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1. PRELIMINARY LSTA GRANT PROGRAM AND BUDGET FOR 2007 APPROVED State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster approved the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant program and preliminary budget for 2007. The LSTA funds will facilitate innovation, demonstration, and enhanced library services in Wisconsin. LSTA applications for 2007 are due September 13, 2006, and are submitted online. Two special studies are proposed for LSTA funding in 2007. One study will address the economic impact of taxpayer investment in Wisconsin's public libraries. The other study will consider the advantages and disadvantages, including the costs and impact on resource sharing policies, processes, and delivery, of schools joining public library shared integrated library systems or developing new shared systems formed by CESAs or other regional groups. Among the other grant categories to be funded in 2007 are: -- Virtual Reference - $70,100 (noncompetitive) Additional detailed information on the LSTA grant categories, including the LSTA Information and Guidelines for Wisconsin 2007, will be posted on the LSTA website in the next week. For more information, contact Peg Branson, LSTA Program Coordinator, 608/266-2413 or peg.branson@dpi.state.wi.us. 2. WISCONSIN LEADS NATION IN USE OF ENGAUGE(r) TOOLSET According to the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium (NCRTEC) staff at Learning Point Associates (LPA), Wisconsin is by far the leader across the nation in the use of the enGauge(r) toolset. By the end of the 2005-06 school year, 294 of 426 districts in the state (about 70 percent of districts) will have trained teams and completed both the online and on-site portion of the enGauge(r) process for collecting data on technology use and teaching and learning. Currently, educators and administrators from 20 districts are in the midst of participating in the enGauge(r) process through use of an online survey that measures participants' perceptions of the use of technology and its impact on teaching and learning in their district. Participating this spring in the enGauge(r) professional development program are educators from: Amery, Boscobel, Chetek, East Troy, Hudson, LaFarge, Luck, Menomonie, Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton, Port Edwards, Port Washington-Saukville, Ripon, Sauk Prairie, Silver Lake-Salem Jt.#1, Somerset, Sun Prairie, Viroqua, and West DePere. Information obtained during an enGauge(r) project, which consists of online and on-site data collection (surveys and peer evaluations), enables districts to analyze data from different stakeholder groups with a goal of leveraging technology use in district teaching and learning situations. This data collection and analysis can also inform on efforts aimed at district wide information (library media) and technology planning, curriculum revision, school improvement, and professional development. Participants from districts this spring will gather for training sessions in early May to learn how to analyze their data and results, report findings and create plans to address identified needs when they return to their districts. This project is co-sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs), and Learning Point Associates. For more information on enGauge, see www.ncrel.org/engauge. 3. NFB NEWSLINE ADDS ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS SERVICE The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) NEWSLINE service has added the Associated Press News Service to its newspaper offerings. The Associated Press is the largest news service in the world and its content reaches over one billion people per day. The NFB receives this content each hour allowing users access to current news stories The Associated Press articles are available from the NEWSLINE menu for each state. NFB NEWSLINE also provides access to 14 Wisconsin newspapers and over 200 national newspapers. Users must be certified as eligible to be able to access the service. The Wisconsin Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped registers users for both the Regional Library service and for NEWSLINE. NEWSLINE can be accessed by using a toll free number. Contact the Regional Library for additional information at 1-800-242-8822. 4. GOVERNOR DOYLE DECLARES APRIL 24 "ASK?AWAY" DAY Governor Jim Doyle has proclaimed Monday, April 24 Ask?Away Day, to commemorate the statewide implementation of Wisconsin's virtual reference service. 15 out of 17 public library systems and 14 academic libraries are participating as full partners in the Ask?Away consortium, which is part of the global QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference Service. In the proclamation, Governor Doyle urges "everyone to use the statewide virtual reference service and take advantage of this important and wonderful service that contributes so much to the information literacy of the residents of our state." The subscription cost to join the national cooperative is being subsidized by a Library Services and Technology Act grant. This means that any library in the state can add a logo to their website and get 24X7 chat reference coverage from the global cooperative. Libraries or library systems that pay an additional fee for the software have access to an email reference system, a global knowledge base of reference questions and answers, and the opportunity to follow up on chat sessions initially handled by members of the global consortium. Wisconsin librarians contribute to the global service by answering questions for the national consortium for a total of 40+ hours a week. Comments from users around the country range from "very cool," to "quick and easy" to "wonderful." One user responded simply "Wow!" To learn more about the service, see the general information site on the Web at http://www.wils.wisc.edu/VR/ or the Virtual Library Publicity Kit at http://www.askaway.info/librarykit/. 