The Latest News About the Rockford Public Library

                       about the clandestine removal of books

Rockford Public Library's book removal policy questioned. (Rockford Register Star, 4/21/2012)

Excerpt: Rachel León, a member of the Save Our Library effort, says it’s not the weeding she’s concerned about but rather the way it’s being done. 

She said she’s heard from several staff members that Rockford Public Library Director Frank Novak is taking books directly from the shelves to the Dumpster and not submitting the titles to any review committee or even to the Friends of the Library bookstore where old books are sold to the public to raise funds to support the library. 

“Yes, libraries weed books. We understand that,” León said. “My concern is that any books that are being removed, that it’s done properly.”
,
Members of Save Our Library plan to rally against excessive weeding of the library’s collection from 10 a.m. to noon today at the Main Branch, 215 N. Wyman St. They also plan to attend the Library Board meeting Monday night.


Rumors addressed at Rockford Public Library meeting. (Rockford Register-Star, 4/23/2012)

Excerpt: “There is a group that is so focused on certain issues,” board President Paul Logli said after the meeting. “They have spread some misinformation to the public. To indicate there is excessive or inappropriate weeding going on is clearly false. The weeding that is going on is the same weeding that has been going on for decades.”

On average, 3,000 to 4,000 books a month are weeded, and about the same quantity is added. Empty top and bottom bookshelves are not evidence of purging, but is a conscientious effort on the part of library staff to make the books more accessible to people in wheelchairs.
Related articles:
Rockford Public Library board prez stands by his man. (4/28/2012) 31-1.  (3/24/2012)
Catching up on the news.  (2/8/2012)
Save Our Rockford Library members pack board meeting. (1/28/2012)
Save Our Rockford Library (SOL) calls for more public input in library's strategic planning. (1/14/2012) 
Rockford Public Library will boost spending on digital and audio books in 2012. (10/13/2011)
Supportive editorial for Rockford Public Library needs a fact checker. (9/1/2011)
Rockford Public Library circulates 0.05 ebooks per capita in 1st half of 2011. (7/13/2011)

Rockford Public Library Hours Survey a Toss-Up So Far. (11/21/2010)
Branch closures off the table. (10/21/2010)
Library considers a Branch Anywhere future.  (9/14/2010)
Library patrons deal with a new reality.  (3/23/2010)
Reductions in staff, cuts in hours leads to adjustments all around. (2/2/2010)

Rockford Public Library staggers into 2010. (1/8/2010)]

Rockford library board OKs union contract. (11/17/2009)

Advocating for the Rockford Public Library. (11/12/2009)

Rockford Public Library's projected $1.7 million deficit. (11/3/2009)

Rockford Public Library: "Library cuts coming". (9/15/2009)

Rockford library board delays action on shortfall. (7/21/2009)

3M Cloud Library Ebook Lending Service Goes Beta at Select Libraries

What the video covers:

• Product Overview
• Features and Benefits
• Library Hardware
• Support Services
• How It Works
• Library Administration

3M Cloud Library Lends Not Only E-Books, But Also E-Reader Hardware. (Wired, 4/27/2012)

Excerpt: The 3M Cloud Library went beta Wednesday at select libraries, allowing patrons to borrow e-books via digital kiosks in the library or online. 

It’s not an entirely new concept. A system called OverDrive already facilitates e-book lending at many public libraries. But what sets 3M’s offering apart is that libraries can purchase 3M-branded e-readers, and lend the hardware to patrons who don’t have e-readers of their own. Patrons would check out the readers like they would a book or any other piece of hardware the library may lend. 

3M says it has 40 publishers backing Cloud Library, and that more than 100,000 titles are ready to go. These e-books are compatible with Nook e-readers as well as iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X devices running the Cloud Library application. (Amazon’s Kindle is noticeably absent from the list.)


Screenshots from the "select libraries" link.  (Red arrow added.)

