Calendar
September 16 NWLS Board of Trustees Meeting, 10:00 a.m., NWLS
September 19 - December 9 Public Library Administration Online Course, UW-Madison.
September 20-24 WLA Foundation's Tour to New York City
September 20 Supervisory Skills for New (and Old) 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 2 - 30, 2006 What's New in Children's Books? Online Course, UW-Madison.
Current Events
What Sharing Means
From Jim Trojanowski, jtrojanowski@nwls.lib.wi.us
Northern Waters recently received an email from an unhappy patron who had placed a hold on a video at another library using Merlin; five months later she had yet to receive the item. She was frustrated by seeing she is next in the hold queue and watching the library circulate it locally even though there were no other holds on the item.
The patron’s message noted that the NWLS website says “fast and efficient sharing of library resources are a cornerstone of library service” and that NWLS exists to “assure access to library service area-wide” and to “promote resource sharing.” “It does not,” she wrote, “appear that resource sharing and fast and efficient resource sharing of library materials applies to [this library].”
Library directors who are reluctant to share their materials often say the materials are purchased locally and should be available primarily for use by those whose tax dollars have paid for them. Those who make this argument fail to recognize how the Merlin Consortium has blurred the distinction between what is local and what is not.
In the Merlin Consortium, as in other automation consortia in Wisconsin, members agree to share almost everything: automation costs, library materials, patrons, and bibliographic records. How does this work?
Costs are shared based upon a formula agreed upon by consortium members. In Merlin, each member pays a share of the costs based on the maximum number of workstations on which the automation software will be in use at one time. As more members join, an economy of scale is created that benefits all members through lower costs.
Bibliographic records, also called cataloging records, are shared when one library creates an entry for an item it owns and other libraries attach their holdings to the record as they acquire copies. The first library shares its record with others who purchase the item later.
Materials and patrons are shared whenever a patron of one library walks into a library in another community or places a hold on an item held by a different library. Some patrons consider themselves to have several “home” libraries, using whichever is convenient at the time they need to visit.
Because of this sharing, patrons increasingly see the consortium not as 23 independent libraries but as one library with 23 branches. And as Merlin members continue to develop standard loan rules and circulation policies that perception will continue to grow.
In 2005, NWLS collection development grants accounted for 12% of all money member libraries spent on new materials for their collections. NWLS, which is funded by its member counties and by the state, also pays a significant portion of the cost of Merlin and nearly all the costs for moving interlibrary loan materials among libraries. Further, counties are now providing tens of thousands of dollars directly to public libraries; these funds pay for staff, materials, utilities, and a variety of other costs of operating a public library. These state and county funds have also helped blur the distinction between what is local and what is not.
Library patrons in the NWLS area now have more than 363,000 books, videos, and recordings available to them from any Merlin library and they can place holds without staff assistance. Those with a valid Merlin card can make requests from any computer linked to the Internet. Except for materials with outstanding holds, the requested items show up a few days later. The popularity of this fast, convenient service is demonstrated by the growth of interlibrary loan traffic. In 1999, the last year before Merlin came into existence, our patrons borrowed 15,693 items from other libraries. By 2005, that number had increased by 411% to 80,233.
Our challenge as librarians is to remove barriers that discourage patrons from taking full advantage of the most valuable benefit of Merlin membership – sharing materials. To meet this challenge, each of us must see our individual collections as part of a greater shared collection. At the same time, each of us must encourage patrons to take full advantage of this greater collection by teaching them to place holds and borrow freely. To do otherwise is to fail those to whom our collections truly belong.
NWLS Workshop: Supervisory Skills for Managers and Leaders
Kick off the Northwest Children’s Book Conference with Pat Wagner as she offers suggestions on tackling tough workplace issues. What is a supervisor really supposed to do? How can you improve productivity without micromanaging? How can you conduct a performance review without feeling like you are being too nice or too mean? Is it possible to supervise old friends in a small library, and still be friends, even if they are volunteers?
Learn how to ensure the work gets done and maintain a civil workplace where people are treated well, whether they are full-time, part-time or volunteers. We will discuss your most difficult issues and provide a primer - and refresher - on library supervision. This program is useful for libraries going through or anticipating changes.
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NWLS Workshop: Northwest Children’s Book Conference 2006
Dedicated to bringing you the best of children's literature and programming, the Northwest Children's Book Conference (NCBC), once again welcomes librarians, teachers, childcare workers and all people who love books to join them on September 20 and 21 at the Telemark Resort and Convention Center in Cable, WI. Set in the beautiful Northwoods, NCBC believes in pampering guests; a grand hotel, fabulous meals and quality workshops. The incomparable CCBC will again be presenting the best of children's literature, complete with a hands-on display of their favorite picks for you to review. Don't forget to visit the vendor's area, where you'll find well-known booksellers, publishers, and office supply companies as well as a variety of artists and authors.
NWLS Board of Trustees Meeting
The NWLS Board of Trustees will meet on September 16, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at NWLS Headquarters in Ashland. Agenda items include:
1. Call to order / Roll Call
2. Guest Comments
3. Approval of the July 15, 2006 meeting minutes
4. July and August 2006 NWLS Expenditures
5. August 2006 Financial Statement and Budget Report
6. NWLS Equipment Loan Policy
7. Revised Health Insurance Policy
8. Merlin By-Laws
9. Merlin Confidentiality Policy
10. Strategic Plan 2007-2011
11. 2007 NWLS Budget and Plan of Service
12. 2007 Member Library Agreements
13. 2007 County Service Agreements
14. Superior Public Library 2007 Resource Library Agreement
15. Executive Session as authorized by Wisconsin Statutes s. 19.85 (1)c to conduct the Director’s evaluation after which the Board will reconvene in open session.
16. Other Business
Useful URLs
Smithsonian Education
from www.refdesk.com
The Smithsonian Education site features educational content for students, families, and educators. Find teaching materials, links to hundreds of online resources, and access to the world’s largest museum complex.
Reflection
“If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”
-Dr. Seuss
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NWLS / 3200 East Lake Shore Drive / Ashland, Wisconsin 54806 / Telephone: 715.682.2365
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