“The days of Ozzie and Harriet have faded into the past.”
Married Couples Are No Longer a Majority, Census Finds. (New York Times, 5/26/2011)
Excerpt: Married couples have dropped below half of all American households for the first time, the Census Bureau says, a milestone in the evolution of the American family toward less traditional forms.
Married couples represented just 48 percent of American households in 2010, according to data being made public Thursday and analyzed by the Brookings Institution. This was slightly less than in 2000, but far below the 78 percent of households occupied by married couples in 1950.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Providence Community Library Remains Unsure About Status of Branches
Group running Providence branch libraries to send out layoff notices. (Providence Journal, 5/28/2011)
Excerpt: The nonprofit organization that manages Providence’s neighborhood libraries for the city will soon issue layoff notices to all its employees.
The Providence Community Library leaders say its decision is a result of uncertainty about whether it can remain in seven of the nine branch buildings. The Providence Public Library organization has leased each building to the city — which in turn subleases them to the nonprofit group — since 2009 for $1 a year. That rental agreement expires June 30.
Sixty-five workers, union and non-union, will get the letters shortly. Contract language mandates employees receive 30 days’ notice of a potential job loss.
“We find ourselves in this intractable position only due to the Providence Public Library’s stubborn refusal to live up to its pledge to transfer the library buildings to the city,” said Marcus Mitchell, president of the community group’s board, in a news release Friday. “It’s shameful that our staff and our library patrons must now bear the brunt of this uncertainty.”
Related posts:
It's complicated. (5/16/2011)
New administrative structure, same old building maintenance issues. (10/16/2010)
The LINKcat Upgrade: As one of my colleagues affirmed to me, "Retirement was the right choice"
Malfunctions bug library database, (Stoughton Courier Hub, 5/17/2011)
Excerpt: The library’s new catalog system is causing headaches for users, and nobody seems to know when it will be fixed.
All but 10 of the 52 libraries in the South Central Library Systems last month installed an upgrade to the Web-based LinkCat system that patrons use to search for books. The new software, known as Koha, is a massive database that also controls self-checkouts and other internal library operations.
Users have had problems with holds, searching for items and self-checkout devices. Software developers have been working since it was launched April 18 to figure out the cause of the problems and how to fix them.
SCLS marketing director Mark Ibach said the group held a meeting Tuesday with Maryland-based Progressive Technology Federal Systems, Inc. (PTFS) to discuss the project and the setbacks.
“The priority right now is those things that are critical issues,” Ibach said, referring to the problems patrons are having. “In terms of how long it will take, we really can’t say at this point – we know it won’t be next week.”
Ibach said other libraries around the country use the open-source program, but SCLS is the first major system to use it. Part of the challenge, he said, is to get libraries with different hardware and different operating procedures to function on the new system. He said the library system tested the software before the launch, but different issues have come up since then.
“It’s one thing to do testing on a certain part of it and say, ‘Yes, it works,’” Ibach said. “It’s another to put it out in 42 different libraries.”
Stoughton Public Library director Richard MacDonald said the library has been receiving complaints about minor glitches in the system since it went live. The problems, he said, usually fall into three categories: things that don’t work properly, things that don’t work the way people expect and things that don’t do what the user wants it to do.
"Bottoms up!" sez Stoughton Mayor to 2012 Budget Development
Mayor shows council new bottom-up budgeting system. (Stoughton Courier Hub, 5/17/2011)
Excerpt: The Common Council was treated last month to a radically different approach for preparing next year’s budget, called Budgeting for Outcomes.
Instead of looking back at where tax dollars have been spent, the new system would attempt to identify citizen wants and needs and then engage city departments in bidding programs to create measurable results.
Mayor Donna Olson introduced the idea after some alders wanted a full review of spending on staff, and it’s been in development for several months. It will soon be up to the council to decide whether to use it.
“This type of budgeting doesn’t have a base budget. It doesn’t start with last year,” finance director Laurie Sullivan told the council April 27. “We’re not talking about how much did we spend, but we’re talking about how much money do we have in 2012 to spend and what’s the best way to spend it.”
This bottom-up approach also adds citizen involvement upfront and transparency as the budget progresses, Sullivan said.
All the while, an eye is kept on the bottom line so quality services are delivered in a fiscally responsible manner and the city lives within its means, she said.
The process began with training for Sullivan and others in the outcome-based budgeting process, and then the city held a Citizen’s Summit in February to identify goals and priorities. Volunteer citizens and city employees were organized into results teams and assigned to major areas such as stable and self-sufficient economy, safe and healthy community, effective and well-managed local government and arts and culture.
