Year in Review and What's Ahead: 2024 Library Services Team

As 2024 ends, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Library Services Team is grateful for a year of opportunities to support libraries statewide through impactful initiatives, workshops, and resources.

On Thursday, the Secretary of State's Office along with the Board of Commissioners of Public Land announced a historic $70 million distribution from the Common School Fund to Wisconsin public school libraries during a press conference held at Brown Deer Middle/High School. This marks the largest distribution since the fund started in 1848. The Common School Fund is the primary, and often only, source of funding for school libraries in Wisconsin to buy books, technology, and other instructional materials. The DPI is thankful for this financial support for our schools. 

Assistant State Superintendent for the Division for Libraries and Technology, Dr. Darrell Williams, hit the road again this year traveling thousands of miles over land and water to visit dozens of school, public, and tribal libraries across the state.

These visits allow Dr. Williams and the Library Services Team to see the incredible work being done for our students and communities, while also giving library staff a chance to discuss hardships they are facing. Be on the lookout for more visits in 2025.

The Library Services Team continues to help build connections between school libraries and their local public library. The Foundations of Wisconsin Librarianship Workshop brought together 34 school media specialists and 21 public library staff serving our youth for collaborative skill-building and networking. Guest presenters included the CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) and PBS Wisconsin. We thank them for their partnership!

The Teen Inclusive Internship Program funded by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) awarded grants to six libraries, offering teens the chance to explore careers in librarianship while working on youth-centered projects. An informational webinar on how libraries can participate in 2025 will take place Friday, February 7, 2025, at 10 a.m. Mark your calendars and look for more information in the new year.

Workforce development efforts were bolstered by monthly Library Workforce Connection meetings, addressing important topics like workplace accessibility and health insurance. The DPI has plans for enhancing the workgroup experience in the new year, along with a digital presentation and discussion forum series being planned for the southwest part of the state in early 2025.

Despite not being able to host the 2024 New Director Boot Camp, the Library Services Team did host an “Ask me Anything” webinar for new library directors, preparing them for the challenges of library administration. In the realm of certifications, the DPI released a revised, user-friendly Certification Manual for Wisconsin Public Library Directors, and announced plans to streamline the certification application process. The next in-person New Directors Training Camp is planned for spring 2025.

The Play Make Learn 2024 conference set a new attendance record and continued the DPI’s commitment as a sponsor and planning committee member, emphasizing the intersection of play and learning. The DPI’s continued leadership in games-based learning was reflected in the growth of the Wisconsin Games, Learning, & Libraries Cohort on WISELearn, fostering collaboration among librarians to integrate games into library services. Partnerships with organizations like Field Day Learning Games and the PolarVR Project also enhanced library offerings with new educational tools and virtual reality experiences. Look for new fellowships and “learning games incubation” collaboration in 2025.

Further enhancing library services, the DPI introduced a new Public Library Online Directory, launched an updated Library System Plan and Certification to Comply to an online format, and piloted a Public Library Data Dashboard with WiLS and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium. These efforts aim to streamline data management and improve service delivery across Wisconsin libraries.

2024 was a busy year for BadgerLink. Library Services staff completed a procurement for nine collections, resulting in exciting updates including brand-new Britannica Early Elementary & Young Children, Education Source, Hobbies & Crafts Source, and Home Improvement Source. Staff provided 16 training webinars and are coordinating more for 2025. Stay tuned. Finally, applications for the upcoming cohort closed mid-December. Their work will commence in the new year.

As a continuation of the LSTA Cooperative Cataloging grant from 2022-2024, nine library systems are collaborating to identify opportunities to improve patron experience, eliminate redundancies, and unify technical services processes throughout the state. A statewide bibliographic committee completed a comparison analysis of common records and is currently documenting recommended practices. In addition, the group has established a partnership with DPI staff, which may lead to improved service and discovery in WISCAT.

The Interlibrary Loan and WISCAT platforms continued to facilitate resource sharing, with Wisconsin libraries on pace to end 2024 with its fourth consecutive year of growth measured by the number of unique borrowing and lending requests. With over 300,000 unique requests to date filled at a 92% success rate, the WISCAT platform continues to be an integral piece in Wisconsin’s robust interlibrary loan infrastructure. Wisconsin also boats the highest rate of interlibrary loans completed successfully 2.4 transactions per resident. That is 33% higher than the next best state, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin covers more than 52 times the square miles when delivering these library materials! The interlibrary loan support provided by the WISCAT system and the DPI staff is made possible in part by the support of a LSTA grant (LS-256849-OLS-24) from the Institute of Museums and Library Services.

The Wisconsin Document Depository Program held two meetings to gather feedback on improving access to state government information. This input will shape updated guidance for depository libraries, to be finalized in 2025. In 2024, new materials were created to promote the 32,000 documents in the Wisconsin Digital Archives, including a Search Help page and program overview documents. In 2025, the program will rebrand with new logos, refreshed webpages, and updated signage for depository libraries.

As we look toward 2025, the Library Services Team at the DPI remains dedicated to supporting libraries, promoting innovative programs, and building a more inclusive and accessible library system for all. Thank you to all library staff, patrons, partners, and supporters for making 2024 a remarkable year. Together, we’ve taken significant steps to ensure that our libraries remain places of knowledge, innovation, and connection for all. Here's to an exciting year ahead!