The Library Connection

The Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern Shores Library System
www.esls.lib.wi.us

Volume 32 Number 12  December  2012

Click here for the Winter 2013 Bookmobile Schedule

Merger Investigation Meeting

On December 18, a meeting was held in Oostburg to discuss system services offered by the Manitowoc-Calumet, Waukesha, and Winnefox Library Systems.  The Director of the Waukesha system was unable to attend. John DeBacher, Director of Public Library Development from the Wisconsin Division for Libraries and Technology's Public Library Development Team also attended.  Eastern Shores public library directors were able to ask questions of the system directors or staff directly.

At the January 22nd PLAC (Public Librarian's Advisory Committee) meeting, Tom Hennen, Director of the Waukesha County Federated Library System will address any questions the public library directors may have.  Some public library directors have also asked Interim Director Weinhold to create a budget scenario with Eastern Shores Library System remaining "as is" and hiring a new director.  The public library directors will be discussing the various options for the system. Should ESLS continue as it is or should it merge with another system? If it is determined that a merger seems to  be the best, which system should they continue to investigate more fully.  

The Eastern Shores Library System Board meets on January 28th and will receive information based on the PLAC's decisions. 

Sharon Winkle, Mead Public Library Director to Retire

It was recently announced that Sharon Winkle, the Director of Mead Public Library, will be retiring at the end of January.  Ms. Winkle has been the Director since 1991.  Mead Public Library is the Resource Library for Eastern Shores Library System.  We asked Sharon some questions about her future and about library service.

What are your plans for the future?   I will be retiring effective 2/1/2013 and will join my husband, Cliff, in Toledo, Ohio.  That is where we have purchased a house in an historic district.  Cliff has been working on and overseeing various projects at the house.  When I join him there we will complete the work on the house together.  Then we will take a break, spend some leisure time together, and decide how we would like to become further involved in the community there – the Old West End.   We are from Ohio originally and have family and friends in various parts of the state.

Do you plan on traveling or have any hobbies you have been waiting to pursue?  We collect a range of furniture and objects from the Arts & Crafts era and will continue that interest in retirement.  The house we will live in was built in 1912 in the Arts & Crafts style.  Cliff will continue to practice the piano and I may take up handloom weaving again.  My looms are at the house in Toledo.  Our house is located about a block away from the Toledo Art Museum, so one or both of us may apply to volunteer there.

Do you have a book you have been wanting to read in retirement?  I have a copy of the latest book in Alexander McCall Smith’s Scotland Street series that I have been saving as a retirement treat.

What will you miss the most about your directorship?  I think it will be working together with people who are deeply interested in and supportive of the continuous development and improvement of public library services.  That would include the ESLS member library representatives, the Mead Public Library Board of Trustees, Mead Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and Renaissance Society members, the Friends of Mead Public Library, and the Mead Public Library staff/volunteers.

As Eastern Shores is investigating a possible merger with another system do you have any "words of wisdom"?  As others have already stated, make sure the benefits outweigh the costs for all parties involved, including taxpayers, and that the merger will not result in a “culture clash” that might reduce its effectiveness.  Also, I think that the ability to share library collections as currently happens in ESLS via EasiCat is an important consideration and, most likely, the greatest benefit from the customer service perspective.  In this regard, I would be interested to see if the merged system (or ESLS on its own) might minimize transport times and costs through evaluation of filling local holds with local copies first.

How do you think technology will change libraries twenty years from now?  Twenty years is a very long time in tech terms, so I have no idea.  At Mead, we use a system of 5-year Strategic Directions coupled with annual initiatives.  That is about as far out as I can look.  I will say that within the next five years, it will be the norm for people to store and access their personal information/services from what we now refer to as “the cloud”.  That is, no content or data will be device-specific and it will be commonplace for people to use a variety of devices to seamlessly access their “stuff”.  At the same time, I think that people will prefer to use multi-use devices rather than multiple special-purpose devices like a cell phone, a laptop, a tablet, a desktop, a music device, etc.   So the question of access from multiple devices may become moot and the main use of cloud storage/access will be to eliminate the need to transfer stored data when upgrading to a new multi-purpose device.  Also, manufacturers will have addressed the question of power sources for personal tech devices, so people are not constantly concerned about battery level and looking for a place to plug in.

