Channel Weekly
Vol. 8, No. 19, January 26, 2006

  1. School districts to share estimated $28.2 million from Common School Fund for library resources
  2. Bipartisan effort set to protect 12,000 acres of BCPL lands
  3. The new BadgerNet and library site visits
  4. Federal grants now available through Grants.gov
  5. ALA literary awards winners announced
  6. Website of the Week -- Essentials of Music
  7. Calendar

1. SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO SHARE ESTIMATED $28.2 MILLION FROM COMMON SCHOOL FUND FOR LIBRARY RESOURCES

The state's 426 public school districts will share an estimated $28.2 million in school library aid from the Common School Fund, the state's oldest trust fund managed by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. This represents a 15 percent increase in income from the fund over last year's total of $22.4 million.  Library aid payments for the 2005-06 school year are estimated at $22.32 per census student.  The school census is the number of persons between the ages of 4 and 20 living in a school district as reported to the DPI.

Although library aid payments from the Common School Fund will not be made to school districts until April 25, the DPI provides calculations of estimated payments in January to help districts plan expenditures and permit library media specialists to order materials.  Purchases must be made by June 30 and used for expenditures cited in statute, including books, periodicals, newspapers, software and other media resources that are accessible and circulate from the school library media center.

Complete information about the Common School Fund and this year's allocations can be found on the DPI website at http://dpi.wi.gov/sfs/comsch.html.

2. BIPARTISAN EFFORT SET TO PROTECT 12,000 ACRES OF BCPL LANDS    

A bipartisan group of legislators and the executive secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL) announced a plan this week that would transfer more than 12,000 acres of land now owned by the BCPL to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The lands would be purchased by the DNR under the Stewardship Fund. Money the BCPL received from those land sales, about $2 million a year, would be used to consolidate and upgrade BCPL timberland holdings. Income from the timber harvested from those lands would go to local governments and aids for school libraries through the Common School Fund. Lands transferred from the BCPL to the DNR would go on the tax rolls, with the state making payments to local governments in lieu of property taxes.

The complete announcement can be viewed at http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Jan06/Jan24/0124jensenacres.pdf.

3. THE NEW BADGERNET AND LIBRARY SITE VISITS 

As you may know, the state's Department of Administration (DOA) is in the process of implementing a major upgrade to the BadgerNet telecommunications network.  BadgerNet is the underlying statewide network that over 95% of Wisconsin's public libraries use to connect to their shared integrated library system and for Internet access. 

Staff on the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning's Public Library Development team has been working for over a year with DOA and library system technical staff on issues related to implementing this new network.  We are now at the stage where each public library will be getting its old BadgerNet circuit upgraded sometime over the next 8 months. As part of this upgrade, a representative from the phone company will be contacting each library to schedule a site visit.  The purpose of the visit is to ensure that the library has the proper telecommunications infrastructure already in place to accept the new, upgraded BadgerNet circuit.  (Some libraries may have to make minor physical changes to accommodate the new equipment.)  When your site visit is scheduled, contact your system staff.  In some instances, it will be helpful to have system network staff present to answer any technical questions.

If you have general questions on the new BadgerNet network, contact Bob Bocher (robert.bocher@dpi.state.wi.us, 608-266-2127) or visit http://www.doa.state.wi.us/badgernet.  Most libraries are scheduled to have their new BadgerNet circuit installed between March 15 and August 15, 2006. For the specific install date for your library, contact your library system technical staff.

4. FEDERAL GRANTS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH GRANTS.GOV

All federal grant-making agencies, including those relating to public, academic and school libraries, have partnered with Grants.gov, the Federal Government's single Internet source for all federal grants.  Before you can apply for a grant via Grants.gov, your organization must obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and register with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).  A DUNS number is a unique identification number that has been adopted by the Federal government to help track how Federal grant money is distributed.  Check with your institution's grant administrator or chief financial officer to see if your organization already has a DUNS number.

Once the CCR Registration is complete, organizations can then register with Grants.gov and establish an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), an individual authorized to submit grant applications on behalf of the organization.  That person will receive a username and password to be used for grant applications and submissions.

Registration is now required to submit grant applications. Since this registration process can take up to 5 days for new registrants, Grants.gov encourages participants to complete the process early.  Complete details about this process, including specific steps, tutorials, and FAQs can be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.

