Oral History Collection @ the Lester Public Library in Two Rivers

Oral history is worth preserving.  (Herald Times Reporter, 4/5/2011)

Excerpt:    Susie Menk, former reference associate at Lester Public Library, developed a program series entitled, "Story Circles at the Library."

The series ran from March 2009 until November 2010 and it was a program for people of all ages to recall memories, reminisce and share history and life experiences orally. They shared forgotten details with peers and brought history to life for a younger generation. Participants helped guide the program and came up with a total of 18 session topics such as "First Jobs," "Life on the Farm," "War and the Home Front" and "The Great Depression."

From these Story Circles came the idea of an oral history project. By videotaping participants one-on-one, some of these stories and memories could be preserved. Future generations could hear, in the words of people who lived through it, what the Great Depression was like or how World War II affected life in Two Rivers.

Menk set up appointments with individuals. Armed with a video camera and an outline of questions to keep interviewees on task, she created a series of DVDs now available at the library. Topics contained in the DVDs are varied but some common themes prevail — World War II, family life, local businesses, education, commercial fishing, religion, taverns, farming and even UFOs.

Related article:
Story circles.  (10/15/2009)

From the Anti-Defamation League: "Public Libraries: A New Forum for Extremists

Thanks to Mark Arend for sharing.

LINK

Questions answered.

1. Can a library ban extremists from using library meeting rooms and facilities?

2. Can a public library adopt a policy forbidding the use of library meeting rooms for any political or religious purposes?

3. Can a public library limit the use of library meeting rooms and facilities to library card holders or residents of their immediate communities?

4. Can a public library require extremists to sign a contract to use library
meeting rooms and facilities?

5. Can a public library charge a fee for use of library meeting rooms or facilities?

6. Can a public library require demonstrators to obtain insurance or post a bond before they are allowed to use library meeting rooms or facilities?

7. What other types of restrictions, such as noise and location restrictions, can a public library place on extremist speakers?

8. What actions may a public library take if it believes that violence or property damage will occur if an extremist uses its meeting rooms or facilities?

9. What steps can a public library take to maintain security, peace and order at the library if an extremist uses its meeting rooms or facilities?

10. Must a public library allow extremists to hand out literature in the library?

11. May a public library regulate solicitation in its meeting rooms and facilities?

12. May a public library ban the display of offensive symbols by extremists using its meeting rooms or facilities?

13. Can a public library refuse to include extremist material from its collection?

14. Can a public library block extremist Web sites from its computers?

15. Can privately funded “public” libraries exclude extremist speakers from
their meeting rooms and facilities?

Class Size Research Trumps School Library Research in Neenah

LINK

Cuts to Neenah School Staff Recommended. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/6/2011)

Excerpt:   At the elementary level, administrators recommended adding two elementary teachers and five kindergarten teachers. The additional kindergarten teachers would lower the average class size from 24 to 19 pupils.

"We've learned through research that smaller class sizes, particularly at the primary levels, have academic benefits," said Steve Dreger, assistant district administrator of elementary learning and leadership.

To offset the additional elementary teachers, the administrative plan calls for cutting seven positions from instructional support services, including four of the eight elementary library-media specialists and two gifted-and-talented teachers.

LINK to "School Library Impact Studies 101:  An Overview of the Research".

Changing with the Times @ the Masillon Public Library

LINK

Libraries provide more than just books. (Massillon IndeOnline, 3/25/2011)

Excerpt: There once was a time when, if an individual wanted to read a book, he or she dropped by his or her favorite public library, checked it out and returned it two weeks later.

That wasn’t too long ago, but with the onslaught of technological advancements that has seemingly put so many things — including reading a book — at people’s fingertips, it can seem like eons ago.

But, just as technology has evolved, libraries have changed and grown as well. While libraries still are a great place to find the latest bestseller, they also are about so much more than that. They’re a key resource for individuals who don’t have Internet access themselves, they provide valuable job-training and education services, their literacy programs are fundamental building blocks for growing children and they serve as a vital community center.

“I’m a very strong believer in the role of the library as a community forum and a community gathering place,” said Kent Oliver, executive director of Stark County District Libraries, which has 10 branches throughout the county. “Historically, they talked about community gathering places and it used to be the school, the church and the town square. In a lot of ways these days it’s the school, the church and the public library.”

