Wisconsin Library Stories

A reminder from Paul Nelson, Chair of the WLA Library Development & Legislation Commitee, to exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, April 7 --- and to encourage your library patrons to do the same! A previous survey report prepared for the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium by Morrill Solutions, showed that library users are more likely to vote than non library users.

Visit the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin site to find information on candidates for statewide office and for some local and county races.

Take time to investigate the WLHC online site for a fascinating look at Wisconsin's rich library heritage.

The WLHC, a program of the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation, was established to foster an understanding and appreciation of the history of libraries and librarianship in Wisconsin; to promote the preservation of library artifacts and archives; and to encourage research and publishing that will contribute to an understanding and appreciation of Wisconsin's library heritage.

Thanks go to the WLHC Steering Committee and its Chair, Larry T. Nix, for the creation and guidance of this exciting and ongoing historical preservation project. The opportunity still exists to become a "Founding Contributor" of the Wisconsin Library Heritage Center. Visit the WLHC website to learn how.

this year with the theme Worlds Connect@your library. As you design your library display around this year's theme, don't forget that the WLA Foundation office has a variety of FREE merchandise you can order to distribute to the patrons connecting at YOUR library. Simply complete the merchandise order form found on the Foundation's Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries site and fax it to 608-245-3646. Or call Pat at 608-245-3645. Either way, we will be happy to ship the merchandise to you FREE OF CHARGE.

... when one lives with another who shares the same books." ~ Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand author and literary contemporary of D.H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf.

Mansfield's belief that reading books is a pleasure that intensifies when shared with others is finding resonance in contemporary Wisconsin through the efforts of several community librarians and UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn Martin.

A February 5, 2009, Ozaukee Press article relates how Linda Pierschalla, Director of the Oscar Grady Library in Saukville, along with Annie Bahringer, Director of Adult Services at the Port Washington Library, worked together to develop the "One Book, One Community" reading initiative in the hopes of giving area students and adults from all walks of life the encouragement to read and discuss important issues raised by a single book. Learn why Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood was their book of choice to inaugurate this "One Book, One Community" reading program and about the variety of community-wide activities and discussions planned to celebrate this year's local reading initiative.

Chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin recently invited students, faculty, staff and the community to also take part in a common book project. On February 26, she posted the following message online:

"I am pleased to announce that the university is launching a common book project that will be known as "Go Big Read." Students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community are invited to participate by reading a selected book and taking part in campus discussions and community events this fall."

"The purpose of the project is to introduce new students to the intellectual life of the campus; to build intellectual community among all our students, staff and faculty; to generate exchange between members of the campus and the larger Madison and alumni communities; to emphasize the importance of reading; and to give us a shared point of reference for at least some of our interactions with one another.

To learn more about this community reading initiative or to suggest a title for the 2009 book selection (no later than March 6) visit "Go Big Read".

For details on other "One Book" reading promotion projects or for "How To" information for organizing your own community-wide reading program, visit the Library of Congress' "The Center for the Book" web site.

Middleton Library Director, Pamela Westby, is helping collect children's books for the African Library Project which partners with volunteers in African comunities to create small libraries for schools and villages.

Her efforts in this area resulted from a conversation she had with one of her library patrons whose daughter, currently working for the Peace Corps in South Africa, is involved in a project to help students obtain the literacy skills that will lead to better jobs and a higher quality of life for them in the future.

The collected books will go to Lesotho, where the Peace Corps has the goal of establishing two school libraries in the hopes of creating a reading culture for the next generation, as literacy is the only way these children will be able to find their way out of poverty.

Pamela says that this particular project meshes very well not only with her own personal goal --- of acting as a gatekeeper so that others may realize their dreams --- but also with the Middleton Library's 2009 institutional goals. These goals include an emphasis on global awareness along with a commitment to conservation and sustainability. She feels that recycling/reusing books is a great tie-in with conservation and that reduction in the inequities of resources and information retrieval opportunities is also a part of sustainability.

