In This Issue: 03.07.08

A Quick Look at Library Development within Northern Waters • Library Donation Bill Signed by Governor • Promoting Critical Literacy Skills • Step Up to the Plate @ Your Library • 2008 Notable Children's Books for Middle Readers • New to the NWLS Professional Collection • Library Brochure Makeover • Free Software Productivity Suites • Useful URLs • Reflection

March 11 Developing and Promoting Your Summer Library Program, NWLS, 10:00 – 2:30

March 11-12 Rhinelander's Children's Book Fest 2008

March 15 NWLS Board of Trustees Meeting, NWLS, 12:00

March 25-29 Public Library Association National Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota

April 4 Merlin Consortium Meeting, NWLS, 10:00 - 1:00

April 5 Library Trustee Basics, Phelps Public Library, 10:00 - 2:30

April 10 Effective Library Marketing and Advocacy, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30

April 19 Library Trustee Basics, Spooner Memorial Library, 10:00 - 2:30

April 13-19 National Library Week

April 30-May 2 The Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries Annual Conference, Stevens Point

UW-Madison SLIS Continuing Education Courses in Madison.
Visit the School of Library and Information Studies for more information.

A Quick Look at Library Development within Northern Waters

From Jim Trojanowski, NWLS Director - Each February Wisconsin’s public libraries are required to file annual reports with the state. Each year, Northern Waters (NWLS) staff takes time to review the data in order to determine what trends appear to be emerging among the libraries NWLS serves. This year we are comparing 2003 data against the new 2007, both for each library and system-wide. Here are a few initial observations:

Hours Open The 29 libraries in Northern Waters are open 3009 more hours annually now than they were in 2003, an increase of 5%. Forest Lodge Library in Cable is open more than 50% more hours than it was five years ago and the Burnett Community Library in Webster is open 30% more hours. Ten other libraries report an increase of at least 10% more open hours than they reported in 2003. Six libraries are open fewer hours now than they were in 2003. Member libraries are now open a total of 59,027 hours annually.

Circulation System-wide circulation rose 8%, or 92,270 items, which continues a trend of slow, steady growth among NWLS member libraries. Shell Lake (90%), Cable (80%), Iron River (66%), and Mellen (56%) saw the greatest growth in circulation, with 13 other libraries reporting double-digit increases. Six libraries reported circulation decreases ranging from 4% to 68%. Total circulation among the 29 libraries was a record 1,266,815 items.

Interlibrary Loan The Merlin shared catalog has made interlibrary loan (ILL) quicker and easier for patrons, a fact reflected in the dramatic increase in interlibrary lending. NWLS member libraries now send and receive more than twice the number of items they sent and received just five years ago. Lending and borrowing at Land O’ Lakes both increased by more than 1000%. Eight more libraries (Ashland, Cable, Hayward, Iron River, Presque Isle, Shell Lake, Spooner, and Webster) saw both their lending and borrowing more than double from 2003 to 2007. The total number of lends and borrows both exceeded 110,000.

Expenditures Spending among NWLS member libraries grew 10% from 2003 to 2007, which is slightly below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Thirteen libraries increased their expenditures by at least 20%, led by Cable (91%), Winchester (67%), Iron River (63%), and Land O’ Lakes (62%). Three libraries spent less in 2007 than in 2003, with decreases ranging from 3% to 19%.
System-wide expenditures on library materials – items such as books, music, films, and magazines – decreased 8% during the past five years. Winter (185%) and Cable (176%) saw the greatest increases in materials expenditures, while seven other libraries spent between 36% and 73% more in 2007 than in 2003. Eleven libraries spent less on materials at the end of the period. According to Blackwell, a major library vendor, the cost of the average book published in the United States increased about 7% during the same time.

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Library Donation Bill Signed by Governor

From Channel Weekly, March 6, 2008 - Senate Bill 1 was signed by Governor Doyle on March 5, and has been published as 2007 Act 61. The new law allows a library board to transfer donations made to the library to a charitable organization exempt from federal income tax under the Internal Revenue Code, provided the organization's purpose is to provide support for the public library. The law also makes valid such transfers made by library boards prior to the effective date of the new law.

Wisconsin library law also allows a public library board to transfer donations made to the library to the treasurer of the municipality or county that established the library; entrust them to a public depository; or transfer them to the library board's financial secretary. More information on the legal options for the handling of library funds is available in Trustee Essential #9.

