WVLS' The Lamplighter

GREENER PASTURES: THE WISCONSIN RURAL LIBRARY SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) and OCLC’s WebJunction are offering a day-long workshop Greener Pastures: The Wisconsin Rural Library Sustainability Project to area public library directors. The primary goal of the project is to support the efforts of rural and small libraries in developing and implementing community-specific action plans for sustaining public access computing.

Who is involved?

· The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – provides direction and funding for the project.

· WebJunction – project coordinator for the delivery and evaluation of the program, will provide online communication tools, resources and activities.

· DLTCL staff members, John DeBacher (trainer) and Bob Bocher (project coordinator) – will conduct the workshops.

· Wisconsin Public Library Systems – will coordinate regional workshops.

· Directors of public libraries – will attend the workshop. If the director is unable to attend, another library staff or a trustee may attend.

Why should directors attend?

· Connect with colleagues and build networks of support

· Build your library’s future through effective brainstorming and planning

· Earn credit for six contact hours toward library director certification

· Mileage reimbursement

· Lodging reimbursement if travel of more than 120 miles is required

· Grants for substitute wages are available

And that’s not all! Those who complete the workshop will be entered in a drawing for three people to attend the annual ALA Conference in June 2007 in Washington, D.C., all expenses paid!

This workshop will run from 9:30-4:30 and will be offered at ten sites throughout Wisconsin. You may register for a site that is convenient to your location or schedule, but preference may be given to members of the host system(s). Sessions of the workshop scheduled in the area are:

Invitations will be sent out to library directors four to six weeks prior to each workshop. Pre-registration is required, as well as completing an online pre-assessment survey. For details, visit the DTLCL’s web site at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/pld/rural.html or contact John DeBacher at john.debacher@dpi.state.wi.us.

YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE!

IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP YOUR OFFICE!
With the New Year just beginning, it’s a good time to tidy up our offices so that the next time we need that one particular document, we’ll be able to find it again … not to mention that the stacks of ‘stuff’ are getting to be embarrassing. So, take a week and assign 2-3 hours every day just to square things away. There. All done. Feel better now? Good! It’s good that you were able to take care of one of your New Year’s resolutions right away.

Not so fast. Let’s talk. You may have put those papers back in files where you can find them again – or in the circular file where you will never have to look at it again … BUT … did you take care of that virtual pile of email ‘stuff’?

No! No! No! Don’t just delete it – that’s against the law. Try to think of all those files of email messages as another big pile of paper messages, i.e., you can freely toss messages that don’t have any relationship to your ‘office’ (although, to be strictly honest, the fact that any messages of that type are on a publicly-owned computer would argue against the idea that they are ‘personal’). That aside, it’s probably OK for you to delete those types of messages since you probably toss paper messages or notes you make about phone calls, post-its from colleagues, bulletins about municipal social events, routine information requests, etc. However, if an email requires that you write a response applying an agency policy to specific circumstances, you should save both the request and your reply. Also save discussions you might have with colleagues on how to deal with an issue or case. If an email, including routing information, has been saved in another format, it may be deleted.

In other words, you should clean out your email files just as regularly as you do the paper files.

-- Heather Eldred

YOUTH MATTERS

PRIMARY RESOURCES FOR CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Following on the heels of the immensely popular live-action film Charlotte’s Web, school libraries and educators may be interested in helpful background information for students. Visit http://www.awesomestories.com/movies/charlottes_web/charlottes_web_ch1.htm to learn about spiders like Charlotte (how they spin their webs, eat, lay eggs and balloon); “meet E.B. White (as a young boy and a grown man); see where White lived and wrote his stories; view White’s barn (which was the model for Zuckerman’s farm); hear White read from the book; and, learn about pigs (like Wilbur) and rats (like Templeton). Also included are links to lesson plans, scientific links for older students and two of the film’s trailers. The web site http://www.awesomestories.com/ is free for all educators, schools and libraries. Simply request an academic membership with the sign-up form at http://www.awesomestories.com/group_signup.php
(pubyac listserv; 12/11/06)

What is Your Library Doing to Celebrate?
TEEN TECH WEEK, MARCH 4-10, 2007
Teen Tech Week (TTW), a new celebration sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division of the American Library Association, is aimed at getting teens to use their libraries for the different technologies that are offered there, such as DVDs, computers, databases, audiobooks, electronic games, and more.

