Mark Twain Returns to the Best Seller Lists

Volume 1

Link to November 20 New York Times article, "Mark Twain’s Autobiography Flying Off the Shelves".

Excerpt:  When editors at the University of California Press pondered the possible demand for “Autobiography of Mark Twain,” a $35, four-pound, 500,000-word doorstopper of a memoir, they kept their expectations modest with a planned print run of 7,500 copies.

Now it is a smash hit across the country, landing on best-seller lists and going back to press six times, for a total print run — so far — of 275,000. The publisher cannot print copies quickly enough, leaving some bookstores and online retailers stranded without copies just as the holiday shopping season begins.

Related articles:
100 years later, the unexpurgated Mark Twain.  (7/11/2010)
Expect to see Mark Twain on the nonfiction best-seller list this fall.  (5/24/2010)

Meet Janis Ringhand, Freshman Democratic Legislator from Wisconsin's 80th Assembly District

26th in a series.

LINK

Link to 4/26/2010 press release

Candidate profiles/Q&A.

Public libraries in the 80th Assembly District, most of which is located in the South Central Library System.  The District also includes 1 township in Lafayette County (Southwest Wisconsin) and 2 townships in Rock County (Arrowhead).

Dane County:  Belleville, Oregon.

Green County:  Albany, Brodhead, Monroe, Monticello, New Glarus.

Rock County:  Evansville.

Wisconsin No-Texting-While-Driving Law Goes into Effect Dec. 1

LINK

Link to November 20 Appleton Post-Crescent article.

Excerpt:  During his years as a driver's education instructor, David Gawinski has stressed to teens and young adults the dangers of texting while driving.

"There has been study after study that when you are texting, there is a 23 times better chance of having an accident then when you aren't texting," said Gawinski, who has owned the Tri County Driving School of Appleton for 29 years.

Effective Dec. 1, the stakes rise considerably for those who seem to text anywhere at any time. They will face hefty fines under a state law banning texting while driving.

Political Opposites Speak Up for Spokane Library Branch

The East Side Branch is one of 3 --Hillyard and Indian Trail are the other 2 -- that is open just 22 1/2 hours per week.  (Closed Sunday and Monday.)

LINK

Link to November 17 Spokane Spokesman-Review article, "Political Opposites align for sake of at-risk library".  


Excerpt:  They disagree on many – perhaps most – of the major issues of the day, but Louise Chadez and Cindy Zapotocky are united on at least one: They strongly oppose the proposed closure of Spokane’s East Side Library.

Chadez, a liberal Democrat who ran unsuccessfully this year for state Legislature, and Zapotocky, the conservative chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party, were among about 15 people who testified against the possible closure during a Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday.

“This is one of the first times that east and west are on the same page,” Chadez said before the meeting.

Other political opposites who testified included city critic and conservative radio talk show host George McGrath and longtime prominent Democrat Tom Westbrook.

The library board, facing a deficit of nearly a half-million dollars, is considering closing the East Side Library, which would save about $150,000 a year. Library officials say East Side was chosen because it has the lowest number of visits and items checked out among the system’s six branches.

Meet Brett Hulsey, Freshman Democratic Legislator from Wisconsin's 77th Assembly District

25th in a series.

Hulsey replaces Spencer Black, who chose to retire and had served this Assembly District since 1984. 

Four candidates appeared on the November 2 ballot.

LINK

This blog was started on 11/3/2010.

Brett seems to have scrubbed all of his campaign stuff.

Candidate profiles.

Although the 77th includes portions of the 'libraried' communities of Madison and Middleton, no physical facilities are located within the district.  But it does include most of the UW campus.  (Although I know the Wendt Engineering library is just outside the green.)

Need to Repair That Ebook Reader?

Like all other gadgets, ebook readers will malfunction, break down, and otherwise cause their owners some consternation.  (Just a sampling of web pages I stumbled across.  No recommendations intended.)

PSR

Pricier.

Mission: Repair

Portatronics

(They also do Nook repairs)

Sony PRS-500 service manual online.

Where is the Kindle repair industry?  (7/24/2009)
Amazon Kindle Take-Apart.

