The Library Connection
The Monthly Newsletter of the Eastern
Shores Library System
www.esls.lib.wi.us
Volume 27 Number 8 August 2007
Click here for the Fall 2007 Bookmobile Schedule
Welcome to Cataloging/Interlibrary Loan Librarian
Denise Cook is the newest staff member at the Eastern Shores Library System, filling the Cataloging/Interloan Librarian position. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English from Mount Mary College and her MLS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Denise was inspired to join the world of libraries by a friend who is a librarian. Prior to Eastern Shores, Denise served as a reference and cataloging librarian for 10 years at Waukesha Public Library.
In her free time, Denise enjoys travel. Some of her favorite places include Nova Scotia, Italy, and England. She also enjoys reading fiction. Some of her favorite books include, A tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and A thousand acres by Jane Smiley.
Benefits of an Inmate Library
Eastern Shores Library System has been a partner with the volunteers for the Sheboygan County Inmate Library since the library's inception in 1998. By acting as the fiscal agent for the library program, the Inmate Library is the recipient of Sheboygan County Crime Prevention Fund grants. The Library System extends its discount for book purchases to the Library. Sharon Abel, LTC Adult Basic Education instructor, and Sue Mathews, retired Mead Public Library librarian, are the volunteers who order and purchase the materials for the Library. The letters below show the benefit and power of the Library.
I was unsure what I was getting into when Sharon Abel called me for school. I have tried getting my GED a few times before but never completed the programs. There was no help in those programs. I lost interest and just gave up. I didn’t know what to expect when I started the LTC Adult Education Program. Hearing there are instructors to help with problems and answer any questions that you may have sparked my interest. The first class I attended answered all my questions. The instructors were friendly and very helpful. I wanted to attend every class that I could.
I am fifty years young and never read a book cover to cover. With this program and the help from the instructors, I have read thirty-two books not including the GED education books and have passed three of the GED tests. I have confidence I will finish the GED/HSED tests and continue on to college.
This program and help from Sharon, Kelly, and Pat “the instructors” are the best thing that has happened to me. I can’t say enough about Sharon, Kelly, and Pat. Their teaching abilities, knowledge, and motivation is the reason I want to continue with the program. I hope there are more instructors like them! “My heartfelt thank you” to Sharon, Kelly, and Pat for helping me in this program and for putting up with me. I also want to thank Lakeshore Technical College and all the people that are involved in making this program possible. I hope it continues helping others like it had helped me.
Sincerely,
Kenneth, “A Satisfied Student”
Though it is uncomfortable for me to say, because of my lack of control when it comes to alcohol, I have spent the better part of the last two years in this facility… I was asked what I thought of the importance of books [in jail]…
“Reading brings wisdom, wisdom breeds less criminal activity.” People learn to read and write behind these walls, they earn an education and some even get GED’s or HSED’s. Reading brings out knowledge and dreams of having a life aside of being involved in crime. I will tell you myself after seeing so many men come and go, it is the ones that sit around playing cards and talking about crime that always come back. It is the guys that are reading that get inspired to lead a better life. Through these books we see the pleasure and the love that can be ours. And, yes, all of that can come from one simple book. Books can really change people. They have surely promised me a better life away from the evils of alcohol.
Let me just finish by asking if you have ever seen a child’s face light up when you handed them a book or read them an inspiring story. Most of the men behind these walls are nothing more than kids still looking for that kind of love from someone.
Thank you.
David
Note: The above letter was written in response to Lakeshore Technical College Instructor Sharon Abel asking about the influence of books in the Sheboygan County Detention Center. Within the weeks following his writing this letter, David highly recommended the following books for inmates and non-inmates alike:
Reading Changed My Life: Three True Stories Authored by Beth Johnson and published Townsend Press 2003
Prisoners of Belief: Exposing & Changing Beliefs that Control Your Life Authored by Matthew McKay, PhD & Patrick Fanning and published by New Harbinger Publications 1991
The first book was most likely a donation and the second was purchased for twenty-five cents at the Friends of the Mead Public Library book sale. Book donations are received from various individuals and agencies; most recently a couple of area churches have agreed to coordinate gently used book drives for Sheboygan County’s Inmate Library which serves a diverse population of adult and juvenile, male and female inmates.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month
Megan McFarlane, ALA Campaign Coordinator, mmcfarlane@ala.org
Observed in the month of September since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when ALA and libraries across the county remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all.
Libraries are encouraged to let the ALA Public Information Office know how they are celebrating Library Card Sign-up Month. Visit http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/otherinit/card/librarycard.htm and click on "Share your story."
Free promotional items can be found at that site including items in Spanish.
Children's
Librarians Corner
Volunteers Make the Difference
Carol Langkabel, Plymouth Public Library
The summer reading program is over. After months of planning, it seems to have passed with the speed of light. There was reading (a lot of reading), music, magic, and comedy. And there were the people, the ones that used the library, took part in the summer program and the ones that volunteered. Volunteers are the backbone of our summer program and Plymouth is fortunate to have some very dedicated volunteers. People who genuinely enjoy seeing children get together with books and especially enjoy interacting with children. These good people include Karen Bennett, a reading teacher with the Plymouth School District and Sandee Heidner, a retired school teacher. Our summer program couldn’t have been the success that it was without your help, especially with crowd control during many, many great performances and a few not so great, but always with smiles intact. Thank you so much!