A total of 17 categories

Other beta sites:  (States in bold letters found "At the library", i.e. 1st screenshot; others from 3M news release)
Alabama:  Mobile Public Library.
Alaska.  ZZ Top Memorial Library test site.
Arizona.  Maricopa County Library District.
Colorado.  Estes Valley Library, Douglas County Library.
Connecticut:  Darien Library.

Kansas.  State Library of Kansas.
Beta Progress - 3M.  (Timeline)

Maryland.  Baltimore County Public Library.

Minnesota.  St. Paul Public Library.
St. Paul Library debuts 3M's Cloud Library for e-book lending.  (Minnesota Post, 4/25/2012)
Excerpt: Mayor Chris Coleman will be at the open house, and said he's excited about the new technology:

Source of quote:  Mayors See No End to Hard Choices for Cities, The New York Times, 1/21/2011)

New Jersey.  Bergen County Cooperative Library System.
North Carolina.  Sheppard Memorial Library.
South Carolina.  Richland County Public Library.

Sorry if this is old news to most of you.
Momentum Building Behind the 3M Cloud Library.  (Bloomberg, 6/20/2011)

It's new(s) to me.

Nicely Done, Friends of the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin

Discontinued Benefit for Library Board Members Still Adds Up to Big Cost

Hmm....

Cicero library board members get pricey perk: free health care for life. (Chicago Sun-Times, 4/26/2012)

Excerpt (with emphasis added): For now, at least six former library board members are taking the health insurance benefit, costing the library nearly $100,000 this year — a big bite for a modest library with a budget of only $1.7 million, records show. It’s the same insurance library workers get, but they don’t get it for free. 

The annual cost for insurance for former library trustees could shoot up to more than $300,000 a year, as more former trustees take advantage of the benefit, according to a 2009 analysis. 

Facing such dire prospects, the library board voted in 2010 to end the benefit. For newly elected trustees, that is. 

The trustees voting on the proposal — many of whom are still on the board — didn’t exclude themselves from the free health insurance when they leave. 

Guess it's no surprise that meeting dates aren't listed.

For more on Cicero, we now take you to John J. Flood and Jim McGough.

Chicago area folks offer advice about a potential move to Cicero. (2008)

An Obsessive Passion for Books

Fox Point woman's life is like a thousand open books. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/26/2012)

Excerpt: Her 33-year-old daughter, Barbara Stern, who lives in Whitefish Bay, said her mother can live with her if need be, but her stuff can't come along.  She praised her as smart, talented and generous, but said it was embarrassing to have friends over to the cluttered house when she was growing up. 

She also prefers the word passion to describe her mother's collecting of books from rummage sales, library sales, and really anywhere she could get them cheaply. 

"I always thought it was a good passion, but it ended up taking over," Barbara said. 

Sally proudly admits to being an idealist. That's why she dreams of opening a book palace where people could come, day or night, to read and discuss books. And she could live upstairs. She also hopes someone will make a film about her and her struggle to save the books. 

She can't imagine the books being destroyed, though she can't afford to store them.

LINK

False Then, Now Trending to "Pants On Fire"

PolitiFact Wisconsin

And from today's Wheeler Report.

Paul Ryan, in the Role of God's Right-Hand Man

LINK

Any other ground rules you want to set there, Bub?

I'm going with the nuns, and Jesus, on this one.

The Rochester (New York) Public Library Celebrates 100 Years of Service

                                                               

 LINK

A Look at the Lorain Public Library System

LINK

A Look at the North Brunswick Public Library

LINK

A Look at the Akron Summit County Public Library

                                                                  LINK

Sara Rath: "Lumber and cheese. I am deeply Wisconsin."

Stephanie Bedford talks to Sara Rath.

Local author’s latest takes us back to the north woods. (Capital Times, 4/26/2012)

Excerpt: The chained lakes of northern Wisconsin have a way of surprising visitors with their scale and complexity. You can put your boat in what looks like a smallish body of water only to find that concealed in the trees is a channel to another lake, which is connected to still another. It’s no wonder Wisconsin author Sara Rath finds them such a compelling setting for her work. 