Keeping up with the changing technology has provided a constant supply of fresh challenges for libraries. In order to stay relevant, libraries have had to keep up with the constant changes in the delivery of information. Providing individuals who may not otherwise have access to that information is an important role for libraries.

Will Catherine Cookson Find an Ebook Audience While Her Titles Languish in Print?

 

A sampling of 177 LINKcat bibliographic records.

New Kindle Exclusive: 91 Books from Bestselling British Author Dame Catherine Cookson. (TeleRead, 3/28/2011)

Excerpt:   Amazon.com today announced that 91 titles from Dame Catherine Cookson are now available as e-books for the first time, exclusively in the Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore). The collection of titles, including some which are out of print, represents the majority of the full-length novels from one of the UK’s most-read novelists.

Once upon a time.

Struggling to Find an Ebook Common Agenda Between Libraries and Publishers

The Future Of Libraries In The E-Book Age. (NPR, 4/4/2011)

Excerpt:  Neiburger has more radical idea. He thinks libraries could deal directly with content providers: "The goal of the library is to obtain the ability to distribute content to its public. And if we can do that easier and more cheaply with the rights holder or the artist themselves and they make more money on it, then it may be heretical — but the future usually is."

That idea has potential, says Platt, but it may not be practical in the long run.

"In some scenario that will happen and that will grow," he says. "You will see more original content coming into library collections going forward and I think that's a wonderful thing, especially if libraries play a role in creation of that content. But on a regular matter of just ordering at scale the number of e-books that we add to our collection, that's a very difficult things to manage."

From the traditional to the visionary, the conversation about libraries in the digital age has begun in earnest. Roberta Stevens, president of the American Library Association, wants more publishing companies to get involved in the conversation, because at the moment some publishers aren't even willing to sell e-books to libraries. Libraries may be able to survive without those books now, says Stevens, but in the future a lot of books will only be available electronically.


Related articles:
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8/5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)

Democratic Legislators Schedule Another Series of Public Hearings on the Budget

Public hearings on the budget require a substantial commitment of time -- hours of travel and waiting to earn your 3 minutes of microphone time.  They have never been a particularly effective way to deliver a message and connect with legislators.  Even more so this year.

How important are the 4 public hearings scheduled by the Joint Committee on Finance?  (Note.)

Here's a summary of what co-chair Robin Vos (R-Burlington) has to say:   Greater emphasis will be put on e-mails and other technology. For example, he does not intend to sit through a 36 hour public hearing when those comments could have easily been presented in writing. Every statement that is submitted will be read by the Co-Chairs. 

In other words, he's really not that into you -- or what you have to say in a public forum.

Though well-intentioned, the 11 public hearings sponsored by Democratic legislators are nothing more than, pardon my bluntness, a series of feel-good exercises. 

As an alternative, the Wisconsin Library Association encourages its members to schedule meetings with legislators at a library in the district..  Connecting with Republicans legislators is particularly important at this time.   In at least four recent examples -- Bill Kramer, Evan Wynn, Amy Loudenbeck, and Tom Tiffany -- our message seems to resonate more strongly in small-group settings.

It's all about relationship-building.  Better to have a conversation than read testimony.

Stay tuned for specific talking points.  LD&L is still in the process of piecing together a final version and coordinating a series of partnership approaches to our advocacy efforts. 

Tony Evers National Library Week Guest Editorial: Strong Libraries Needed to Improve the State's Economy

LINK

Maintenance of Effort Elimination Threatens Already Bare-Bones Library Budgets

Libraries may suffer with proposed funding change. (Jackson County Chronicle, 3/31/2011)

Excerpt: Walker has proposed to eliminate a requirement where a local municipality must minimally fund its library at the average of the prior three years.

The move would help municipalities control costs and counter proposed reductions in state aids as Walker tries to close a $3.6 billion deficit, but it could cause some libraries to see drastic changes in funding. The budget also calls for a near 10 percent cut in library system aids next year and flat funding for 2013.

Counties still would be required to fund at least 70 percent of library service costs for county residents outside the library’s municipality. But that, too, could drop if spending and subsequent circulation decrease.

