The Library Connection
The Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern
Shores Library System
www.esls.lib.wi.us
May
is Older American Month
The 2006 theme is "Choices for Independence"
Volume 26 Number 4 April 2006
Click here for the Winter 2006 Bookmobile Schedule
Serving Immigrant Populations
The resources list from a recent workshop from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois has a lot of valuable information about how libraries can better serve their immigrant populations. According to the speakers, the immigrant population is growing 6 1/2 times faster than the native-born population. Also, immigrants are now moving into the rural areas of the country, instead of remaining in the urban areas.
These titles are available in ESLS libraries through EasiCat:
Novas, Himilce. Everything You Need to Know about Latino History.
Pipher, Mary. The Middle of Everywhere: the World's Refugees Come to Our Town.
Robertson, Deborah. Cultural Programming for Libraries: Linking Libraries, Communities, and Culture.
Thomas, R. Roosevelt. Building on the Promise of Diversity: How We Can Move to the Next Level in Our Workplaces, Our Communities, and Our Society. (an ebook from netLibrary)
Click here for a list of items in Spanish and other languages that were purchased by member libraries with LSTA funds in 2004.
These web sites were also mentioned by the speakers:
ALA Diversity Council (a representative body for the committees
and organizations within ALA that promote the needs of traditionally
underrepresented constituencies
http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/commondiversity/diversitycouncil/diversitycouncil.htm
Bilingual Books for Kids (a source for purchasing bilingual
materials for all age groups)
http://www.bilingualbooks.com/
Continental Book Company (an importer and distributor of
language materials)
http://www.continentalbook.com/
The Resolution in Support of Immigrants' Right to Free Public
Library Assess (REFORMA and the ALA)
http://www.reforma.org/realIDres.htm
SPD Spanish Book Distributors (books in Spanish--subscribe to
their e-mail newsletter to see what's new each month)
http://www.sbdbooks.com/
Spanish Multimedia (a source for Spanish music and videos)
http://www.spanishmultimedia.com/
For more information about the workshop, go to the Soaring to Excellence website: http://www.newamericansunited.net/
Thomas Register to Cease Print Edition
Monday Memo - April 10, 2006 - Arrowhead Library System
Following the 2006 edition of the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, Thomas Industrial Network will cease publication of the print directory, familiarly known to industry as the "Big Green Books." The Thomas Register Regional Buying Guides will be discontinued as well. The full information from these publications will continue to be available free of charge at www.ThomasNet.com.
New Self-Help Family Law Website Now Available
(from WSLL @ Your Service - April, 2006 - an E-publication of the Wisconsin State Law Library)
Last month the Wisconsin Court System unveiled a new self-help family law website designed for use by people representing themselves in court. The website takes users through an online interview which results in a completed set of the necessary forms to start a court action for divorce or legal separation. Blank versions of the new plain-English forms are also available in both PDF and fillable Word formats. All of the forms are for actions related to legal separation and divorce. In some counties, as many as 70 percent of family cases involve at least one party who is representing him or herself.
Each circuit (i.e. county) court is also providing a Basic Guide to Divorce or Legal Separation, which lists the basic steps for getting divorce or legal separation; describes important court related offices and services; explains legal issues to consider; and provides a step by step procedural checklist specific to that court. Many circuit courts have already added their forms and manual to the website; all are to be available there by the end of April.
For more information about this new and developing website, please read this Wisconsin Court System press release.
Connie Von Der
Heide, Director of Reference & Outreach Services at the Wisconsin
State Law Library, added this message when she sent the newsletter link to
wispublib:
"It's very likely that you will get inquiries about this site, and
that you will want to refer patrons to it. You might also want to
communicate with the Clerk of Courts in your county (and maybe neighboring
counties if your library is also near their courthouse), to find out
what they are telling their customers about accessing the site. If there
is no public computer access in the courthouse itself, it's likely
that clerk of courts staff might direct people without home computers to
their public library. To assist you in making contact, here is
the link to the Wisconsin Court System's directory of clerks of
circuit court: http://www.wicourts.gov/contact/docs/clerks.pdf"
WLA Foundation to Tour the "Big Apple"
The Wisconsin Library Association Foundation is again sponsoring a tour to New York City. The group will fly to New York on Midwest Express on September 20 and return on September 24. The cost, which ranges from $719 to $1,249 depending on accommodations, includes airfare, ground transportation, four nights at the Hotel Edison, one theatre ticket and a $25 gift to the WLA Foundation.
