Technology in Focus at WLA Conference November 2-5 in Wisconsin Dells

Skype, Tweet, "like," IM chat, geocoding, Web 2.0 and 3.0, social
network, digital this, electronic that, i-everything! New technology
continues to inform the way we think about library services and
resources and, ultimately, how we interact with our public. Each year,
new tools are available that inspire change within our work and work
environment.

The Wisconsin Library Association 2010 Conference presents a variety of
sessions that we hope will demystify some of this technology and provide
suggestions for incorporating it into your library mission! Below are
just a few events that we hope are of interest to you.

WEDNESDAY (11/3)
-Can You Hear Me Now? Shhhh!: Mobile Devices in the Library
-Digital (and Free!) Tools in Your Library
-McGyver Library vs Have You Heard About: Showdown of the
LibraryTechnology Titans
-Vocera - Instant Voice Communication

THURSDAY (11/4)
-The Future of Libraries and EBooks
-Learning the Latest Technology @ the Library
-Skype-Based Reference:  A Study and a Pilot Project
-Making the Connection: Online, Email and IM Reference Services in
Wisconsin Public and Academic Libraries

FRIDAY (11/5)
-The Changing Landscapes of Wisconsin: A Digital Archive of Historic
Aerial Photographs
-Social Tagging in the Library: User-Generated Content, Folksonomies,
and the Library Catalog
-Managing Your Online Identity

Check out the WLA 2010 Conference Web site for the full program schedule and registration form.
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2010/index.htm

The 2010 Wisconsin Library Association conference will be held November
2-5 at the Kalahari Resort, in Wisconsin Dells. We hope to see you there!
--Vicki Tobias, Publicity Chair, WLA Conference Committee

DPI Submits Agency Budget Request, Initiatives for Libraries for 2011-13

On September 15, State Superintendent Tony Evers presented DPI's budget request for the next biennium, 2011-13, that includes the following library-related items:
-- Public library system funding at the 13% index level of $28,559,600 for 2011-12 and $29,130,800 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $16,681,200. Therefore, the requested change in funding is $11,878.400 for the first year of the biennium and 12,449,600 for the second year. If funded only at base level, the index level of state aid would decline to 7.7%.

-- BadgerLink funding of $2,946,000 for 2011-12 and $2,960,300 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $2,448,900. After subtracting the costs of Newsline for the Blind ($111,100 for each year of the biennium), the requested funding would represented an increase over base of $386,000 in the first year of the biennium and $400,300 in 2012-13. An increase allows for a pilot project with the Wisconsin Newspaper Association to provide access to Wisconsin newspapers, not consistently maintained by other vendors. The request also includes $205,500 SEG in both FY12 and FY13 to add the Learning-Express Library to BadgerLink.

-- Library service contract funding for the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, the Milwaukee Public Library, Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS), and the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) totaling $1,170,500 for 2011-12 and $1,203,400 for 2012-13. This compares to base funding of $1,169,800, or a requested change of $700 in the first year of the biennium and $33,600 in the second year.

-- Newsline for the Blind supports newspapers accessible by telephone for blind and physically handicapped people. Funding described in the BadgerLink line item would total $111,100 each year of the biennium. This represents an increase of $7,800 in FY12 and $12,400 in FY13.

 --Distribute Common School Funds to school libraries of up to $39,600,000.

View the entire DPI budget request

Libraries are a Bargain in Wisconsin - from DPI

State Superintendent Tony Evers distributed an editorial for Library Card Sign-up Month, stating some interesting statistics. Wisconsin's public libraries rank 8th in the nation in circulation numbers, but only 21st in per capita expenditures. Talk about efficiency! Six out of 10 Wisconsinites have a library card - that's pretty impressive. Spread the word about your library.

Ken Hall Recognized as Friend of Education by State Superintendent Tony Evers

Ken Hall, director of Fond du Lac Public Library, is one of seven individuals and three organizations that will receive awards to recognize their significant contributions to students in local communities and across the state. State Superintendent Tony Evers will present his 2010 Friends of Education awards today in Madison as part of his second annual State of Education address.

In choosing his 2010 Friends of Education recipients, Evers said he is “humbled by the dedication of these citizens and organizations who each day work to improve the lives and education of the children of Wisconsin.”

Ken was recognized for his efforts to address the information needs of displaced workers in the greater Fond du Lac area. Through the services of two VISTA volunteers, who recruited community members to staff the Opportunity Center at the library, more than 650 job-seekers had help to improve their computer skills, write resumes and cover letters, search online for work, and research jobs and companies. Hall extended the services of the Opportunity Center to other smaller libraries in Fond du Lac County, making the library a center for economic development and recovery.

Congratulations, Ken!

Fond du Lac Reporter article on the award

See the complete news release for a list of all winners, including First Lady Jessica Doyle and Wisconsin PTA.

Two Things Government Does Right: Public Libraries and Parks

It's popular for some to bash government programs these days, and the sense of hopelessness because of the economny can leave you feeling, well - hopeless. But, according to a column appearing in the Appleton Post-Crescent today, government definitely does two things right: public libraries and parks. Here, here!

