1. Instructions for calculating exemption from county library tax
2. Edge Assessment reminder
3. Library Statistics Brochures for 2013
4. Library of the Month: Lone Rock Community Library
5. Computer skills tutorials for Spanish speakers
6. A Dash of Data
7. How did BadgerLink do?
8. BadgerLink Resource of the Week: BadgerLink questions
9. Website of the Week: Encyclopedia of Life
10. Calendar
=================================================

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR CALCULATING EXEMPTION FROM COUNTY LIBRARY TAX
Many towns, villages, and cities with public libraries are exempt from the county library tax as provided under Wis. Stats. 43.64. In order to exempt from the county tax a municipality must appropriate and expend for the library fund an amount at least equal to the county library tax. Not all municipalities meet this criterion, which makes calculating the necessary funding level for exemption an important step in finalizing a municipality's library appropriation.

Step-by-step instructions to be used by the municipality in calculating the exemption are provided at http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/pld/pdf/2015CountyExempCalc.pdf. Equalized property values are used to determine the threshold for exemption from the county library tax. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue posted the finalized 2014 Equalized Values Report at dor.state.wi.us/report/e.html on Friday, August 15. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) document also describes the alternate exemption method for municipalities that participate in joint libraries.

Please contact Denise Anton Wright, Public Library Administration Consultant, with questions at 608-266-7270 or denise.wright@dpi.wi.gov.


2. EDGE ASSESSMENT REMINDER

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) Division for Libraries and Technology strongly encourages libraries to participate in the Edge assessment, which is still available for libraries to use for free until the end of the 2014 calendar year. Edge is an assessment tool that scores libraries based on national benchmarks, focusing on public access technology. The library can then look to see what areas it excels in and what areas need more resources. Maintaining and updating technology in libraries is key to providing the community excellent service; the information gathered using Edge will help the library prioritize what areas of public access technology to focus on.

The Edge assessment consists of 11 benchmarks in 3 key areas:

Community Value

• Digital literacy
• Digital tools and resources
• Meeting key community needs

Engaging the Community

• Strategy and evaluation
• Strategic Partnerships
• Sharing best practices

Organizational Management

• Planning and policies
• Staff expertise
• Devices and bandwidth
• Technology and management
• Technology inclusiveness

The Edge assessment takes between 2 and 4 hours to complete. Once the library is registered and the profile created, the library can begin the assessment. The library can login and logout of the assessment, not needing to complete it all in one sitting. Once the assessment is completed the library will receive its scores in the areas stated above. The library can then plan and prioritize what improvements the library wants to make over time.

Some examples of areas that a library might receive a low score in:

• no accessibility goals for website in strategic plan
• average wait time on computers is not tracked
• lack of patron privacy

Many Wisconsin libraries have completed the Edge assessment and are now working with the results. These libraries are using the results to help with:

• redoing their strategic plans
• planning and changing the library's budget expenditure
• help with staffing

Libraries that have completed the assessment are sharing the results with their library board and/or with their community. Edge has marketing templates to help the libraries show the results of the assessment.

Registration: http://www.libraryedge.org/library/register.

Assessment Workbook: http://www.libraryedge.org/sites/default/files/Edge_Assessment_Workbook.pdf

Getting Started With Edge Webinar: http://www.libraryedge.org/Getting_Started/index.htm

If you have any questions at all, please contact Ryan Claringbole, DPI's Library Technology consultant, at ryan.claringbole@dpi.wi.gov or at (608) 266-9534.


3. LIBRARY STATISTICS BROCHURES FOR 2013

Now that Wisconsin Public Library Service Data for 2013 has been finalized, the Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) Public Library Development team has updated the corresponding template for an editable brochure of 2013 library statistics. LibPAS—the online reporting service used to submit public library annual reports—uses the template to import library data into a Word document. Libraries can then edit the brochure as needed; for example, by adding a photo of the library, adding text about library events, deleting "zero" or blank data items, or deleting one of the bar charts and inserting a pie chart.

To generate the brochure file:

• Log in to LibPAS at https://wi.countingopinions.com with the director's username and password. (The login page has a password reminder link.)
  The library home page is displayed.
• At the bottom of the page, click the light blue Library Reports button.
  The Manage Reports page is displayed.
• In the WI tab of the Manage Reports page, click the link for "Library Brochure 2013."
  LibPAS merges report data into the template and asks whether to open or save the resulting Word document.
• Edit the document as needed for your library.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jamie McCanless on DPI's Public Library Development team at (608) 266-3939 or jamie.mccanless@dpi.wi.gov.


4. LIBRARY OF THE MONTH: LONE ROCK COMMUNITY LIBRARY

The Library of the Month is a celebration of Wisconsin libraries compiled by the BadgerLink team.

