The Library Connection
The Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern
Shores Library System
www.esls.lib.wi.us
Volume 30 Number 4 April 2010
Click here for the Winter 2010 Bookmobile Schedule
Mead Public Library Board to Change
The Mead Public Library Board will be welcoming three new members in May. The first new member will be Chad Stauber-Soik, a Language Arts teacher at North High School. Mr. Stauber-Soik is the designee of the Sheboygan Area School District. He replaces Mary Liz Towne who served as the financial officer.
The other two new members are appointees of Mayor Bob Ryan and were confirmed by the Common Council on April 26, 2010. Their terms are for three years beginning May 1st. Dolcye Johnson, a former library board member from 1983-1988, and Marge Segalle, both former alderwomen, have been chosen to replace current Mead Library Board President Bernie Markevitch and Library Board Vice President Tom Peneski. Both had requested serving another three-year term. Ms. Johnson is quoted in the Sheboygan Press on Tuesday, April 27, "I have questions about the state mandating the level at which taxpayers have to support the library," Johnson said. "I think that should be a decision made at the local level."
The changes on Mead's Board mean that four of the ten members are new this year. These three new board members join Henry Nelson, who joined the board in January when Marilyn Toepel moved out of the municipality.
According to Section 23 of the Sheboygan Code, the Library Board consists of nine appointed members who are citizens and residents of the City of Sheboygan. One member shall be a member of the Common Council. That person is currently Marilyn Montemayor.
Board members have many responsibilities. Eastern Shores Library System held a meeting in March as an Informational Review of the Library System; its Structure; its Operation; and its Relationship to the State, Member Libraries, and Member Counties. Another special meeting on Monday, May 24 will discuss the Library System Structure and Operation. Local library boards will be encouraged to attend this informational session.
For more information about the changes to the Mead Public Library Board go the Sheboygan Press article from April 25, 2010, the letter to the Sheboygan Press by former Board member Mary Liz Towne and the Sheboygan Press article from Tuesday, April 27.
Joint County Library Service Plan 2011 - 2015 update
As mentioned in a
previous article, library directors and the system director have been
attending Village and Town board meetings in the non-libraried areas of
Ozaukee County since January. These
visits were to present the recommendations in the Joint County Library
Service Plan for 2011 - 2015 and to seek support of those recommendations.
The responses from the Village and Town Boards were sent to the
Ozaukee County Board Chair, who requested this information prior to the
County Board taking action on the Plan.
The Ozaukee County Board is scheduling action on the Plan at the
May 5 County Board meeting.
In addition to these
visits, library directors sought support for the plan’s recommendations
from their boards and municipalities.
This information was also forwarded to the Ozaukee County Board
Chair.
There are two major
recommendations in the 2011 - 2015 plan that spurred this round of
meetings. The first was the
continuation of bookmobile service to non-libraried areas of Ozaukee
County and the initiation of a reserve fund for the bookmobile service.
The second was the phased in increase in reimbursement of libraries
from the current level to 93% by the end of the plan in 2015.
One of the concerns in Ozaukee County was that the highest
reimbursement level is currently at 85%, so the schedule was seen as
ambitious.
The meetings are now completed with all the libraried and non-libraried municipalities and the municipalities’ actions forwarded to the Ozaukee County Board Chair, Rob Brooks. Below is a recap of the actions. (Note: The response from Mequon and Thiensville is based on a resolution signed by Mequon's Mayor, Thiensville's Village Administrator, Frank L. Weyenberg Library's Board President and Library Director. Based on information from the Frank L. Weyenberg's Library Director, the City Council and Village Board did not act on a resolution.)
| Final tally for Non-libraried municipalities | |
| Town of Belgium | Support the plan |
| Town of Fredonia | Support the plan at the 90% reimbursement level |
| Town of Saukville | Support the plan |
| Village of Belgium | Support the plan |
| Village of Fredonia | Not in support of the proposed reimbursement level in the plan |
| Town of Port Washington | Not in support of the plan |
| Town of Cedarburg | Not in support of the plan |
Of the seven non-libraried
municipalities that pay the County Library Tax, four are in support of the
plan or a modification of the plan and three are either not in support of the
plan or the reimbursement level in the plan.
The latter municipalities are concerned about the impact of the
ambitious increase in the reimbursement
level in light of the current year's fiscal situation.
| Final tally for Libraried municipalities | |
| City of Cedarburg | Support the plan |
| City of Port Washington | Support the plan |
| Village of Saukville | Support the plan |
| Village of Grafton | Not in support of the plan |
| Town of Grafton | Not in support of the plan |
| City of Mequon | Not in support of the plan |
| Village of Thiensville | Not in support of the plan |
Of the seven municipalities
whose libraries provide services to non-libraried residents, three are in
support of the plan and four are not in support of the plan.
