Saturday, October 12, 2013

Music From this Date in History: October 12, 1963

Looking back 50 years continues while JoAnna and I watch college football on TV in the family room.



About the clip:   The Tarriers on "Hootenanny," October 12, 1963. From left to right, Marshall Brickman (author of "Annie Hall" and other Woody Allen classics), Eric Weissburg ("Dueling Banjos" from "Deliverance") and Clarence Cooper. This was network TV's first interracial music group.



2nd performance from Town Hall Concert, New York, October 12, 1963

Related post:
On this date in Wisconsin/Big 10 history.   (10/12/2013)

On This Date in Wisconsin/Big 10 History (October 12, 1963)

61,415 see #5 Wisconsin Badgers sock it to Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium. 


What was the weather like?
  • High:  64
  • Low:  41
  • Precipitation;  0.00

Purdue vs. Wisconsin series.

Get Me Rewrite: Big Donor to Scott Walker sez Mary Burke exaggerates

Ain't that a surprise statement!

Uline owner says Mary Burke exaggerates involvement in company's jobs moves. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/10/2013)

Daniel Bice notes that Uihleins, limited government apostles, haven't been averse to that hasn't stopped  accepting millions of dollars from Wisconsin officials.

Big fans of Scottie. Overall, the Uihleins have given $274,500 to Walker's campaign fund since 2010. The pair took advantage of a short period of time during last year's recall election in which the first-term Republican governor could accept unlimited donations.

Strictly red.

Mary Hoskins (1922-2013) Warren High School Class of 1942



An interesting biography.   Mary's niece Mindy was a year behind me in high school, i.e., WAHS class of 1969. 

 
1942 Dragon yearbook

As for her name, see "There Really Was Something About Mary"

I don't know how common it is anymore, but when I was a kid, it wasn't unusual for a girl to have a "double" first name, e.g., Mary Sue,  Betty Jean, Mary Ann(e), Ann Marie.   Mary Jane was the most common one that I encountered in grade school. 

Mary Jane first makes its first appearance on the Social Security Administration's list of 1000 most popular baby names for girls in 1914, at #949.   It reached as high as #463 in 1923 before dropping to #812 by 1932.  Its best year was 1944, when it reached #501.   It didn't make the last from 1956 to 1958 and then again for a much longer stretch, from 1966 to 2004.  It currently ranks #888, so I guess we can say Mary Jane is making a modest comeback.

A big hit when the class of '42 graduated.

Friday, October 11, 2013

In-a-Word Book Review: "Unengaging"


But I persisted, refusing to let go, staying with the book until its unsatisfying end, an unusual outcome considering I long ago reached the stage where I have no compunction about tossing aside, literally (print) and figuratively (audio), a book that doesn't grab my interest after the first chapter.

":Desert Pitch", a pompous book review by Pico Iyer.  (The New York Times, 7/19/2012)

Sorry, Pico, I'm not a big fan of Norman Mailer either.  As far as I'm concerned, his writing career can be summed up in the title of one of his most throwaway books, Advertisements for Myself. 

Based on Amazon reviews, this books has readers all over the map.


I put myself in the 2-star category:  Not recommended.

Google Chrome: After Today's Experience, Just the Search Results I Expected to Find



A better kind of crazy.

An Uncertain Funding Picture for the Pauline Haass Public Library

Page 1 of 6

Library board offers town mediation. (Sussex Sun, 10/8/2013)

Step 1.   Town of Lisbon Board decides to accept or reject Pauline Haass Public Library Board's offer for nonbinding mediation to resolve dispute over land.

Step 2.  If the Town opts to reject, attorneys for the library will file a lawsuit in Waukesha County Circuit Court.

Step 3.  Without an out-of-court settlement after lawsuit is filed, the long-term funding agreement between the Village of Sussex and the Town of Lisbon is probably kaput.

