Wisconsin Library Stories

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.

Hurricane Gustav's pounding of the Gulf Coast region this week resurrected for many the sad memories of damage inflicted on libraries, schools, and cultural institutions by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In commemoration of the third anniversary of Katrina, and in light of the current hurricane season, the Library of Congress has launched a "Learning from Katrina" website to provide "insight for better responses to record and artifact damage by hurricanes."

Wisconsin's libraries and their collections, though not in danger from the ravages of hurricanes, can benefit from much of the information on emergency preparedness and disaster recovery featured on this Library of Congress site. Pertinent publications, Web links, and steps to take to salvage materials damaged by fire, flood, mud, or tornadoes are just some of the helpful tips included on this site.

It is always nice to know your efforts are appreciated by the patrons you serve each day at your library and the Carnegie Corporation, in conjunction with the New York Times and the American Library Association (ALA), are creating an official channel to help make that happen.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded the ALA $489,000 to support the new Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times "I Love My Librarian Award." Administered by the ALA's Public Information Office and Campaign for America's Libraries, the award will launch this year and will continue annually through 2013. It encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.

Find out more about this award, including marketing tools available from the ALA to help your library publicize this award, by visiting http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.cfm.

The observance of this year's ALA Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read will be held from September 27 through October 4. Since 1982, this annual ALA event has reminded Americans not to take their First Amendment right to intellectual freedom for granted. As Judith F. Krug, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom points out, "Free access to information is a core American value that should be protected." ... "Not every book is right for each reader, but an individual's interpretation of a book should not take away my right to select reading materials for my family or myself."

Rare is the library or librarian who has not faced a potential or actual challenge to their books or other library materials. A recent article in Madison’s The Capital Times reports how one librarian’s respectful and successful defense of the right to intellectual freedom resulted in keeping a challenged book on the shelf of the local library.

Read the full text of this article.

More information on this year’s Banned Books Week observance can be found at http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.cfm

According to the latest study on homeschooling completed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2003, when homeschoolers were asked about their primary source of books and/or curriculum, 78 percent named their public library. Leah Langby, Library Development and Youth Services Coordinator at Indianhead Federated Library System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, whose husband uses the local library to homeschool their children, states that "It is nearly impossible to homeschool without that amazing resource unless you have a ton of money for materials."

With the number of homeschooling families increasing everywhere these days, this article from the August 1, 2008, online edition of School Library Journal not only presents you with ideas to help your library become a hub for homeschoolers, but also offers great strategies for marketing your library’s homeschool program.

Read the full article.

With the economy continuing to flounder and families finding it harder and harder to make ends meet, more people are turning to their local libraries for budget-friendly entertainment options as a way to save money. According to Tom Hennen, Waukesha County Federated Library System Director, library usage during hard economic times has been a truism ever since the Great Depression.

Read the full article to find out how some Wisconsin libraries are experiencing this reality.

"The reports or our death have been exaggerated again and again and again. People have predicted the obsolescence of public libraries many times ... but we continue to be flexible servants of our community's needs." Jeff Gilderson-Duwe, director of the Oshkosh Public Library, states a reality experienced every day by librarians state and nationwide. In this rapidly expanding digital age, libraries are far from becoming extinct. Read what patrons, librarians, and the statistics have to say about the transformation of libraries into modern community centers in this August 11, 2008, article by Kate Briquelet.

In today's techno-savvy world, options for listening to a good book have evolved from books on vinyl to the Playaway, the newest digital format for listening to books, combining a variety of content with an easy-to-use player that doesn't require changing discs --- just load the batteries, plug in the headphones, and press “play.” It's one more step forward as public libraries embrace new technologies. But, as is true of any technology, audio books can deliver pluses and minuses. Read what’s being said about both in this article posted on August 3, 2008, by Cheryl Sherry, Post-Crescent staff writer.

Also of interest at this link is a searchable database of reports that allows you to explore how your local library system compares with others nationwide, in statistics that range from circulation of library materials to operating expenses to general demographic information about the counties where the library is located.

Several Wisconsin libraries are moving to radio-frequency identification (RFID) of materials as a way of cutting staff time needed for handling books, CDs, DVDs and other materials. Returned materials can automatically be sorted into the proper receptacles for return to other libraries or reshelving in the proper area of the library. The systems are expensive but provide efficiencies, reducing staff hours needed for routine tasks and enabling staff to spend more time serving patrons directly. A July 19 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article describes the experience of New Berlin, West Allis, and Greenfield, among others, who have RFID or are exploring their options.