Libraries in rural settings are energetically expanding services to stay ahead of community expectations and challenges, but with limited budgets and small spaces, creating a thriving library community can seem daunting. Lone Rock Community Library has found success by providing computers with internet access, offering games and learning programming, and promoting the use of BadgerLink resources.

With many services, from job applications to filing taxes, only available online, access to the internet is key to supporting rural communities. Lone Rock Community Library provides public computers with WiFi, and through the TEACH/DOA Library Fiber Project, the library will upgrade bandwidth to a minimum of 10 Mbps and replace several computers. The library replaces computers on a five-year cycle to make sure the hardware and software available is suitable for the latest applications. With these changes, the library will continue to be the online information hub in the community.

In addition to providing a sound technology infrastructure, the library also offers learning opportunities like computer classes for adults and gaming programming for kids. In June, the Lone Rock Community Library hosted classes to help users find genealogy resources and connect with others using social media. Due to their popularity, the library is planning to extend these programs in the future.

Minecraft, a multiplayer sandbox-style online game, is another popular activity at the library. Kids play, build, chase monsters, and connect with others in the community and around the world. "I have been waiting to do this all my life" said a 3rd grade Minecraft player. The success of the program has drawn kids in, where they become more familiar with technology and everything else the library has to offer.

BadgerLink is another way the Lone Rock Community Library provides support to its community. Director Rita Magno comments, "When I show patrons how to use the databases, they are surprised at the depth and breadth of information that is available!" Whether looking for health information or auto repair manuals, or ideas for your next read, BadgerLink provides resources with information on your topic. "It's a wonderful resource for the Lone Rock Community Library," says Magno.

Libraries across Wisconsin provide essential support to rural communities with access to technology and information.


5. COMPUTER SKILLS TUTORIALS FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

DigitalLearn.org, the Public Library Association's site for digital literacy support and training, recently released a computer class with 4 lessons for Spanish speakers. The four lessons cover the following:

• ¿Qué es un computadora?
• Mouse
• Keyboard
• Ports

This is a great, free resource to help those who speak Spanish learn basic computer skills. Available here: http://digitallearn.org/learn/primeros-pasos-en-el-equipo

Another helpful resource for Spanish speakers is the GFCLearnFree.org's sister site, http://www.gcfaprendelibre.org/index.do. This site contains more computer skills that are written for native Spanish speakers, including:

• Windows 8
• iPad
• ¿Cómo usar internet?
• Virus informáticos y antivirus

BadgerLink.net has Library Express "Recoursos para
Hispanohablantes" (http://www.gcfaprendelibre.org/index.do) which includes:

• Aprenda y repase sus habilidades escritas y gramaticals (Grammar)
• Sea Mejor Lector (Reading)
• Aprenda y repase sus habilidades matemáticas (Math)
• Prepárese para su Examen de Ciudadania (Citizenship test)
• Aprenda Sobre el Nuevo Examen de GED (GED).

6. A DASH OF DATA

In 2013, more than 3,450,000 Wisconsin residents were registered borrowers at public libraries. That's more than six of every ten people.

At the beginning of this month, just under 3,375,000 Wisconsin residents are registered voters—fewer than six in ten people.

Good going, libraries!


7. HOW DID BADGERLINK DO?

BadgerLink recently hosted Books & Literature BadgerBrunch trainings on Thursdays from July 10 to August 7. Please take this survey and help BadgerLink create trainings that are interesting and useful to you. The survey will close on August 21. Take the Survey:

https://docs.google.com/a/dpi.wi.gov/forms/d/1kyAgBcSxSxY5Ex4MWFrO0Oijp5H3ldn54GgkFZ4ZXEs/viewform.

You can view the recording of the trainings on the Videos, Webinars, and Documentation page: http://badgerlink.net/help/training#books.

A BadgerLink webinar series is planned for September that will cover Multimedia and Educator Resources. If you have any questions, contact BadgerLink staff at http://badgerlink.net/help/contact-us.


8. BADGERLINK RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

Have a question about BadgerLink? Check our FAQs http://badgerlink.net/help/faqs, tweet us @WisDPIBadgerLi, or contact us http://badgerlink.net/help/contact-us!


9. Website of the Week

Encyclopedia of Life -- http://eol.org – The mission of the Encyclopedia of Life is "to increase awareness and understanding of living nature through an Encyclopedia of Life that gathers, generates, and shares knowledge in an open, freely accessible, and trusted digital resource." (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)


10. CALENDAR

September 12, 2014 – Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Keshena

October 2, 2014 – Annual Youth Services Liaisons Meeting, DeForest

October 3, 2014 – Annual System Continuing Education and Certification Consultants Meeting, DeForest

November 4-7, 2014 – Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Wisconsin Dells

November 14, 2014 – Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, to be confirmed

November 19, 2014 – Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee Meeting, DeForest

==================================================
To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe,
go to: http://channel.dpi.wi.gov/
==================================================


Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries and Technology
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (608) 267-9207