Related articles: 
This land is my land, this land is my land.  (9/12/2013)
Sussex-Lisbon library agreement still appears to be more "if" Than "when".  (8/22/2013) 
Still following the Sussex-Lisbon library talks -- since 2010.  (8/6/2013) 
Following a brouhaha over a "most objectionable 3-page letter," library talks to resume between Sussex and Lisbon.  (5/27/2013)
A most objectionable 3-page letter.  (5/10/2013)
Dear Greg; Love, Lisbon Town Board.  (4/27/2013)
Perhaps Pauline Haass is spinning in her grave.  (3/18/2013)
What a long strange trip it's been.  (2/13/2012)
Dueling news releases.  (10/7/2012)
Town of Lisbon wants deep discount in payment for library services.  (9/30/2012)
As the world of joint library agreements turns.  (8/22/2012)
The beat goes on.  (7/2/2012)
Joint library negotiations continue.  (5/13/2012)
Jane Stadler on Paying Taxes: "...it is something that you do because you're part of the community.  (11/26/2011)
Lisbon town chair not likely to get his way on Pauline Haass Library funding. (11/22/2011)
Lisbon Town chair advocates paying for library services on the cheap.  (11/22/2011)
The challenges of shared governance and funding.  (9/28/2011)
Consensus building for new joint library agreement.  (7/22/2011)
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)


Alice Munro, 2013 Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature

Photo source: Press Image of Alice Munro, 2013 Nobel Laureate in Literature from the official website. 
Author:   Derek Shapton

Master of the Intricacies of the Human Heart.  Alice Munro, Nobel Winner, Mines the Inner Lives of Girls and Women. (The New York Times, 10/10/2013)

Excerpt: That is also a perfect description of Ms. Munro’s quietly radiant short stories — stories that have established her as one of the foremost practitioners of the form. Set largely in small-town and rural Canada and often focused on the lives of girls and women, her tales have the swoop and density of big, intimate novels, mapping the crevices of characters’ hearts with cleareyed Chekhovian empathy and wisdom.

Related links:
Getting started with Alice Munro.  (Bookriot, 10/10/2013)
Seattle Public Library Alice Munro search results.
Alice Munro stories in The New Yorker.

Alice Munro on Amazon's top 100 best-selling fiction and literature
14.  Dear Life (Kindle)
33.  Dear Life  (paperback)
38.  Something I Thought I Should Tell You  (Kindle)
75.  Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage  (paperback)
89.  Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage  (Kindle)
95.  Something I Thought I Should Tell You  (paperback)

Who's Running for State Office (2014 Edition): Beloit City Council Member Considers Run for 45th Assembly Seat

Janis Ringhand, the current representative, has announced her candidacy for the 15th Senate district.

Photo credit:  City of Beloit

Beloit City Council member considers bid for Assembly seat.  (Janesville Gazette, 10/10/2013)

About Mark.   In 2006, Spreitzer volunteered to serve on the city Appointment Review Committee and served for three years, two as chairman. After graduation, he worked for U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold in Rock and Walworth counties until November 2010. 

He was elected to the Beloit council in April 2011 at the age of 24. In April 2012, he was elected vice president. He was re-elected in April. 

Spreitzer works at Beloit College as assistant director of alumni and parent relations and annual support.

Related posts:
Who's Running for State Office:  15th Senate District. (10/10/2013)
Who's Running for Wisconsin Attorney General in 2014: Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel.  (10/10/2013)
Ashland Alder and Democratic Party "Rising Star" Kelly Westlund Considering a Run Against Sean Duffy.  (10/10/2013)
Who Will Run in the 25th State Senate District Now That Bob Jauch Has Announced His Retirement? (10/9/2013)

Republican National Politics: It's All About Posturing and Positioning


Move to the right?

Sorry, there's no room.  We're at the wall.

Republicans Using Shutdown to Stake Positions for Potential 2016 Bids. (The New York Times, 10/9/2013)

There is no "to the right of Mr. Cruz".    Mr. Rubio is not the only Republican using the shutdown to position himself for a presidential candidacy. These Republicans’ actions, as the crisis drags on, offer an early glimpse of the contours of the 2016 primary: some in the emerging field are desperate to avoid being seen as standing to the left of Mr. Cruz and his fervent Tea Party supporters, while others are charting a different course.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Some Might Say These Business Executives Got Just What They Deserve



Business Groups See Loss of Sway Over House G.O.P. (The New York Times, 10/9/2013)

Excerpt:   As the government shutdown grinds toward a potential debt default, some of the country’s most influential business executives have come to a conclusion all but unthinkable a few years ago: Their voices are carrying little weight with the House majority that their millions of dollars in campaign contributions helped build and sustain.

Stay tuned for a possible  business lobby/Tea Party smackdown.

Who's Running for State Office (2014 Edition): 15th Senate District

Now that Tim Cullen (D-Beloit) has retired.