“By developing Teen Tech Week, YALSA demonstrates the important role technology plays in teen life and the need for librarians to integrate the ways teens use technology into their programs and services,” said Teen Tech Week Chair Linda Braun. The event also strives to help teens recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.

Register for TTW at YALSA’s web site (http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw.htm) to receive one-month free access to Rosen Publishing’s new online database, Teen Health & Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers; and two week’s free access to Tutor.com’s Live Homework Help and Ask A Librarian online services. Registrants will be entered into a drawing for free one-year subscriptions to these resources. Registrants will also have access to these resources during TTW so they can incorporate them into their activities and programming.

More information about TTW and how to celebrate this event, visit YALSA’s Teen Tech Week Wiki at http://teentechweek.wikispaces.com/ and TTW Talking Tips at http://teentechweek.wikispaces.com/ttw+Talking+Tips.

PENGUIN PROGRAM IDEAS
We all know when a new children’s movie comes out, many children’s interests change to the subject of the movie. With the release of the movie Happy Feet, children are a lot more eager to learn about penguins. It just so happens that January 19^th is National Penguin Awareness Day. Here are some great penguin activities to plan a great penguin program.

· Penguin Lesson Ideas http://www.preschooleducation.com/penguin.shtml

· Penguin Printable Sheets http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/printables/cat_penguins.shtml

· Penguin Pete Pattern http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/ys/CRAFTS/penguin.htm

· Penguin Note Paper http://monyscurry.com/pengnotes4.jpg

· Alphabet Penguins http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/penguins.htm

· Number Penguin Dot to Dot http://www.edhelperclipart.com/clipart/Penguins_dot2dots_letters.pdf

· Penguin Gumdrops http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10168

· How to Draw a Penguin http://www.billybear4kids.com/Learn2Draw/sheets/penguin.html

· Emperor Penguin Coloring Page http://www.kidsplanet.org/cyw/penguin.html

(from the Children’s Event Organizer, newsletter of the Lakeshores Library System and Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System; 12/13/06)

NAME OF FINAL HARRY POTTER BOOK ANNOUNCED
On Thursday, December 21^st, J.K. Rowling announced to the world via an elaborate game on her web site (http://www.jkrowling.com/), the title for her seventh and final Harry Potter book. It will be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She also updated fans about her progress on the book, saying she is hard at work writing scenes that she has had planned for a dozen years or more. “I am alternately elated and overwrought,” she writes. “I both want, and don’t want, to finish this book (Don’t worry, I will.).”

The movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Rowling’s fifth book in the Harry Potter series, opens in theaters July 13, 2007. For more information, visit http://harrypotter.warnerbros.co.uk/site/index.html. (Edited from PW Children’s Bookshelf; 12/21/06)

I’M DREAMING OF THE GREAT GROUNDHOG SONG
Sing this song, to the tune of White Christmas, to your patrons on Groundhog Day on February 2^nd!

I’m dreaming of the Great Groundhog

Just like I do this time each year

When he brings nice weather

And brings us together

To wait for him to reappear.

I’m dreaming of the Great Groundhog

With every groundhog card I write

May your Groundhog’s Day be bright

When the Great Groundhog visits you tonight.

