More Budget Cuts Could Lead to No Friday Hours at Wheaton Public Library

Wheaton Public Library

Link to March 18 Daily Herald article.

Excerpt:   The library implemented a variety of cuts last year after its funding was reduced by $300,000. As a result, it already is closed on Friday nights, department heads' salaries are frozen and there's less money to purchase books, periodicals and audiovisual materials.

Director Sarah Meisels said the library can't afford to cut many more resources because that's why people use the building. "The public expects to get something for their money," she said.

Any further cuts will have to involve staffing, she said. Full- and part-time employees might see their pay reduced by 10 percent and be required to take furlough days.

The closures are part of that because the building can't open to the public without proper staffing.

McLaughlin said the library already is closed on Sundays during the summer. She said more Sunday closures are likely.

The decision to be closed on Fridays was made, in part, because it's the least busy day of the week for the library.

Related article:

Outpouring of Support for Wheaton Public Library.  (3/6/2010)

Illinois' Indian Trails Public Library Offers 24/7 Wi-Fi Access

From the March 17 Daily Herald.

The Indian Trails Public Library in Wheeling now has 24-hour Wi-Fi Internet access.

"We recognize that there are people who work during the hours we are normally open and it's the library's goal to provide resources to everyone in our community," said Library Director Thomas Simiele. Patrons just need to bring their laptops, park in the Wi-Fi zone - marked with signs and green paint - and log in to the library's Internet system.

The library will have surveillance cameras pointed at the designated parking spots and additional lighting in the lot.

"How are you feeling, Retiring Guy?" "Middling, thank you," he replies.

At least according to Wisconsin's position in the AHIP Wellbeing Rankings as reported by Gallup.

Excerpt from report: These new, state-level data are the results from The AHIP State and Congressional District Resource for Wellbeing. The Well-Being Index score for the nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation, healthy behaviors, work environment, physical health, emotional health, and access to basic necessities. The questions in each sub-index are asked nightly of 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older.

Send out the Carrier Pigeons

Link to Eau Claire Leader-Telegram article, "With Doyle, Lawton gone, who's minding the store?"

Excerpt: Doyle departed for a 10-day trade mission to Italy and Tunisia on Wednesday but didn't bother telling Lawton he was leaving. She found out about it from a news release she read in Washington, D.C., where she's attending a conference until Monday.

Apparently, the Lieutenant Governor didn't even bother with a news release regarding her current whereabouts. And the sidebar on her home page hasn't been updated recently.

Excerpt: The Wisconsin Constitution says when the governor's out of state, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor. It's unclear what happens when they are both gone, but the secretary of state is next in the line of succession.

Perhaps it's time to update this section of the Wisconsin Constitution in light of how much things have changed since 1848 and 1979.

Article V, §7 ¶(2)
(2) If the governor is absent from this state, impeached, or from mental or physical disease, becomes incapable of performing the duties of the office, the lieutenant governor shall serve as acting governor for the balance of the unexpired term or until the governor returns, the disability ceases or the impeachment is vacated. But when the governor, with the consent of the legislature, shall be out of this state in time of war at the head of the state's military force, the governor shall continue as commander in chief of the military force. [1977 J.R. 32, 1979 J.R. 3, vote April 1979]

Excerpt: Secretary of State Doug La Follette said he didn't know both Doyle and Lawton were gone until he heard it reported Friday morning on Wisconsin Public Radio.

Perhaps his busy schedule does not permit him to check The Wheeler Report on a daily basis.

But to his credit, LaFollette manages to put the issue in perspective.

With cell phones, e-mail and other modern communication methods, La Follette said he doesn't imagine having both Doyle and Lawton out of state will result in him having to make any decisions.

"I think we'll be OK," he said.

Dwight Foster Library Lucks Out on Moving Day

In Wisconsin, you couldn't ask for better weather in March.

Link to March 19 Daily Union Online article, "Library move reveals century-old treasures".