Then we have another volunteer, which is where this story begins. This tale demonstrates that you don't have to be a large group to make a big difference. Sometimes it is just doing something that you believe in and letting others in on the plan. Doreen Salkowski is also a teacher in the Plymouth School District. She has volunteered for story times and the summer reading program since 1989 to 1990, when she worked at the library. This summer, besides helping with sign up, our statistics, and helping kids spend their library loot, Doreen donated items to be put in the display case. She has done that in the past. This year she did a bit more, actually, a lot more.
When Doreen told her sister what she was doing, her sister, who is an inveterate garage sale shopper, told Doreen she often sees Beanie Babies at garage sales and if they looked brand new, she would be happy to pick some up for us. I thought perhaps she would find ten - maybe a dozen - and, of course, we would pay her for them. These two had other plans. Her sister does not live in this area so there was no worry about someone seeing something in the display case that they had just sold. Over the course of a few months, plastic bags of Beanie Babies began appearing in our storeroom. Many had original price tags still attached. As several plastic grocery bags began to appear, I became worried about the cost. I was told, "no problem" or, "there is no receipt". Finally, I stopped asking. Between Doreen and her sister, they came up with more Beanie Babies and other stuffed creatures than I thought we would ever use, but guess what? We "sold" them all! Both boys and girls "bought" them with their library loot.
In addition, we received donations from other places - bags of stuffed animals from a city agency and a box of rubber balls and teddy bears from a local office. I know that one of these generous donations came about because someone observed Doreen delivering one of her donated bags of Beanie Babies.
Doreen also donated "Ike the Dog Detective" stuffed animals that she bought at Kohls. As kids clamored for the "Ike" dog she continued to provide them throughout the length of the program. When she noticed that we were running low on items that could be bought for one dollar of library loot, fancy pens, pencils, cars, and helicopters mysteriously appeared. By the way, model cars and helicopters, are valued equally by girls and boys. There were other, even more generous things that Doreen did for our program; but the point of this story is that one volunteer told someone how they were helping and as the generosity spread, our summer library program benefited. Several times during the summer, items appeared on my desk. No name was ever attached; I do not know whom to thank. But I do know one person, Doreen, who told her sister, and that started a flow of good things. Doreen, Karen and Sandee will tell you that they had fun volunteering this summer, but personally, I think being around such special people and seeing the delight that their participation brought to the faces of the children we served was the best part of the summer.
Local Reading Rainbow
Winner
The 13th Annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest has announced that Emily Ellenbecker won third place in the first-grade category. Emily’s winning entry is entitled Our New Baby. Emily, a student at Campbellsport School District visits the bookmobile in Town of Mitchell. This is Emily’s second book. Her first book, Milo’s Day, received 1st place in the statewide Reading Rainbow Contest in 2006. There was no national contest in 2006.
The contest, designed to encourage grade school students to use their imaginations to write and illustrate their own stories, attracts more than 40,000 entrants. Entries from kindergarten through third grade are first judged at the regional level at their local PBS broadcasting stations. Local winners then advance to the national competition.
As a national winner, Emily received an iPod with loadable "Reading Rainbow" episodes and sets of "Reading Rainbow" DVDs and books for themselves, their school and their public library. As Emily’s public library, we are honored to receive a set of “Reading Rainbow” DVD’s and books.
You can read or listen to Our New Baby on-line at http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/contest/E.html.
New Documentary on Librarians
Melissa McGuire, media@hollywoodlibrarian.com
The producers of the new documentary The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film today announced that the list of screening locations for the film during Banned Books Week (September 29 through October 6) now numbers 42 across the North American continent. This includes three sites in Wisconsin: Racine Public Library, UW Madison and UW Milwaukee. Check the web site for exact places and times: http://www.hollywoodlibrarian.com/.
The 96-minute documentary is the first look at the real work and skills of the more than 60,000 librarians working in the U.S. The film provides a glimpse into this well-loved but little understood profession and will leave audiences with a new appreciation for a group of people who have been called “democracy’s heroes.”
The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film is an Overdue Productions film in association with BiFolkal Productions (www.bifolkal.org), a non-profit organization with 30 years of service to libraries. The Hollywood Librarian is an original, full-length documentary by and about librarians. www.hollywoodlibrarian.com
Interesting Items...
* Charles Simic, was named the 15th poet laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress on August second. Simic, 69, was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and immigrated to the country at 16. He started writing poetry in high school and has published 18 volumes of poetry. He is a retired professor of American literature and creative writing at the University of New Hampshire, he won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1990 for The World Doesn't End.
* The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has two new Badger Biographies: "Mountain Wolf Woman: A Ho-Chunk Girlhood" and "Harley and the Davidsons: Motorcycle Legends." For more information go to : http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/series.asp#bio
* The 2007 WLA Award winners have been announced. Middleton Public Library received the distinction as Library of the Year. For more award winners go to: http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/awards/awards.htm .
* Ripon Public Library and the Wisconsin Technical College-Superior Learning Resource Center are both recipients of a $50.00 cash prize in recognition of their promotional efforts during Ask Away Awareness week, May 7-11, 2007. For ideas to promote the service in your community go to the statewide wiki: http://askaway.pbwiki.com/pr.
* The week of October 7-13 is Money Smart Week Wisconsin, sponsored by the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy as a social awareness campaign aimed at improving the financial literacy of Wisconsinites.
* A Department of Employee Trust Funds free Wisconsin Retirement System presentation will be presented from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Sheboygan South High School on October 3, 2007.
* This year Children's Book Week will be
November 12 - 18, 2007 with the theme "Rise Up Reading."
However, starting in 2008 the Children's Book Council will be moving to it
the month of May. The dates for 2008 will be: May 12 - 18. Go
to http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbw/index_2.html
for a more complete list of upcoming dates.
