Donors to the Rescue of Amherst's Jones Library

Link to October 7 Springfield (MA) Republican article, "Jones Library in Amherst to reopen on Friday afternoons thanks to donations from supporters".

Excerpt: While libraries all over the region have had to cut budgets, hours and staff, the Jones Library, thanks to the kindness of strangers and donations from library lovers, will reopen on Friday afternoons.

An anonymous donor late this summer offered a $3,000 donation if the library could raise an equal amount of money. Another anonymous donor offered $1,000 more, said Patricia G. Holland, president of the Jones Library Board of Trustees.

With more than $5,000 raised at a barbecue this past weekend at the Sunderland Road bar, the Harp, the Jones collected enough money to open every Friday afternoon from now until the end of the year.

Other libraries are not so fortunate.

The Westfield Athenaeum will be closed on some Mondays through the end of the year. In Springfield, each branch library is open 18 hours a week, compared to 24 a year ago. The hours at the Central Library were cut from 57 to 45 hours a week.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Gets a Reaction

Link to October 7 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, "Carnegie board's vote provokes an uproar".

Excerpt: Residents and politicians alike decried the announced cuts yesterday by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which will close five branches, move others and trim hours in the face of a spiraling deficit.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called for an independent audit of the library budget by the Regional Assets District board "so that we know how the money is being spent. A lot of people don't know what's happening at the library.

"The library was the only place where RAD didn't make any cuts," he said, referring to the district's preliminary budget that provides the library with the same $17.6 million it received this year.

"We have nothing to hide," said Barbara Mistick, library director and president. "RAD requires an audit from everybody and we've complied with every requirement."

Although library officials have threatened dire measures for months, residents and city leaders were stunned by the news.

4,000,000 Copies

That's the print run for the 4th installment of this wildly popular series.

More at October 6 PW post.

Wisconsin Book Festival Starts Today

Schedule of activities taking place October 7-11.

Link to October 7 Capital Times article, "Thoughts on food will be food for thought at book fest".

Excerpt: "Courage" is the theme of the Wisconsin Book Festival on Oct. 7-11, and Madisonians, as well as all Americans, are utilizing courage to face the demands of a declining economy and the horror of war. This year's festival has a specific focus on food, community and land.

Mayor Tom Hanna Provides His Perspective on Appleton Public LIbrary Planning Process

Link to October 7 Appleton Post-Crescent article, "Q&A: Mayor Tim Hanna talks about future for Appleton Public Library".

Excerpt: For a project of this magnitude, there's a lot of planning and discussion that needs to go into this if we want it to be the best it can be, and not just for the city, because this library serves a much wider are than the city of Appleton. So there's a lot of work to do. In my mind, we need to keep this process and the conversation going. In fact, in an economy like this, now's the time to do the planning.

Mayor Hanna provides his comments
1. On including the site selection money in the budget
2. On whether the site selection money means a project is any more likely to happen
3. On if the city eventually is going to need a bigger library or a new library
4. On if he has an idea of what the public-private funding split would be
5. On which has to come first, the public funding or the private funding
6. On whether the library should remain downtown
7. On if the decision could eventually go to a referendum.

Good News for Libraries' Utilities Budget Line?

Link to October 6 update from the Energy Information Administration, "Short-Term Winter Energy and Fuels Outlook".

EIA projects average household expenditures for space-heating fuels to be $960 this winter (October 1 to March 31), a decrease of $84, or 8 percent, from last winter. This forecast principally reflects lower fuel prices, although expected slightly milder weather than last winter will also contribute to lower fuel use in many areas. The largest expenditure decreases are in households using natural gas and propane, projected at 12 and 14 percent, respectively. Projected electricity and heating oil expenditures decline by 2 percent (see EIA Short Term and Winter Fuels Outlook slideshow).

Wisconsin Assembly Bill 340: Restricting Access to Court Records

Marlin ("Snarlin'" at re-election campaigns) Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids), Wisconsin's self-anointed privacy advocate, is at it again. The headline of an October 7 editorial in the Sheboygan Press puts it best: Scrap plan to limit public's access to online court records.