Excerpt:    Cleaning out her office, library director Connie Meyer found a metal lockbox chock full of Fort Atkinson library history. The lockbox itself had been stored on the top shelf of a built-in cupboard in her office.

An employee since 1976 and library director since 1992, Meyer recalled being told by now-retired director Mary Gates that there were many items stored in the cupboard that should not be thrown away.

Gates was right.

Through the years, Meyer had found blueprints, presumably for the first few phases of the library building, which was first constructed in 1916 and later expanded in 1931. However, she never had looked further.

Stepping up on a chair Wednesday, Meyer pulled out all the materials, including blueprints, and found the lockbox.

Within it were the documents collecting the history of the early stages of the library and the different land acquisitions associated with it.

Records show that the library originally was built in 1916 and it underwent two additions: in 1931 and 1983. In all cases, the library has expanded during a downturn in the national economy.

"Bad economic times are the library's forte," former Hoard Historical Museum director Sue Hartwick quipped while examining the contents of the lockbox


Related articles:

For Atkinson Library Moves to Temporary Home.  (3/13/2010)

Fort Atkinson Library Building Project Update.  (2/17/2010)

Fort Atkinson library to move to temporary quarters. (12/3/2009)

Dwight Foster Public Library: Micro-Donations Amount to Large Gift. (10/25/2009)

Dwight Foster Public Library Kicks Off Its Capital Campaign. (7/26/2009)

Recession Not Holding Back Fort Atkinson's Library Expansion Effort. (7/18/2009)

Fort Library Receives Substantial Donation. (4/29/2009)

Fort Atkinson Moves Ahead on Library Project. (3/19/2009)

4 Candidates Have Announced for 32nd Wisconsin Assembly Seat

Link to March 17 Lake Geneva News article.

Excerpt:  One week after Rep. Tom Lothian announced he will retire from the state assembly in fall, four candidates lined up to take his place.

So far, Lothian's Chief-of-Staff Republican Tyler August [402 fans on Facebook campaign page], Lake Geneva-based attorney and Republican Dan Necci [384 fans on Facebook campaign page] Badger High School health teacher and Democrat Doug Harrod [link to campaign website], and Republican Adam Gibbs of Lyons [MIA] all have decided to run for the District 32 state Assembly seat.

There will be a Sept. 14 primary to narrow the Republican candidates to one.  The general election is Nov. 2.

Cap Times: New Central Library on old site makes sense

Link to March 20 Capital Times editorial.

Excerpt:    When it came to major development projects, building a new Central Library in downtown Madison was Job 1 for local officials.

Unfortunately, as time and energy was squandered on the Edgewater Hotel renovation project, the plan to have the Fiore/Irgens team build an especially appealing library on West Washington Avenue fell apart.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says, “There is no bad guy in this story. (The development team) negotiated in good faith and tried hard to make it work, and so did we. But it was a complex proposal from the start with lots of moving parts. In the end, we just couldn’t reach agreement.”

Despite the “no bad guy” line, the mayor says he is “disappointed.”

In fact, everyone should be. A classic public works project with some smart partnerships will not go forward, while the controversial and questionable Edgewater project remains in play.

"Matter of Principle" Dooms New Madison Central Library

Take a last look

Link to March 20 Wisconsin State Journal article, "In the wake of collapsed talks, officials back plans for a library renovation".

Excerpt:     Since talks collapsed between the city and a developer over the pricetag of a new central library, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is quickly moving to sell the public on a "state-of-the-art" renovation of the existing 45-year-old facility.

Cieslewicz is finding support for the renovation but facing criticism for not involving the City Council more in the failed negotiations when so much was at stake.

Documents released this week in response to a State Journal records request reveal theCieslewicz administration and Fiore disagreed sharply about project costs — even before the council committed to spending $37 million on the project — and who should manage construction of the core and exterior.

"There's a tremendous disappointment, not only for myself, but for many Downtown stakeholders," said Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who represents the core Downtown. "I'm pretty disappointed a wider group of alders were not brought in and consulted by the mayor."

