Recently in library news Category

By Rick Krumwiede
(published in Trustee Tale, March 2011)

Recently, Governor Walker introduced his 2011-2013 Executive State Budget.  The proposed budget contains a number of provisions that are likely to have a significant impact on Wisconsin’s public libraries.

Because public libraries are operated by local government units, the proposed $96 million reduction in county and municipal aid payments, combined with a cap on local levy increases, will make it difficult, if not impossible, for most local governments to continue providing their current levels of service.  With all local services being closely scrutinized, libraries will have to compete with other local government services for scarce resources.  However, the provisions of the Governor’s proposed budget repair bill are intended to provide local governments with the tools and flexibility they need to deal with the reduction in aid payments.  (According to the budget document, the adjustments in aids are aligned with “the ability of local governments to realize savings on employee compensation to offset any potentially negative impact on municipal and county budgets.”)

The Governor’s budget also recommends “eliminating the requirement that municipalities and counties maintain annual local expenditures for public libraries at the average of the prior three years as a condition for being a member of a public library system."  Since the establishment of public library systems, the maintenance of effort requirement has protected public libraries from wide fluctuations in local funding.  Without this requirement municipalities would be free to make severe cuts in library funding.  It should be noted that the Governor’s proposal does not repeal the maintenance of effort requirement for emergency services spending, which might make it even more difficult for libraries to secure sufficient local funding.

At the county level, even without the maintenance of effort requirement, counties would continue to be required to reimburse municipal libraries for 70% of their costs for providing service to people who live outside of communities that operate libraries.  Also, county library reimbursements to municipal libraries would remain exempt from levy limits.

Public libraries would also experience cuts in the services provided to them by their systems.  The Governor has proposed to decrease public library system aids by 10 percent in the first year of the biennium, with flat funding in the second year.  This proposal would reduce state aid to OWLS by $67,501 and state aid to Winnefox by $98,430 in 2012.

The budget proposal also includes a 10% first-year funding reduction for BadgerLink, NewsLine for the Blind, and statewide service contracts with Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library, Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS), Milwaukee Public Library, and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center.  Flat funding is proposed for the second year.  The impact of these cuts on local public libraries is not clear at this time.

The proposed budget will go next to the Joint Committee on Finance for consideration before being considered by the full legislature.

A recent article in PM Magazine highlights the important role of public libraries in addressing community issues. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has undertaken a multi-year initiative to inform their members (i.e., professional city and county managers) that public libraries are useful partners in community development.  

The article presents nine examples of local governments and libraries across the country collaborating to address community challenges. A sidebar in the article lists seven skills a library director should employ to develop successful partnerships with local government:

• Participate in local government decision making.
• Know and share the strategic mission of your local government.
• Build partnerships with government, nonprofits, and the private sector.
• Appreciate diversity in your community.
• Communicate with partners and the larger community.
• Foster library champions.
• Embrace innovation.

Read the entire article, "Public Libraries Daring to be Different," here.

Congratulations to everyone involved in launching Fox Cities Reads! It looks like there's fun ahead as readers have their pick of 3 of Michael Perry's recent books. Take a look at Perry's video launch of the program:



Fox Cities Reads ends during the second annual Fox Cities Book Festival, which will have loads of exciting events for book lovers like us. Be sure not to miss Michael Perry and The Long Beds - a free performance by Perry and his band at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center!

> contributed by Beth

Marion Public Library Director Trinitie Wilke has been awarded a 2008 Gloria Hoegh Scholarship for the Education of Rural Librarians by the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation. The award for $450 will be used by Trinitie to help pay for the classes she needs to receive her Grade 2 Wisconsin Public Librarian Certification. Congratulations, Trinitie!

The Gloria Hoegh Scholarship if one of six scholarships for library education and continuing library education supported by the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation. The grants are funded by charitable contributions to the Foundation.  More information is available from the Wisconsin Library Association.

> contributed by Rick

Join library director Elizabeth Timmins in Seymour on Saturday, November 1st for The Friends of Muehl Public Library's 6th Annual Wine & Beer Tasting Event with Silent Auction! It will take place at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Seymour from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Tickets are available at Don's Quality Market, Crystal Springs Golf Course, and Muehl Public Library. Advance tickets will save you five bucks at $15 each or pay $20 at the door. Contact Elizabeth for more information.

> contributed by Beth

OWLS extends a warm welcome to Melissa Carollo, the new Reference/Teen Librarian at the Waupaca Area Public Library. Peg Burington, WAU director, reports:

Melissa is originally from the Madison area and has worked at the Middleton Public Library. She is already having lots of fun with planning Teen Read Month, starting a Facebook page for the Best Cellar and staffing the Reference Desk!

We're happy to welcome Melissa and hope you'll extend your greetings to her, as well.

If your library has any news, photos, or other info you'd like to share in Carpe Hootem, please send the info to me at OWLS for posting. Thanks!

> contributed by Beth

Kaukauna Public Library and their historic Kaukauna photos were recently in the news. Take a look at "Identifying the Faces in Old Photos" on Fox11. Here's the description of the video news story:

Is a picture always worth a thousand words? What's it worth if you have no idea what the picture is, or who's even in it? Kaukauna Historical Society members say they're still worth holding onto and are trying to attach some names to pictures in their collection before those who may know the names are lost for good.

You can see KAU's photo collection on Picasa. Let us know if you have more names for the faces and places since this aired, okay Maggie?

> contributed by Beth

Barbara Wentzel, Kimberly-Little Chute Public Library director, has an announcement!

"We have a new co-youth librarian who will be job-sharing that position with Jill Hasseler.  Her name is Kathy Tomasovic.  She got the job as an internal candidate who applied when former youth librarian Louise Van Hammond retired at the end of April."

Kathy is a mother of 3, loves reading and working with young people, and enjoys needle crafts, painting, nature, and camping. She is a graduate of Kimberly High School, UW Fox Valley Center (Associate of Arts), UW Madison (BA in English), and the Institute for Paralegal Training (certificate in litigation management). Kathy worked in the legal field prior to having children and worked at Barnes & Noble for 3 years before joining the library staff.

Please join us in wishing Kathy well in her new position!

> contributed by Beth and Barbara Wentzel

Terry Dawson, Appleton Public Library director, recently posted on his blog about his involvement with the NEW World Cinema, the Fox Cities' foreign language film series, which celebrates two years on screen this summer.

"Through involvement in the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, I'm part of a committee that brings foreign films into the area for screening and discussion. Participation in this effort is natural for the public library. The predecessor to the current series was films on DVD shown here at the library, co-sponsored with a variety of groups, but the current series, with an organizing committee, using actual films in a theater, brings better quality showings and larger audiences.

We got a nice article about this in our paper, and I was glad of the opportunity to plug library collections. Because of market differences, our foreign film selection is better than video stores can offer, and our staff has developed an interesting and diverse collection."

Read the Post Crescent article for more information about the film series and be sure to attend at least one this summer! Are you a foreign film fan? If so, what's your favorite film? Post it in the comments.

> contributed by Beth

Spotted in the Kaukauna Public Library board minutes:

" Our application for *Picturing America*, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association, was successful.  We will receive an official award letter from NEH Chairman Bruce Cole in September 2008, along with our Picturing America award materials, including forty images of important American art and a resource book.  We will start promoting this program in the Fall.  For more information about Picturing America, including a look at the pictures we will be receiving, go to the web site at http://picturingamerica.neh.gov."

Congratulations, KAU!