Ringhand will seek Senate seek, Spoden won't.  (Janesville Gazette, 10/9/2013)

Janis Ringhand's political resume.
  • Wisconsin State Assembly 45th District, 2012-.
  • Wisconsin State Assembly 80th District, 2010-2012.
  • Mayor, City of Evansville, 2002-2008.
  • Member, Evansville City Council, 1998-2002, 2008-2010.
The 15th Senate District includes....

....the 43rd Assembly District, represented by Andy Jorgenson (D-Milton), who was first elected, representing the 37th District, in 2006.  When redistricting left him out in the cold, he defeated the one-term incumbent Evan Wynn (R-Whitewater) in the 43rd.

Public libraries in the 43rd district
Edgerton Public Library
Irwin L. Young Memorial Library, Whitewater
Milton Public Library
Oregon Public Library (service area)

... the 44th Assembly District, represented by Deb Kolste (D-Janesville), who defeated the one-term incumbent Joe Knilans (R-Janesville) in 2012.

Public library in the 44th district
Hedberg Public Library, Janesville

...the 45th Assembly District, represented by Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville).  Before 2010 redistricting, Ringhand represented the 80th Assembly District for 2 years.

Public libraries in the 45th district

Academic library

Who's Running for Wisconsin Attorney General in 2014: Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel

The first candidate to make an official announcement.

Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel enters attorney general's race. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/9/2013)

J. B. Van Hollen has already announced that he is not running for a third term.

Schimel's statement excerpted from article.


Ashland Alder and Democratic Party "Rising Star" Kelly Westlund Considering a Run Against Sean Duffy

See her take to task this now falling star and former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.



Ashland Democrat may challenge Duffy for congressional seat. (WJFW, 10/9/2013)

Kelly Westlund on Facebook.

Kelly Westlund is the City Council Representative from Ward 11 in Ashland. 

Biography.   Kelly moved to Ashland over 10 years ago. She and her husband, Caleb, have been renovating a house on the east end of Ashland for nearly five years. Kelly operates a private consulting business and has worked with various local farms, small businesses, state and local governments, and community organizations in a professional capacity to support regional economic and community development.

'Rising stars' talk party, future.  (Democratic Party of Wisconsin, 6/9/2013)

Excerpt:    Westlund acknowledged she’d like to run for state office some day, but she’s not going to challenge Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, or Rep. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, both of whom she praised.  
She appealed to delegates in her speech to reach out to rural voters and to get involved with local offices, arguing they are the training ground for those looking to move up. 

Westlund said the Dem Party does a good job of reaching voters in Milwaukee and Madison, but needs to do a better job of reaching those in areas like hers. She said farmers, for example, are open to many of the messages that Dems have. But because they don’t hear them forcefully enough, they end up voting on other values that lead them to the GOP. 

Westlund pointed to the mining bill that passed the Legislature earlier this year as a good example of where the party could do a better job of appealing to the farmers in her area who are now fearful of how the project will impact them. 

“I get on my soap box and don’t shut my mouth,” Westlund said, adding the party would be well served by doing the same.

As you can see, the 7th Congressional District covers a lot of territory.


Things Aren't So Tranquil in Glenwood City Wisconsin Lately

Frac sand mining issues could lead to recall elections for Glenwood City, Wis., officials. (Pioneer Press, 10/9/2013)

Excerpt:     A group calling itself Glenwood City Citizens for Legal and Ethical Representation filed petitions with the city clerk Wednesday morning calling for the recall of Mayor John Larson and city council members Nancy Hover and Dave Graese. Should the petitions prove to have enough valid signatures, elections would take place sometime in the next few months. 

The group behind the effort issued a news release Wednesday saying the petitions cited "malfeasance" as the reason for the recalls. It said the mayor and two city council members did not take a petition for a referendum.


Map attribution:  TownMaps.com

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Well, How About That, Scott Walker?

Uninsured Find More Success via Health Exchanges Run by States.  (The New York Times, 10/8/2013)

Excerpt:   While many people have been frustrated in their efforts to obtain coverage through the federal exchange, which is used by more than 30 states, consumers have had more success signing up for health insurance through many of the state-run exchanges, federal and state officials and outside experts say.

Gotta play to the base.   Scott Walker, Wisconsin Governor, Rejects Key Health Care Reform.  (Huffington Post, 11/16/2012)



Reading the color bar from left to right
  • Dark teal.  State-run marketplace
  • Medium teal.  State-federal partnership, state conducting plan management and consumer assistance.
  • Light teal.  State running small-business marketplace, federal government running individual marketplace.
  • Tan.  Federally facilitated marketplace, state conducting plan management.
  • Gold.  Federally facilitated marketplace.

