Retiring Guy's Digest: 2011-01-09

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Patrons Clear the Shelves at UK's Stony Stratford Library b/w Wisconsin Shared Revenue

LINK

Link to January 14 boingboing post, "Threatened library gets its patrons to clear the shelves".

Excerpt: The library in Stony Stratford near Milton Keynes, England, urged its patrons to check out every book on the shelves as a way of proving to the local council that its collection and facilities provide a vital service to the community. Stony Stratford is one of many towns across the UK that are facing severe library closures as the Tory-LibDem coalition government recklessly slashes its transfer payments to local governments (while breaking their promise to rein in enormous bonuses at the banks, even the ones that are owned by the taxpayer). [Emphasis added.]

Wisconsin has its own program of transfer payments to local governments.

Link to Shared Revenue & Related State Aid reports, 2004-2010.

Sample page. (Dane County)

Shared revenues: the 5th costliest GPR program.

Source: Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau

A Roaring Response to 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'

Link to January 14 San Jose Mercury News article, "Well, are Chinese mothers superior? New book creates big catfight".

Excerpt: In China, the tiger -- not the lion -- is the king of beasts. So perhaps it was inevitable that when Yale law professor Amy Chua published her new memoir this week, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," describing what she apparently views as the martial art of Chinese motherhood, the claws came out.

An excerpt from the book, which recently ran under the headline "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" in the Wall Street Journal, drew more than 5,000 online comments -- most of them angry -- and Chua almost immediately began receiving death threats.

The loudest roar came not from "Western mothers," whom Chua characterized as self-esteem saps and disciplinary pushovers, but from the Asian-American matriarchy. Their outrage spilled onto Facebook and across mommy blogs nationwide.

The book excerpt was being argued about all week at Santa Rita Elementary School in Los Altos, where Minnie Ho's two boys -- 8 and 11 -- are students. Ho, 43, is a principal engineer at Intel and an accomplished classical pianist, both the result of being pushed by a tireless "Tiger Mom" when she was growing up.

Now, Ho and her husband are trying to prod their sons toward the same academic rigors that she endured as a girl. But she can't quite bring herself to buy Chua's maxim that "the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child."

LINKcat collection development alert: 60 holds on 2 copies.

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #5 in Books.
88 customer reviews: 35 give it 5 stars; 34 give it 1 star. (Controversy: A publisher's dream.)

Link to Wall Street Journal article....and comments.

Amy Chua's Yale Law School webpage.

Latest-breaking news:
Yale Law Prof Amy Chua Backs Away from Controversial Claims About Superiority of Chinese Mothers. (Above the Law, 1/15/2011.) Opening sentence: If you’re going to be a diva, then own it.

Naperville Public Library Trims Its Budget

Link to January 13 Daily Herald article, "Naperville library considering cuts to budget, hours".

Excerpt: Naperville’s three public library facilities could each close for five additional days during the coming fiscal year while also dealing with reductions in their circulation, reference and program departments.

The library’s levy request of $12,450,000 for fiscal year 2012 was 3.15 percent, or $400,000 less than the previous year, but city council members asked the library board to consider as much as $300,000 in additional abatements.

During a lengthy workshop Wednesday night, library board members discussed the possibility of closing each of the three libraries — Nichols, Naper Boulevard and 95th Street — for five additional days at a projected savings of $35,000 a day or $175,000 for the year.

The library board also is considering cuts of $50,000 to the $3.1 million reference department budget, $100,000 from the $2.4 million circulation budget and as much as $25,000 from the $3 million materials budget.

While all of the cuts total $350,000, the board would present the city council with $250,000 in savings while hoping to keep roughly $95,000 to put into a merit pool and charge staff with finding more should the city decide to give nonunion employees up to 2 percent raises.

Related articles:
Library to offer voluntary buyouts. (4/3/2010)
Library cuts $1.1 million from budget. (10/16/2009)

Crossing t's and dotting i's aren't enough for this library board member

LINK

Link to January 14 Daily Herald article, "Gail Borden trustee’s costs to library in question".