(From Holiday Ideas for Youth Groups; Wayne Rice & Mike Yaconelli; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

INFO TO GO

New Publication!
STAY SAFE IN COLD WEATHER
A new, easy-to-read booklet, Stay Safe in Cold Weather!, offers older adults tips on avoiding a dangerous condition called hypothermia. This free 12-page publication, now available from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), discusses such topics as:

· What is hypothermia

· How to prevent hypothermia, both in the home and outdoors

· Health problems that can increase an older person’s risk of hypothermia

· Warning signs

To order free copies of the booklet, visit the NIA web site at http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/staysafe/, or for information about other NIA publications, visit the NIA web site at http://www.nia.nih.gov or call 1-800-222-2225. Bulk orders are welcome.
(Newsflashes, newsletter of the Indianhead Federated Library System, 12/13/06; and ResourceShelf, 12/12/06)

RECYCLING OLD VHS TAPES
Here is a solution for getting rid of those old VHS tapes. This was taken from a Q&A on the Grist.org website:

“Send unwanted laser discs and VHS tapes to Green Disk (http://www.greendisk.com/). GreenDisk is a large company involved in commercial electronic media reuse and recycling; they are also willing to absorb your personal laser discs and VHS tapes into their waste-processing stream. Your tapes will be degaussed and resold to cities and police departments for surveillance tapes; your discs will be shredded and sold for plastics reuse.

But what is this degaussing? It’s a fancy word for sticking videotape under a giant magnet. The modern process of electronic media erasure takes its name from Johann Karl Friedrich Gauss, a brilliant 19^th-century mathematician who calculated the orbits of asteroids, fathered the mathematical theory of electricity, and developed a measurement for magnetic induction. History has bestowed his name on the centimeter-gram-second unit of magnetic flux density, the gauss. Anyhoo, privacy protection is a large concern in the electronic media recycling field, and degaussing assures the erasure of delicate or personal materials through scrambling of the magnetic registers on audio- and videotape. GreenDisk guarantees degaussing, so any wretched home movies you’ve made are safe to send along with Krzysztof Kieslowski’s masterworks.”
(from AutoCat listserv, as seen in Streams, newsletter of the Northern Waters Library Service, 11/2/06)

TOP 10 BOOKS ON CRAFTS & HOBBIES
With so many books on crafts and hobbies published each year, it can be very time-consuming to select the “best of the best.” To make your job easier, Booklist pulled together its list of top 10 books on crafts and hobbies from those reviewed in Booklist over the past year. The list includes:

· The Crochet Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face, Answers to Every Question You’ll Every Ask by Edie Eckman (1-58017-598-8; $12.95)

· The Encyclopedia of Stitches edited by Karen Hemingway (1-84537-203-4; $19.95)

· Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns – Cashmere, Merino, Silk by Linda Morse (1-931543-86-0; $24.95)

· Making Memory Boxes: 35 Beautiful Projects by Anna Corba (1-4027-1532-3; $24.95)

· Michaels Book of Wedding Crafts edited by Linda Kopp (1-57990-639-7; $24.95)

· The New Paper Quilling: Creative Techniques for Scrapbooks, Cards, Home Accents & More by Molly Smith Christensen (1-57990-691-5; $19.95)

· Polymer Clay Creative Traditions: Techniques and Projects Inspired by the Fine and Decorative Arts by Judy Belcher (9-8230-4065-8; $21.95)

· The Scrapbook in American Life edited by Susan Tucker and others (1-59213-478-5; $25.95)

· Talking with the Turners: Conversations with Southern Folk Potters by Charles R. Mack (1-57003-600-4; $45)

Make a New Year’s Resolution!
GET UP TO SPEED ON WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES
If your library staff is having a difficult time keeping up with technology (and whose isn’t!), then participating in the web-based Learning 2.0 Program may be just the way to get up to speed quickly.

Designed in mid-2006 by Helene Blowers, Public Services Technology Director for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), for her staff, the Learning 2.0 Program encourages staff to learn more about emerging technologies that are changing the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other. The Learning 2.0 Program highlights “23 Things” with learning exercises on such topics as blogging, RSS news feeds, tagging, wikis, podcasting, online applications, and video and image hosting sites. Also, the program was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are FREELY AVAILABLE on the Internet. These sites include Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, YouTube, PBWiki & Bloglines.

Initially designed so that the PLCMC staff could complete the program within an eight and a half week period, the Learning 2.0 Program is actually a self-directed learning program that any library may adapt and use. As a matter of fact, according to the Learning 2.0 blog (http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/) the program has been picked up by libraries nationally and world-wide.

