Streams

March 7 Patron Privacy in the Internet Age
Bob Bocher, Library Technology Consultant, Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30

• Eco-Librarians: Changing Our Communities One Step at a Time: March 31 - April 21

Public Notice of Library Board Meetings

From Jim Trojanowski, NWLS Director - Wisconsin’s open meetings law requires government bodies to provide public notice in advance of any meeting which “…shall set forth the time, date, place and subject matter of the meeting…” [Wisconsin Statute s.19.84(2)] Because public library boards are government bodies, they must comply with the law. Here are some tips to help your library meet the public notice requirement.

The Agenda
Include the name of the library board, the time of the meeting, and the location. Do not assume that because the agenda is posted in your library that everyone knows which library board is meeting. Instead, give the name of your library board.

Public notice must include all topics to be discussed by the board and specify those agenda items on which the board is expected to act. For instance, if the board will be asked to approve a policy, the agenda should include the name of the policy and that the board will be asked to approve it.

If the agenda includes a public participation period, the board should avoid discussing topics brought to its attention unless they are listed on the agenda. Instead, the board should accept the comments and, if necessary, discuss the topic at a future meeting.

Closed Sessions
Business of the library board must be conducted in open session except as permitted under s.19.85. If the board will meet in closed session, the meeting notice must cite the statute number under which it will do so and briefly explain the reason for the closed session. If the board will adjourn from closed session, the agenda must include that information.

Open session is defined in s.19.82(3) to mean “…a meeting which is held in a place reasonably accessible to members of the public and open to all citizens at all times. “

Publication
In accordance with s.19.84(1)(b), public notice of government meetings must be sent to any media requesting such notice in writing and to the official newspaper designated by the government body. If no official newspaper exists, notice must be given to a news medium likely to give notice in the area in which the library is located.

S.19.84(3) requires notice of meetings at least 24 hours in advance of the beginning of the meeting except when there is good cause for shorter notice or when 24 hour notice is “impossible or impractical.” In such cases, notice must be provided at least 2 hours in advance of the time the meeting begins.

Additional Sources of Information
“Trustee essential 4: Effective board meetings and trustee participation,” in Trustee essentials: a handbook for Wisconsin public library trustees. Includes a sample library board agenda. http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/te4.html#agenda

Nancy Pearl is coming to Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference October 2 and 3 and you could win a place at her luncheon table! Simply snap a photo of yourself, along with a Nancy Pearl Action Figure and send it along with your conference registration. Registration information can be found at http://www.telemarkeducation.com/book_conference.html

Be creative! Showcase your library's or your area's best features in your photo. If you don't have a Nancy Pearl Action Figure, NWLS has 5 available for interloan. To borrow an Action Figure contact Linda Stobbe at Northern Waters Library Service lstobbe@nwls.lib.wi.us.

The 12th Public Library Association National Conference will be held March 25-29 in Minneapolis. The biennial Conference is the premier event for public libraries, drawing librarians, library support staff, trustees, Friends, and library vendors from across the country and around the world. The conference offers more than a hundred high-quality educational programs, world-class speakers, a bustling exhibits hall, networking opportunities and social events. Visit the PLA website for program details.

Those who can't make the trip to Minneapolis will be able to participate virtually. A PLA 2008 Virtual Conference will be held on Thursday and Friday during the conference. Registration for the PLA 2008 Virtual Conference is available at http://www.placonference.org. Those attending the conference will also have access to the Virtual Conference. Virtual conference sessions include:

• Weeders Attract More Readers
• What Does it Take to be Good at Reference in the Age of Google?
• A Conversation with Nancy Pearl
• Why Do We Dewey: Redesigning for a Customer-centered Experience
• Creating Environments: From Tots to Teens
• Off Your Seat and On Your Feet! Proactive Reference Customer Service
• Dangerous Ideas: What if Libraries…?
• Handling Upset Patrons: From the Irate to the Insane
• Gamers in the Stacks - Why video games matter to your library in terms of entertainment, culture, learning, literacy, and youth development.
• Technozoo - Show and tell presentation of new gadgets, gizmos and games.