Excerpt: Gail Borden Public Library Trustee Randy Hopp campaigned as a taxpayers’ advocate when he ran for a position on the district board in 2009.

But fellow trustees say Hopp has been just the opposite, costing the Elgin-based district $12,315.89 in staff and attorney time in responding to his repeated Freedom of Information Act requests in 2010.

At a board meeting Thursday, Hopp promised he would continue to submit requests for tape recordings of board meetings, despite rulings by the state Attorney General’s office that the tapes didn’t have to be released. He also threatened to take the matter to court.

Joyce Schifferer, a library administrative assistant, records the meetings on her personal recorder and later uses the tape to assist in writing the minutes.

Hopp said he wants the actual recordings because the “propaganda sheet that comes out as minutes” doesn’t suffice.

Trustee JoAnn Armenta said Hopp’s submission of continuous FOIA requests “seems tantamount to harassment.” She argued that time and money could better be used to service library patrons.

“(More than) $12,000 of staff and attorney time for something you know you’re not going to get seems, I don’t know a better word, but outrageous,” she said.

Related article:
The strange saga of Randy Hopp. (5/23/2010)

Independent Booksellers and the 'Sea Change in the Publishing Industry'

Town House Books

St. Charles, Illinois

David Hunt, owner*

Link to January 14 Daily Herald article, "Local booksellers not all ready to yield to e-books".

Excerpt: According to Amazon.com, electronic versions of its 10 best-selling books for its Kindle e-reader were outselling hardcover and paperback books by more than 2 to 1. Moreover, Kindle books were more popular than printed versions for the top 25, 100 and 1,000 best sellers.
It’s not just Amazon’s Kindle that is changing things. Barnes and Noble has the Nook, Sony has the Reader and there are many more. And there are downloads and apps for laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Independent booksellers in the suburbs are dealing with the sea change in the publishing industry in different ways.

One Elgin bookstore owner says the e-reading revolution, coupled with the economic downturn, will likely force her out of business before long.

Meanwhile, a St. Charles bookseller says business continues to hum along, and a longtime Naperville bookshop owner says her place is competing with the “big guys” by selling e-books through its website, thanks to a partnership with Google.

*He [David Hunt] recognizes e-readers are a reality, but hopes they can coexist with and supplement bound books, much like audio books have done.

“It’s proven there is room for both. I’m hoping there’s room for both,” said Hunt, who prefers turning pages. “I hope the old-fashioned book stays in existence for a while, anyway.”

Anderson's Bookshops

“I don’t know how to compete with it, frankly,”
says the owner of Books at Sunset.

Well....for starters....it's not March 2010.

The Neighborly Atmosphere at the Glencoe Public Library

Link to library history.

Link to January 14 Chicago Tribune article.

Excerpt: With its homey architecture and name-tag clad staff, the Glencoe Public Library seems to radiate neighborliness.

One of the smaller libraries on the North Shore, it just turned 101 years old and is ready to start a successful second century, said Peggy Hamil, the library's executive director.

Located in downtown Glencoe, the library is well-trafficked with 90 percent of Glencoe residents (7,850 people) having library cards in 2010, according to library records. Hamil said one of the reasons the library is so widely used is because of the staff's personal relationships with patrons.

Friday, January 14, 2011

La Crosse County: A Half-Century of Growth in Public Library Use

City of La Crosse and County of La Crosse:

Population and Circulation, 1960-2009

La Crosse County, 1960-2009

La Crosse County public libraries

La Crosse Public Library

La Crosse County Library

La Crosse County is a member of the Winding Rivers Library System.

Kewaunee County: A Half-Century of Growth in Public Library Use

Part 30 of a county-by-county overview.

Kewaunee County:

Population and Circulation, 1960-2009

Source: Wisconsin Public Library Service Data (1960, 1970, 1980, 2000, 2009)

Kewaunee County, 1960-2009

1990 = 7.37. 2009 = 7.38.