Sounds as though Gary Locke put a new set of clothes on the zero-based budgeting mannequin.
Welcome to Mayor Donna Olson's book group.
Sussex, Lisbon: Local Politics and Library Negotiations
Incorporation fight linked to library talks. Lisbon, Sussex to resume library negotiations. (Lake Country Reporter. 5/27/2011)
Excerpt: It is "problematic" whether negotiations between the Town of Lisbon and the Village of Sussex over the operations of the Pauline Haass Public Library can be separated from the battles between the two communities over whether Lisbon should become a village, according to Town Chairman Matt Gehrke
An informal agreement to resume negotiations over the library was apparently reached during a private meeting Wednesday night, May 25, at the library between representatives of the village, town and Library Board.
Village Trustee Tim Dietrich and Town Supervisor Ryan Lippert are expected to begin private one-on-one talks in two weeks in an effort to develop the framework of an agreement that will allow the library to continue operations after 2014.
Attending the meeting were Gehrke and Lippert representing the town, Dietrich and Village President Greg Goetz representing the village, Library Director Kathy Klager and Library Board President Emil Glodowski along with Town Administrator Jeff Musche and Village Administrator Jeremy Smith.
The meeting was exempt from the Wisconsin open-meetings law because there was not a quorum of any of the three units of government, the Town and Village boards and the Library Board.
Related articles:
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)
New Viroqua Library Moves into Conceptual Design Phase
Conceptual design is next for library plan. (Vernon County Broadcaster, 5/25/2011)
Excerpt: The conceptual design for a new Viroqua Public Library/Cultural and Community Center could be ready for the public to view in late July or early August.
The Viroqua library task force's architectural firm, PSA Dewberry, hosted sessions last Thursday and Friday talking to different community groups to gather information on a conceptual design for the library. Terry Martin, an architect with PSA Dewberry, said information gathering for the conceptual design went "very well" and an average of 35 people attended each session.
At the meetings it was unveiled that the library has obtained a state community development block grant of $22,500 to help pay for planning. Cindy Jaggi of Economic Development Partners, which is developing funding sources for the project, said that a $750,000 community development block grant application was in the works for the library, in addition to other grant applications.
Martin said as PSA Dewberry gathers information and puts together the conceptual design, its financial partners are working on public and private money sources for a new library.
The library task force has been in the process of planning for a new library for several years. The current library is deemed undersized for its usership and programming. A new library is expected to cost between $5-8 million and be approximately 30,000 square feet in size on a 1.5-acre parcel of land.
Related articles:
Library project gets aid from city. (6/7/2010)
New library cost estimate: $5.7 million. (5/20/2010)
Library building project update. (3/15/2010)
Viroqua's McIntosh Memorial Library Space Needs Study Update. (1/16/2010)
Viroqua's McIntosh Memorial Library Space Needs Task Force. (12/28/2009)
Viroqua's long look at a new library facility. (11/6/2009)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Film Series: "Novel Destinations" at Sheboygan's Mead Public Library
Sheboygan Press, 5/25/2011.
Thursday, June 2, 2011. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 2. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 9. 10:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 9. 2:00 p.m.
June 16. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 16. 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 21. 11:00 a.m.
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Tuesday, June 28. 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 28. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 7. 11:00 a.m.
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Tuesday, July 12. 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 12. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 21. 10:00 a.m.
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Tuesday, July 26. 11:00 a.m.
Sarafina!
Tuesday, July 26. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 4. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, August 4. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 2, 2011. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 2. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 9. 10:00 a.m.
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June 16. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, June 16. 2:00 p.m.
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Tuesday, June 28. 11:00 a.m.
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Thursday, July 7. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, July 7. 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 12. 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 12. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 21. 10:00 a.m.
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Tuesday, July 26. 11:00 a.m.
Sarafina!
Tuesday, July 26. 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 4. 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, August 4. 2:00 p.m.
Women's Group that Founded West Des Moines Public Library Disbands
West Des Moines Women's Club disbands after 90 years. (Des Moines Register, 5/27/2011)
Excerpt: An organization that quietly changed its community for the better has called it quits after 90 years.
The members of the West Des Moines Women's Club met for the last time May 19 to celebrate nearly a century of good works, but the gathering was bittersweet.
Group leaders had been unsuccessful in their attempts to recruit younger members. After some soul-searching, they decided to hold the club's final meeting this spring.