'Temporary Fix' (Not Yet Approved) to Keep Four IMCPL Branches Open

LINK

Link to November 19 Indianapolis Star article, "Deal would spare four Westside library branches. Board backs Wayne Township plan to pay to restore branches' hours".

Excerpt: Four Westside library branches would get a reprieve from deep cuts in operating hours under a deal being worked out by the Marion County library system and Wayne Township.

The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Board on Thursday endorsed a plan in which Wayne Township would pay $200,000 to keep the Eagle, Wayne, West Indianapolis and Haughville branches operating at their normal hours. No other townships have offered similar help, library officials said.

"It's a temporary fix," library system Chief Executive Officer Laura Bramble said, noting the one-year agreement still needs the approval of the Wayne Township Board.

Related articles:
ICMPL to lay off 37 employees.  (11/12/2010)
Cuts in library hours, materials budget.  (9/15/2010)
Library announces 26% cut in hours.  (9/14/2010)
Indianapolis resident recommends book to local officials.  (9/6/2010)
Library board votes to include 'shortfall appeal' option.  (9/1/2010)
Library board to consider 'shortfall appeal'.  (8/30/2010)
In close vote, library board cuts hours, staff.  (8/20/2010)
Library grapples with its sustainable future.  (8/16/2010)
Library projects a $7.3 million deficit by 2014.  (7/29/2010)
Library board sez no branch closings in 2011.  (7/15/2010)
Library supporters question Pacers deal. (7/15/2010)
High performance government team report.  (7/11/2010)
Library board delays decision on libraries.  (6/5/2010)
Another big turnout for libraries.  (5/13/2010)
Mayor vows to keep library branches open.  (5/12/2010)
Residents speak up for their libraries.  (5/11/2010)
The neighborhood library as refuge.  (5/2/2010)
Indianapolis Star editorial board keeps library funding issue front and center.  (4/25/2010)
Efficiency experts look for ways to keep branch libraries open.  (4/23/2010)
More than 1400 sign petition to keep Glendale branch open.  (4/20/2010)
Editorial:  Find resources for library.  (4/19/2010)
What's in store for Indianapolis-area libraries?  (4/17/2010)
Indiana Pacers bailout talks continue.  (4/16/2010)
Postscript.  (4/15/2010)
Look what's at the top of Indianapolis's to-do list.  (4/14/2010)
A Challenge to Indianapolis-Marion County:  Stand Up for Libraries.  (4/13/2010)
Library rally caps?  Get real, sez IndyStar editorial.  (4/12/2010)
Will Indianapolis rally for its libraries?  (4/12/2010)
Library considers branch closings.  (4/9/2010)

Trenton New Jersey: "Let's Limbo Some More"

LINK

Link to November 19 Times of Trenton article, "Library limbo again."

Excerpt: The city's library board is again poised to permanently vacate the four shuttered library branches and turn the buildings over to the city, despite Mayor Tony Mack's efforts to reopen them in the afternoons as havens for schoolchildren.

Mack's latest move was to have acting business administrator Elaine Adams send the library director a letter pointing out that the city has budgeted sufficient funds to reopen the branches, which were shut down in August.

"Please be advised that $2,737,248 has been allocated for the Trenton Public Library for fiscal 2011," Adams wrote to director Kimberly Matthews on Tuesday, according to a copy of the letter provided by the administration. A page from the proposed city budget is attached to the letter.

Matthews and the board of the independent library system have declined to move ahead with the reopenings, saying they want a letter from Mack providing additional money for the branches, or a budget approved by the city council. The council is not expected to pass the city budget for several weeks at least.

Previously noted in RGD:
Library officials still haven't seen the money.  (10/27/2010)
Library officials to mayor:  "Show us the money".  10/26/2010)
Now there appears to be money to keep Trenton's branches open.  (10/23/2010)
Reprieve unlikely for 4 branches.  (10/22/2010)
Trenton Mayor, Library Director need unified vision & common agenda.  (9/12/2010)
Preserving Trenton's libraries.  (8/15/2010)
Board president laments closing of 4 branches.  (8/7/2010)

'Hometown History' from the La Crosse Public Library Archives

LINK

Link to November 15 La Crosse Tribune article, "La Crosse's last blacksmith shop closed down in 1949".

