1. Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
2. ALA files comments on library broadband
3. Library dramatically increases its broadband
4. Registration for Government Information Day opens
5. Website of the Week - HubbleSite
6. Calendar
=================================================
1. BANNED BOOKS WEEK: CELEBRATING THE FREEDOM TO READ
Banned Books Week 2011 will be held during the week of September 24 to October 1. This annual event celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the impact of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, see http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm.
2. ALA FILES COMMENTS ON LIBRARY BROADBAND
In its continued advocacy for greater library broadband connectivity, last week the American Library Association (ALA) filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on this issue. The ALA used its latest survey data to show that 60 percent of libraries now have broadband connections greater than 1.5Mbps. This was true for only 29 percent of libraries in 2005. But while progress has been made, it is tempered by another revealing statistic:
-- In 2005: 53.5 percent of libraries reported their bandwidth was sufficient.
-- In 2010: 54.6 percent of libraries reported their bandwidth was sufficient.
Therefore, while bandwidth increased from 2005-2010, the number of libraries reporting that their bandwidth-regardless of speed-is sufficient to meet staff and patron needs has shown almost no improvement. Programs like E-rate have been instrumental in helping address library broadband needs but obviously more work needs to be done. ALA has requested that the FCC, as it undertakes various other broadband initiatives, make libraries a key part of these initiatives. Bob Bocher of the Department of Public Instruction's Public Library Development Team co-authored the ALA's comments; a complete version can be found at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021707461.
3. LIBRARY DRAMATICALLY INCREASES ITS BROADBAND
Last month the Chippewa Falls Public Library started using the Chippewa Area Internetworking Consortium (CINC) for their broadband connectivity. CINC is a Community Area Network serving over 150 locations in the Chippewa Valley area. For more information, see https://cinc.uwec.edu/. (The L.E. Philips Public Library in Eau Claire has been on CINC since its inception in 1999 and the Indianhead Federated Library System is also on CINC.)
The CINC connection replaces the library's BadgerNet connection. With BadgerNet, the library only had a 1.5Mbps circuit, which was often insufficient to met staff and patron needs. After switching to CINC, the library has yet to approach the 30Mbps in bandwidth it now has. The CINC connection, like the previous BadgerNet connection, is used by the library for both Internet access and to transmit data as part of its shared integrated library system, which is managed by the Indianhead Federated Library System. BadgerNet's limited bandwidth sometimes caused the integrated system to become unstable. With the increased bandwidth this is no longer an issue. Library director Darryl Eschete reports that staff and patrons have noticed a dramatic improvement with the increased bandwidth.
BadgerNet's 1.5Mbps service cost the library $1200 per year and cost the state's TEACH program an additional $6900 per year ($8,100 total). The library will not be charged directly for its 30Mbps circuit because this is covered under the City of Chippewa Falls CINC maintenance agreement. The library may incur occasional costs for hardware upgrades to support bandwidths above 30Mbps.
For more information on the library's new broadband connection, contact Gus Falkenberg, Technology Coordinator for the Indianhead Federated Library System, at 715-839-5082, ext. 113, or falkenberg@ifls.lib.wi.us.
4. REGISTRATION FOR GOVERNMENT INFORMATION DAY OPENS
Registration is open for Government Information Day 2011. This annual event, sponsored by the Wisconsin Library Association Government Information Round Table, will be held on Friday, September 30, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library. Registration is open to all who are interested in government information.
This year's event features presentations by organizations working to make government information relevant to the public. Presentations include:
BadgerStat: Performance Measures for Citizens and Lawmakers
Center on Wisconsin Strategy: The Wisconsin Idea in Action
Developing strategic plans for the Wisconsin Document Depository Program and the U.S. Federal Depository Collections in Wisconsin
Hathi Trust, Wisconsin Digital Archives, and Archive IT: What Are They and How Can We Use Them?
Presentation of the 2010 Wisconsin Distinguished Document Award
Registration is still only $10! For more information about the event and how to register visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/girt.
5. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
HubbleSite -- http://hubblesite.org/ -- Hubble is one of NASA's most successful and long-lasting science missions. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy. HubbleSite is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
6. CALENDAR
September 22, 2011 - Youth Consultants Annual meeting, Madison
September 23, 2011 - Continuing Education & Certification Consultants meeting, Madison
October 24-26, 2011 - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies fall meeting, Santa Fe, NM
November 1-4, 2011 - Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Milwaukee
November 11, 2011 - Council on Library and Network Development, Milwaukee
November 16-17, 2011 - LSTA Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
==================================================
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. ALA files comments on library broadband
3. Library dramatically increases its broadband
4. Registration for Government Information Day opens
5. Website of the Week - HubbleSite
6. Calendar
=================================================
1. BANNED BOOKS WEEK: CELEBRATING THE FREEDOM TO READ
Banned Books Week 2011 will be held during the week of September 24 to October 1. This annual event celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the impact of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, see http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm.
