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Table of Contents
1. Update on flood-affected libraries
2. Publication discusses best practices for immigrant outreach by public libraries
3. Bank of America/IMLS American Heritage Preservation Program
4. New report from the National Center for Education Statistics
5. Latest survey: Over 50% of households now have broadband Internet access
6. Latest survey: Newspaper readers show little decline
7. Better Homes and Gardens Magazine on the value of a library card
8. Website of the Week - Federal Communications Commission: Parent's Place
9. Calendar
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1. UPDATE ON FLOOD-AFFECTED LIBRARIES
Some of the public libraries reported as affected by flooding in the June 19, 2008 Channel Weekly had not resumed services until recently, or remain closed.
In Crawford County:
-- The Gays Mills Public Library re-opened last week after removing carpeting and making repairs. Whether the library and other buildings remain in the flood-affected area or will be relocated has not been determined.
In Grant County:
-- The new Potosi Branch of Lancaster's Schreiner Memorial Library sustained considerable flood damage and remains closed. The community hopes to repair the foundation and building to restore services later this year.
In Sauk County:
-- The LaValle Public Library sustained substantial damage to the building and lost a fifth of the collection and shelving. Repairs and cleanup to the building have not been completed and services may not be restored until late this year or early in 2009.
-- The Kraemer Library & Community Center in Plain sustained flood damage but is planning to reopen by July 28 after new carpeting is installed. The library lost most of its board book collection to flood damage.
-- The Rock Springs Public Library had flooding that damaged the library located on the lower level of the community center. Most of the collection and equipment was saved, but the library lost shelving and furniture. The village awaits damage estimates through FEMA and hopes to restore and resume services in the facility.
The June 19 article reported that the Whitehall Public Library in Trempealeau County sustained flood damage to its collection, but that report was in error and the library was not affected.
2. PUBLICATION DISCUSSES BEST PRACTICES FOR IMMIGRANT OUTREACH BY PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Public library strategies that help communities successfully welcome New Americans are explored in a new publication from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC). Aimed at senior municipal, county, foundation, and library leaders, "Welcome, Stranger: Public Libraries Build the Global Village" examines successful library outreach at work across the country, and its impact on communities.
"As immigration continues at a near-record pace in cities of all sizes, the public library becomes an ever more important asset in helping settle new residents," said Martín Gómez, ULC President." "Welcome, Stranger" is a guide to finding the areas in which libraries can make a difference and identifying programs that turn ideas into action."
"Welcome, Stranger" uses the work of Brookings Institution researcher Audrey Singer as its framework. Singer has identified five broad strategies for successful immigrant inclusion and community adaptation, which are defined in "Welcome, Stranger." Readers are shown how these strategies can be translated as public library outreach and programming. Each section includes a variety of real-world examples from ULC member libraries and additional cases that can be adapted based on local context.
"Welcome, Stranger" explores:
-- Libraries' central role in the collection of formal and informal data on settlement patterns and needs of immigrants and refugees in their communities. Libraries are on the front lines of their neighborhoods, gathering information directly from those in need of services. This is especially true in cities that have not been traditional immigrant destinations. As an information clearinghouse, libraries can build more effective programs in-house, and also provide vital feedback to other community service agencies that can shape and enhance outreach to immigrants.
-- Libraries' innovations in promoting their services through welcoming signage, websites, collections, and provision of basic services in the first languages of their new residents, making the library more usable and more effective.
-- Libraries as leaders in building English capacity, the most important factor in immigrants' chances for success.
-- Libraries' roles as key conduits to other local agencies and support institutions, improving opportunities for work, education, health services, and housing.
-- Libraries as jump-starts to civic engagement through their encouragement of community inclusion and newcomer participation. Authors Rick J. Ashton and Danielle Patrick Milam, both of ULC, note, "Using their historic role as strong, unbiased public spaces, dedicated to learning and exploration, they [libraries] are fostering public discussion of the challenges faced by both newcomers and the communities receiving them."
"It's clear that the public library has an important and vital role to play in providing essential library services as well as directing immigrants to resources in their new communities," said Mr. Gómez.
The publication is available at http://www.urbanlibraries.org/files/ULC_WS.pdf.