The author of SB-1 was Senator Russ Decker and the bill was supported by the Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Library Association.

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Promoting Critical Literacy Skills

From the American Library Association - Preparing children to lead productive and fulfilling lives involves reading as well as searching, evaluating and applying information. This combination of skills is often referred to as information literacy. There are several things people can do to help children learn critical literacy skills:

1. Develop your own information literacy skills. Become a savvy information user.

2. Encourage a love of reading. Children who enjoy reading are more likely to do well in school and throughout life.

3. Set an example. Talk about what you read and see in books, newspapers, TV and the Web.

4. Offer your child guidance on resources for homework and other needs. Most libraries have Web sites with links to recommended sites for homework use. For reports of an in-depth or historical nature, books are generally still the most reliable source.

5. Make using the library a regular family activity. Encourage children to explore the variety of resources the library offers and to ask the librarian when they need help.

6. Find out whether there is a school policy about teaching information literacy skills. Provide a copy of the "Information Power!" standards prepared by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association, and the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT).

Libraries promote literacy though preschool storyhours and reading programs that encourage a love of reading and learning. Librarians promote information literacy by helping people of all ages to be informed consumers of information. Libraries also provide computers and Internet connections for the public and offer assistance with using computers and information technology. Follow the links below to learn more: • Benchmark your Progress • Additional 21st Century Literacy Resources

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Step Up to the Plate @ Your Library

From the American Library Association - The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum are teaming up to promote Step Up to the Plate @ your library, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” People of all ages will be encouraged to visit their library and answer a series of trivia baseball questions. The goal of the program is to promote the importance of information literacy skills, including reading, using computers and other media, searching/evauluating information, and using information to communicate.

Beginning April 4 the Step Up to the Plate @ your library Web site will offer baseball diamond game boards with four categories of questions that can be played online or downloaded and submitted by mail. Players are encouraged to use the library to find the answers. Entries must be submitted online or postmarked by September 5. For more information about the contest, prizes and promotional materials, librarians can visit ALA Sponsorship Programming or ALA Graphics.

2008 Notable Children's Books for Middle Readers
From The American Library Association

1. Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Spiders. A 2008 Sibert Honor Book.

2. Dowson, Nick. Tracks of a Panda.

3. Giblin, James Cross. The Many Rides of Paul Revere. Archival Photographs.

4. Goscinny, René. Nicholas and the Gang. A 2008 Batchelder Honor Book.

5. Hest, Amy. Remembering Mrs. Rossi.

6. Judge, Lita. One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II.

7. Kobayashi, Issa. Today and Today.

8. Lehman, Barbara. Rainstorm.

9. Levine, Ellen. Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book.

10. Lewin, Ted. At Gleason’s Gym.

11. Mora, Pat. Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings.

12. Park, Linda Sue. Tap Dancing on the Roof.

13. Ray, Deborah Kogan. Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer.

14. Richter, Jutta. The Cat: Or, How I Lost Eternity. A 2008 Batchelder Honor Book.

15. Schlitz, Laura Amy. The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm.

16. Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The 2008 Caldecott Medal Book.

17. Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society.

18. Varon, Sara. Robot Dreams.

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New to the NWLS Reference Collection

NWLS has now added to Merlin the fourth edition of the Position Classifications for Wisconsin Public Libraries. WAPL’s Personnel and Professional Concerns Committee has updated job descriptions and information to include technology, additional positions and form documents.

NWLS will send information from this reference item upon request. To purchase a copy of Position Classifications for Wisconsin Public Libraries visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/forms/pubform.pdf

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Library Brochure Makeover

From the American Library Association - Could your library brochure use a makeover? Don't miss this great opportunity to get expert assistance and raise your library's promotional materials to new heights. All types and sizes of libraries are envited to submit a brochure for a potential makeover from the Swap and Shop Committee of the Public Relations and Marketing section (PRMS) of the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA).

Two lucky entries will be selected for the makeovers. To submit a brochure for consideration, mail three copies of your entry to: LAMA PRMS PR Makeover 1830 N. Fremont Chicago, IL 60614 Include the name of the library making the submission, library staff contact name, mailing address, e-mail address and phone number. Entries should arrive no later than April 15.