Kewaunee County public libraries
Algoma Public Library

Kewaunee Public Library

Kewaunee County is a member of the Nicolet Federated Library System.

This Porn Allowed in Libraries

Bookshelf porn. (Found at boingboing)

Boston Public Library to Host Budget Roundtables

January 14 Boston Public Library news release."

This month, the Boston Public Library will host two budget roundtables that will provide a budget overview to interested community members and will cover topics such as FY12 revenue assumptions, library trust funds, capital budgeting, and the budget planning timeline.

The Boston Public Library’s Chief Financial Officer, Sean P. Nelson, will lead the roundtables and will share online resources and relevant articles for those interested in additional reading. The City of Boston and the Library’s Board of Trustees will also be represented at the gatherings. “Over the past few months, many community members expressed an interest in learning more about the Boston Public Library’s budget,” said Nelson. “These gatherings are designed to address that interest and provide an overview of the steps in our annual budget process.

The dates of the January roundtables are:
· Tuesday, January 25: Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Orientation Room , 6:30pm – 7:30pm
· Wednesday, January 26: Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren Street in Roxbury, 6:30pm – 7:30pm

There will be a second set of budget roundtables in March 2011. The dates and locations are:
· Tuesday, March 15, Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Orientation Room, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
· Wednesday, March 16, Codman Square Branch Library, 690 Washington Street in Dorchester, 6:30pm – 7:30pm

For more details on the library’s budget and finances, visit the Boston Public Library’s dedicated Budget & Finance page. ”

Related articles:
Boston Mayor: "I believe we have too many branches." (1/11/2011)
$350,000 in State Funding Keeps 4 Boston Public Library Branches Open Thru June. (1/5/2011)
Residents fight to keep 4 neighborhood branches open. (10/26/2010)
Editorial takes library officials to task. (9/11/2010)
BPL on the ropes. (7/1/2010)
Four library branch closings delayed. (6/22/2010)
Boston Magazine profiles Amy Ryan, Public Library President. (6/5/2010)
State funding at risk. (4/29/2010)
Library board votes to close 4 branches. (4/10/2010)
Recommendation to close 4 branches (among other cuts). (4/8/2010)
More than 100 gather to fight possible branch library closings. (4/4/2010)
The Skinny on Boston's branch libraries. (4/1/2010)
Library measures data published. (3/31/2010)
Don't close the book on us. (3/29/2010)
Citywide Friends of BPL to Hold Demonstration. (3/28/2010)
BPL Budget News Available at Website. (3/25/2010)
A Small Branch Makes a Big Impact. (3/24/2010)
Friends of Boston Public Library Host Read-in to Support Tax Increase. (3/14/2010)
Emotions Reach Boiling Point in Boston Public Library Discussion. (3/13/2010)
The Boston Public Library Dilemma, Continued. (3/12/2010)
Boston Speaks Up for Its Libraries. (3/10/2010)
Boston Public Library Branches to be Ranked in Consolidation Plan. (3/9/2010)
Boston Public Library Anticipating Budget Cuts in 2011. (3/2/2010)

Kenosha County: A Half-Century of Growth in Public Library Use

Part 29 of a county-by-county overview.

Kenosha County:

Population and Circulation, 1960-2009

Source: Wisconsin Public Library Service Data (1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2009)

I suspect we have another case here of reporting the total of public library and public school library circulations in 1960.

Kenosha County, 1960-2009

Kenosha County public libraries
Community Library

The "main library" in Salem

(i.e., the facility, 1 of 3,

that is open the most hours per week)

Kenosha Public Library

LINK

Link to page 2

Online Archive of the Collection of President John F. Kennedy Now Available

LINK

Link to January 13 JFK Presidential Museum and Library news release.

Excerpt: To help mark the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and Caroline Kennedy, President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, today unveiled the nation’s largest online digitized presidential archive, providing unprecedented global access to the most important papers, records, photographs and recordings of President John F. Kennedy’s thousand days in office. The announcement was made in the Archivist's Reception Room in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C.