Contact Rebecca Roepke, Director of the Cudahy Family Library: 414-769-2246 or rebecca.roepke@mcfls.org
Grants Available to Bring State Authors and Illustrators to Wisconsin Communities
With its annual Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak program, the Wisconsin Center for the Book offers towns and cities the opportunity to celebrate and explore the literature of our state with writers and artists. The Center for the Book will award up to ten grants of $250 each to qualifying organizations wishing to bring a Wisconsin author or illustrator to their community to speak at a public event. The event must be free of admission charges and be scheduled between September 1, 2006 and April 30, 2007. A Wisconsin author or illustrator is defined as one who has lived in Wisconsin for a significant period of time, including someone who may no longer be living in the state.
This program is made possible through the generosity of donors and the cooperation of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.
Any Wisconsin nonprofit organization interested in books and reading is eligible to apply for one of the grants. Collaboration among groups is encouraged. Such groups may include libraries, schools, community organizations, and places of worship. Applications will be judged on the basis of community outreach and collaboration, thoroughness of planning, and rationale for the choice of speaker. Application information can be found at www.wisconsinacademy.org/book or by contacting Jane Roeber, Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators program chair, at jroeber@wisc.edu. Completed applications are due July 1, 2006.
Retirement Planning with netLibrary
The eBook of the month for May is Work Less, Live More: The New Way to Retire Early by Bob Clyatt. The author gained financial independence at age 42 and has been living as an early semi-retiree ever since. The book shows you how to make early semiretirement work, step by step and in plain English.
If you search netLibrary for the subject Retirement, you come up with 32 additional titles. They range from a book on saving Social Security to managing your IRS's and 401k's to building a strong retirement portfolio (even if you are already over 40) to what to do with your life after retirement. And, of course, there is the Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Money After You Retire.
The book How to Care for Your Parents' Money While Caring for Your Parents : The Complete Guide to Managing Your Parents' Finances, while on the subject of retirement, has a different audience in mind. It assumes you are the financial caregiver for your parents and helps you deal with the legal and financial paperwork, as well as the government agencies and regulations you will have to be aware of as you make financial decisions for your parents.
The books in netLibrary are available to residents of systems who belong to the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium--ESLS is a member of the consortium. There are links to the electronic books from EasiCat. Most people prefer to use the books as references, not as titles to be read from cover to cover. Remember to tell your customers that this service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week--even when your library is not open. They can access the information in the books (over 12,000 titles) from home, school, place of business, or any place with Internet access. Go to: www.netlibrary.com
Cost Benefit Analysis Manual
The St. Louis Public Library received an Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) grant to create a manual that will provide detailed instructions and tools that small to mid-sized libraries can use to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of their services. You can download the manual at http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=12389
A Pronunciation Guide for Everything Wisconsin
Do you have trouble pronouncing Lake Butte des Morts? How about Oconomowoc? Or Lac Courte Oreilles? You can use a new website to hear the correct pronunciation for the cities, counties, and villages in our state, as well as legislators, state officials, and famous people from Wisconsin. There are also lots of interesting facts about Wisconsin, with new information added regularly. Check out Miss Pronouncer.com: http://www.misspronouncer.com/
The State of America's Libraries Report
The
American Library Association has released its first-ever "State of
America's Libraries" report. The report details both the
positive impact libraries and librarians have on the millions of people
who use them and the challenges libraries face in the area of
funding. It explores Americans' perceptions and use of public
libraries, funding for all types of libraries, the results and reach of
technology in libraries and more.