Three of the four libraries (Cedarburg, Port Washington, Saukville,
Grafton) represented by the libraried municipalities which provide the
most service to Ozaukee non-libraried residents are in support of the
plan. The concerns by the
libraried municipalities not in support of the plan are primarily about
maintaining the municipality’s exemption
from the county library tax. They
fear that if the reimbursement level rises, the appropriation they provide
to the library will not be sufficient to meet the exemption threshold.
This is of special concern in the Town of Grafton and the City of
Mequon, whose equalized value is significantly higher relative to the
equalized value of the non-libraried municipalities.
System Director David Weinhold was asked to draft an amendment to the County Library Service Plan for Ozaukee County to consider at its May 5th meeting. The plan is to have a public hearing as part of the meeting. The amendment reinstates the 05-83 reimbursement method which provides different levels of reimbursement for libraries and also has Ozaukee County hold its share of the Bookmobile Reserve Funds.
From Resolution No. 05-83 ( Amended) : FURTHER RESOLVED, that the yearly reimbursement for such lending activity (books and other material) shall be calculated for each ESLS library by multiplying a library’s yearly operating expense by 70% and multiplying the result by the lending activity correlation factor of the ratio of nonlibraried loans to total loans. Further, that the yearly reimbursement to ESLS libraries for the participation of non-libraried residents in non-lending services offered by such libraries (programs, etc.) shall be determined for each ESLS library that provides a minimum of 2.5% of its non-libraried loans to its total loans – and calculated by multiplying a library’s yearly operating expense by 30% and multiplying the result by 50% of the lending activity correlation factor. The sum of the lending and nonlending calculation above shall be the total yearly reimbursement to each ESLS library for service to Ozaukee County non-libraried residents.
Sheboygan County's Executive Committee will consider the original Plan at
the Tuesday, May 25th meeting at 5:15 p.m.
Children's
Librarians Corner
The Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival
Karin Menzer, Youth Services Manager, Mead Public Library
An exciting event for children’s book lovers is
coming to our area this fall. The Sheboygan Children’s Book
Festival (SCBF) will take place on October 15 – 17, 2010. It will
bring outstanding children’s authors and illustrators to our community
for a three-day celebration of books, reading, writing, art, workshops,
and discussion.
The book festival is being planned by an ad hoc
committee of community members and local organizations. Partners
include Mead Public Library, the Eastern Shores Library System, the John
Michael Kohler Arts Center, Bookworm Gardens, the University of
Wisconsin-Sheboygan, The Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon, and the
Sheboygan and Kohler School Districts. Funding for the festival is
through grants, in-kind donations and matching funds.
Dave Weinhold and Paula Siefert from the Eastern
Shores Library System, Trixine Tahtinen, Director of the Oostburg Public
Library and Karin Menzer, Youth Services Manager at Mead Public Library
are members of the SCBF steering committee.
Many wonderful authors and illustrators have agreed
to take part in the SCBF, including Newbery Award winning author Avi;
Newbery Honor author, Kathi Appelt; Caldecott Honor writer and
illustrator, David McLimans; Caldecott Honor writer and illustrator, Lois
Ehlert; Charlotte Zolotow Honor writer and illustrator,
Keiko Kasza; humorous poet and illustrator Calef Brown; popular
Wisconsin authors Barbara Joosse, Gerald Morris and Jo Ann Early Macken;
and Wisconsin illustrator and Sheboygan native Renee Graef.
A variety of programs are being planned, including
“My Name is Avi,” a dramatic performance reading of his works, interspersed
with biographical anecdotes and the stories of key books and how they came
to be. Avi will also present
an informal writing workshop for teens, providing a rare opportunity for
would-be young writers to engage in a dialogue about writing with this
popular and highly-regarded author. On
Friday evening a reception to “Celebrate Wisconsin Authors and
Illustrators Who Call Wisconsin Home” will be held at Mead Public
Library. This reception will allow the public to engage in informal
conversation with Wisconsin writers and artists.
This summer, during Mead’s summer reading program,
I plan to raise awareness of the festival by presenting some book
discussion programs featuring several festival authors. School-aged
children have more time for reading and discussion programs during the
summer and the opportunity to meet the author in the fall will add extra
appeal.
Many of Avi’s books will be great for discussion
programs, especially Crispin: The
Cross of Lead, The True
Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, the Poppy
series and, for teens, Nothing but
the Truth: A Documentary Novel.
Kathi Appelt’s The
Underneath and Gerald Morris’s A
Squire’s Tale will also make interesting discussion titles.
Teachingbooks.net,
available through BadgerLink, is a great resource for planning book
discussion programs. I will be putting some book discussion
materials together so if any of you are interested in doing some book
discussions in your library this summer or fall, please let me know.
If there is interest, we may also be able to organize some book sharing
for the discussion programs through the system.
