Library Connection April 2009

Eastern Shores Library System and Manitowoc Calumet Library System are sponsoring a motorcoach bus to the exhibits at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago on Tuesday, July 14.

The exhibits at the Annual Conference are the largest gathering of vendors who market to libraries of all types.

Library staff from any type of library in Eastern Shores Library System and Manitowoc Calumet Library System are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. The motorcoach will pick up passengers in Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Cedarburg.

ESLS Receives LSTA Grants

Eastern Shores Library System has received notification that LSTA Grant: Developing a Library for Jailbound Youth in the amount of $7,593 has been funded. Partnering with ESLS for this project are The Sheboygan Area School District’s Jailbound Program, Sheboygan South High Library Media Specialist, and the Sheboygan County Juvenile Detention Staff. The goal of this grant is to provide an age appropriate library for the juveniles at the Sheboygan County Juvenile Detention Center that promotes literacy through recreational reading and curriculum support.

Adaptive Equipment for ESLS Libraries was awarded in the System Accessibility category. Through this grant $2,600 will be spent to assist member libraries in making their libraries more accessible and convenient for people with physical disabilities through the purchase of adaptive equipment.

Wide Area Network Access 2009 a grant awarded in the System Technology category will provide $11,300 in funding for ESLS’s share of the telecommunications cost for the Internet connection and part of the cost of the system’s member libraries’ TEACH line.

Notification of these awards had been made in December but due to the lack of a Federal budget (FY09), the state was not able to fully fund the awards until this time. Grant award notifications cannot be generated until the money is received by the state.

Due to an unanticipated increase in LSTA funding for 2009, the state of Wisconsin has about $200,000 to support library efforts to help people in their communities who are unemployed, underemployed, or seeking to improve their job skills. ESLS is applying for a noncompetitive system grant in this Jobs—Searching, Training, and Support category. ESLS Assisting the Unemployed will provide $7,982 to help member libraries respond to the current economic situation in the state of Wisconsin. It has been determined that next year $150,000 will be set aside for a competitive grant category in this area. It will be open to both library systems and individual public libraries.

LSTA grants are awarded on the basis of priorities described in the LSTA Information and Guidelines for Wisconsin, 2009.

VISTA Associates at Mead

The Department of Public Instruction is participating in a Summer VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) project. For the first time, VISTA volunteers will be available for eight week summer-only assignments. Typically their service is for 12 months. The program is intended to involve the VISTA workers with anti-poverty efforts. This could involve having them work with summer reading programs, tutoring, mentoring, outreach, etc. Unlike their 12-month activities, the summer project allows more flexibility and the volunteers can do much more direct service.

According to Karin Menzer, Youth Services Manager at Mead Public Library, this summer two VISTA associates will be working with the children and teen summer library programs. "They will be providing access to the programs at outreach sites in the community. The associates will be presenting age appropriate literacy programs and registering summer library program participants at sites including the Sheboygan Recreation Department playground sites and the Boys and Girls Club in Sheboygan. They will also be assisting with summer library program activities in the library and working with teen summer volunteers." For more information go the the Mead Public Library website: http://www.meadpubliclibrary.org/about/jobs .

As reported in the Channel Weekly, The DPI is hoping to place up to 10 VISTAS in public libraries this fall. There would be no cost to the libraries for these workers. However, during the school year the VISTA work must focus on capacity building projects that lead to sustainability. They can coordinate projects, organize other volunteers, and manage outreach efforts, implement family programming and collaborate with local schools and community organizations such as setting up a free lunch distribution program for the library, but they can't perform direct service.

For more information on hosting a DPI VISTA volunteer, contact Betsy Prueter, VISTA Coordinator at DPI, at 608-267-7290 or betsy.prueter@dpi.wi.gov.

Langkabel Retires

In Childrens' Services at Plymouth Public Library for 30 Years

Carol Langkabel

A good friend once told me that when it is time to retire you will know. And that is the truth. It has been 30 years full time at Plymouth Public Library, four or five years (who can remember exactly that far back) part time, and way back in the mists of time, two years while I was in high school. Back then (and even when I started again), we did a once a year cleaning and inventoried the collection every three years. Cleaning consisted of removing every book from the shelf, dusting it, washing down the shelf, and replacing the books. Inventory consisted of taking a shelf list drawer into the stacks and comparing each card to each book. Needless to say, everyone was glad to let go of that practice. Sometimes the good old days weren't all that good.

I have been through five directors. I was here before computers, before air conditioning, and I was here when the only way to communicate between floors was to shout down the stairwell. Now that I have thought about it, I really feel like a dinosaur!

There was no Eastern Shores Library System. That meant there was no sharing of resources, no automation, no van delivery, no system wide workshops, no printing of summer library program material masters, no central ordering of summer library program materials. It is a HUGE amount of help we get through the system and all the good people in the system office.

