1. Three Department of Education grants awarded in Wisconsin
2. WLA conference scholarships available
3. Youth and library use studies show gains in serving young adults
4. Last chance to "Step Up to the Plate @ your library"
5. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition
6. Calendar
1. THREE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GRANTS AWARDED IN WISCONSIN
The 2007 Improving Literacy Through School Libraries grants were announced this week by U. S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and Mrs. Laura Bush. Nearly $19 million in federal funds to enhance libraries and reading skills was awarded to 78 low-income school districts across the U.S. The grant program provides funds to help schools improve their library media centers and address the reading and other literacy challenges of their students. Two Wisconsin school districts and one CESA (consortium schools) were awarded grants: CESA 12, $180,278; Cashton, $122,637 and Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton, $84,355.
2. WLA CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
The Wisconsin Small Libraries Roundtable (WISLR) is offering a scholarship(s) to WISLR members to promote attendance at this year's Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) conference. Applications must be postmarked by August 16, 2007. The link to information on this scholarship is http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/wislr/WISLRscholarship.htm. Applications should be sent to Beth Knuth, Wautoma Public Library, P. O. Box 269, Wautoma, WI 54982 (knuth@wautomalibrary.org).
3. YOUTH AND LIBRARY USE STUDIES SHOW GAINS IN SERVING YOUNG ADULTS
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA), announced two recent surveys that illustrate progress in staffing and use of library services to young adults.
The Public Library Association's (PLA) 2007 Public Library Data Service (PLDS) Statistical Report tracked young adult service trends in public libraries. The report found that nearly 90 percent of the public libraries surveyed offer young adult programs, with more than half (51.9 percent) employing at least one full-time equivalent dedicated to fostering young adult programs and services, up dramatically from 11 percent in 1995.
"We are seeing one of the largest generations in US history begin their teen years, so it is not surprising to see more and more teens visiting libraries," said YALSA President Paula Brehm-Heeger." Clearly libraries that have embraced teens have seen benefits to their teens and communities and to ensuring that their libraries remain a relevant part of future generations' lives. For libraries considering expanding or enhancing teen services, these statistics can help them to be confident that in doing so, they will find a receptive, responsive audience."
A poll conducted for the American Library Association by Harris Interactive, which surveyed 1,262 youths between the ages 8 - 18 on library use, found that a significant amount of respondents used both their public library and their school library media center for personal use. Thirty-one percent visit the public library more than ten times a year and nearly 70 percent use their school library more than once a month. Of those who regularly use their libraries, more than three-quarters (78 percent) indicated they borrowed books and other materials for personal use from public libraries, while 60 percent sought out materials for personal use from the school library.
The Harris poll also found that nearly one-third of youth surveyed would use both public and school libraries more if they offered more interesting materials to borrow (32 percent public, 33 percent school). One-quarter of respondents said they would visit their school library more if its computers didn't block information they needed (one-fifth cited this for public libraries). Other suggestions to draw more youth into libraries included: offering more activities and events (32 percent public, 22 percent schools); staying open for longer hours (31 percent public, 21 percent schools); and creating a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere (22 percent public, 21 percent schools).
A summary of data from the Harris Interactive poll is available for download as a PDF at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/HarrisYouthPoll.pdf.
4. LAST CHANCE TO "STEP UP TO THE PLATE @ YOUR LIBRARY"
All entries for the Step Up to the Plate @ your library program are due September 1, giving children and young adults 9-18 years of age their final opportunity for a chance to win a grand prize trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., by checking out a baseball book and writing about how their favorite character inspired them.
To help ensure mailed essays are sent by the deadline, libraries are encouraged to collect essays and send them in bulk. All entries must be postmarked by September 1, 2007, and sent to: Step Up to the Plate @ your library, PO Box 118070, Chicago, IL 60611. No express mail packages will be accepted (Fed Ex, UPS, etc.). All essays submitted through the Step Up to the Plate Web site at http://www.ala.org/baseball also must be submitted by September 1.
Since the program began in April 2007, nearly 1,500 libraries have registered for the program at http://www.ala.org/baseball to gain access to free tools to help promote the program locally.
5. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition -- http://www.bls.gov/oco/ -- The Handbook, a service of the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides career information for hundreds of different types of jobs, and provides valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is updated every two years.
6. CALENDAR
September 7, 2007 - Public Library System Annual Meeting, Madison
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 announced
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 8/7/2007 10:32:02 AM
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