1. LSTA Advisory Committee nominations sought
2. LSTA grant awards approved for 2008
3. Terrie Howe joins DPI as new LSTA coordinator and continuing education consultant
4. Survey challenges belief that Internet reduces library use
5. Free rural library Webinar on community collaboration
6. Website of the Week - The New York Times Learning Network
7. Calendar
1. LSTA ADVISORY COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
Several members of the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Advisory Committee have completed their terms on the committee as of the end of 2007 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 Terrie Howe at teresa.howe@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-2413 if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to serve on the LSTA Advisory Committee. A list of the 2007 LSTA Advisory Committee members is available on the web at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/lsta.html.
2. LSTA GRANT AWARDS APPROVED FOR 2008
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster has approved Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) program grants totaling approximately $3 million for 2008. Congress and the President approved 2008 funding of the LSTA State Grants program at a level that provides a decreased allocation to Wisconsin of about $70,000 from funding for 2007.
The Wisconsin LSTA Advisory Committee met in Madison November 14-15 to review the grant applications and make recommendations to the state superintendent on grant awards. Grant award letters were sent out in late December.
Summary of Selected Proposed LSTA Grant Programs:
Wireless Connections - $56,335 has been awarded to assist public libraries in installing the technology needed to offer wireless Internet access for library patrons or to upgrade current wireless service. Grant funds are allocated based on a maximum of $500 per participating library.
Innovative Uses of Technology - $55,603 has been awarded to assist eight public libraries and public library systems in implementing programs or services that demonstrate innovative uses of technology in the library.
Library Development Training - $18,560 has been awarded to hire trainers to provide expertise to public library staff and boards to learn more about library related topics and issues and enhance the ability of the library staff to better serve the public.
Adolescent Literacy Initiative - $20,000 has been made available to fund a statewide leadership conference and regional training on the literacy needs of adolescents, adolescent brain development, and the role public libraries play in promoting adolescent literacy. Regional workshops around the state will follow.
Statewide Library Strategic Planning Summit - $30,000 has been set aside to support a statewide library visioning/strategic planning summit in May 2008. Planning for this conference is underway.
Shared Systems for Schools - $31,180 will fund a demonstration project allowing two public school districts to develop an integrated shared system under the leadership of CESA 10, with $5,880 of the funding to be used for an outside evaluation of the project.
Library System Technology Projects - $400,000 has been awarded to systems on a formula basis for technology projects based on the needs of the systems and member libraries. The formula takes into account system area and population.
Virtual Reference - $69,300 has been made available for the third year of a statewide contract for virtual reference services available to Wisconsin residents 24/7. Supplemental funds are provided by participating libraries and systems.
Merging Shared Automated Library Systems - $35,000 has been awarded to the Indianhead Library System to merge two existing shared systems to allow for better efficiency. LSTA funds are an incentive to encourage mergers; the continuing costs of this service are picked up at the local and system level.
Digitization - $33,890 has been awarded to allow six public libraries to digitize resources that are unique or of local interest and make them available on the Internet to everyone in the state.
Delivery - $75,000 has been awarded to help support the statewide delivery service backbone structure and to support delivery service to the libraries in the very northern part of the state.
Persons with Sensory and Disabilities - $58,265 has been awarded to enable public libraries to help meet the informational needs of persons who have sensory or mobility disabilities, including persons with vision loss and hearing loss and those who cannot visit a library.
Adult, Family, and Early Literacy - $244,267 has been awarded to promote and demonstrate the role of public libraries in improving literacy and reading skills for people having difficulty using libraries because of their educational, cultural, or socioeconomic background.
3. TERRIE HOWE JOINS DLTCL AS NEW LSTA COORDINATOR AND CONTINUING EDUCATION CONSULTANT
The Public Library Development Team of the Department of Public Instruction
(DPI) is pleased to welcome Terrie Howe as the new Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Coordinator and Continuing Education Consultant with the DPI. This position was previously held by Peg Branson, who retired in July, 2007.
Terrie brings a wealth of experience to this position. In addition to experience in academic, school, and special libraries, Terrie has worked for the Nicolet Federated Library System since 1991 in positions including Information Technology Consultant, Special Needs Consultant, and Northeastern Wisconsin Intertype Libraries (NEWIL) Coordinator. In these positions she has had extensive experience with the LSTA program. Terrie has also been active in professional organizations and was the 2007 WLA Conference Chair.
The DPI's LSTA Coordinator and Continuing Education Consultant is responsible for coordinating Wisconsin's federal LSTA program, coordinating Wisconsin's librarian certification program, and providing state level coordination of continuing education for public library staff and trustees.
Terrie's email address is teresa.howe@dpi.wi.gov and her phone number is (608) 266-2413.
