1. FCC makes major changes to the E-rate program
2. Ninth annual International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration
3. ALA technology office seeks cutting-edge technology practices for 2010
4. Great Stories CLUB grant applications open
5. Mark your calendars for Money Smart Week @ your library, April 2-9, 2011
6. Website of the Week: Quickfacts
7. Calendar
=================================================
****************************************************************************
REMINDER: As reported in the September 30 edition of Channel Weekly, all DPI offices including the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) will be closed on Monday, October 11, for a required furlough day. Messages received on October 11 will be returned as soon as possible after employees return to work.
****************************************************************************
1. FCC MAKES MAJOR CHANGES TO THE E-RATE PROGRAM
Last week the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) released an E-rate Order that included several major changes for the July 1, 2011, E-rate funding year. The changes include the following:
— Expanded broadband access. Schools and libraries will now be able to lease dark or lit fiber from any provider, not just a telecommunications carrier. "Any provider" includes state research and education networks, government (e.g., local, county, state) or any other non-profit or for-profit entity.
— Community use of a school's E-rate funded Internet access. Schools can now allow the public to use the school's Internet access during non-classroom hours (e.g., evenings, weekends).
— Indexing the E-rate to inflation. Since the E-rate's inception in 1997 its funding has remained fixed at $2.25 billion annually. Yet, each year there is often at least $4 billion in services requested. To at least partly address this issue the FCC will now index the E-rate fund to inflation.
— Establish a program for off-site wireless connectivity. The FCC will launch a $10 million pilot program to pay for off-site use of the Internet by students or library patrons with wireless access devices like laptops and smart phones. (The E-rate will pay for the cost of the Internet, not the cost of the wireless devices.)
— Technology plans. Schools and libraries will no longer need technology plans if they are getting E-rate only for their telecommunications and Internet costs.
More details, including a link to the full FCC Order, are in the October 1 E-rate News Brief at http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=322. The Department of Public Instruction will also post updates on the Order to the DPI E-rate site at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_erate.
2. NINTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CELEBRATION
The "Open a Book... Open a Door... Open your Mind... to the World" International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration will take place Saturday, November 20, 2010 at the Pyle Center in Madison, Wisconsin, from 8:30 a.m. until -5:00 p.m. Registration is $40 for students and $70 for others. Featured authors include Betsy and Ted Lewin, Ying Chang Compestine, Laura Resau, and Truong Tran.
Authors will discuss the stories they have written and other works to integrate into the classroom. The workshop will close with a reception and book signing. Participants will be inspired to continue to internationalize curriculum in their schools and communities. For registration information go to http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/2010/registration10.htm.
The annual celebration is sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium. It is held in observance of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The aim of this workshop is to encourage the internationalization of school curriculum by incorporating literature about cultures from around the world that depicts unbiased and educated information. For more information, please contact: r—@southasia.wisc.edu or go to: http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/.
3. ALA TECHNOLOGY OFFICE SEEKS CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES FOR 2010
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is once again soliciting nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology.
Last year, OITP's America's Libraries for the 21st Century Subcommittee launched the "cutting-edge" contest to showcase libraries that serve their communities with novel and innovative methods and to provide the library community with some successful models for delivering quality library services in new ways.
Christine Lind Hage, chair of the subcommittee, said the wide response to the 2009 call was so inspiring, the subcommittee knew another contest was in order. Last year, three libraries (see http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4619) were cited for their outstanding work.
"These winners showed that libraries of all sizes can do innovative projects that are worthy of replication across library types," Hage said. "With all the creative technological work being done in libraries, I'm sure that this year we'll see some exciting apps, projects or services that we'll want to showcase."
Nominations should be sent to the American Library Association, Office for Information Technology Policy, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, 1st Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009 or to ainouye@alawash.org by November 1, 2010. Details for the nomination process are available on the OITP website at http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/cuttingedge/index.cfm.
4. GREAT STORIES CLUB GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are now accepting applications for the next round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Electronic applications for the reading and discussion series will be accepted through November 19 at http://www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.
The Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a book club program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. All types of libraries (public, school, academic and special) located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for a Great Stories CLUB grant. Potential organizations for Great Stories CLUB partnership include juvenile justice facilities, drug rehabilitation centers, nonprofits serving teen parents, alternative high schools, agencies serving teenaged foster children, shelters serving homeless and runaway youth and other agencies. For tips on creating a partnership, visit http://www.ala.org/greatstories.
