1. Wisconsin residents love their libraries
2. Library systems share $15.5 million in state aid
3. LSTA Advisory Committee nominations sought
4. New WISCAT implementation takes place as scheduled
5. Website of the Week - Library of Congress: An Annotated List of
Reference Websites
6. Calendar
1. WISCONSIN RESIDENTS LOVE THEIR LIBRARIES
"Wisconsin residents love their libraries," said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster in announcing statewide library usage data. In 2005, the state's 3.2 million registered library users made more than 33 million library visits to check out books, videos, music, and other materials; attend special programming; or use the library's reference materials and resources, including the Internet. Public library circulation surpassed 57.9 million items, an increase of nearly 2 percent over 2004 circulation. Interlibrary loans, the key indicator of resource sharing among libraries, grew to 5.5 million items, a 13 percent increase over 2004. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (2004) places Wisconsin first in interlibrary loans per capita, eighth in circulation per capita, and 11th in public library visits per capita.
"Our public libraries are a valuable part of each community," Burmaster said. "Library staff work throughout our libraries and library systems to share resources and provide the wide range of services that citizens need. However, our libraries cannot continue to provide more and more services with little to no growth in library staffing levels."
Wisconsin's 388 independent public libraries and 17 federated public library systems are staffed by 6,284 paid library personnel and thousands of library volunteers. Despite growth in library use, 2005 library staffing remained at 2004 levels. The state superintendent's 2007-09 biennial budget request seeks increased funding to support various library services and service contracts.
"Wisconsin's public library and library system staff members are to be commended for providing all Wisconsin residents with high levels of library service," Burmaster said. She noted that library services go beyond books and printed materials. They include such services as BadgerLink, which provides access to more than 700 newspapers and 11,000 magazines; educational and informational programs for children and adults; and other resources that ensure Wisconsin residents have equal access to informational materials required to do coursework, meet curriculum needs, or pursue personal and business interests regardless of where they live or their special needs or circumstances.
A recent report on "Public Libraries and the Internet 2006" showed that 10 years ago, just 25 percent of public libraries provide Internet access. Today, 99 percent of all U.S. public libraries do so. In Wisconsin, all public libraries have Internet connections, and almost all of them provide high speed Internet access. Much of that growth was the result of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant that distributed 743 personal computers and servers to 235 Wisconsin public libraries and branches in 2003. The grant will continue to provide technology training through the first half of 2007.
Librarians interviewed for the report, "Public Libraries and the Internet 2006," placed high importance on computers in libraries. They overwhelmingly said that the most important impact of having library computers wired to the Internet was providing this service to citizens who would otherwise not have Internet access.
"Digital connections, which citizens access through our public libraries, have seen increasing demand over the years," Burmaster said. "Wisconsin's statewide informational databases, such as those provided through BadgerLink, make our libraries accessible to all state residents via their home, school, and work computers. It is vital that those without computers have access to these resources through their local library. From books to web access to online resources, the library's role in lifelong learning is an essential part of helping all citizens participate in our democratic society."
2. LIBRARY SYSTEMS SHARE $15.5 MILLION IN STATE AID
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster announced that Wisconsin's 17 federated public library systems will receive $15.5 million in state aid during 2007 to support cooperative local, regional, and state efforts to share library resources and improve public library service statewide.
The Department of Public Instruction recently sent the first of two aid payments for public library system operations, which will total $15,521,200 for 2007. Library systems assure that all Wisconsin residents have access to library services and help the state's 388 independent public libraries provide higher levels of service while avoiding unnecessary service duplication.
"By ensuring that all residents have access to the wide range of resources contained in libraries throughout the state, public library systems serve as a key building block in the foundation of our democratic society," Burmaster said.
Aid for 2007 represents a 4 percent increase over the 2006 state aid allocation. State aid is the primary state program supporting public library service statewide. The department's 2007-09 state budget includes a request to provide library system aid at the statutory index of 13 percent. Library systems currently receive aid at an 8 percent index. Recent library statistics for 2005 reported increases in several areas of library usage, including a 13 percent one-year increase in interlibrary loans, a service coordinated through library systems.
"Library systems help our public libraries offer high-quality services to meet Wisconsin citizens' library needs," Burmaster said. "However, public libraries have been providing increased services for a number of years with little to no growth in staffing levels, a condition that we cannot expect to continue indefinitely."
