1. DPI offices closed on May 28 for Furlough Day
2. School libraries share $32 million in Common School Fund payments
3. NEH Small Grants for Libraries
4. Project Compass summits help state libraries develop strategies for workforce assistance
5. Create your own story @ your library® named official theme
6. Website of the Week: The Why Files
7. Calendar
=================================================
1. DPI OFFICES CLOSED ON MAY 28 FOR FURLOUGH DAY
As part of an effort to close the state's projected budget deficit, all state of Wisconsin agencies were required to develop plans to manage mandated employee furloughs. May 28 was selected as one of the required furlough dates, and all DPI offices including the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) will be closed.
Messages received on May 28 will be returned as soon as possible after employees return to work. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
2. SCHOOL LIBRARIES SHARE $32 MILLION IN COMMON SCHOOL FUND PAYMENTS
Common School Fund payments to public school districts throughout the state totaled $32 million in aid for the purchase of books, media materials, and computer equipment for school libraries.
The library aid payments are $25.85 per student for the 1,236,756 children between the ages of 4 and 20 living in each school district. Aid is from Common School Fund proceeds and represents the only state aid specifically designated for the purchase of materials for school libraries. The aid payment from the Common School Fund went to districts on April 26 and must be used by June 30 for items cited in statute.
"School libraries support student learning," said State Superintendent Tony Evers. "Our students need a rich supply of resources in the school library to augment classroom activities. These Common School Fund Aid payments are a welcome investment in our students' education."
The Common School Fund is made up of revenues from civil and criminal fees, fines and forfeitures, timber revenue from public trust lands, and revenues from the state's Unclaimed Property Program. This principal is used to make loans to local governments and school districts for buildings, roads, sewer and water facilities, equipment, recreational facilities, economic development, and other public purposes under the State Trust Fund Loan Program. Some of the principal also is invested in state and local bonds. Funds not committed to loans or bonds are deposited in the State Investment Fund.
The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands manages the Common School Fund. Board members are Secretary of State and Board Chairman Douglas La Follette, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass. Tia Nelson serves as executive secretary to the board.
"The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands is proud to distribute earnings from the Common School Fund to benefit Wisconsin's school children," Nelson said. "Whether through the low-interest loans made for municipal projects or through the interest paid on those loans, which is then distributed as school library aid, the Common School Fund benefits every Wisconsinite."
More information about the Common School Fund can be found at http://sfs.dpi.wi.gov/sfs_comsch.
3. NEH SMALL GRANTS FOR LIBRARIES
The NEH Small Grants to Libraries program brings traveling exhibitions and other types of humanities public programming to libraries across the country.
"Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women-Library Outreach Programs" is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the American Library Association (ALA), and Nancy Porter and Harriet Reisen for Filmmakers Collaborative. The library programs associated with "Louisa May Alcott" are funded by a major grant from NEH to the ALA Public Programs Office.
The project has been designated as part of the NEH's We the People initiative, exploring significant events and themes in our nation's history and culture and advancing knowledge of the principles that define America. Libraries selected for the project will receive resources and financial support to deliver five programs. The grant deadline is July 30, 2010 for projects beginning in 2011. For additional information on program requirements and the application visit
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SGL_Alcott.html.
4. PROJECT COMPASS SUMMITS HELP STATE LIBRARIES DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR WORKFORCE ASSISTANCE
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is funding an innovative yearlong project linking libraries nationwide to share strategies for helping unemployed patrons find work. Project Compass, launched by OCLC WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/091009.shtm), features four regional summits where state library officers are sharing best practices on meeting the workforce needs of their communities.
"In the last 12 months, approximately 30 million people used library resources to help address career and employment needs," said Marsha L. Semmel, acting director of IMLS, citing the new IMLS/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported report, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/032510.shtm). "Project Compass is developing the tools libraries need to help patrons who are already using library resources."
One of the regional summits identified three key needs:
Additional IMLS resources:
Libraries to the Rescue (http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun09.shtm) is the story of how libraries in five states, North Carolina, Washington, Connecticut, New York and Michigan are helping citizens access all types of employment assistance. A list of Online Resources for Libraries and Jobseekers is available here http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/062409_list.shtm.
The DLTCL maintains a web page on Wisconsin library job support efforts at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_lstajobs.
5. CREATE YOUR OWN STORY @ YOUR LIBRARY® NAMED OFFICIAL THEME
Libraries across the United States are invited to apply for the $3,000 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant, which will be awarded to a single library for the best public awareness campaign incorporating the 2011 National Library Week theme, Create your own story @ your library.
The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, and is administered by the Public Awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA). This year's application deadline is October 1, 2010. National Library Week is April 10-16, 2011.
A grant application form and guidelines are available on the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant Web site (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/natlibraryweek/nlwgrant.cfm).
Information also is available from the ALA Public Information Office. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 2148. E-mail: mmcfarlane@ala.org.
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The Why Files: Science Behind the News -- http://whyfiles.org/ -- The mission of The Why Files, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is to "explore the science, math, and technology behind the news of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, accessible, and accurate manner."
7. CALENDAR
June 17, 2010 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee (LITAC) meeting, Madison
June 24-29, 2010 - American Library Association conference, Washington, D.C.
