Nickeling and Diming Library Users: Not a Path to Sustainable Funding

Rethinking Government: Why We Need Library Rental Fees. (The Atlantic, 7/21/2011)

Excerpt:   As a constant user [red flag #1; define "constant"] and supporter of my town library, I am grateful for the access to the thousands of books, newspapers, and periodicals available within the library system. [Red flag #2.  Print, print, and more print.] But I also have trouble understanding how the public library system has essentially undergone no fundamental change in the last century.  [Red flag #3.  Stuck in the Carnegie era.  What about resource sharing, reciprocal borrowing, consortia, automation, remote access, digitization, advocacy?]

In the last 100 years, the cost of a new book has gone from 10 cents to $30, but anyone with a library card can rent that same book for free.  [Red flag #4.  The verb is "borrow".]

At a time where the tax burden can often be onerous, doesn't it make sense to ask library users to pay a nominal fee for a book rental? [Red flag #5.  Print print and more print redux.  I checked the Swampscott catalog.  The library owns audio and video materials.]  When municipal budgets are tightened, almost universally the library is left to hang by a thread. Amazingly, when library usage is at an all-time high, I read about library closings every week across this country.  [Red flag #6.  If anyone should know that this observation is a crock of shit, it's me.  I think Barry might be replaying Camden New Jersey and  Central Falls Rhode Island in his mind.  Or is confused with what's going on in England.]

But I never hear any politician or citizen's group recommending a rental fee to support the library.

Why do libraries get the short end of the stick? For a multitudes of reasons, but primarily due to changes in how people have been gathering since technologies like radio and TV came on the scene. Prior to their introduction, libraries were a community gathering place.  That's no longer the case, and in today's computer-based home environment, the majority of taxpayers in a municipality do not use the public library. [Red flag #8.  Maybe Sandy could have help Barry research this essay.]

LINK

LINK

Mississippi Library a Regular Destination for Computer Users

Library see expanded computer use. (Itawamba County Times, 7/22/2011)

Excerpt:  Fulton resident Felix Moore said he visits the library multiple times each week.

“I come in quite often,” Moore said, clicking on a photo on his Facebook page. “Sometimes three, four times a week.”

Moore is representative of a growing trend in libraries across the country – computers overtaking books; the web page conquering its paper counterpart. As that need expands, so too does the library’s relationship with its visitors.

“The library’s role, in my opinion, is to embrace new technology and to find a way to implement it to best serve its patrons,” said Jeffrey Martin, branch librarian for the Itawamba County Pratt Memorial Library in Fulton. The invention of the computer could have very well ended the library, but it didn’t. The reason it didn’t is because the library community embraced this new technology, knew that it could benefit their patrons, and got them into their libraries.”

Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 83, Bayview Branch Library, San Francisco)

Groundbreaking For New Bayview Library Celebrated. (SF Appeal, 7/23/2011)

Excerpt:  San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will join city Librarian Luis Herrera this morning for the groundbreaking of a new branch library in the Bayview neighborhood.

The new Bayview Branch Library will include public art, an interior courtyard, study rooms, and separate areas for children, teens and adults, organizers said.

Construction of the new building is part of the Branch Library Improvement Program to upgrade or replace the city's branch libraries.

The program is funded by a $106 million bond measure and a separate fundraising campaign by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library will provide for new furniture and equipment, according to library officials.

Off the Grid? Don't Even Think About It!

Social media butterflies just can’t take a break. (Boston Globe, 7/23/2011)

Excerpt: As a full-time mother, Yara Marquez doesn’t have a boss. But when she goes on vacation, she has work to do beyond caring for her 1-year-old son. “If I’m not on Facebook, I don’t feel like I’m doing my job,’’ said Marquez, 22, of Waltham.

If she takes a few hours off - at the insistance of her annoyed grandmother - her personal taskmasters are quick with negative performance reviews. “Why haven’t you hit me up?’’ friends write on her Facebook wall. Or: “You’re lost!’’

For years, employees have been complaining about bosses who expect them to respond to e-mail or meet other online demands even when they are on vacation. But now some people are feeling social pressure to stay on the grid.

