The Library Connection

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

Volume 27 Number 11   November 2007

Click here for the Winter 2007 Bookmobile Schedule

Erin Coppersmith Becomes Director @ Kohler Public Library

Erin Coppersmith has recently been named Director at Kohler Public Library.  In her new role as Director, Erin is looking forward to improving the library’s presence in the community and expanding the library’s involvement in system-wide projects. 

Erin was born and raised in Sheboygan County.  She served nine years in the West Bend Air Medical Unit of the Army National Guard.  She and her husband have three children. 

Erin, who has been employed at Kohler Public Library for the past nine years, is familiar with the challenges of working in a K-12/public library.  She considers herself lucky to be employed in a job that she loves and hopes to spend many more years at Kohler Public Library.  She is looking forward to working with librarians in Eastern Shores Library System and beyond.   

Cataloging Update 

Without accurate records finding items in EasiCat can become a tedious nightmare.  For the cataloging staff of ESLS the ultimate goal is a “clean” and up-do-date catalog.  The integrity of the catalog directly impacts everyone’s ability to find what they need.  Balancing speed with accuracy is essential to the cataloging staff.  Alison Ross, the Cataloging Librarian for Eastern Shores, supervises this process.

In 2001 ESLS member libraries merged their records into the Horizon database.  Unfortunately that process also created duplicate, incomplete and inaccurate records in the Horizon database.  The ESLS cataloging staff works daily on database clean-up.  They also work to keep the database up to date with new additions and recently adjusted their workflow to allow for more quickly enhanced access, especially to subjects, series and authors. Currently, everything since mid-March 2007 has been overlaid with an OCLC record if a record was available in OCLC.  New records are typically overlaid sometime during the week after they are created.

An additional staff position was created this year to assist the cataloging librarian.  Since Denise Cook has assumed this position there has been a significant increase in cataloging output.  While there is still a backlog, it is a contained group.  It currently includes records from about mid-July 2006 to mid-February/early March 2007.  In addition, thanks to the addition of Denise and some other changes, ESLS staff have been consistently cataloging more records than are entered by the libraries for the past 5 months.  This means the backlog has been steadily shrinking since sometime in May/June. That should continue to be the case until the backlog has been dealt with once and for all. As Alison stated, " I'm sorry we can't get rid of it in a snap, but it's been growing for a couple of years, so it will take more than a few months to vanquish it.  However it's shrinking instead of growing now, so we're headed in the right direction ". 

Children's Librarians Corner

Thinking About Teens

Arlene Willman, Lakeview Community Library

I attended the Bay Beach Sanctuary SLP workshop in October and came away inspired, not just for next summer, but for the rest of the year too!  This year it was a tough choice for workshops because they all sounded awesome!  The committee had the foresight to include all of the program handouts in everyone’s folders so that we could still benefit from the workshops we were unable to attend.  If anyone would like copies from the workshops log on to http://www.dpi.wi.gov/pld/slp.html. 

I especially enjoyed the Metamorphosis & More Teens and SLP workshop presented by Linda Jerome from La Crosse Public Library.  I have done very little programming for young adults and this workshop was the jump-start I needed to get going! 

My first step is organizing a TAG (Teen Advisory Group).  Our first organizational meeting is on the next Friday off of school.  I’m serving pizza during a lunchtime meeting.  Hopefully this will entice some 7^th – 12^th graders to come in and tell me what kind of programs they want to see in the library.  I typed up a list of examples to give them some ideas and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

La Crosse Public Library’s programs have come to be known as Pizza Fridays. She always serves food and always does a multi-media display of check out materials to go with the program.  Linda’s most successful advertising is doing school visits.  The teens remember a face better than a flyer, poster, newspaper ad etc.  Even if the teen doesn’t remember the details of the upcoming program, they remember “that lady from the library that came to my class.”

Successful Ideas for La Crosse have included a “Transform Yourself” workshop.  (This will fit next summer’s Metamorphosis theme.)  She finds cosmetologists and salon workers to volunteer to do makeovers.  This is a predominantly female program but she tells guys that if they want to meet a lot of girls the library is where they will be! 

