More on Mobility Fund here.
Friday, October 7, 2011
A Tour of Dublin's Libraries
In its libraries, Dublin’s literary reputation shines. (Washington Post, 10/2/2011)
Excerpt: We Dubliners take a lot of pride in our city’s reputation as a literary capital (not least because it lends our loquaciousness a certain gravitas, as if every quip were something more exalted than mere banter). Walk into any genuine pub in town, and you’re bound to see that famous poster of Irish literary heroes on the wall. It’s not idle boastfulness: Dublin can claim four Nobel laureates — George Bernard Shaw, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Moreover, the names Oscar Wilde, Brendan Behan, Flann O’Brien and of course James Joyce are synonymous with the town.
So when literary-minded visitors to the Irish capital inquire about suitably bookish activities, there’s plenty to point them toward: literary walking tours, regular poetry and storytelling events, numerous literary festivals and a writers’ museum.
No popcorn ejection if you invite 12 or so of your closest friends
A return to the shtick that got him there.
Universal, Comcast to test out releasing ‘Tower Heist’ to home market 3 weeks after release. (Washington Post, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: Movie studio Universal Pictures and its new parent, cable TV giant Comcast Corp., will try giving film buffs a chance to watch a movie that’s still in theaters from the comfort of their living rooms. But the price tag for a single movie could have consumers spitting out their popcorn: $60.
The test involves “Tower Heist,” a PG-13 rated comedy caper starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller due out Nov. 4.
Casual vs. Hardcore Social Gamers
The Demographics of Social Gamers, at Home and On the Go. (eMarketer, 10/6/2011)
Excerpt: About four in 10 US internet users play social games, according to May 2011 research from Kabam, a publisher of massively multiplayer social games. And for at least some of those gamers, spending on gaming content is on the upswing.
The Kabam survey, conducted by Information Solutions Group, found that there was a demographic and behavioral split in the social gaming population, depending on whether gamers limited themselves to casual games, like Bejeweled Blitz and FarmVille, or also played strategy, role-playing or similar hardcore social games.
Hardcore social gamers were more likely to be male and under age 40, while casual social gamers tended to be women, with more than 40 percent of this group over age 50.
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 111, Belvedere-Tiburon Library)
Tiburon library expansion advances, but size remains undecided. (San Jose Mercury News, 10/6/2011)
Excerpt: The Tiburon Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to certify an environmental report and approve zoning changes for a major public library expansion. But it stopped short of deciding on the size or design of the proposed 17,000-square-foot project.
The privately funded, $10 million project would create a library nearly two and-half times larger than the existing 10,500-square-foot building, which opened in 1997. Library officials have sought an expansion for several years amid greater-than-expected use of the building.
"We're no longer just a place for books," library director Deborah Mazzolini said Wednesday at the council meeting, describing overflow crowds, particularly in the children and teen areas.
More than 100 members of the public attended the council meeting in the Del Mar Middle School gym; about 25 people spoke, almost all in favor of the project.
Is There a Library Version of This?
Study Shows Correlation Between Social Buzz and TV Ratings. (Mashable, 10/6/2011)
Excerpt: A major undercurrent of the 2011 Fall TV season is the increasing role that social and digital media have on how consumers consume, discover and discuss TV shows. A longstanding question in the social TV space, however, is what impact social media buzz has on traditional television ratings.
Those Fumes You Smell is the Stink of Lost Jobs
Thermo Fisher closing Two Rivers plant. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 10/6/2011)
Excerpt: A Two Rivers company that makes laboratory equipment is closing one of its two plants in the city and transferring at least some of the work to Mexico, resulting in the loss of up to 140 jobs, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said Thursday.
Thermo Fisher Scientific, in Two Rivers more than 130 years, is closing its factory that makes exhaust fume hoods. Job losses are scheduled to begin Dec. 5 and will be completed in about two months, according to a layoff notice.
Most of the affected employees are represented by Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 1533. Other employees are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 10, in Milwaukee.
Retiring Guy Not Affected by This Legislative Proposal
Pension 'double-dipping' could come to an end. (Racine Journal-Times, 10/6/2011)
Excerpt: State Rep. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, has proposed a law that would end the practice of retired government employees receiving a pension through the Wisconsin Retirement System while working a full-time job with a government employer that participates in the same pension system. His proposal doesn't affect employees such as Wahlen who are already retired or future retirees who want to get private sector or part-time government jobs. But it would affect future retirees wanting to go back to work for more than 1,044 hours per year, which is 26.1 weeks.