2. ALA FILES COMMENTS ON LIBRARY BROADBAND
In its continued advocacy for greater library broadband connectivity, last week the American Library Association (ALA) filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on this issue. The ALA used its latest survey data to show that 60 percent of libraries now have broadband connections greater than 1.5Mbps. This was true for only 29 percent of libraries in 2005. But while progress has been made, it is tempered by another revealing statistic:
-- In 2005: 53.5 percent of libraries reported their bandwidth was sufficient.
-- In 2010: 54.6 percent of libraries reported their bandwidth was sufficient.
Therefore, while bandwidth increased from 2005-2010, the number of libraries reporting that their bandwidth-regardless of speed-is sufficient to meet staff and patron needs has shown almost no improvement. Programs like E-rate have been instrumental in helping address library broadband needs but obviously more work needs to be done. ALA has requested that the FCC, as it undertakes various other broadband initiatives, make libraries a key part of these initiatives. Bob Bocher of the Department of Public Instruction's Public Library Development Team co-authored the ALA's comments; a complete version can be found at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7021707461.
3. LIBRARY DRAMATICALLY INCREASES ITS BROADBAND
Last month the Chippewa Falls Public Library started using the Chippewa Area Internetworking Consortium (CINC) for their broadband connectivity. CINC is a Community Area Network serving over 150 locations in the Chippewa Valley area. For more information, see https://cinc.uwec.edu/. (The L.E. Philips Public Library in Eau Claire has been on CINC since its inception in 1999 and the Indianhead Federated Library System is also on CINC.)
The CINC connection replaces the library's BadgerNet connection. With BadgerNet, the library only had a 1.5Mbps circuit, which was often insufficient to met staff and patron needs. After switching to CINC, the library has yet to approach the 30Mbps in bandwidth it now has. The CINC connection, like the previous BadgerNet connection, is used by the library for both Internet access and to transmit data as part of its shared integrated library system, which is managed by the Indianhead Federated Library System. BadgerNet's limited bandwidth sometimes caused the integrated system to become unstable. With the increased bandwidth this is no longer an issue. Library director Darryl Eschete reports that staff and patrons have noticed a dramatic improvement with the increased bandwidth.
BadgerNet's 1.5Mbps service cost the library $1200 per year and cost the state's TEACH program an additional $6900 per year ($8,100 total). The library will not be charged directly for its 30Mbps circuit because this is covered under the City of Chippewa Falls CINC maintenance agreement. The library may incur occasional costs for hardware upgrades to support bandwidths above 30Mbps.
For more information on the library's new broadband connection, contact Gus Falkenberg, Technology Coordinator for the Indianhead Federated Library System, at 715-839-5082, ext. 113, or falkenberg@ifls.lib.wi.us.
4. REGISTRATION FOR GOVERNMENT INFORMATION DAY OPENS
Registration is open for Government Information Day 2011. This annual event, sponsored by the Wisconsin Library Association Government Information Round Table, will be held on Friday, September 30, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library. Registration is open to all who are interested in government information.
This year's event features presentations by organizations working to make government information relevant to the public. Presentations include:
BadgerStat: Performance Measures for Citizens and Lawmakers
Center on Wisconsin Strategy: The Wisconsin Idea in Action
Developing strategic plans for the Wisconsin Document Depository Program and the U.S. Federal Depository Collections in Wisconsin
Hathi Trust, Wisconsin Digital Archives, and Archive IT: What Are They and How Can We Use Them?
Presentation of the 2010 Wisconsin Distinguished Document Award
Registration is still only $10! For more information about the event and how to register visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/girt.
5. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
HubbleSite -- http://hubblesite.org/ -- Hubble is one of NASA's most successful and long-lasting science missions. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy. HubbleSite is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) for NASA, under contract with the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)
6. CALENDAR
September 22, 2011 - Youth Consultants Annual meeting, Madison
September 23, 2011 - Continuing Education & Certification Consultants meeting, Madison
October 24-26, 2011 - Chief Officers of State Library Agencies fall meeting, Santa Fe, NM
November 1-4, 2011 - Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Milwaukee
November 11, 2011 - Council on Library and Network Development, Milwaukee
November 16-17, 2011 - LSTA Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
==================================================
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