Bexar County's Incomplete Public Library

South Side leaders embrace bookless library proposal. (mysanantonio.com, 1/11/2013)

Excerpt: The county has no library system, and Wolff acknowledged the start-up costs haven't all been calculated, but he's counting on private-sector donations to support the endeavor.

According to a January 11th news release issued by the Bexar County Commissioners Court, ... residents with their own e-readers or tablets would be able to access the collection remotely once they have a library ID. The location also will have study spaces, meeting rooms and a designated interactive children’s area. The center will be open 7 days a week. Eventually, Judge Wolff would like to see the BiblioTech concept expanded to other areas of unincorporated Bexar County.

Wolff notes, perhaps spoon-fed by BiblioTech, that the bookless library concept is taking hold in academia.

A bookless library is likely to have broad appeal.

It's clear where to place Bexar County on this graph.

University Park Texas to Open Its First Permanent Public Library

University Park (TX) Public Library

 

 University Park gets it first permanent public library.  (Dallas Morning News, 1/11/2013)



 

Cost:  $2,500,000

Square footage:  14,699 

 

From Wikipedia.  According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $151,418, and the median income for a family was $200,000+, making University Park the seventh most expensive neighborhood in the USA.  [Emphasis added]

 

14,699 square feet for a well-to-do community of 23,068. 

Budget Cuts @ Ashtabula Area City Schools

Ashtabula school cuts approved. (Ashtabula Star-Beacon, 1/11/2013)

Excerpt: The plan will reduce the student school day to state minimum standards, which is six hours (five and a half hours of instruction and a 30 minute lunch) for grades seven through 12; and five and a half hours (five hours of instruction and a 30-minute lunch) for grades kindergarten through six, according to the plan.

Ashtabula Area City Schools.

Reappraisal of real estate may start by late summer in county.  (Ashtabula Star-Beacon, 5/23/2012)

Excerpt: Residential property values in the county decreased, on average, about 7 to 8 percent, Corlett said. Commercial values fell by up to 10 percent.

Walking It Back @ the Boulder Public Library

Boulder library reconsiders rule barring unattended children under 12. (Boulder Daily Camera, 1/9/2013)

Boulder is "borrowing" more flexible language from the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, where the policy states that children in need of supervision must be accompanied by a parent.

Related post:
New rules of conduct go into effect.  (12/31/2013)

Things Get a Little Testy During Discussion of Library Expansion at Poynette Village Board Meeting

Poynette Area Public Library

Library expansion heats up.  (Poynette Press,1/9/2013)

Excerpt:  Trustee Doug Avery, the village board’s representative on the Poynette Area Public Library Board, wants to establish a timetable on making a decision to get things moving, while library board president Bob Garske voiced his frustration at the process, and wants board action now. After some discussion and a few heated moments as well, trustees voted to hold an open house meeting next month, inviting both the public and the village downtown redevelopment committee to participate.

Related posts:
Expanded library on village board's to-do list.  (12/29/2012)
Catching up.  (8/23/2012)
Space crunch.  (3/8/2012)
Keeping the lines of communication open. 12/15/2011)
Poynette library board president takes village board to task for poor communication. (11/26/2011)
The library as Poynette's anchor store.  (11/10/2011)
Poynette redevelopment project includes space for library.  (9/29/2011)

Wisconsin One of 15 States Without "Revolving Door" Prohibition

Fwiki

Source:  National Council of State Legislatures

Editorial:  Block revolving door at Capitol.  Wisconsin State Journal, 1/11/2013.

Excerpt:   Fitzgerald registered to lobby for American Traffic Solutions. By Thursday, Fitzgerald had added another client: School Choice Wisconsin.    

Sidebar:  According to Wikipedia, ATS is a member of ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force, but on April 13, 2012, ATS announced that it would not renew its ALEC membership in June 2012, which the Arizona Capitol Times reported as due to cost-cutting measures, not politics.)

Find out how Jeff can save your community some big buckolas!

Hmm, not sure how that works retroactively, but, HEY, in future years, it looks as though we'll have more money for the library, right?

NoRoJo 2016, Chapter 2

Ron Johnson: Walmart 'Trying to Grow the Economy' and Doesn't Have Time for Gun Control. (Crooks and Liars, 1/9/2013)

Related post:
Chapter 1.  (1/2/2013)

Evan S. Connell (1924-2013)

Books-to-Movie Suggestion: Evan S. Connell's "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge"/'"Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.

Evan S. Connell was never a "brand-name" author, and perhaps I don't want to know how often people react with blank looks on their faces when the Paul Newman and, even more so, Joanne Woodward are mentioned.