Her popular 2006 novel, “Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages,” followed Madisonian Hannah Swann up north after the unexpected inheritance of a rundown lakeside resort from an estranged relative. The unexpected allure and transformative power of Wisconsin’s wilder, less-populated territories serve once more as the backdrop for Rath’s latest, “The Waters of Star Lake.” 

“Waters” is a sequel — of sorts — to “Star Lake Saloon,” preserving the setting of its predecessor but adding a cast of new faces while bringing some of “Saloon’s” familiar side characters to center stage. 

Rath met me for coffee at a cozy coffee spot in Spring Green, where she lives with her husband and beloved pets, to talk about the new book, her writing process, and the inspiration for her novels.

Surprised that more LINKcat libraries don't have Rath's latest book on order.  Official publication date: May 22, 2012.

Point/Counterpoint: Marshfield Library/Community Center

LINK

Letter: Speak up now to oppose library project.  (Marshfield News-Herald, 4/25/2012)

Excerpt:   The city now is considering a new public library. This would include development of the whole city block where the library now exists and consist of a two-story library building and an expanded senior center. Some improvement to the library might be advisable*, but a major construction project in these uncertain times is uncalled for. 

This project, which undoubtedly will be financed by further borrowing, will create an immense additional burden on our over-burdened taxpayers. However, if this project goes the same way as the fire station, the blame goes beyond our representatives. It will happen because nobody cares enough to come forward and oppose these projects.

*As the Gallatins are aware -- since it was discussed at the February 13, 2012, Library & Community Center Project Steering Committee they attended -- one of the items to be discussed is a "low end", 12,000 square foot library expansion.


Letter: Support joint community center, library. (Marshfield News-Herald, 4/24/2012)

Excerpt:   In recent years, our council and library supporters purchased property that could be used as a library/community center complex, appropriate for all ages from preschool to senior citizens. This center will be a meeting place for the many groups wishing to have regular meetings or training sessions; it will house partners such as the Aging & Disabilities Resource Center; it could provide space for historical collections needing a permanent home. 

As city officials, council members and Marshfield citizens, we have an opportunity to give future generations a library/community center that can evolve as technology changes and provide a gathering place for all ages. Being familiar with the clinic complex, I know that interviewing physicians and other medical specialists look at community facilities when they consider a move. We want Marshfield to remain a dynamic city with a growing tax base that draws young professionals and families.


Related articles:
Latest version of Marshfield capital improvement program reduces library/community center contribution by $5 Million (4/25/2012)
Marshfield City Council supports new library but questions concept of community center. (1/25/2012)
Marshfield library/community center project continues to move forward. (11/12/2011)
Design development for new library/community center.  (9/15/2011)
Better to plan for a new library now than when the roof starts to leak.  (11/12/2010)
Design development in progress.  (11/9/2010)
Community input sought for library improvement plans.  (6/9/2010)

Safeguarding Your Staff and Patrons @ the Library

Libraries work to ensure safety for all patrons. (WLBZ, Bangor, 4/24/2012)

Excerpt: Officials at the Auburn Public Library have been busy since Friday afternoon; when a librarian was attacked by a patron. 

Attacker, Kewane Pontoo, was taken to St. Mary's Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. 

Library director, Lynn Lockwood, says in nearly four decades of library service, she's never seen a situation escalate this quickly. Lockwood says it can be difficult to police any public building, but her staff is well trained with police officers on what behavior disorders to look out for, and how to talk unruly people down. 

She says if they need to escort someone out, they will, and if they need to call the police, they're right down the road and will be there in minutes.

Auburn (Maine) Public Library

Customer Behavior Policy

Library Security and Safety, a Slideshare Presentation.
Ohio Library Council.  Library Safety and Security.

Gutting Telecom Protections: It's the Same All Over

Read the full post here.

Diaper-Changing Time

LINK

LINK

Is this the same 'Zach' Spoehr?

