U. of C. prof wants to shelve Obama library idea. (Chicago Sun-Times, 6/22/2012)
Friday, June 22, 2012
Checking out the Checker @ the Yonkers Public Library
Or....even better.....
Jail for Library Employee Who Embezzled Fines. (The New York Times, 6/20/2012)
Related post:
Former Yonkers Public Library employee allegedly steals $163,200 from fines. (8/13/2011)
Best Blog Name Ever (?) and More on the Pomona Public Library
Excerpt: The plan is to spend $400,000 (instead of $1 million) on the library after August 15, by contracting with a third party, municipal or private, to begin near August 16, 2012.
Restructured? As in ______________?
Make that "next week". (6/18/2012)
Excerpt: I'm just a bit cynical; after all, they had all spring to work on this. Surely they didn't walk) into chambers, clap their hands to their faces like Macauley Culkins, and exclaim, "We had no idea that people would be so opposed!"?
Like this?
And since you have "that tune" on your mind.
Related posts:
David Allen is now a card-carrying Pomona Public Library supporter. 6/22/2012)
Vote to close Pomona library postponed to June 25. (6/22/2012)
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs. (6/14/2012)
Columnist David Allen is Now a Card-Carrying Pomona Public Library Supporter
Read Dave's column in the 6/19/2012 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Excerpt: Before Monday's Pomona City Council that might have - but didn't - determine the fate of the Public Library, I decided to show my support: I walked in and got a library card.
Shameful, I know. My thought was that I might have to live in Pomona to get one. According to the policy, though, all you have to be is a California resident with identification.
Ramos got me squared away and issued me a card.
"You can check out up to 30 items. They're due back in three weeks," she said. She added dryly: "After that, we don't know."
Related posts:
Vote to close Pomona library postponed to June 25. (6/22/2012)
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs. (6/14/2012)
Vote to Close Pomona Public Library Postponed to June 25
Will the Pomona Public Library Be Closed? (Los Angeles Times, 6/22/2012)
Excerpt: The city of Pomona, which is home to about 160,000 residents, has just the one public library. If the library's closure is approved, it will shut its doors in August and keep them closed for at least a year. Only if its funding is restored in a future budget vote would the library return.
Related post:
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs. (6/14/2012)
Pew Research: Libraries, Patrons, and Ebooks (Outline/Highlights From a First, Cursory Reading)
Part 1: An introduction to the issues surrounding libraries and e-books
- The strained relationship between libraries and publishers
- The current state of play between libraries and publishers
- The rise of Amazon
Part 2: Where people discover and get their books
The way people prefer to get books in general: To buy or to borrow?
A closer look at libraries
Library card holders vs. non-cardholders:
- 62% of card holders regularly read daily news or a daily newspaper (vs. 52% of non-card holders) and most say they read news on a computer or handheld device.
- 55% of library card holders regularly read magazines (vs. 39% of non-card holders) and 35% of card holders read magazines on a computer or handheld device.
The e-book ecosystem: Where do e-book readers start their search?
Part 3: Library users
Excerpt: It is also worth noting that internet users are more likely than non-users to have gone to the library in the past year and gotten help from a librarian:
How patrons' book-borrowing habits are changing. Many librarians echoed this. “Our customers are still using the library but in different ways. They browse our catalog online, place reserves on the items they want, then pick them up at their location of choice. Many fewer browse the collection in person,”
Changes in library holdings. In our online questionnaire, library staff described how they are attempting to fund e-book collections in response to rising patron demand. One common strategy mentioned by these librarians was to shift some funds allocated from printed collections to digital collections. Others mentioned cutting increasingly obsolete resources, like collections of cassettes or VHS tapes, as well as databases that are rarely used.
Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2010: 11th Assembly District
Public libraries in the 11th District
Milwaukee Public Library (Mill Road Library)
The Democratic Incumbent
Graduate Milwaukee Lutheran H.S. 1992.
Former stockbroker, financial advisor, banker. Member: Prince Hall Masonic Lodge No. 4; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals; National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors; National Association of Black Accountants.
Member: Democratic Party of Wisconsin (fmr. Chairman of 4th Congressional District); Milwaukee County Democrats (fmr. 2nd District vice chairman); YPM (Young Professionals of Milwaukee).
Elected to Assembly 2004; reelected since 2006. (He was unopposed in the 2010 Democratic primary and November general election.)
WI State Representative Jason Fields shares his passion for improving education with technology and how future thinking technology policy is necessary for job creation and economic growth.
The Democratic Challenger
Mandela Barnes announces candidacy for State Assembly 11th District. (Milwaukee Courier, 4/14/2012)
Excerpt: Barnes also spoke about his passion for a better Milwaukee, he stated that he would go to serve on the State Assembly and represent the interests of the 11th district, not others’ interests.
