Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds
(the 2005 Summer Library Program theme)
The Library Connection
Volume 25 Number 5 May 2005
Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds
(the 2005 Summer Library Program theme)
Click here for the Summer 2005 Bookmobile Schedule
Eastern Shores Library System is pleased to welcome Linda Bendix as the new director at the F.L. Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville. Linda began her duties at Weyenberg on April 28. She had been the director of the Lake Geneva Public Library for the past five years. Prior to that she was the Head of Information and Adult Services at Manitowoc Public Library. She started her career as the head librarian at Lakeland College in Sheboygan County.
Linda is active in WLA. She is currently the chair-elect of WAPL and will be the editor of the WAPL newsletter for the next year. (She is always looking for suggestions for articles.) She is also the public library representative on the WiLS advisory board. She has been on the WPLC e-book selection team and will serve on the implementation and selection teams for the Overdrive audio book project.
She has already moved to the city of Mequon and has attended (and hosted) her first TAC meeting. Welcome to ESLS, Linda!
The Sheboygan Press and Mead Public Library in Sheboygan are encouraging members of the community to all read the same book. The book selected is "The Breakdown Lane" by Jacquelyn Mitchard. The book is set in Sheboygan, although there are no identifying characteristics of the city in the book. According to the author, the setting is an amalgam of a medium-size Wisconsin city like Sheboygan, with elements of Milwaukee and Madison.
The kick off event on Wednesday, June 8 at 5:30 will begin with remarks by Mitchard. She will then autograph books and be the guest of honor at a reception hosted by the Friends of Mead Public Library. The Sheboygan Press printed four excerpts from the book in May. An online discussion forum will be held from June through September. A moderator-led discussion is planned for later summer or early fall. The Press will give individuals the opportunity to share thoughts about the book in the paper.
Copies of the book, including large print and unabridged audio books are available at the library. Mead's website at www.sheboygan.lib.wi.us has more information about Sheboygan Reads: The Breakdown Lane.
Connie
Meyer, bookmobile driver/librarian is pictured here with Megan Ellenbecker, a
bookmobile customer who received the first prize in the 11th annual Milwaukee
Public Television Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.
Megan and her family were guests at the awards presentation in Milwaukee last
week. She invited Connie to join her because her award-winning book--The
Bookmobile--is about the staff and services of the Eastern Shores
Bookmobile. Megan and her family visit the bookmobile during the summer
months at the town Mitchell stop.
Those who attended the ceremony watched a video of all of the winning books. After July 23, the books will be available on the Reading Rainbow website. Megan's entry will now be sent to the national competition. She was also a winner in the 1st grade competition at the state contest last year and received the Grand Prize as a kindergarten student in 2003.
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable." If you have a question about copyright, visit (the Wisconsin State Law Library's) Legal Topics page and click on the topic Copyright. You’ll find links to FAQs, forms, statutes, regulations and other helpful resources pertaining to copyright issues.
Children's
Librarians CornerAs a newcomer to the Library world three years ago, I had no idea what a teacher collection was. When my manager told me that I would be pulling books for 15 themed collections for teachers each month, ranging in size from 10 to 150 books, I had no way of knowing how much I would learn from the experience. At first I struggled but later I began to encourage teachers to sign on and eagerly took on the challenge!
I am convinced it was those teacher collections that taught me the most about children’s literature! Finding quality, age appropriate material on themes ranging from apples to Japan to ocean life to dinosaurs forced me to find my way around the children’s collection.
So two years later, when I arrived at Port Washington and found there was no Teacher Collection Program in place, I started one. This year, my first, it has been strictly word of mouth. When a teacher comes in, usually at the busiest part of my day or moments before I am scheduled to leave, asking for books on an impossible topic, I hand her a “Teacher Collection” form for next week or month. I am now actively doing collections for three teachers but this fall, I intend to send a notice about these collections to area elementary and preschools.
