Friday, April 20, 2012

The Kansas City Public Library Does Something About the Failure of the Pulitzer Prize Committee



Related post:
Kansas City Public Library announces contest for Publitzer Prize for Fiction. (4/19/2012)

The Brooklyn Public Library of the Future

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Launches Reading Incentive Program

































"Read to Lead" events being held at Wisconsin State Parks. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/19/2012)

Gov. Walker releases Read to Lead plan, report.
Evers statement on Read to Lead Task Force plan.

LINK to 35-page report.

Word search for "library".

Report includes recommendations in the following areas:
  • Teacher preparedness and professional development
  • Screening, assessment, and intervention
  • Early childhood
  • Accountability
  • Family involvement

Agenda of first Task Force meeting.

As far as I can tell, minutes of Task Force meetings were never made public.



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Library Foundation of Los Angeles Young Literati


 

Kansas City Public Library Announces Contest for Publitzer Prize for Fiction

I think this is a great way for the Kansas City Public Library to engage its community of serious fiction readers.


Pew Research Report: Gender Reversal on Career Aspirations


Young Women Now Top Young Men in Valuing a High-Paying Career. (Pew Research, 4/19/2012)

Excerpt:   Reversing traditional gender roles, young women now surpass young men in saying that achieving success in a high-paying career or profession is important in their lives. Two-thirds (66%) of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of life priorities, compared with 59% of young men. In 1997, 56% of young women and 58% of young men felt the same way. 


There has also been an increase over the last 15 years in the share of middle-aged and older women who say being successful in a high-paying career or profession is "one of the most important things" or "very important" in their lives. Today, about the same share of women and men ages 35 to 64 share this view.


Appleton Public Library Colleen Rortvedt Interviews on Post-Crescent's Newsmakers


Burning Questions: Appleton Public Library Director Colleen Rortvedt explains the library of the future. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/19/2012)

Excerpt: Appleton Public Library Director Colleen Rortvedt is ready to take the library into the future. 

Today, the library kicks off its Community Conversations program as a way to gather information about the community’s needs and how the library fits into that vision. 

Rortvedt joined us last week on Newsmakers, The Post-Crescent’s online issues show. Here’s an edited transcript of the interview:

Questions:
  • You’ve been the library director for a little over a year. What types of changes have you made? 
  • Is the role of the library changing? 
  • Are library staff members having to learn more about computer systems? 
  • Studies have recommended an expansion of some sort for the library, but that idea was shelved, at least temporarily. Why is an expansion needed? 
  • Tell us about the Community Conversations program. 
  • What problems might the public see if the library stays as it is now? 
  • How can people participate in Community Conversations?
Appleton Public Library
2011-14 Plan (page 1 of 7)

Department of Public Instruction News Release: Official report shows cuts to school staff for 2011-12 school year

Pages 1 and 3 of 3-page news release.  (Red highlight added.)

LINK (highlight added)

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

My First Stop for Ian Fleming Will Still Be Frugal Muse

I haven't purchased anything from Amazon in years and plan to keep it that way.


Amazon Buys All Print and Digital Rights to the James Bond Books. (Amazopia, 4/18/2012)

The Ground Floor @ Janesville's Hedberg Public Library

Timeline created from information provided in newspaper article.

Friends of Hedberg Public Library brew up their own success story. (Janesville Gazette, 4/18/2012)


Excerpt:   The Ground Floor serves coffee, other beverages and prepackaged drinks and snacks. It also sells gift items, such a greeting cards made by local artists, used books, CDs and books on tape. It includes a seating area and Wi-Fi. The remodeling included a public meeting room. 

Burdette Richter, administrator of the friends group and The Ground Floor manager, works 24 hours a week, and two other paid employees help on weekends. The friends pay all three salaries. 

Richter draws from a bank of about 45 volunteers to run the shop. He sometimes steps in if someone can’t make a shift, but volunteers provide almost all the labor. Richter said he finds that amazing.

Community Conversations About the Appleton Public Library

I'm looking forward to reading a summary of the outcome of these sessions.

Public comments sought on library.  (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/18/2012)


From the Appleton Public Library homepage.

The Appleton Public Library and the Friends of Appleton Public Library would love to hear from you. As a community member, you are the expert on all things community related and your perspective is important. 

The Friends of Appleton Public Library organization is hosting a series of listening sessions about the future of Appleton and public libraries. These 90 minute meetings, coined Community Conversations, will take place throughout the City of Appleton from April 19-26, time and location can be found by clicking on the image to the left. All Appleton and surrounding area community members and their elected representatives are invited to join in on these conversations. 

The agenda for the Conversations includes a facilitated group discussion of community-focused questions and a presentation about public libraries and libraries of the 21st century. Through these collected reflections by many community members, we hope to learn more about what our community wants from the library of the future.

Shared priorities, common agenda (highlight added)


And as long as you're here, take a look at the Friends of the Appleton Public Library "What We Do" page.  Very impressive!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012