Aug 2007 WVLS' The Lamplighter

August 2007 Volume XLIV Number 8		Home Page Past Issues Calendar of Events
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Articles	Monthly Features
Job Vacancy	Director's Memo
Collaboration 2.0, Gaming & RSS	Your Attention, Please!
Serving the Legal Information Needs of the Public	Continuing Education
Library Patrons Ride the Merrill-Go-Round!	In the System
12 Kids' Albums You Can't Live Without	Youth Matters
Still More Ideas for Serving Seniors	Special Needs
WISLR Scholarship to WLA Conference	Grant Update
Public Library User Trends in Wisconsin	Info to Go
Blogging: The Rules	From Hither & Yon
Scoffing at Library Fines	Web Sites of Interest
A Few Groaners (Puns) You Might Enjoy!	Calendar of Events

	Remember to check the updated "Off the Subject" page for recipes and jokes.

Summer is a good time to clean out some files. While doing so myself, I came across a few articles I’ve been saving to share with you.

WHAT IS MICROMANAGEMENT, AND WHAT ISN’T?
“From an executive director: “The board is micromanaging! They’re driving me crazy!” And from a board member of the same organization: “Every time we make even a suggestion – the executive director flies off the handle and accuses us of micromanaging! Aren’t we SUPPOSED to be guiding and leading?” …Who’s right? If only there was a measuring stick that would make scientific decisions. There isn’t one right answer and the line falls differently in different organizations – based mostly on the board’s confidence in the executive … Board members don’t get much direct evidence on whether they should gain or lose confidence in the executive director. So, if the board packet is sloppily put together, the budget wasn’t controlled last year, staff or patrons are complaining, or thank-you letters to donors were late, board members start to step in closer … If, as an executive director, you think the board is micromanaging, ask yourself and the board chair what signals the board is getting to make them wonder about your ability to lead and manage … don’t forget to give the board direct feedback too …”
(from http://www.boardcafe.org)

KNOWLEDGE FOR SALE: ARE AMERICA’S PUBLIC LIBRARIES ON THE VERGE OF LOSING THEIR WAY?
Imagine a social space that’s designed for individual enlightenment, a “people’s university” where all can read and learn. A haven from commerce where everyone can conduct research or enjoy the arts. A place for children to escape their family bonds just long enough to glimpse a broader world. A home away from home for those curious about ideas and passionate about knowledge. Such is the American public library at its best … In a “knowledge economy” where information carries an ever-steeper price, where the rich get wealthier and the poor have less, libraries are one of the few ways still available for many to educate themselves – ideally, an American right … the ALA likes to note there are more public libraries in the United States … than there are McDonald’s restaurants. But lurking in that comparison is a hint that all is not well with libraries. In fact, the same forces that have turned the United States into a fast-food nation could soon drive the traditional American library out of existence … Local citizens, meanwhile, have voted to build new urban showcase libraries, structures that local leaders hope will revitalize downtown areas … One concern is that, in the name of giving people what they want, the new libraries of the future will be closer in spirit to amusement complexes … centers offering corporate-sponsored “edutainment” spectacles and tiered services to a paying clientele … The local effects are wide ranging. Along with a growing corporate presence, patrons might find more copies of the latest hyped technothrillers and fewer scholarly journals (canceled to offset costs) … With tax revenues dwindling, the economic pressure is real, but eventually a library run like a big-box store will carry big-box inventory on its shelves … Too frequently the trend toward standardization leads to similarly bland collections across the continent … To some degree, libraries still function as guardians of public ideology but they’re less likely to be the ones defining what that ideology is. The market and its values now largely determine what the masses read and hear …

As more people come to libraries for Internet access, more money goes to buying new workstations, often at the expense of magazines and books. Many patrons find it hard to believe that the best information is not always on the Web … or that search engines like Google can actually perpetuate errors by ranking results by the number of hits … Considering the limited life span of each new data format or electronic storage medium … keeping digital materials alive for future generations will, ironically, be much more costly and complicated than simply leaving a paper book on a library shelf … another concern is that Google will eventually charge access fees or couple the works with ads …