How it works: The teacher fills out the form with all contact information, library card number, age/grade of children, theme, any specific titles/authors, and number of books needed. My email and work hours are also on the form. When a teacher signs on, the first thing I do is add their name to the library’s “Do Not Call List” so we don’t annoy them with a call each time one of their books comes in. I ask for two weeks notice but will do collections more quickly with the understanding that the collection will consist of only the materials I have on hand at my library. A day or two before the teacher is due in, I check all materials out on their card and run an “all items out” slip. I band it and the books together and mark them with the teacher’s name. I always let the teacher know that I am not sensitive and they are welcome to look through the collection and reject anything that will not work. This is where I learn the most about what types of materials the teacher prefers.
Why do I like to do Teacher Collections? I know of no faster way to learn my collection, its holes and its strengths. It helps me keep my finger on the pulse of what is being taught in the schools, the materials they are looking for and what I need to buy. It has forced me to create a themed list that I can quickly access for requests from all my patrons. This working list is constantly updated as new books arrive. It also helps me find wonderful books that I somehow missed ordering when the requested materials come in from your libraries! But the biggest benefit of doing Teacher Collections is the positive impact the library is making on the schools and in the minds of the teachers. In the future, when support is needed, what better friends to have than teachers? I also must admit that I personally enjoy the smiles I get when I tell a tired teacher at the end of her day just exactly what I can do for her!
It is hard to believe but I will be retiring at the end of the semester after 35 years with the Cedarburg School District. I began working at Thorson Elementary in 1970, and have seen many changes in school libraries/Instructional Media Centers, although I must emphasize the Cedarburg School District has been very progressive in its support of excellent facilities and materials since I began in the district. Filmstrips and 16 mm movies have been replaced by networked computers for learning by staff and students in the IMC and throughout the buildings. Along with books and current issues reports, students have access to information through subscription online databases, videotapes, DVDs and the world-wide Internet.
With the expansion of technology in addition to print services, IMC Directors, or school librarians as we are referred to depending upon the district, have higher requirements for education and continuous staff development. We not only must be knowledgeable about the fiction and nonfiction collections books to suggest to students but must also be able to use administrative, application computer programs such as MS Office, curriculum software and search strategies for using the Internet for quality educational materials. Our new roles are defined in the national school library media standards as teachers, information specialists and curriculum support professionals.
I have truly enjoyed helping individual students with challenging research questions and working with classroom teachers as a team to integrate research skills into course content. A good IMC should serve many classes, small groups and individual students throughout the day and support the curriculum as much as possible. Working with my colleagues in other buildings, we shared information through IMC Meetings, loaned resources from one building to another, welcomed authors to the district, contributed to the District’s Information and Technology Plan, and are currently working to update our K-12 Library Media Curriculum with classroom teachers. I enjoyed sharing and learning from these fine professionals at the elementaries and the middle school.
My wish for students at Cedarburg High School is that they have developed an appreciation for the resources and services our high school IMC provides to help them in their education at CHS, and they continue to use college and university libraries for their academic education. And when our students go out into the work force, I hope they will utilize their community’s public library to check out the latest novel, research that consumer or health topic they might need to help them, and enjoy using libraries throughout their lives.
Although I am leaving my school district, I am not leaving the library profession yet. I will be a board member of the Wisconsin Library Association as a representative from the Wisconsin Educational Media Association. Both organizations hope to collaborate more on a variety of activities common to all librarians. This spring Elizabeth Burmaster appointed me to a High School School Reform Task Force and I will be meeting many educators over the next year from around the state. The Cedarburg community where I live is very important to me, and my dream is to see a new Cedarburg Public Library where I can enjoy reading and participating in activities sponsored by the library.
I am hoping to do consulting work in the area of school libraries and young adult literature. Along with my M.S. in Information Science from U.W. Milwaukee, I have a degree in Administrative Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University. In 1990, I received a Kohl Fellowship and the U.W. Alumnus Award that same year from U.W.-SOIS. Over the years I have presented at many conferences and workshops in the state and on the national level including WLA, WEMA, AASL and the National Educational Computing Conference.