“People expect you to be available,’’ said Rich Ling, author of “New Tech, New Ties: How Mobile Communication Is Reshaping Social Cohesion.’’ [Published in 2008.]  “It’s become taken for granted you are accessible.’’

Article also makes references to.....
35% of American Adults Own a Smartphone. (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 7/11/2011)
SpringHill Suites 2011 Travel Attitudes Survey: Executive Summary.  (Marriott website, 5/18/2011)

I also learned what my Klout is.

A Lesson in Wisconsin Administrative Rule-Making

Even though Gov. Walker signed the concealed carry bill, there is still work to be done before its implementation.

Link to full document

Training now offered for concealed carry may fall short. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 7/22/2011)

Excerpt:; Seen an ad offering training for a concealed carry permit under Wisconsin's new law?

Before you draw your wallet, you should know that the training classes being offered now won't necessarily qualify you to receive permits when the law takes effect on Nov. 1.

That's because state rules determining what will meet training rules are still being written, state Department of Justice officials said Friday.  [Emphasis added.]

"If somebody's representing that the Department of Justice has approved their course or it's going to meet all the requirements under the law, that's just not true," said Brian O'Keefe, administrator of DOJ's Division of Law Enforcement Services.  [See example below.]

The Department of Justice, led by GOP Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, has the job of writing the rules for required training, which then have to be approved by Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature. So far, the agency hasn't decided key questions, such as whether courses taken over the Internet would satisfy the training requirement as laid out in legislation signed by Walker on July 8.

O'Keefe said he recognized that lawmakers had approved a bill with a broad range of training options. But he also said that he believed lawmakers wanted meaningful training and that he would prefer it to be delivered face-to-face.

What's referenced in the above screenshot.

"Margarine Wars": Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

Doug Moe: Epic battle in history: Butter vs. margarine. (Capital Times, 7/22/2011)

Excerpt:  This week in Michigan, a filmmaker named David Rich is in post-production on “Margarine Wars,” a fictional comedy set in 1967 Wisconsin, when the long-running battle over margarine was reaching a climax.

Rich, 59, is originally from New York state and moved to Arizona for health reasons, he told me when we spoke by phone this week.

It was in a doctor’s waiting room in Arizona, Rich said, that he struck up a conversation with a couple who said they were from Wisconsin. Rich told them he did some acting and stand-up comedy and was thinking of trying to make a film.

The couple suggested he do a film on the time in Wisconsin when oleomargarine was illegal and smuggled across state lines.

Rich was stunned. “Margarine was illegal?”

The couple assured him it was.

From Internet Movie Database:  60's Psychedelic Counterculture clash during the "Summer of Love," when an aspiring hippie Afro-Jew from New York dupes the son of a Swedish dairy farmer into smuggling illegal margarine into butter rich Wisconsin.

Capital Times' Mike Ivey Explains Walker's June Jobs Fantasy

Smells Like Recall Spirit.

Biz Beat: GOP job counters need a math lesson. (Capital Times, 7/23/2011)

Excerpt:  But claims that Wisconsin accounted for half of the nation's employment growth last month are pure fantasy.

In fact, Wisconsin didn't manage to crack into the top five states in job growth, even with its best monthly performance since 2003.

The largest over-the-month increase in employment in June came in Texas, which added 32,000 jobs followed by California (+28,800), Michigan (+18,000), Minnesota (+13,200) and Massachusetts (+10,400).

On a percentage basis, the top four states for growth were Alaska (+1.7 percent), North Dakota (+1.2 percent), Vermont (+0.9 percent) and South Dakota (+0.8 percent). Wisconsin came in at +0.3 percent.

Employment actually increased in 26 states last month, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The reason the BLS figures show just 18,000 more net jobs in June is that other states saw a drop in the number of people working. Declines came in Tennessee (-16,900), Missouri (-15,700), Virginia (-14,600) and Kansas (-7,500), among others.

Moreover, the BLS figures are estimates based on interviews with employers, which further clouds their short-term value.

Related post:
Wisconsin jobs report. (7/22/2011)

BCCB/Access WI Lawsuit update and summary

What follows is an email from Jennifer Smith, Communications & Web Manager, UW Extension Office of Broadband Sustainability.  [BCCB]   Very grateful to Joshua Klingbeil, IT Director, Wisconsin Valley Library Service, for forwarding this to me.  

