tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008-03-05:/directors/blog//71 2009-04-21T13:56:55Z Bits and pieces from OWLS staff for member library directors. Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.01 tag:www.owlsweb.info,2009:/directors/blog//71.1946 2009-04-21T13:48:59Z 2009-04-21T13:56:55Z

Workshop History & CE Forms. Starting with this year (2009), I will keep a running list of past workshops, including dates, locations, contact hours, and a link to a downloadable Activity Report that will have the workshop information filled in for you. The page is linked to on the CE page under the heading, "Certification."

Workshops with available vodcast, podcast, slides, or handouts are also available on OWLSweb, so you can return to materials after the fact or view workshops you were unable to attend.

I hope these pages will assist you with your certification/recertification efforts. Please let me know if there is anything else I can provide on OWLSweb to better serve your needs.

Thanks!
Beth
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2009:/directors/blog//71.1880 2009-04-02T20:38:53Z 2009-04-02T20:45:14Z

RK OWLS Statistics page.  Each county's circulation matrix shows the circulation by every library in the county to every jurisdiction in the county that doesn't operate a library.  A county's circulation matrix provides a detailed breakdown of the circulation for which the county reimburses its municipal libraries, i.e., it's the circulation we use to make the annual county budget requests.  In addition, the population and circulation per capita is listed for each town.  Take a look and see how much the neighboring towns use your library.  You might be surprised by the numbers. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2009:/directors/blog//71.1864 2009-03-26T15:07:11Z 2009-03-26T15:31:17Z

RK 2008 Circulation Summary for OWLS member libraries been posted on the OWLS Statistics page.  This summary reports the circulation from each OWLS library to residents and many different categories of non-residents.  In 2008, circulation at OWLS libraries increased 5.8% over 2007 circulation.  It's interesting to note that circulation to residents increased more in 2008 (6.2%) than circulation to non-residents increased (5.3%).

I have also posted the 2008 Crossover Borrowing Summary on the statistics page.  This summary shows how many items were loaned by each member library to residents of every other community with a library.  While there have been some significant shifts in crossover lending and borrowing over the years for a few libraries, the total amount of crossover borrowing has grown slower than general circulation has grown.  Crossover borrowing has increased at an average rate of just over 2% over the past five years.

I'll be posting a 2008 Circulation Matrix for each of the counties in the near future.  As always, please contact me if you have any questions.
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1570 2008-12-19T17:32:57Z 2008-12-19T17:41:49Z

RK tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1457 2008-11-12T22:11:17Z 2008-11-12T22:29:09Z

RK
At their October meeting, the OWLS Board approved signing new 3-year agreements with OWLS libraries.  The new agreements contain the same language as the current agreements, except that the dates have been updated.  The new agreements will run through December 2011, with a one-year automatic extension through December 2012.

In the near future I'll be sending out two signed copies of the new agreement to all OWLS member libraries.  I'll also include an unsigned copy that you can reproduce for your board.  Please have your board approve and sign both copies at an upcoming meeting, and return one signed copy to me.  If your board should want to pursue any modifications to the standard agreement or would like me to come to a meeting to discuss the agreement, please contact me.
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1456 2008-11-12T22:06:59Z 2008-11-12T22:10:09Z

RK 2009 County Budgets Page. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1452 2008-11-11T21:51:29Z 2008-11-11T21:59:14Z

RK 2009 County Budgets Page. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1451 2008-11-11T20:47:32Z 2008-11-11T21:49:48Z

RK 2009 System Plan and Budget. The 2009 Plan is not significantly different from the current Plan.  Because OWLS financial position is healthy no major reductions in services are planned for 2009.  However, given the difficult economy and the potential for future revenue decreases, we are doing some belt-tightening.  The 2009 operating budget represents a 1.8% decrease from the 2008 operating budget.

I encourage you to take a look at the new Plan, especially the first six pages which describe the context in which the Plan has been developed.  If you're into numbers and statistics you might also enjoy looking at page 2, which show how OWLS libraries compared with libraries in other systems in 2007.

As always, be sure to contact me with any questions or comments.
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.1203 2008-08-13T18:50:28Z 2008-08-13T18:56:11Z

RK Clintonville Public Library.  Be sure to look at the agenda, and be prepared to share news from your library. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.982 2008-05-29T21:05:16Z 2008-05-29T21:12:58Z

RK service population estimates for OWLS member libraries.  These latest estimates are based on 2007 circulation figures and 2007 DOA population estimates.  The Estimating Service Population (L4L) page explains the methodologies used to calculate the different service population numbers. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.980 2008-05-28T21:44:02Z 2008-05-28T22:18:28Z

RK OWLS Statistics page.  Each county's circulation matrix shows the circulation by every library in the county to every jurisdiction in the county that doesn't operate a library.  A county's circulation matrix provides a detailed breakdown of the circulation for which the county reimburses its municipal libraries, i.e., it's the circulation used for the annual budget request.  If you're curious about how much each of your surrounding towns use your library, you'll want to take a look.
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.973 2008-05-27T22:20:51Z 2008-05-27T22:28:41Z

RK county plans.  There is more information about county planning and funding in the L4L section of OWLSweb.info.  The specifics of the requests can be found on the 2009 County Budgets page.  This page will be updated regularly until the 2009 county budgets are adopted by Outagamie County and Waupaca County this Fall. ]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.972 2008-05-27T21:58:26Z 2008-05-27T22:30:48Z

Have you heard that Wisconsin public libraries return $4.06 for each dollar of taxpayer investment or that the state's public libraries contribute over three-quarters of a billion dollars annually to the state's economy?These findings are among those included in The...

RK
These findings are among those included in The Economic Contribution of Wisconsin Public Libraries to the Economy of Wisconsin, which was released on May 1st.  The study was conducted by Madison-based NorthStar Economics, Inc.  The Executive Summary and the entire study are available online.

A news release template (MS Word) is available for local libraries to customize and distribute to area media.  Also available is a PDF-format slide presentation presented by David Ward, President of NorthStar Economics as the keynote address to the Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries on May 1, 2008.
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.873 2008-04-15T21:48:08Z 2008-05-27T22:20:14Z

RK Legislative Audit Bureau web site.  The full report and a shorter report of just the highlights are available.  You can also listen to a podcast of the highlights.

I'd recommend that you read the highlights and at least skim the full report.  I plan to distribute a copy of the highlights to the OWLS Board, and I'd recommend that you do the same with your boards.  I'd be interested to hear your comments about the review, especially about what the LAB has determined to be "best practices."
]]> tag:www.owlsweb.info,2008:/directors/blog//71.812 2008-03-25T16:23:43Z 2008-03-25T16:37:42Z

Today I discovered that the recently posted 2007 Circulation Summary was not 100% correct. Specifically, the data contained in the Counties Adjacent to OWLS section of the report (i.e., the second page) was incorrect. The other three pages of the...

RK 2007 Circulation Summary was not 100% correct. Specifically, the data contained in the Counties Adjacent to OWLS section of the report (i.e., the second page) was incorrect. The other three pages of the report were correct. I have made all the necessary corrections and have posted the corrected version on OWLSweb.
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