Thank you to all my library colleagues who have helped me to grow and enjoy the many years in my profession.
CBC Online, the website of the Children's Book Council has some new resources and events to provide support to those who work with children.
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CBC
Summer Reading Extravaganza: An annotated list of fifty summer-themed
titles, beach reads, and other books for vacation reading from CBC member
publishers. |
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CBC
Showcase Fiction On The Edge: The teenage years can be among the most
important periods of a person's life, but they can also be one of the most
confusing and difficult. Books about the experience of being a teenager can
help readers better understand and cope with the challenges inherent in the
transition between childhood and everything that comes after. The Fiction On
The Edge Showcase include both light and serious fiction on the many and
varied issues facing teens. |
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Hot
Off the Press: A Sneak Peek at Publishers' Newest and Hottest Titles.
An online bibliography featuring anticipated bestsellers published by CBC
member publishers. |
WLA's Children's Book Award Committee has announced the 2005 Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, Outstanding Books of 2005, and the 2005 Notable Author Award.
Kevin Henkes (author and illustrator) for "Kitten's First Full Moon."
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's
Right to Vote," written by Ann
Bausum.
"Godless," written by Pete Hautman.
"Blue Jasmine," written by Kashmira Sheth.
S.D. Schindler
The Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla award is awarded each year to a Wisconsin author or illustrator for distinguished achievement in children's literature. The Notable Author honors Wisconsin authors, past and present, for their literary contributions. The award is presented during the Annual Conference of the Wisconsin Library Association.
The Adult Literacy Center began in 1988 as a mission outreach to the community. The program provides free Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language classes for adults who request these services.
Volunteer coordinators arrange tutor training, recruit new tutors, and make necessary funding efforts. Many of the volunteer tutors are certified teachers; all are qualified by tutor training in Adult Literacy Center methods and materials. The curriculum centers around practical life skills. The materials emphasize job related vocabulary and community information particularly useful for newcomers to the community.
Libraries can help to publicize the services of the Adult Literacy Center by: being aware that it exists in the community, by distributing informational brochures at the libraries, and by referring newcomers to the Center for help in learning English. Contact Adele Dineen, Director, at 262-377-4770 or email office@gracegrafton.com
Jean-Andrew Dickmann will be conducting two 1-credit storytelling courses this summer: "Storytelling: Finding Your Voice" (July 18-22) and "Spontaneous Storytelling and Imagination" (July 25-29). Classes will be held from 8:00am until 12:30pm, at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee.
For registration information or additional details, contact Jean-Andrew at jean-andrew@storylore.net or Mount Mary College at (414) 258-4810.
As digital delivery of printed material becomes increasingly efficient and common, some colleges and universities are relocating books from libraries to make room for facilities where students access content on computers. The University of Southern California was one of the first to create such a digital learning laboratory in 1994, and in the past few years it has been joined by schools including Emory University, the University of Georgia, the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, and the University of Houston. The University of Texas at Austin has recently decided to move all of the books from its undergraduate library to other facilities and create an "electronic information commons." No one expects books to disappear completely, but, according to Geneva Henry, executive director of the digital library initiative at Rice University, libraries should be primarily concerned with the exchange of ideas rather than simply storage of books. As colleges and universities work to provide appropriate services to students who have grown up with computers, the trend to use electronic resources is likely to continue.
The WLA Foundation is again sponsoring a tour to New York City. The tour is an extended weekend that goes from September 21 - 25, 2005. The costs range from $699 to $1,099 per person and include airfare, ground transportation, four nights in a hotel, and one theatre ticket. You can enjoy the sites, theatre, and shopping! Contact Rebecca Roepke at the Cudahy Family Library, 414-769-2246 or email rebecca.roepke@mcfls.org