Related articles:
Madison Central:  The Dream Dies, It's Now Time to Renovate.  (3/19/2010)
Dispute over Construction Costs Threatens to Derail New Central Madison Library. (3/17/2010) Madison Public Library Project Faces Delay in 2011. (3/9/2010)
Construction, Cost Concerns May Delay Madison Central Library Project. (1/25/2010)
New Madison Central Library Wins Council Approval. (11/11/2009)
Capital Times Endorses New Madison Central Library. (11/10/2009)
Madison Council Begins Review of Mayor's Budget on Tuesday. (11/6/2009)
More Questions About Madison Central Library Project. (11/1/2009)
New Madison Public Library's First Change Order: Rooftop Garden. (10/28/2009)
Call for Referendum on New Madison Central Library Not Attracting Support. (10/21/2009)
Madison Board of Estimates Rejects Library Referendum. (10/13/2009)
Some Madison City Council Members Want Referendum on New Central Library. (10/9/2009)
Wisconsin State Journal Editorial on New Madison Central Library. (9/13/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Let the Positioning Begin. (9/1/2009)
New Madison Central Library on Mayor Dave's Front Burner. (8/30/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Build or Renovate? (7/7/2009)
Motley Brown Not Reason Enough. (6/11/2009)
Fiore Plan Receives Unanimous Support. (6/5/2009)
Fiore Plan Gets Nod from Committee. (5/15/2009)
Public Forum Focuses on Central Library Options. (4/24/2009)
Developer Sweetens the Deal. (4/21/2009)
Visualizing a Remodeled Madison Central Library. (4/4/2009)
Renovation Plan Put on Table for Madison Central Library. (3/26/2009)
Residents Critique Proposals to Rebuild Downtown Library. (1/9/2009)
Competing Developers Defend Their Central Library Plans. (1/8/2009)
Comparison of Downtown Madison Library Proposals. (12/17/2008)
Two Proposals for New Madison Central Library. (12/3/2008)
Best Headline of the Week. (9/6/2008)

E-Books: Another Round of False Promises?

Link to March 19 Business Insider post by Michael Mace, "Why E-Books Failed in 2000, and What It Means for 2010".

Excerpt:  It’s a great time for ebooks.

There are at least six ebook reader devices on the market or in preparation. A major business magazine predicts that up to seven million of these devices will be sold next year.

A major consulting firm says ebook sales will account for ten percent of the publishing market in five years. And an executive at the leading computing firm predicts that 90 percent of all publishing will switch to electronic form in just 20 years.

But the year isn’t 2010 — it’s 2000, and the ebook market is about to go into hibernation for a decade. What went wrong, and what can the failure tell us about the prospects for ebooks in 2010?

Mace's list of why ebooks failed in 2000.
1.  Not enough ebooks.
2.  Ebooks were too expensive.
3.  The hardware factor form was wrong.
4.  Periodicals weren't ready.
5.  Poor marketing.

Mace feels there are still structural barriers to the mass-market adoption of ebooks.

Lots to ponder here.

Recommended Reading: "How today's college students use Wikipedia for course-related research"

A research article by Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, published at First Monday (Peer-Reviewed Journal on the Internet).

Includes the following graphs and tables.

1. How often do students use Wikipedia during the course-related search process?

2. Why do students use Wikipedia for course-related research?

3. At which stage in the research process is Wikipedia used by students?

4. Which resources do students turn to for obtaining background on a topic? (Librarians rank 14th out of 15th, trailing friends, classmates, and instructors. If not for blogs, a last resort.)

5. Predicting the probability of use Wikipedia during course-related research.

Where in the world is Retiring Guy?

UW-Madison's 2010 Edible Book Festival

Edible Book Festival

Wisconsin Woman Magazine Suspends Publication

Link to March 18 Wisconsin State Journal article.

