically erase.
There are two file sizes for each title. The highest quality and largest file size is for those wishing to view the video on a computer or laptop. The lower quality and smaller file size is for downloading to mobile devices such as Pocket PCs or SmartPhones. The videos can be watched on any device that supports protected Windows Media video. The service is not compatible with Macs or iPods.
Denver Public Library’s new eFlick collection is very small to start and includes classic movies, documentaries, travel and concert films, do-it-yourself remodeling flicks and exercise videos. However, the vendor is quickly adding new distributors and, over time, they will have a much wider selection from which to choose.
"It will be very cool, because you could take it [downloaded eFlick] on your laptop on a business trip and have your yoga program right there in your hotel room," claims Michelle Jeske, the library’s manager of Web Information Services.
Eventually Denver Public Library expects to offer feature films. They also hope to have computer kiosks where members without fast Internet service – or no service – can download films onto their portable video players. (American Libraries Direct, 3/22/06; and Rocky Mountain News, 2/17/06)
AMAZON WANTS TO SELL DOWNLOADS
(http://www.imdb.com),
which it bought in 1998, is expected to give Amazon an advantage competing with
other movie and TV download services as well. The web site for Internet Movie
Database has become the leading movie site on the Web, passing Yahoo Movies in
usage, according to comScore Media Metrix (http://www.comscore.com/metrix/).
(New York Times, 3/10/06, as seen in the Monday Memo, 3/13/06)
WANT TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY?
GET GREEN!The campaign suggests it’s simple to "get green." Walk a "walkabout" and place oxygen-releasing aloe vera plants where employees are sneezing and wheezing, or spider plants and peace lilies in areas where sound is a problem. Gerber daisies are effective at removing vapors from the air, and cane plants absorb carbon dioxide. For more suggestions, go to
http://www.plantsatwork.orgWEB SITES OF INTEREST (tourist traps on the information superhighway!)
THE GREAT FAMILY COOKBOOK PROJECT
http://www.familycookbookproject.com/MY BIZ FOR WOMEN
http://www.sba.gov/women/TEACHERS NETWORK
http://www.teachnet.org/USGA: THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION
http://www.usga.org/April
http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/ - this web site helps you organize and list events, and supplies background information on kites and kite-making instructions. (Neat New Stuff I Found This Week; 3/9/06; http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2006)NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
NATIONAL KITE MONTH -
April 6 – WVLS V-Cat Council meeting – Antigo Public Library – 9:30.
April 8 – WVLS Executive Committee meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30.
April 10-16 – Young People’s Poetry Week. For suggestions on sharing poetry, new poetry titles, poetry starters, and tips for organizing a Bad Poetry Reading, see
http://www.cbcbooks.org/yppw/celebrate/ (Channel Weekly; 3/24/06)April 14 – WVLS office closed.
April 18 – Legal Issues That Affect Libraries – a WVLS workshop – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30-3:30.
April 18-19 – WiscNet Future Technologies Conference – Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison – for more information and to register, visit
http://www.wiscnet.net/FTC/April 24-30 – TV-Turnoff Week –
http://www.tvturnoff.org/index.htmMay
May 1-2 – ALA’s National Library Legislative Day – Washington, D.C. – for details, visit
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washevents/nlld/nationallibrary.htmMay 3-5 – Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) Conference – Wisconsin Rapids.
May 16 – The Support Staff Section of WLA One-Day Conference – Carroll College, Waukesha – for details, visit
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/sss/June
June 22-28 – ALA Annual Conference – New Orleans
September
September 30 – Northwoods Conference for Library Friends, Supporters & Volunteers – Rothschild Community Center – details forthcoming.
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"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." – Sir Winston Churchill (Refdesk thought-of-the-day; 3/20/06)
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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
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Street / Wausau, WI 54403
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Back issues are available at http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Newsletter/newsindex.htm
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longer work.)
|
EDITOR: Marla Sepnafski |
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When the most recent issue becomes available, readers are alerted by a notice
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