Some critics warn that library schools are producing new librarians with no cultural memory, technically savvy but oriented more toward commerce than to the library’s historic role. Should librarians be fighting back or adapting to the new status quo? … If librarians took their charter seriously, their influence could be profound. But that’s easier said than done … Meanwhile, many individual librarians continue to serve as professional altruists, often despite in-house pressures to do otherwise. They read and recommend books, quietly resisting a culture that seems to value entertainment more than wisdom. As the public library system struggles to find its way, it may be the librarians who will help it survive without losing its rich heritage and stores of printed knowledge. The light by which they read and that they themselves provide – may have dimmed, but it’s not out …” (from Utne; July 2005)

NEW DATA ON U.S. LIBRARIES SHOWS ALMOST TWO BILLION SERVED
“Ten years after some experts predicted the demise of the nation’s system of libraries as a result of the Internet explosion, the most current national data on library use shows that the exact opposite has happened. Data released by the ALA indicates that the number of visits to public libraries in the U.S. increased 61% between 1994 and 2004. Far from hurting American libraries, the Internet has actually helped to spur more people to use their local libraries because it has increased our hunger for knowledge and information. (from 2007 State of America’s Libraries; full report is available at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/march2007/SAL_AnnualReport-FINAL.pdf

JOB VACANCY
Library System Director. The Wisconsin Valley Library Service (WVLS) seeks a progressive and experienced professional to direct a 7-county federated public library system headquartered in Wausau (WI). WVLS provides service to 25 public libraries and 212 non-public libraries in its service area. Population served: 285,809. Funding in 2007: $1,049,374. 10.5 FTEs. WVLS operates under Chapter 43 of the Wisconsin Statutes and is governed by a 15-member Board of Trustees. Director is responsible for the development and enhancement of the system and its services, and for administration of the internal operations of WVLS. Requirements: To be seriously considered, an applicant must have an ALA accredited MLS, at least eight years of professional level library experience (including at least five years in a major administrative position) and be eligible for a Grade I Library Director Certification issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Candidates must have strong communication, organizational, public relations and supervisory skills; have experience with budgets, planning, grant-writing, administration, and library-related technologies; provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States; and, have a valid driver’s license, and the ability to travel independently. Beginning salary range: $55,000-$60,000, depending on experience and qualifications. Attractive benefits package. Position will be available October 1, 2007. Send cover letter (including e-mail address), resume, and the names and contact information for three professional references, by August 17, 2007, to: Alice Sturzl, President, WVLS Board of Trustees; 5170 East Silver Lake Road; Laona, WI 54541-9255. Position will remain open until a qualified candidate is found. WVLS is an equal opportunity employer. WVLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or disability.

Space is limited! Please register by Friday, August 17, 2007
If you have questions or comments about this event, please contact Marla Sepnafski
at 715/261-7252 or msepnafs@wvls.lib.wi.us

TO REGISTER: Send this completed form along with check to WISCONSIN VALLEY LIBRARY SERVICE for lunch to: Marla Sepnafski; WVLS; 300 N First Street; Wausau, WI 54403.

Name ________________________________________________________
Amount Enclosed ________

Library _______________________________________________________________________________

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.

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.

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.

Please Register for this workshop by September 21st by sending the completed form below, along with a 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

*************************************************************************************************************
SERVING THE LEGAL INFORMATION NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC
Register by September 21st

Name ________________________________________
Library _______________________________________

Telephone No. __________________________
Email _______________________________________

     ____ YES, I WILL HAVE THE LUNCH BUFFET!                    ____ NO THANKS!   I’ll pack a lunch.
       Buffet includes a variety of subs, chips, veggie tray, dessert and beverages.
       A $7.00 check made out to the American Legion is enclosed.

LIBRARY PATRONS RIDE THE MERRILL-GO-ROUND!
T.B. Scott Library’s Board of Trustees, the Merrill Noon Optimists, and the Merrill-Go-Round bus service collaborated to sponsor free rides on the Merrill-Go-Round for children to attend a number of special summer library events in July.