Excerpt: The magazine, published by O’Gara Publishing, Fitchburg, posted this note on its website: “April 2010 is Wisconsin Woman’s last issue. Due to the economic times, the magazine is ceasing publication. We would like to thank all of our advertisers and readers for their support over the years.”

Wisconsin Woman, with a circulation of 22,000, began publication in 1998.

Madison Central: The Dream Dies, It's Now Time to Renovate

 Back to the drawing board

Not gonna happen

Link to March 19 Wisconsin State Journal article, "New library is dead; city, Fiore Cos. agree to drop plans."

Excerpt:       A proposed $37 million, six-story glass and stone library and a larger, related development are dead, but Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is now vowing to renovate the existing central library.

After a nearly two-hour private meeting Thursday afternoon, the city and the Fiore Cos. agreed to drop plans for the new $37 million library at the corner of Henry Street and West Washington Avenue.

The city and Fiore and Irgens Development Partners were unable to bridge a $2 million difference in costs over the project.

"I'm fine with it and I'm at peace with it," Cieslewicz said after the meeting. "I'm confident we tried as hard as we can to make the project work. (Fiore executive vice president) Bill Kunkler did as well. Sometimes, you just can't work it out."

The city will now focus on renovating the existing 45-year-old facility at the corner of Fairchild and Mifflin streets into "a brand new, state-of-the-art library," Cieslewicz said.

Related articles:
Dispute over Construction Costs Threatens to Derail New Central Madison Library.  (3/17/2010) Madison Public Library Project Faces Delay in 2011. (3/9/2010)
Construction, Cost Concerns May Delay Madison Central Library Project. (1/25/2010)
New Madison Central Library Wins Council Approval. (11/11/2009)
Capital Times Endorses New Madison Central Library. (11/10/2009)
Madison Council Begins Review of Mayor's Budget on Tuesday. (11/6/2009)
More Questions About Madison Central Library Project. (11/1/2009)
New Madison Public Library's First Change Order: Rooftop Garden. (10/28/2009)
Call for Referendum on New Madison Central Library Not Attracting Support. (10/21/2009)
Madison Board of Estimates Rejects Library Referendum. (10/13/2009)
Some Madison City Council Members Want Referendum on New Central Library. (10/9/2009)
Wisconsin State Journal Editorial on New Madison Central Library. (9/13/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Let the Positioning Begin. (9/1/2009)
New Madison Central Library on Mayor Dave's Front Burner. (8/30/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Build or Renovate? (7/7/2009)
Motley Brown Not Reason Enough. (6/11/2009)
Fiore Plan Receives Unanimous Support. (6/5/2009)
Fiore Plan Gets Nod from Committee. (5/15/2009)
Public Forum Focuses on Central Library Options. (4/24/2009)
Developer Sweetens the Deal. (4/21/2009)
Visualizing a Remodeled Madison Central Library. (4/4/2009)
Renovation Plan Put on Table for Madison Central Library. (3/26/2009)
Residents Critique Proposals to Rebuild Downtown Library. (1/9/2009)
Competing Developers Defend Their Central Library Plans. (1/8/2009)
Comparison of Downtown Madison Library Proposals. (12/17/2008)
Two Proposals for New Madison Central Library. (12/3/2008)
Best Headline of the Week. (9/6/2008)

Kitty Rhoades Announces Retirement from Wisconsin State Assembly

Rep. Kitty Rhoades serves the libraried communities of....

City of Hudson, Village of North Hudson, Town of Hudson, and Town of St. Joseph under the umbrella of the Hudson Area Joint Library.

Ellsworth

Prescott

River Falls

Amazon on the Beach and in a Bad Mood

Link to March 18 New York Times article, "Amazon Threatens Publishers as Apple Looms".

Excerpt:     Amazon.com has threatened to stop directly selling the books of some publishers online unless they agree to a detailed list of concessions regarding the sale of electronic books, according to two industry executives with direct knowledge of the discussions.

