WLA President's Message: Ron McCabe on Moving Libraries Forward!

I am honored to serve as the 2012 President of the Wisconsin Library Association.  Providing education for everyone is the greatest tradition of our democracy and nowhere has this tradition grown stronger than right here in Wisconsin.  Our libraries play a vital role in education and our community, the Wisconsin Library Association, has been moving libraries forward for 120 years. 

Through years that included two world wars and a Great Depression, thousands of passionate and committed librarians, trustees, and citizen activists made sure that Wisconsin’s libraries would continue to serve the many people who count on them.  Today millions of people count on us to move these great institutions through the next era of intense political, economic, and technological change.  This is our moment to make a contribution.

The WLA Strategic Plan, which is available on the WLA website, gives us a starting point for the work we need to do in 2012.  Much has changed, however, since the plan was drafted.   Political and economic support for libraries has been seriously eroded in the past year.  Technological change is also profoundly influencing how our libraries serve the public.  These changes have resulted in a challenging new environment for WLA. 

This year we need to rethink everything we are doing in our libraries as well as in WLA.  We need to do everything better at a reduced cost.  We need to find ways to increase revenues.  Planning and analysis will need to take place at all levels—individual libraries of all types; library systems; the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning; and WLA.  Some of these efforts will be formal; most will involve informally sharing ideas.

We need everyone’s help to ensure the success of our libraries and WLA.  Each of us has something to offer that is important to the future of libraries in our great state.  It is time to increase membership and participation in WLA because acting alone at the local level will not secure a future for our institutions and the library services our people need.  We will stand together or fall apart under the economic and political pressure we now face.  Now is the time to add your voice, your ideas, and your passion to the great cause of educating Wisconsin’s people through library services.  At this moment of reexamination, your input and support is more important than ever.

Let’s ask the big questions, share ideas, and have a great year!

Wisconsin Rapids Library Touted as Heart of the Community

The Wisconsin  Rapids Tribune published an excellent article about the McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, touting the value to users. Mayor Mary Jo Carson calls the library the community's living room. 


"I can't tell you the value it brings to our community, Mayor Carson said. "Many people consider the library the heart of the community, and that's a good explanation of what the library is."

Library director Ron McCabe describes the educational nature of the library's programs and services, including the cultural education provided by events showcasing jazz and blues, along with movies and other programs. Read the complete article...

Ron McCabe: Libraries Play a Key Role in Education

This column, by WLA President-elect Ron McCabe, appeared in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune on June 24.

In our democracy, everyone is allowed and encouraged to participate in the political, social and economic life of their community, state and nation. Public education is the most powerful means we have to encourage and enable this participation. Libraries play a vital role in this effort to create a more perfect union.

Education often begins in the classroom, but it doesn't end there. Libraries provide opportunities for lifelong learning that extend beyond the classroom and beyond graduation. Libraries allow us to share costly educational resources that we might not be able to purchase on our own. Today, networks of library cooperation expand this local sharing by providing access to library collections throughout the state and nation.

As president-elect of the Wisconsin Library Association, I am learning more everyday about the amazing contributions of libraries of all types to the education of the citizens of our state. Here are a few examples that relate to public libraries. I was surprised to learn that more people visit Wisconsin's public libraries every week than the Packers home game attendance in an entire season. There were 35.5 million public library visits in 2009. These visitors borrowed 65.6 million books and other materials that year.

Wisconsin is the No. 1 state in public library resource sharing. If all of the library materials borrowed from other libraries were purchased by home libraries, the Department of Public Instruction calculates the cost of these materials at more than $100 million per year. NorthStar Economics estimated the direct economic impact and the impact of Wisconsin public library services to be $753 million in 2008. In the same study, NorthStar estimated that the annual return per dollar of public tax support for Wisconsin's public libraries was $4.06.