Who Will Run in the 25th State Senate District Now That Bob Jauch Has Announced His Retirement?

Longtime legislator Bob Jauch won't seek re-election next year. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/9/2013)

Jauch, 67,  has represented the 25th State Senate District since 1986.  He was first elected to the Assembly in 1982.


The 25th Senate District includes....

...the 73rd Assembly District represented by Nick Milroy (D-South Range), first elected in 2008.

Public libraries in the 73rd Assembly District.
Spooner Memorial Library
Superior Public Library, including branches
  • Imogene McGrath Memorial Library, Lake Nebagamon
  • Joan Salmen Memorial Library, Solon Springs
Academic library
Jim Dan Hill Library, UW-Superior

...the 74th Assembly District, represented by Janet Bewley (D-Ashland), first elected in 2010.

Public libraries in the 74th Assembly District.
Bayfield Carnegie Library
Drummond Public Library
Evelyn Goldberg Briggs Memorial Library, Iron River
Forest Lodge Library, Cable
Hurley City Library
Legion Memorial Library, Mellen
Madeline Island Public Library
Mercer Public Library
Ogema Public Library
Park Falls Public Library
Phillips Public Library
Vaughn Public Library, Ashland
Washburn Public Library

...the 75th Assembly District, represented by Stephen Smith (D-Shell Lake), first elected in 2012.

Public libraries in the 75th Assembly District
Barron Public Library
Calhoun Memorial Library, Chetek
Cameron Public Library
Clear Lake Public Library
Rice Lake Public Library
Shell Lake Public Library
Thomas St. Angelo Public Library, Cumberland
Turtle Lake Public Library

Letting Scott Walker in on the Rest of the Story


Op-Ed: What Wisconsin can teach Washington by Scott Walker.  (Washington Post, 10/8/2013)

Excerpt (emphasis added): When I ran for governor, the unemployment rate topped out at 9.2 percent and Wisconsin ranked 43rd on Chief Executive Magazine’s list of best states for business. Today, our unemployment rate has dropped to 6.7 percent and Wisconsin has moved up to 17th on the magazine’s list.

Chief Executive magazine ranks Wisconsin 17th best for business. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/7/2013)

The rest of the story.  A recent report by the Kauffman Foundation, for example, rated the state low in terms of entrepreneurial activity. Similarly, a study sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked Wisconsin 44th on economic performance, 41st for innovation and entrepreneurship and 39th for business climate. The state placed better on exports (16th), infrastructure (17th) and talent pipeline (14th), which takes into account educational attainment and performance.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Institute of Museum and Library Services: "The State of Small and Rural Libraries in the United States"


From page 1.   Congress has long recognized the importance of library services in rural communities. The Library Services Act of 1956, a precursor to the current Library Services and Technology Act, was enacted in part to improve the role that public library services play in rural areas. Nongovernmental agencies have also recognized the important role that rural libraries play in their communities. As an example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Rural Library Sustainability Project has played a significant role in securing public libraries’ place as community computing centers.





The Blithering Brenda Barton

Brenda Barton, Arizona Legislator, Refers To 'De Fuhrer' Obama On Facebook. (Huffington Post, 10/7/2013)

Here's why she can get away with this shit.

First of all, she's from Arizona, which went for Romney 54% to 44%.
Map credit:  CNN

Secondly, she lives in a rural county -- 11 people per square mile.  

Gila County is not exactly Obama Country.

And here's her post, clearly demonstrating that intelligence is not a qualification for public office.

Parting shot
Photo and quote credit:  Arizona State Legislature

Let's make that "devolution".  (As in sense 2)

I could name a few contenders, but I don't think we have anyone quite this wacko in the Wisconsin State Legislature.

Survey Sez: 72% of U.S. Adults Have Read At Least 1 Book During the Past 12 Months

Poll Results: Reading. (YouGov, 9/30/2013)

Summary: These are the topline results of a YouGov/Huffington Post survey of 1000 US adults interviewed September 27 - 28, 2013 on reading. The results show that a quarter of Americans haven't read anything in the past year but that most people have read at least one book and less than fifty books over that time.

Huffington Post headline.   POLL: 28 Percent Of Americans Have Not Read A Book In The Past Year. 