Not sure what all the fuss is about, though. A pension is an earned benefit.
Telcos Continue to Get in the Way of Longmont's Future
Longmont Fiber Ring Referendum. (Community Broadband Networks, 10/3/2011)
Excerpt: Residents in Longmont, Colorado are preparing for a municipal referendum to utilize an existing fiber optic network.
The referendum is set for Tuesday, November 1, 2011.
At issue is how the city can use a ring of fiber-optic cables it built around the city in the late 90's as part of its electrical infrastructure. Much of the capacity on the ring remains unused but the city requires approval of the voters in a referendum before it can offer services to local businesses -- which will encourage economic development by creating more telecommunications choices in the community for businesses and residents.
The Reid Ribble Saga Continues
Representing Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District -- in his own special way..
Hypocrite alert: Despite repudiating the 2009 federal stimulus act as a "failure," congressional candidate Reid Ribble lobbied for — and won — a school roofing contract partially funded by stimulus dollars, though he did not personally profit from the project.
Disingenuousness alert: "I wasn't there to defend the industry; I was there defending consumers," Ribble said.
The real story?
You can't run away from these facts. Congressional financial disclosure documents show that in 2010 Ripple received more than $50,000 in interest payments as a result of the sale of a roofing company he previously owned. In addition, last year Ripple received $17,000 in salary from the roofing group. Ripple also served as the previous President of the National Roofing Contractor Association from 2005-2006. The National Roofing Contractor Association contributed $10,000 in to Ripple’s campaign for Congress.
Hypocrite alert: Despite repudiating the 2009 federal stimulus act as a "failure," congressional candidate Reid Ribble lobbied for — and won — a school roofing contract partially funded by stimulus dollars, though he did not personally profit from the project.
The real story?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wisconsin Public Library Programs and Attendance, 1991-2010
Wisconsin Public Library Programs and Attendance, 1990-2010
Always Useful to Look Beyond the Headlines
...part of a plan to consolidate 20 claims offices around the country into six regional offices by August 2012.
...part of its plan to consolidate a total of 20 offices down to six by August.
One day we'll all understand.
Sheboygan Press Editorial Board Calls Out the Republicans
Editorial: Why not just treat everyone equally? (Sheboygan Press, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: This is where we have a problem with the bill. It is a classic case of pitting citizens against business and lowering the individual to second-class status.
If Zipperer were truly concerned about the high interest rate, his bill would have made the rate the same for everyone. After all, money is money whether it comes from a corporate bank account or a wallet.
Zipperer, and Cullen Werwie, a spokesman for Gov. Walker, say the measure can be debated and amended on the floor.
But that is unlikely to happen since Republicans hold the majority in both the Senate and Assembly. Previous attempts by minority Democrats to amend legislation have fallen on deaf ears. [Emphasis added.]
Question Most Likely to be Asked of a GOP Presidential Candidate: Who Are You?
GOP Candidates Hardly Household Names. (Pew Research Center for the People and Press, 10/5/2011)
The Oct 2007 "Thompson" is Fred, not Tommy.
The Oct 2007 "Thompson" is Fred, not Tommy.
A Call to Merge the 'Have' and 'Have-Not' Public Libraries in Lake County Indiana
Lake County, Indiana
Editorial: Take library merger plans off shelf. (Northwest Indiana Times, 10/3/2011)Excerpt: If ever there were a sign that public libraries are in trouble, it is the decision in both Hammond and Gary to close library branches to save money.
The Gary Library Board closed the Tolleston branch last November. On March 28, the board voted to permanently close Tolleston and the main branch, in downtown Gary, effective Jan. 1, 2012.
Now the Hammond Public Library is planning to close its two remaining branches, E.B. Hayward and Howard, effective Nov. 1. The main library will remain open.
The library boards cited property tax caps, a frozen tax levy and low collection rates as reasons for the closings.
These closings are in communities that need library services the most.
Libraries are not just places to borrow books, but also places to access the Internet, write resumes and hunt for jobs, and connect with others in the community. It is especially important for young people and others without their own motorized transportation to be able to access library services easily.
And now four options for those important services are being taken away.
