SB 375 Approved in Senate Committee, 6-1

Today, the Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Higher Education Committee, voted 6 – 1 to recommend SB 375 for passage.  With Senators Harsdorf, Moulton, Schultz, Hansen and Shilling voting in favor  and Sen. Kedzie opposed, this indicates strong support for the bill.

Next, the bill will be discussed in the Senate Organization committee and then scheduled for a floor vote in the Senate.

Please take the time to thank the Senate committee members for their support.  Thanks to all who have already contacted their Senators and Assembly members about SB 375 and AB 473. (See prior blog post about WLA testimony at the Senate hearing held last week.)

Libraries Support Read to Lead Task Force Recommendations

The following editorial, distributed to newspapers statewide, is by Rhonda Puntney, youth services and special needs consultant at the Lakeshores Library System and WLA's immediate past president.

The Wisconsin Read to Lead Task Force recently released important recommendations to improve literacy in Wisconsin by ensuring that each child can read by the end of 3rd grade. I applaud the attention to children’s literacy; after all, in my career as a youth services librarian and consultant to libraries, I have been connecting children with books and getting them excited about reading for many years.  As the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Library Association, I want to remind teachers and parents alike about important role that all school and public libraries and librarians play in developing literacy skills.

As a youth services consultant for a public library system in southeastern Wisconsin, part of my job responsibilities including coordinating summer library programming for our fifteen member libraries in Racine and Walworth Counties. I work with the libraries to encourage literacy for children and their families.  As any youth services librarian will tell you, a large part of what we do EVERY DAY is encourage children to read.

We begin encouraging reading at birth.  Most public libraries provide storytime programming for babies and toddlers, focusing on early literacy skills and modeling literacy behaviors for parents and caregivers to continue at home.  We then progress to programming for preschoolers, providing safe and nurturing environments and encouraging these children to continue building on their literacy skills.

In fact, Wisconsin has a rich history of providing such programming.  Public librarians in Wisconsin were among the first to provide library programming for school aged children as early as 1898.  And the Racine Public Library has the distinction of providing the first preschool time in the United States on February 10, 1932.  In 2010, programs provided by Wisconsin’s public libraries that were geared toward children had an attendance of over 1.6 million.  Summer library program attendance for children and young adults was nearly 500,000.

A study conducted in 2006 on the benefits of school library media programs commissioned by the Department of Public Instruction showed that student test scores at all grade levels were higher when the school libraries had full-time certified staff who collaborated with planning and teaching with classroom teachers.  And the role of school librarians in promoting literacy and instilling in children a love of reading cannot be dismissed.

I’d like to think the task force recommendations that encourage parental involvement were written with the school and public libraries in mind.  “Support should be given to programs that put books into the hands of low-income children and encourage parents and caregivers to read to children.”  Wisconsin’s librarians are already doing this, and we’ve been doing so for over 110 years.

It’s encouraging that Governor Walker, who chaired the task force, chose to promote the task force recommendations by reading in a school library. I trust that this is truly the beginning of a conversation about how libraries can work more closely with other educators to improve literacy in our state.

Rhonda Puntney Gould is the youth services and special needs consultant at Lakeshores Library System in Waterford.  She is the immediate past president of the Wisconsin Library Association; the 2011-12 President of the Collaborative Program, a grassroots organization that coordinates summer reading programs for all 50 states; and on the board of directors of the Association for Library Service to Children.

Barbara Dimick, Director of Madison Public Library, to Retire

After 35 years with the library, including 15 as director, Barb Dimick will retire on February 24. Susan Lee, library business operations manager, will serve as interim director during the nationwide search for a new director. Read more...

Congratulations, Barb!

Terry Dawson, WLA Legislative Chair, Testifies in Favor of SB 375

SB 375, a bill to delay changes to WiscNet that were inserted into the 2011-13 budget bill in the 11th hour, was the subject of a January 19 hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Higher Education. The committee will hold an executive session (vote) on the bill on Monday, January 23.

