1. BadgerNet fiber grant update
2. Federal public library comparison tool expanded
3. "Step Up to the Plate" baseball contest
4. Website of the Week - Acronym Finder
5. Calendar
=================================================
1. BADGERNET FIBER GRANT UPDATE
Work continues on the federal grant to bring fiber broadband connectivity to 467 libraries and school on BadgerNet. Here are some recent activities:
-- DPI staff have worked with system staff to compile a list of libraries that are starting building projects. Obviously there is a need to ensure that the fiber is pulled to the new building. When the new building is in a different location there is need to prepare a new site budget because the cost for fiber installation is distance sensitive.
-- Work is proceeding on completing the voluminous paperwork and other details required by the federal Department of Commerce (the grant agency).
-- The final list of the schools and libraries in the grant is now being verified. The list of 467 sites in the original grant was compiled in May 2009. Since that time some schools and libraries have had fiber installed.
-- By federal law, an environmental review must be done for all 467 sites. This work has not started pending resolution of the BadgerNet contract issue. (See next bullet.)
-- The state Department of Administration (DOA) is working with AT&T and over 70 local phone companies to resolve the details of the contract.
If you have any questions on the fiber project, contact Bob Bocher (Robert.bocher@dpi.wi.gov) or visit the grant website at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_arrabbfunding.
2. FEDERAL PUBLIC LIBRARY COMPARISON TOOL EXPANDED
The Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Statistics Program recently announced that the latest update of the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) data is now available on the IMLS site: http://harvester.census.gov/imls/data/pls/index.asp. The site now includes verified data from the 2008 public library survey.
While the large data files sets may be more appropriate to researchers than to individuals, the IMLS also provides a link to an excellent online tool, "Compare Public Libraries:" http://harvester.census.gov/imls/compare/index.asp. "Compare Public Libraries" allows users to compare one library (the library of interest) with similar libraries (the comparison group). For example, a user may wish to compare one library's total circulation with the total circulation of a group of libraries with similar total expenditures. Libraries can select specific libraries for comparison, or use various criteria to generate a comparison set. The results are displayed in on-screen tables, with icons to generate bar graphs of individual data elements, or multi-year line charts to show timeline comparisons.
The steps involved in using Compare Public Libraries are:
1. Select the library of interest for which you want to find a comparison group.
2. Choose the basis for identifying similar libraries (the "Comparison Group"): e.g. size of staff.
3. Choose the information you would like displayed in the report.
4. View the report, which compares your library of interest with its comparison group.
Comparisons with libraries in other states may yield odd results where governance and funding structures differ significantly. Please be aware that "Local Revenue" is defined at the federal level as the total of local and county funds. Also be aware when comparing very small libraries, that the IMLS policy dictates that they not disclose some information where personal data can be inferred. Because public use data must protect the confidentiality of respondents, changes were made in the file used by the tool. For libraries where Total Staff is less than or equal to 2.00 FTE, the expenditures data shown for some categories such as Salaries and Wages for those public libraries have been removed, indicated as "D/S (data suppressed)."
3. "STEP UP TO THE PLATE" BASEBALL CONTEST
July is a big month for baseball with the Home Run Derby (July 12), All-Star Game (July 13) and Induction Day (July 25). ALA's "Step Up to the Plate" makes it easy for libraries to help plan around these events.
Public Libraries are invited to host a "Step Up to the Plate Home Run Derby," contest. The first player in each age group to hit a home run (four correct answers) receives a small prize. "Step Up to the Plate" centers on a baseball trivia contest. People of all ages are encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by our national pastime. The questions, developed by the library staff at the Hall of Fame, are based on exhibits at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Trivia questions are now available to library users on the program's website.
Ask baseball fans and library lovers to team up for an all ages Library All-Stars Game. Fans will work in two teams of "All Stars" to find the answers to a series of baseball questions. During the "inning" teams will be pitched a series of questions, with each correct answer counting as a hit and each wrong answer registering as an out. Questions can be pulled directly from this year's "Step Up to the Plate" playbooks. After the game, encourage players to use their new found knowledge to participate in the "Step Up to the Plate" program.
"Step Up to the Plate @ your library" teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries - to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in
October 2010.
Librarians are encouraged to register for free tools to help promote the program locally on the program website. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. Thousands of school and public librarians register for the program each year. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.
For more information go to http://www.ala.org/baseball/.
4. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Acronym Finder -- http://www.acronymfinder.com/ -- The Acronym Finder is a searchable database of over 4 million acronyms, abbreviations and meanings. Covers: common acronyms, computers, science, technology, government, telecommunications, and military acronyms. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
5. CALENDAR
June 17, 2010 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee (LITAC) meeting, Madison
June 27-30, 2010 - ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) 2010 Conference (formerly the National Education Computing Conference), Denver, Colorado
June 24-29, 2010 - American Library Association (ALA) conference, Washington, D. C.
July 8-9, 2010 - Information and Technology Literacy Benchmark Workshop, Tomahawk
July 9, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Wausau
July 12, 2010 - EETT (Enhancing Education Through Technology) Title IID INTEL and Critical Friends Facilitator Training, Rothschild
July 15-16, 2010 - Thinkfinity training for online teachers, Portage
September 10, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, TBC
October 26, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Oconomowoc
November 1, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Rice Lake
November 2-5, 2010 - Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Wisconsin Dells
November 12, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, TBC
November 15, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Wisconsin Dells
November 17, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Green Bay
==================================================
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. Federal public library comparison tool expanded
3. "Step Up to the Plate" baseball contest
4. Website of the Week - Acronym Finder
5. Calendar
=================================================
1. BADGERNET FIBER GRANT UPDATE
Work continues on the federal grant to bring fiber broadband connectivity to 467 libraries and school on BadgerNet. Here are some recent activities:
-- DPI staff have worked with system staff to compile a list of libraries that are starting building projects. Obviously there is a need to ensure that the fiber is pulled to the new building. When the new building is in a different location there is need to prepare a new site budget because the cost for fiber installation is distance sensitive.
