1. State Superintendent recognizes rural library projects with awards
2. 2011 LSTA survey results available
3. Public Library Development Team on Twitter
4. Website of the Week - MedLinePlus
5. Calendar
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1. STATE SUPERINTENDENT RECOGNIZES RURAL LIBRARY PROJECTS WITH AWARDS

State Superintendent Tony Evers recognized ten projects with his "Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin Schools, Libraries, and Communities" awards, announced on March 7 in Madison. Two of the awards went to the following projects that involved libraries:

Bringing Community Library Service to Rural Wisconsin is a project of the Melrose-Mindoro Area School District and the communities in the three counties it serves. The partnership made possible a community section in the school libraries within the towns of Melrose and Mindoro, which are open year-around on Monday evenings. Through donations and community support, services have expanded to include author visits, scrapbooking, a Packer Trivia Night, local history, and Hmong cultural activities. Growth has led to plans for construction of a future community library. In addition to the school district and town boards, partners in the project include the La Crosse County Library, Friends of the Mindoro Community Library, and many local businesses. Accepting the award were Gloria Beaser, Rita Cox, and Fred Marini.

Darlington Community Hispanic Outreach Project is a collaborative effort to provide resources and activities that raise the awareness of Hispanic culture and create an inclusive community. The project has sponsored the Cinco de Mayo observance since 2005; Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) since 2009; a bilingual community read of the book, "Charlotte's Web"; English as a Second Language classes at the library, and ongoing Spanish language classes at both the library and public schools. The community supports two Mexican grocery stores, two Hispanic churches, a Mexican restaurant, and numerous resources housed at the Johnson Public Library and the Darlington Schools Library Media Center. The Darlington Community School District, city of Darlington, Johnson Public Library, Darlington Chamber and Main Street Project, and other individuals and businesses are involved in the project. Accepting the award were Nita Burke, Tony Ruesga, and Denise Wellnitz.

Information about all ten awards is at /sites/default/files/imce/eis/pdf/dpinr2011_21.pdf


2. 2011 LSTA SURVEY RESULTS AVAILABLE

An online survey was recently conducted on Wisconsin's use of federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds. An email invitation was sent to selective Wisconsin library community email lists asking individuals to respond. The survey asked for feedback on past, present, and possible future funding areas for LSTA in Wisconsin. 489 responses were received.

The survey results will be used to inform LSTA planning and funding decisions, including decisions that would be required in case of funding reductions. The survey results will also be of value as we conduct our required five-year LSTA evaluation and plan for a new five-year plan.

A web page showing the survey results is at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_lsta2011survey.


3. PUBLIC LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT TEAM ON TWITTER

The Public Library Development Team now has a Twitter feed at @WisDPIpubLibDev. As a social networking tool, Twitter offers an opportunity to enhance and enlarge PLD's target audience through nearly instantaneous deployment of news or announcements. The team is following Twitter feeds from Wisconsin public libraries as they are found, and encourages libraries to follow PLD at http://twitter.com/WisDPIpubLibDev.

Libraries and librarians are also welcome to "like" the PLD Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Public-Library-Development/178686212143906 for news, updates, and information.


4. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

MedlinePlus - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ - Produced by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus provides free information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues, as well as up-to-date health information.


5. CALENDAR

March 11, 2011 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, by web conference

March 20-22, 2011 - Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) conference, Madison

April 13-14, 2011 - LSTA Advisory Committee Meeting, Madison

May 4-6, 2011 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) annual conference, Madison

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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: (608) 267-9207