5. ALA LITERARY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Here is the list of the 2006 literary award winners recently announced by the American Library Association (ALA):

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature -- "Criss Cross," written by Lynne Rae Perkins, is the 2006 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children -- "The Hello, Goodbye Window," illustrated by Chris Raschka, is the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Norton Juster and published by Michael di Capua Books, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults -- "Looking for Alaska," written by John Green, is the 2006 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults -- "Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue," written by Julius Lester, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award -- "Rosa," illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Nikki Giovanni and published by Henry Holt and Company.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award -- "Jimi & Me," written by Jaime Adoff, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Pura Belpre (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience -- "Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart," illustrated by Raul Colon, is the Belpre Illustrator Award winner. The book was written by Pat Mora and published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House.

Pura Belpre (Author) Award -- "The Tequila Worm," written by Viola Canales, is the Belpre Author Award winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Random House.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience -- "Dad, Jackie, and Me" written by Myron Uhlberg, illustrated by Colin Bootman and published by Peachtree Press, wins the award for children ages 0 to 10.

Kimberly Newton Fusco is the winner of the middle-school (ages 11-13) award for "Tending to Grace," published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is "Under the Wolf, Under the Dog," written by Adam Rapp and published by Candlewick Press.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book
"Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas," written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Sucie Stevenson is the Seuss Award winner. The book is published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
-- Jacqueline Woodson is the 2006 Edwards Award winner. Her books include: "I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This," and its sequel, "Lena;" "From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun," "If You Come Softly" and "Miracle's Boys."

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children -- "Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley," written by Sally M. Walker, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Carolrhoda Books, Inc., a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video -- Michael Sporn, of Michael Sporn Animation, Inc., and Paul Gagne and Melissa Reilly, of Weston Woods Studios, producers of "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers," are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book by Mordicai Gerstein and is narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, with music by Michael Bacon.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States -- Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., is the Batchelder Award winner for "An Innocent Soldier." Originally published in German in 2002 as "Der Russlander," the book was written by Josef Holub and translated by Michael Hofmann.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

"Midnight at the Dragon Cafe," written by Judy Fong Bates and published by Counterpoint.

"Upstate," written by Kalisha Buckhanon and published by St Martins

"Anansi Boys," written by Neil Gaiman and published by William Morrow & Company

"As Simple as Snow," written by Gregory Gallaway and published by Putnam

"Never Let Me Go," written by Kazuo Ishiguro and published by Alfred A. Knopf

"Gil's All Fright Diner," written by A. Lee Martinez, published by Tor

"The Necessary Beggar," written by Susan Palwick and published by Tor

"My Jim," written by Nancy Rawles and published by Crown

"Jesus Land: A Memoir," written by Julia Scheeres, and published by Counterpoint

"The Glass Castle: A Memoir," written by Jeannette Walls and published by Scribner

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children's experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at http://www.ala.org.

6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Essentials of Music -- http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/ -- Whether you're a casual listener or a serious music student, here's the site for basic information about classical music. Created in cooperation with W.W. Norton & Company, it's built around Essential Classics, the series specially designed to introduce you to the best music of every period. All through the site you'll find almost 200 excerpts from Essential Classics.

7. CALENDAR

January 31, 2006 - Library Legislative Day, Madison

February 2, 2006 - Statewide Delivery Service Advisory Committee meeting, Madison

March 5-7, 2006 - Wisconsin Educational Media Association/Brainstorm 2006 Spring Conference, Wisconsin Dells

March 10, 2005 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Madison

March 21-25, 2006 - Public Library Association National Conference, Boston

March 28-31, 2006 - Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians, Stevens Point

April 11-12, 2006 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee spring meeting and public hearing, Madison

May 2, 2006 - National Library Legislative Day, Washington DC

May 3-5, 2006 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries meeting, Wisconsin Rapids

June 22-28, 2006 - American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans

October 31-November 3, 2006 - Wisconsin Library Association, Wisconsin Dells

For more details about these and other meetings, see the WISDOM calendar at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/wisdom.html and the BadgerLink and WISCAT training site at http://www.wiscat.lib.wi.us/pdf/Gates08282004.pdf.

For questions about this information, contact Roslyn M. Wise (608) 266-6439

Last updated on 4/4/2006 4:15:01 PM