July 9, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Wausau
==================================================
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) 267-9207
2. School libraries share $32 million in Common School Fund payments
3. NEH Small Grants for Libraries
4. Project Compass summits help state libraries develop strategies for workforce assistance
5. Create your own story @ your library® named official theme
6. Website of the Week: The Why Files
7. Calendar
=================================================
1. DPI OFFICES CLOSED ON MAY 28 FOR FURLOUGH DAY
As part of an effort to close the state's projected budget deficit, all state of Wisconsin agencies were required to develop plans to manage mandated employee furloughs. May 28 was selected as one of the required furlough dates, and all DPI offices including the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) will be closed.
Messages received on May 28 will be returned as soon as possible after employees return to work. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
2. SCHOOL LIBRARIES SHARE $32 MILLION IN COMMON SCHOOL FUND PAYMENTS
Common School Fund payments to public school districts throughout the state totaled $32 million in aid for the purchase of books, media materials, and computer equipment for school libraries.
The library aid payments are $25.85 per student for the 1,236,756 children between the ages of 4 and 20 living in each school district. Aid is from Common School Fund proceeds and represents the only state aid specifically designated for the purchase of materials for school libraries. The aid payment from the Common School Fund went to districts on April 26 and must be used by June 30 for items cited in statute.
"School libraries support student learning," said State Superintendent Tony Evers. "Our students need a rich supply of resources in the school library to augment classroom activities. These Common School Fund Aid payments are a welcome investment in our students' education."
The Common School Fund is made up of revenues from civil and criminal fees, fines and forfeitures, timber revenue from public trust lands, and revenues from the state's Unclaimed Property Program. This principal is used to make loans to local governments and school districts for buildings, roads, sewer and water facilities, equipment, recreational facilities, economic development, and other public purposes under the State Trust Fund Loan Program. Some of the principal also is invested in state and local bonds. Funds not committed to loans or bonds are deposited in the State Investment Fund.
The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands manages the Common School Fund. Board members are Secretary of State and Board Chairman Douglas La Follette, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass. Tia Nelson serves as executive secretary to the board.
"The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands is proud to distribute earnings from the Common School Fund to benefit Wisconsin's school children," Nelson said. "Whether through the low-interest loans made for municipal projects or through the interest paid on those loans, which is then distributed as school library aid, the Common School Fund benefits every Wisconsinite."
More information about the Common School Fund can be found at http://sfs.dpi.wi.gov/sfs_comsch.
3. NEH SMALL GRANTS FOR LIBRARIES
The NEH Small Grants to Libraries program brings traveling exhibitions and other types of humanities public programming to libraries across the country.
"Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women-Library Outreach Programs" is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the American Library Association (ALA), and Nancy Porter and Harriet Reisen for Filmmakers Collaborative. The library programs associated with "Louisa May Alcott" are funded by a major grant from NEH to the ALA Public Programs Office.
The project has been designated as part of the NEH's We the People initiative, exploring significant events and themes in our nation's history and culture and advancing knowledge of the principles that define America. Libraries selected for the project will receive resources and financial support to deliver five programs. The grant deadline is July 30, 2010 for projects beginning in 2011. For additional information on program requirements and the application visit
http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SGL_Alcott.html.
4. PROJECT COMPASS SUMMITS HELP STATE LIBRARIES DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR WORKFORCE ASSISTANCE
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is funding an innovative yearlong project linking libraries nationwide to share strategies for helping unemployed patrons find work. Project Compass, launched by OCLC WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/091009.shtm), features four regional summits where state library officers are sharing best practices on meeting the workforce needs of their communities.
"In the last 12 months, approximately 30 million people used library resources to help address career and employment needs," said Marsha L. Semmel, acting director of IMLS, citing the new IMLS/Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-supported report, Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits from Internet Access at U.S. Libraries (http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/032510.shtm). "Project Compass is developing the tools libraries need to help patrons who are already using library resources."
One of the regional summits identified three key needs:
- Training for library staff to meet the needs of job seekers.
- Strategies for funding, including information about how to maximize support, gain visibility, and minimize budget cuts.
- A Web site with centralized resources on workforce recovery provided by the state library. For examples of state Web sites that have been established, please go to: http://wiki.webjunctionworks.org/index.php/Workforce_Resources.
Additional IMLS resources:
Libraries to the Rescue (http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun09.shtm) is the story of how libraries in five states, North Carolina, Washington, Connecticut, New York and Michigan are helping citizens access all types of employment assistance. A list of Online Resources for Libraries and Jobseekers is available here http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/062409_list.shtm.
The DLTCL maintains a web page on Wisconsin library job support efforts at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_lstajobs.
5. CREATE YOUR OWN STORY @ YOUR LIBRARY® NAMED OFFICIAL THEME
Libraries across the United States are invited to apply for the $3,000 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant, which will be awarded to a single library for the best public awareness campaign incorporating the 2011 National Library Week theme, Create your own story @ your library.
The grant is sponsored by Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, and is administered by the Public Awareness Committee of the American Library Association (ALA). This year's application deadline is October 1, 2010. National Library Week is April 10-16, 2011.
A grant application form and guidelines are available on the Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant Web site (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/natlibraryweek/nlwgrant.cfm).
Information also is available from the ALA Public Information Office. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 2148. E-mail: mmcfarlane@ala.org.
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
The Why Files: Science Behind the News -- http://whyfiles.org/ -- The mission of The Why Files, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is to "explore the science, math, and technology behind the news of the day, and to present those topics in a clear, accessible, and accurate manner."
7. CALENDAR
June 17, 2010 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee (LITAC) meeting, Madison
June 24-29, 2010 - American Library Association conference, Washington, D.C.
July 9, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Wausau
==================================================
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) 267-9207
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn Wise (608) 266-6439