Online events including trivia contests and Treasure hunts are an easy, inexpensive program.  Any teen that submits the correct answers gets their name in a drawing for a prize.  Linda, the young adult librarian, also holds a drawing for teens that sign up to be a “friend” of her library MySpace or Facebook account. 

Duct Tape programs have been popular and not too labor intensive. The library supplies multicolored rolls of duct tape, an idea book and lets the teens create.  Always mention the “Stuck at Prom” Duck brand duct tape scholarship contest. 

Not all teen programs need to have educational redeeming value.  Sometimes, teens just want to have “stupid fun”.  Everyone loves bubble wrap so for a fun program try Bubble Wrap 101. Chase’s calendar of events has designated the last Monday of January as Bubble Wrap Appreciation Days.  The website http://www.sealedair.com/index.htm includes information for the second annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors.  As well as having teens create things, you can give a Bubble Wrap Demonstration.  Show different methods and styles to popping your wrap such as the single pop, the multi pop and twist methods.  Bubble Wrap etiquette is always important to cover, for instance, never pop someone else’s bubble wrap.  Finish off the program with a fun game of Bubble wrap twister.

“Stupid Fun” programs also include a “Gocks” Program. Yes, I said Gock, Saying this during a school visit will wake up any teen, or teacher not paying attention!  A Gock is a gothic sock puppet. This idea was on the PUBYAC listserve awhile back.   It’s a great way to use up all the odds and ends leftover from kid’s craft programs.   Each teen brings a clean sock to decorate.  It wouldn’t hurt to have a few extras on hand for anyone who forgets.    It has been advised that you cannot have too much hot glue or too many scissors at this program. 

Gaming programs are of great interest to me right now; if the Wii Gaming grant comes through I plan to have a video game night as soon as possible.  La Crosse has had game nights including video, board, card, and big games.  Big games involve using the library space as your game board, such as a live clue program.  When I promote a game program I plan to advise the teens that if this goes well, we will do it again, if it doesn’t they will never see it again.

A “Candy Explosion” would be a fun program to have around Valentine’s Day or Halloween.  Candy trivia on posters can be hung around the room for teens to read.  At the end of the night, take down the posters and have a candy trivia contest.  Whoever gets the questions right wins a candy bar.  Kids can make Candy Pizzas with frosted Rice Krispie bars and candy toppings. 

A more academic program is a poetry and/or short story writing contest.  Give the teens  one month to submit their writing.  Some teachers may even use the contest as an assignment or for extra credit.  Friends Groups cans donate cash prizes. Solicit local middle and high school English teachers and professors to be judges.

The most ambitious event that Linda from La Crosse has hosted is their Spring Break Out.  On the first night of  Spring break they had a huge party including three local teen bands, food (walking tacos), games such as Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero on a projection screen, and drawings for raffle prizes.  Their most popular advertising for this program was a commercial filmed by their TAG members and aired on YouTube.  The kids had a great time making the commercial and the editing was done with Windows Movie Maker.  The commercial can be viewed on www.youtube.com by searching under La Crosse Library Spring Break Out.

Linda included the following websites for finding ideas for teen programs: 

I hope some of the above gives you ideas to ‘jump-start’ your library’s programming for teens!

JMKAC Special Collection

Jamie McFarlane,Librarian/Archivist

http://www.jmkac.org/learn-and-explore/general/resource-center.html

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center recently celebrated its fortieth birthday. Established in 1967 the Arts Center's " Mission is to encourage and support innovative explorations in the arts and to foster an exchange between a national community of artists and a broad public that will help realize the power of the arts to inspire and transform our world". To enhance this exchange a Resource Center is available.

The Resource Center offers research materials in line with the Arts Center’s collection and exhibition focus: artist-environment builders, contemporary art (public art, installations, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, etc) and craft (ceramic, wood, fiber, glass, jewelry and art metal-work, etc), and some folk or traditional art. The majority of the print resource collection consists of exhibition publications from institutions around the world. Some multimedia/audiovisual resources are also available for listening/viewing.

