1. Update on Gates Foundation PC funding program
2. Anne Cherrier honored by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
3. Mary Clark recognized at Virginia Hart Award ceremony
4. Wheelchairs @ your library
5. New PR items from the CSLP
6. Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla awards announced
7. Library valuation report available
8. Website of the Week -- AARP Health Guide and Healthy Living
9. Calendar
1. UPDATE ON GATES FOUNDATION PC FUNDING PROGRAM
At the Greener Pastures workshops this spring, DLTCL staff mentioned that many Wisconsin public libraries will be eligible for funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to partly pay for replacing the libraries' public access PCs. Last week the Gates foundation released more information on this "Opportunity Online Hardware Grants" program. This information is at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/USLibraryProgram/RelatedInfo/OpportunityOnline.htm.
To be eligible for this program, public libraries must serve greater than 10% poverty and have PCs that are vulnerable to becoming obsolete. Libraries (or systems) will run a free diagnostic tool to assess the vulnerability of each library's PCs. Unlike the 2003 PC grant program -- where the foundation purchased Gateway PCs for libraries -- under the new program libraries will be free to select the make/model of the PCs they want. The division encourages libraries to work closely with their systems to establish guidelines on the type of PCs to purchase. The amount the Gates foundation will pay per PC has not yet been determined and a local match will be required.
Wisconsin will be eligible for grants in 2008 or 2009. The Gates foundation knows that Wisconsin libraries are on a calendar year budget and thus would like more specific information by August or September if our state is scheduled to be funded in 2008.
Local libraries do not need to take action at this time. Division staff will post updates to Channel Weekly as we receive more information. In the meantime if you have any questions, contact Bob Bocher at 608-266-2127 or robert.bocher@dpi.state.wi.us.
2. ANNE CHERRIER HONORED BY THE NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED
Anne Cherrier of Menomonie was the first Wisconsin user of the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to be inducted into the 10 Squared Talking-Book Club, which honors active readers who are over 100 years old. The Menomonie Public Library hosted an award ceremony for Anne on May 18, 2007. The event was attended by Mayor Dennis Kropp and State Representative John Murtha along with friends and family. Sally Drew presented the award on behalf of the Department of Public Instruction, the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, and the National Library.
The Dunn County News reports that although Anne's eyes may be dimmed by macular degeneration, she maintains a cheery outlook on life and keeps reading despite her affliction, using talking books from the Regional Library. She particularly enjoys historical novels that incorporate inventions, family sagas, and mysteries.
The Regional Library plans to honor 8-10 other Wisconsin users during the year. Nationally, there are approximately 1,600 talking-book users who are over 100 years of age.
3. MARY CLARK RECOGNIZED AT VIRGINIA HART AWARD CEREMONY
Mary Clark, team leader for the Resource Sharing Technology Section at the Reference and Loan Library, was awarded an honorable mention at this year's Virginia Hart Special Recognition Award ceremony. The award was presented May 23 in the Senate parlor of the State Capitol building in Madison.
Mary has been responsible for implementation of various generations of WISCAT technology and BadgerLink operations. Her section also oversees the State Agency Library processing Center, the Wisconsin Document Depository Program and Wisconsin Digital Archive, and Reference and Loan Library technical services operations. Mary's vast knowledge of library technology has greatly contributed to all of these efforts.
Virginia Hart established the award to honor exemplar performance and contributions to the citizens of the state by women in state government. The award recognizes the "unsung heroines" of state service - women whose contributions to clients, co-workers or the public may not be highly visible, but are substantial. Virginia Hart herself had a distinguished career in state government. She was the first woman to serve on a Governor's cabinet in Wisconsin and also chaired several state level commissions.
4. WHEELCHAIRS @ YOUR LIBRARY
For information about how libraries can provide wheelchairs for patron use, along with some promotional materials such as bookmarks to help get the word out, visit the website http://www.ssdesign.com/librarypr/content/p030802a.shtml.
5. NEW PR ITEMS FROM THE CSLP
Stephanie Stokes, chair of Marketing and Public Relations for the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), has worked with Warner Brothers Studios to bring some free mystery resources to CSLP members. Actress Emma Roberts, who plays Nancy Drew in the upcoming movie based on the book series, has recorded a television message encouraging kids to sign up for the summer reading program at their local public library. This recording is available to all Wisconsin public librarians and can be downloaded from the California SLP web page at http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/index2007.html. This recording can be used by public libraries in the same way that the other CSLP television PSAs are used.