Jackson County has two public libraries: the Black River Falls Public Library and Taylor Memorial Library, both part of the Winding Rivers Library System. Gunderson and Karyn Schmidt, Taylor Memorial Library librarian, say the libraries have good working relationships with their respective municipality, and neither anticipates seeing large cuts in local funding if Walker’s budget is approved.

Still, they said there is a chance city and village budget money could be shifted as the city council and village board try to make up funding losses for other departments. Black River Falls Mayor Ron Danielson and Taylor Village President Daryl Boe could not be reached for comment in time for this story.

“The village has been extremely helpful,” Schmidt said. “I give them a barebones budget, and they give me that. I don’t ask for much.”

Meet Rene Bue, Bilingual Outreach Coordinator @ the Hedberg Public Library

Rene Bue speaks up for local Latino community. (Janesville Gazette, 3/27/2011)

Excerpt: Years later, Bue, 49, is president of the Latino Service Providers Coalition and chairwoman of the Diversity Action Team of Rock County. She helps Latinos with language barriers connect with local services and advocates for diversity in Rock County.

"I am honored to be the voice of the people who have no voice. I am proud to fight for those who are not able to fight for themselves," Bue said.

Bue was born in Black River Falls and moved to Janesville as a young girl.

She graduated from Parker High School and later lived in Florida, Kentucky, California, Virginia and the Virgin Islands. She returned to Janesville in 1986.

At age 30, Bue attended UW-Rock County and later graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor's degree in psychology and Latin American and Iberian studies. She learned Spanish in college and fell in love with Latin American culture.

Bue later began interpreting locally while working other jobs at restaurants and cell phone companies.

Her relationship with the Latino community helped her become the bilingual outreach coordinator in 2007 at Hedberg Public Library. Her job includes creating multicultural programming, handling the Spanish collection and organizing events such as the multicultural fair.

Community Outreach @ the Orfordville Public Library

Sarah Strunz reaches out to Orfordville through library, volunteering. (Janesville Gazette, 3/28/2011)

Excerpt: When a workspace is too small, make it bigger.

That's what Sarah Strunz has done with her outreach efforts as librarian at the Orfordville Public Library.

The cramped library is smaller than many houses—only 1,200 square feet in two stories at the corner of Beloit, Center and Spring streets downtown.

A lack of computers and space didn't stop Strunz from finding ways to offer computer classes and story times around the community. She understands the importance of a local library, and she is helping to plan a new library that she hopes to see built in the next couple of years.

"When I come to work, I feel like I'm providing a service that wouldn't be provided in any other way," she said.

Strunz is very enthusiastic and does a lot of outreach in the community, said Ruth Ann Montgomery, director of the Arrowhead Library System.

Budget-Cutting Scenarios @ the Janesville School District

Janesville School District officials provide details on cutbacks at meeting. (Janesville Gazette, 4/1/2011)

Excerpt:    This is what Janesville education might look like with a 13 percent budget cut:

-- More suspensions and expulsions, if counselors and school-based police officers are cut.

The officers and counselors work to prevent trouble, but that proactive approach would be gone, and police would spend more time making runs to the schools to handle trouble. Schools could be less safe.

-- Fewer graduates, if the counselors are cut, because they track students' progress and push at-risk students to keep up with their graduation credit requirements.

-- Less of an effort in the elementary and middle schools to focus on individual students' academic needs, if learning-support teachers, who analyze student test data and run small-group learning sessions, are cut.

-- Teachers who have difficulty with computer technologies would not have someone on hand to help them, because the librarians—these days the schools' software experts—could be gone. Scratch library story times, too.  [Emphasis added.]

Those were a few of the answers from district administrators Thursday when Janesville School Board members asked what the district might look like if all the budget cuts now on the table were carried out.

Ithaca New York as Home of the Ice Cream Sundae? Two Rivers Begs to Differ

LINK

ALA Executive Director Speaks at Oklahoma Library Association Conference

Librarians are fighters, state conference speaker says. (Tulsa World, 4/1/2011)

Excerpt: The executive director of the American Library Association said the myth of librarians as timid, "quiet folk" is changing as they rise up against legislation that hurts public, school and academic libraries.