Terry Dawson, Chair of the WLA's Library Development and Legislation Committee, spoke in favor of the bill on behalf of WLA, countering claims by telecommunications groups that there is sufficient broadband and cheap Internet service available to everyone in the state. Terry's main points:

• WiscNet provides cost-effective, high quality Internet service to its members, including K-12 schools, institutions of higher education and 95 percent of public libraries in the state. According to information on the Department of Administration's website, service from other providers would cost 4-5 times more than WiscNet charges.
• Schools will likely need to know by February 2013 who their Internet provider will be and they need assurance that the provider will offer services through June 2014.  Extending the deadline for changes to WiscNet to July 1, 2014, will give schools this assurance.

Dawson also took a moment to correct information contained in a news release about broadband access for  libraries from the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association (WSTA). His remarks: "The WSTA claims that some supporters of this bill are making “misleading” statements that 90% of Wisconsin’s libraries don’t have broadband access at 4Mbps.  Based on August 2011 data obtained directly from the Department of Administration’s TEACH program, 97% of our libraries have less than 4Mbps.  Some libraries will receive additional TEACH subsidized bandwidth as a result of the recent BadgerNet contract extension but the great majority will likely still be under 4Mbps.  

"Ironically, 25% of our libraries have an additional broadband circuit from a local cable or phone company because the TEACH program does not have the budget to fund all library or school requests for more bandwidth. Although higher speed access may be available, it comes at a substantially higher cost at a time when  our publicly supported schools and libraries are making great efforts to maintain services in an environment of severe budget constraints," Dawson said.

In addition to Dawson, Jon Mark Bolthouse, Technology Projects Manager, South Central Library Association, and Stefanie Morrill, Director, WiLS, testified in favor of the bill. Others testifying in favor included Ray Cross, Chancellor of UW-Extension, and representatives of WiscNet, the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association, Wisconsin Technical College System, and Wisconsin Farmers Union. Sen. Moulton, as author of the bill, also testified in favor. Those testifying in opposition to the bill were representatives and members of WSTA, including several CEOs of local or regional telecommunications companies, and Access Wisconsin. Take a look at the WisconsinEye video of the entire hearing.

Chaired by Sen. Dale Schultz, a champion of improving broadband access in Wisconsin, the committee includes Republican Senators Sheila Harsdorf, Neil Kedzie, Terry Moulton, along with Democratic Senators Dave Hansen, Jessica King and Jennifer Shilling.

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!

Urge Your Legislator to Support SB 375/AB 473 to Delay WiscNet Changes

You may recall that during the state budget process, language was adopted altering the relationship the University of Wisconsin has with WiscNet, effective July 1, 2013.  The budget bill also required the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) to complete a financial and performance audit of the UW’s relationship with WiscNet by January 1, 2013. This leaves only six months to respond to audit recommendations before the legislation goes into effect!

The new law will directly impact the relationship WiscNet has with its 450 members located throughout the state, affecting service to K-12 schools, higher education, and 95% of the state’s public libraries. During the extensive budget deliberations there was not enough time to adequately discuss this complex issue.  Many questions remain unanswered.

Fortunately, Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Representative Evan Wynn (R-Whitewater) have introduced SB375/AB 473 amending the effective date of the original legislation to July 1, 2014. A bipartisan group of legislators is cosponsoring.

Please contact your legislators to urge them to support AB 473. If your legislators have already signed on as co-sponsors, thank them for doing so.  

The modest extension of time this bill will provide is important from two key perspectives.

• First:  This extension allows the Legislature time to review fully the audit’s findings, recommendations and possible impacts on all WiscNet members.
• Second:  All 450+ WiscNet members—including the UW—need the extra time this bill provides to understand and possibly implement any audit recommendations that impact their budgets and their relationship with WiscNet. 

It may be important to note that WiscNet is a separate, independent 501(c)(3), not for profit, cooperative, with its own operations and organizational structure.  It is not subsidized by the UW and is completely funded through membership fees and services delivered to its members throughout the state.  Decisions are made by the WiscNet Board of Directors, not the UW.

Thank you for contacting your legislators to urge support of SB375/ AB 473!

