1. LSTA Advisory Committee meeting and public hearing scheduled
2. Maintenance of Effort and other budget considerations
3. Selected libraries need to complete ALA Funding and Technology survey
4. NFB-NEWSLINE® offers blind individuals more content choice
5. Economic recovery efforts get boost at Fond du Lac Public Library
6. Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes will use federal stimulus funds to install new elevator
7. Website of the Week - NASA Image of the Day
8. Calendar
=================================================
****************************************************************************
NOTE - Channel Weekly will not be published next week (October 22). The next issue of Channel Weekly will be the October 29, 2009, edition.
****************************************************************************
1. LSTA ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED
Wisconsin's Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee will meet in Madison on Wednesday and Thursday, November 11 and 12, 2009, at the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Offices, 5250 East Terrace Drive, Suite A1, Madison, WI 53718, to discuss grant proposals and make award recommendations for LSTA projects to take place in 2010.
As a part of the meeting, there will be a public hearing beginning at 10:00 a.m. on November 11 for interested persons to make suggestions on the LSTA program for 2011. Final guidelines for the 2011 LSTA program will be developed in April 2010. If you are unable to attend the public hearing, written comments may be submitted by letter, fax, or e-mail to Terrie Howe, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841; fax number (608) 266-2529; email address: Teresa.howe@dpi.wi.gov. Testimony must arrive by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, for inclusion in the hearing.
2. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT AND OTHER BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
Wisconsin Statutes 43.15 (4) (c) establishes several requirements that a municipal, county or joint public library must meet to participate in a public library system. One requirement is that the total amount of funding received from its governing body or, for a joint public library, its governing bodies, is not less than the average of such funding received for the previous 3 years. Consequently, the library director, library board and the municipal governing body should all give due consideration to this requirement for system membership, referred to as "maintenance of effort" (MOE). Failure to comply with MOE could lead to loss of system services and eventual expulsion of the library from the library system as required by state law.
While the municipal governing body (the city council, village or town board, tribal council, or county board) is not required to grant the amount requested by the library board, they should be made aware that the appropriation for the library can impact the library's membership in the regional library system. In addition, if the municipality is to apply for exemption from the county library tax levy, then it must appropriate and expend an amount at least equivalent to the county tax rate as calculated in Wis. Stats. s. 43.64(2)(b).
Counties (including those that do not maintain a county library) must also meet MOE requirements to participate in a library system. The statutes require that for a county to participate in a library system, the county must maintain total support for library services at a level no lower than the average of the previous three years.
More information on MOE and county library levy exemption can be found in the Trustee Corner on page 7 of the July-August 2008 Channel, http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/channel/pdf/chn4306.pdf.
3. SELECTED LIBRARIES NEED TO COMPLETE ALA FUNDING AND TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
An article in the August 20 Channel Weekly referenced the ALA's annual "Public Library Funding and Technology Access" survey. The survey can be accessed at http://www.plinternetsurvey.org. While any public library can complete the survey, in mid-September 152 Wisconsin public libraries were specifically targeted to do the survey. These libraries were selected to meet various survey criteria, like size of library, location, etc. To date, only 11% (17 of the 152) of the selected libraries have completed the survey. The data from the survey helps ALA and other organizations advocate for more library support and funding, especially in the areas of technology and Internet access. If your library was selected to complete the survey we strongly encourage you to do so. The survey closes on November 6, 2009. In past years Wisconsin has had one of the highest completion rates of any state, generally about 75%. If you are uncertain whether your library was selected there is no need to contact division staff. We will contact you.