Each system's regional board develops plans for using state aid to meet system needs. Across the state, library system services include:
* ensuring that system residents have complete access to all public libraries within the system area. State residents made 33.1 million visits to public libraries and checked out nearly 57.9 million items last year.
* coordinating the loan of library materials among participating libraries to meet user needs. Annually, 5.5 million items are sent from one public library to another library in response to users' requests and are delivered by system-supported delivery networks.
* providing training and continuing education for local library staff to help them provide the best possible service to their communities.
* coordinating cooperative library technology projects. More than 85 percent of the state's public libraries now participate in shared computer systems, and all libraries provide public access to computers with Internet connections.
"Public libraries and library systems provide free access to knowledge, information, and the diversity of ideas that is essential to our democratic society. They serve as a primary information source for small businesses, job seekers, and personal investors. They are a valuable part of each community and make a tremendous contribution to quality of life and economic development in Wisconsin," Burmaster said.
The list of aid payments to the state's 17 public library systems and the news release are available electronically at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpi2006_159.pdf.
3. LSTA ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
Several members of the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Advisory Committee will complete their terms on the committee at the end of 2006 and suggestions for new members to serve on the committee are sought. The LSTA Advisory Committee advises the State Superintendent of Public Instruction on matters pertaining to the administration of the LSTA program. Membership on the committee includes representatives from libraries and library systems of various types and sizes and from different geographic areas of the state. Members of the committee are appointed to serve staggered three-year terms and the committee usually meets twice a year, in the spring and in the fall.
Please contact Peg Branson at 608/266-2413 if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the LSTA Advisory Committee. Additional information on the LSTA program, including a list of current LSTA Advisory Committee members, is available on the web at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/lsta.html.
4. NEW WISCAT IMPLEMENTATION TAKES PLACE AS SCHEDULED
The Auto-Graphics union catalog, virtual catalog, and interlibrary loan system were implemented as planned on November 27. Between November 27 and December 11 approximately 10,000 requests have been created and are progressing through the system. Libraries are utilizing new and more powerful ways to identify holdings, a new method to create book club requests, and filtering by availability and format type among other new features. Staff has begun testing use of ISO interlibrary loan protocols to allow requests to go between different systems and are working to fine tune some clearinghouse functions.
Libraries discontinued use of Fretwell-Downing's VDX on December 13. The Reference and Loan Library staff plans to download statistics before the end of December.
The WISCAT web site is being updated with new information on a regular basis and updates are also being sent out over the listserv. Additional training sessions are being provided using web training and the schedule is being updated regularly. Check the training schedule at http://www.wiscat.lib.wi.us/training.html. The online order form can be found at http://www.wiscat.lib.wi.us/costs.html for libraries that have not yet ordered WISCAT. Orders should be placed prior to December 31, 2006. To get the latest information about WISCAT implementation, join the WISCAT listservs by going to http://www.wiscat.lib.wi.us/listserv.html
5. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Library of Congress: An Annotated List of Reference Websites -- http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/alcove9/ -- The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress has eight alcoves. This ninth 'virtual alcove' is a collection of websites selected and annotated by Humanities and Social Sciences Division subject specialists. All of these websites have components that are free and available to the public; some might require user registration, or may have links to fee-based services. (Website courtesy of refdesk.com.)
6. CALENDAR
January 12, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development, by videoconference
January 19-24, 2007 - American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Seattle
January 23, 2007 - Wisconsin Library Legislative Day, Madison
February 9, 2007 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
February 22, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Madison
February 27, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Waterford
March 7, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, DePere
March 9, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development, location to be announced
March 13, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Rice Lake
March 25-27, 2007 - Wisconsin Educational Media Association Spring Conference, Madison
April 3, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Fond du Lac
April 12, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Fennimore
April 17-20 - Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians, Wisconsin Dells
April 18, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Hurley
April 19, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Wausau
April 26, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Sparta
May 2, 2007 - Gates Foundation "Greener Pastures" Rural Sustainability Project workshop, Eau Claire (WAPL preconference)
May 2-4, 2007 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries, Eau Claire
May 11, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, location to be announced
May 11, 2007 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
June 21-27, 2007 - American Library Association Annual Conference, Washington DC
October 12, 2007 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
October 16-19, 2007 - Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Green Bay
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/training.html.
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For information about Channel Weekly or to submit article ideas, please contact:
Roslyn Wise, Editor, at (608) 266-6439
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn M. Wise (608) 266-6439
Last updated on 1/2/2007 12:31:32 PM
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