John DeBacher Named New Director of Library Developoment at DPI

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announces the appointment of John DeBacher as the new Director of the Library Development Team in the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL).  John will begin his new role effective January 15, replacing Mike Cross who retired in September.  For the past seven years John has served as the Public Library Administration Consultant for DPI, providing significant support to libraries and library systems across the state on many different and complex regulatory, fiscal, and programming matters.  Since early 2009 he has also served as the data collection liaison for various state and federal collections and surveys.

Prior to joining DPI, John was a public library director for fifteen years, including ten years as the director of the Monona Public Library where he led a successful library expansion project and made technology an integral component of the library program.  John also served as a librarian in the Chicago Public Library system, as an editorial assistant with the University of Chicago’s Center for Children’s Books, and he has private sector experience in the publishing and software industries. John’s wide array of experiences and strong leadership skills have been and will continue to be an asset to the entire Wisconsin library community as it continues to adjust to rapidly changing work and learning environments.

--Channel Weekly, The DLTCL Electronic Newsletter, Volume 14, Number 13 – December 22, 2011      Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Matt Blessing to Direct WHS Library & Archives

The Wisconsin Historical Society has announced the appointment of Matt Blessing, head of special collections and archives at Marquette University in Milwaukee, as the director of the Society's Library-Archives Division. Blessing, who formerly worked as an archivist at the Society from 1991 to 1999, will begin his new duties on Jan. 17.

Blessing has worked as an archivist for Marquette since 1999, overseeing some of the university's most widely used collections, including the original manuscripts of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" as well as manuscript collections documenting Catholic social justice movements such as Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker Movement. Part of his role has been to digitize significant amounts of material in the university's archival collections for Internet access, something that is also a priority at the Society.
--Bob Granflaten, Wisconsin Historical Society

Call for program proposals: WAPL Spring Conference!

The WAPL 2012 Spring Conference Planning Committee invites proposals for breakout sessions for “Share the Driving” – WAPL 2012: May 9 – 11, 2012 Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center 1001 Amber Avenue Stevens Point WI 54482
Proposals for presentations, panels and workshops are welcome. Possible topic ideas include (but are not limited to):
• Multigenerational programming
• Starting and nurturing a Friends’ Group
• Creative ways to work with Boards of Trustees
• Relationship building with municipalities
• Methods for delegating to staff
• Work flow management
• Community feedback on library services
• Collaborating with local resources for public relations
• Visioning with educational institutions
• Volunteer success stories
• Teamwork with other non-profits
• Libraries as early literacy builders
• Neighboring libraries working together
• Innovative ways of working with youth
• The current technological frontier
• Wakanheza—a winning concept for everyone
• Local authors and how to work with them

Sessions / programs generally run 60-75 minutes in length. Every WLA unit has a special perspective to offer as we assemble our programming.
DUE January 15, 2012

Please use the online proposal form (no login required):

Elizabeth M. Timmins, (etimmins@mail.owls.lib.wi.us) WAPL Spring Conference 2012 Program Chair. Questions?? Telephone 920-833-2725. Thank you and have a creative day!

Poster Session Proposals Sought for WAAL Conference

The WAAL 2012 Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for posters to be presented at Quest for Excellence: WAAL 2012. The conference will take place at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, April 17-20, with the poster session scheduled for Thursday April 19 from 3:30-5PM.

To submit a poster session proposal, please send the following information to Leah Ujda (ujda@wisc.edu):

1. Abstract of the poster content (150 words or less). The submitted abstract for accepted proposals will appear in the conference program.
2. Presenter name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information.
3. Type of equipment you will bring.

All poster presenters will be assigned a skirted table space. No other equipment will be provided. Wireless Internet access will be available.

Poster session proposals are welcome from all who have ideas to share with Wisconsin's academic library community.

Ribbons will be awarded for Best Content, Best Visual Display, and Best Student Poster.

Proposals are due by Friday January 13, 2012. Please send all proposals and questions to Leah Ujda (ujda@wisc.edu) via email.

--Leah Ujda, WAAL Conference Committee