Do you think library boards or municipal bodies need more education on certain issues?  One area that we have focused on at Mead is to keep the Library Board informed about the opportunities and challenges of e-content development.  Right now,  we are tracking and reporting publisher decisions about making (or not) their e-content available via public library subscriptions/platforms.  At Mead, 2013 Initiatives call for exploration of the expansion of the preloaded e-reader service as a response to publisher content restrictions and customer difficulties with the current download process.

Municipal bodies need to better understand that it’s not true that “everything is on the Internet” and even if it were, much of it would not be  available without charge.  The role of public libraries in helping individuals and their communities achieve their highest goals by providing access to information and related services will continue.  It may become even more important as access to information, cultural content, and services will increasingly require a computer or other tech device that many people will not be able to afford or to effectively use on their own.

Sharon, Is there anything else you would like to add or address?  I have enjoyed my more than forty years working in public libraries.  It’s a great way to get to know the community and its residents. The characteristic of the American public library “system” that I admire the most is the way local libraries strive to learn about and respond to the needs of their community members.  In my experience, all public libraries are the same in that regard, but with different results designed to be a good fit with the communities they serve. The public libraries in ESLS have all engaged in continuous development and improvement during my time at Mead.  I have always enjoyed hearing about collection, service, and building improvements and then seeing them in action while attending ESLS meetings at the various library locations.

Libraries are learning organizations and I have always relished the new projects that have come my way as well as the amazing insights offered by other members of the team.  Best wishes to all as you continue working together for the benefit of the residents you serve.

We would like to thank for Sharon for her many years of service. You will be missed.

Children's Librarians Corner

Bookworms to Butterflies

Nancy Trimberger, Children's Librarian, Cedar Grove , Wisconsin

On November 8 the Cedar Grove Library launched our newest program, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. The program encourages parents, grandparents and caregivers to read to our youngest patrons: babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

To kick off our registration we invited Jo Ann Dent from the Sheboygan Literacy Council to speak to interested adults. Jo Ann is the former Director of the Elkhart Lake Library, Co-Chair of the Sheboygan Children's Book Festival and the Literacy Council Project Coordinator.  The Sheboygan Literacy Council is one of the projects of the Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County, Inc, (FRC) located in Plymouth

Jo Ann emphasized the importance of reading to the very young by explaining that 80% of a child's brain capacity is developed by the time they are three years old. (Young children's minds are literally sponges, just waiting to be filled with knowledge and experiences!) She discussed the five areas of reading readiness that parents can work on, modeled reading strategies to use at home and provided book lists and reading tips. Most importantly, she told parents that reading should be fun for everyone!  Jo Ann is a wonderful resource person and the parents in attendance appreciated her information and easygoing manner.

Our theme for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is "Bookworms Turn Into Butterflies". We have attempted to keep our plan very simple and parent- friendly. Children will receive a colored bookmark, read and record one hundred books and come to the library and add a matching, colored sticker to our 'Eric Carle' styled butterfly bulletin board. We send them home with words of encouragement and…the next colored bookmark. After the first one hundred books the child will be able to select a gift book. When they have read 1000 books the child and his family will be awarded a "celebration bag."

I was able to find a lot of helpful information about implementing 1,000 Books online. I would also like to thank Tammy Federspiel, from the Lakeview Community Library of Random Lake, for generously sharing her ideas and materials with me. I found that local businesses are very excited about 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and may be willing to help with grants and donations to help fund the program.

I can't think of a better gift that parents can give young children than sharing books with them. It is our hope that the program will be a positive and enjoyable activity for all involved.  As of November 19th, sixteen children were registered.  We are publicizing the program through the Lakeshore Weekly, the library website and will expand our publicity to churches and schools in December.

