The Library Connection

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

Volume 31 Number 5   May 2011

Click here for the Summer 2011 Bookmobile Schedule

The Future of WiscNet 

As part of the 2011-2013 Biennial Budget Bill, the Joint Finance Committee late last week approved a motion that would change the way libraries, schools, universities, and municipalities get Internet service. The motion would seem to sever the cooperative relationship with WiscNet and the University of Wisconsin.  It would also prohibit any municipal or community area networks. For many library systems, including Eastern Shores, this could make providing Internet service for member libraries more expensive.  

According to Director David Weinhold, "ESLS libraries get Internet Service through WiscNet.  WiscNet provides Spam Filtering, E-mail Service, as well as support for our connection to the Web.  Because we collectively provide this service for all public libraries in ESLS and Manitowoc Calumet Library System, it is a fraction of the cost if each library would need to purchase this separately.  And collectively, purchasing Internet service from a commercial provider could cost us $29,000 to $59,000 compared to the $9,000 we currently pay WiscNet.  With so much uncertainty over municipal budgets and the  elimination of the maintenance of effort requirement, this is potentially yet another blow to library budgets."

According to ESLS Automation Librarian, Paul Onufrak, "If WiscNet is disbanded, Eastern Shores would have to acquire Internet access from a commercial provider such as AT&T, NorLight, or even a cable company.  The service between the libraries would not be affected by this however, traffic out to and back in from the Internet would be".  

This is a link to  Motion 489 .  Points 23 - 26 concern telecommunication services and WiscNet.  Director Weinhold is urging everyone to contact their local state representatives  and Governor Walker about this important service to retain cost-effective Internet service for institutions of higher education, K-12 schools and public libraries.  If the bill passes (and we expect it to move through the Assembly and Senate floors for a vote this week) WiscNet will be eliminated on July 1, 2012.  Ask that sections 23 - 26 of Motion 489 be deleted on the floor of the legislature before the budget bill is approved and is sent to Governor Walker for his signature.

The State Budget and Wisconsin Libraries

Library Board members, Friends of the Library and the general public were invited to attend The State Budget and Wisconsin Libraries, a presentation by Ron McCabe President-elect of the Wisconsin Library Association, sponsored by Wisconsin Library Association and Eastern Shores Library System. 

Ron McCabe is the Director of McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids and author of Civic Librarianship: Renewing the Social Mission of the Public Library. He has lectured on public library development throughout the nation and has served as a consultant to American Library Association presidents Sarah Long and Nancy Kranich.  Mr. McCabe’s presentation described the role that libraries play in expanding educational opportunities and the impact of the proposed 2011-2013 State Budget on this important work. 

The presentation hosted by ESLS member libraries was held in two sessions.  Plymouth Public Library, 130 Division Street, Plymouth  hosted the presentation on Wednesday, June 1, from 7-9 p.m.  The second, hosted by the Oscar Grady Public Library, 151 South Main Street, Saukville was held on Thursday, June 2, from 7-9 p.m.  Each presentation was followed by a question and answer period.

  Job Seekers Networking Group

A great new free networking group has been formed by the Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) in conjunction with the United Way of Sheboygan.  According to Matt Kautzer of Consumer Credit Counseling Service , "The goal is to help underemployed and unemployed individuals achieve the next step in their career".  The group will meet weekly and strive to provide tools, guidance and support for people looking for jobs.  

Wednesday, June 15, 2011  Your Career...Not Sure What to do?
Guest Presenter: Candy Lemire (Upward Bound Program-University of Wisconsin)
a) Learn tips on "where to start" if you are not sure where your career is going
b) Discuss ways to align your strengths & skills to specific careers

Wednesday, June 22, 2011  Internet Job Search Mistakes to Avoid
Guest Presenter: Matt Kautzer (Consumer Credit Counseling Service)
a) Discuss mistakes to avoid when searching for jobs on the Internet
b) Learn tips on how to use the Internet effectively in your search

Wednesday, June 29, 2011  Cover Letter Workshop
Guest Presenter: Julie Anderson (Sheboygan County Job Center)
a) Discuss why cover letters are important and how they can help your job search
b) Develop a cover letter that can be used in your job search

The meetings will be at 6:00 p.m. at the Sheboygan United Way building (lower level).  Although the group meets in Sheboygan County the CCCS also serves residents of Ozaukee County. 