Children had to show their library cards to the bus driver when boarding the bus while day care group leaders verified library cards in advance and told the bus driver how many in the group had cards and how many did not. Teens and adults needed to pay regular bus fare.

Some of the special events where the Merrill-Go-Round was used included three Wednesday morning programs at the Prairie River Middle School, three Lunch Bunch sessions and a Preschool Peanut Butter Picnic!
(edited from Foto News; 6/27/07)

12 KIDS’ ALBUMS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
According to Warren Truitt, blogmeister of Children’s Music that Rocks (http://kidsmusicthatrocks.blogspot.com) and senior children’s librarian at the New York Public Library’s Donnell Central Children’s Room, “In the last 10 years, the once-comatose children’s music scene has been resuscitated…” So, if a parent or teacher asks for your advice about the best new CDs for members of the preschool set, you are in luck! Following are Truitt’s 12 albums your library can’t live without:

(“12 Kids’ Albums You Can’t Live Without” by Warren Truitt; School Library Journal; July 2007. For an additional dozen titles that you ‘almost’ can’t live without, go to
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6456383.html)

STILL MORE IDEAS FOR SERVING SENIORS
A previous issue of The Lamplighter (http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Newsletter/PastIssues/2007/May2007LL.pdf) included an article by Marcia Sarnowski (Winding Rivers Library System) which listed several ways that libraries could celebrate and serve seniors during Older Americans Month in May. Since that time, Marcia has continued to research the topic of serving seniors, and following are her recent discoveries:

Look at the demographics in your community.
If you do a Google search for “your municipality [e.g. Anytown city or Anytown village] population,” you’ll get quite a few results, but what you really want is the “Census 2000 profiles” from the Wisconsin Department of Administration (as an example, this pdf at http://www.doa.state.wi.us/dir/wisconsin/1605559925 will show the data for the City of Onalaska).

There you will see the 2000 census statistics with breakdowns by age. Add up the categories 65 and over and you’ll have an idea of how many seniors are living in your city or village. (Do the same thing for the other units in your service area, to arrive at a total population figure.) Now look at your registered borrower statistics (all those born in 1942 or earlier) and see how those compare with the total senior population. If the numbers are close, good for you. If they are not, you’ve got some marketing of library services to do.

Take a look at your collections, including the special formats you may have.
If you have an automated circulation system, you probably have reports which tell you how many items you have in each collection code (e.g. large print, books on tape, books on CD), and reports that give you the number of checkouts by item statistical class. With these you can get a good idea of the collection turnover rate (or average circulation per volume owned; to find it, divide the number of annual circulations by the number of holdings in that collection). How do these compare with the numbers for your collection as a whole? These collections should be evaluated, weeded, and kept current, as are the other areas of your collection.

Take a look at your library web site.
Lots of seniors are learning to use computers, use the Internet, and buy computers for their homes so they can access many sites (including the library’s) remotely. Is your web site accessible and friendly to seniors? The SPRY Foundation (Setting Priorities for Retirement Years) offers a free resource called Older Adults and the World Wide Web: A Guide for Web Site Creators on their site (http://www.spry.org/pdf/website_creators_guide.pdf).

You’ll find tips for making your web site “elder friendly,” including accommodating impairments, and using graphics and audio effectively. And making your web site easier to use should benefit all your patrons.

Talk to the seniors using the library, and go out and talk to those who aren’t.
Include seniors (of various ages – today’s seniors are a diverse population) on your library’s advisory board or planning committee. Ask them what services and programs they’d like to see. Find the agencies in your community which serve seniors, and go to some senior-friendly events in your area –volunteer to give a presentation on what the library has to offer.

Ask your senior users to share their stories (why the library is important to them) and to be advocates for the library.
They may be able to suggest some good strategies for improving library funding: they are often the voters and the property owners who will be impacted by budget decisions.