 

Acclaimed writer Evan S. Connell has died at 88.  (Huffington Post, 1/10/2013)



OK, I understand the realities of collection development and retention, but it's a shame that these two books aren't available for browsing in more LINKcat libraries.

I still browse for books.  Does anyone else?

Wisconsin 2013 Assembly Resolution 4 Makes Substantive Changes to the Assembly Rules

If you think the wearing of hats, for example, is a matter of substance.

Adopted 59-37



Behavior in gallery 

The resolution provides that individuals may be admitted to the visitor galleries for the sole purpose of observing the proceedings of the assembly. 

Individuals admitted to the visitor galleries shall at all times 

• remain quiet, 
• act in an orderly manner, and 
• respect the decorum of the chamber. 

The resolution provides that no individual may engage in any conduct that expresses or that may be considered to express support for or opposition to any matter before the assembly or that may come before the assembly. 

In addition, without limitation because of enumeration, no individual in the visitor galleries may use any audio or video device to 

• record, 
• photograph, 
• film, 
• videotape, 
• or in any way depict the proceedings on or about the assembly floor. 

The amended assembly rules specifically state that this policy regarding conduct is established for the purpose of keeping the doors of the assembly open, as provided in section 10 of article IV of the Wisconsin Constitution. 

The resolution provides that an individual may not engage in any behavior in the visitor galleries that the presiding officer determines does not respect the decorum of the chamber or that hinders the right of representatives to the assembly to participate in proceedings in the chamber. 

In addition, no individual may do any of the following in the visitor galleries: 

• lean over or 
• put any object over the balcony; 
• use a laptop or other computer device; 
• stand except for prayer or pledge of allegiance or as otherwise permitted by the presiding officer; 
• use recording devices of any kind; 
• use cell phones or pagers; 
• read newspapers or other printed materials; 
• eat any food or drink any beverages; 
• exhibit public displays or demonstrations; 
• display signs or placards; 
• possess bags or briefcases; or 
• wear hats. 

[First violation] Finally, the resolution provides that an individual who engages in a prohibited action may be removed from the visitor galleries and not be allowed admittance to the visitor galleries for a period of 24 hours. 

For a second violation during a biennial legislative session, the individual may be removed from the visitor galleries and not be allowed admittance to the visitor galleries until the first roll call day of the next regularly scheduled floorperiod. 

For a third violation during a biennial legislative session, the individual may be removed from visitor galleries and not be allowed admittance to the visitor galleries for the remainder of the biennial legislative session.

Dress code on assembly floor; recognition.

You want dress code.  We got Dress Code.



The resolution provides that while the assembly is in session, on the assembly floor in the rectangular area bounded on four corners by the pillars in the front and back of the chamber, members and other individuals should dress appropriately, which has traditionally been considered to include a 

• coat and tie for men and 
• appropriate attire for women. [Hmm, examples, please.]

In this area, no member or other individual may wear an 

• overcoat or 
• hat. 

 The presiding officer may exempt individuals, other than members, from these requirements when appropriate. The resolution also provides that the presiding officer is not required to recognize any member who is in violation of this dress code.

Whoa! Maybe we need to tweak our message for Library Legislative Day

Wisconsin Library Association members.   Have you registered?

The New York Times on the Latest Baseball Hall of Fame Voting: All the News That's Fit to Print

Actually, the Times publsihed a front-page story.

Bonds (and Everyone) Strikes Out

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Hall of Famers by induction year.



Uploaded 8/17/2006

Mukwonago and Its Chiefs

From Wikipedia's "Mukwonago" entry:  History.. The area was originally a Native American village and the tribal seat of the Bear Clan of the Potawatomi Indians. The name "Mukwonago" is derived from "mequanego" which translates to bear's den. The spelling Mukwonago was adopted in 1844 because of the similarity to nearby Mequon.

Mukwonago High School Chief logo

Former student files complaint against Mukwonago High School's indian mascot  (WSAU.com, 8/20/2010)

And now.

Wis. District Refuses to Drop Indians Nickname.  (WMTV, 1/9/2013)

The local weekly newspaper

U.S. Life Expectancy as Mapped by the University of Oregon

LINK

Women at birth

Men at birth

Women at age 60


Men at age 60

Here's an update from the Statistical Abstract of the United State 2012.

Report: Americans live sicker, die younger than othersUS lands near bottom of rankings of developed countries in several key categories.  (Sheboygan Press, 1/9/2013)

Has a Familiar, Almost Bain-ish Ring to It

California CEO Blames Golden Guernsey Troubles on Suppliers, Unions. (Waukesha Patch, 1/9/2013)

But according to this 5/30/2008 item from CMG Newshare-- "TV Guide Returns to Profitability" -- the magazine had already made a turnaround.

Was this really the case?  Probably not.