Other ebook/reading-related posts:
For years, many people asked the wrong question about ebooks and print books.  (10/6/2013) 
Ebook Flash Sales Grab Consumers' Attention.  (5/27/2013) 
BookStats 2013: It's not all about ebooks.  (5/15/2013)
Staying ahead of the learning curve.  (4/9/2013)
"Books are dead yet," sez Salon.  (3/21/2013)
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology.  (1/8/2013)
Based on this column graph, print books are not likely to go away anytime soon.  (1/2/2013)
Printed books still lead ebooks by a significant margin.  (12/28/2012)
Ebook market pauses to take a breath.  (12/25/2012)
Year-to-date book revenues:  Jan-Jul 2011 and Jan-Jul 2012.  (11/1/2012)
Libraries get screwed when it comes to price of and access to ebooks.  (9/10/2012)
Millennials lead the way....to fewer bookstores?  (8/22/2012)
Ebooks sliding down the peak of inflated expectations.  (8/18/2012)
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
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)

Follow the Landlord Money


Madison landlords may no longer have to provide voter registration forms to tenants.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 10/7/2013)

Like running the red table.   On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Assembly will vote on Senate Bill 179, also known as the tenant-landlord bill, which passed the Senate along party lines, 18-15, on Sept. 17.

My younger son lives in an apartment owned and operated by Steve Brown.


Monday, October 7, 2013

Then and Now: Intersection of Second Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue West, Warren PA

Regular readers of this blog will spot a familiar name in the postcard below.




There used to be a barber shop at the base of the stairs at the Point.

Revisiting "A Half-Century of Public Library Use"

During late 2010 and early 2011, I created a series of posts under the subheading "A Half-Century of Public Library Use" for each of Wisconsin's 72 counties.  Well, at least that was my intention.  I became sidetracked somewhere in the s's.  (And my grand plan, never implemented, was to move beyond circulation.)

Anyway, most of the results are similar to what you see here for Monroe County, column graphs showing substantial growth in public library circulation, particularly after 1980, as well as steady if not always strong growth in circulation per capita.

Monroe County:
Population and Circulation, 1960-2009


Monroe County, 1960-2009

At the time, I figured we were at the end of an era of big gains in circulation, what with the increasing popularity of ebooks.   In addition  by 2008, downloading and streaming media were already having an impact on the circulation of CDs and DVDs, particularly in the Middleton Public Library's teen collection.

As I considered the next decade while working on this project, I foresaw a series of small declines in circulation taking place on an annual basis.  Nothing drastic, with annual totals remaining above 2000's level.

Something along the lines as what has been happening in Outagamie County since 2010.

But neighboring Calumet County doesn't quite fit the pattern.

Circulation peaked in 2000, with the decline getting underway the following year.

What's going on here?

Just speculating, but it might have something to do with where the greatest population growth in Calumet County is occurring.


First of all, nearly 23% of City of Appleton residents live in Calumet County.  (The majority of its residents live in Outagamie County.)  Between 2000 and 2010, the City of Menasha experienced significant spillover growth into Calumet County from Winnebago County.  That's why the Calumet County's library service area population, as determined by the Department of Public Instruction, is less than the total population.

In addition, the two municipalities with the largest population growth -- Town of Harrison and Village of Sherwood -- are both within range of the Appleton and Menasha public libraries.  (While serving as Interim Director at the Menasha Public Library for 4 months in 2011, the library board submitted a bill for $67,000 to Calumet County under the provisions of Act 420, County Funding to Libraries in Adjacent Counties). 

Source:  Wisconsin Blue Book

Do I plan to do more revisiting?

Not to an extensive degree.  Too much else going on right now.

Living in the Past: Cheyenne Wells, Colorado

And losing population.


Fed Up on the Prairie, and Voting on Seceding From Colorado. (The New York Times, 10/6/2013)

Excerpt:

Cheyenne County website


2012 Presidential election results for Cheyenne County

More Kansas than Colorado
Map source:  Wikipedia

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Marjorie Christiansen Anderson (1926-2013) Warren High School Class of 1944

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection


The 1944 Dragon

Marjorie.  Once a very popular name.  Here's how it ranked, during its best years, among the 1000 most popular baby names for girls, as compiled by the Social Security Administration


It's most recent appearance on the list was in 1994 when it ranked #993.

A popular song at the time the class of 1944 graduated.