"Most of us are in our 70s and 80s now," said president Wynanda Ferguson, 77. "Almost everyone has been an officer."
Check out the history of your public library. There's a good chance that a women's club was there at the creation.
Big Companies Looking to Locate Jobs: "They want to see tracks"
Cobb growth collides with anti-tax views. Atlanta Forward: The future of regional transportation. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/27/2011)
Excerpt: Cobb is one of metro Atlanta’s economic engines, home to companies such as Home Depot, Lockheed Martin and WellStar Health System. But there’s concern that congested roads will dampen the hopes of enticing more businesses to the area.
The tension in Cobb on the transportation issue has been building.
Cobb’s two self-taxing commercial property districts, Cumberland and Town Center, have jump-started much of the transit planning and will support the education campaign for the transportation referendum.
Malaika Rivers, director of the Cumberland district, said that when big companies are thinking where to locate jobs these days, “They want to see tracks.”
Still, the districts have taken some heat for that support, and residents have repeatedly spoken out against the county for funding various transportation studies while it is facing financial difficulties and considering cuts to its existing county bus service.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 42, Whittier Public Library)
Whittier City Council awards contract for library construction. (Whittier Daily News, 5/26/2011)
Excerpt: The City Council on Tuesday awarded a $733,145 construction management contract to CW Driver of Pasadena to manage the Whittwood branch library expansion project.
Plans are to expand the library from its existing 9,735 square feet to 15,733 square feet.
Added will be space for library materials, study and teen areas, a better-defined children's section with a story-telling area and additional technology stations.
Library dries out soggy volumes. (Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: Rain was the culprit. A fast and furious downpour on the evening of May 17 overwhelmed a drain in a recessed roof of the North Duke Street library and leaked into the second-floor Teen Reading Room, where it soaked the wall and carpet.
Even worse, the rain flooded the Gerald Lestz Reading Room below, where the books — all part of the library's Lancaster Collection — soaked up the water like so many sponges.
Fortunately, the library was still open and there were patrons in the room at the time.
"There were people sitting at the tables when the water started coming in," community relations coordinator Heather Sharpe said Tuesday. "Some of them didn't even move at first. They didn't know how to react."
But as ceiling tiles gave way in more than a half-dozen places and water rained down on the shelves and carts below, people sprang into action, Sharpe said.
"We had patrons running in and helping the employees take the books off the shelves," she said. "Water was just raining out of the ceiling."
Find Budget Information for All 50 States Here
State Budget Cuts, Reconsidered. Rebounding tax revenues may blunt the drive to cut spending. (Bloomberg Businessweek, 5/26/2011)
The bottom line: A faster-than-expected recovery in tax revenue has some states loosening their belts, while others stick toausterity plans ideology.
The bottom line: A faster-than-expected recovery in tax revenue has some states loosening their belts, while others stick to
"Bond, James Bond" (Updated for the 21st Century)
Excerpt: Deaver's Carte Blanche, which is published tomorrow, updates Bond for the 21st century. Authorised by the Fleming family, it sees the spy, "a man of serious face and hunter's demeanour", just returned from Afghanistan and recruited to a new agency which operates independently of MI5, MI6 and the Ministry of Defence, "its very existence deniable. Its aim: to protect the Realm, by any means necessary."
In the confessional. Never read any of the books. Still prefer the Sean Connery movies, though I'll admit that Daniel Craig fits the "man of serious face and hunter's demeanour" description to a T.
Greenwich Library Embarks on Strategic Planning Process
What do you think of the Greenwich Library? (Connecticut Post, 5/23/2011)
Excerpt: The library will be using survey results to come up with a new strategic plan. Currently in the form of a small brochure, Mahoney envisions a plan that will span several pages. The process is being modeled after a survey and strategic planning process recently carried out by the Seattle Public Library system, which operates more than two dozen branches and also offers mobile services to a population ten times the size of Greenwich's.
Greenwich Library is even using the same Seattle-based consulting firm, Berk & Associates, to create the survey and analyze the results.
Mahoney said the survey could show a desire for library kiosks at places around town, such as train stations, and more services available via smartphones and tablet computers. E-books are also becoming much more popular, and the survey will touch on the devices people use to read materials.
Though it may prove to be tricky, Mahoney said they would like to reach out to residents who are not using the library, and find out why.
"We just can't sit here and wait for people to come in," Mahoney said.
The library is already considered the busiest in the state, with a total circulation of about 1.4 million items. The planning process will be valuable in deciding how to allocate the library's $8.5 million annual budget.
