New Adventure Video Game from PBS
This guest post is provided by Marci Glaus, PBS Wisconsin Education.
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This guest post is provided by Marci Glaus, PBS Wisconsin Education.
Libraries participating in the Wisconsin Libraries Transforming Communities cohort are highlighted in a statewide community engagement report released today by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
The BadgerLink team seeks applicants to participate in the BadgerLink Advisory Group. This group seeks to improve the ability of all Wisconsin residents to access and effectively use high-quality, licensed resources provided by BadgerLink, expand program visibility, and build stronger relationships between the program and stakeholders.
On October 7, OverDrive, the digital reading platform for libraries and schools, announced the acquisition of TeachingBooks.net, a long-standing, Wisconsin-founded resource provided statewide through BadgerLink.
It's not too late to order a 2021 WISCAT license! A license remains $200 per calendar year per library code for access to all WISCAT functionality. To learn more about WISCAT, visit our WISCAT Licensing page. To place an order, please use the online order form.
Please make note of the following:
Contact us if you have any questions regarding WISCAT licensing at dpirllill@dpi.wi.gov or 888.542.5543.
The PLSR Project Implementation web page has recently been updated and includes a link to the project roadmap for the activities and timeline for each of the recommendations. A recorded video presentation can be viewed to see what’s been updated on the web page and provides an overview of the roadmap.
Additionally, you can view this recorded presentation or see the slide deck for the presentation given during Wisconsin Trustee Training week in August 2020. This presentation provided a general implementation overview for each PLSR Steering Committee recommendation, including priority levels and next steps.
Do you link to your library’s WISCAT instance or any BadgerLink resources on your library website?
As of September 30th, 2019, all WISCAT & BadgerLink resource URLs changed. Our vendor is currently providing a redirect but that will no longer be in effect as of December 1, 2020.
WISCAT
For reference, the updated URL structure for linking directly to your library’s WISCAT instance is https://www.wiscat.net/home?cid=stwi&lid=XXXX where XXXX = your library’s WISCAT code. If your WISCAT link ends with reset=force, it is outdated and will not work after December 1.
BadgerLink
The updated URL structure for linking to BadgerLink’s authenticated URLs (e.g. Academic Search Premier) is formatted as: https://www.wiscat.net/ext/validateglobal.php?cid=stwi&lid=stwi&dataid=71. As of December 1, 2020, there will no longer be a redirect when using this outdated authenticated URL structure for BadgerLink Resources: https://www.wiscat.net/homepages/CustomerWide/ValidateGlobalIP.asp?cuid=stwi&lid=stwi&dataid=71&term=
Take a look at your WISCAT & BadgerLink URLs and contact us at dpirllill@dpi.wi.gov or badgerlink@dpi.wi.gov with any questions!
In response to inquiries received from various sources connected to the Wisconsin library community, the Division for Libraries and Technology (DLT) reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for guidance on the handling and circulation of library materials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to contact DHS at this time was based on the recent advice released by the State Library of Oregon, in response to concerns about independent interpretation of the results of the REALM project, whose research has provided information about the viability of the virus on library materials, but has not provided specific recommendations on materials handling.
Upon review of the guidance provided by the State Library of Oregon, advice from the experts at the Oregon Health Authority, and review of the REALM test results, Wisconsin DHS agreed with the Oregon Health Authority’s interpretation that a 24-hour quarantine time would be sufficient as a precautionary measure.
DLT acknowledges that these recommendations are intended to assist libraries in making local decisions about handling and circulating materials safely. Regional and local conditions should be taken into account when considering changes to current materials handling and delivery practices. We strongly encourage local libraries to communicate with their public library systems prior to making such changes, as systems may need time to prepare for logistical challenges brought on by an influx of circulating materials.
Libraries can continue to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by following the safety protocols of mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing, increased cleaning; by avoiding touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth; and by limiting in-person services and reducing occupancy within their facilities.
The Wisconsin Public Libraries Reopening Guide will be edited to include this updated information this week.
Submitted by the Libraries Team, DLT
On July 21, 2020, scientists at Battelle Labs released the results of Test 2of the REALM Project. Library materials tested included Braille paper pages, glossy book pages, magazine pages, children’s board books, and archival folders, in varying environmental conditions. While most of these results came back acceptable under current recommended quarantine practices, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 showed a trace amount of virus at four days on certain materials. In light of these results, DPI and the system directors have determined that the recommended quarantine time for library materials be increased to four days.
We realize that an increase in quarantine time may be burdensome to many libraries; this decision was not made lightly. Because the public library is an institution that people trust, honoring that trust by being cautious with protocols involving public safety, particularly when the science supports doing so, is of utmost importance.
We continue to encourage libraries to communicate with their public library systems to make sure they are consistent with regional quarantine practices. For more information, please see the Wisconsin Public Libraries Reopening Guide and the COVID-19 page for Wisconsin public libraries.
Submitted by the Library Team, Division for Libraries & Technology
The latest version of reopening guidelines for public libraries has been released. The Wisconsin Public Libraries Reopening Guide, a collaborative effort between the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin public library community, provides a process to help libraries develop their own reopening plans. This reopening guide focuses on the safety of staff and the community and is specific to the needs of libraries and library services during this COVID-19 public health event. The decision about how and when to reopen a library remains a local decision.
The overview document offers an "At-A-Glance” view of the process, presented as steps in decision-making at the local level, while the full Reopening Guide provides a “deep dive” into different aspects of reopening, including an occupancy calculator, which can help a library determine how many people it will allow in the library or a specific space.
Please NOTE these documents replace the previous reopening guidelines. Due to the cancellation of the DHS Safer at Home orders and the Badger Bounce Back Plan, this guide is no longer aligned with such orders. Further, while the Reopening Guide will evolve as additional information becomes available, scaled service levels no longer exist.
We encourage libraries to share this information with trustees to ensure informed decisions when planning future service offerings within the context of the pandemic.
A walkthrough webinar has been scheduled for Thursday, June 4, at 10:30 a.m. This webinar will be recorded and shared promptly. In-depth webinars will follow beginning next week, as needed.
Please contact your public library system if you require additional information.
Submitted by the Library Team, Division for Libraries and Technology