So then, is this nothing more than a self-serving news release?  Kinda makes you wonder.

Source:  The Association of Magazine Media

50 Years Ago Today: President Locked in Battle with House Conservatives

Wisconsin State Journal

January 9, 1963, page 1

(via Access Newspaper Archives)

And on the same day, the unveiling of "Mona Lisa" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.



Meanwhile, back on the state front.

Wisconsin State Journal

January 9, 1963, page 1

John Reynolds, a Democrat from Green Bay, was elected Governor in November 1962.

Both the Senate and Assembly are controlled by the Republicans.

I'll be able to check out the construction progress next week

The weather looks good.

Somebody's Getting Ahead of Himself, Thinking Scott Walker for President in 2016?

LINK

State ranked 42nd in job creation at midyear, census report shows.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/8/2013)

I think that, come November 2014, Wisconsin voters are going to be more concerned about what folks are doing here.

Governor:  Republican
Senate:  18 Republicans, 15 Democrats.
Assembly:  60 Republicans, 39 Democrats.

Center for an Urban Future Report on New York City's Public Libraries

 LINK

From the introduction: Far from becoming obsolete, the city’s three public library systems— Brooklyn, Queens and New York, which encompasses the branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island—have experienced a 40 percent spike in the number of people attending programs and a 59 percent increase in circulation over the past decade. During that time, 48 different branches citywide have at least doubled annual attendance at programs, ranging from computer literacy classes to workshops on entrepreneurship, while 18 have more than doubled their circulation.

These trends are grounded in the new realities of today’s knowledge economy, where it is difficult to achieve economic success or enjoy a decent quality of life without a range of basic literacy, language and technological skills.

[snip]

This report takes an in-depth look at the role that New York’s public libraries play in the city’s economy and quality of life and examines opportunities for libraries to make even greater contributions in the years ahead

Brooklyn Public Library.  

• Central Library
• Business Library
• 58 neighborhood branches

New York Public Library

• Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
• New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
• Science, Industry, and Business Library
• 40 Manhattan branches
• Bronx Library Center
• 34 Bronx branches

Queens Library

• Central Library
• 59 neighborhood branches
• 2 family literacy centers

Instructive bar graph on page 5 of report.  (New York City population:  8,244,910 -- est. July 2011)

Here's how Wisconsin compares.  (July 2011 estimated population:  5,711,767)

Source:  Wisconsin Public Library Service Data, 2002 and 2011.

50 Years Ago Today: Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Praises Official Wisconsin Highway Map's Design, Content

Wisconsin State Journal, 1/8/1963 (page 4)

Wonder how many of those 1,000,000 maps remain.

Clever, Amusing PSA for SFPL Fine Amnesty Program (from 2009)

Ebooks and the Hype of Emerging Technology

The Hype of Emerging Technology (Gartner Newsroom)

Don't Burn Your Books—Print Is Here to Stay. The e-book had its moment, but sales are slowing. Readers still want to turn those crisp, bound pages. (The Wall Street Journal, 1/5/2013)

Some of the numbers presented in this article:

• 34% - annual growth of ebook sales in 2012 (Association of American Publishers)
• 89% - regular book readers who read a printed book during the previous 12 months  (Pew Research)
• 30% - regular books readers who read at least one ebook during the previous 12 months (Pew Research)
• 16% - Americans who have purchased an ebook  (Bowker Market Research)
• 59% - Americans who say they have no interest in purchased an ebook (Bowker Market Research)

Ebooks cannibalize mass-market paperbacks.    From the start, e-book purchases have skewed disproportionately toward fiction, with novels representing close to two-thirds of sales. Digital best-seller lists are dominated in particular by genre novels, like thrillers and romances. Screen reading seems particularly well-suited to the kind of light entertainments that have traditionally been sold in supermarkets and airports as mass-market paperbacks.

The Dog-Eared Paperback, Newly Endangered in an E-Book Age. (The New York Times, 9/2/2011)

Related posts:
Based on this column graph, print books are not likely to go away anytime soon.  (1/2/2013)
Printed books still lead ebooks by a significant margin.  (12/28/2012)
Ebook market pauses to take a breath.  (12/25/2012)
Year-to-date book revenues:  Jan-Jul 2011 and Jan-Jul 2012.  (11/1/2012)
Libraries get screwed when it comes to price of and access to ebooks.  (9/10/2012)
Millennials lead the way....to fewer bookstores?  (8/22/2012)
Ebooks sliding down the peak of inflated expectations.  (8/18/2012)
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The 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)

Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Overview of State Agency Major Request Items, 2013-15 State Budget

LINK to 212-page document

Criteria for inclusion

1. Fiscal effect in excess of $250,000
2. Significant policy change
3. Requests submitted as of November 30, 2012

A summary of the public library system funding request appears on page 147.