More information about the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival will become available soon, including a website. Meanwhile, mark October 15-17, 2010 in your calendars so you don’t miss the fun!
Mead Public Library's Hansen Teen Library Center
Some libraries are fortune to have the space for a separate teen area. At Mead Public Library a special area has been created through funding from the Myrtle and Hazel Hansen bequest. You can take a look at the bright and inviting Hansen Teen Library Center of Mead Public Library by clicking on this link. An open house for the space was held on Thursday, April 15th.
In additional to this area on the second floor, the Hansen Teen Library Center has a spiral staircase that will lead to the Dr. Jerome M. Maas Teen Learning Center. That area on the third floor will be available for teen group programs and similar uses. In the future, furnishings and computer equipment will be added using income from a bequest from Dr. Maas, a former Sheboygan resident.
Oostburg is awarded 2010 We the People Bookshelf
Oostburg Public Library has been selected to receive a 2010 We the People Bookshelf. The collection is awarded annually to 4,000 libraries across the country each year. Seventeen classic books on the theme of "A More Perfect Union" will be added to the Oostburg collection.
For a full listing of the collection click here. As part of the grant, libraries are to conduct a “A More Perfect Union” program between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011. The program highlights the theme and encourages young readers to explore the selected books. Oostburg will be scheduling a program on the materials after the summer reading program.
If your library has not been granted one of these collections consider applying next year . The American Library Association (ALA) collaborates with National Endowment for the Humanities to deliver this program. ALA staff and libraries help to select the books.
Rotating Computer Lab
to Help Unemployed Ready to Roll
A new computer lab will be rotating among the libraries in Eastern Shores Library System. An LSTA grant provided funds for a portable lab of five laptop computers and a projector to help train and educate the unemployed and underemployed on computer skills. The lab will rotate among the libraries through the ESLS delivery system. Communities with the highest unemployment will be given priority to schedule the workshops. The City of Sheboygan currently is ranked eighth in unemployment at 12.4% out the top 30 Wisconsin municipalities with a population of 25,000. Special needs librarians Connie Meyer and Sue Potter will contact libraries when it is their turn to schedule the computer lab.
The Sheboygan County Job Center has been overwhelmed with the unemployment situation. Brian Ognacevic of the Job Center, at a workshop in 2009, encouraged libraries to continue providing classes and workshops on: interviewing skills, resume and cover letter writing, basic computer skills, Microsoft Office and Internet skills.
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), a section
of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003, promotes access to
information resources provided by all types of libraries. 
Reference Meetings in May
On Tuesday, May 11 at Mead Public Library reference librarians within Eastern Shores Library System will meet the new Reference Liaison Theresa Dees. Ms. Dees will conduct a tour of Mead Public Library, which has seen many changes in the past few years and there will be a brainstorming session for future reference workshops.
The meeting will be in the Rocca Meeting Room from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. To register for the Spring Grass Roots Reference Meeting contact Theresa at theresa.dees@meadpubliclibrary.org or phone 920-459-4300 ext. 3431.
Don't forget the Financial Literacy workshop on May 3 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Frank L. Weyenberg Library in the Tolzman Community Room. The workshop will be presented by Dan Sweeney of M&I Corporation. The workshop is for library reference staff and is not open to the public. Topics will include: credit, consumer loans, identity theft and homeownership.
Interesting Items
* Even is you have lived all you life in Wisconsin you may not know the proper pronunciation of Chequamegon. If you need help to pronounce Chequamegon or any other "cities, parks, lawmakers, Indian tribes, towns, counties, villages, forests and sports figures specific to Wisconsin", check out the Miss Pronouncer site, and make sure your sound is turned on.
* Check out the 2010-11 Grant Application Information for the Wisconsin Authors and Illustrators Speak grant. Your library can celebrate and explore the literature of Wisconsin authors and illustrators through a grant from the Wisconsin Center for the Book. Up to eight grants of $300 will be awarded by The Wisconsin Center for the Book .
* A new toolkit is available from ALA’s Office of Literacy and
Outreach Services: Keys to Engaging Older Adults. The
toolkit is available in both regular and large print versions on the OLOS
web page: http://ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/olos/toolkits/olderadults.cfm.
This was a long time in the making and will be useful for libraries
starting new programs or updating existing ones.
* 
Make
plans to attend the Support
Staff Section Conference on May 26 at the Fox Valley Technical College
in Appleton from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference is sponsored by the
WLA Support Staff Section and the Fox Valley Technical
College. Sessions include: Are You Game?: The Library's Place
in the World of Gaming by Jeannie McBeth , BadgerLink: Now and Moving
Forward by Martha Farley Berninger and Social Media 101 by Laurie
Boettcher.
* A listing of the Best Read Aloud Picture Books is available from the Curriculum Materials Center at Livingston Lord Library, Minnesota State University Moorhead.