Hi, everyone—I’m sending this message on behalf of Maria [Alvarez Stroud, Director, Office of Broadband Sustainability], who is out today but who wanted to make sure you have the latest news regarding the Access Wisconsin lawsuit and how it may impact our work with the BCCB infrastructure grant.  In a nutshell: keep doing the great work you’re doing. 

While we will give you an update today as initial guidance and will continue to update you as things progress, the most important piece of this news for you is to just keep going; your work is the most important piece of this right now.

If BCCB community partners are contacted by media or elected officials regarding the lawsuit:

·        The project has been approved by the state and federal governments.

·        Hundreds of stakeholders signed on to the project.

·        The project benefits public and nonprofit institutions and helps grow the Wisconsin economy.

·        Wisconsin ranks 43^rd in the country for access to high speed Internet, so this project is a chance for us to leapfrog over other states.

·        Continue advocating for broadband expansion and elaborating on specific local benefits.

·        Please feel free to use our past materials in promoting this project.

·        The bottom line is: Do no harm. Avoid negative comments about the plaintiffs, who are exercising their legal rights. We have many allies on this issue and want to respect their positions.

BCCB community partners’ roles in the lawsuit:

·        Community partners are not a party to the lawsuit and so do not need to change how they conduct themselves.

·        Community partners’ interests are not threatened, so they could choose to file an amicus brief; UW is neither urging partners to do so nor rejecting their interest in taking this step. Any partners interested could speak to UW lawyers.

UW System’s messages regarding the lawsuit:

·        We are doing what’s right and doing it in a legal manner and there is absolutely no evidence to the contrary.

·        UW is operating well within the boundaries of the law by continuing the BCCB project.

·        UW lawyers will present arguments in court and aggressively defend the BCCB project against what appears to be a lawsuit without merit. We will not comment in detail in advance.

About the Access Wisconsin lawsuit:

·        The Wisconsin Independent Telecommunications Systems, operating  as Access Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit July 20, 2011, against the UW Board of Regents, WiscNet, CCI Systems and the state Department of Transportation seeking to stop the BCCB federally funded project.

·        On July 21, 2011, a Dane County judge, Peter Anderson, denied a temporary restraining order to stop the work.

·        Access Wisconsin will present its side and UW System lawyers will present the BCCB side at an Aug. 30, 2011, hearing presided over by Judge Anderson.

·        Judge Anderson’s decision is expected in about a week after the hearing.

·        If Judge Anderson decides in favor of BCCB going forward, Access Wisconsin can appeal in the District 4 Court of Appeals in Madison.

·        If Judge Anderson rules in favor of Access Wisconsin, next steps would depend on findings of fact and the wording of an injunction.

Related WiscNet/BCCB posts:

Judge Anderson denies UW broadband restraining order.  (7/21/2011)
Plaintiffs v. Defendants.  (7/20/2011)
Telcos whine while Wisconsin falls behind.  (7/20/2011)
Access Wisconsin news release.  (7/19/2011)
LRB clarifies WiscNet veto. (6/30/2011)
WiscNet:  Moving Forward.  (6/30/2011)
Walker's WiscNet veto:  What does it mean?  (6/27/2011)
Rest assured they'll be more fights in this battle.  (6/24/2011)
Wisconsin Senate passes budget.  (6/17/2011)
Amendment update.    (6/16/2011)
Assembly passes budget at 3:05 a.m.  (6/16/2011)
Wispolitics budget blog.  (6/15/2011)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd for broadband Internet coverage.  (6/15/2011)
Ron Kind news release.  (6/15/2011)
Assembly 8.  (6/15/2011)
Highest level alert.  (6/15/2011)
This is what democracy looks like.  (6/15/2011)
WSTA's day of disappointment.  (6/14/2011)
They can hear us now.  (6/14/2011)
Appleton Post-Crescent editorial.  (6/14/2011)
YouTube video.  (6/14/2011)
Hedberg Public Library promotes WiscNet.  (6/14/2011)
League of Wisconsin Municipalities press release.  (6/14/2011)
UW General Counsel opinion.  (6/13/2011)
Ars Technica WiscNet coverage.  (6/13/2011)
Wausau Daily Herald editorial.  (6/13/2011)
If your representative is Robin Vos...   (9/13/2011)
Baraboo School Board unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/13/2011)
WiscNet debate from the NE WI prospective.  (6/12/2011)
David Weinhold letter to editor.  (6122010
Rep. Moelpske's statement. (6/11/2011)
COLAND letter to Sen. Fitzgerald.  (6/10/2011)
Rhonda Puntney's op-ed piece.  (6/10/2011)
Nass letter to Fitzgerald and Vos.  (6/9/2011)
CINC response.  (6/9/2011)
UW response.  (6/9/2011)
Manna from heaven.  (6/8/2011)