Aside from the survey, the library's planning process will also include focus groups scheduled for September and October, during which people can elaborate on their survey responses.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Stayton Public Library Foundation's Endeavor
Libraries offer place for thinking, and our area has great ones. (Salem Statesman-Journal, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: In this era of 24/7 television and Internet, a lot of folks say books are going out of fashion. What they forget is that a book is a permanent fixture in society. No matter how many gadgets and gizmos come along, a book will be around forever. It might eventually be in a digital format but it'll be there.
But a library is more than a place for books. It's a place for thinking. For imagining. For wisdom. And for knowledge.
One of the reasons our library is so good is the Stayton Public Library Foundation. This group organized in 1992 with the dream of adding on to the library. They put their money where our books are and paid for the construction of the 7,500-square-foot addition to the library.
But they haven't stopped. Now they are helping to pay the cost of operating the library. They're doing it through the new Crown Jewel Society. Seventy-seven people have so far contributed $24,000 toward the operation of the library.
As much as any other group in the area, the foundation has demonstrated that you can reach even the loftiest goals if you set your mind to it and attract the good will and generosity of the community.
Massanutten Regional Library has a Bookmobile for Sale
from a publib posting
Excerpt: You may have seen it around already, a once-anonymous silver van, which has become a rolling billboard for Massanutten Regional Library, revealing the library's new logo.
It depicts a tree of knowledge growing out of an open book, with a lovely backdrop of blue mountains.
We wanted a logo that reflected our mission, as well as represented the entire region our libraries serve, said Phil Hearne, director of the library system.
In the next several weeks, this attractive logo, designed by Matt Clark, from the local company, `Signs by Matt,` will be popping up in a number of ways. The new library cards will feature the logo, as well as the library's newsletter and other library publications. Also by the first of April, the largest and splashiest use of the logo will be revealed. The library's bookmobile will be completely repainted and the new logo will be applied like a giant mural along both sides of its 32-foot length, and across the back. To accomplish this transformation, the bookmobile will not be in service the week of March 11-15.
Ever since the Rockingham Public Library changed its name to Massanutten Regional Library two years ago, there has been a gradual changeover and name recognition campaign underway.
Related article:
Public library 'triage' in Virginia. (9/3/2011)
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 41, East Hampton Library)
Court Awards Permit for Library's Children's Wing. (East Hampton Star, 5/19/2011)
Excerpt: Erroneous,” “arbitrary,” “capricious,” and “irrational." These words were used, more than once, in a State Supreme Court decision to describe the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals denial of a special permit and two variances to the East Hampton Library for its proposed children’s wing. In what Tom Twomey, the chairman of the library board and an attorney, called "a landmark decision for the state and for the country," the Supreme Court has granted the library permission to construct a 6,800-square-foot addition in the back of the building.
"I've been waiting for this moment for eight years," said Mr. Twomey at a press conference held at the library Thursday. The ruling by the court also includes a decision, one which was argued by the Z.B.A., that the East Hampton Library, and therefore all libraries in the state that are similarly chartered by the Board of Regents, is indeed an educational institution, and that the proposed addition is in keeping with the "Main Street Village area" character.
Mr. Twomey said that more than half of the $4 million needed to go forth with the addition has already been raised, "but our hands were tied." Now the Library's board plans on aggressive fund-raising to come up with the additional funds necessary, and will not break ground, according to Mr. Twomey, until the money is in hand.
eMarketer: 12% of U.S. Adults Will Own Ereaders by 2012
Sharp growth in ereader penetration. (eMarketer, 5/25/2011)
Excerpt: For many consumers, expensive, multifunctional tablet devices are a more desirable choice than single-purpose ereaders. But the US installed base of ereaders has more than quadrupled since 2009 and continues to grow quickly.
eMarketer estimates more than 20 million ereaders will be in consumer hands by the end of this year, reaching 8.7% of the US adult population. By 2012, 12% of adults will have a Kindle, Sony Reader, NOOK or similar device.
“Two recent developments illustrate the broad reach of ereaders,” said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna, author of the upcoming report “Epublishing: Books, Periodicals and Devices.”
Related articles:
What happened to the parade of ereaders shown at this year's Consumer Electronics Show? (12/13/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag. (12/9/2010)
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)
Oakland Residents Speak Up for their Libraries
Oakland Public Library - Main Facility
Even considering closing Oakland libraries infuriates many. (Oakland Tribune, 5/22/2011)
Excerpt: Outraged residents are building on a fierce outpouring at a City Council meeting May 12 by organizing a Facebook and events like the Zombie Crawl to Save Oakland libraries Saturday evening. The library's supporters held a rally outside AAMLO on Saturday.