4. NFB-NEWSLINE® OFFERS BLIND INDIVIDUALS MORE CONTENT CHOICE
The National Federation of the Blind recently announced that NFB-NEWSLINE®, the largest electronic newspaper service in the world for blind and print-disabled Americans, now gives subscribers independent access to over three hundred newspapers and magazines. This free service allows those who cannot read conventional newsprint due to a physical disability to listen to the newspaper over the telephone, on the web, or by download to a digital talking-book player. With the addition of national newsmagazines like Time and interest-specific magazines like Science News to its roster of national and local publications, NFB-NEWSLINE® continues to cater to the increasingly divergent interests of its subscribers.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "NFB-NEWSLINE® is truly a testament to our belief in the importance of offering print-disabled individuals access to the same vital information that is available to our sighted peers. NFB-NEWSLINE® offers subscribers freedom of choice, and now that over three hundred publications are available on the service, we have more choice than ever."
Nijat Worley, a college student from Colorado, said: "I can't tell you how much I enjoy being able to easily access so many newspapers and magazines! All I need to do is pick up a phone or open a Web page and I can choose to read from hundreds of publications including my hometown newspaper or the New York Times, my favorite national newspaper. As a sophomore with a double major in Political Science and International Affairs, the variety of news sources offered by NFB-NEWSLINE® really helps me find material for my coursework. Since it's available any time, day or night, I can read the news in accordance with my busy schedule."
NFB-NEWSLINE®, which began operation in 1995, offers TV listings in addition to newspapers and magazines to over 69,000 subscribers through several delivery methods: a standard touch-tone telephone, a secure, text-only Web site, or by download to a digital talking-book player.
5. ECONOMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS GET BOOST AT FOND DU LAC PUBLIC LIBRARY
State Superintendent Tony Evers visited the Fond du Lac Public Library on October 1 to learn about economic recovery activities taking place at the library.
With the assistance of two Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) staff members, the library is offering a variety of job training, job search, and support programs. The Fond du Lac Public Library is one of six in the state hosting full-time VISTAs placed through a Department of Public Instruction grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Josh Cowles and Sara Byrnes are full-time VISTA volunteers in Fond du Lac. They are paid a living allowance for their work to increase the capacity of the Fond du Lac Public Library to address job and economic recovery needs.
Ken Hall, director of the Fond du Lac Public Library, hosted the visit. The VISTA staff members gave an overview of their work, which includes networking with other service providers and agencies to work with unemployed adults and youth, recruiting volunteers who can provide computer training and job search skills, and organizing workshops on basic financial management and other coping skills for the unemployed. Hall described the library's financial literacy efforts and gave a tour of the public computer and reference area on the library's second floor. The public access computers and reference materials are used by increasing numbers of displaced workers in the Fond du Lac area for their job search needs.
6. DEMMER MEMORIAL LIBRARY IN THREE LAKES WILL USE FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS TO INSTALL NEW ELEVATOR
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday three rural Wisconsin community facilities will receive stimulus funding for health care and public service projects. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Trempealeau County Health Care Center, and the library in the town of Three Lakes will each receive stimulus money. The Edward U. Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes will use the $17,500 stimulus grant to install a new lift elevator to run from the main floor to the basement. The lift will make the lower level accessible and make it easier to transport materials. Janet Dixon, the library's director, said, "The current lift no longer meets qualifications, so we couldn't use it," Dixon said. "This is going to be a great opportunity for patrons to have increased service as a result of the grant."
United State Department of Agriculture Community Facilities (CF) direct loans and grants are available to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population. Funds may be used for facility acquisition, construction, renovation, or the purchase of equipment and furnishings. CF loan and grant applications are processed at the local level. Contact the Rural Development Area Office serving your community for additional information and application materials.
Rural Development offices are listed at: http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
7. Website of the Week
NASA Image of the Day -- http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd.html -- Stunning images from NASA including a comprehensive archive of previous daily selections.