For more information contact: DeeAnn Avina of the Sheboygan & Plymouth Area United Way, 2020 Erie Ave., Sheboygan, WI at deeana@sauw.org or call 920-458-3425 or Matt Kautzer at Consumer Credit Counseling Service, 1930 North 8th St., Sheboygan, WI at mattkautzer.cccs@yahoo.com or call 920-458-3784. 

Information from the Annual Meeting for Special Needs Consultants

Connie Meyer, Special Needs, Eastern Shores Library System

The Annual Meeting for the System Special Needs Consultants meeting was held in Madison on Friday, May 20. 

The Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning (DLTCL) staff began the program with a discussion on the evaluation criteria for LSTA Grants.  Examples of formal and informal measurement or evaluation tools can be found on the DLTCL website under the heading Tips for First Time LSTA Special Needs Grant Writers .  Terrie Howe, LSTA Coordinator discussed the planned categories for 2011 and the changes for the Accessibility Category.   Howe also mentioned that $10,000 will be available under a new Training Category for systems to provide training for new or existing library directors. It was also mentioned that if state funds are not available to continue providing LearningExpress (which is used in most JOBS projects) the money that was allocated for the 2012 JOBS category would be used to provide continued access to the software.

Sara Kemp from the UW-Madison Applied Population Lab provided an update how the 2010 Census data (that will be released soon) will impact libraries.  Kemp mentioned that birth and death rates are down in Wisconsin.  Data indicates that there has been some population growth in the northern counties as seniors in Minnesota and Illinois are moving full time into vacation homes in northern Wisconsin.  She also mentioned that seniors in their 60’s are moving back to Wisconsin from southern states.  Some of the reasons that she attributed to the move were the quality of life in Wisconsin, social networks, family ties, and  access to better medical care and benefits.   Wisconsin’s child population has declined in northern parts of the state.  Dane, St. Croix and Calumet counties had the highest child population growth.  She further stated that Wisconsin’s population grew by 5.7%, below the national average of 8%+.  Some of this loss in growth can be attributed to the de-industrialization and loss of manufacturing jobs.  The fastest growing areas are near large cities especially in the counties closest to the Twin Cities in Minnesota.  You can access more information on the 2010 Census as it becomes available at http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.

Martha Sarnowski and Leah Langby discussed their current LSTA grant projects.  Martha discussed her LSTA Grant to install hearing loop systems in areas around reference desks at libraries in the Winding Rivers Library System.  Leah Langby of Indianhead Library System discussed the Wakanheza Project.  Wakanheza means “sacred beings”.  Their project will provide training on how to create stress free, welcoming environments in libraries for families.  

Gina Wilson and Laura Wichert of Second Harvest Foodbank presented information on how libraries through outreach programs are helping the Foodbank address hunger in the State of Wisconsin. Libraries can become active in the program by providing information on the program to patrons who require assistance in applying for jobs; by displaying posters with FoodShare information; providing space in libraries for FoodShare outreach specialists to assist people in completing applications for the program and posting information about FoodShare on library websites.  Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin  was formerly named America's Second Harvest of Wisconsin.  The FoodShare programs are available through the County Human Services Departments. 

Who will be the Driver? 

It was reported by UPI.com  that a recent paper, “School Library Research Summarized”  done for the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, examined and summarized the results of 23 previous studies done around the United States(22) and Canada(1).  The paper stated that researchers at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania found " when funding support for school libraries rises, reading and testing scores go up.  The research also stated that "increased library hours and group visits by classes to the library, larger collections with access at school and from home, up-to-date technology and more student use of school library services all led to incremental increases in student learning". 

Included in Mansfield University study was a case study by Ester Smith, Student Learning Through Wisconsin School Library Media Centers: A Case Study Report. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2006.  This study was completed before budget cuts in recent years changed the staffing in many library media centers. The study focused on five library media centers in five different school districts.  At the time of the study each library media center had a library media specialist employed at least at .8 FTE.  "Regardless of the differences in enrollment, the library media programs have one certified professional library media specialist. Four of the five library media programs have a full-time library media specialist and one program has a 0.8 FTE library media specialist. The five programs have library aides, but not all have full-time aides. The five programs also receive support from volunteers". 

According to the Smith study: The Library Media Specialist (LMS) is the major asset and driver of the library media program by her sheer personality. The LMS is the program. Principals, teachers, and students from the five library media programs all commented on personality traits that make the LMS such a force. These personality traits include the ability of the LMS to work productively with teachers and students; her ability to relate to students as people, her ability to understand their mind set and motivate them; her high expectations from students, and her caring and sympathy...One of the key ingredients of an effective library media program is the visibility of the LMS. In the five library media programs visited, the LMS is high profile.