The report reveals that:
 | Americans appreciate and use their libraries. Almost 90 percent of Americans surveyed in a recent national poll report being satisfied with their public libraries. Sixty-two percent of adult Americans have library cards, and circulation of public library materials has climbed every year since 1990. |
| Libraries are adopting and adapting technology to meet the needs of users - while struggling with flat or decreased budgets. In fact, demand for computer access in public libraries exceeds supply at certain times of the day. |
| Libraries in some sections of the country have faced budget cuts that are having a dramatic negative impact on library service in some communities. |
| Librarians are on the forefront of protecting Americans' free and open access to information and their right to read and use the Internet and the Web freely. Librarians actively worked to amend sections of the USA PATRIOT Act that infringe on reader privacy and played an important role on national and international copyright issues. |
Read the entire report online: http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/march2006/stateoflibraries.htm
Wisconsin's Water Library for Kids
Wisconsin's Water Library for Kids is the newest web site of the UW Water Resources Library. It's a great source for planning programs and classroom projects. You can browse lists of books by topic. There are two story hour ideas (Frogs and Fish & Fishing) that would tie in well with this year's SRP theme--Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales. In addition to a list of read-aloud books, you can find non-fiction books on the topic, craft ideas, rhymes, and pages to color. A link takes you to weird frog facts, frog fables, and even a recipe for frog bread! You can make a fly-catching frog that can flick its tongue just like real ones do when they try to catch flies.
Parents and other adults can browse through the books on the site and request them and have them delivered to their local library. The site was designed by students enrolled in the UW School of Library and Information Studies Information Architecture course. Learn more about Wisconsin's Water Library for Kids: http://aqua.wisc.edu/waterlibrary/kids/
Van Delivery Statistics
The South Central Library System Delivery Service has posted its Spring 2006 sample counts on the website: www.sclsdelivery.org/statistics/material/inter_samples/statistics_inter_samp_mar06.htm
If you want to compare 2006 to previous years, you can do that also: www.sclsdelivery.org/statistics/material/sampcomp/statistics_inter_sampcomp.html
While you are at the SCLS delivery website, you may want to check out their link to Wisconsin highway detour & construction information. It will tell you which highways are under construction, as well as the detour routes. Because as we all know: It's Road Construction Season again in Wisconsin!
Jay, Bob, and Jerry--the ESLS delivery van drivers--have also been busy this year. The statistics for the first three months of 2006 are on our website: www.esls.lib.wi.us/van/vanstats06.html
Curious Storytime Resource
YEN of Youth-Newsletter of the Indianhead Library System, April 10, 2006
ALSC and Houghton Mifflin have created a new "Curious About . . . " story hour program designed to encourage children to come to the library to satisfy their curiosity. A Web site at www.curiousgeorge.com offers all the components a library needs to host a fun-filled reading event, including reproducible announcement flyers, bookmarks, and stationery, event suggestions, activity handouts, and recommended reading lists, created by ALSC's Quicklists Consulting Committee, on various topics such as "Back to School" and "Cats and Dogs."
Visit www.curiousgeorge.com and click on "Download ‘Curious About…’ Storytime Materials."
Library Of Congress Archives Recordings
The Library of Congress has announced this year's 50 selections to be added to the National Recording Registry. The 2000 National Recording Preservation Act charges the Library of Congress with choosing recordings each year that are at least 10 years old and are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to be included in the registry. The registry dovetails with a number of other efforts to preserve recorded material in digital format in order to sidestep a future in which vast numbers of recordings disappear, either because they are on volatile media that are not properly preserved or because the technology to play them becomes obsolete and scarce. Researchers warn that government and private efforts must begin now to ensure the long-term accessibility of millions of tapes and records at risk. The Library of Congress has also begun digitizing nearly 4 million sound and video recordings it maintains, including 80,000 vinyl 45-rpm records.
http://www.fcw.com/article94066-04-13-06-Web (this article contains the list of 50 selections to be added)