4. SURVEY CHALLENGES BELIEF THAT INTERNET REDUCES LIBRARY USE
Although the Internet is increasingly important as a source of information for a majority of Americans, most adults still use libraries, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the University of Illinois. The survey, "Information Searches That Solve Problems: How People Use the Internet, Government Agencies, and Libraries When They Need Help," was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funding for U.S. museums and libraries.
The survey of 2,796 Americans looked at overall library use and library use for solving problems related to subjects such as health care, education, taxes, and job searches, etc.
More than half of American adults said they had visited a local public library in the past 12 months. Public library users tend to be younger adults, with higher incomes, who have attended college. Among respondents in Generation Y (18-30), 62% visited a library in the past year, and among respondents in Generation X (31 to 42), 59% visited a library in the past year. Of those with incomes more than $40,000 a year, 59% had visited a library compared to 48% of those with incomes less than $40,000. The greater one's level of education achievement, the more likely one is to go to the library, according to the survey. For example, 68% of those with a college degree had been to the library in the past year compared to 44% of those with a high school diploma, and 57% who attended college but did not get a degree. Among the most frequent library users were young families; 63% of parents with children visited the library, compared to 48% of those without children at home.
"The reports of public libraries' death due to the rise of the Internet have been greatly exaggerated," said Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD, Director of the IMLS. "I urge those who encounter obstacles in their Internet searches or who are looking for additional resources to acquaint themselves with their local library professionals. They are an information army trained to search for answers online and in the stacks."
One in eight people turned to their local public library for help solving problems. Of those who visited a library, 68% used the computer at the library. In addressing their specific problems, 65% used the computer to look up information on the Internet, 62% used the computer to check on library materials, 58% used library reference materials, and 42% read newspapers and magazines.
Seven in 10 library visitors received assistance from library staff. Of those who received help at the library, 88% say they found a lot or some of what they were seeking. By contrast, among those who did not seek help at the library, only 53% found a lot or some of what they were seeking. Nearly four in five visitors (79%) say they were very satisfied with the assistance they received from the library staff, and 19% say there were satisfied.
Libraries' potential customers skew towards younger people. The highest rate of use of those who visited libraries for help solving problems were among young people with high Internet access but low incomes because they are still in school or starting out in lower paid jobs, according to the survey. Among Generation Y (18-30), 40% said they are very likely or somewhat likely to visit a library in the future when faced with a problem compared to 25% of Generation X (31-41). Also likely to visit the library if faced with a problem in the future were African Americans (50%) and Latinos (42%), compared to 24% of white Americans.
A key challenge for libraries is to make sure that those who consider the library as a potential problem-solving resource recognize that libraries offer not only Internet access but a host of other assets such as trained staff and reference materials, the survey suggests.
For a copy of the report, please click on: http://www.pewInternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp.
5. FREE RURAL LIBRARY WEBINAR ON COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
Join Bonnie McKewon, director of Northwest Iowa Library Service, at 1 p.m. on January 24 as she presents a "Top 10" list of ideas to reinvigorate cooperation among libraries. Ideas such as shared programming, shared staffing, board and staff development days, countywide wikis, and more will be discussed. Get tips on how to strengthen relationships, use time and talent more effectively, be more deliberate and find greater purpose, and tell even better stories to community leaders. Additional information and instructions on joining the one-hour session are available here: http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=13496.
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The New York Times Learning Network -- http://www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html -- The Learning Network is a free site for teachers, students, and parents of grades 3-12 offering a myriad of innovative, interactive activities based on content from the New York Times. The site is updated every weekday throughout the year.
7. CALENDAR
January 11, 2008 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Madison
January 17, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Wisconsin Valley, Wausau
January 18, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Northern Waters, Hayward
January 24, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Kenosha-Lakeshores-Mid Wisconsin, Waterford (Snow date January 31)
January 31, 2008 - Delivery Services Advisory Committee, via WisLine
February 1, 2008 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
February 22, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, South Central, Madison
February 29, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, South West, Fennimore (Snow date March 7)
March 5, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Nicolet, DePere
March 6, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, OWLS and Winnefox, Appleton
March 14, 2008 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Hartford
April 3, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Winding Rivers, LaCrosse
April 6-8, 2008 - Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association spring conference, Milwaukee
April 16, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Milwaukee and Waukesha, Milwaukee
April 16, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Eastern Shores and Manitowoc-Calumet, Manitowoc
April 16-18, 2008 - Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians annual conference, Manitowoc
April 24, 2008 - HOLA! Project workshop, Arrowhead, Janesville
April 30-May 2, 2008 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries annual conference, Stevens Points
May 5-6, 2008 - COLAND Statewide Library Strategic Visioning Summit, Green Lake
May 19, 2008 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
June 26-July 2, 2008 - American Library Association annual conference, Anaheim, California
June 29-July 2, 2008 - 2008 National Educational Computing Conference, San Antonio, Texas
October 10, 2008 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
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.
Return to the Channel Weekly Home Page
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 2/12/2008 12:20:41 PM
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