Excerpt:  Manke's shop on the North Side was a popular gathering spot for neighborhood kids who would watch with fascination as the master blacksmith shod as many as 200 horses in a single day.

The advent of the automobile slowly put an end to Manke's horse-shoeing days. Ironically, he remained in business by fixing broken truck, bus and car springs instead. Area farmers would also come into his shop when they needed a plow point sharpened or a wagon part fixed. Manke especially enjoyed this kind of work because it was more like traditional blacksmithing.

LINK

Lewis Atherton's Main Street on the Middle Border (1954) provides an evocative description of the era in American history when 'the horse was king'.  (LINKcat has 2 copies:  Madison and Portage.  Great reading for lovers of social history.)

In fact, here's an outline of a section of chapter 2.  (I read the book for pleasure in the late 1970s.  No, really!)

Freshman Republican Class in Wisconsin State Assembly Ready to Flex Its Muscles

Link to AP story in the November 19 Oshkosh Northwestern.

Excerpt: The 25 newly elected Republicans in the state Assembly make up a conservative group that includes a tea party leader with a checkered past [what some might consider old news] and a former recreational vehicle salesman who likened state bureaucrats to cocaine addicts.  [Quote found here.]

They come to Madison with the wind at their backs, saying voters gave them a mandate to rein in government spending, cut programs and reduce taxes. But they also have strong anti-abortion views, dislike domestic partner benefits and are eager to try to repeal other key parts of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's legacy.

They also will have a strong voice, making up more than 40 percent of the new 60-member Republican majority that will work to shape the political agenda for the next two years along with a GOP-controlled Senate and Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker.

How willing the Assembly freshmen are to work with more-established Republican leaders and stick to the party's stated priority of working on fixing the economy and balancing the budget may determine how many of them return in two years.

2011-13 Wisconsin Legislature Freshman Class.

Mark Ibach Speaks to Kilbourn Public Library Volunteers and Board Members about Advocacy

LINK

Link to November 16 Wisconsin Dells Events article, "Speaker says libraries need advocates".

Excerpt: Kilbourn Public Library volunteers and board members received tips on how to build a ground-level campaign to promote the library at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon Friday.

The volunteers who had gathered at the House of Embers restaurant in Lake Delton listened to South Central Library Systems Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Mark Ibach lend his experience in library advocacy.

He said his focus wasn't so much on advocacy at the legislative level but on spreading the word in the community.

"Advocacy is sharing the good news about libraries," Ibach said.

Meet Roger Rivard, Freshman Republican Legislator from Wisconsin's 75th Assembly District

24th in a series.

Notice anything missing?

Biography

Issues

Step 3

Public libraries in the 75th Assembly District, which includes portions of the Indianhead and Northern Waters library systems.

Barron County:  Barron, Cameron, Chetek, Cumberland, Rice Lake, Turtle Lake.

Washburn County:  Shell Lake, Spooner.

Meet Janet Bewley, Freshman Democratic Legislator from Wisconsin's 74th Assembly District

23rd in a series.

LINK

Biography

Public libraries in the 74th Assembly District, all of which is located within the Northern Waters Library System.

Ashland County:  Ashland, LaPointe, Mellen, Odanah.

Bayfield County:  Bayfield, Cable, Drummond, Iron River, Washburn.

Iron County:  Hurley, Mercer.

Sawyer County:  Hayward, Les Courtes Oreilles, Winter.

A Wrinkle in Ankeny's Book Group Reading Choices

Wrinkle as in sense 2b.

 

LINK

Link to November 9 Des Moines Register article, "Adult readers of youth books form a club at Ankeny Library"

Excerpt: Angie Rathbun of Ankeny has always been a big reader with a big secret.

She enjoyed reading young adult fiction.

The secret is out, and she's discovered that she's not alone.

Kirkendall Public Library launched a new book club in September for adults who enjoy young adult and juvenile literature.

The YA&J Book Club meets monthly, and it has had 10 people join since its first meeting.

"When I found out that they were going to start this book club I was so excited to be able to join a group with readers just like me," Rathbun said.

Sarah Willeford, the library's director, said the idea of forming the club stemmed from requests from patrons for reading lists of young adult and juvenile literature.

"We discovered there were other adults, including myself, who enjoy reading the Harry Potter books, the Percy Jackson series and others written for a young reader in mind," Willeford said.