The hardball approach comes less than two months after Amazon shocked the publishing world by removing the “buy” buttons from its site for thousands of printed books from Macmillan, one of the country’s six largest publishers, in a dispute over e-book pricing.

Amazon is the largest online seller of printed books and the biggest e-book seller in the United States, and it is trying to use its clout to hold on to its early lead in the e-book market. But the last time it went down that path, it was widely accused of abusing its position.

An Amazon spokesman, Craig Berman, declined to comment on any talks with publishers.


Related articles:

Hardcover vs. E-Book:  Breaking Down the Costs.  (3/1/2010)

E-Book Buyers Balk at...and Bloviate Over...Price Hikes.  (2/11/2010)

Fight!  Amazon and Macmillan Duke It Out Over Ebook Pricing.  (1/30/2010)

Ebook Pricing Irks Customers.  (5/17/2009)

Venting on Facebook

Link to March 18 New York Times article, "I Need to Vent.  Hello, Facebook".

Excerpt:   Mr. Gower, a master of the passive-aggressive status update, lobbed this one in January: “How is it my birthday is only one day, but my woman’s last a whole damn week?”

Ms. Andrews, seemingly not one to watch a ball go by, took a full swing with this comment: “GET OVER IT!!! UGH!!!!!!”

Mr. Gower replied by calling his fiancée a name that can’t be printed here, until the exchange became the social networking equivalent of shattered china at a dinner party.

Eventually, Skyler Hurt, 22, a friend and a bridesmaid, intervened: “Hey, you guys know we can still see this right ...?”

Wisconsin Dells mayor to challenge Clark in Assembly

Link to March 18 Baraboo News-Republic article.

Excerpt:   Wisconsin Dells Mayor Eric Helland will announce today his candidacy for the state Assembly seat representing the 42nd District.

Helland, who has been mayor for three years, is running as a Republican against freshman Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo. Previously, there was only one declared Republican running — Aureliano "A.J." Salas Jr. of Pardeeville.

The 42nd Assembly District includes part of Sauk County, including Baraboo, northern Columbia County, including Portage, and Marquette County, as well as parts of Adams County.

Helland, 54, who said he has been thinking about an Assembly candidacy since last fall, said two key points in his campaign are jobs and working across party lines to get things accomplished in the Assembly.

Minocqua Library Committee Narrows Architect Candidates to Six

Link to March 16 Lakeland Times article.

Excerpt:    Three area architectural firms have been named to a list of six finalists who are seeking the contract to perform architectural services for the proposed addition and renovation of the town of Minocqua library.

The three local firms making the top six were MSA Professional Services of Rhinelander, Architecture North of Woodruff and Bailey Edward Architecture headquartered in Chicago but with an office in Hazelhurst.

The other three finalists are HSR Associates of La Crosse, Zimmerman Architectural Studios of Glendale and Architectural Design Group of Menominee.

The Minocqua library committee, which was ordered to be formed by the town board, met last week to discuss and debate the pros and cons of the 17 firms submitting bids for the library project's architectural contract. The committee is made up of various members of the community, the library's director and two members of the Minocqua Town Board.


Related articles: 
Minocqua Public Library Building Project Update.  (2/19/2010)
More on Minocqua Referendum. (11/5/2009)
Two for Two: Minocqua Library Referendum Passes. (11/4/2009)
Computers in Libraries: Keeping up with Demand. (10/17/2009)

News from the Poynette Area Public Library

Link to March 16 Poynette Press "Library Lynx" column by Director Kris Daugherty.

Excerpt:    At a recent meeting of the Friends of the Poynette Library, Telle Zoller suggested that the library host a walking club. (We LOVE it when patrons come up with great ideas for library links to the community.)

This idea is appealing because I’m sure many of us have spring fever and are itching to get out of the house once the weather turns warm. Also, walking is a great form of exercise and walking with friends makes the time go so much faster.

Wisconsin Unemployment Rates Announced

General picture not improving

Link to Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development news release.