Latest Version of Marshfield Capital Improvement Program Reduces Library/Community Center Contribution by $5 Million

Council limits city funds going to library. (Marshfield News-Herald, 4/24/2012)

Excerpt:   The Marshfield City Council voted 7-3 to pass the 2013-17 Capital Improvement Program, or CIP, on Tuesday night, with an amendment that specifies the city will contribute $3 million toward the building of a new public library and community center. 

The original 2013-17 CIP budgeted almost $8 million during the five years for the library/community center project. The CIP is adjusted annually and is used as a guide for the council as it completes a city budget each November. 

Council members Alanna Feddick-Goodwin, Robert Workinger and John Spiros voted against approving the CIP. Both Feddick-Goodwin and Spiros said they would not support the CIP because they don't see a need for a new library. 

"I cannot support this," Feddick-Goodwin said. "I still have not heard a rationale for this library."
 
Related articles:
Marshfield City Council supports new library but questions concept of community center. (1/25/2012)
Marshfield library/community center project continues to move forward. (11/12/2011)
Design development for new library/community center.  (9/15/2011)
Better to plan for a new library now than when the roof starts to leak.  (11/12/2010)
Design development in progress.  (11/9/2010)
Community input sought for library improvement plans.  (6/9/2010

Lawrence University Student Zach Fannin Speaks Up for Libraries

Zach Fannin column: Library changing, to serve us all better. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/24/2012)

Excerpt:   Lately, I’ve been hearing about the death of “the library as we know it.” I’m not sure what is meant by “as we know it,” a phrase that’s thrown around a lot, but it seems to defeat the idea that the library is dying. If by “the library as we know it,” people mean it’s a place to get books, well, more power to them. 

It’s no longer just a place to get books. It’s much more than that now. The library is not dying; it’s transforming. It’s changing. It always has been. It’s meant to. And it’s become much more than a place to see and gather information.

Zach is also a community columnist for the Appleton Post-Crescent.  According to the newspaper's website, the Post-Crescent has chosen 49 Fox Valley residents to serve as Community Columnists for the next year. The Community Columnists will write five columns a year on a rotating basis.

Apparently, it's a gig Zach has had at least since 2009.  He can be reached at pcletters@postcrescent.com

Legal Landmark Foundation, Conservative Advocacy Group, Does a Little Judicial Activism of Its Own

This is the outfit that nominated Rush Limbaugh for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

LINK

Wisconsin Judicial Commission to consider complaint against judges who signed Walker recall.  Appleton Post-Crescent,  4/24/2012)

Excerpt;    A Gannett Wisconsin Media investigation in mid-March found at least 29 judges signed the Walker recall — about 12 percent of the state’s county-level judiciary. That prompted the Landmark Legal Foundation to file a complaint against the judges.

[snip]

The nine-member judicial commission includes two judges and two lawyers appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and five people outside the legal field appointed by the governor. 

Three of Walker’s appointees have made donations to the governor’s campaign or Republican candidates. Since January, Walker has appointed Saied Assef, Mark Barrette, Eileen Burnett, William E. Cullinan and Lynn M. Leazer to the commission.

Campaign finance records digitized by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign show Barrette donated $1,300 to Walker in 2010 and Burnett donated $4,430 from 2009 to 2011. Assef has donated more than $10,000 to Republicans since 2004, but nothing to Walker.

LINK to report.

LINK to Wisconsin Judicial Commission website

The Teen Zone@ the Lawrence Public Library

LINK

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About "Breastaurants" But Were Afraid to Ask

[Stay abreast with industry news at Restaurant SmartBrief.]

Question.  OK, I'll bite, what the hell is a "breastaurant"?

Answer.  It's restaurant industry analyst-speak for a sports bar that features scantily clad female servers.

Question.  So what's the big deal then?

Answer.  "Breastaurants" are growing faster than the overall restaurant industry.

Question.  Are you kidding me?

Answer.  Nope.  And it's all a rebellion against political correctness, according to those smut-talkin' analysts.

Question.  You're talkin' Hooters, right?