Pew Research on the 'Marriage Gap'

Link to November 18 Pew Research Social & Demographic Trends report, "The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families".

Excerpt from Executive Summary:  The transformative trends of the past 50 years that have led to a sharp decline in marriage and a rise of new family forms have been shaped by attitudes and behaviors that differ by class, age and race, according to a new Pew Research Center nationwide survey, conducted in association with TIME magazine, and complemented by an analysis of demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A new "marriage gap" in the United States is increasingly aligned with a growing income gap.

Marriage, while declining among all groups, remains the norm for adults with a college education and good income but is now markedly less prevalent among those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder.

Makes me wonder.  Is this the country that some folks want to 'take back'?

Free Library of Philadelphia Study: "Measuring Libraries' Impact"

LINK

Link to November 17 Philadelphia Inquirer article, "Do Phila libraries really add $10,000 to nearby home prices?

Excerpt: In an attempt to show the Philadelphia Free Library and its threatened $30 million+ city-funded budget (plus $10 million+ from the state) isn't just a good Ben Franklin civic ideal persisting into the age of instant Internet information access, but is also an economically justifiable use of state and local taxpayer dollars, a new study, done for the library by Penn's Fels Institute and Institute for Urban Research, claims the 54-branch city library system provides:

- $22 million worth of yearly literacy gains
- $6 million in yearly job-finding assistance (and $30 million in higher wages)
- $4 million in "business development" by business owners who used the library

If that's true, the libraries more than pay for themselves. But do they? "It's private value, not value to the city treasury," acknowledges David Thornburgh, Fels executive director. "What's a library do for people? It's not just a place we store books.... Learning to read is critically important. Finding a job, learning about a career... it's a resource that helps you grow a business. There's benefit to me, and to us."

To get those high values, the study says, for instance, that Philadelphians receive $99 in value every time a person who operates a business logs onto a Free Library computer, plus $10.52 for every book, movie or magazine a borrower checks out.

Fels isn't measuring the enjoyment a reader gets; it's trying to capture the economic value of these acts in terms of higher literacy and increased business skills.

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Public Library Construction Program Hits the Great Recession Wall

LINK

Link to November 18 Boston Globe article, "State’s grants elude libraries.  Communities find matching funds are casualties of recession economy".

Excerpt: The same story played out in towns and cities across the state, which planned new library buildings and expansions in flusher times. By 2008, when the state had awarded 31 communities grants worth about $97 million, the economy was starting to crumble. So far, only 11 of those projects have been built. Three other towns — Boxford, Dighton, and Woburn — are still trying to get local approval to raise their share, about 70 percent of the total cost. The bulk of the communities — 17 towns and cities that had been awarded a total of about $58 million — couldn’t come up with their portion of the cost and had to turn down the state money.

The article notes a 50% increase in the number of annual visits (33,945,352 this year/latest fiscal year?) to Massachusetts public libraries during the past decade.  During the same period, weekly Internet sessions have increased 129%, to 160,515.

Portage Public Library Anticipates $50,000 Bequest

Link to November 10 Portage Daily Register article.

Excerpt: The Portage Public Library soon could receive $50,000 for books from the estate of a Portage woman who died in July. Much of the money might be used to pay for large-print books.

Margery Staudenmayer, a former model and actress from Portage who died July 6 at age 84, evenly divided most of her $200,000 estate four ways, leaving money to the Portage Public Library, the Columbia County Humane Society, Friends of MacKenzie Environmental Center in Poynette and Friends of Devil's Lake State Park.

Staudenmayer's house in Portage makes up most of her estate. [Library Director Shannon] Stiller told the library board in its Tuesday meeting that an attorney from Bennett &Bennett, the Portage legal firm handling her will, told her an offer on the house had been accepted. Assuming financing goes through, the liquidation will be finished by year's end. Staudenmayer specified that the library's portion, expected to be $50,000, be used for books.

Pardeeville Library Looks for New Director

Link to November 17 Portage Daily Register article.

Excerpt: The Angie Williams Cox Library in Pardeeville again is looking for a library director - prompting members of the Pardeeville Village Board on Tuesday to revisit the village's requirement that employees must live within 15 miles of Pardeeville.