Includes data by

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with a range from 6.8% in the Madison area to 12.8% in the Janesville area.

Counties, with a range from 6.3% in Dane to 13.6% in Menomonee.

"Selected" Wisconsin cities, with a range of 4.3% in the Village of Caledonia to 18.5% in the City of Beloit.

Book Challenge at North Fond du Lac School Library

Link to March 18 Fond du Lac Reporter article, "Parent wants book removed from NFdL school library".

Excerpt:    A parent in North Fond du Lac is requesting a book of poems be removed from the combined middle and high school library.

John Larson, 489 Temperance Drive, said a poem in the book "Paint Me as I Am" contains the "F" word more than once and other vulgar language.

"The kids are just getting their kicks off the language of the poem," Larson stated on a request for reconsideration form he turned in to the North Fond du Lac School District on March 4.

The book challenge comes on the heels of formal complaints filed by parent Ann Wentworth against seven books in the library at Theisen Middle School in the Fond du Lac School District. Wentworth is appealing to the Board of Education a committee decision to keep the book "One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies" available to students.

"Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression".

Link to March 17 Charlotte Observer, "Mecklenburg library plans 12 branch closing, 140 layoffs".

Excerpt: Mecklenburg County’s library board will vote Thursday on a proposal which would close half the county’s branches and lay off 140 employees within a matter of weeks.

The proposal, announced to employees Wednesday morning, is the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s way of coping with a 6.3 percent funding reduction in the current fiscal year.

The layoffs and closing of 12 library branches would happen by April 3, according to library officials.

County Manager Harry Jones said Tuesday that all branches of county government – including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Department of Social Services – must return millions of dollars to help the county cope with a big budget deficit.

The deficit is a direct result of the recession, caused by a big drop in consumer spending and resulting sales taxes.

[snip]

“These are difficult times,” Brown said. “Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven’t seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression, when it had to close its doors completely.”

$500,000 "Placeholder" Keeps Florida Library Funding Alive -- Barely

Jackson County Florida

2008 Population:  49,656

Link to March 17 Jackson County Floridian, "State may cut all library funding". 

Excerpt:   
The Florida Library Association warns that appropriations committees in the Florida House and Senate have “adopted positions eliminating all funding for Florida’s State Aid to Public Libraries program.”

However, according to Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, that’s not entirely true anymore.

As of Tuesday, the House Transportation and Economic Development Committee slipped in a roughly $500,000 “placeholder amount” to keep funding alive, at least for now.

Coley said the add-on will help keep library funding on the table at conference level, where the House and Senate iron out compromises as they merge their budget proposals.

Rep. Coley acknowledges that $500,000 is a far cry from last year’s appropriation, but says the figure could go up or down in the compromise stage.

Last year, legislators funded library aid at $21.2 million.


Related article:

Florida's $21.2 Million Aid to Public Libraries on Chopping Block. (3/12/2010)

Giving Rove a Reworking Over

REWORK
LINKcat status:
3 copies
19 holds

Amazon: #11 sales rank


COURAGE AND CONSEQUENCE
Linkcat status:
4 copies
63 holds

Amazon:  #9 sales rank

Milwaukee Shepherd-Express: Reinventing the Library

Read the full article here.

Complete Run of Spin at Google Books

Start browsing here.

Link to Spin online.

The New Privacy Rule: On the Internet, Everyone Knows You're Not a Dog

Link to March 17 New York Times article, "How Privacy Vanishes Online, a Bit at a Time".

Excerpt:   The power of computers to identify people from social patterns alone was demonstrated last year in a study by the same pair of researchers that cracked Netflix’s anonymous database: Vitaly Shmatikov, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Texas, and Arvind Narayanan, now a researcher at Stanford University.

By examining correlations between various online accounts, the scientists showed that they could identify more than 30 percent of the users of both Twitter, the microblogging service, and Flickr, an online photo-sharing service, even though the accounts had been stripped of identifying information like account names and e-mail addresses.