As you read about school library media specialist positions being cut you realize that the "major asset and driver" is disappearing from the landscape.  Recently the Common School Fund  distribution numbers were released.  This state aid is specifically designated for the purchase of materials for school libraries. This year's distribution was 5 percent larger than last year's.  Hopefully, this means districts will be able to keep their purchasing power of materials, considering inflation. But materials are only a small part of the instructional equation. 

Finally, check out the 100 Things Kids Will Miss If they don’t have a School Librarian in their School taken from The Standards for the 21st Century Learner by the American Association of School Librarians, suggestions from members of the American Association of School Librarians, and students in the school libraries of the United States, released by Dr. Nancy Everhart (everhart@fsu.edu) President, American Association of School Librarians.

Lately, Library Media Specialists have not had good press.  We know of cutbacks in local school districts. Nationally, there are actually too many to list, but for an interesting story click on the link to  American Libraries  which reported the actual trials and tribulations of school media specialists in LA.  Fortunately, the L.A. Times reports they may be spared.  

Who will drive the students to read the materials?  Who will educate them about valid Internet sites? Who will find the materials teachers need for more in depth instruction?  And how can we encourage individuals to become Library Media Specialists of the future? 

News from

Alison Ross, Cataloging Librarian for Eastern Shores Library System, has informed us that OCLC has been working on different ways to mine the data in WorldCat. These sites and resources are available for free, so if they sound as though they might be useful in some way take a closer look by clicking on the links below.

WorldCat Genres:  "WorldCat Genres allows you to browse dozens of fiction genres for hundreds of titles, authors, subjects, characters, locations, and more, ranked by popularity in the world's libraries."

WorldCat Identities: "It showcases things you don't find many other places--such as the most widely held works by a writer, or how one fictional character is related to another one, or get a visual for publication timelines, or audience recommendation levels..."

For more information on WorldCat Identities go to the WorldCat Blog.  Alison states, "These are still experimental or works in process, but they have been mentioned several times recently, so I am passing them along in case they are of interest or of use."

  Reference Books

A recent post to a rural and small libraries message list asked if there were any list for a core reference collection for a small rural library.  The librarian wants to maintain some balance between a print and online collection. 

These responses may be helpful to libraries that face the same dilemma - what should be print, what should be electronic, and what should I have? 

Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers, Vol. 31 (2011), Libraries Unlimited   http://www.abc-clio.com/product.aspx?id=2147508208 

Reference Sources for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries, 7^th Edition (2008) http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=388

Texas State Library and Archives Commission has an online publication you can access: Selecting and Using a Core Reference Collection, 4th edition (2003) http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/corereference/internal/index.html

The selection process sections may be helpful to you, and this includes online resources for different subjects that may be more up-to-date than the publication itself. 

Another library told about interfiling much of their print reference collection with their non-fiction collection and making some of them “circulating reference.”  They did segregate some encyclopedias and car repair manuals because of the heavy demand.  However, it does allow for customers to find other information on a subject if you don’t have a specific reference book on the topic.  Also, you only have to check one place rather than two places for a book on a particular subject.

Interesting Items

* Joy Cevalenza has posted on her blog  "Reading Suggestion Engines: Your Next Read" on the School Library Journal web site.  Many include adult and juvenile titles. 

* Adam Pash, editor-in-chief of Lifehacker has "How to Identify and Avoid Spreading Misinformation, Myths, and Urban Legends on the Internet".  Perhaps the best quote from the article, "Unfortunately Google doesn't always have the answer, though, and sometimes its results have been spammed with enough fake content that it's extremely difficult to find a result you trust".  

*  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a map, which includes Ozaukee County, of a Four-county area population change 2000- 2010. 

* "Checking out the future",  by Sam Allis of the Globe Staff notes, "Forget dusty book stacks. Tomorrow's librarians are all about tech".  Read about it here at boston.com .

* Library Quotes is a new searchable database by the American Library Association. 

* Courtesy of Jamie Markus of the Wyoming State Library, here is a sample listing  of free library and library-relevant training events for June.  

The American Library Association, American Management Association, Booklist, Common Knowledge, Infopeople, insynctraining, LE@D, Library Journal, Lyrasis, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Nebraska Library Commission, Public Library Association, Texas State Library & Archives Commission, WebJunction, and the Wyoming State Library will be webcasting the following FREE programs during June.  These programs and others are listed on the Wyoming Libraries Planning Calendar:  http://will.state.wy.us/ldo/planningcalendar.html