WLA 2006: Hints for the Kalahari

Like Pete wrote, almost everything you need is under one roof--and if you didn't bring it you can buy it here.

However, if you'd rather NOT buy it here, here are some hints:

BYOC--There is good high speed cabled internet access in the rooms, but they don't provide cables so bring your own.

There is wireless access at the convention center and in the hotel lobby, and a couple of internet stations in the halls between the hotel and the convention center.

Coat Hangers -- there are only 8 coathangers in a room, so you might want to bring some--or else pack more sensibly than I did.

If you plan to use the WaterPark (which is a blast, BTW), bring flip-flops or water shoes and some sort of cover-up/shirt, or your own beach towel. It is a fairly long walk from the hotel rooms to the park and you can't take towels from one place to the other. It costs money to rent lockers.

There are refrigerators (empty & usable--not pre-stocked with outrageously expensive liquor) and microwaves in the hotel rooms.

That's all I can think of at the moment...Have a safe drive, see you soon!

WLA 2006: A Happenin' Place

The Kalahari is an amazing place. It's just huge but it's pretty easy to get around. You don't actually have to go outside if you don't want to but the weather today (apart from being really windy) was very nice and I enjoyed a nice stroll around the grounds this afternoon.

The Kalahari staff has been extremely helpful getting conference stuff out of cars and into the building (a special shout-out to Charis who helped us get the auction stuff inside) and everyone's very friendly and accommodating.

So -- if you're not here already, c'mon down!

WLA 2006: Banta winner featured in Magazine

Way to go, Sean Carroll! His book, Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo, is this year's WLA Banta winner, and he'll be speaking here in the Dells on Thursday. So how cool is it that he happens to be featured in the latest issue of National Geographic?

The 25-page article by Carl Zimmer is called "A Fin is a Limb is a Wing: How Evolution Fashioned its Masterworks," and Carroll is one of several developmental biologists interviewed about the fascinating similarities between the cellular structures of all living organisms - from the tiny fruit fly to human beings. (We all have more in common than anyone ever imagined, Carroll asserts). The article also includes some of Carroll's images, not to mention some pretty amazing photographs.

I was priviliged to serve on the Literary Commitee that ranked Endless Forms Most Beautiful (the title is taken from Darwin's Origin of the Species) the best book by a Wisconsin author in 2005. You really have to read it to appreciate Carroll's amazing insights. Carroll takes a very complex subject (not to mention timely, given recent headlines about embryonic research), and makes it intriguing, funny, even suspenseful. It reads like a good mystery story, which of course evolutionary biology is. We understand his students at UW-Madison love him. He is a professor in the Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, and is known for using lyrics from Jimi Hendrix and The Doors to make his points. He uses them in the book, too.

You can meet Dr. Carroll at 4:00 p.m. Thursday in the Cypress Room, as well as at the Awards Banquet. Come and hear him speak, then read the book. And pick up the November issue of National Geographic while you're at it.

WLA 2006: The best conference ever

When Joy put a call out for guest bloggers a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance. Sure, I appreciate the opportunity to improve my (very amateur) blogging skills. But mostly I really do think this year's conference will be terrific. So many wonderful speakers, so many presenters sharing their expertise, so many great minds from all over the state coming together to network, exchange handouts, eat great food, and push each other down the waterslides. You really have to hand it to the conference planners; they've put together one exciting shindig in a fun locale, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Among the several presenters I can't wait to meet are Sanford Berman and Jessamyn West. I consider Berman, a retired head cataloger, one of our profession's genuine heroes. Most famous for his advocacy of more accurate and inclusive subject headings, he has also spent considerable time combating poverty, senseless violence, sexism, and oppression. One of the articles on his site is called "The People's Librarian." That's a good way to think about him: sort of the Howard Zinn of librarianship - always putting us back in touch with our consciences. His Wednesday afternoon workshop (2 p.m. Aralia Room) is appropriately titled, "What do poor people need & deserve from libraries." His luncheon speech begins at 12:30, Thursday in the A&H Room.

