Services & Programs

We all know libraries and their services are supposed to be available to everyone. It’s even in Wisconsin law that public libraries have to be accessible to people with “special needs.”

But how can we predict which special needs we need to accommodate? … or which unique combinations of barriers and assets people will need us to address?

The Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide for Wisconsin Public Libraries is meant to be your roadmap for these issues. To see what we mean by this, watch this short video about how one library navigated inclusive services.

As you can see from the video, inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all concept, nor a complete-and-move-on challenge. The checklist and supporting resources found in the guide are meant to help individual libraries evaluate current services as well as plan for the future.

The Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide was designed by Wisconsin public library and system staff for Wisconsin public library directors, staff, and boards with the intent to foster inclusive library environments where everyone is safe, welcomed, and respected. This resource was developed to support libraries in implementing the Inclusive Services Statement. In addition, this resource intentionally complements the 2018 Wisconsin Public Library Standards.

For more information, visit: https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/inclusive-services 

Written by: Tessa Michaelson Schmidt
Public Library Development Team

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 21st for the FREE 2019 Interlibrary Loan Conference at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Marshfield! Organized by DPI's Resources for Libraries & Lifelong Learning team, this one-day conference will provide resource sharing staff with insight into best practices, inspiration, and opportunities for networking. The conference will be an excellent opportunity to be encouraged, energized, and build pride in the job ILL staff do as part of larger resource sharing networks.

This conference will not be platform-specific or Wisconsin-specific -- we welcome those in- and out-of-state, using WISCAT, OCLC, other platforms, or those simply wanting to learn more about ILL!

Registration begins at 9:30am, and the conference runs from 10am to 3:00pm, followed by an optional tour of the Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library at 3:30. Sessions include the following:

• Library Alphabet Soup - Debbie Hensler, SHAREit Customer Services Product Manager, Auto-Graphics
  • Acronyms are everywhere, from news stories to social media to the library. Learn what SIP, NCIP, ISO, API (and more) mean and how they work in the library.
• SCLS Statewide Delivery System - Corey Baumann, Delivery Coordinator, South Central Library System
  • How do items you request via ILL get from the lending location to your library? Join Corey Baumann for a description of the SCLS Delivery Network as it currently operates. Learn how delivery works between public libraries, the UW System, UW Madison, private colleges, and more. In addition, hear about what the future might hold for delivery based on the Public Library System Redesign recommendations.
• Topic-based discussions over lunch, including Best Practices, the Public Library System Redesign project, and SHAREit/WISCAT Version 6.
• Tips & Tricks for Streamlining your ILL Workflow - Maureen Welch, Reference & ILL Coordinator, IFLS Library System
  • Does your interlibrary loan process begin with your patron’s Great Expectations, make you feel the need for the detective work of Nancy Drew while materials seem to take a trip Around the World in 80 Days? Join Maureen to discuss ways to streamline your interlibrary loan workflow from the intake of patron requests to the return of materials and the gathering of statistics.
• ILL and Genealogists - Lori Bessler, Reference Librarian, Wisconsin Historical Society
  • Although there are many resources that are found online for researching family history, there are just as many resources that are not yet available online but can be found in libraries and other research institutions. Family historians are finding this out and wondering how to gain access to these collections. Interlibrary Loan is still very much considered a very vital service to genealogists. Lori Bessler will describe the core genealogy websites to show what they lack that can be accessed through ILL instead.

There is no charge for attendance, and lunch and snacks will be provided. Limited mileage reimbursement may be available for Wisconsin-based attendees traveling 80 miles round trip or more, with preference given to those carpooling, and in order of registration. For more details and to register, see the registration form at http://bit.ly/ILLConferenceRegistration. Funding for this conference is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

With the assistant of IMLS Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services funds, the “People of the Wild Rice” can continue planning for improvements to exhibits at the Menominee Cultural Museum and Logging Museum. The Menominee Cultural Museum preserves artifacts and stories from the tribe’s 10,000 year history. The Menominee Logging Camp Museum is the largest logging museum in the United States and is comprised of seven log buildings and thousands of artifacts. The grant will allow the tribe to add expanded opportunities for learning about their rich culture, rooted in sustainability, both inside and outside of the buildings. If you visit these historic Wisconsin sites this summer, be sure to congratulate them on the grant award.

The Menominee Cultural Museum is open year round 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday.

The Logging Museum is open May through October 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday.

Their application summary: The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin will build on the results of ongoing research to develop an interpretive plan for both interior and exterior exhibits at the Menominee Cultural Museum and Logging Museum. The interpretive plan will reflect the Menominee origin narrative and their known identity as the "People of the Wild Rice." The outdoor exhibit will provide opportunities for seasonal community events, such as processing of wild rice and harvesting maize and other crops. These outdoor activities will help acquaint visitors with the Menominee philosophy of sustainable way of life. Project activities will engage museum staff, consultants, elders, and students in planning and implementing a robust series of traditional activities that supplement and support the exhibit development.

Image Citation: Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America <http://content.mpl.org/cdm/ref/collection/cmnlsc/id/3514>.

Written by Cindy Fesemyer, Public Library Development

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