Use the professional resources available.
Besides the many web sites which now discuss seniors and aging issues, check out three of the best print resources:
            Serving Seniors: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians by RoseMary Honnold and Saralyn A. Mesaros (Neal-Schuman, 2004)
            5-Star Programming and Services for Your 55+ Library Customers by Barbara Mates (American Library Association, 2003)
            Adults with Special Needs, A Resource and Planning Guide for Wisconsin’s Public Libraries (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2003) includes a chapter on aging. You’ll need to refer to this resource if you are applying for LSTA grant funds to initiate or improve your services.
(Adapted from Whirlpools, newsletter of the Winding Rivers Library System; July/August 2007)

WISLR SCHOLARSHIP TO WLA CONFERENCE
The Wisconsin Small Libraries Roundtable is offering a scholarship(s) to promote attendance at this year’s WLA Conference in Green Bay. The link to information on this scholarship is available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/wislr/WISLRscholarship.htm If interested, send a completed application to Beth Knuth; Wautoma Public Library; P.O. Box 269; Wautoma, WI 54982. If you have questions, email Beth at knuth@wautomalibrary.org. Applications must be postmarked by August 15, 2007.

Find out more about these and other compelling research findings in a new report, The Wisconsin Library User (and Non-User) II: Outcomes of a Statewide Survey (2003-2007 comparisons), which is now available at the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) web site, http://www.wplc.info/reports/.

The report was written by Josh Morrill and is based on a statewide survey he conducted earlier this year. The current report is the first extension of the earlier 2003 report (which is also at the web site mentioned above), so data comparisons may be made to track changing trends in Wisconsin’s public library use.

BLOGGING: THE RULES
Attention all bloggers! While many of you old hands have been at this game for awhile, you may not be aware that your online publication is subject to a range of state and federal laws. So consider bookmarking 12 Important U.S. Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know (http://www.avivadirectory.com/blogger-law/), a clearly written guide, free of legal jargon, produced by Aviva Directory, a Web business resource. Topics covered include the legality of deep linking, the proper use of images and thumbnails, and copyright issues regarding user-developed content.
(School Library Journal; July 2007)

SCOFFING AT LIBRARY FINES
Local governments are like the rest of us – they’re looking for more money. Some are finding it by hiring collection agencies to deal with unpaid parking tickets and even library fines. “More and more people are complaining about this,” says Craig Watts of credit scorer Fair Isaac. “It started about ten years ago [with] strapped municipalities, especially big cities.”

The consequences are not small. A debt going to a collection agency can drop your credit score by 100 points overnight, Watts notes. That means beach reading you’ve hung on to since last summer can raise the interest rate you’ll pay on your next car loan. Time to sort through that stack by the bed!
(By Walecia Konrad in AARP; July/August 2007)

A FEW GROANERS (PUNS) YOU MIGHT ENJOY! – from Jim Backus, WVLS Trustee
King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites. His last great possession was the Star of the Euphrates, the most valuable diamond in the ancient world. Desperate, he went to Croesus, the pawnbroker, to ask for a loan. Croesus said, “I’ll give you 100,000 dinars for it.” “But I paid a million dinars for it,” the King protested. “Don’t you know who I am? I am the king!” Croesus replied, “When you wish to pawn a Star, makes no difference who you are.”

A marine biologist developed a race of genetically engineered dolphins that could live forever if they were fed a steady diet of seagulls. One day, his supply of the birds ran out, so he had to go out and trap some more. On the way back, he spied two lions asleep on the road. Afraid to wake them, he gingerly stepped over them. Immediately, he was arrested and charged with transporting gulls across sedate lions for immortal porpoises.

A famous Viking explorer returned home from a voyage and found his name missing from the town register. His wife insisted on complaining to the local civic official who apologized profusely saying, “I must have taken Leif off my census.”

A skeptical anthropologist was cataloging South American folk remedies with the assistance of a tribal brujo who indicated that the leaves of a particular fern were a sure cure for any case of constipation. When the anthropologist expressed his doubts, the brujo looked him in the eye and said, “Let me tell you, with fronds like these, who needs enemas?”

A man rushed into a busy doctor’s office and shouted “Doctor! I think I’m shrinking!!” The doctor calmly responded, “Now, settle down. You will just have to be a little patient.”