West is behind the wonderful website librarian.net and was co-editor of the mind-blowing book, Revolting Librarians Redux. Her passion, as she puts it, is "mucking about in the intersection of libraries, technology and politics and describing what I find there." She'll talk on tech trends in libraries Friday at 9 a.m. in the Guava Room, and discuss small libraries and the digital divide at 10:30 in Suite 3.

MATS Blogging the 2006 WLA Conference

The MATS blogging team is at it again! Like we did at the WAPL 2006 Conference, 1 regular WLA blogger & 2 3 guest bloggers will be posting their notes about WLA Conference happenings here on the WLA blog.

The bloggers are...

• Nanette Bulebosh, Kiel Public Library (Blogger profile)
• Joy Schwarz, Winnefox Library System, Oshkosh (Blogger profile)
• Pete Gilbert, Seeley G. Mudd Library, Lawrence University, Appleton (regular WLA bloggin' guy)
• Karla Smith, Winnefox Library System, Oshkosh (Blogger profile)
  

Look for their write-ups & photos of WLA happenings here all this week!

We'll also be linking to presenters' PowerPoint presentations & handouts, posts about the WLA Conference seen on other blogs, and Flickr photos with the tag "WLA2006".

Marathon County Public Library goes wireless

From today's Wausau Daily Herald: "Wausau library hooks up patrons with free wireless Net." It's not cutting edge (according to Mike Cross from DLTCL, "In early 2006, 101 out of 388 Wisconsin public libraries offered wireless service...of the remaining 287, 76 had plans to add the technology by 2007") but it's nice to see a new library service getting some press. Way to go, MCPL!

WPR Program on School Libraries

If you didn't get to tune in this morning to hear about school libraries, go to
the Wisconsin Public Radio archives for the following:

The following program was broadcast today on Wisconsin Public Radio's The Kathleen Dunn Show:
The number of certified Library Media Specialists in Wisconsin has fallen dramatically in recent years. After ten, Kathleen Dunn and her guests discuss the shortage, and what the state should do about it. Guests:
- Kate Bugher, School Library Media Consultant, Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
- Madge Klais, assistant professor, School Library Media Program Coordinator, UW Madison.

The program can be heard at http://www.wpr.org/kathleendunn/.

Madge and Kate did a great job talking about the issues - of course.

Chippewa Falls in the News

Kathy McAlister, reference librarian at the Chippewa Falls Public Library, has a nice article in the Chippewa Herald: "New electronic services offered at library."

From the article: "The Chippewa Falls Public Library is introducing new services to expand access to information and streamline customer service, including self-service computer registration, after-hours access to reference service, and access to a digital repository of items regarding Wisconsin heritage."

Get the word out...

Librarians in the News

The La Crosse Tribune did a nice "Monday Profile" of La Crosse County Librarian, Chris McArdle Rojo: "God bless the teachers at St. James Elementary School. They’re the reason Chris McArdle Rojo became a librarian...."

Interesting Journal Sentinel story about Ewa Barczyk, interim director of libraries at UWM, and her husband, history professor, Neal Pease. They returned an important collection of medieval diocuments from Wisconsin to Poland...

Not so good news in the Journal Sentinel: "MPS often lacks librarians:
Staffing cuts put schools at odds with state policies." The JS notes that Milwaukee Public Schools had "more than 100" librarians 6 years ago and now is down to 56. Since we know that "research links school library media centers and library media specialists to student success," fewer library media specialists is a Bad Thing.

Friends of Wisconsin Libraries Join WLA

Members of the Friends of Wisconsin Libraries voted to dissolve FOWL and join forces with the Wisconsin Library Association at their annual meeting earlier this year. The move allows Friends to focus on supporting their local libraries, rather than managing the activities of a statewide organization.

Since 2005, WLA's leaders have been communicating formally with FOWL’s leaders about how such a transition might take place. The Wisconsin Library Trustees Association, a division of WLA, changed their name to Wisconsin Library Trustees & Advocates in 2005, in order to make it clearer that all library supporters were welcome to participate in their activities and leadership positions. The WLA Board adopted reduced membership and conference registration fees for Friends.

As part of WLA, Friends are adding their voices to others who speak up for Wisconsin’s libraries. There is a great deal of potential in this budding relationship. Members are encouraged to post their comments about this recent change and what it might mean for libraries in the state.