Librarians fight censorship and restrictive measures in copyright laws, as well as limited access to taxpayer funded research and cuts to education and library funding, Keith Michael Fiels said Thursday at the Oklahoma Library Association conference in Tulsa.

"We are not victims," Fiels said. "We are the good guys, and we are creating libraries of the future. ... We struggle with our image. But librarians have a growing reputation as valiant individuals."

Local History Treasure Trove @ the Grand Rapids Public Library

LINK

Obituary of a home: How we researched the history of one vacant house in Grand Rapids.  (Grand Rapids Press, 3/31/2011)

Excerpt:    On the fourth floor of the downtown branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library is a treasure trove of information about the city, its buildings and its inhabitants.

Materials like real estate listing cards, city directories, death records and drawers and drawers of newspapers on microfilm can help people find the story of their home. These are some of the materials we used to research the life story of one vacant house in Grand Rapids.

The point of the project, which will be reported in coming days, culminating Sunday, was to take a snapshot of a single home caught up in a wave of vacancy. When census figures were released last week for Michigan, they detailed an estimated 8,493 empty houses in the city of Grand Rapids, compared to the 4,743 homes listed as vacant the previous decade. (If you have a vacancy or foreclosure story you'd like to share, use this form to tell us about it.)

But the resources at the library aren't just for researching vacant homes -- they are available to anyone interested in researching the history of a house or other local building.

When was the last time you used a typewriter?

Click, Clack, Ding! Sigh ... (The New York Times, 3/30/2011)

Excerpt: Even by Brooklyn standards, it was a curious spectacle: a dozen mechanical contraptions sat on a white tablecloth, emitting occasional clacks and dings. Shoppers peered at the display, excited but hesitant, as if they’d stumbled upon a trove of strange inventions from a Jules Verne fantasy. Some snapped pictures with

“Can I touch it?” a young woman asked. Permission granted, she poked two buttons at once. The machine jammed. She recoiled as if it had bitten her.

“I’m in love with all of them,” said Louis Smith, 28, a lanky drummer from Williamsburg. Five minutes later, he had bought a dark blue 1968 Smith Corona Galaxie II for $150.

 Etsy

Related article:
In the market for a typewriter? Cormac McCarthy is selling his. (12/1/2009)

How Much Fun Is This? New York Public Library Scavenger Hunt

New York Public Library Invites 500 to Overnight Scavenger Hunt.  (Mashable, 4/1/2011)

Excerpt: The New York Public Library, which became the first public library to launch a Foursquare badge this week, is going one step further in mobile innovation by inviting 500 people to compete in a smartphone-based challenge for a library game night.

“Find the Future: The Game,” devised by renowned game designer Jane McGonigal, is a series of “quests” delivered via an app on players’ mobile devices that can be completed at the Library’s 42nd Street location. A group of 500 players will be invited to play the game for the first time at 8 p.m. on May 20 to tackle a list of 100 overnight challenges.

The challenges are designed to encourage players to explore and reflect upon the objects from the library’s collections. A player might be tasked, for instance, to scan a QR code located at the Declaration of Independence, and then respond to a creative essay prompt. Once enough quests have been completed, they will be “unlocked” for the public, who can begin playing the game online May 21.

On the One Hand, 216,000 New Jobs; On the Other Hand, the Pay Stinks

Jobs as Lays potato chips. Bet you can't live on just one.

LINK

Job Growth Suggests Resilience of U.S. Recovery. (The New York Times, 4/1/2011)

Excerpt:   The United States economy showed signs of kicking into gear in March, as the Labor Department reported Friday that it added 216,000 jobs and knocked the unemployment rate down another jot, to 8.8 percent.


Many Low-Wage Jobs Seen as Failing to Meet Basic Needs. (The New York Times, 3/31/2011)

Excerpt:   The Labor Department will release its monthly snapshot of the job market on Friday, and economists expect it to show that the nation’s employers added about 190,000 jobs in March. With an unemployment rate that has been stubbornly stuck near 9 percent, those workers could be considered lucky.

But many of the jobs being added in retail, hospitality and home health care, to name a few categories, are unlikely to pay enough for workers to cover the cost of fundamentals like housing, utilities, food, health care, transportation and, in the case of working parents, child care.  [Emphasis added.]