Free Software Productivity Suites

From Tony Kriskovich, NWLS - Microsoft Office may be the most popular office productivity suite currently on the market, but don’t expect this to last forever considering the slew of new, web-based, and open-source alternatives coming every day. Recently, in only the last 2 to 3 years, not only has the number of MS Office competitors grown significantly, but also the quality of these products has increased immensely.

The best part about these new office alternatives is that they are completely FREE and the're compatible with Microsoft Office. I get a lot of questions from library staff and patrons about how to open/edit MS Office documents from different locations, such as on the road or from a home computer. You can now create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on the fly, access them from anywhere, and open them in MS Office for compatibility purposes.

There are two types of solutions; a free “downloadable version” that you install directly on to your computer or a “web-based office” that works over the Internet. The downloadable versions of office will take a while to download, so it is better to use a broadband connection to do so. Let’s start out with the free downloadable office versions:

1. IBM Lotus Symphony – Works with Win XP, Vista and Linux. IBM Lotus Symphony is a direct competitor to the Microsoft Office suite because it is also a desktop application aimed at individuals and businesses. The suite consists of Symphony Documents, Symphony Presentations, and Symphony Spreadsheets.
More Info Here: http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa

2. OpenOffice - OpenOffice is a multi-platform (Win, Mac, and Linux) and multi-lingual office suite which is compatible with all major office suites (i.e. Microsoft Office). It includes Writer (word processing), Impress (presentation), Math, Draw, Calc (spreadsheet), and Base applications. IBM Lotus Symphony is also based on the code from OpenOffice. They also have developed a program called OpenOffice Portable that you can take with you on a USB thumb drive. This way you can work with the same version of the office you are used too!
More Info Here: http://www.openoffice.org/
More Info on Portable: http://portableapps.com/apps/office/openoffice_portable

3. NeoOffice – NeoOffice actually is a product that forked off of the OpenOffice program. It was started to have the Mac OS X “look and feel”. It implements nearly all of the features of the corresponding OpenOffice version, including a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, and graphics program.
More Info Here: http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php

Now for the online office versions, these programs don’t require any software to be downloaded. You do however need to have an Internet connection and setup an account to use the products.

1. Google Docs - This is probably the most heard of Office competitor that most people already know about. Google Docs is completely online and includes a web-based word processor, spreadsheet application, and a presentation application. The really cool thing about Google Docs is that you can upload, download, save online and share your documents with other Google members. More Info Here: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html

2. Zoho - Zoho is probably the best online office productivity suite with not only word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications, but also includes online project management, CRM solutions, web conferencing, online database with reports, online planner, group chat, wiki, and lots more. It also includes a plug-in for MS Office so you can work both online or offline. How cool is that! More Info Here: http://www.zoho.com/

3. Thinkfree - Thinkfree claims to have the best integration with Microsoft Office. Also, the interface for each application is very similar to MS Office including the toolbars, icons, and functions. I think it looks exactly like MS Office! Thinkfree also has advanced collaboration features such that users can share, edit, and contribute their ideas remotely. More Info Here: http://www.thinkfree.com/common/main.tfo

These programs are compatible with MS Office versions 97-2003, but they do not support the new Microsoft Open Office XML Format (.docx) found in MS Office 2007. I am certain that these companies are working on a solution (example: OpenOffice 3.0) to work with this new format.

Education: Art Hazards

Guidelines for the safe use of art and craft supplies in accordance with the California Education Code, which "prohibits schools from ordering or purchasing any product that contains toxic or carcinogenic substances for use in grades K-6." Includes general guidance (such as avoiding inhalation hazards and solvent-based products) and a detailed list of prohibited products. From the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).
URL: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/education/art/

Keeping the Artist Safe: Hazards of Arts and Crafts Materials

Collection of links to websites with safety information for the use of art products. Includes overviews, information about specific materials (such as ceramics and photographic chemicals), regulations and standards, resources for artists and schools, bibliographies, and more. Provides links to some Spanish-language pages. From the Specialized Information Services (SIS) Division of the National Library of Medicine.
URL: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/arthazards.html

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.

- Joseph Brodsky, Poet

Contact NWLS for subscription services or to submit an article for publication: email Marsha at newsletter@nwls.lib.wi.us or call 715-682-2365.

NWLS: 3200 E. Lake Shore Dr. • Ashland, WI 54806 • Phone: (715)682-2365 • Web: http://nwls.wislib.org • Serving libraries in Ashland, Bayfield, Burett, Douglas, Iron, Sawyer, Vilas and Washburn Counties.