History of Assembly Bill 340.

The Apartment Association of Southeastern WI, Inc. has taken a particularly strong stand against the bill.

cincylibrary: Pet Memorial Fund

I love Twitter. It's a great way to learn what libraries all over the U.S. (and beyond) are doing.



I have to admit....this type of memorial is news to me. I'm not aware of any Wisconsin libraries that specifically offer this option.


Doing a quick-and-dirty Google search, I learned the following: The Lake Oswego Public Library is one of just a few libraries in the country that has established a pet memorial collection as a lasting way of remembering ...

Wichita Falls and Dallas public libraries are also among the top results.

Daily Herald Editorial Board Takes Local Scrooge to Task

Link to October 6 Daily Herald editorial, "Standing up for libraries".

Excerpt: Forgive us if we're pushing the season a bit, but since retailers invoke Christmas at this early date, we will, too.

That's because we've come across the perfect Scrooge, an Ebenezer who can match the fictional Dickens character down to the last humbug.

He's Constantine "Connie" Xinos, an Oak Brook attorney. Xinos, who recently ripped into an 11-year-old who spoke at a village meeting, floated the idea of closing or privatizing the public library because the village needs to "stop indulging people in their hobbies."

Post-Crescent Supports Next Step in Appleton Library Facilities Planning Process

Link to October 6 Appleton Post-Crescent editorial, "Take next step in Appleton library process".

Excerpt: It's too early to know whether Appleton should build a new library — or even if it can afford to build a new library.

That decision will be made at the end of a long process, one that will be made up of a lot of smaller decisions.

The Appleton Common Council faces one of those smaller decisions as it prepares to consider Mayor Tim Hanna's budget proposal.

The proposal, which will be released Wednesday, contains $75,000 to analyze a potential site for a new library, most likely in downtown Appleton.

It'll be money well spent and the Council would be wise to keep it in the budget.

Sharing a Love of Reading

Link to October 6 Fond du Lac Reporter column by David Williams, "Love of reading must be genetic".

Excerpt: Regardless of who is winning the nature-versus-nurture debate, parents will always take pride in the similarities they share with their offspring.

Whether it's a physical characteristic, like hair color or height, or an aspect of their personality, such as sense of humor or industriousness, mutual traits tighten the bond between two generations. Shared interests, in particular, increase compatibility and turn moments together into true quality time.

For example, my wife and I both have musical aptitude. On a very primal level, I'm extremely gratified that my nearly 4-year-old daughter can whistle, memorize lyrics in record time and stay on key while singing just about any tune. Likewise, it's wonderful that my son can't resist dancing to almost any melody — especially the "SpongeBob SquarePants" theme song.

But of all of the things I have in common with my kids, I'm most pleased with their interest in books.

South Central Library System's Library of the Year Award Presented to McMillan Memorial Library

Link to October 5 Wisconsin Rapids Tribune article.

Excerpt: McMillan Library was recognized as a model for public libraries seeking to provide a community center atmosphere as well as traditional library services.

South Central Library System Director Phyllis Davis said, "After McMillan's new library building was opened in 1970, the board of trustees and library directors Ray Hernandez and Bill Wilson developed the community center tradition using the facility's 265-seat fine arts center, all purpose room, display areas and the library's endowment fund. The board of trustees and director Ron McCabe have continued to develop the social dimension of library service at McMillan during the past two decades. Ron McCabe's book 'Civic Librarianship: Renewing the Social Mission of the Public Library' and Assistant Director Andy Barnett's book 'Libraries, Community, and Technology' were published nationally and contributed to the literature on strengthening communities through public library service."

Scott Walker's Gubernatorial Campaign to Focus on Jobs, Economy

Countdown to the 2010 Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election

Link to October 6 Herald-Times-Reporter article.

Excerpt: Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said Monday he's glad two-term Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle isn't seeking a third term.

"An open race for governor is better because of instead of building an indictment against the incumbent, you throw out your own ideas," said Walker, who is seeking the Republican nomination to become the state's chief executive.

Walker said his campaign, which began in April and he hopes will end in victory in November 2010, will focus on jobs and the economy.