8. CALENDAR
October 20-23, 2009 - Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Appleton
November 11-12, 2009 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee, Madison
November 13, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Middleton
January 8, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, by videoconference
April 11-17, 2010 - National Library Week
==================================================
To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe,
go to: http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/chn_chweekly
==================================================
Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (609) 266-8770
2. Maintenance of Effort and other budget considerations
3. Selected libraries need to complete ALA Funding and Technology survey
4. NFB-NEWSLINE® offers blind individuals more content choice
5. Economic recovery efforts get boost at Fond du Lac Public Library
6. Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes will use federal stimulus funds to install new elevator
7. Website of the Week - NASA Image of the Day
8. Calendar
=================================================
****************************************************************************
NOTE - Channel Weekly will not be published next week (October 22). The next issue of Channel Weekly will be the October 29, 2009, edition.
****************************************************************************
1. LSTA ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED
Wisconsin's Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee will meet in Madison on Wednesday and Thursday, November 11 and 12, 2009, at the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Offices, 5250 East Terrace Drive, Suite A1, Madison, WI 53718, to discuss grant proposals and make award recommendations for LSTA projects to take place in 2010.
As a part of the meeting, there will be a public hearing beginning at 10:00 a.m. on November 11 for interested persons to make suggestions on the LSTA program for 2011. Final guidelines for the 2011 LSTA program will be developed in April 2010. If you are unable to attend the public hearing, written comments may be submitted by letter, fax, or e-mail to Terrie Howe, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841; fax number (608) 266-2529; email address: Teresa.howe@dpi.wi.gov. Testimony must arrive by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, for inclusion in the hearing.
2. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT AND OTHER BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
Wisconsin Statutes 43.15 (4) (c) establishes several requirements that a municipal, county or joint public library must meet to participate in a public library system. One requirement is that the total amount of funding received from its governing body or, for a joint public library, its governing bodies, is not less than the average of such funding received for the previous 3 years. Consequently, the library director, library board and the municipal governing body should all give due consideration to this requirement for system membership, referred to as "maintenance of effort" (MOE). Failure to comply with MOE could lead to loss of system services and eventual expulsion of the library from the library system as required by state law.
While the municipal governing body (the city council, village or town board, tribal council, or county board) is not required to grant the amount requested by the library board, they should be made aware that the appropriation for the library can impact the library's membership in the regional library system. In addition, if the municipality is to apply for exemption from the county library tax levy, then it must appropriate and expend an amount at least equivalent to the county tax rate as calculated in Wis. Stats. s. 43.64(2)(b).
Counties (including those that do not maintain a county library) must also meet MOE requirements to participate in a library system. The statutes require that for a county to participate in a library system, the county must maintain total support for library services at a level no lower than the average of the previous three years.
More information on MOE and county library levy exemption can be found in the Trustee Corner on page 7 of the July-August 2008 Channel, http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/channel/pdf/chn4306.pdf.
3. SELECTED LIBRARIES NEED TO COMPLETE ALA FUNDING AND TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
An article in the August 20 Channel Weekly referenced the ALA's annual "Public Library Funding and Technology Access" survey. The survey can be accessed at http://www.plinternetsurvey.org. While any public library can complete the survey, in mid-September 152 Wisconsin public libraries were specifically targeted to do the survey. These libraries were selected to meet various survey criteria, like size of library, location, etc. To date, only 11% (17 of the 152) of the selected libraries have completed the survey. The data from the survey helps ALA and other organizations advocate for more library support and funding, especially in the areas of technology and Internet access. If your library was selected to complete the survey we strongly encourage you to do so. The survey closes on November 6, 2009. In past years Wisconsin has had one of the highest completion rates of any state, generally about 75%. If you are uncertain whether your library was selected there is no need to contact division staff. We will contact you.