I will miss a lot about this place-the people I see come through the doors, both small and big, and the books of course. It has always seemed like Christmas to me whenever a book order arrived in the Children's Room.

I am anxious to get busy at home and clean a closet that is irritating me. Am I insane? I have never wanted to clean a closet in my entire life! I am really looking forward to doing some babysitting for my youngest granddaughter and some traveling. I am also anticipating picking up a book and reading a whole chapter at a time instead of falling asleep after one paragraph. And next winter, I will very much enjoy staying home and watching it snow from inside the house; that is, I will enjoy that if I'm not in Tucson or Destin at the time.

It has been a joy working with all of you. Nowhere else can you find a group more generous in sharing ideas, sharing successes (and the not so successes), sharing time, and creativity. I will miss all of that!

An Open House Retirement Reception for Carol will be held Wednesday, April 29 from 3:30- 6:30 at the Plymouth Public Library. An Appreciation Presentation will be at 4:00 p.m. Carol's actual retirement date is Saturday, May 2, 2009. She can find out how to retire online in the Interesting Items in the final section of this newsletter.

Children's Librarians Corner

Kids In Mind: Movie Ratings That Actually Work
www.kids-in-mind.com

Erin Copperfield, Kohler Public Library

Nearly every day I am asked if a certain movie is okay for a patron’s child. Since every family has different levels of what’s “okay” I’m always reluctant to give my personal opinion. I found this website a few years ago and it’s been invaluable to me and the rest of my staff.

The site started in 1992 and has most movies that have been released since then. Each film’s rating is detailed in three categories: sex/nudity, violence/gore, and profanity. Each category is rated on a scale from 1 to 10 and each instance of swearing/kissing/fighting is listed.

For example, if you were wondering if the movie The Sandlot was appropriate for a 6 year old, you’d look it up on www.kids-in-mind.com and see that it’s rated PG by the MPAA and it rates a 1.1.2 on kids-in-mind. Sex/Nudity scored a 1 because “a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation scene turns into a kiss”. Violence/Gore scored a 1 because kids get hit with baseballs, a kid vomits on a Ferris Wheel, and a kid fakes drowning. Profanity scores a 2 because of mild swear words (all listed on the site) are used.

Governor Issues Executive order Requiring Use of Job Center of Wisconsin Website

Channel Weekly
Volume 11, Number 29 – April 23, 2009

On April 16, 2009, Governor Jim Doyle announced an executive order requiring all contractors and subcontractors involved in recovery projects to post job openings on http://JobCenterOfWisconsin.com, Wisconsin’s Internet employment site that is free and accessible at all hours of the day.

“With the Job Center of Wisconsin site, we are leading efforts to put people to work and get our nation’s economy on the road to recovery,” Governor Doyle said. “The executive order I am announcing today not only helps people find work, it helps employers find the skilled workers they need to succeed. We launched this free, easy-to-use site last fall, and it has become a popular destination for job seekers and employers. We are now making it the premiere site for job opportunities on recovery projects.”

Under Executive Order # 278, any employer receiving funds from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is required to list job openings on http://JobCenterOfWisconsin.com, the Internet site operated by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD).

The Job Center of Wisconsin employment website is averaging 500,000 visits per day. In March, more than 3,500 job seekers posted resumes on the site. The site currently has nearly 13,000 job openings listed.

The Wisconsin Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning encourages libraries to add a link to the Job Center of Wisconsin on their library’s website.

Mequon to Host Two Workshops

The reference workshop: Investment & Financial Reference Resources will be presented by Lori Gervais, Senior Investment Consultant and Vice President of Private Wealth Management at Robert W. Baird & Co. Lori's presentation "is designed to instruct reference librarians and library personnel on identifying and recommending valuable investment resources available to the public, interpreting print and online resources such as Value Line and Morningstar, and researching company histories and profiles." There is no charge but registration is required. Please contact Jen Gerber, Patron Services Manager at (262) 242-2593 ext. 17 or jgerber@esls.lib.wi.us .

is coming!

On Wednesday, June 3, the CCBC will share the Outstanding New Books for Children and Young Adults at the F. L. Weyenberg Library. The workshop will be open to public librarians through out Wisconsin and school librarians from Ozaukee County. The workshop will run from 9:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. To register please contact Jen Gerber, Patron Services Manager at jgerber@esls.lib.wi.us or phone (262) 242-2592 ext 17.

Interesting Items

* Judith Krug, a founder of Banned Books Week, has died. She had been head of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom since 1967. Since 1982 Banned Books Week has been observed during the last week of September.

Also, the United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is asking libraries to help promote their new national campaign “Retire Online. It’s So Easy!” This campaign features a new online retirement application that can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. The application is available online at http://www.socialsecurity.gov, and can easily be completed at any library computer. Perhaps Carol will try this out. She could find a brochure on the subject at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10522.pdf.