Until now, the national treasure of historical material housed in the Kennedy Presidential Library’s collection has been available only by a physical visit to the library itself. With the launch of the new digital archive at www.jfklibrary.org, students, teachers, researchers and members of the public now just need an internet connection to search, browse and retrieve original documents from the Kennedy Library’s collection, gaining a first-hand look into the life of President Kennedy and the issues that defined his administration.

Judge Smacks Down Sheboygan Press Editorial Board

Here's an excerpt from the January 13 can't-see-the-big-picture, trot-out-the-same-tired-arguments editorial, "Shelve plan to put municipal court on TV". What goes on in municipal court is not "must-see TV" by any means. Most of the cases involve traffic offenses, city ordinance citations and disorderly conduct. Not anything like watching Perry Mason or Matlock pursue the truth from a reluctant witness.

LINK

Link to January 14 Sheboygan Press article, "Judge supports cameras in Sheboygan/Kohler municipal court".

Excerpt: Delahunt said the court needs to have a video record of cases — it currently only has audio recordings — in case there's an appeal and also as a matter of record if people want to review what went on in court.

Having a video record of a case, she said, can allow for circuit court judges who are ruling on an appeal to review the video without having to summon police officers, witnesses and other people involved in the case for another court appearance.

"It's a more efficient record, and for appeals it will save everybody time and money, police officers don't need to re-testify, citizens don't have to take time off from work to re-testify," Delahunt said.

Delahunt said the airing recordings of court proceedings, which would be on WSCS-TV, Sheboygan's city's cable access channel, would be able to educate people on the points of law, such as traffic rules and other citations. Often, she said, people come to court thinking they know the law, but they really don't.

Terry Dawson Selected to Receive the 2011 Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award

Toward Community: Unity in Diversity

Link to January 14 Appleton Post-Crescent article.

Excerpt: During his tenure, Dawson suggested or supported exhibits, film discussions, poetry readings and author visits to the library that brought diversity to the forefront. Programs focused on citizenship, disabilities, race relations, celebrating ethnic differences, human rights, equal rights and world peace.

"He continually pushed the library to make sure they were providing programming which met the needs of a diverse population," said Kathy Flores, chairwoman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Appleton's diversity coordinator.

The Rev. Roger Bertschausen, a founding member of Toward Community and the MLK celebration, said it was no accident that under Dawson's guidance, staff and volunteers sought to make the library a warm and inclusive place.

"In my experience, the library is the place where the diversity of our community is most evident," said Bertschausen, senior pastor at Appleton's Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Juneau County: A Half-Century of Growth in Public Library Use

Part 28 of a county-by-county overview.

Juneau County:

Population and Circulation, 1960-2009

Juneau County, 1960-2009

Juneau County public libraries

Elroy Public Library (Flickr)

Hatch Public Library, Mauston

Necedah Community-Siegler Memorial Library

New Lisbon Public Library

Wonewoc Public Library

Juneau County is a member of the Winding Rivers Library System.

Indianapolis Star Editorial: "Give library a fair share of tax"

Link to January 13 Indianapolis Star editorial.

Excerpt: By the numbers, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library has done its part.

Caught in a perfect storm of falling property tax revenues and growing patronage, the system cut more than $2 million from its 2011 budget by laying off 37 employees, reducing service hours by 26 percent and subtracting $1 million in spending on books and materials.

Now, it's the Indiana General Assembly's turn. And the City-County Council's.

[snip]

If the state is going to bestow this local taxing power, it behooves local government and local residents to show interest. The City-County Council is expected to vote Jan. 24 on a resolution that would ask for the necessary change in state law. The grass-roots Sustainable Library Citizens Coalition plans a mass showing and "read-in" at the City-County Building for that meeting, and will hold a similar event Feb. 8 at the Statehouse.

Whatever the turnout for those actions may be, there is no discounting the wide demand and acute need for the library's diverse services. The state should free the county to do as other counties already do: dip into its own pocketbook to help out.