From the American Indian Library Association - The American Indian Library Association announces the establishment of a scholarship award for American Indian/Alaskan Native students who are enrolled in, or have been accepted to and will enroll in a master's degree program in an American Library Association accredited library school. One $500 scholarship will be awarded each academic year. All applications, references, and other supporting documentation much be postmarked no later than April 1.

The American Indian Library Association encourages donations to the American Indian Library Association Scholarship Fund. Contributions may be sent to Joan S. Howland, AILA Treasurer, University of Minnesota Law Library, 229 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455

American Library Association, January 13, 2008 - The American Indian Library Association (AILA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the recipients of it's American Indian Youth Literature Award. This new literary award was created as a way to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. Books selected to receive the award present Native Americans in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.

Picture Book: Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridge

Middle School: Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond, by Joseph Medicine Crow

Young Adult: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Page up

2. Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Makes Music. Illus. by Molly Bang.

3. Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything. Illus. by David Small.

4. Brown, Monica. My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez. Illus. by Raúl Colón. Luna Rising. A 2008 Belpré Illustrator Honor Book.

5. Coffelt, Nancy. Fred Stays with Me! Illus. by Tricia Tusa.

6. Cole, Brock. Good Enough to Eat. illus. Farrar.

7. Deedy, Carmen Agra. Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale. Illus. by Michael Austin. A 2008 Belpré Author Honor Book.

8. Dillon, Leo and Diane Dillon. Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose.

9. Floca, Brian. Lightship. Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson. A 2008 Sibert Honor Book.

10. The Global Fund for Children. Global Babies.

11. Gonzalez, Maya Christina. My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo. A 2008 Belpré Illustrator Honor Book.

12. Graham, Bob. Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty’s Little Sister.

13. Gravett, Emily. Orange Pear Apple Bear.

14. Harrington Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County. Illus. by Shelley Jackson.

15. Henkes, Kevin. A Good Day.

16. Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry. Ed. by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illus. by Polly Dunbar.

17. Isadora, Rachel. Yo, Jo!

18. Lunde, Darrin. Hello, Bumblebee Bat. Illus. by Patricia J. Wynne. A 2008 Geisel Honor Book.

19. McKissack, Patricia C. The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney.

20. Montes, Marisa. Los Gatos Black on Halloween. Illus. by Yuyi Morales. The 2008 Belpré Illustrator Award Book and a 2008 Belpré Author Honor Book.

21. Morales, Yuyi. Little Night.

22. Perkins, Lynne Rae. Pictures from Our Vacation.

23. Pinkney, Jerry. Little Red Riding Hood.

24. Sayre, April Pulley. Vulture View. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. A 2008 Geisel Honor Book.

25. Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories.

26. Seeger, Laura Vacarro. First the Egg. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book & 2008 Geisel Honor Book.

27. Thompson, Lauren. Ballerina Dreams: A True Story. Illus. by James Estrin.

28. Wheeler, Lisa. Jazz Baby. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie.

29. Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book.

30. Willems, Mo. There Is a Bird on Your Head! The 2008 Geisel Award Book.

New to the NWLS Professional Collection

READ CD: Anyone can be a celebrity with the new READ CD! The ownership of the READ CD is your license to use the ALA READ product trademark for non-profit, promotional use. Create unlimited custom READ posters with eye-catching designs and exciting graphics. Easy-to-use.

From Linda Stobbe, NWLS - Freezing panes in Microsoft Excel alows you to keep specific rows or columns visible as you scroll. For example, in order to view table headings as you scroll through a long spreadsheet, you can freeze the row of headings. A solid line appears below a frozen row to indicate that the row will remain visible as you scroll.

Freeze panes: How to lock specific rows or columns
1. On the worksheet, choose from the following:

Unfreeze Panes: How to unlock rows or columns
Click Unfreeze Panes on the Window menu.

The Merlin catalog now offers the option to keep a history of your checkouts. After logging into your patron record from Merlin, you can click the "opt in" link to activate the reading history feature. Any new checkouts will then show in a reading history list that can be edited (items in the list can be removed.) To keep your personal information private, it is important to always "logout" when you're finished using your patron record. If you decide to discontinue keeping a reading history list, click on the "opt out" link in the reading history window to deactivate the feature.