Answer.  Hooters is a one of a number of chains.  The other two noted by SmartBrief are Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and Twin Peaks, although some folks walking into Twin Peaks for the first time, unawares, might be expecting a different theme.

Question.  Where can I find one of these "breastaurants"?

Answer.  That depends.  Generally speaking, you'll have a better chance finding a Hooters if you live east of the Mississippi.  And from the map of locations on the restaurant's website, it appears that you can drive from Norfolk, Virginia, to Boston, Massachusetts, and never be more than an exit away.

As for Tilted Kilt, you'll also want to stay east of the Mississippi.

For a Twin Peaks experience, you're best off being from Texas.

+ 1 location each in Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

The Concealed-Carry Two-Step

1. Fill out the application form. Make sure you enclose acceptable proof of training and the $50 fee.  (Instructions found here.)

2.  Conceal in style.

The perfect style for that backyard barbecue.

Uh....I'm not finding any clothing options for women.  How about a handy organizer purse or handbag?

New Fashion Wrinkle:  Stylishly Hiding the Gun.  (The New York Times, 4/23/2012)

Excerpt: The clothing lines address a perceived need in the concealed-carry subculture. Gun owners say they want to practice “maximum uncertainty,” meaning that if a gun is sufficiently concealed, a potential criminal will be unsure whether to attack. Gun experts say the research is inconclusive about whether such tactics reduce crime. Regardless, the clothing makers are jumping on the line of thinking.

As Goes Wisconsin, So Goes Miami-Dade County

LINK

Doug Moe on Harry Crews (A Large and Startling Figure)

Books by Harry Crews in LINKcat.  I suspect the holds might be a result of Moe's column.

Doug Moe: Harry Crews was a writer's writer. (Wisconsin State Journal, 4/23/2012)

Excerpt:    He was an honest writer. Crews called this “getting naked.” I think other writers were drawn to him because he spoke with such reverence for good writing, and talked often of how trying to write well was the single most important thing in his life. This was not a recipe for successful personal relationships, and Crews’ life away from the typewriter — and, notably, the classroom, where he was a revered writing teacher at the University of Florida — was chaotic.

A Large & Startling Figure:  The Harry Crews Online Bibliography.

Blood and Grits contains the essay, "Going Down in Valdeez", first published in the February 1975 issue of Playboy.  It was Doug Moe's introduction to the writing of Harry Crews.  (See!  Some people do read Playboy for the articles.)

Appleton Area School District Sez "No" to Valley School Watch Request

Link to full document

Appleton school board rejects changes to reading curriculum. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 4/23/2012) 

Excerpt:   Rejecting a campaign by a group of parents unhappy with the choice of books for a high school class, the Appleton Area School District will not offer the option of an alternative ninth-grade Communication Arts course.

Appleton’s Board of Education voted against a request to provide an alternative curriculum for Communication Arts 1010 made by members of Valley School Watch, a parent group formed after an Appleton parent challenged the use of “The Body of Christopher Creed” in 2010 because of its references to suicide and sex. 

“The educational material selection policy states that the parent has the right to judge whether certain materials are acceptable for his or her child,” board member Diane Barkmeier said in a presentation. “However, no individual or organization has the right to limit the students’ access to materials that are part of the district’s educational program.”

Nan Bunnow, AASD humanities director, said it was the district’s responsibility to make sure books used in the classroom reflect the “pluralistic society” students live in, and “foster respect for all groups of people.”

The New Warrensville Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library is Now Open for Business

Link to news about a host of other library building projects.



 New Warrensville Heights library branch should inspire East Cleveland to take another look. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4/22/2012)

Excerpt:   Tracy Strobel wants the Warrensville Heights library to be the community's new McDonald's. 

This $9.75 million building -- with preferred parking for energy-efficient cars -- opened Saturday afternoon. 

A digital recording studio sparkles in the teen section -- welcoming adolescents to lay down poems, music and, perhaps, intergenerational histories. Almost alone in the nation, the library boasts a gigabyte of broadband for pin-sharp distance learning. Vending machines dispense coffee and snacks for consumption alongside the magazines and newspapers. 

