The Library Connection
The Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern
Shores Library System
www.esls.lib.wi.us
Volume 29 Number 6 June 2009
Click here for the Summer 2009 Bookmobile Schedule
2009 WLA Award Winners
Eastern Shores Library System has two 2009 WLA Award Winners.
The
Library of the Year is the UW-Sheboygan University Library. The
state-of-the-art facility was opened in 2007 in the UW-Sheboygan Acuity
Technology Center. The award is conferred upon any type of
Wisconsin library, library system or library network for distinguished
achievement in service. The staff, library board or administering body,
and the community or people served shall all be involved in the work for
which recognition is sought. The staff of the library include:
Karen McArdle, Senior Library Services Assistant; Amy Mussell, Academic
Librarian; and Jeff Ellair, Library Director.
According to the WLA award page, Director Ellair’s visits to local high schools and public libraries have already resulted in greater use of the library by the public. If you want to learn more about this great library and how Jeff and his staff have been reaching out to the community see the November 2008 issue of the Library Connection, the WLA award page or click on the link below.
The
Muriel Fuller Award winner is the Director of the Lakeview Community
Library in Random Lake, Darla Jean Kraus. Darla has been the
Director since 1976.
Muriel Fuller was a mentor and an inspiration for Wisconsin librarians. This award, named in her honor, is conferred upon a library professional or paraprofessional in recognition of outstanding accomplishments which have significantly improved and benefited library services. The award may be given for a single achievement or for a record of achievements over a period of years. The award is intended for practitioners who have focused on improving library services in the library organization in which they are employed.
The WLA Award Committee has put it succinctly, Under Darla Jean Kraus’s direction, Lakeview Community Library has transformed from just another small library to a library with a big impact on the region.
Our congratulations (acclaim, acclamation, admiration, adulation, applause, appreciation, approval, blessing, commendation, confirmation, encomium, endorsement, homage, honor, notice, ovation, pat on the back, respects, tribute, kudos) go to these well deserving recipients. We know how hard they work and how innovative they have been in developing their services.
Make plans now to attend the actual award ceremony on Thursday October 22, 2009 at the WLA Annual Conference at the Radisson Paper Valley Conference Center in Appleton.
System Aids for 2010 and 2011
Dave Weinhold, ESLS System Director
Now that the 2009-2011 State Budget has passed the legislature, the public library system aids for 2010 and 2011 are finalized. The legislature approved $16,165,400 in state aid for library systems which is $618,100 less (about 4% less) than the amount appropriated in 2009. For 2011, the legislature approved $16,681,200, which is 3% more than 2010. Over the two year budget cycle, system aids will drop by about 1%.
The Eastern Shores Library System will receive $622,950 in 2010, which is $23,819 less than we received in 2009. In 2011, the Library System will receive $642, 827, which is $3,492 less than we received in 2009. The ESLS Budget Committee will begin its work on the 2010 budget in July. The Personnel Committee has recommended no wage adjustment and no merit increases for library system staff in 2010.
Assisting
the Unemployed Workshops
An LSTA grant, ESLS Assisting the Unemployed will provide funds to help member libraries respond to the current economic situation in Sheboygan and Ozaukee Counties. In May, representatives from four libraries in the system met to determine the best use of these funds. It was decided that the staff in system libraries should be better informed about: local economic support services, services available at local job centers and how libraries should collaborate and supplement those services and how to be sensitive to the emotional needs of the unemployed.
The Sheboygan County workshop will be Wednesday, July 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Eastern Shores Library System Office. Presenters are: Liz Mahlock, Division of Economic Support; Brian Ognacevic of the Sheboygan County Job Center and Todd Heinen of the Aurora Health Care Employee Assistance Program. The Ozaukee County workshop will feature Mr. Heinen , Lisa Maylen of the Workforce Development Center and Sue Walker of Ozaukee Works. This workshop will be Tuesday, July 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.at the U.S.S. Liberty Memorial Library in Grafton.
Throughout the work day library staff encounter persons that have been displaced therefore, any staff are encouraged to attend these workshops. If you are not able to attend the workshop specific for your area we would encourage you to attend the other. Click on the links above to register.
A listing of Unemployment Resources are on the Eastern Shores Library System website for libraries that wish to link to it. You may find it on the home page and from this link: http://www.esls.lib.wi.us/unemployment_resources.htm .
Joint Library Planning Committee News
The Joint County Library
Planning Committee met this month and continued their discussion about the
reimbursement of public libraries for serving non-libraried residents
in the library system. The
Committee reviewed information about how residents of the municipalities
use public libraries and where they use public libraries.
There are some municipalities that have use by their residents at
every library in the system. Most
often one sees that the most residents use the library closest to them.
One of the charts showed that 50% of the non-libraried population
have library cards.