Fiasco:  School Administrators Alliance unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Pam Galloway and Rep. Jerry Petrowski need to hear about WiscNet from their constituents.  (6/8/2011)
But, federal funds to expand high-speed Internet could be reviewed.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Vinehout statement.  (6/7/2011)
Rep. Clark statement.  (6/7/2011)
Tony Evers' memo.  (6/7/2011)
Unintended consequence of section 25?  (6/7/2011)
Section 23: what the fuss is about.  (6/7/2011)
A crowbar:  A tool we don't need for WiscNet.  (6/7/2011)
WiscNet needs your attention and immediate action.  (6/6/2011)
The end of WiscNet as we know it.  (6/5/2011)

Or, on the other hand, women lead the ereader revolution

Men Still Lead the Tablet Revolution. (eMarketer, 7/22/2011)

Excerpt: Purchases of ereader and tablet devices continue to climb. eMarketer estimates a 60% surge in the number of ereaders and a 178% jump in the number of tablets bought this year. Looking in depth at ereader and tablet buyer demographics shows a gender division has taken shape in terms of tablet vs. ereader ownership.

Since the early days of tablets and ereaders, adopters have tended to be young, high-income adult males. As the market has matured, an older consumer base has also demonstrated an appetite for the devices. Young adults continue to hold their ground, though, and men remain ahead of women.

Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 82, Nesconset Branch of the Smithtown Special Library District)

A new start for the Nesconset Library. (Times Beacon Record, 7/13/2011)

Excerpt: In 2008, voters approved a $21 million bond for an expansion and renovation plan for the district's libraries. This project would create new children's rooms and meeting rooms for the four branches —­­ Smithtown main branch, Nesconset, Kings Park and Commack — while updating aging systems and spaces.

Library Director Robert Lusak said moving the Nesconset Library from the storefront on Smithtown Boulevard was a must because its old location couldn't accommodate the town.

"The library had been operating in a rental space in a small strip mall since the mid-70s," Lusak said in an interview. "The Armory building then became available and we jumped at the chance."

Lusak said the Armory building was gutted, allowing for a full renovation. "We had to bring in mechanical units, all new ductwork and plumbing," he said. "Everything had to be tested to make sure it was structurally sound ... and this is the end result."

The library has been opened for about two weeks and Branch Manager Cynthia Guzzo said the response has been overwhelming. "It has been amazing. I had to call in extra people for help because we have never had so many people flowing through the building; it's nice, a lot of teenagers, a lot of children and a lot of families. You have to remember, the community went from a little storefront, to this big building that actually looks like a library."

The library now has a community room that holds double the amount of people, allowing the library to hold bigger programs, Guzzo said.

Downloading Ebooks a Popular Service at Tulsa City-County Library

Tulsa City-County Library e-books downloading like hot cakes. (Tulsa World, 7/20/2011)

Excerpt: In the seven months since the Tulsa City-County Library launched its downloadable book option, more than 17,000 items have been checked out and downloaded onto e-readers.

"There is clearly a demand for it. We get calls and emails and questions all the time," said librarian Tim Spindle. "It's been wildly popular."

In the first two weeks books were available for download from the library, 88 percent of the available collection was checked out, Spindle said.

There are now 2,100 downloadable books in the library's collection with an average of 91 books checked out onto e-readers each day.

Speaking of Tulsa....

Albany Public Library Budget Approved by Voters

Why the Albany Public Library vote is important. (Albany Times-Union, 7/19/2011)

Excerpt:   Kids may not know or yet appreciate the fact that one of the best gifts a parent can give them is a library card. I admit, it’s not flashy, it doesn’t make noise, and it’s not likely to make all of their friends jealous but it goes beyond the piece of plastic with a series of numbers on them.