3. BANK OF AMERICA / IMLS AMERICAN HERITAGE PRESERVATION PROGRAM
Bank of America is partnering with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to provide grants to small museums, libraries, and archives. This new public-private partnership will fund the preservation of endangered and fragile art works, rare books, scientific specimens, and historical documents (photographs, maps, deeds, etc.) held in small and medium-sized museums, archives, and libraries. The grants of up to $3,000 are aimed at completing stand-alone conservation projects that convey the essential character and experience of the United States. Examples of fundable projects are provided in the grant guidelines.
The partnership builds on IMLS's "Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action," a multi-year, multi-pronged initiative to raise public awareness and inspire action on the care of America's collections. That initiative implements recommendations of an IMLS-supported study, "A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections," which found that nearly 190 million objects in U.S. collections are in immediate danger of deterioration and need restoration or conservation.
The deadline for applications is September 15, 2008. To access application guidelines and instructions, please visit: http://www.imls.gov/collections/grants/boa.htm.
4. NEW REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Academic Libraries: 2006 First Look."
This report provides a statistical profile of the libraries serving postsecondary, two- and four-year degree-granting institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report includes information on services, collections, staff, revenue, and expenditures. The data were collected through the Academic Libraries Survey (ALS), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics. The public-use and restricted-use data files and documentation are also available.
The full report, including supplemental tables, is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008337.
The public-use data file is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008348
For information about obtaining a restricted-use data license to use the 2006 ALS restricted-use data: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/licenses.asp .
For more information about this survey, please go to the Library Statistics Program home page at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/.
5. LATEST SURVEY: OVER 50% OF HOUSEHOLDS NOW HAVE BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS
The latest survey (April 2008) from the Pew Research Center shows that 55% of all adult Americans now have a broadband Internet connection at home. This is an increase from the previous survey, conducted in early 2007, when 47% of households had access. Broadband access was available in just 33% of all households in 2005. The survey results include a wealth of information on who has broadband access and what they are doing online. Some of the findings include the following:
-- In households whose annual incomes are less than $20,000 annually, just 25% have broadband access. In households with annual incomes greater than $75,000, 82% report having broadband access.
-- 38% of rural households now have broadband access.
-- About 34% of broadband users have gone online away from home or work using a wireless connection on their laptop. (In the latest division survey, 64% of Wisconsin's public libraries now offer wireless Internet access. The division has allocated $56,000 in 2008 LSTA funds to help approximately 70 more libraries install wireless access points.)
The full report, titled "Home Broadband Adoption," is available at http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/257/report_display.asp.
6. LATEST SURVEY: NEWSPAPER READERS SHOW LITTLE DECLINE
The Readership Institute at Northwestern University has just completed a national survey on newspaper readership. Here is a summary of the results:
-- Readership of local daily newspapers among the general population is down only somewhat from the last survey done in 2006.
-- Readership in the among 18-24-year-olds continues to slowly decline
-- Readership for people age 65 or older has actually increased
More results of the survey and links to the full report are available at http://www.readership.org/blog2/2008/07/news-flash-readers-have-not-left.html.
7. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS MAGAZINE ON THE VALUE OF A LIBRARY CARD
"Read easy - Forget credit cards--the most important piece of plastic in your wallet is your library card. People who live well and live long tend to be avid, curious readers. Brush your card off and put it to use today." (Better Homes and Gardens, August 2008, page 168)
8. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Federal Communications Commission: Parent's Place -- http://www.fcc.gov/parents/ -- New technologies are changing the landscape of our communications arena almost daily. With an increasing number and variety of communications entering our homes each day, it can be hard for parents and caregivers to monitor, or even track, what children are watching and hearing. While technology has great potential to teach the nation's children, it also has the power to shape their lives and opinions. This FCC Web site offers an array of information to help parents deal with, decipher, and monitor the communications that their children can access. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
9. CALENDAR
September 5, 2008 - Wisconsin System Directors Annual Meeting, Madison
September 12, 2008 - Council on Library and Network Development, Fennimore
September 16, 2008 - Certification & Continuing Education Consultants Meeting, Madison
September 26, 2008 - Children's Consultants Annual Meeting, Madison
October 9, 2008 - Delivery Services Advisory Committee, WisLine web
October 10, 2008 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
November 12-13, 2008 - Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) Meeting, Madison
November 14, 2008 - Council on Library and Network Development, location to be announced
To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe, go to: http://dpi.wi.gov/channel/chweekly.html
Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (609) 266-8770
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn M. Wise (608) 266-6439
Last updated on 8/25/2008 12:20:49 PM
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