It's time once more to discuss forming a single countywide library system, reducing overhead and planning library services more efficiently.
Lake County Public Library
Interior Work Begins at Prairie du Sac's Ruth Culver Library
Work under way on Ruth Culver Library. (Sauk Prairie Eagle, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: While the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library is scheduled for 5 p.m. Oct. 20 at the building site at 540 Water St., Jennifer Endres Way, the library's director, said work already has begun on the building.
"Miron Construction began working on the project on the 19," Endres Way said. "They began doing some interior work and we'll probably see some exterior work coming up the next week or two."
At its regular meeting Sept. 21, the Prairie du Sac Library Board approved reallocating some donated money to add more windows to the project, expanding patrons' view of the Wisconsin River at the new site.
Endres Way said Miron Construction likely will wrap up the outside work before winter, and spend most of the colder months concentrating on the building's interior.
Endres Way said the total project is going to cost about $2.38 million. The funds committed to date total just over $2.3 million, of that $875,000 is from the village and the rest is fundraising dollars.
"We're just shy of $50,000 away from what we'd like to have," Endres Way said.
Related articles:
Help the library receive $50,000. (9/11/2011)
Bids come in over budget. (8/3/2011)
Site work boosts costs of new library. (6/22/2011)
Library project to get underway this year. (1/19/2011)
$500,000 gift boosts Prairie du Sac's Library fundraising effort. (10/26/2010)
Building committee votes to extend fundraising effort for new Prairie du Sac library. (8/23/2010)
The Ruth Culver Memorial Library. (6/4/2009)
Culver's donates facility for new Prairie du Sac Library. (5/22/2009)
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 110, Morrisville Public Library)
New addition at Morrisville Public Library opens to public. (Syracuse Post-Standard, September 29, 2011)
Excerpt: Since the new, improved library opened in July, it has become a gathering place for community organizations, municipal agencies and students, Library Manager Michelle Forward said.
Built with a $200,000 federal grant and a $372,000 loan that will be paid back over 40 years, the expansion added 3,100 square feet of space that quickly filled with media and readers in July, Forward said.
“The first 2½ weeks we were open, there was a flurry of people,” she said.
“It seems like now we’ve got room, our circulation has gone up and we see more computer use.
Now that school is back in session, she said, “After school we are busy and have people tutoring students. That’s kind of a big thing.”
She also was pleased the library expansion was ready in time for the summer reading program.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Still Truckin': Chapel Hill Public Library Expansion Timeline
And truckin'....
Library Expansion Delayed As Initial Bids Come In Over Budget. (chapelboro.com, 10/5/2011)
And truckin'....
Library Expansion Delayed As Initial Bids Come In Over Budget. (chapelboro.com, 10/5/2011)
And truckin'....
Edgar Guest, the Most Famous Forgotten Poet in American History
Speaking in Tongues. Where pop meets Modernism. (Slate, 10/4/2011)
Excerpt: The most famous poet in American history sold a million copies of his book, back in the days when a million was a lot. He had his own weekly radio show and even, for a while, his own television show. His poetry was syndicated and appeared in hundreds of newspapers. For many years he published a new poem every day—and he did not miss deadlines. And yet, as fame goes, few people today know the name of Edgar Guest (1881-1959).
LINK
Serendipity in the Library
OK, well maybe not right here.
The Joy of Going to the Library. (Wired, 10/4/2011)
Excerpt: That experience of coming across books and publications that happen to be physically nearby is something that the digital world is having a hard time recreating. Michael Welland has a lovely post about this experience of serendipity in the library:
One of the many arguments in favour of good old-fashioned libraries – the bricks and mortar, hardcopy, poking-around-in-the-stacks variety – is the un-measurable element of serendipity: things you happen upon when looking for something else
Journal articles and databases can add online features similar to Amazon’s if-you-like-this-you’ll-probably-also-like-this, which is great, I definitely want that, but it’s not the same as coming across something interesting simply because it caught your eye as you scanned the shelves. I’m not sure digital libraries will ever be able to recreate this, which is okay. I like having a reason to leave my little burrow and take a stroll across campus to the library. Perhaps I’ll find something interesting there today.
Brian Romans is the author of the brief Wired piece.