LINK

Related posts.
If at first you don't succeed.  (5/20/2011)
Budget fails by 28 votes in unofficial tally.  (5/18/2011)
Library budget goes to voters.  (5/16/2011)

eMarketer: Advertising Dollars Will Shift From Traditional Media

Digital Budgets Shift from Print but Still Lag Behind Usage. (eMarketer, 7/21/2011)

Excerpt: Digital advertising spending will climb more than 20% this year and will continue growing in the double digits for the next three years, eMarketer estimates. But where will those digital dollars come from? While some marketers plan to allocate additional money to online, most will shift dollars from traditional media to their internet channels.

Consensus Building for New Sussex-Lisbon Joint Library Agreement

Sussex may support new library plan. (Sussex Sun, 7/19/2011)

Excerpt: There may be a consensus building among Village trustees to support a proposal to change the formula that determines how much money the Village and Town of Lisbon each contribute to the operations of the Pauline Haas Library.

The proposal, however, has not been presented to the Town Board and there have been no public discussions of it by either municipalities. It is unclear when the citizens of the two communities will have an opportunity to review and comment on the proposal.

The proposal calls for each community's contribution to the library to be based on the size of each community's tax base, population and the amount of use of the library by the residents of each community

Presently, the Town and Village each annually pay between $425,000 and $450,000, based on their respective commercial and residential real estate values, their tax base, as determined by state authorities. Town Chairman Matt Gherkin has been insisting on a change in that formula because, he argues, Village residents use the library more than town residents and therefore the Village should pay more to support the library.

Related articles: 
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)

T. B. Scott Free Library in Merrill Wisconsin Celebrates Carnegie Centennial

LINK

T.B. Scott Library celebrates 10- and 100-year anniversaries in August. (Wausau Daily Herald, 7/21/2011)

Excerpt: Well, next month marks the 10th anniversary of the "new" addition to the library, and Aug. 21 is the 100th anniversary of the Carnegie Building opening to the public.

The Wisconsin Jobs Report for June 2011: Nothing to Crow About

Walker: Tourism helps Wisconsin add 9,500 jobs.  (Racine Journal-Times, 7/21/2011)

That's because it's the June report, Dude!

Excerpt: He said he didn't have details on which specific industries gained jobs. However, the Department of Workforce Development confirmed that almost half the private-sector growth was in the leisure and hospitality industry. There were 6,200 jobs created in that sector last month, and 3,300 more jobs than in June of last year.

LINK

A reporter asked whether the new jobs were seasonal and would be gone in several months. Walker replied that some were summer jobs but that an unspecified number would carry over into subsequent months.  

["See you in September" emphasis added.  They know exactly where the growth is and what types of jobs have been created.]

It's time again for our special offer.

Lesson Learned, and Shared, Through Our Advocacy for WiscNet

Battling for Broadband in the Statehouses. (Daily Yonder, 7/20/2011)

Excerpt:   Broadband supporters in Wisconsin and elsewhere are passing on lessons to communities to help them in the inevitable political battles that lie ahead. “You need to find one person in every community who sees broadband’s possibilities for constituents and can pull others together with unified messaging,” Alvarez-Stroud observes. “Our message was, with this network we can get what we need, it will cost less and we’ll have more say in how the network is run.”

Communities have to find institutions with influential constituencies that can carry the message to legislators, groups like libraries, chambers of commerce and homeowner associations. Jay Ovittore, Legislative Representative for the SouthEast Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, has challenged North Carolina’s legislators for four years. “I cannot stress enough the importance of building relationships here. Don’t expect to just walk up in the legislature and have a meeting, or get your point heard.”

Ovittore also observes that, if legislators are hearing only the industry lobbyists, then they are only getting half the story. Communities have to educate legislators about the applications for community broadband and to highlight the success stories in their state. He continues, “You are going to be up against a machine that will plug legislators’ ears with distortions and industry spin. Emphasize you’re fighting for improved medical applications, better educational tools and most importantly an economic development tool to attract jobs and increase business solutions. Home use is always secondary.”

