Foundation Silent Auction Seeks Donated Items

On behalf of the WLA Foundation, I want to remind all conference attendees about the Silent Auction at the WLA conference in Milwaukee.  Once again this year we will have both an on-site and an online silent auction.  Last year’s auctions raised more than $4,000 for the Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries and with your help we should be able to surpass that amount this year!

We need your help in two ways:  first, by donating items for the auction and, second, by bidding on the items either online or in person at the conference.

Donated items that have created bidding excitement at past auctions include (but are not limited to –creativity is appreciated!):
• Fine arts, including jewelry, paintings, sculpture, pottery
• Products or services that a library or librarians would find useful (story hour, consulting)
• Entertainment packages (theater or sporting event tickets, golf packages)
• Hotel packages (e.g., weekend getaways with one or more meals included)
• Theme baskets (a great and economical gift donation for library staff to create collectively!)
• Trips inside or outside Wisconsin
• Collectibles, antiques and memorabilia

Keep the following guidelines in mind as you consider donating items for the auction:
• Please donate items that are $50 or higher in value
• Items are tax-deductible as charitable contributions at their actual value
• WLAF owns the items once contributed

In addition to the satisfaction of raising money to support the Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries and adding to the fun of Silent Auction bidders, those who donate auction items will benefit by:
• Having your name listed on the bid sheet and on the receipt provided to the winning bidder.
• Name recognition on the conference Web site auction information
• Receiving recognition on the WLA website

So, don’t forget to donate those “unused” or handmade treasures you have on hand to the Silent Auction held during the conference.  Visit the WLA Conference Silent Auction site for more information and access to the Auction Contribution forms:
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/wlaf/silentauction/auction.html

See you in Milwaukee!
--Joe Rice, 2011 Silent Auction Chair

Meet the Interns! Susie Seefelt Lesieutre and Laura Damon-Moore

The WLAF has hired two graduate students from UW-Madison SLIS as public relations interns for the Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries. We are excited to have individuals of their caliber working for WLAF. Read all about them in their profiles below:

Name:  Susie Seefelt Lesieutre
Professional Status:  1^st year SLIS student at UW Madison (going part time). Worked as an ESL instructor for many years after obtaining a Master’s in TESOL. Completed further graduate work in publishing and communications and then worked for several years as an editor, both in-house and freelance, focusing on independent and academic press publications.

I decided to pursue the MLS because I felt that the program would build nicely on my previous professions of teaching ESL and editing. And I love being around books and reference materials (but see “aha” moment below).

The biggest “aha” experience of my SLIS education so far is that “digital” defines the profession to a much greater degree than I had expected. I was amazed to learn that academic libraries now often share large database collections that are packaged and sold by vendors, and that as a result of this libraries are having to cancel print journal subscriptions by the thousands and are placing books and other printed matter in remote shelving. Although I am sad to think of things getting canceled and tucked away out of sight, I also think this is a fascinating time to be in librarianship: I may no longer be helping users find books, but I will still be helping them find what they need by navigating new and innovative ways of storing and retrieving information. And I appreciate even more the set of mid-1950s Encylopaedia Britannica I own, which my husband, the eBook Reader fan, threatens every now and then to place in his own version of remote shelving—boxes in the basement.

Professionally, in 3-5 years, I hope to be finished with my degree and working in a library on the UW campus, possibly in a reference or library curation position.

Something interesting about me (not related to libraries): My husband and I adopted our daughter from Guatemala when she was an infant. She’s now 7-years-old and is in the second grade. We have been to Guatemala once since picking her up, to visit with the birth family—an amazing, poignant trip.

Favorite thing to do when I’m not working/going to school: traveling with my family.

What I hope to contribute during my internship: By drawing on my background in language and communication studies, I hope to effectively compose monthly emails for the WLA that will contain recommendations for librarians across the state on how to build advocacy activities into their monthly calendar of events.

Name: Laura Damon-Moore

Professional Status: Graduate Student and Office Assistant to the UW–Madison General Library System

I decided to pursue the MLS because I thrive on conversations and learning about new people, new ideas, new technologies, you name it. I enjoy being an educator outside of a traditional classroom. I am a firm believer in interdisciplinary/cross-curricular education and I think that libraries can serve as a fabulous bridge between disciplines and schools of thought.

The biggest “aha” experience of my SLIS education so far: My fieldwork at Hedberg Public Library in Janesville. It realized for me a love for working with young adults and teens of which I was not previously aware.

Professionally, in 3-5 years, I hope to be working! Many options and ideas: teen/youth services, undergraduate services, library communications, instruction and programming, etc.

Something interesting about me (not related to libraries): I was a theatre major in college! This is coming in handy when teaching library workshops! I also worked in the energetic world of student affairs for two years before library school, which has informed a lot of how I approach library work today. Oh, and my hometown library is Cole Library – a joint-use academic and public library in the tiny town of Mount Vernon, Iowa. That has had quite an impact on my view of libraries, too!

Favorite thing to do when I’m not working/going to school: Read (right now? George R. R. Martin). Do yoga. Take walks by the Madison lakes. Enjoy my first year of married life with Jim!

What I hope to contribute during my internship: An interesting look at Wisconsin libraries for a general public audience. I really want to make library users and non-users aware of the awesome things going on in our state's libraries.