Calendar
August 15 Directors Meeting, 10:00 a.m., NWLS. RSVP by August 10 to Linda Stobbe, lstobbe@nwls.lib.wi.us
August 24 Grant Writing and the Rural Library Webinar, 11:30 a.m. (See article below.)
September 8 Teens in the Library: Successful Ideas that Bring Them In and Keep Them Coming Back, Peg Burington, Assistant Director, Waupaca Area Public Library, 10:00 a.m., NWLS
September 19-December 9 Public Library Administration Online Course, UW-Madison.
September 20 Supervisory Skills for Managers and Leaders, Pat Wagner, 10:00 a.m., Telemark Resort and Convention Center, Cable.
September 20-21 Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference, Telemark Resort and Convention Center, Cable.
September 22-December 15 Collection Development Online Course, UW-Madison.
September 26-December 9 Basic Public Library Management Online Course, UW-Madison.
September 30 Northwoods Conference of Library Friends and Supporters, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Rothschild Village Hall Community Room, Rothschild, WI.
October 9-December 17 Fundamentals of Cataloging Online Course, UW-Madison.
Current Events
NWLS Announces New Website
From Jim Trojanowski, jtrojanowski@nwls.lib.wi.us
On August 2, 2006, NWLS moved to a new website. This site is designed to be easier to navigate, more attractive, and more useful than the previous site. It also meets ADA accessibility requirements.
As with any useful information resource, the website will continue to grow and change. NWLS is committed to adding and updating content to meet the needs of those we serve, especially staff and trustees of our member libraries, but also patrons of our eight-county service area.
The url for the website is http://nwls.wislib.org. Those who use the old url, nwls.lib.wi.us, will be redirected to the new site; however, we encourage those who use the NWLS website or link to it from their own websites to change their bookmarks and links to the new address. Merlin, the shared catalog used by 23 of our member libraries, will continue to use the same url as in the past, merlin.nwls.lib.wi.us.
Marsha Sorensen of the NWLS staff designed and created the new website. This is Marsha's first website and she spent countless hours learning software, designing the site, meeting with staff to develop content, making sure the site can be viewed with a variety of browsers, checking the site for ADA accessibility, and doing all the other tasks that must be done to create a website that is both attractive and useful. Well done, Marsha.
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The Need to Delete DOPA
From Jim Trojanowski, jtrojanowski@nwls.lib.wi.us
Last Thursday, July 27, the US House of Representatives passed the Deleting Online Predators Act, or DOPA, by a vote of 410-15. The legislation moves to the Senate, which may or may not vote on it by the end of this year's legislative session.
Librarians and educators should be concerned about DOPA's effect on learning. The bill would require schools and libraries that receive e-rate funds to block access to a wide variety of popular and useful Internet-based tools, including instant messaging, wikis, and blogs. American Library Association President Leslie Burger said, "Under DOPA, people who use library and school computers as their primary conduits to the Internet will be unfairly blocked from accessing some of the web's most powerful emerging technologies and learning applications. As libraries are already required to block content that is 'harmful to minors' under the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), DOPA is redundant and unnecessary legislation."
Advocates of DOPA say it will help assure the safety of children who use the Internet by making it more difficult for them to enter "social networking" and other types of sites in which detailed personal information is sought. Those who prey on children congregate at such sites because children are at them without adult supervision and because children often include a great deal of personal information about themselves.
Opponents of the legislation point out that the bill does nothing to strengthen penalties against those prosecuted for crimes against children. Further, they argue that the best way to protect children is to educate them about safe use of the Internet rather than trying to keep them out of a broad range of Internet sites that are popular with teens, many of which have significant educational value.
CBS News has posted an excellent opinion piece pointing out the flaws of DOPA.
OverDrive Titles Now in Merlin
From Mike Sheehan, msheehan@nwls.lib.wi.us
Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS) has added 890 downloadable audiobooks from OverDrive to its existing Merlin collection. These audiobooks are digital versions of published audiobooks that library patrons can download, play, and burn to CDs or MP3 players. Downloadable audiobooks are available now on the Merlin catalog at http://merlin.nwls.lib.wi.us. NWLS is providing this service to expand the mode of access to downloadable audiobook titles. Previously, patrons could only access these audiobooks by going to the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) center of the OverDrive website.
In order to access downloadable audiobook titles on the Merlin catalog, patrons search the catalog by author, title, or keyword, or they may also browse the list of downloadable audiobooks available in the Merlin collection at http://merlin.nwls.lib.wi.us/ftlist.
WorldCat Access for NWLS Member Libraries and Patrons
From Linda Bailen, lbailen@nwls.lib.wi.us
Did you know that WorldCat is available for your patrons? Library staff and patrons can search WorldCat from any NWLS library or from home. WorldCat is a worldwide union catalog of library holdings that contains millions of online records. It is the largest and most comprehensive database of its kind.
To access WorldCat within your library, use the link on the NWLS Web page at http://nwls.wislib.org/ and you will automatically be logged in. If librarians or patrons would like to access WorldCat at home, they can use the same link, but will need to type in the authorization and password. Patrons can contact their library to receive the authorization and password.
WebJunction Webinar: Grant Writing and the Rural Library
Library funding is always a challenge. Grant funding can help libraries enhance the services and resources they are able to offer to their communities. How do you find out about available grants? What is the secret to writing a grant application that will be successful? This online session will feature both practical advice and words of inspiration!
Visit the WebJunction website to register for the online session.
Call for Mailing Bags
From Karen Boggess, kboggess@nwls.lib.wi.us
We are getting dangerously low on mailing bags and interdepartmental envelopes. If you have a stockpile at your library, please send them back to NWLS. Thanks!
Useful URLs
LibrarySpot.com
LibrarySpot.com brings valuable research information together with insightful editorial in one user-friendly spot. The site simplifies the search for top-notch reference tools, periodicals and online texts, library information and much more.
LibrarySpot.com was recently named the Best Reference Site on the Web by Forbes and a Top 100 site by PC Magazine.
Reflection
"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."
-J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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