From Michael Sheehan, NWLS - For informational purposes, I have compiled the 2007 annual statistics for usage on the OverDrive downloadable audiobook and netLibrary e-book collections from the Merlin catalog. The year 2007 registered 321 netLibrary circulations, with the highest circulated title being John Glenn’s Return to Space with 16 checkouts. E-book usage was down 190 circs from the previous year. As for the OverDrive collection, the year 2007 boasted 1,623 checkouts, with the highest circulating title being 24 Hours with 13 checkouts. The year-end downloadable audiobook collection circulation number tripled from the previous year. OverDrive’s downloadable video and music collection had only minor checkouts.

Project Vote Smart

Project Vote Smart provides presidential election resources along with nonpartisan voter information on each candidate including voting records, issue positions, biographies, finances, ratings by competing special interests, public statements, and more!

The Pew Research Center provides a compilation of publications related to the 2008 U.S. presidential election including debates, political endorsements, presidential primaries, religion, specific candidates, news coverage, and candidate websites. The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.

While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness.

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.

	Nothern Waters Library Service

	In This Issue: 02.08.08 Public Notice of Library Board Meetings • Win a lunch with Nancy Pearl! • Attend the Premier Event for Public Libraries! • Library School Scholarship • 2008 American Indian Youth Literature Award • 2008 Notable Children's Books for Young Readers • New to the NWLS Professional Collection • Freeze Panes in Excel • Merlin Catalog Enhancement • 2007 OverDrive and NetLibrary Report • Useful URLs • Reflection C A L E N D A R February 12 Merlin Consortium Meeting, 10:00 - 2:00, NWLS February 13 Pat Wagner on Library Leadership and LE@D, 11:00 - 12:00 PT / 2:00 - 3:00 ET, online WebJunction presentation March 7 Patron Privacy in the Internet Age Bob Bocher, Library Technology Consultant, Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30 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 UW-Madison SLIS Continuing Education Courses in Madison. Visit the School of Library and Information Studies for more information. Online Courses: (Technical courses are also offered) • Eco-Librarians: Changing Our Communities One Step at a Time: March 31 - April 21 Page up C U R R E N T . E V E N T S Public Notice of Library Board Meetings From Jim Trojanowski, NWLS Director - Wisconsin’s open meetings law requires government bodies to provide public notice in advance of any meeting which “…shall set forth the time, date, place and subject matter of the meeting…” [Wisconsin Statute s.19.84(2)] Because public library boards are government bodies, they must comply with the law. Here are some tips to help your library meet the public notice requirement. The Agenda Include the name of the library board, the time of the meeting, and the location. Do not assume that because the agenda is posted in your library that everyone knows which library board is meeting. Instead, give the name of your library board. Public notice must include all topics to be discussed by the board and specify those agenda items on which the board is expected to act. For instance, if the board will be asked to approve a policy, the agenda should include the name of the policy and that the board will be asked to approve it. If the agenda includes a public participation period, the board should avoid discussing topics brought to its attention unless they are listed on the agenda. Instead, the board should accept the comments and, if necessary, discuss the topic at a future meeting. Closed Sessions Business of the library board must be conducted in open session except as permitted under s.19.85. If the board will meet in closed session, the meeting notice must cite the statute number under which it will do so and briefly explain the reason for the closed session. If the board will adjourn from closed session, the agenda must include that information. Open session is defined in s.19.82(3) to mean “…a meeting which is held in a place reasonably accessible to members of the public and open to all citizens at all times. “ Publication In accordance with s.19.84(1)(b), public notice of government meetings must be sent to any media requesting such notice in writing and to the official newspaper designated by the government body. If no official newspaper exists, notice must be given to a news medium likely to give notice in the area in which the library is located. S.19.84(3) requires notice of meetings at least 24 hours in advance of the beginning of the meeting except when there is good cause for shorter notice or when 24 hour notice is “impossible or impractical.” In such cases, notice must be provided at least 2 hours in advance of the time the meeting begins. Additional Sources of Information “Trustee essential 4: Effective board meetings and trustee participation,” in Trustee essentials: a handbook for Wisconsin