[Emphasis added in 1st and 2nd paragraphs.]

The Job Hunt: Employers are looking at more than your resume

Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle.  (The New York Times, 7/21/2011)

Excerpt:  Companies have long used criminal background checks, credit reports and even searches on Google and LinkedIn to probe the previous lives of prospective employees. Now, some companies are requiring job candidates to also pass a social media background check.

A year-old start-up, Social Intelligence, scrapes the Internet for everything prospective employees may have said or done online in the past seven years.

Then it assembles a dossier with examples of professional honors and charitable work, along with negative information that meets specific criteria:

The social media checklist buzzkills

Related post:
Ain't misbehavin'.  (6/25/2011)

Let's Call This Bill Exactly What It Is: An Unfunded Mandate

Among many other, infinitely more colorful designations.  (2011 Senate Bill 148.)

The Map

Clerk: Redistricting costly to City of Sheboygan. Plan requires additional polling places, other costs. (Sheboygan Press, 7/18/2011)

Excerpt: A statewide redistricting plan that legislators in Madison are expected to discuss today could cost the City of Sheboygan $57,000 for three new polling places in the next election and then an additional $27,000 in ongoing expenses for every election after that, local officials say.

"You have to consider what this will do to the municipalities — we need the tools to be able to efficiently and cost effectively handle the election process," City Clerk Sue Richards wrote in an e-mail Monday to Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan; Rep. Mike Endsley, R-Sheboygan; Rep. Steve Kestell, R-Elkhart Lake, and Rep.Dan Le Mahieu, R-Cascade.

Editorial: Redistricting plan costly, politically motivated. (Sheboygan Press, 7/20/2011)

Community officials blast Wisconsin redistricting plan, Fox Valley leaders say switch creates extra work. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 7/13/2011)

Excerpt:  Dan Thompson, executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, said the new state boundaries could cause problems, like county board districts straddling municipal ward districts.

This would result in oddly fragmented voting districts with small numbers of people. And that would require communities to print more ballots and spend more money running elections for the next 10 years.

"We would encourage (lawmakers) to slow down and give everybody a chance to understand what these changes mean," he said.

Helen Nagler, Outagamie County Board chairwoman, said her county could be forced by the state to create a plan that makes less sense and is more expensive for taxpayers than the plan it's working on now.

Letter from the City of Milwaukee signed by Mayor Tom Barrett and Judiciary and Legislation Committee Chair Ashanti Hamilton.

Related posts:
Wisconsin GOP redistricting plan Popeils DeForest, Windsor.  (7/21/2011)
Fred  Clark gets redrawn out of his district?  (7/21/2011)
Oshkosh Northwestern editorial.  (7/19/2011)
Abandoned principles.  (7/13/2011)
Redistricting and the 68.7 square miles surrounded by reality.  (7/20/2010)

Wisconsin GOP Redistricting Plan Popeils DeForest, Windsor

Excerpt:      Wisconsin gained more than 320,000 residents in the past 10 years. According to village officials, DeForest has grown from about 7,500 residents to 8,500 since 2000. Over that same time, Windsor grew from 5,392 to 5,942. The average Assembly district population will be 57,444.

Democrats have accused Republicans of manipulating the district lines in the area to protect a potentially vulnerable Republican. Rep. Keith Ripp, who lives in the town of Dane, won the seat by a razor-thin 23 votes in 2008. Though re-elected by a significant margin in 2010, Democrats have targeted Ripp’s seat as one they could reclaim in 2012.

Under the new map, Ripp would now represent the 42nd District, which has only a part of DeForest, along with a large section of rural farmland and smaller communities, traditionally more conservative. The rest of DeForest and Windsor, which have shown a slight Democratic tilt, would be separated into the 79th and 37th districts.

Related posts:
Fred  Clark gets redrawn out of his district?  (7/21/2011)
Oshkosh Northwestern editorial.  (7/19/2011)
Abandoned principles.  (7/13/2011)
Redistricting and the 68.7 square miles surrounded by reality.  (7/20/2010)

McDonald's Muscles Its Way to the Front Door of the Hawthorne Branch Library

For all practical purposes.