Comic Book Cover Browser http://www.coverbrowser.com/
In 2006, Philipp Lenssen of Stuttgart, Germany, created a web site that features the covers for as many comic books that he could find on the web. Currently, Cover Browser has more than 77,000 images from 538 different series, and more are added continuously. The search engine can look for particular artists (Rick Geary) or image elements (kryptonite).
(American Libraries Direct; 7/18/07)

Countdown to Kindergarten: Monthly Activities http://www.countdowntokindergarten.org/monthact.htm
“Besides being fun, these activities introduce four- and five-year olds to the kind of learning skills they’ll be developing further in kindergarten.” This site includes descriptions of 12 monthly activities such as a mail activity for February, water play in July, and an October fall walk and talk. From a partnership of public and private organizations in Boston.
(LII New This Week, 8/2/07; Copyright 2007 by Librarians’ Internet Index, http://lii.org)

The Joy of Computing Cookbook: a Cookbook for small and rural libraries
http://www.maintainitproject.org/cookbooks
‘Practical tips and stories from rural libraries about keeping public computers available,’ along with an invitation to other librarians to share their stories. Topics addressed include assessing patrons’ computer needs, security and maintenance, recruiting volunteer assistance, getting needed tech training, strategic planning, and available tools and resources.
(Marylaine Block’s Neat New Stuff I Found This Week; 6/29/07; http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html)

United States Postal Service: Hold Mail https://dunsapp.usps.gov/HoldMail.jsp
Whether you are on vacation or an unexpected business trip, you can rest easy knowing your mail is safely held for you at your local Post Office. This online service will electronically notify your local Post Office to hold your mail. For same day service, online requests must be submitted by 2am CST Monday-Saturday. Mail can be held from 3 to 30 days. The Post Office will resume normal delivery of your mail on the date you specify. Online access to request this service is currently limited to certain ZIP codes.
(edited from American Libraries Direct; 6/27/07)

August 7 – WVLS Library Advisory Committee meeting – Northcentral Technical College, Wausau – 9:30 a.m.

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

August 21 - Collaboration 2.0, Gaming & RSS – a WVLS Technology Workshop – UW-Marathon County, Wausau – for more information, check out the article in this issue of The Lamplighter or visit the WVLS web site (http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html).

SEPTEMBER – National Library Card Sign-Up Month. The American Library Association has announced that Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback of the 2006 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, has been named as the spokesperson. For more information visit http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/otherinit/card/librarycard.htm

September 15 – WVLS Board of Trustees meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.

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 – details are in this issue of The Lamplighter and on the WVLS web site at http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html

September 27-28 – Northwest Wisconsin Children’s Book Conference: Learning, Literacy & Leisure at the Lodge! – Telemark Resort and Conference Center, Cable (WI) – more information is available at http://www.telemarkeducation.com/book_conference.html

September 30–October 6 – This is the last week to register to vote in November’s U.S. general elections. See the cover story in the January/February 2006 issue of Marketing Library Services to learn how the North Suburban (IL) Library System ran an award-winning voter registration project at http://www.infotoday.com/mls/jan06/index.shtml (Marketing Library Services; July/August 2007)

9:00 a.m.	Registration and Refreshments
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Collaboration 2.0: Making blogs, wikis, and other tools work for you and your library The latest technology and newest tools claim to help you improve your productivity; the hard part is knowing what to use and when. This session, will help you determine the best and the worst of the latest collaborative tools. The entertaining duo of *Stef Morrill* (Associate Director at the South Central Library System) and *Beth Carpenter* (Library Services Manager at the Outagamie-Waupaca Library System) will lead attendees through, what promises to be, a very lively session!
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.	LUNCH ($8.00 for the lunch buffet) Report of the Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium During lunch, *Matthew Sackel*, Librarian at Marathon County Public Library, will provide highlights of the Gaming Symposium that he will be attending on July 22-24 in Chicago.
1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	RSS – Stop Walking Through the Internet Buffet and Start Getting Your Favorite Information Served to You on a Platter *Kim LaPlante*, Library Services Manager at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, will show workshop attendees what an RSS is and what it can do, how RSS can help save time, and, how to set up an RSS by yourself.

Name ________________________________________ Library _______________________________________

Name __
Library _