Another county library
service is the bookmobile service. The
November, 2008 referendum results were reviewed by the Committee as well
as the use by library system residents.
The bookmobile also has use by most of the municipalities in the
library system. The service
schedules many stops during a day and sometimes makes multiple stops in a
community. There continues to
be a list of places that would like bookmobile service, but the lack of
additional staff or staff hours does not allow the Library System to add
those stops.
The Committee also
received information on the proportion of the county library tax that goes
for reimbursing libraries (78% in Ozaukee County, 84% in Sheboygan
County), for bookmobile service (20% in Ozaukee County, 12% in Sheboygan
County), and for adjacent county use and library automation (2% in Ozaukee
County and 4% in Sheboygan County). Another
document shows that 1.6% of the total Ozaukee County levy is the county
library tax and that 2.4% of the total Sheboygan County levy is the county
library tax.
ESLS adds to Professional Collection
Diversity Beyond the Obvious, a teleconference broadcast by the College of DuPage is a panel discussion on how diversity of library staff can make the library profession and libraries stronger and more vital. The panel addresses recruiting and retaining diverse employees; age, race, gender and librarian roles; and a question and answer session. The panel is hosted by Mike Jackson and moderated by Mary Evangeliste. Panelists are: Karen E. Downing, Foundation and Grants Librarian at the University of Michigan University Library and Teresa Y. Neely, Associate Professor and Director, Access Services, University Libraries, University of New Mexico (UNM).
An Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics, is a 90 minute teleconference addressing ways for libraries to meet patrons needs for health information online and in print, respect patient privacy, accommodate cultural diversity of patrons, match the right types of resources to specific clients, and address ways to promote the health resources and services that libraries have to offer. The presenter is Debra J. Kakuk Smith, Associate Professor of the College of DuPage Library, a medical and consumer health information professional.
Children's
Librarians Corner
Family Events
Beth Kiskunas,
Cedar
Grove Pubic Library Children’s programmer
I really enjoy planning children’s events at the Library, but I find it very rewarding to have events that the whole family can enjoy. This past spring, we had a family program to celebrate Earth Day. Our Friends of the Library group planned and sponsored the events.
For adults, we had several gift baskets that were raffled off containing environmentally friendly items. We also had a clothing exchange that emphasized dress clothes and evening gowns. Some of these were used for prom dresses. We collected eyeglasses, used ink cartridges, and old cell phones to be recycled. Anyone who brought in a book for the never ending book sale received a chance to win a prize.
For the younger children, we had a Earth Day logo contest. This contest was open to 1st-8th graders. The top winners received cash prizes and the first place winner had her design put on canvas bags that we are selling at the Library. We promoted this at the schools and received over 60 entries.
On Earth Day evening, there was a simple soup potluck dinner with everyone bringing their own place settings. We presented the logo winners with their prizes and screened an Earth Day movie, The Story of Stuff.
All in all, it was an enjoyable day at the Library with many people who are not our usual library patrons participating in the day's events.
ALA Updated Guidelines for Library Services to Older Adults
Barbara Huntington
Youth and Special Services consultant
The American Library Association (ALA) has updated its "Guidelines on Library and Information Services to Older Adults." These guidelines, first developed in the 1970's, have been updated to respond to the changing demographics of an aging U.S. population. The current population of older adults is the most heterogeneous in U.S. history.
For purposes of these guidelines, an "older adult" is defined as a person at least 55 years old. The updating of these guidelines began in 2005. Current and past members of the Outreach Services (OLOS) Library Service to the Aging subcommittee contributed to this revision .
The Guidelines can be downloaded from this site: http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/libraryservices.cfm .
Interesting Items
* The 2010 Guidelines for LSTA grants has been released. A new category Jobs- Searching, Training & Support has been added. Funds for these grants are for Public libraries and library systems. The Maximum grant is $20,000. Preference is given to applicants serving areas with higher than average unemployment rates. For more information on this grant and all those available go to: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/pld/pdf/guide10.pdf .
* Don't know if you have been effected by the current economic situation or if it has an affect on you, then check out the Confusing Words website at: http://www.confusingwords.com/ .
* A list of Top 100 Picture Books, is posted on the School Library Journal blog by Elizabeth Bird. Ms.Bird is currently a children's librarian at the Children's Center at 42nd Street of the New York Public Library System. She excluded easy readers.
* Irene Smalls, Founder of Literacise has developed a program combining literature and exercise. She believes exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells. Expanding on finger plays and stand in place stretches she has developed 20 - 30 minute storytelling exercise sessions. For more information go to her website at: Literacise.com .
* Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit ALA has developed this toolkit to "help library supporters make the case for libraries in tough economic times."
* 2009 ADA Anniversary Tool Kit Available Online. The 2009 ADA Anniversary Tool Kit can be downloaded at http://adaanniversary.org/.