Following the application process, 150 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for troubled teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with participants. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program, including sample discussion questions, recommended titles for further reading and other resources. Small cash grants ($100-$200) will be awarded to up to 25 sites for the support of program-related expenses.
For more information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book titles and descriptions, application instructions and feedback from past participants, visit http://www.ala.org/greatstories.
5. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MONEY SMART WEEK @ YOUR LIBRARY, APRIL 2-9, 2011
The American Library Association (ALA) has joined in a partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make "Money Smart Week @ your library," held April 2-9, 2011, a national initiative.
Celebrating its 10th year in 2011, Money Smart Week's mission is to promote personal financial literacy. Libraries of all types in the Midwest have participated in Money Smart Week, partnering with community groups, financial institutions, government agencies, educational organizations and other financial experts to help consumers learn to better manage their personal finances.
"ALA and libraries promote all types of literacy, and the past few years have highlighted the need for everyone to be financially literate," said Roberta Stevens, ALA President. "We are thrilled to be partnering with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make this a national initiative and encourage all libraries to mark their calendars now to celebrate and participate in Money Smart Week @ your library."
"The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago looks forward to partnering with the American Library Association to bring financial education to consumers across America," said Doug Tillett, the bank's vice president in charge of public affairs. "Since the start of Money Smart Week almost 10 years ago, libraries have been instrumental in helping people learn to make informed decisions about managing their money."
"Our participation in Money Smart Week Wisconsin over the last three years has brought hundreds of new patrons into the library and has helped us forge new community partnerships," reported Lori Burgess, support services coordinator, Fond du Lac (Wis.) Public Library.
ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will be launching a special section of the Money Smart Week website on Nov. 1 devoted to libraries, with information on how to participate, as well as toolkits, resources and examples of programming for public, academic, school and special libraries.
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
U.S. State and County QuickFacts — http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html — Quickfacts offers summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities. The site now includes data for cities and towns with more than 25,000 people. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
7. CALENDAR
October 25-27, 2010 - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Fall meeting, Kansas City
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, Madison
November 15, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Wisconsin Dells
November 16-17, 2010 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
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: (608) 267-9207
2. Ninth annual International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration
3. ALA technology office seeks cutting-edge technology practices for 2010
4. Great Stories CLUB grant applications open
5. Mark your calendars for Money Smart Week @ your library, April 2-9, 2011
6. Website of the Week: Quickfacts
7. Calendar
=================================================
****************************************************************************
REMINDER: As reported in the September 30 edition of Channel Weekly, all DPI offices including the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning (DLTCL) will be closed on Monday, October 11, for a required furlough day. Messages received on October 11 will be returned as soon as possible after employees return to work.
****************************************************************************
1. FCC MAKES MAJOR CHANGES TO THE E-RATE PROGRAM
Last week the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) released an E-rate Order that included several major changes for the July 1, 2011, E-rate funding year. The changes include the following:
— Expanded broadband access. Schools and libraries will now be able to lease dark or lit fiber from any provider, not just a telecommunications carrier. "Any provider" includes state research and education networks, government (e.g., local, county, state) or any other non-profit or for-profit entity.
— Community use of a school's E-rate funded Internet access. Schools can now allow the public to use the school's Internet access during non-classroom hours (e.g., evenings, weekends).
— Indexing the E-rate to inflation. Since the E-rate's inception in 1997 its funding has remained fixed at $2.25 billion annually. Yet, each year there is often at least $4 billion in services requested. To at least partly address this issue the FCC will now index the E-rate fund to inflation.
— Establish a program for off-site wireless connectivity. The FCC will launch a $10 million pilot program to pay for off-site use of the Internet by students or library patrons with wireless access devices like laptops and smart phones. (The E-rate will pay for the cost of the Internet, not the cost of the wireless devices.)
— Technology plans. Schools and libraries will no longer need technology plans if they are getting E-rate only for their telecommunications and Internet costs.
More details, including a link to the full FCC Order, are in the October 1 E-rate News Brief at http://www.usac.org/sl/tools/news-briefs/preview.aspx?id=322. The Department of Public Instruction will also post updates on the Order to the DPI E-rate site at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_erate.
2. NINTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE CELEBRATION
The "Open a Book... Open a Door... Open your Mind... to the World" International Children and Young Adult Literature Celebration will take place Saturday, November 20, 2010 at the Pyle Center in Madison, Wisconsin, from 8:30 a.m. until -5:00 p.m. Registration is $40 for students and $70 for others. Featured authors include Betsy and Ted Lewin, Ying Chang Compestine, Laura Resau, and Truong Tran.