public library trustees. Includes a sample library board agenda. http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/te4.html#agenda Wisconsin open meetings law: compliance guide. Published by the Wisconsin Attorney General’s Office. http://www.doj.state.wi.us/AWP/OpenMeetings/2005-OML-GUIDE.pdf “Fact sheet: Wisconsin open meetings law.” Published by University of Wisconsin Extension. http://www.uwex.edu/lgc/program/pdf/fact1-03.pdf Page up Win a lunch with Nancy Pearl! Nancy Pearl is coming to Northwest Wisconsin Children's Book Conference October 2 and 3 and you could win a place at her luncheon table! Simply snap a photo of yourself, along with a Nancy Pearl Action Figure and send it along with your conference registration. Registration information can be found at http://www.telemarkeducation.com/book_conference.html Be creative! Showcase your library's or your area's best features in your photo. If you don't have a Nancy Pearl Action Figure, NWLS has 5 available for interloan. To borrow an Action Figure contact Linda Stobbe at Northern Waters Library Service lstobbe@nwls.lib.wi.us. Page up Attend the Premier Event for Public Libraries! The 12th Public Library Association National Conference will be held March 25-29 in Minneapolis. The biennial Conference is the premier event for public libraries, drawing librarians, library support staff, trustees, Friends, and library vendors from across the country and around the world. The conference offers more than a hundred high-quality educational programs, world-class speakers, a bustling exhibits hall, networking opportunities and social events. Visit the PLA website for program details. Those who can't make the trip to Minneapolis will be able to participate virtually. A PLA 2008 Virtual Conference will be held on Thursday and Friday during the conference. Registration for the PLA 2008 Virtual Conference is available at http://www.placonference.org. Those attending the conference will also have access to the Virtual Conference. Virtual conference sessions include: • Weeders Attract More Readers • What Does it Take to be Good at Reference in the Age of Google? • A Conversation with Nancy Pearl • Why Do We Dewey: Redesigning for a Customer-centered Experience • Creating Environments: From Tots to Teens • Off Your Seat and On Your Feet! Proactive Reference Customer Service • Dangerous Ideas: What if Libraries…? • Handling Upset Patrons: From the Irate to the Insane • Gamers in the Stacks - Why video games matter to your library in terms of entertainment, culture, learning, literacy, and youth development. • Technozoo - Show and tell presentation of new gadgets, gizmos and games. Page up Library School Scholarship From the American Indian Library Association - The American Indian Library Association announces the establishment of a scholarship award for American Indian/Alaskan Native students who are enrolled in, or have been accepted to and will enroll in a master's degree program in an American Library Association accredited library school. One $500 scholarship will be awarded each academic year. All applications, references, and other supporting documentation much be postmarked no later than April 1. The American Indian Library Association encourages donations to the American Indian Library Association Scholarship Fund. Contributions may be sent to Joan S. Howland, AILA Treasurer, University of Minnesota Law Library, 229 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Page up 2008 American Indian Youth Literature Award American Library Association, January 13, 2008 - The American Indian Library Association (AILA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the recipients of it's American Indian Youth Literature Award. This new literary award was created as a way to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. Books selected to receive the award present Native Americans in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts. Picture Book: Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridge Middle School: Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond, by Joseph Medicine Crow Young Adult: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Page up 2008 Notable Children's Books for Young Readers From The American Library Association 1. Agee, Jon. Nothing. 2. Bang-Campbell, Monika. Little Rat Makes Music. Illus. by Molly Bang. 3. Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything. Illus. by David Small. 4. Brown, Monica. My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez. Illus. by Raúl Colón. Luna Rising. A 2008 Belpré Illustrator Honor Book. 5. Coffelt, Nancy. Fred Stays with Me! Illus. by Tricia Tusa. 6. Cole, Brock. Good Enough to Eat. illus. Farrar. 7. Deedy, Carmen Agra. Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale. Illus. by Michael Austin. A 2008 Belpré Author Honor Book. 8. Dillon, Leo and Diane Dillon. Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose. 9. Floca, Brian. Lightship. Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson. A 2008 Sibert Honor Book. 10. The Global Fund for Children. Global Babies. 11. Gonzalez, Maya Christina. My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi mundo. A 2008 Belpré Illustrator Honor Book. 12. Graham, Bob. Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty’s Little Sister. 13. Gravett, Emily. Orange Pear Apple Bear. 14. Harrington Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County. Illus. by Shelley Jackson. 15. Henkes, Kevin. A Good Day. 16. Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry. Ed. by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illus. by Polly Dunbar. 17. Isadora, Rachel. Yo, Jo! 18. Lunde, Darrin. Hello, Bumblebee Bat. Illus. by Patricia J. Wynne. A 2008 Geisel Honor Book. 19. McKissack, Patricia C. The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. 20. Montes, Marisa. Los Gatos Black on Halloween. Illus. by Yuyi Morales. The 2008 Belpré Illustrator Award Book and a 2008 Belpré Author Honor Book. 21. Morales, Yuyi. Little Night. 22. Perkins, Lynne Rae. Pictures from Our Vacation. 23. Pinkney, Jerry. Little Red Riding Hood. 24. Sayre, April Pulley. Vulture View. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. A 2008 Geisel Honor Book. 25. Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories. 26. Seeger, Laura Vacarro. First the Egg. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book & 2008 Geisel Honor Book. 27. Thompson, Lauren. Ballerina Dreams: A True Story. Illus. by James Estrin. 28. Wheeler, Lisa. Jazz Baby. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. 29. Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book. 30. Willems, Mo. There Is a Bird on Your Head! The 2008 Geisel Award Book. Page up New to the NWLS Professional Collection READ CD: Anyone can be a celebrity with the new READ CD! The ownership of the READ CD is your license to use the ALA READ product trademark for non-profit, promotional use. Create unlimited custom READ posters with eye-catching designs and exciting graphics. Easy-to-use. Page up T E C H N O L O G Y Freeze Panes in Excel From Linda Stobbe, NWLS - Freezing panes in Microsoft Excel alows you to keep specific rows or columns visible as you scroll. For example, in order to view table headings as you scroll through a long spreadsheet, you can freeze the row of headings. A solid line appears below a frozen row to indicate that the row will remain visible as you scroll. Freeze panes: How to lock specific rows or columns 1. On the worksheet, choose from the following: To lock rows: select the row below the row or rows that you want to keep visible when you scroll. To lock columns: select the column to the right of the column or columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll. To lock both rows and columns: click the cell below and to the right of the rows and columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll. 2. On the Window menu, click Freeze Panes. Unfreeze Panes: How to unlock rows or columns Click Unfreeze Panes on the Window menu. Page up Merlin Catalog Enhancement The Merlin catalog now offers the option to keep a history of your checkouts. After logging into your patron record from Merlin, you can click the "opt in" link to activate the reading history feature. Any new checkouts will then show in a reading history list that can be edited (items in the list can be removed.) To keep your personal information private, it is important to always "logout" when you're finished using your patron record. If you decide to discontinue keeping a reading history list, click on the "opt out" link in the reading history window to deactivate the feature. Page up 2007 OverDrive and NetLibrary Report From Michael Sheehan, NWLS - For informational purposes, I have compiled the 2007 annual statistics for usage on the OverDrive downloadable audiobook and netLibrary e-book collections from the Merlin catalog. The year 2007 registered 321 netLibrary circulations, with the highest circulated title being John Glenn’s Return to Space with 16 checkouts. E-book usage was down 190 circs from the previous year. As for the OverDrive collection, the year 2007 boasted 1,623 checkouts, with the highest circulating title being 24 Hours with 13 checkouts. The year-end downloadable audiobook collection circulation number tripled from the previous year. OverDrive’s downloadable video and music collection had only minor checkouts. Page up U S E F U L . U R Ls Project Vote Smart Project Vote Smart provides presidential election resources along with nonpartisan voter information on each candidate including voting records, issue positions, biographies, finances, ratings by competing special interests, public statements, and more! Pew Research Center Topics: Election '08 The Pew Research Center provides a compilation of publications related to the 2008 U.S. presidential election including debates, political endorsements, presidential primaries, religion, specific candidates, news coverage, and candidate websites. The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Page up R E F L E C T I O N While we have the gift of life, it seems to me the only tragedy is to allow part of us to die - whether it is our spirit, our creativity or our glorious uniqueness. - Gilda Radner (1946-1989) American Comedienne 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.