Walker believes the fastest, most effective way to create new jobs is to cut taxes and implement regulatory and fiscal policies encouraging job growth and economic investment.

He said history has proven that when taxes are cut, consumers and investors spend more money.

Financing Options for Appleton's Library Project

Link to October 6 Appleton Post-Crescent article, "Panel awaits Appleton's input on library financing options".

Excerpt: Elizabeth Witek, a library board trustee, was frustrated by what she saw as a bid by city leaders to scale back library expansion proposals submitted by two private consulting firms.

Witek said she is concerned a reluctance to fully address the library's space shortages and outdated design features will force the city to deal with the costs for another major library investment soon after the next is complete.

The studies by private consultants each determined the library's needs, she said. "They didn't pull these numbers out of the air."

Yet, city finance director Lisa Remiker noted the consultants' recommendations must be viewed in the context of the city's ability to pay for them. Remiker noted $10 million in borrowing will cost city taxpayers about $900,000 per year for 20 years at current lending rates, $18 million in all. She also noted the potential use of the existing library will be a major consideration if a new one were built.

And who is this Terry Nichols guy? (How can you not get this right, Ed?)

Gourmet's Front-Page New York Times Obituary

Toppled

Link to October 6 New York Times article, "Lavish Door to Food is Shut in Magazine World". (Blandly titled "Condé Nast Closes Gourmet and 3 Other Magazines" on the Times website.

Excerpt: Gourmet magazine, which has celebrated cooking and travel in its lavish pages since 1941, will cease publication with the November issue, its owner, Condé Nast, announced on Monday.

Gourmet was to food what Vogue is to fashion, a magazine with a rich history and a perch high in the publishing firmament. Under the stewardship of Ruth Reichl, one of the star editors at Condé Nast, Gourmet poured money into sumptuous photography, test kitchens and exotic travel pieces, resulting in a beautifully produced magazine that lived, and sold, the high life.

Three Former Mayors Support New Central Madison Library

Link to October 5 Wisconsin State Journal guest post by Sue Bauman, Joe Sensenbrenner, and Joel Skornicka,

Excerpt: The experience of other cities that have recently built new central libraries clearly indicates that a new, exciting, state-of-the-art Central Library will result in significant increases in circulation and visits.

Des Moines, Iowa (which has a population similar to Madison's) constructed a new library in 2005. Both circulation and visits more than doubled and remain at that level nearly three years later. The same phenomena occurred in St. Cloud, Minnesota (which built a library in July 2008) and in Salt Lake City, Utah (which built a library in 2003).

This experience suggests a new Central Library will enjoy substantially increased use by Madison residents.

Additionally, providing access to information and enhanced public spaces for programs and meetings is part of the character of Madison. All of this will make a new Central Library an additional Downtown destination.

Everyone who has spent time at the current Central Library knows it has deteriorated over the past 20 years while money has been spent to create an outstanding branch library system. However, the Central Library, which should be the showpiece of the system and the library's "central nervous system" has, as a consequence, been neglected.

The need to do something about Central Library has become increasingly urgent.

Noticeably absent: Paul Soglin. And I see no category for "libraries" at his Waxing America blog.

Magazine Death Watch 2009, continued

Toppled

Link to October 5 Folio post, "Condé Nast Shutters Four Magazines".

Excerpt: The first wave of big changes have hit Condé Nast following its restructuring evaluation by consultants McKinsey & Company.

Effective today, Condé Nast’ is shuttering four magazines: Gourmet, Cookie, Elegant Bride and Modern Bride. Brides magazine will increase its frequency to monthly to “solidify its position” in the bridal magazine category.

E-Books: Read like a pirate?

Link to October 3 New York Times article, "Will Books Be Napsterized?"

Excerpt: The book industry has not received cheery news for a while. Publishers and authors alike have relied upon sales of general-interest hardcover books as the foundation of the business. The Association of American Publishers estimated that these hardcover sales in the United States declined 13 percent in 2008, versus the previous year. This year, these sales were down 15.5 percent through July, versus the same period of 2008. Total e-book sales, though up considerably this year, remained small, at $81.5 million, or 1.6 percent of total book sales through July.