More than 700 books have currently been donated, with the hope of reaching a total of 1,300. If you are interested in making a donation to help reach this goal, the need is for preschool books --- things like basic English learning, board books and little golden books. Books will be shipped by February 17, so any donations should reach Pamela by February 12. If you would like to contribute, please contact her at pamela@scls.lib.wi.us or call (608) 827-7425.

but the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation (WLAF) still has lots of Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries (CFWL) promotional goodies for you to distribute to your patrons and loyal library supporters. Bookmarks, buttons, window clings, note pads, mood pencils and posters --- all sporting the Campaign's URL and/or logo --- are available FREE OF CHARGE to any requesting Wisconsin library. Access an order form from the Campaign website, fax the completed form to 608-245-3646, and your order will be shipped within a few days via the Wisconsin Libraries' Delivery Network system. (Non-members will receive their orders via USPS delivery).

Make it a New Year's resolution to support the WLA Foundation's ongoing state-level campaign to promote a wider awareness and understanding of the value and importance of ALL Wisconsin libraries to the library communities they serve. The WLAF is delighted to make this FREE merchandise available to you to help you do that. Thanks for your involvement and support in the year ahead!

For those of you who thrilled to the performances of both the UW-Madison SLIS Madtown Truckers and the Baraboo Public Library Baraboo Bookers at the WLA 1st Annual Book Cart Drill Team Competition in Middleton on November 7th, here's the latest info on the team that managed to pull ahead of their tough competition that day at the Marriott.

In a recent phone conversation, Penny Johnson, BPL Youth Services staff and drill cart team member, confirmed that a producer from the Ellen DeGeneres TV show DID contact her in November, shortly after the team's victory. When the producer admitted he had never heard of book cart drill teams, Penny filled him in on the details, answering questions such as how long it took to put the team together, the demographics of team members, ages, photos, etc. She also mentioned he was VERY interested in the national drill cart competition scheduled during the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer. (The Fifth Annual Bookcart Drill Team World Championship event will be featured at the Conference on Sunday, July 12, from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.)

So ... although no official date has yet been set for an upcoming appearance by the Baraboo Bookers on the Ellen show ... could national coverage be in their future during the ALA competition in July? To keep their skills sharp, Penny and fellow team members (Meg Allen, Mary Jo Burri, Anne Horjus, and Gretchen Roltgen) were excited to participate in Baraboo's annual Holly Jolly Light Parade held this year on November 22nd. Regardless of whether or not national fame comes their way, Penny declared that putting together the book cart drill team "was a bonding experience" for everyone involved at the Baraboo Public Library.

If you missed the live performance, you can view the WLA 1st Annual Book Cart Drill Team Competition on YouTube.

This recent entry in the AL Inside Scoop, the blog for American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association, relates the interesting fact that President-elect Obama got his first job as a community organizer in Chicago --- thanks to a librarian!

Read the full entry.

Since its debut in October 2002, the Wisconsin Book Festival has established itself as a beloved fixture in Wisconsin's rich cultural landscape. "Through a unique partnership between the public, private, and academic sectors, the Wisconsin Book Festival celebrates our state's rich literary heritage, brings some of America's finest writers to the people of Wisconsin, and encourages Wisconsinites of all ages to read widely and to read well."

The seventh annual Wisconsin Book Festival, with its theme of "Changing Places," takes place on October 15-19, 2008, in and around the City of Madison, with several local public and university libraries serving as host venues for some of the events.

You can visit the Festival website to check out this year's schedule and learn of other upcoming book festivals taking place statewide.

Jennifer Fink of Mayville, Wisconsin, a freelance writer specializing in parenting and health, and a frequent visitor to her local library, recognizes a bargain when she sees one. "For an annual cost of about $34 a person ... (according to Department of Public Instruction data), libraries provide unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge." In this month devoted to national library card sign-up promotions, read about the value one avid library user places on "the Smartest Card" in her wallet.

Read the full article.