The requirement applies to all village employees, but an exception was granted in February 2009 for Gary Yurgil, who had been hired in October 2008 as the library director, and who lives on Madison's west side, about 37 miles from Pardeeville.

Yurgil said at the time that he needed to keep his Madison residency because his spouse needed to be near her job.

On Oct. 15, Yurgil left his job, by what library board member Barry Pufahl describes as a mutual decision between Yurgil and the board. Pufahl, who also is a village trustee, said the residency issue had nothing to do with Yurgil's departure.

Library board members say they hope to start interviewing candidates for Yurgil's successor in mid-January and have that successor on the job by April.

Kathie Norman Speaks Up for the Mead Public Library

Let your voice be heard.

Link to November 18 Sheboygan Press letter to the editor, "Quality library a cornerstone of city".

Excerpt: I am chagrined to learn of city leaders who believe that the services of the library are unnecessary, an extravagant indulgence. This couldn't be more wrong. In this fragile economy, the library offers services that residents can't pay for elsewhere and are thus that much more critical.

More than 75 percent of Sheboygan residents have a library card, and visits to our library increased by 10 percent last year.

Visit the library an you'll find librarians guiding customers to information that will help them find a job, start a business or trace their family tree. You'll find teens learning to use online media to do homework. You'll find children settling into a cozy chair with a picture book You'll find researchers combing through books and periodicals.

A high quality library is a cornerstone of a vibrant community; the kind that attracts businesses.

The Budget Debate Continues in Sheboygan

Link to November 18 Sheboygan Press article, "Budget plan may keep jobs, erase deficit".

But the current version still doesn't address the 11% cut in the library budget.

Excerpt: The budget does not address a proposed $300,000 cut in the Mead Public Library budget, and some aldermen called for fully funding the library so it can remain in the Eastern Shores Library System and continue with its full services.

"The library is the cornerstone of our educational system," said Ald. Bill Wangemann.

Ald. Cory Roeseler said he plans to introduce a document calling for the city to dip into its reserve fund to make up the library shortfall, though Amodeo said that might hurt the city's bond rating if it did.

Related articles:
Sheboygan residents speak up for their library. (10/16/2010)
Library facing 11% cut in 2011 budget.  (10/9/2010)
Mayor offers his 2011 budget.  (10/5/2010)
Officials face $1,500,000 budget deficit in 2011.  (6/10/2010)
Council approves Mayor's new appointments to library board.  (4/28/2010)
Mayor questioned about library board appointments.  (4/26/2010)
Sheboygan Press Editorial Board supports library funding deal.  (11/27/2009)
Library likely to maintain its Maintenance of Effort funding.  (11/24/2009)
Update on library's Maintenance of Effort.  (11/20/2009)
Maintenance of Effort and the Mead Public Library.  (7/6/2009)

Pew Research Number of the Day: 53% - Majority of Republicans No Longer See Evidence of Global Warming

The report notes that in 2007, a 62%-majority of Republicans said there is solid evidence of global warming...

Meet Scott Krug, Freshman Republican Legislator from Wisconsin's 72nd Assembly District

22nd in a series.

Krug beat Democratic incumbent Marlin Schneider, who was first elected to the State Assembly in 1970.  Schneider 'retires' as the longest serving member in the history of the Assembly.

 LINK

Biography

Issues

Public libraries in the 72nd Assembly District, which includes portions of the South Central and Winnefox library systems.
Adams County:  Adams County Public Library, Lester Public Library of Rome.
Marquette County:  Westfield (Ethel Everhard Public Library)
Wood County:  Wisconsin Rapid (McMillan Memorial Public Library).

Wentorf Photography Collection @ Two Rivers' Lester Public Library

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times, "Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age", notes that University and public libraries are rushing to push as much material as they can onto the Web...

Whoa!  Rushing?  I think we have a flag on the play.  Encroachment into the hyperbole zone.

In my view, the effort to provide digital content on the Web is planned and deliberate, not rushed and willy-nilly.   Latest case in point:  the Wentorf Photograph Collection found on the website of the Lester Public Library in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

This digital collection is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center and the Lester Public Library. It was funded through a Library Services and Technology Act grant.