4. NFB-NEWSLINE® OFFERS BLIND INDIVIDUALS MORE CONTENT CHOICE
The National Federation of the Blind recently announced that NFB-NEWSLINE®, the largest electronic newspaper service in the world for blind and print-disabled Americans, now gives subscribers independent access to over three hundred newspapers and magazines. This free service allows those who cannot read conventional newsprint due to a physical disability to listen to the newspaper over the telephone, on the web, or by download to a digital talking-book player. With the addition of national newsmagazines like Time and interest-specific magazines like Science News to its roster of national and local publications, NFB-NEWSLINE® continues to cater to the increasingly divergent interests of its subscribers.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "NFB-NEWSLINE® is truly a testament to our belief in the importance of offering print-disabled individuals access to the same vital information that is available to our sighted peers. NFB-NEWSLINE® offers subscribers freedom of choice, and now that over three hundred publications are available on the service, we have more choice than ever."
Nijat Worley, a college student from Colorado, said: "I can't tell you how much I enjoy being able to easily access so many newspapers and magazines! All I need to do is pick up a phone or open a Web page and I can choose to read from hundreds of publications including my hometown newspaper or the New York Times, my favorite national newspaper. As a sophomore with a double major in Political Science and International Affairs, the variety of news sources offered by NFB-NEWSLINE® really helps me find material for my coursework. Since it's available any time, day or night, I can read the news in accordance with my busy schedule."
NFB-NEWSLINE®, which began operation in 1995, offers TV listings in addition to newspapers and magazines to over 69,000 subscribers through several delivery methods: a standard touch-tone telephone, a secure, text-only Web site, or by download to a digital talking-book player.
5. ECONOMIC RECOVERY EFFORTS GET BOOST AT FOND DU LAC PUBLIC LIBRARY
State Superintendent Tony Evers visited the Fond du Lac Public Library on October 1 to learn about economic recovery activities taking place at the library.
With the assistance of two Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) staff members, the library is offering a variety of job training, job search, and support programs. The Fond du Lac Public Library is one of six in the state hosting full-time VISTAs placed through a Department of Public Instruction grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Josh Cowles and Sara Byrnes are full-time VISTA volunteers in Fond du Lac. They are paid a living allowance for their work to increase the capacity of the Fond du Lac Public Library to address job and economic recovery needs.
Ken Hall, director of the Fond du Lac Public Library, hosted the visit. The VISTA staff members gave an overview of their work, which includes networking with other service providers and agencies to work with unemployed adults and youth, recruiting volunteers who can provide computer training and job search skills, and organizing workshops on basic financial management and other coping skills for the unemployed. Hall described the library's financial literacy efforts and gave a tour of the public computer and reference area on the library's second floor. The public access computers and reference materials are used by increasing numbers of displaced workers in the Fond du Lac area for their job search needs.
6. DEMMER MEMORIAL LIBRARY IN THREE LAKES WILL USE FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS TO INSTALL NEW ELEVATOR
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday three rural Wisconsin community facilities will receive stimulus funding for health care and public service projects. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Trempealeau County Health Care Center, and the library in the town of Three Lakes will each receive stimulus money. The Edward U. Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes will use the $17,500 stimulus grant to install a new lift elevator to run from the main floor to the basement. The lift will make the lower level accessible and make it easier to transport materials. Janet Dixon, the library's director, said, "The current lift no longer meets qualifications, so we couldn't use it," Dixon said. "This is going to be a great opportunity for patrons to have increased service as a result of the grant."
United State Department of Agriculture Community Facilities (CF) direct loans and grants are available to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population. Funds may be used for facility acquisition, construction, renovation, or the purchase of equipment and furnishings. CF loan and grant applications are processed at the local level. Contact the Rural Development Area Office serving your community for additional information and application materials.
Rural Development offices are listed at: http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
7. Website of the Week
NASA Image of the Day -- http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd.html -- Stunning images from NASA including a comprehensive archive of previous daily selections.
8. CALENDAR
October 20-23, 2009 - Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Appleton
November 11-12, 2009 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee, Madison
November 13, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Middleton
January 8, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, by videoconference
April 11-17, 2010 - National Library Week
==================================================
To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe,
go to: http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/chn_chweekly
==================================================
Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (609) 266-8770
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn Wise (608) 266-6439