5. SUMMIT ON DIGITAL COLLECTIONS A Digital Summit will be held on April 29, 2006, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries, Golda Meir Library Conference Center, 4th floor. The summit will include a presentation by John Van Oudenaren from the Library of Congress. All those involved/interested in statewide digital projects are invited to attend to learn about the Library of Congress's recent initiative to create a World Digital Library (WDL) for use by scholars, libraries, and the general public worldwide. Please RSVP to Ewa Barczyk, Interim Director, UWM Libraries, so she will have enough seats available. Her email is: ewa@uwm.edu. Parking is easily available in the Union underground lot on Kenwood Blvd. A campus map is available at http://www.uwm.edu/UWM/Map3/. You are also invited to attend UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies annual Ted Samore Lecture the same evening at 7:00 p.m., Milwaukee Public Library Centennial Hall. 6. 2006 CHARLOTTE ZOLOTOW AWARD PRESENTATION Mary Ann Rodman will receive the 2006 Charlotte Zolotow Award for her picture book "My Best Friend" at a reception and award presentation on Tuesday, April 25, 4:30-6:30 p.m. The event will be in Harrison Parlor of Lathrop Hall, 1050 University Avenue, on the UW-Madison campus. The award presentation will begin at 5:30 The Zolotow award recognizes outstanding writing in a picture book for young children. RSVP REQUIRED: Please RSVP by Friday, April 21, to Kathleen T. Horning (horning@education.wisc.edu), 608-263-3721. This event is cosponsored by the Cooperative Children's Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Friends of the CCBC, Inc. For more information on the Charlotte Zolotow Award, go to http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/zolotow.asp. 7. NATIONAL STUDY FINDS AMERICANS VALUE, SEE FUTURE NEED FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES A new national study from the American Library Association (ALA) finds that Americans overwhelmingly are very satisfied with their public libraries, agree more public library funding is needed and believe public libraries will be needed in the future. Findings show that: Seven out of 10 Americans report being extremely or very satisfied with their public libraries - up 10 points from 2002. More than 8 in 10 Americans (85 percent) agree that their public libraries deserve more funding - including 58 percent who strongly agree. More than half of survey respondents (52 percent) believe $41 or more should be spent. Americans currently provide, on average, about $25 per year per person in local tax support for public libraries. Ninety-two percent of survey respondents believe libraries will still be needed in the future - even with all of the information available on the Internet. More than one-third of Americans put the benefits of libraries at the top of the public services list - as compared to schools, roads and parks - up 6 points from 2002. Nearly all Americans (96 percent) agree that because public libraries provide free access to materials and resources, they play an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed. "Because libraries offer free access to all - with help from professional librarians - they bring opportunity to all and are a vital part of a civil society," said ALA President Michael Gorman. "Investment in libraries is an investment in education and lifelong learning." Sixty-one percent of library users report using the computer in some way - including checking the online catalog, connecting to the Internet and writing a paper or preparing a resume - when they visited the library. African American and Hispanic adults are significantly more likely to use their public library for job searches or writing resumes than Caucasian adults. "Public libraries are essential components of vibrant and educated communities," Gorman said. "I encourage everyone to check out his or her local library in person or online. Your library card is the smartest card in your wallet." 8. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK Deadly Maps -- http://www.carnegieendowment.org/static/npp/deadlymaps.cfm -- The complete collection of maps from Carnegie's, Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats. Click on each map to view a larger image. Windows users should hold the cursor over the image and click on the icon appearing in the lower right-hand corner to expand the map to its full size. The first five maps reflect the worldwide proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their missile delivery systems. The country maps show the major nuclear installations, both civilian and military, in each country. 9. CALENDAR May 2, 2006 - National Library Legislative Day, Washington DC May 3-5, 2006 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries meeting, Wisconsin Rapids May 12, 2006 - Council on Library and Network Development, Platteville May 16, 2006 - Wisconsin Library Association Support Staff Section conference, Waukesha May 22, 2006 - Spring interlibrary loan meeting for public library system and resource library staff, Madison May 23, 2006 -- Delivery Services Advisory Committee, Madison June 22-28, 2006 - American Library Association Annual Conference, New Orleans October 31-November 3, 2006 - Wisconsin Library Association, Wisconsin Dells Return to the Channel Weekly Home Page For information about Channel Weekly or to submit article ideas, please contact:
Last updated on 5/2/2006 1:54:39 PM |
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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster
Department of Public Instruction, 125 S. Webster Street, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841 (800) 441-4563  Contact Us About Us Copyright Privacy Non Discrimination Accessibility DPI Home
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