Each public library in Wisconsin will be receiving a movie poster featuring Emma Roberts. These have been sent to all the library systems for distribution. A small quantity of bookmarks were also included.
In late May, a PDF of the poster and books will be available on the California web page. Librarians can use it to print their own colored movie posters and bookmarks. There is also a Nancy Drew T-shirt iron-on decal available to download from the site. (Warner Brothers changed the name of the movie to "Get a Clue" and moved up the distribution to June 15th to better fit with the CSLP theme this summer.) Other items on the site include tips on hosting a Nancy Drew party and party ideas, resources from Simon and Schuster including book-related activities and screensavers, a Nancy Drew Word Scramble, window display idea, a craft project for twisted candles, and the article "Nancy Drew Still Shines on 75th Anniversary."
Stokes has also arranged for a free video puppet show created for the "Get a Clue" theme by Swazzle Productions. It runs about a minute and a half and can be downloaded from the California SLP web page. It can be used by public libraries for any purpose related to the summer reading program, including showing it on local cable television networks. To view the puppet show, go to http://www.summerreading.cla-net.org/srpkickoff/index.html.
Detective Ike LaRue, Mark Teague's canine hero for this year's summer reading program, is available as a soft stuffed toy at Kohl's department stores for $5. (He comes with an eponymous heart-shaped dog tag.) Copies of Mark Teague's books, "Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters from the Investigation" and "Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters from Obedience School," are also for sale at $5 each. According to Kohl's, all net profits "will be donated to support health and educational opportunities for children nationwide."
6. ELIZABETH BURR/WORZALLA AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The Children's Book Award Committee, a subsection of the Youth Services Section of the Wisconsin Library Association, selects the recipient of the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award for the most distinguished contribution. In addition, up to 10 outstanding books are selected and a Notable Author or Illustrator is chosen, based on his or her body of work.
This year's Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla award goes to "Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement" by Ann Bausum, published by National Geographic. In addition, the committee named ten titles as worthy of Outstanding Recognition: "Busy in the Garden," by George Shannon; "Flotsam," by David Wiesner; "Gone Wild," by David McLimans; "Hearts of Stone," by Kathleen Ernst; "Jackie's Bat," by Marybeth Lorbiecki; "Lilly's Big Day," by Kevin Henkes; "Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports," by Alden Carter; "Rash," by Pete Hautman; "The Story of Salt," by Mark Kurlansky and illustrated by S.D. Schindler, and "Up" by Jim LaMarche.
Jim LaMarche, the creator of luminous illustrations (ranging from "The Shoemaker and the Elves" to "Rainbabies" to his own "The Raft and Up"), has been named as the Notable Illustrator for 2007.
7. LIBRARY VALUATION REPORT AVAILABLE
The Americans for Libraries Council has released a report on the new field of library valuation, or models for expressing a library's multiple contributions to its community in dollars and cents. "Worth Their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation" was funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is available at http://www.actforlibraries.org/alcreports.php#worth.
8. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
AARP Health Guide and Healthy Living -- http://www.aarp.org/health/healthguide/ -- A new health information services offered by AARP, the Health Guide is designed to help you play an active role in managing your health. On AARP Health Guide, you will find reliable, easy-to-use information about conditions and treatments, medications, medical tests, self-help groups, Medicare rights, benefits and options at the federal and state levels, the importance of quality in healthcare, and much more.
9. CALENDAR
June 1, 2007 - Government Information Roundtable Government Information Day, Madison
June 21-27, 2007 - American Library Association Annual Conference, Washington DC
July 13, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Verona
September 14, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Cable
October 12, 2007 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
October 16-19, 2007 - Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Green Bay
November 9, 2007 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, location to be announcedt.tding the Wisconsin Historical Society, UW-Madison Archives and Record Management, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, and Memorial Library's Department of Special Collections. They serve as a searchable access point to the archival holdings described. Archival holdings can include a variety of materials such as correspondence, diaries, maps, government records, film, photographs, and audio recordings. This collection currently contains 3,156 finding aids and incorporates and supersedes the "Wisconsin Historical Society Finding Aids" collection.
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives
Foreign Relations of the United States
11 issues / 9,338 pages, added 4/11/2007
The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. The series is produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian and printed volumes are available from the Government Printing Office. New additions cover the years 1865-1868, while Andrew Johnson held the presidency. Included is Johnson's message to the 39th Congress which honors the recently assassinated President Lincoln and maps out his plans for the post-Civil War United States.
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://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wiscat/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 6/5/2007 1:52:05 PM
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