1. Reminder: LSTA Advisory Committee meeting and public hearing scheduled
2. Rural Award nominations open
3. Recovery Act projects in rural areas include library in Wisconsin
4. Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 15-21
5. Deadline extended to November 13 on ALA Funding and Technology Survey
6. The Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition
7. StoryCorps' National Day of Listening is November 27, 2009
8. Website of the Week - Official Veterans Day website
9. Calendar
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1. REMINDER: 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. RURAL AWARD NOMINATIONS OPEN

State Superintendent Tony Evers is inviting nominations for the 2010 Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin Schools, Libraries, and Communities Awards.

The awards recognize partnerships between and among schools, libraries, and communities that have resulted in programs or projects demonstrating the great potential and spirit of rural Wisconsin. Winners will be recognized on Monday, February 22, 2010, in the State Capitol.

Previous winners' achievements include constructing new libraries, educating students to answer the needs of local employers, using alternative fuel production to educate students and save money for the school district and local businesses, and involving youth in activities that meaningfully improve the community.

The form to nominate your own or someone else's program is available at the awards website at http://dpi.wi.gov/rural/awards, along with a cover letter from the state superintendent and descriptions of each winner from previous years.

The nomination deadline is January 15, 2010.


3. RECOVERY ACT PROJECTS IN RURAL AREAS INCLUDE LIBRARY IN WISCONSIN

On November 4, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of $13.1 million in community facilities projects that are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The USDA has announced more than $268 million in Recovery Act funding for community facility projects to date.

In Grant County, Wisconsin, the Hazel Green Community Development Authority has been selected to receive a $1 million loan to build a new village hall and replace the original 1920's facility which is too small and not up to commercial code. The new building will provide a safe and adequately-sized space in which to house the village library, the police office, municipal meeting rooms and office space for village employees.


4. HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK IS NOVEMBER 15-21

Mary Maronek, the Department of Public Instruction Coordinator for Homeless Services, invites public libraries to join the effort to raise awareness about homelessness and hunger issues. This is especially important as people struggle with economic issues. Many families are at risk of being hungry or homeless. The combination of the high cost of living, low-wage jobs, and high unemployment rates exacerbate these problems and force countless Americans to choose between food, housing, and other expenses.

Some libraries may be a drop off site for local food pantries, but that may not be possible for every public library. It would be helpful if libraries could at least create a display on homelessness and hunger. Anything that public libraries can do to help raise awareness is appreciated.

Studies show that money devoted to food is typically the first to be sacrificed.
* Last year the national poverty rate rose to include 39.8 million Americans.
* 1 in 3 children in the U.S. were at risk of suffering from hunger in the United States.
* 3.5 million people were forced to sleep in parks, under bridges, in shelters or cars.

For more information on what it costs to maintain a family of four, go to http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm.

The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) at http://www.serve.org/nche is an excellent resource on poverty and homelessness issues.


5. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 13 ON ALA FUNDING AND TECHNOLOGY SURVEY

An article in the October 15 Channel Weekly referenced the American Library Association's (ALA) 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 47% (71 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 deadline, which had been November 6, has been extended to November 13. In past years Wisconsin has had one of the highest completion rates of any state, generally about 75%.


6. THE SCHOOLS, HEALTH, AND LIBRARIES BROADBAND COALITION

The Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) is a nationwide organization that was formed in June 2009. One key purpose of the coalition is to support the provisions of the American Recover and Reinvestment Act that focus on improving broadband connectivity for community anchor institutions. (Public libraries, with their mission of open access, are the quintessential community anchor institutions.) The SHLB coalition has also been working with the Obama Administration, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to encourage other policies and programs to support better broadband access. For example, it late October the coalition filed comments with the FCC on the need to bring fiber to our schools and libraries. The Department of Public Instruction is a member of the coalition. More information is on the SHLB website at http://www.shlbc.org.


7. STORYCORPS' NATIONAL DAY OF LISTENING IS NOVEMBER 27, 2009

In 2008, StoryCorps launched the first annual National Day of Listening. On this day, they encouraged people across the country to record and share conversations with loved ones and neighbors using their Do-It-Yourself materials. The tradition continues this year (November 27) as they reach out again to schools, libraries, and service organizations to bring StoryCorps to their communities.

Libraries can visit http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/ to download free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide with step-by-step interview instructions, equipment recommendations and great questions.

There are several other ways libraries can get involved in the National Day of Listening:
Distribute StoryCorps' Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide at your facilities, and encourage patrons to conduct their own Do-It-Yourself recordings with a loved one on the day after Thanksgiving.
Provide recording equipment and a quiet recording space for people to record National Day of Listening interviews at your facility.
Download StoryCorps' Community Service Toolkit and host a National Day of Listening event using our event guide.
Utilize StoryCorps' online support materials, such as our web banners, logos, customizable web text and Facebook fan button.
Post the National Day of Listening flyer included in the Community Service Toolkit on your community bulletin board.
Incorporate StoryCorps Education Toolkit into your library's existing education programs.
Recommend Listening Is an Act of Love as a book club selection for the month of November.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening. Since 2003, more than 50,000 Americans have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps, making it one of the largest oral history projects of its kind


8. Website of the Week

Official Veterans Day Web Site -- http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/ -- On November 11, 1921, ceremonies in the United States, England, and France marked the burials in each country of an unknown soldier killed during World War I, which ended at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. The date became known as "Armistice Day." In 1926, the United States Congress passed a resolution making the name official; "Armistice Day" became a national holiday in 1938. In 1947, World War II veteran Raymond Weeks organized the first celebration using the name "Veterans Day" in Birmingham, Alabama, to honor all American veterans. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill officially proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. This web site provides additional information about Veterans Day, along with suggestions for observing the date, a Teachers Resource Guide with links to a 38-page school kit, Veterans Day posters, a Patriotic Fact Sheet, children's activities, and other resources.


9. CALENDAR

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

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To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe, go to: http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/chn_chweekly.
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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