“We are seeing lots of online piracy activities across all kinds of books — pretty much every category is turning up,” said Ed McCoyd, an executive director at the association. “What happens when 20 to 30 percent of book readers use digital as the primary mode of reading books? Piracy’s a big concern.”

St. Cloud, Minnesota: A Library at the Heart of Its Community

Link to September 19 St. Cloud Times article, "1 year later, St. Cloud Public Library use soars".

Excerpt: In its first year, the new St. Cloud Public Library has become a gathering place in the community and has welcomed back people who haven’t been to the library in years.

On Sunday it will be a year since the library celebrated its grand opening with much fanfare. The $36 million project created a new centerpiece in the community, with its copper facade and large windows opening into a light and inviting interior.

The growth in the number of people coming to the library is staggering. The number of items checked out between September 2008 and August this year is 84 percent higher than the number checked out from September 2007 to August 2008.

Potential Sites for a New Appleton Public Library Under Discussion

Link to October 4 Appleton Post-Crescent article,"Capital Facilities Committee to discuss possible sites for new Appleton Public Library".

Excerpt: Mayor Tim Hanna has included a request from the Appleton Library Board in his 2010 budget — which will be released Wednesday — that makes available $75,000 to pay for the site selection process by the library board. The board, under state law, has exclusive right to select a site.

Nonetheless, Hanna said he expects the site, if construction is OK'd, would be chosen jointly by the library board, the facilities committee and the Common Council.

"It's important to keep this process and conversation moving forward," Hanna said.

"There is a long way to go. My goal in 2010 is to make a decision whether or not a new library should be built or if an addition is built on to the existing library."

Library Director Terry Dawson said the $75,000 budgeted for site selection could be used to pay for internal planning or to hire a consultant to help choose a site.

In Praise of School Librarians

Link to September 30 Cleveland Plain Dealer column by Connie Schultz, "School librarians won't let censors throw the book at them".

Excerpt: "They're definitely emboldened by what happened with [Barack] Obama's speech," she said, referring to the president's televised address to students earlier this month. His speech was banned in many classrooms across the country after school districts buckled like brittle knees to conservatives who objected even before knowing its content.

Obama's speech was later widely praised as positive and inspiring, even by many conservative leaders. But the damage was done, Hopkins said.

"These are scary times for librarians and teachers. All it takes now is for one parent to object. If we let them win, they're just going to keep doing it."

Not in Karin Perry's patch of America, they aren't.

Mrs. Perry couldn't speak to me without permission from her superintendent, who never returned my call. Not to worry. Sometimes it's true that actions speak louder than words. Let me tell you what she did.

Mrs. Perry asked Hopkins if she would still come. The answer was yes. Then she asked Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College -- love the name -- if she could move Hopkins' talk to their campus. The college said yes.

About 150 students, parents, teachers and librarians attended last week's speech. So far, there are no reports of fainting or even frantic fanning of faces. But as we all know, it only takes one person to declare otherwise before you're smack dab in the middle of a dust storm over the First Amendment.

If that wind kicks up dirt on your corner, may there be a Karin Perry at a library near you.

Des Moines Public Library Raffle: Win a Trip to D.C.

(Sorry, drawing took place last night, but what a great idea!)

Link to September 28 Des Moines Register article.

Excerpt: One lucky buyer of a $100 raffle ticket to raise funds for the Des Moines Public Library will win a trip for two to Washington, D.C.

Parts of the trip have been coordinated by longtime library advocate and former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, who moved to Washington when her husband Tom became the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. So the itinerary includes several "insider" bonuses, including a private tour of the White House's West Wing and the State Department's rarely toured diplomatic reception rooms. The prize also includes airfare, two nights at the Marriott Hotel, tickets to the Newseum and tours of the Capitol and Library of Congress.

Bedbugs Infest the Classics at Denver Public Library

Link to September 22 Denver Post column by Susan Greene, "Don't let the bedbugs bite".