-- Work is proceeding on completing the voluminous paperwork and other details required by the federal Department of Commerce (the grant agency).
-- The final list of the schools and libraries in the grant is now being verified. The list of 467 sites in the original grant was compiled in May 2009. Since that time some schools and libraries have had fiber installed.
-- By federal law, an environmental review must be done for all 467 sites. This work has not started pending resolution of the BadgerNet contract issue. (See next bullet.)
-- The state Department of Administration (DOA) is working with AT&T and over 70 local phone companies to resolve the details of the contract.
If you have any questions on the fiber project, contact Bob Bocher (Robert.bocher@dpi.wi.gov) or visit the grant website at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_arrabbfunding.
2. FEDERAL PUBLIC LIBRARY COMPARISON TOOL EXPANDED
The Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Statistics Program recently announced that the latest update of the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) data is now available on the IMLS site: http://harvester.census.gov/imls/data/pls/index.asp. The site now includes verified data from the 2008 public library survey.
While the large data files sets may be more appropriate to researchers than to individuals, the IMLS also provides a link to an excellent online tool, "Compare Public Libraries:" http://harvester.census.gov/imls/compare/index.asp. "Compare Public Libraries" allows users to compare one library (the library of interest) with similar libraries (the comparison group). For example, a user may wish to compare one library's total circulation with the total circulation of a group of libraries with similar total expenditures. Libraries can select specific libraries for comparison, or use various criteria to generate a comparison set. The results are displayed in on-screen tables, with icons to generate bar graphs of individual data elements, or multi-year line charts to show timeline comparisons.
The steps involved in using Compare Public Libraries are:
1. Select the library of interest for which you want to find a comparison group.
2. Choose the basis for identifying similar libraries (the "Comparison Group"): e.g. size of staff.
3. Choose the information you would like displayed in the report.
4. View the report, which compares your library of interest with its comparison group.
Comparisons with libraries in other states may yield odd results where governance and funding structures differ significantly. Please be aware that "Local Revenue" is defined at the federal level as the total of local and county funds. Also be aware when comparing very small libraries, that the IMLS policy dictates that they not disclose some information where personal data can be inferred. Because public use data must protect the confidentiality of respondents, changes were made in the file used by the tool. For libraries where Total Staff is less than or equal to 2.00 FTE, the expenditures data shown for some categories such as Salaries and Wages for those public libraries have been removed, indicated as "D/S (data suppressed)."
3. "STEP UP TO THE PLATE" BASEBALL CONTEST
July is a big month for baseball with the Home Run Derby (July 12), All-Star Game (July 13) and Induction Day (July 25). ALA's "Step Up to the Plate" makes it easy for libraries to help plan around these events.
Public Libraries are invited to host a "Step Up to the Plate Home Run Derby," contest. The first player in each age group to hit a home run (four correct answers) receives a small prize. "Step Up to the Plate" centers on a baseball trivia contest. People of all ages are encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia questions inspired by our national pastime. The questions, developed by the library staff at the Hall of Fame, are based on exhibits at the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Trivia questions are now available to library users on the program's website.
Ask baseball fans and library lovers to team up for an all ages Library All-Stars Game. Fans will work in two teams of "All Stars" to find the answers to a series of baseball questions. During the "inning" teams will be pitched a series of questions, with each correct answer counting as a hit and each wrong answer registering as an out. Questions can be pulled directly from this year's "Step Up to the Plate" playbooks. After the game, encourage players to use their new found knowledge to participate in the "Step Up to the Plate" program.
"Step Up to the Plate @ your library" teams up two American classics - baseball and libraries - to promote the importance of information literacy skills and increase awareness of the library as an essential information resource. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in
October 2010.
Librarians are encouraged to register for free tools to help promote the program locally on the program website. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. Thousands of school and public librarians register for the program each year. The library that brings in the most entries will get a $100 bookstore gift certificate. The next three libraries will receive a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.
For more information go to http://www.ala.org/baseball/.
4. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
Acronym Finder -- http://www.acronymfinder.com/ -- The Acronym Finder is a searchable database of over 4 million acronyms, abbreviations and meanings. Covers: common acronyms, computers, science, technology, government, telecommunications, and military acronyms. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
5. CALENDAR
June 17, 2010 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee (LITAC) meeting, Madison
June 27-30, 2010 - ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) 2010 Conference (formerly the National Education Computing Conference), Denver, Colorado
June 24-29, 2010 - American Library Association (ALA) conference, Washington, D. C.
July 8-9, 2010 - Information and Technology Literacy Benchmark Workshop, Tomahawk
July 9, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Wausau
July 12, 2010 - EETT (Enhancing Education Through Technology) Title IID INTEL and Critical Friends Facilitator Training, Rothschild
July 15-16, 2010 - Thinkfinity training for online teachers, Portage
September 10, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, TBC
October 26, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Oconomowoc
November 1, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Rice Lake
November 2-5, 2010 - Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Wisconsin Dells
November 12, 2010 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, TBC
November 15, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Wisconsin Dells
November 17, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Green Bay
==================================================
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