The Resource Center is also a source for Arts Center history, including:

    * Visual history available in a digital image database
    * Information about past exhibitions and exhibited artists
    * Examples of work created by artists in the Arts/Industry residency
      program
    * Videos of community performances through the Connecting
      Communities program
    * Audio and/or video recordings of various Arts Center-sponsored
      presentations, performances, lectures, conferences, etc.

The Resource Center is located on the ground floor of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, between the Community Gallery and the John Michael Kohler home. (The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is located in downtown Sheboygan, on 7th and New York.)

It is open to the public when staffed, generally 10-5, Monday-Friday, but may be closed without notice. Visitors are advised to schedule an appointment or call/email ahead so that Resource Center staff are available to assist (920-458-6144 x147; resource@jmkac.org). The collection is non-circulating but photocopies may be made for a nominal fee.

The Resource Center is made available through the generosity of the J. L. French Family Foundation.

This is the second in a series of articles on Special Collections in the ESLS area.

End-Of-Life Resources in Spanish

Lakeview Community Library in Random Lake and Mead Public Library in Sheboygan have received multiple copies, in Spanish translation of three booklets on end-of-life subjects.  The booklets published by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization are available as part of the LSTA Grant, ESLS=Extending the Services of Libraries to Seniors.  

Sobre Hospicios is the Spanish translation of About Hospice, a booklet that provides information on the topic of hospice as it relates to the public, the patient and the family of the patient considering hospice care. 

Los Hospicios Bajo Medicare is the Spanish translation of Hospice Under Medicare. The booklet offers a clear explanation of hospice services under Medicare.  Eligibility requirements and individuals rights are clearly outlined in the text.  Readers will also find tips on how to locate hospice services. 

Acerca de la Tristeza is the Spanish translation of About Grief.  This booklet helps people understand their feelings, recognize the stages of grief, cope with loss, and provides ways for them to move beyond their grief. 

Interesting Items

* The Great Stories Club (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens, and Books) is a book club grant that targets underserved, troubled teen populations in all types of libraries (public, school, academic and special).  Applications will be available online from December 1, 2007 – February 1, 2008.   Information on the grant and an application can be found at: http://www.ala.org/ala/ppo/currentprograms/greatstories/club.cfm.  The grant will be awarded March 1, 2008.ALA

* No doubt our great grandchildren will not be reading books the way we are. Learn more about the newest wave in electronic books, Kindle from Amazon, in the Newsweek November 26, 2007 article by Steven Levy : http://www.newsweek.com/id/70983 .

* Selected presentation handouts from the WLA October 2007 Annual Conference can be found at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2007/index.htm . Or you can read about programs on the WLA Blog or at the New Cybrary.  The 2008 Conference will be November 4-7 in Middleton.

ALA

* The Public Library Association (PLA) is pleased to announce three new luncheon speakers have been added to the slate of events for PLA 2008, the 12th National Conference. Arthur and Pauline Frommer will keynote the Thursday Adult Author Luncheon from noon to 1:45 p.m. on March 27, and Louise Erdrich will deliver the keynote address at the Friday Adult Author Luncheon from noon to 1:45 p.m. on March 28. Tickets for these events can be purchased at www.placonference.org.

Offered biennially, the PLA National Conference is the premier event for public libraries, drawing librarians, library support staff, trustees, Friends and library vendors from across the country and around the world. The conference includes more than 150 top-quality continuing education programs, preconferences and talk tables, plus several social events and networking opportunities and a bustling exhibits hall. PLA 2008, the PLA 12th National Conference, will be held March 25-29 in Minneapolis.

The Sounder, the weekly community newspaper of Random Lake Wisconsin

* An initial plan for Random Lake’s “Library Bay” area is under consideration by village officials. It would be located between Lakeview Community Library and the lake shore. 

A donation by the members of the Harold J. Mueller family would donate $100,000 to the village for the project as a memorial to their late husband and father.  Mr. Mueller was a longtime community leader in Random Lake.

The plan also includes a meandering upper walkway in the new park connecting Lake Dr. to the library’s east entrance. A new east entrance to the library would be built which would open to the Veterans Memorial Plaza and Garden.

www.esls.lib.wi.us