Dale Carnegie and Not Leaving Well Enough Alone
Classic Advice: Please, Leave Well Enough Alone. (The New York Times, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” which turns 75 this year, has sold more than 30 million copies and continues to be a best seller. The book, a paean to integrity, good humor and warmth in the name of amicable capitalism, is as wholesome as a Norman Rockwell painting. It exists alongside Dr. Spock’s child-rearing guide, Strunk and White’s volume on literary style and Fannie Farmer’s cookbook as a classic expression of the American impulse toward self-improvement and reinvention. Testimonials to its effectiveness abound. It’s said that the only diploma that hangs in Warren Buffett’s office is his certificate from Dale Carnegie Training.
Not leaving well enough alone.
Audio review.
Thumbnail print review: The devastation, in terms of Carnegie’s original charm, is nearly complete. Were Carnegie alive to read this grievous book, he would clutch his chest like Redd Foxx in “Sanford and Son,” smile wanly for a few minutes (he didn’t like to make others feel bad), then keel over into his cornflakes.
Wisconsin Public Library Staff, 1990-2010
Took a little side trip this morning while revising the syllabus for UW-Madison LIS 712 (The Public Library), Session 8 (Services, Staffing & Facilities Management).
Wisconsin Public Library Staff, 1990-2010
Wisconsin Manufacturers Struggle to Find Skilled Workers
Help wanted: Even with high unemployment, factories struggle to find skilled labor. (Sheboygan Press, 10/4/2011)
Excerpt: Inside J.L. French's two fast-growing Sheboygan manufacturing plants, company leaders have encountered a confounding problem in a time of persistently high unemployment — finding skilled workers.
The auto-parts company is investing $18 million to upgrade and expand its local operations after signing a major production deal with Ford Motor Co.
But month after month, multiple job openings go unfilled, despite a countywide unemployment rate above 7 percent as of August.
"We've been beating the bushes and promoting our open trades positions for months. We use every opportunity we can think of to promote these jobs," said Tim Kellner, the company's human resources vice president. "It's been quite a challenge."
Throughout Wisconsin, manufacturers are hiring again, but finding a dearth of qualified applicants.
Related posts:
Got short-sightedness? Industry facing skills gap, Wisconsin slashes technical college funding. (9/9/2011)
Governor Walker must think we're not paying attention. (6/10/2011)
Got short-sightedness? Governor's budget proposes 30% cut to technical colleges. (4/20/2011)
Peter and Lou Berryman: They Need No Introduction Here
Doug Moe: Berrymans' colorful career continues. (Wisconsin State Journal, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: It's doubtful many people around here still need an introduction to the Berrymans, who were high school chums in Appleton in the 1960s and have been fixtures in Madison since the following decade, when you could hear them twice a week, cover charge a quarter, at the Club de Wash.
The Berrymans are so identified with Madison that when they tour, people ask them about the city. It happens so often they wrote a song about it titled, appropriately enough, "Madison, Wisconsin."
The chorus: "So how's old Madison, Wisconsin?/ Is that Paul Soglin still the mayor?/ And is Rennebohm's expanding?/ Is the Club de Wash still there?/ I used to sit out on the Terrace/ And watch my grade point disappear."
It's a little strange to realize Paul Soglin is still the mayor and there's a new Rennie's soda fountain in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery..
Jeff Dawson's Presentation at the Global Libraries Initiative
Jeff Dawson/Lester Library: Lester Public Library showcased at national event. (Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter, 10/5/2011)
Excerpt: My panel's presentation, titled "Community Needs Assessment and Engagement," was led by Michael Porter, president and CEO, Library Renewal, with Tiffini Travis, director of information Literacy & Outreach Services, California State University. I shared with PLM participants, via photos, how immersion into our community, with a camera in hand, has transcended technology to create an emotional bond between our library and the community it serves.
When viewing the photographs on our flickr account of library and community events, from Kite Fest to Ethnic Fest to Hmong New Year, the technology begins to fade away. We are left with images that are representative of what is possible, both at Lester Public Library and in our community. Conference participants immediately connected with the idea of sharing community images and delighted in the potential cultural and heritage preservation benefits.
As a library we are connecting with the very heart of the area we are proud to call home. We have digitally captured the contemporary culture of Two Rivers, and via a variety of social networks are sharing that experience back to the community we serve and the world at large. And so it was Two Rivers/Manitowoc County that was the star of the show in Seattle, and it was with pride that I shared our collective story.
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