Instead of the classic librarian shush, patrons will be coaxed to linger. 

Strobel, deputy director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library, wrote the "plan of service" in the summer of 2010 after two town hall meetings that attracted more than 400 residents and eight smaller focus-group sessions. 

Construction started a year ago, the fruit of former Warrensville Heights Mayor Marcia Fudge's acquisition of the 16 acres where the old Zayre's department store once stood. The central idea was to revive the suburban community with a new center, and, critically, a place where young people might go. 

The branch library -- with free Internet, books, classes and summer camps -- will serve as an anchor. A new YMCA next door will open next month.

<

Thanks to Next Chapter Book Shop for Sponsoring "A Conversation With Rachel Maddow"

LINK

Follow-up Article, Please: Impact of Brown Deer School District IMCs on Student Performance

LINK

Emphasis on literacy pays off for Brown Deer, by Alan J. Borsuk. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/21/2012)

Excerpt: There aren't as many positive stories about closing the achievement gaps between black and white students as anyone would like, but here's one - and it's from right under our noses. 

Brown Deer is a changing community and school district. If that label carries negative weight with you, look at some of the good things happening in Brown Deer, specifically, that the schools are responding well to challenges and getting results. 

Here are a few facts that may surprise you: 

Fewer than a third of the students at Brown Deer High School are white. Just under half are African-American and the rest are Asian, Hispanic or in a fairly new category, "two or more" races or ethnic groups. The white percentage for the district was 75% in 1995-'96, 46% in 2006-'07 and 32% this year. The proportion of students who are low-income - defined as qualifying for free or reduced price lunch - went from 22% five years ago to 39% this year. 

Here's a claim that, to my knowledge (and the knowledge of Brown Deer school officials), no other district in Wisconsin can make: On this year's state tests, black 10th-graders in Brown Deer did better in reading than Wisconsin students as a whole. To be specific, 84.2% of Brown Deer's black sophomores were rated proficient or advanced in reading. For all students in the state, the figure was 78.1%. For all black Wisconsin 10th-graders, it was 47.7%.

LINK

Jimmy Smith's 1956 Debut Album Labeled "Explicit" on Spotify

Let's see now.  He plays a Hammond B-3 organ, is accompanied by bass and drums, and doesn't sing, i.e., the music is all instrumental.

Listen for yourself.

Lakeland Times Series Takes a Look at the Presque Isle Community Library

Looking back on Presque Isle Community Library's beginnings. (The Lakeland Times, 4/20/2012)

Excerpt:   The Presque Isle Community Library goes the extra mile for its patrons to ensure they find what they seek, bringing the world to the small Northwoods community. 

Working with the Northern Waters Library Service, the MERLIN automated catalog system, and the WISCAT catalog service, the library has borrowed books from across the nation, and beyond. 

"Our slogan is, 'Our library has no walls.' We've gotten books from California and Ohio. If Northern Waters can't find it nationally, we have on two occasions gotten international interlibrary loans," Presque Isle Library director Pam Eschenbauch said. "You can get anything you want, and we would be very happy to help you do that." 

Since the Presque Isle Library sends out more materials than it receives, it is known as a net lender. In March, the library sent 537 items out using MERLIN and WISCAT, and received 118 items. A currier comes three times a week just to deliver MERLIN book requests. Once the library patron has received the material, they can return it to any other library that uses the MERLIN consortium. 

"We have a unique collection, as do other MERLIN libraries," Eschenbauch said.

Boogity-Boogity-Boogity: Fitzgerald Fundraising Letter Calls Out BIG LABOR (6 times), MADISON DEMOCRATS (twice), and MADISON LIBERALS (twice)

Note the codespeak in the second paragraph of page 2.

It won't be much different than when Big Labor bussed in out-of-state union activists to protest at the Capitol last February.  But this time they'll be funding campaign cash into state Democrat coffers from Washington to San Francisco.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money