Excerpt: That customer is Roger Goffeney, 69, who happens to have made it his life's mission to preserve books. He's a zealous participant in the Gutenberg Project, a worldwide effort to archive printed books online.

Goffeney borrows tomes of classic literature from the library — as well as from libraries at universities and in other counties using Denver's system as an intermediary. Then he "reviews" the books — not actually reading them but comparing hard copies to online versions to ensure that his fellow Gutenberg volunteers have scanned them completely.

The retired poet and minister lives at Cathedral Plaza, a downtown apartment complex owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver. He says the building is infested.

"They skip, hop and jump," he says of insects that swarmed the borrowed books he stacks on the floor next to his bed.

Dewey v. BISAC

236

Link to October 1 Library Journal article,"The Dewey Dilemma".

Excerpt: Not long ago, a mother blogged about her visit to a newly opened public library in Darien, CT. Though she appreciated its soaring ceilings, the fireplaces and cozy nooks, the presence of a café, and state-of-the-art technology, what really excited her was the way the books were organized. “The books everywhere, but especially in the children's room, have been shelved, labeled, and organized in a way that makes me feel less like a moron and more empowered to find what I'm looking for on my own.” She went on to say, “the Library, which in my mind used to be a little intimidating and kind of like a disapproving Mother, is reaching out to ME. 'Library' is saying to ME that she wants to be like ME and doesn't expect me to be like her anymore.”

Oak Brook (IL) Public Library Update: The Sound of an Axe Grinding

Link to October 1 Daily Herald post, "Ugly battle has librarians in Oak Brook turning to Teamsters".

Excerpt: Xinos, who unsuccessfully sued to stop the building of the new library, which opened in 2002, sits on one side of the issue. He lost his election bid to be a village board member, but has been president of his home association since 1983 and worked to elect board members who agree with him about the library.

Is It Reading or Is It Degradation?

Link to September 30 New York Times article, "Curling Up With Hybrid Books, Videos Included".

Excerpt: For more than 500 years the book has been a remarkably stable entity: a coherent string of connected words, printed on paper and bound between covers.

But in the age of the iPhone, Kindle and YouTube, the notion of the book is becoming increasingly elastic as publishers mash together text, video and Web features in a scramble to keep readers interested in an archaic form of entertainment.

On Thursday, for instance, Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Ernest Hemingway and Stephen King, is working with a multimedia partner to release four “vooks,” which intersperse videos throughout electronic text that can be read — and viewed — online or on an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Some publishers say this kind of multimedia hybrid is necessary to lure modern readers who crave something different. But reading experts question whether fiddling with the parameters of books ultimately degrades the act of reading.

Let's see. Videos interspersed with text. Reading and then watching a video for context or amplification. Gee, sounds like the way I use the Internet. Does this somehow degrade me?

People, some of you haven't read this article yet. And you've had 12 years, for criminy sakes.

What-will-they-think-of-next Dept.

Link to September 30 tech.yahoo.com post, "Anti-Wi-Fi paint keeps your wireless signal to yourself".

Excerpt: The idea is simple: Use a special paint on walls where you don't want wireless to pass through (say the exterior of your house). The secret is mixing aluminum-iron oxide particles in with the paint. The metal particles resonate at the same frequency as Wi-Fi and other radio waves, so signals can't pass through the thin layer of pigment. Outsiders would simply be unable to access your wireless network, just as you, inside the house, won't be able to interlope on anything beamed on the outside.

Community Library Board of Trustees: Riding Roughshod?

Link to September 29 West of the I post, "Close out as Community Library director".

Posted comment: The forcing out of Ms. Close is truly what both the Randall Town Board and the Twin Lakes Village Board wanted all along. They have stacked the Library Board against Ms. Close now for the past couple of years. If you look closely at the appointments from these two communities you will see that none of the individuals had any real interest in making the library better. They had personal agendas designed to make this happen. If either board, (Randall or Twin Lakes) and their designated appointees had the interest of the library at heart we would have had a new library by now. Look beyond what just transpired, and you will find a lot of personal agendas, and no one looking out for the good of the library or the community.

Trying to keep the officials of five municipalities happy: not an enviable challenge.