The United States built the best system of public education in the world and the world's greatest economy. Since 1970, however, our country has declined in its educational performance compared to the rest of the developed world. In a recent international study, American 15-year-olds were ranked 15 of 34 nations in reading. Our students scored 17th in science and 25th in math. We cannot win the economic competition with other nations or even neighboring states if Wisconsin fails to provide a good education for its citizens. Supporting our school, technical college, university and community libraries contributes to the educational and economic success of our state and nation.

Free Conference May 26: "Facing the Challenge: Local Politics and Library Budgeting Now"

There will be a free conference for library directors and trustees titled "Facing the Challenge:  Local Politics and Library Budgeting Now" on Thursday, May 26th at McMillan Library in Wisconsin Rapids.  The conference is sponsored by McMillan Library and the Wisconsin Library Association and will feature presenters Ron McCabe and Andy Barnett.

Ron McCabe is Director of McMillan Library, President-elect of the Wisconsin Library Association, and author of  Civic Librarianship: Renewing the Social Mission of the Public Library, Scarecrow, 2001.
Andy Barnett is Assistant Director of McMillan Library and author of Libraries, Community and  Technology, McFarland, 2002.

For conference schedule and registration information, see the conference flyer at  http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/library/facing_challenge.pdf

The State Budget and Wisconsin Libraries - Presentations by Ron McCabe Available

To promote understanding and advocacy, Ron McCabe is now available for public presentations on "The State Budget and Wisconsin Libraries."   Presentations are free to libraries and other sponsoring groups in Wisconsin.  No honorarium or travel reimbursement is requested.

Ron's nonpartisan presentation will describe the role that libraries play in expanding educational opportunities and the impact of the proposed 2011-2013 Wisconsin State Budget on this important work.

Ron McCabe is Director of McMillan Memorial Library in Wisconsin Rapids, President-elect of the Wisconsin Library Association, and author of /Civic Librarianship: Renewing the Social Mission of the Public Library/.  He has lectured on public library development throughout the nation and has served as a consultant to American Library Association presidents Sarah Long and Nancy Kranich.

To schedule a public presentation, see the presentation flyer at http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/library/budget_libraries.pdf

Library Legislative Day Attracts Nearly 200

Despite having been rescheduled on a day of rainy, cold weather, nearly 200 individuals attended Library Legislative Day on March 22 in Madison. Held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association (WEMTA) Conference, the event started with a legislative briefing at Monona Terrace. Prior to appointments with legislators, the group gathered on Olin Terrace and walked to the Capitol building and into the Rotunda. Ron McCabe, WLA President-elect, gave brief remarks before library supporters ventured off to meetings with legislators.

WLA thanks all library supporters who turned out for this important event.

Here is the text of Ron's remarks:
We stand here today as proud representatives of the greatest tradition of our great state, the tradition of quality education for all.  In our democracy, everyone is allowed and encouraged to take part in the political, social, and economic life of their community, their state, and their nation.  Public education is the most powerful means we have to encourage and enable that participation--and libraries play a vital role in this effort to create a more perfect union.

Education often begins in the classroom, but it doesn’t end there.  Libraries provide opportunities for lifelong learning that extend beyond the classroom and beyond graduation.  Our school, technical college, university, and community libraries offer ways to share costly educational resources that we need, but cannot afford to purchase as individuals.  Wisconsin’s extensive and highly efficient networks of library cooperation expand local sharing by providing access to libraries throughout the state.

We are here today representing the millions of Wisconsinites whose lives are enriched by library services.  Years ago a youth services librarian told me the story of a little boy who had attended one of her a programs.  When they mixed two primary colors of paint together and made a new color, the boy exclaimed, “It’s a miracle!”

For those of us who are a bit older, that “miracle” doesn’t seem so miraculous.  But we are all looking for that next discovery, that next miracle in our lives.  And those of us who work in libraries see these miracles happen every day and know that these miracles are what education is all about.  We work hard to make sure that they keep happening because we know that Wisconsin cannot go forward without them.  We ask legislators of both parties to support us in this great work.