“The state cannot move forward with a broken Milwaukee. Milwaukee is broken, and that is where my focus would be, fixing Milwaukee. There is a huge problem that exists, when we have a $600 million construction project going on in our community (Westlawn) and we do not have any local construction workers working on it. We have no access, and no one can tell us why…that is a problem. And those are the type of solutions that I would work toward.” Barnes said.
Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Massena Public Library Update
Lisa Bero resigns from Massena library board. (Massena Daily-Courier, 6/21/2012)
Excerpt: Ms. Bero’s resignation followed the departures of president John Acton, Vice President Richard Geiser, and members Barb DeLine, Pamela Ouimet and Michael Gleason. Director Lynn Fountain also left after a year of service next month.
Massena council, library employees agree to new contract. (Massena Daily-Courier, 6/21/2012)
Excerpt: MPL staff will receive no retroactive wage increase for 2011, and 1.5 percent for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Current employees will not have to contribute to health coverage, but hires after Jan. 1, 2012 must pay 5 percent of their insurance premium.
The library staff had approved the contract prior to Wednesday’s meeting. Mr. Gray said the contract closely mirrored one employees in the Massena Town Hall received several months ago. He did not have the total cost of the new contract available after Wednesday’s meeting.
Library book sale postponed. (Massena Daily-Courier, 6/19/2012)
Related post:
Administrative meltdown leads to library closure. 6/14/2012)
Excerpt: Ms. Bero’s resignation followed the departures of president John Acton, Vice President Richard Geiser, and members Barb DeLine, Pamela Ouimet and Michael Gleason. Director Lynn Fountain also left after a year of service next month.
Massena council, library employees agree to new contract. (Massena Daily-Courier, 6/21/2012)
Excerpt: MPL staff will receive no retroactive wage increase for 2011, and 1.5 percent for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Current employees will not have to contribute to health coverage, but hires after Jan. 1, 2012 must pay 5 percent of their insurance premium.
The library staff had approved the contract prior to Wednesday’s meeting. Mr. Gray said the contract closely mirrored one employees in the Massena Town Hall received several months ago. He did not have the total cost of the new contract available after Wednesday’s meeting.
Library book sale postponed. (Massena Daily-Courier, 6/19/2012)
Related post:
Administrative meltdown leads to library closure. 6/14/2012)
Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 10th Assembly District
Public libraries in the 10th District
Milwaukee Public Library
The Kinda/Sorta Democratic Incumbent
Strictly speaking, there is no incumbent in the 10th Assembly District, just 4 Democratic candidates vying for this open seat.
However, you could make a case for Sandy Pasch as the incumbent as she currently represents the [pre-2011 Wisconsin Act 43] 22nd Assembly District. She was first elected to this seat in 2008. As the Shorewood Patch notes, however, legislative redistricting turned the district's color scheme from purple to red. Pasch says she will move to Milwaukee or Shorewood if she wins the election. According to Media Trackers, minorities comprise nearly 75% of the population of the newly redrawn 10th District.
Elizabeth Coggs currently represents the 10th District, but she is running for the 6th District Senate seat.
Graduate Bay View H.S. 1972; B.S. Nursing UW-Madison 1976; M.S. Psychiatric nursing U. of Rochester (NY) 1981; M.A. Bioethics Medical Coll. of Wisconsin 1999.
Full-time legislator. Former assistant professor Columbia College of Nursing; clinical nurse specialist; community health nurse. Member: American Public Health Assn.; Wis. Nurses Assn.; National Alliance on Mental Illness (fmr. pres.); American Society for Bioethics and Humanities; National Conference of State Legislatures Health Com.; Midwest CSG Health and Human Services Com.; Wis. Women’s Council; UW Population Health Institute Advisory Bd.; City of Milw. Flooding Study Task Force; Milwaukee Legislative Caucus (chp.). Former member: Hope House (bd. mbr., secy.); American Red Cross – Southeastern Wis.
Elected to Assembly 2008; reelected 2010.
The Other Democratic Candidates
Harriet Callier
Millie Coby
 |
No word yet on her 2012 campaign slogan. Or anything else campaign-related, for that matter.
Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
California's Porter Memorial Public Library Celebrates 100 Years of Service
Porter Memorial Library gears up for the big 100; yearlong celebration culminates in October. (San Jose Mercury News, 6/20/2012)
Excerpt: The community spent the next several years raising funds to build the library, and construction finally commenced in 1912. Folklore has it that even the children chipped in, collecting stones from Soquel Creek and carrying them to the building to use for the fireplace.