Kudos to Jeff Dawson and his Library 2.0 Vision.  (Check out the library's Flickr page while you're at it.  You may even find Retiring Guy among the 3400+ views.)

What about this digital project?   A 'rush job'?  No, a work in progress.

And then there's the Nashville Flood Digital History Project.  Planned and deliberate.  (Note the project timeline.)

Designing a New Central Library: "Everyone has to feel comfortable and safe here."

Link to November 17 Capital Times article, "Can a remodeled Central Library attract public and accommodate homeless?"

Excerpt (from 3,600-word article): The newly designed Central Library, then, has to be a project that resonates with a broad spectrum of the Madison community, which will support it with taxes, donations and patronage. But the crowd on the library patio turns off some, library officials admit. “I hear anecdotally of people saying they prefer to go to branches because they feel safer,” says Theodore “Tripp” Widder, president of the Madison Library Board.

That’s why, as the library design team has been holding public sessions to sound out demand for more space, more light, more seating and more public-access computers, a less widely known planning effort also is under way to gauge how to build a library that best integrates homeless users.

Related articles:
Interview with principal architect of Madison Public Library remodeling project.  (11/5/2010)
Design development juggling acts.  (10/15/2010)
One possible message  don't settle for less.  (8/5/2010)
Possible temporary location has asbestos problem.  (6/18/2010)
Architectural firm selected for Madison Central project.  (5/26/2010)
State Journal editorial board sez Madison City Council made right decision on Central Library. (5/10/2010)
Council vote on library goes under the radar.  (5/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (4/14/2010)
Mayor Responds to Critics on Library Issue.  (4/13/2010)
Board Endorses Renovation Plan.  (4/6/2010)
Some Council Members Not Ready to Move Forward on Mayor's Renovation Plan.  (3/30/2010)
Council President Pro Tem to Introduce Resolution Approving Madison Central Library Renovation Project.  (3/28/2010)
'Dissatisfaction' with Collapsed Madison Central Library Project. (3/25/2010)
Fiore Departure Seen as Beneficial to Madison Central Project.  (3/23/2010)
Matter of Principle" Dooms New Central Madison Library.  (3/20/2010)
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)

Sales of Video Games (Physical Format) Continue to Slide

LINK

Link to November 16 CNET News post, "Video game sales slip 4 percent in October".

Excerpt: The current slump in video games sales extended to a seventh month in a row as retail sales of games, hardware, and accessories slipped 4 percent in October.

Overall game sales totaled $1.07 billion last month, down from $1.11 billion for last October, according to data released today by market researcher NPD Group.

Hardware sales showed the greatest decline, falling 26 percent to $280 million for the month compared to the month prior. Console and portable hardware sales were down about 30 percent compared with last year, NPD said.

[snip]

NPD cautioned that the report reflects only new physical retail sales. "While down, there are revenues being generated from digital distribution, used game sales, rentals, social-network games, and mobile applications to name a few," Frazier said.

Related articles:
Video game sales take a dip. (9/10/2010)
Video games:  5 trends.  (6/19/2010)
Entertainment Software Association 2010 Report on Computer and Video Game Industry.  (6/18/2010)
Any such thing as recession-proof?  (4/19/2010)
Survey says...adults are players too.  (12/8/2008)

Cut in hours, materials budget at Denver Public Library

 

LINK

Link to November 15 examiner.com article, "Denver Public Library forced to reduce branch hours".

Excerpt:  Budget cuts will soon effect branch hours at Denver Public Libraries. Starting December 1, six of the libraries will reduce the hours they are open. Additionally, money for new books and other media has also been cut as a result of the library's 4.5 percent budget cuts.

Diane Lapierre, Denver Public Library spokeswoman said care was taken as closures were planned to make sure no large areas of the city would be without an open library. "We decided if we had to be closed at one location, there would be another location open in the area," said Lapierre.

Meet Kathy Bernier, Freshman Republican Legislator from Wisconsin's 68th Assembly District

21st in a series.

Bernier beat 1-term Democratic incumbent Kristen Dexter by 87 votes (of 21,429 cast).

LINK

About

Public library communities in the 68th Assembly District, all of which is located within the Indianhead Federated Library System.
Eau Claire County:  Altoona, Eau Claire, Fall Creek.