Not likely to see this view from East Wash anymore

Grass Roots: Neighbors still not lovin' McDonald's move. (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/20/2011)

Excerpt: The wave of opposition to the relocation of a McDonald's on East Washington Avenue ebbed in the year since neighbors packed a meeting at the Hawthorne Public Library to tell Ald. Larry Palm and owners of the fast food restaurant that they did not want the traffic, trash and congestion it would bring to the East Madison Shopping Center.

Neighborhood hostility to allowing the restaurant to move a couple of blocks west -- to the plaza parking lot practically next door to a Burger King and the neighborhood branch of the public library -- never really dried up, although one resident told me in the meantime that protesting it was a waste of energy because it seemed like a done deal.

Judge Peter Anderson, Dane County Circuit Court, Denies UW Broadband Restraining Order

Judge denies restraining order on UW broadband project. (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/20/2011)

Excerpt:  A Dane County judge on Wednesday denied a temporary restraining order to stop the UW System’s federally funded broadband project in rural communities.

Judge Peter Anderson [Branch 17] denied the temporary restraining order sought by the Wisconsin Independent Telecommunications Systems, which operates as Access Wisconsin.

The telecommunications company on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the Board of Regents, WiscNet, CCI Systems and the state Department of Transportation seeking to halt their work on the Building Capacity Through Broadband project in Grant, Marathon, Douglas, Menominee, Eau Claire, Chippewa and Dunn counties.

Injunction hearing is scheduled for August 30.

Related WiscNet posts:

Plaintiffs v. Defendants.  (7/20/2011)
Telcos whine while Wisconsin falls behind.  (7/20/2011)
Access Wisconsin news release.  (7/19/2011)
LRB clarifies WiscNet veto. (6/30/2011)
WiscNet:  Moving Forward.  (6/30/2011)
Walker's WiscNet veto:  What does it mean?  (6/27/2011)
Rest assured they'll be more fights in this battle.  (6/24/2011)
Wisconsin Senate passes budget.  (6/17/2011)
Amendment update.    (6/16/2011)
Assembly passes budget at 3:05 a.m.  (6/16/2011)
Wispolitics budget blog.  (6/15/2011)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd for broadband Internet coverage.  (6/15/2011)
Ron Kind news release.  (6/15/2011)
Assembly 8.  (6/15/2011)
Highest level alert.  (6/15/2011)
This is what democracy looks like.  (6/15/2011)
WSTA's day of disappointment.  (6/14/2011)
They can hear us now.  (6/14/2011)
Appleton Post-Crescent editorial.  (6/14/2011)
YouTube video.  (6/14/2011)
Hedberg Public Library promotes WiscNet.  (6/14/2011)
League of Wisconsin Municipalities press release.  (6/14/2011)
UW General Counsel opinion.  (6/13/2011)
Ars Technica WiscNet coverage.  (6/13/2011)
Wausau Daily Herald editorial.  (6/13/2011)
If your representative is Robin Vos...   (9/13/2011)
Baraboo School Board unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/13/2011)
WiscNet debate from the NE WI prospective.  (6/12/2011)
David Weinhold letter to editor.  (6122010
Rep. Moelpske's statement. (6/11/2011)
COLAND letter to Sen. Fitzgerald.  (6/10/2011)
Rhonda Puntney's op-ed piece.  (6/10/2011)
Nass letter to Fitzgerald and Vos.  (6/9/2011)
CINC response.  (6/9/2011)
UW response.  (6/9/2011)
Manna from heaven.  (6/8/2011)

Fiasco:  School Administrators Alliance unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Pam Galloway and Rep. Jerry Petrowski need to hear about WiscNet from their constituents.  (6/8/2011)
But, federal funds to expand high-speed Internet could be reviewed.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Vinehout statement.  (6/7/2011)
Rep. Clark statement.  (6/7/2011)
Tony Evers' memo.  (6/7/2011)
Unintended consequence of section 25?  (6/7/2011)
Section 23: what the fuss is about.  (6/7/2011)
A crowbar:  A tool we don't need for WiscNet.  (6/7/2011)
WiscNet needs your attention and immediate action.  (6/6/2011)
The end of WiscNet as we know it.  (6/5/2011)

Fred Clark gets redrawn out of his district? Just a coincidence, of course.