"If it's true, we don't know, but that's what the story is," said Julie McDermott, a 15-year volunteer.
But Madsen's family moved to the area in 1975, and she heard first-hand accounts from an elderly neighbor. <
"He was one of the elementary school children who carried the stones up from the creek to make the fireplace, and he still talked about it because it was such an event," she recalled. <
The library opened its doors on Jan. 28, 1913, and it ran continuously until 1978, when voters approved Proposition 13. That reduced funding for public libraries, and after a brief shutdown, residents formed an all-volunteer group, with members pitching in to keep it running ever since.
The Serendipitous Pleasures of Reading the New York Times in Print, Page by Page
Today's example. A series of well-turned phrases in a Doritos Locos Tacos review. Go figure!
Looks Like a Taco, Tastes Like a Chip. (The New York Times, 6/19/2012)
Excerpt: Whatever the technique for applying the spices may be, it eliminates the orange dust problem. A small bag of Doritos deposits a brightly colored residue on the fingertips so thick that it requires a paint scraper to remove it. The shell leaves virtually no trace. Is there hope for Cheetos?
Looks Like a Taco, Tastes Like a Chip. (The New York Times, 6/19/2012)
Excerpt: Whatever the technique for applying the spices may be, it eliminates the orange dust problem. A small bag of Doritos deposits a brightly colored residue on the fingertips so thick that it requires a paint scraper to remove it. The shell leaves virtually no trace. Is there hope for Cheetos?
Elmwood Public Library Looks to a Fresh Start
Elmwood Public Library director fired. (Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, 6/20/2012)
Excerpt: The board considered allegations, in part, that Geraets: [emphasis added]
- Falsified circulation counts of library users.
- Submitted false circulation reports to Dunn and Pierce counties and the state Department of Public Instruction between 2002 and 2011.
- Submitted false library employee wage totals to the DPI.
- Directed library employees to make false reports, possibly out of fear of losing their jobs.
- Engaged in inappropriate, insubordinate and/or demoralizing behavior, including calling village trustees names and swearing and cussing at village personnel.
- Failed to properly catalog books she removed from the library.
- Library bank deposits did not match receipt registers.
- Failed to properly protect library patrons' privacy.
- In 2006, she received a 2.5 percent pay raise while other staff did not.
- Forged Weix's signature on a report in 2010.
- Created such a hostile work environment that part-time employees Linda Weber and Debbie Helmer resigned May 31.
The Pew Center for the States Issue Brief: Widening Gap between States’ Assets and Obligations for Public Sector Retirement Benefits
By request.
Wisconsin at 100%
Pension tension: Retired state workers fear future payments will be squeezed. (Capital Times, 6/20/2012)
Note item IV. B. in the toolbox. (See table of contents.)
Hat tip to Stephen Proces.
Note the only state that's a solid performer in both columns.
Wisconsin at 100%
A more colorful version of this map appears in the Capital Times.
Note item IV. B. in the toolbox. (See table of contents.)
Public Libraries by the Numbers
TECHNOLOGY
90% offer formal or informal technology training.
76.3% offer access to ebooks.
39.1% provide ebook readers for check-out.
65.4% report an insufficient number of computers to meet demand some or all of the time.
41.4% report their Internet speeds are insufficient some or all of the time.
FUNDING
23 states report cuts in state funding for public libraries
56.7% of public libraries report flat or decreased budgets
DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS
87% provide training in general computer skills.
73.3% offer training in general software use.
86.5% offer training in general Internet use.
SERVICES FOR JOB SEEKERS
92.2% provide access to job database and other online job resources.
76% provide assistance to complete online job applications.
34.3% collaborate with outside agencies.
E-GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
96.6% provide assistance in accessing/applying for e-gov services.
70%+ provide assistance in completing government forms.
31% partner with government agencies, non-profits, and others.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
70.7% use social networking tools, such as Facebook.
45.6% use communication tools, such as Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter.
37.3% use photography sites, such as Flickr.
28% use video sharing sites, such as YouTube, Vimeo.
MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
14% have websites optimized for mobile devices.
12% used scanned codes for access to library services and content.
7% have smartphone apps.
How does Wisconsin stack up?
- Slightly above the total U.S. operating expenditures per capita.
- Well below the average percentage of decreased hours of operation.
- Below the average number of computers, which, I assume, is primarily due to the fact that more than half of Wisconsin's public libraries are located in communities of less than 2,500 population. According to the 2009 Public Libraries in the United States, published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the average number of public-use Internet computers in U.S. libraries per 5,000 population is 3.9. Wisconsin's average is 4.3.
- Slower than the average bear.