For more information about this innovative program, visit Learning 2.0 – The Things at http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/. Do it today. Make a resolution to become more technology literate in 2007. You, your co-workers, and your customers will be glad you did. And, keep in mind Helene Blowers advice to librarians and staff curious about Web 2.0 and Learning 2.0, which is:

The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and even Rupert Murdoch have all gone carbon neutral. What about you?

If you don’t know what the term means, don’t be embarrassed. You’ll soon be hearing a lot more about it, partly because it’s just been named the 2006 word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary (its older, bigger cousin is the Oxford English Dictionary).

Carbon neutral essentially means adopting a greener way of life. Every time we drive a car, turn on our computers, or board a plane, we’re taking part in creating greenhouse gas emissions. Going carbon neutral involves calculating your total climate-damaging emissions and then offsetting them by doing something positive, like planting a new tree or investing in energy conservation projects that reduce emissions.

“New Oxford American Dictionary folks chose carbon neutral for several reasons: it’s a word that’s on the cusp of being used everywhere, it’s indicative of a trend that’s not just a passing fad, and it’s understandable by most people,” says Erin McKean, the dictionary’s editor-in-chief.

(By the way, the Stones were the first band to stage a completely carbon neutral tour in 2003; DiCaprio drives an electric car; and Murdoch has spearheaded a carbon neutral policy for his company.)
(From School Library Journal; December 2006)

Some Friends groups seem to be more comfortable when they have insurance in place … others think it’s a waste of money. A recent ‘discussion’ on the FOLUSA web site revealed the following comments…

· Our volunteers, the customers at our book sales and library patrons are covered by city accident liability insurance anytime they are on library property … and … we don’t work directly with children so don’t envision a ‘child abuse’ lawsuit coming our way either.

· Our library board feels that since its insurance indemnifies the library’s volunteer group, it also indemnifies the Friends volunteers.

· Be cautious about paying for pricey insurance before you take a good look at what you do at your library and how the library covers other volunteers. Occasional ‘events’ in or out of the library might well be handled with a one-time dated rider or supplement. Don’t pay before you know all your options.

· Some boards that have decided to purchase insurance do so with the feeling that, “as with all insurance, it’s never needed until it’s needed.”

If your Friends/volunteer group is uncertain about whether or not you need insurance, ask the library director/board to check with your municipal attorney. Make sure the attorney understands that your group is entirely separate from the library/municipality.
-- Heather Eldred

ASKNUMBERS.COM http://www.asknumbers.com/
This is an online conversion site that converts weights, distance, currency, computer storage, temperature, cooking, clothing sizes and much more.
(“My Favourite Tipples” in FreePint Newsletter; 12/21/06)

AUTO and TRUCK REPAIR and ADVICE http://www.econofix.com/
George G. Scott, Jr. has been an auto mechanic for over thirty years, and he has found time in his busy schedule to create this web site dedicated to providing both the average person and future auto mechanic with information about car and truck repair. While the site does contain some banner advertisements, there is plenty of free material here as well. Visitors can begin their journey by looking into areas titled How Your Car Works. After that, they can look over an alphabetical list that includes sage advice on everything from alternators to water pump repair. The site is rounded out by a fun collection of sounds of cars in “trouble.”
(The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2006; http://scout.wisc.edu/; 12/15/06)

BEST FREE REFERENCE WEB SITES – Eighth Annual List http://tinyurl.com/y35gsf
This link takes you to the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) web site where you can click on “print version” to read/print the list of outstanding reference web sites compiled by the Machine-Assisted Reference Section of RUSA. The committee considered sites in all subject areas, selecting only FREE sites that meet the definition of ready reference and that would be of value in all types of libraries. Consider putting these sites to good use in your reference work.
(From Mark Beatty via the AskAway VR Discussion List; 12/22/06)

CRUISE CRITIC http://www.cruisecritic.com
This is a “cruise vacation planning guide which includes objective cruise reviews on 225+ ships, 55 cruise line profiles, information on what to do and where to go in 135+ worldwide ports, readers’ ship ratings and reviews, cruise bargains and cruise tips.” Browse cruises by destination, city of departure, cruise line, price range, interest (such as golf), and lifestyle (such as gay and lesbian). From the Independent Traveler, publishers of a travel exchange web site.
(LII New This Week; 9/7/06; Copyright 2006 by Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII)