A separate report being released Friday tries to go beyond traditional measurements like the poverty line and minimum wage to show what people need to earn to achieve a basic standard of living.

So which one of the above is the April Fool's Day story?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Update: "Save our library" say Matthews residents

Matthews residents: Save our library. The city hosts a forum to discuss next year's Mecklenburg budget. (Charlotte Observer, 3/30/2011)

Excerpt:    Matthews residents say education, job training and human service programs should be among the county's top priorities, and strongly urged leaders Tuesday to spare the town's library from possible closure.

They said the library is a main gathering place for many in the town, and some argued its services should be considered as important as funding for schools.

"We consider this library critical for our children's upbringing, for their education," said Kevin Carpenter, whose children are homeschooled. "And I would venture to say there are a lot of public school families who don't just see it as an amenity, but as a critical part of their education."

Carpenter was one of more than 100 people who attended a workshop on next year's county budget that was hosted by Matthews leaders. Residents listened and asked questions of several officials, including County Manager Harry Jones and County Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts.


Related articles:
Charlotte Observer survey: Can you find $2 million in this budget to give to Mecklenburg libraries? (3/25/2011)
Task Force presents final report.  (3/22/2011)
Task Force to present report to joint meeting of Mecklenburg County Commission and Library Board.  (3/19/2011)
Task force walks on eggshells.  (3/17/2011)
Charlotte Mecklenburg 'Future of the Library Task Force' report to be aubmitted next week. (3/16/2011)
Recriminations? No. But you can't avoid the facts of the matter. (3/13/2011)
The battle of the branch libraries.  (3/8/2011)
Survey influences Charlotte Mecklenburg's Future of the Library Task Force. (3/5/2011)
$7.50 per household per year to keep 6 branch libraries open? Sounds reasonable to me.  (3/4/2011)
Up to 6 libraries could close under proposal.  (3/2/2011)
Tuesday vote of Future of Library Task Force likely.  (2/27/2011)
Future of the Library Task Force to release recommendations soon.  (2/8/2011)
Banker to lead Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  (1/22/2011)
And what about the cost of a joint library-county study committee?  (12/22/2010)
The future does not look bright.  (12/9/2010)
Library boosts fines, fees.  (11/23/2010)
CML libraries and parks:  Survey says...  (10/26/2010)
Future of the library task force.  (10/21/2010)
Volunteers to the rescue.  (10/17/2010)
Charlotte Observer to Harry Jones:  Check your ego at the door.  (9/21/2010)
County manager regrets hitting the 'send' key. (9/18/2010)
Library steering committee veers into off-road territory.  (9/15/2010)
Bank of America and Carolina Panthers kick off library fundraising campaign. (9/14/2010)
Another branch extends hours thanks to volunteer support.  (9/12/2010)
Volunteers step up.  (9/10/2010)
2 branch libraries to open one more day per week.  (9/5/2010)
Library urban legend in the making?  (9/4/2010)
Library launches pilot program to expand hours with volunteers.  (8/31/2010)
Group to study county library merger.  (7/28/2010)
Book stores help out the library.  (7/21/2010)
Libraries hope to expand hours with volunteers at 4 branches.  (7/20/2010)
Another change in hours.  (7/18/2010)
Matthews branch library sends out plea for volunteers.  (7/13/2010)
Most county commissioners cool to sales tax hike.  (7/9/2010)
New hours in effect.  (7/6/2010)
Charlotte Observer editorial board laments the passing of the Novello Festival of the Book.  (6/28/2010)
Shuttered branch could  become Friends' used book store.  (6/25/2010)
A reduced future.  (6/23/2010)
Interlocal cooperation pact.  (6/22/2010)
Three branches close.  (6/19/2010)
Town of Mint Hill perspective.  (6/18/2010)
Five towns tentatively OK $730,000 for libraries.  (6/18/2010)
Carmel, two other branches to close.  (6/16/2010)
Now that the ax has fallen.  (6/16/2010)
Commissioners to vote on budget today.  (6/15/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries:  It's complicated.  (6/9/2010)
Mayor wins straw vote at emotional council meeting.  (6/7/2010)
Editorial:  Should city 'stay in its lane' on libraries.  (6/4/2010)
County commissioners restore some cuts to libraries.  (6/4/2010)
Straw votes begin on Mecklinburg County budget.  (6/3/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries continue to look for one-time financial help.  (5/31/2010)
High school junior speaks out eloquently for libraries.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor Foxx on the art of governing.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor supports financial help for library.  (5/27/2010)
County budget:  Oh, yeah, this is fair.  (5/25/2010)
Bailout proposal not gaining traction.  (5/23/2010)
Library trustees vote to close 4 branches.  (5/20/2010)
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt.  (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget.  (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today.  (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open.  (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution.  (4/30/2010Library Board chair speaks out.  (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts.  (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit.  (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task.  (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours.  (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday".  (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines.  (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches.  (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system.  (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote.  (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open.  (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives.  (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)

Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression. (3/17/2010)

All the Rage in Jersey

Jersey City Free Public Library puts "The Jersey Sting" on shelf at every branch, and some have more than one copy. (The Jersey Journal, 4/1/2011)

Excerpt: The Jersey City Free Public Library now has multiple copies of "The Jersey Sting" on its shelves, giving its patrons access to the new book that details the story behind the massive 2009 corruption probe that ensnared numerous Hudson County politicians.

On Tuesday, The Jersey Journal reported that the book, written by Star-Ledger reporter Ted Sherman and former Ledger and current New York Post reporter Josh Margolin, was extremely hard to find in Hudson County, where there are no first-run bookstores and few public libraries had the book in stock.

But now Jersey City library patrons can find at least one copy in all of the system's 10 branches, with multiple copies in the larger facilities, according to Assistant Library Director Sonia Araujo.

Araujo said the library system now has 14 copies, and 24 additional copies have been ordered. Several copies will be housed in the main branch's New Jersey Room.

Related article.
"You're kidding!": Jersey title allegedly hard to Find in Jersey.  (3/30/2011)

Library Advocacy @ the Wisconsin State Capitol

Library supporters have their day at the Capitol. (Waterloo-Marshall Courier-News, 3/30/2011)

Excerpt: Once a year, a day at the Capitol is set aside for the state’s librarians, library patrons and library board members to meet with their legislators and express their thoughts and concerns with the elected leaders. This year, members of the Wisconsin Library Association went to speak with their representatives March 22.

Marshall Community Library Director Diana Skalitzky attended the event to let Rep. Keith Ripp and Sen. Mark Miller know how the local library serves the community and why the repeal of maintenance of effort could cause problems.

Friends of the Sun Prairie Public Library: A History of Giving Back to the Community

Sun Prairie has a true friend in the Friends of the Library. (Sun Prairie Star, 3/31/2011)

Excerpt: From staffing the Read Before Book Store to paying for maintenance on the Sun Prairie Public Library’s saltwater aquarium, the Sun Prairie Friends of the Library group has a long history of giving back to the Sun Prairie community.

The group was founded in August 1988 by Isabel Bauman. The goals of Friends of the Library include planning and implementing programs to promote library resources and services; raising funds for special purposes and encouraging gifts, endowments and bequests to the library; providing volunteers for library projects; and promoting community awareness of the library and library events. Over the past 23 years, the Friends group has been responsible for a number of library projects, including construction of the current building.

In 1996, Friends of the Library became a non-profit organization, complete with 501(c)(3) status. A year later, the Friends group, which was chaired by Tom and Betty Gene Diener, agreed to pay $25,000 over a two-year period, for the book store space in the library. Friends of the Library also had the task of raising $2 million to build the current library.

Betty Gene said her husband, Tom, used to refer to Friends of the Library as “the conduit between the fundraising and the city” for the new library.

“All the money went through the Friends to build the library,” Betty Gene said. “We did all the collecting.”

Getting the Word Out in Lodi About Library Funding

Local library could face cuts. (Lodi Enterprise, 3/30/2011)

Excerpt: Local library directors are trying to decide how proposed budget cuts will affect them at a time when circulation is at an all-time high.

But while the financial future is unclear, advocates are urging library users to speak up if they value public library services.

Lodi Public Library co-director Trisha Priewe said there are no hard numbers yet but the state's proposed 2011-13 biennial budget could affect local libraries.