1. Tessa Michaelson Schmidt joins Library Development Team
2. Public library annual report online form is open
3. Rural award nominations open
4. ALTAFF compiling info from library Friends groups
5. National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access grants
6. Website of the Week - Academic Earth
7. Calendar
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1. TESSA MICHAELSON SCHMIDT JOINS LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT TEAM

The Department of Public Instruction's Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning is pleased to announce that Tessa Michaelson Schmidt will join the Library Development Team as the Youth and Special Needs Consultant, filling the vacancy created by Barb Huntington's retirement last summer.

Many in the Wisconsin youth services community may recall Tessa's work at the Cooperative Children's Book Center. She also worked as a school library media specialist at Wingra School in Madison. Prior to earning her Masters of Library and Information Studies at the UW-Madison, Tessa worked as a teacher at Wingra. More recently, Tessa worked as a librarian, then Assistant Director, at the Ruby Sisson Memorial Library in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She brings with her a broad range of experience in libraries, training, and social media skills, as well as considerable service on state and national library associations and award committees.

Tessa will join the Library Development Team in February, joining consultants Bob Bocher and Terrie Howe, and John DeBacher, who took over as director of the team effective January 15.


2. PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT ONLINE FORM IS OPEN

The LibPAS online reporting system for the 2011 Public Library Annual Report opened for access on January 18. Email announcements with login information were sent to directors of all public libraries throughout Wisconsin. Instructions and information about the 2011 Public Library Annual Report (along with a link to the reporting site) are available here: http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_annrpt

If you are a public library director and did not receive your email announcement, please check the following:
-- if you have spam filtering, see if the message was trapped and add "wi@countingopinions.com" to the allowed addresses.
-- if the director's position recently changed or is vacant, please send a message to libraryreport@dpi.wi.gov with the name and email address of the person who will be completing the annual report.

This year, in an effort to reduce errors and further streamline the process for libraries, 10 systems have supplied the Department of Public Instruction with data that has been uploaded and pre-filled on behalf of their member libraries. That data may include collection and usage numbers derived from regional shared catalogs and circulation systems, or financial information for grants or reimbursements distributed by the regional system. The following systems participated in the pre-load program: Indianhead, Lakeshores, Mid-Wisconsin, OWLS, Nicolet, Northern Waters, South Central, Southwest, Waukesha County, and Winnefox. Winding Rivers is compiling data for upload next week.


3. RURAL AWARD NOMINATIONS OPEN

State Superintendent Tony Evers is pleased to open nominations for the "2012 Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin Schools, Libraries, and Communities Award." This award honors partnerships between and among schools, libraries, and communities which have resulted in programs or projects that demonstrate the great potential and spirit of rural Wisconsin. This award began in March 2005, when eight schools and communities were recognized for exemplary programs. Since 2005, forty more programs have been honored at the State Capitol.

Please note the January 27, 2012, deadline for submission. For a description of previous award winners and to fill out an online nomination form, visit http://dpi.wi.gov/rural/awards. This year's awards ceremony will be held at noon on Monday, March 12, in the State Capitol, first floor rotunda.

Please submit nominations to rebecca.hannah@dpi.wi.gov or by mail to: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Attn: Rebecca Hannah, Office of the State Superintendent, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841.


4. ALTAFF COMPILING INFO FROM LIBRARY FRIENDS GROUPS

The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations (ALTAFF), a division of the American Library Association, is conducting a survey for Friends of the Library groups. The survey can be accessed at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J7V9QYZ and responses will be collected through March 1, 2012.

The simple 10-question survey can be completed in five minutes or less. Survey responses will help ALTAFF develop resources for members and will be published on ALTAFF's website and in an upcoming edition of ALTAFF's newsletter for members, The Voice. Groups that complete the survey will be entered for a chance to win one of three prizes: $250, a year of ALTAFF membership or a one-year membership renewal (a value of up to $125), or a copy of ALTAFF's "Even More Great Ideas for Libraries and Friends" (a $44.95 value).

Please e-mail altaff@ala.org with any questions or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161. Survey results will be posted on the ALTAFF website, http://www.ala.org/altaff, later this year. ALTAFF is a division of the American Library Association that supports citizens who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, including library Trustees, advocates, Friends, and Foundations.


5. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES DIVISION OF PRESERVATION AND ACCESS GRANTS

The National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH) Division of Preservation and Access has offered Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions for more than a decade. These grants help small and mid-sized cultural heritage institutions such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections. Awards of up to $6000 support preservation related collection assessments, consultations, training and workshops, and institutional and collaborative disaster and emergency planning. Preservation Assistance Grants also support education and training in best practices for sustaining digital collections, standards for digital preservation, and the care and handling of collections during digitization. Institutions may request funds for a preservation assessment of digital collections. NEH does not fund digitization or the development of digital programs in this grant category.
All applications to the NEH must be submitted through Grants.gov. See the application guidelines for details.

The 2012 guidelines for Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions are available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/pag.html. You will also find sample project descriptions, sample narratives, and a list of frequently asked questions. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2012.

Small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant and those considering projects in digital preservation are especially encouraged to apply.

For more information, contact the staff of NEH's Division of Preservation and Access at 202-606-8570 and preservation@neh.gov


6. WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Academic Earth -- http://www.academicearth.org/ -- This site based in San Francisco, CA, offers free access to video courses and academic lectures from leading colleges and universities. (website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)


7. CALENDAR

January 20-24, 2012 - American Library Association mid-winter meeting, Dallas, TX

February 1, 2012 - Digital Learning Day, national observance

February 14, 2012 - Wisconsin Library Association (WLA)/Wisconsin Education Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) Library Legislative Day, Madison

March 9, 2012 - Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Fitchburg

March 13-17, 2012 - Public Library Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA

March 28-30, 2012 - Wisconsin Education Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) Annual Conference, Wisconsin Dells

April 23-24, 2012 - American Library Association National Library Legislative Day, Washington, DC

May 9-11, 2012 - Wisconsin Association of Public Librarians annual conference, Stevens Point

October 23-26, 2012 - Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) annual conference, La Crosse

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go to: http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/chn_chweekly
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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