LISZEN: LIBRARY-BLOG SEARCH ENGINE http://www.liszen.com/
A search engine devoted to library blogs? For information professionals, it just doesn’t get any better than that. The site, LisZen, is the recently launched brainchild of Garrett Hungerford, a LIS student at Wayne State University and network manager at the West Branch (MI) Public Library. Say you’re itching for the latest talk about library 2.0, RFID, or information literacy. Just plug in your search term, and LisZen will scour more than 500 blogs, and the list is growing. (School Library Journal; December 2006) According to Marylaine Block (Marylaine Block’s Neat New Stuff I Found This Week; 11/3/06) “[LisZen] is a good place to find out what blogging librarians have to say about any issue that concerns your library.”

January 16 – Observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday (http://www.mlkday.gov/). It’s both a federal and state holiday so banks, post offices, and some government offices will be closed.

January 19 – National Penguin Awareness Day – for program ideas, see article in this issue of The Lamplighter.

January 19-24 – ALA Midwinter meeting – Seattle, WA. This annual event includes over 100 discussion groups on a variety of hot topics and exhibits. To register and check out the new midwinter wiki, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/midwinter/2007/home.htm

January 20 – WVLS Board of Trustees meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.

January 23 – Library Legislative Day at Inn on the Park and State Capitol, Madison. For more information, visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/legis/day/.

February 1 – WVLS V-Cat Council meeting – Marathon County Public Library – 9:30 a.m.

February 2 – Groundhog Day. According to Groundhog.org, the Official Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Punxsutawney Phil, the only true weather forecasting groundhog, comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob – in front of thousands of followers from all over the world – to predict the weather for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. And, in case you didn’t know, Phil’s predictions are correct 100% of the time! (http://www.groundhog.org/faq/)

March 4-10 – TEEN TECH WEEK – more information about this event is included in this issue of The Lamplighter.

March 7 – 20^th Annual Children’s Book Fest – Holiday Inn Express, Rhinelander – 8:30-2:30 - $6.00 – for more information, visit http://wvls.lib.wi.us/Workshops/workshop.html.

March 11-17 – Sunshine Week 2007 – theme: Closed Doors; Open Democracies?. The goal of Sunshine Week is to raise awareness of the importance of open government to everyone in the community. This event is sponsored by OpenTheGovernment.org, the American Association of Law Libraries, ALA, the Special Libraries Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the League of Women Voters, and the National Freedom of Information Coalition. If you are interested in becoming involved in this mission at the local level, contact Emily Feldman at efeldman@openthegovernment.org. For more information, visit http://www.sunshineweek.org/.
(Edited from American Library Association Washington Office Newsline; 12/18/06)

March 25-27 – WEMA Annual Conference at Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison

April 19 - Greener Pastures: The Wisconsin Rural Library Sustainability Project - Midway Hotel Conference Center, Wausau – 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. – more information is available in this issue of 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.
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Articles	Monthly Features
GREENER PASTURES: THE WISCONSIN RURAL LIBRARY SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT	Director's Memo
IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP YOUR OFFICE!	In the System
PRIMARY RESOURCES FOR CHARLOTTE’S WEB	Your Attention, Please!
TEEN TECH WEEK, MARCH 4-10, 2007	Youth Matters
PENGUIN PROGRAM IDEAS	Info to Go
NAME OF FINAL HARRY POTTER BOOK ANNOUNCED	On Command
I’M DREAMING OF THE GREAT GROUNDHOG SONG	From Hither & Yon
STAY SAFE IN COLD WEATHER	Web Sites of Interest
RECYCLING OLD VHS TAPES	Calendar of Events
TOP 10 BOOKS ON CRAFTS & HOBBIES
AND THE WORD OF THE YEAR IS….
DO FRIENDS GROUPS NEED TO BE INSURED?
	Remember to check the updated "Off the Subject" page for recipes and jokes.