"People are angry and people are passionate about their libraries," said Carmen Martinez, director of library services for the city.
The libraries each have their own budget because they vary in size but as a whole their $23 million budget consumes only 2 percent of the overall city budget, she said.
Here's a list of the services that will be cut under Scenario A, which should can be summed up as "Why bother, the Rapture is here"..
* 13 branch libraries are scheduled to close: Asian, Brookfield, Chavez, Eastmont, Elmhurst, Golden Gate, Lakeview, Martin Luther King, Melrose, Montclair, Piedmont Avenue, Temescal, West Oakland
* The Tool Lending Library and the African-American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) will close
* Second Start Adult Literacy will close
* Limited funding for new books, DVDs or other materials purchased
* Reduction of service hours for the Oakland History Room
* Discontinuation of electronic services like downloadable books and databases
San Francisco PL Volunteer Program Back After 4-Year Hiatus
S.F. library again open to volunteers. (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/25/2011)
Excerpt: With open doors for everyone from scholars to the homeless, the San Francisco Public Library always has been the city's most accessible civic institution. Unless you wanted to volunteer.
For four years, until late January, people wanting to help out at the library were politely told, "Thanks, but no thanks," and then referred to the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.
But now those would-be helpers are sent directly to the library's new volunteer program coordinator for training and assignment. After spending months rebuilding the volunteer structure, Kai Wilson is holding the first orientation at the Main Library today, and it's something she plans to do monthly.
"Since January, I've had over 90 inquiries from the public, and that's not including old volunteers I followed up with," she said.
Detroit Public Library Commission Aims High
Shake-up in the works for Detroit Public Library. (Detroit News, 5/25/2011)
Excerpt: The Detroit Public Library Commission is moving to oust a top executive who helped lead its troubled $2.3 million South Wing expansion.
Members voted Tuesday to enter into talks to buy out Deputy Director Juliet Machie's contract because an investigation found irregularities related to the expansion's contracts, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.
Machie's contract specifies she can't be fired unless she is paid a year's salary.
Machie, who makes $145,000 a year, helped lead the South Wing expansion project between 2007 and much of 2009. The project began as a $300,000 furniture update and morphed into a larger renovation, including new floors, study rooms, lighting and built-in wood-frame bookshelves.
Related articles:
Library u-turn: no branch closures, no layoffs. (5/21/2011)
The next thing you know..... (5/20/2011)
My boss has a 2010 Buick LaCrosse.... (5/19/2011)
Detroit Public Library revised its math. (5/17/2011)
Detroit Public Library does the math....incorrectly. (5/14/2011)
Residents speak up against branch closings. (5/8/2011)
The library takes a page from the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. (5/7/2011)
The news just keeps getting worse. (5/6/2011)
The Detroit Public Library needs some good news (and this isn't it). (5/5/2011)
Rainy day fund keeps fewer branches from closing. (4/29/2011)
Proposal to close 18 of 23 Detroit branches sparks anger. (4/22/2011)
Few expenses spared in South Wing remodeling of library. (4/22/2011)
Downward spiral. (4/16/2011)
Library reduces staff by 20%. (3/4/2011)
Budget woes. (2/5/2011)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Project (Part 40, Washington Free County Library)
Work progressing on Washington County library expansion project. (Hagerstown Herald-Mail, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: The project to renovate and expand the Washington County Free Library in downtown Hagerstown is still in its site demolition phase, Joe Kroboth, director of public works for Washington County, said Tuesday.
"We have started into the building excavation process, so we can begin to lay down the footing for the outside of the building," he said.
Kroboth said that between the site demolition and the building excavation, some buildings on Baltimore Street had to be torn down to accommodate the expansion of the library. He also said that there are original remaining parts inside the library that can't be removed yet.
How to Help Joplin Missouri Tornado Victims
"Annotated" section of Kansas City Public Library blogpost.
Donate blood at the Community Blood Center of Greater Kansas City.
Donate to Heart to Heart International.
Donate to Spin Neapolitan Pizza.
Oregon Community Passes Local Option Tax Levy by 2 to 1 Margin
Corvallis local option levy passes by wide margin. (Corvallis Gazette Times, 5/17/2011)
Excerpt: The measure will increase the tax rate by 45 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value and is projected to raise about $1.68 million in its first year and $5.6 million in additional property taxes over the next three years to support the library, aquatic center, senior center and social services.