Appleton Public Library Director Discusses Library Trends Via Videostreaming Hosted by Appleton Post-Crescent

Terry Dawson, directory of Appleton Public Library, participated in an interview via videostreaming with an Appleton Post-Crescent reporter about the past, present and future of libraries as he prepares to retire. He discusses e-books and other trends related to digital media, as well as other matters related to libraries in general and the Appleton Public Library. Not to mention what it's like to transition to retirement and what his personal plans look like.

Dr. Robert Smiley Receives 2010 WLA/WEMTA Intellectual Freedom Award

Robert Smiley, PhD, has been named the recipient of the 2010 WLA/WEMTA Intellectual Freedom Award. The award (formerly the WLA SIRS/Proquest Intellectual Freedom Award) recognizes the contribution of an individual or group who has actively promoted intellectual freedom in Wisconsin. It is administered by the Intellectual Freedom Roundtable of the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA IFRT) and the Wisconsin Media and Technology Association Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group (WEMTA IF-SIG). Sponsorship is provided by TeachingBooks.net and the Center for Information Policy Research at the UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies

Dr. Smiley, who recently became Director of Technology for the Waunakee Community School District, has been a powerful and effective advocate for unfiltered access to the internet for school district students and staff. As Director of Technology for the Stoughton Area School District, he responded to federal legislation demanding that schools and libraries receiving e-rate funding filter internet access by weighing the fiscal impact of accepting the funding against the impact on student learning if filters were installed. The result: Stoughton Area School District does not filter.

The principles of intellectual freedom apply regardless of the format in which information is delivered, noted award committee chair Megan Schliesman. “Instead of saying, ‘We don’t have a choice,’ when it comes to filtering, Dr. Smiley’s actions said, ‘We do have a choice, and that choice is to make student learning our first priority.’ The work he has done serves as both model and inspiration for educators in the state and nationally.”

Dr. Smiley took the lead on developing a Telecommunications Use Policy for the Stoughton district that provides the foundation for supporting unfiltered access to the internet. He has educated administrators, community members, legislators and others about the importance supporting open access to information and its positive impact on student learning. In addition to speaking to district staff and community members about the capabilities and limitations of the internet, he has presented at conferences and has attended local, state and national advocacy days for libraries to lobby for intellectual freedom and access for all.

Dr. Smiley has also made it a priority to educate others on navigating safely in an unfiltered world. In her nomination letter, Erlene Bishop Killeen, a library media specialist for the Stoughton Area School District, wrote that Smiley has “upheld the need for educating and proactive supervision of our students so that they are savvy technology users yet safe consumers.”

Additionally, Dr. Smiley has been an advocate and educator on the issue of net neutrality, emphasizing the importance of the internet as a place for the open exchange of ideas and information without restrictions based on content or that would limit or control access. He chaired the WEMTA Legislative committee that developed the WEMTA position on this issue, which states in part, “WEMTA supports the continued access to the Internet as an open forum for the free exchange and dissemination of information and opposes any legislation that would limit or control access . . . . Common carriage is the fundamental principle that supports the Intenet as an open, unbiased medium, and it should not be abandoned.”

The award will be given at the WLA Annual Conference Awards Banquet on Thursday evening, November 4, in the Wisconsin Dells.

The 2010 WLA/WEMTA Intellectual Freedom Award Committee was comprised of three individuals from the WLA IFRT board of directors and three individuals from the WEMTA IF-SIG. Members were Marcia Aas, School Library Media Specialist, Darlington School District; Nancy Biese, School Library Media Specialist, Menasha School District; Val Edwards, Library Media Specialist, Monona Grove High School; Judy Eulberg, retired library media specialist; Joyce Latham, Assistant Professor, UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies; and Megan Schliesman, Librarian, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, UW-Madison.

WISL Gives $150 Stipends for WLA Conference

The recipients of this year's WISL conference scholarship are Jeanne Williamson, director of Leon-Saxeville Library, Pine River, and Sharon Briggs, director of Monticello Public Library. Each will receive $150 to help defray the costs of the attending the WLA Conference, November 2-5 in Wisconsin Dells.

Applications are due in early August each year. Each recipient is asked to share the knowledge they gained at the conference.  Criteria are available online.

"Public Libraries Daring to Be Different" in PM Magazine

Libraries are strategic partners when it comes to solving community challenges, not discretionary services. That's the upshot of an article in the current issue of PM Magazine, a publication of the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA), entitled "Public Libraries Daring to Be Different." Arising from a partnership between ICMA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that challenges city and county managers to be "champions of public libraries," the article showcases nine success stories. A sidebar also describes essential skills and activities for a public library director, such as participation in community planning, sharing the mission of local government, the ability to build partnerships and communicate with the larger community. The case studies in the article include libraries responding to natural disasters, using sustainable energy sources, engaging at-risk teens and more.

Access Online Payments, Membership Directory and Your Profile from MyWLA

WLA has updated and refined some links on our home page, including making a link to "MyWLA" that provides access to the membership directory, your personal membership profile, and online registration, renewal and payments - via MemberClicks. You'll also notice photos of recent WLA activities and a conference logo linked to the 2010 WLA Conference pages. The link to the WLA Blog is now part of the left hand navigation links. We hope you'll find these small changes an improvement in the look of the home page. More to come!