Happy Holidays!

For more background information on the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program click here.

News From Our Area

Programs don't just happen.  Since this summer, the staff at Mead Public Library have been working on the 2013 Sheboygan Reads program. Director Sharon Winkle discussed with her Board the planning process for the 2013 "Sheboygan Reads". The program series will focus on the latest title by Wisconsin native Carrie Bebris. It is based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which will also be featured. Director Winkle informed the Board "that the 200^th  anniversary of the publication of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice will be celebrated in January 2013, heading into the Sheboygan Reads activities in March through early May". The Mead Public Library Foundation is providing financial support for the community program.

The Mead Public Library Board has appointed Karin Menzer to serve as Interim Library Director for the period following Sharon Winkle's retirement and until the arrival of a new library director.  Karin is the Youth Services Manager at Mead and is the Co-Chair of the Sheboygan Children's Book Festival.

Karin is shown in the photo at left, on the left side, with her Co-Chair, Jo Ann Dent of the Sheboygan Literacy Council (see Children's article).

Howard Hoppe, Linda Bosman, Rob Nuernberg, and Nancy Szatkowski have all been reappointed to the Eastern Shores Library System Board of Trustees.  The ESLS Board has a vacancy for a library board member from a Sheboygan County Library, other than the resource library.

Eastern Shores' first Library System Director, Ernest R. "Dick" Kunert, passed away in December.  Mr. Kunert was instrumental in organizing the Sheboygan County Federated System. In April 1977, the Mead Library Board requested funds from the Division for Library Services for a demonstration of county-wide library service.  After a successful project year and with the approval of the municipal bodies the Sheboygan County Federated Library Service was established under the direction of the Mead Public Library Director E. R. Kunert.  In 1987 it became Eastern Shores Library System, with the addition of Ozaukee County.   He served as Mead Public Library Director and the  System Director until 1990.  Mr. Kunert was Past WLA president from 1974-1975.

Dick was employed as Library Director for the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan for 28 years until his retirement in 1991. As director, he oversaw construction of a new library in 1974.  In 1986, the library was selected as one of the 50 outstanding libraries in the United States.

New look to EasiCat

At the SLAC (Shared Library Automation Committee) meeting on December 18 a few decisions were made to change the "look" of EasiCat.  First, the dashboard elements have been expanded under the Eastern Shores Library System.  This means a customer will no longer have to click on the New Titles or New York Times Best Sellers tabs to view the options under it.  The color scheme has also changed. The group has decided to try the "casual theme", featuring green (the dashboard) and blue. 

Your patrons may also notice that some wording changes have been made. Availability is now Find It, Full Display has been changed to Details and Place Request was modified to Request It. 

Interesting Items

Below is the Job Seekers Networking Group  January 2013 Meeting Schedule

Meetings are from 6:00pm – 7:00pm at the Sheboygan United Way Building (lower level).

Wednesday, January 9, 2013         Topic: Dealing with Rejection…How to Learn from It
Guest Presenter: Amy Myska (Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development)
The job search process can be frustrating!  And hearing over and over again "Thank you, however..." can be tough.  Learn some positive ways to deal with being rejected by technology and how to overcome the frustrating process.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013       Topic: Networking for a Job without Asking for It
Guest Presenter: Matt Kautzer (Consumer Credit Counseling Service)
We’ve all heard that networking pays off when searching for a job.  Learn unique tips to help leverage your social network to get hired quicker.  This session will also discuss how to obtain interviews and jobs without specifically asking for them.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013       Topic: Online Job Applications
Guest Presenter: Amy Myska (Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development)
Many jobs require an online job application to be completed.  Because of this, online applications are a very critical step in the job search process and it’s important that you put your best foot forward.  In this session, we’ll discuss tips for completing online applications and pitfalls to avoid .

www.esls.lib.wi.us