For someone living in a home assessed at the city’s median property value of $178,285, the measure will cost about $80 in annual taxes, or about $6.70 per month.
If the levy had failed, Osborn Aquatic Center and Chintimini Senior Center would have closed indefinitely July 1 and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library would have closed on Mondays, laid off some staff and significantly cut the materials and supplies budget. Finally, the city’s social services allocations would be dropped.
New Library -- and Much More -- on the Drawing Board for Alpharetta, Georgia
Alpharetta unveils new city center proposal. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: Alpharetta will ask residents to pay $29 million over the next 30 years for a massive downtown overhaul that includes a new City Hall and library on 22 acres.
The city center project, unveiled Monday night before a gathering of about 30 residents, also calls for a large park, a parking deck and green space for possible future development. Tentative plans call for a November bond referendum.
The concept drawings dazzled resident David Paul, who lives a block from Main Street. "We're living in a townhouse in Victory Square, and I'd like to see a walkable downtown with restaurants and shops," he said. "I think this will spark that development."
Another resident, Mark Hamlin, took a close look at the architect's drawings. "I'm generally excited to see this moving forward," he said.
Mayor Arthur Letchas said the project was the culmination of years of work acquiring land and waiting for all the pieces to fall into place.
Georgia Music Hall of Fame to Close
Georgia Music Hall to Shut Down June 12. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: The Georgia Music Hall of Fame in downtown Macon will turn out the lights on June 12.
The music hall's state-appointed authority voted 4-3 Tuesday to shut down the museum, which has interpreted the stories of Georgia greats including Otis Redding, James Brown, the Allman Brothers Band and Little Richard since 1996. The facility has never drawn well in Macon and has appeared on life support in recent years as state funding waned.
The state authority will maintain ownership of the collection, the majority of which will be moved to the University of Georgia's Special Collections Library for storage until a future direction is determined.
One of my all-time favorites.
Kenilworth Public Library Observes its 75th Anniversary
Kenilworth Public Library: Still evolving after 75 years of serving the public. (Cranford Chronicle, 5/24/2011)
Excerpt: In 1936 a brick building on the Boulevard opened to the public. This marked the transfer of the public library from its previous home, a series of shelves at the borough school, to a brand new home.
Now, 75 years later, the Kenilworth Public Library remains in that same location, welcoming readers from across the borough to an ever expanding inventory of books, movies and programming.
Library director Dale Spindel said in celebrating the library’s 75 years at this location the activities have almost overwhelmed the building.
Job Opening: Library Director @ the Elm Grove Public Library
Library professional needed to administer and manage a small, friendly public library in a community of active readers with a collection of 50,000 items and an annual circulation of over 100,000. Elm Grove is an easy commute just west of Milwaukee. Must have excellent technology and public relations skills. Previous experience as library director preferred. Grade 1 Library Certification required. Management and budgeting experience required. Starting salary up to $56K depending on qualifications. EOE. Deadline 6/22/2011. Résumé or CV to Mike Flanigan, Library Board President, c/o Village of Elm Grove, 13600 Juneau Blvd, Elm Grove, WI 53122.
Support Services Manager Opening @ the South Central Library System
The South Central Library System (SCLS) in Madison, Wisconsin, is seeking a Support Services Manager. SCLS provides support to 53 SCLS member public libraries in a seven county area and employs 65 people.
Manager is responsible for the administration of the System budget of $8 million, payroll, investment of System funds, and the coordination of business and personnel department functions. Position reports directly to the System Director. Four year college degree and knowledge of Quickbooks, Excel and MS Office is required. Minimum of 5 years accounting and personnel experience. Minimum salary is $70,000 plus generous benefits.
Complete job description.
Reference Position Available @ the Mukwonago Community Library
Small town, friendly library seeks a customer-oriented librarian, 40 hours per week to handle reference duties, adult programming, reader's advisory, some IT support and other duties as assigned. Schedule includes every third Saturday. ALA-accredited Master's Degree in Library/Information Science required. Computer and Internet skills are a necessity, some reference and adult programming experience is preferred. Salary range begins at $17.00 per hour, commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits included. Send cover letter, resume and three references (electronic submission is
acceptable) by Friday, June 3rd, 2011 to:
Nick Weber
Library Director
300 Washington Avenue
Mukwonago, WI 53149
262-363-6411
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