Clark a rep without a district.   (Baraboo News-Republic, 7/20/2011)

Excerpt:    The state Senate passed Republican-drawn maps that create new political boundary lines for all 132 members of the Legislature and eight congressional districts, despite pleas from Democrats that the maps are illegal and being pushed through in advance of upcoming recall elections.

The move means that if Clark were to defeat Olsen in the Aug. 9 recall election, he would only be eligible to serve through 2012. After that, he would no longer live in the district and would have to move in order to run again for that seat.

After the current term, Clark’s home will lie inside the 27th Senate District, where Democrat Jon Erpenbach has served since 1999.  [Emphasis added.]

Plaintiffs v. Defendants in Access Wisconsin Lawsuit

LINK to document.

Related WiscNet posts:

Telcos whine while Wisconsin falls behind.  (7/20/2011)
Access Wisconsin news release.  (7/19/2011)
LRB clarifies WiscNet veto. (6/30/2011)
WiscNet:  Moving Forward.  (6/30/2011)
Walker's WiscNet veto:  What does it mean?  (6/27/2011)
Rest assured they'll be more fights in this battle.  (6/24/2011)
Wisconsin Senate passes budget.  (6/17/2011)
Amendment update.    (6/16/2011)
Assembly passes budget at 3:05 a.m.  (6/16/2011)
Wispolitics budget blog.  (6/15/2011)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd for broadband Internet coverage.  (6/15/2011)
Ron Kind news release.  (6/15/2011)
Assembly 8.  (6/15/2011)
Highest level alert.  (6/15/2011)
This is what democracy looks like.  (6/15/2011)
WSTA's day of disappointment.  (6/14/2011)
They can hear us now.  (6/14/2011)
Appleton Post-Crescent editorial.  (6/14/2011)
YouTube video.  (6/14/2011)
Hedberg Public Library promotes WiscNet.  (6/14/2011)
League of Wisconsin Municipalities press release.  (6/14/2011)
UW General Counsel opinion.  (6/13/2011)
Ars Technica WiscNet coverage.  (6/13/2011)
Wausau Daily Herald editorial.  (6/13/2011)
If your representative is Robin Vos...   (9/13/2011)
Baraboo School Board unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/13/2011)
WiscNet debate from the NE WI prospective.  (6/12/2011)
David Weinhold letter to editor.  (6122010
Rep. Moelpske's statement. (6/11/2011)
COLAND letter to Sen. Fitzgerald.  (6/10/2011)
Rhonda Puntney's op-ed piece.  (6/10/2011)
Nass letter to Fitzgerald and Vos.  (6/9/2011)
CINC response.  (6/9/2011)
UW response.  (6/9/2011)
Manna from heaven.  (6/8/2011)

Fiasco:  School Administrators Alliance unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Pam Galloway and Rep. Jerry Petrowski need to hear about WiscNet from their constituents.  (6/8/2011)
But, federal funds to expand high-speed Internet could be reviewed.  (6/8/2011)

Sen. Vinehout statement.  (6/7/2011)
Rep. Clark statement.  (6/7/2011)
Tony Evers' memo.  (6/7/2011)
Unintended consequence of section 25?  (6/7/2011)
Section 23: what the fuss is about.  (6/7/2011)
A crowbar:  A tool we don't need for WiscNet.  (6/7/2011)
WiscNet needs your attention and immediate action.  (6/6/2011)
The end of WiscNet as we know it.  (6/5/2011)

The Spiral Staircase at the Louis Bennett Public Library in Weston, West Virginia

LINK

Other spiral staircases you might know.


Alternate spelling.

Tomah Public Library: What's on the other side of the book drop?

What I Like Best About Sustainable Library Stacks at the Anacostia Library

The attached lights.

Link to Spacesaver.

LINK

Gushers, and a Card Catalog, @ the Library

From "TV Advertising Tips" by Marketplace Media.

Remember that one of the cardinal rules of TV creative is "see and say". See the product when the words are said and don't forget to show the actual product. "See and say" in TV is one of the most basic, but often forgotten TV advertising techniques.  (Yet even more evidence that the ultimatel rule in creating TV advertising is to consume mass quantities of drugs.)

The "see" takes place at 0:03, the "say" at 0:15.

Screenshot.