Authors will discuss the stories they have written and other works to integrate into the classroom. The workshop will close with a reception and book signing. Participants will be inspired to continue to internationalize curriculum in their schools and communities. For registration information go to http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/2010/registration10.htm.
The annual celebration is sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium. It is held in observance of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The aim of this workshop is to encourage the internationalization of school curriculum by incorporating literature about cultures from around the world that depicts unbiased and educated information. For more information, please contact: r—@southasia.wisc.edu or go to: http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/.
3. ALA TECHNOLOGY OFFICE SEEKS CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES FOR 2010
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is once again soliciting nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology.
Last year, OITP's America's Libraries for the 21st Century Subcommittee launched the "cutting-edge" contest to showcase libraries that serve their communities with novel and innovative methods and to provide the library community with some successful models for delivering quality library services in new ways.
Christine Lind Hage, chair of the subcommittee, said the wide response to the 2009 call was so inspiring, the subcommittee knew another contest was in order. Last year, three libraries (see http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=4619) were cited for their outstanding work.
"These winners showed that libraries of all sizes can do innovative projects that are worthy of replication across library types," Hage said. "With all the creative technological work being done in libraries, I'm sure that this year we'll see some exciting apps, projects or services that we'll want to showcase."
Nominations should be sent to the American Library Association, Office for Information Technology Policy, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, 1st Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009 or to ainouye@alawash.org by November 1, 2010. Details for the nomination process are available on the OITP website at http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/cuttingedge/index.cfm.
4. GREAT STORIES CLUB GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are now accepting applications for the next round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Electronic applications for the reading and discussion series will be accepted through November 19 at http://www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.
The Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a book club program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. All types of libraries (public, school, academic and special) located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for a Great Stories CLUB grant. Potential organizations for Great Stories CLUB partnership include juvenile justice facilities, drug rehabilitation centers, nonprofits serving teen parents, alternative high schools, agencies serving teenaged foster children, shelters serving homeless and runaway youth and other agencies. For tips on creating a partnership, visit http://www.ala.org/greatstories.
Following the application process, 150 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for troubled teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with participants. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program, including sample discussion questions, recommended titles for further reading and other resources. Small cash grants ($100-$200) will be awarded to up to 25 sites for the support of program-related expenses.
For more information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book titles and descriptions, application instructions and feedback from past participants, visit http://www.ala.org/greatstories.
5. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MONEY SMART WEEK @ YOUR LIBRARY, APRIL 2-9, 2011
The American Library Association (ALA) has joined in a partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make "Money Smart Week @ your library," held April 2-9, 2011, a national initiative.
Celebrating its 10th year in 2011, Money Smart Week's mission is to promote personal financial literacy. Libraries of all types in the Midwest have participated in Money Smart Week, partnering with community groups, financial institutions, government agencies, educational organizations and other financial experts to help consumers learn to better manage their personal finances.
"ALA and libraries promote all types of literacy, and the past few years have highlighted the need for everyone to be financially literate," said Roberta Stevens, ALA President. "We are thrilled to be partnering with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make this a national initiative and encourage all libraries to mark their calendars now to celebrate and participate in Money Smart Week @ your library."
"The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago looks forward to partnering with the American Library Association to bring financial education to consumers across America," said Doug Tillett, the bank's vice president in charge of public affairs. "Since the start of Money Smart Week almost 10 years ago, libraries have been instrumental in helping people learn to make informed decisions about managing their money."
"Our participation in Money Smart Week Wisconsin over the last three years has brought hundreds of new patrons into the library and has helped us forge new community partnerships," reported Lori Burgess, support services coordinator, Fond du Lac (Wis.) Public Library.
ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago will be launching a special section of the Money Smart Week website on Nov. 1 devoted to libraries, with information on how to participate, as well as toolkits, resources and examples of programming for public, academic, school and special libraries.
6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
U.S. State and County QuickFacts — http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html — Quickfacts offers summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities. The site now includes data for cities and towns with more than 25,000 people. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
7. CALENDAR
October 25-27, 2010 - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Fall meeting, Kansas City
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, Madison
November 15, 2010 - Instructional Media and Technology (IMT) Team Regional Meeting, Wisconsin Dells
November 16-17, 2010 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
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: (608) 267-9207
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn Wise (608) 266-6439