“When you link these large data sets together, a small slice of our behavior and the structure of our social networks can be identifying,” Mr. Shmatikov said.

Even more unnerving to privacy advocates is the work of two researchers from Carnegie Mellon University. In a paper published last year, Alessandro Acquisti and Ralph Gross reported that they could accurately predict the full, nine-digit Social Security numbers for 8.5 percent of the people born in the United States between 1989 and 2003 — nearly five million individuals.


Related articles:

Living in a Glass House.  (3/2/2010)

U R 2 Hot!  (12/9/2009)

You Dog You.  (7/31/2009)

Another Right Card in the Information Technology v. Privacy Match-Up.  (1/18/2009)

Local History Website: Manitowoc Tavern History

Manitowoc Tavern History

Link to March 17 Herald-Times-Reporter article, "Area man keeps tabs on history of taverns".

Excerpt: [Joe] Kazda, a 1974 Lincoln High School graduate who now lives in Markesan, said he pieced together dates and addresses using old phone books and city directories. He acquired images from the Manitowoc Public Library and Manitowoc County Historical Society.

Dispute Over Construction Costs Threatens to Derail New Central Madison Library

Link to March 17 Wisconsin State Journal article, "New $37 million Central Library may be dead".

Excerpt: After years of hope and planning for a new Madison Central Library, a proposal for a new $37 million, six-story glass and stone facility may be dead.

Construction was supposed to start this fall, but negotiations between the city and the developers, the Fiore Cos. and Irgens Development Partners, have broken down over costs.

Unless the dispute over about $2 million in costs can be resolved — a scenario called “unlikely” by a Fiore official — Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he intends to propose that the existing library at the corner of Fairchild and Mifflin streets be renovated. The mayor said he has “not given up” on the new library proposal.

“We will have a new library,” Cieslewicz said in an interview. “New may mean a rehabilitated library at the current site. But it won’t look anything like the old library. We will do it on time. We will do it on budget.”

A renovation would cost an estimated $27 million, he said. Renovation also would mean that a second phase of development would not occur on the existing library site.

Related articles:
Madison Public Library Project Faces Delay in 2011. (3/9/2010)
Construction, Cost Concerns May Delay Madison Central Library Project. (1/25/2010)
New Madison Central Library Wins Council Approval. (11/11/2009)
Capital Times Endorses New Madison Central Library. (11/10/2009)
Madison Council Begins Review of Mayor's Budget on Tuesday. (11/6/2009)
More Questions About Madison Central Library Project. (11/1/2009)
New Madison Public Library's First Change Order: Rooftop Garden. (10/28/2009)
Call for Referendum on New Madison Central Library Not Attracting Support. (10/21/2009)
Madison Board of Estimates Rejects Library Referendum. (10/13/2009)
Some Madison City Council Members Want Referendum on New Central Library. (10/9/2009)
Wisconsin State Journal Editorial on New Madison Central Library. (9/13/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Let the Positioning Begin. (9/1/2009)
New Madison Central Library on Mayor Dave's Front Burner. (8/30/2009)
New Madison Central Library: Build or Renovate? (7/7/2009)
Motley Brown Not Reason Enough. (6/11/2009)
Fiore Plan Receives Unanimous Support. (6/5/2009)
Fiore Plan Gets Nod from Committee. (5/15/2009)
Public Forum Focuses on Central Library Options. (4/24/2009)
Developer Sweetens the Deal. (4/21/2009)
Visualizing a Remodeled Madison Central Library. (4/4/2009)
Renovation Plan Put on Table for Madison Central Library. (3/26/2009)
Residents Critique Proposals to Rebuild Downtown Library. (1/9/2009)
Competing Developers Defend Their Central Library Plans. (1/8/2009)
Comparison of Downtown Madison Library Proposals. (12/17/2008)
Two Proposals for New Madison Central Library. (12/3/2008)
Best Headline of the Week. (9/6/2008)