Based on discussions at the 12/5/2012 Library Development & Legislation committee meeting and a 1/4/2013 meeting of DPI staff and WLA and WEMTA representatives, our focus on Library Legislative Day will to be advocate for a restoration of the 10% cut in funding for public library systems funding that went into effort for the 2011-13 biennium.

From  the soon-to-be-released 2013 issue paper for public library system funding.  (The screenshot is just a portion of it.)

Get to Know the 101st Wisconsin Legislature (2013-14)

from Retiring Guy's postcard collection

The 101st Wisconsin Legislature is the first to convene since redistricting was enacted by 2011 Wisconsin Act 43.   As a result, some of you -- like me -- now reside in different Senate and Assembly districts.

Party identification in the 101st Wisconsin Legislature 

• Senate  (info not yet updated here)
• 18 Republicans 
• 15 Democrats
• Assembly (info not yet updated here)
• 60 Republicans
• 39 Democrats

State Senate and Assembly leadership (Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, the week of January 7, 2013)

Senate committee assignments  (of particular interest to Wisconsin Library Association members)

• Education (Sen. Luther Olsen, chair)
• Government Operations, Public Works, and Telecommunications (Sen. Paul Farow, chair)
• University and Technical Colleges  (Sen. Sheila  Harsdorf, chair; Sen. Dale Schultz, vice-chair)
• Joint Finance (members from both houses; Sen. Alberta Darling, co-chair)
• Joint Information Policy and Technology (Sen. Sheila  Harsdorf, co-chair)

Assembly committee assignments

• Colleges and Universities (Rep. Steve Nass, chair)
• Education (Rep. Steve Kestell, chair)
• Joint Finance (Rep. John Nygren, co-chair)
• Joint Information Policy and Technology 

Schedule of committee activities  (nothing listed yet)

The main order of business between now and June 30, 2013, will be the state budget.

The state budget process

What's for Dinner (1963)

Wisconsin State Journal, 1/6/1963 (page 4)

How Much is Enough When It Comes to Conduit Funds?

North of $170,000, apparently, according to Cap Times reporter Jack Craver.  Makes WLA's $700 look like less than a pittance.  (The Alliance for Libraries Fund is in the process of being phased out.)

 

Chiropractors pouring money into Wisconsin elections.  (The Capital Times, 1/7/2013)

Excerpt: In 2012, the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association's conduit fund directed $170,115 to state campaign committees. While that figure pales in comparison to the money doled out by larger interests, such as Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), it is likely a large enough amount to weigh on the conscience of a legislator when he or she is voting on a bill that could affect the chiropractic industry.  [Emphasis added.]

Elections, though, seem to bring out the big money.

The National Rifle Association, for example, spent $800,587.39 in the 2012 recall campaign-- most of it earmarked for anti-Barrett ads.

Right Direction Wisconsin, local political action committee of the Republican Governors Association, spent $9,410,008.32, nearly 60% to bash both Barrett and Falk.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Follow the Money:  PACs and corporations

For Wisconsin Library Association members, a consistently hands-on, participatory presence in political campaign activities is likely to be the more rewarding approach,

The Shape of the 21st Century Library, by Howard Besser (1996): Notes, Quotes & What-Not, Part 3 (Remote Resources, Key Challenge Areas)

Implications of Library Focus on Remote Resources

• Shift of emphasis in collection development:  From acquisition to access 

• “Just-in-case”: Ready for a potential need 

“Just-in-time”: Responding to an actual need 

Shift in librarians’ role

Caretaker of physical collections

Conduit to collections housed elsewhere

Challenge Areas for Libraries in an Online Age

• Flat-fee vs. pay-per use:
• Web-based delivery systems

•  Impact on end user

• Best-seller phenomenon
• Mass-distributed information cheap and available
• Small audience information smaller and harder to find

Consolidation of electronic information providers

• Corporter mergers, buyouts, consolidations
• Decreasing number of independent information providers

Inside Higher Ed

Privacy

• Tracing and selling reading habits.  
• (From the Wall Street Journal, "Your Ebook is Reading You". 
• "It's no secret that Amazon and other digital book retailers track and store consumer information detailing what books are purchased and read. Kindle users sign an agreement granting the company permission to store information from the device—including the last page you've read, plus your bookmarks, highlights, notes and annotations—in its data servers."
• Library's traditional privacy stand and pay-per-view information

Access:  free access in a pay-per-view era.  (Access 2012)

Cultural and economic diversity

• More or less diversity?
• Best-seller phenomenon = least common denominator information
• Affordability of information to less affluent

Related  posts:
Part 2  (11/232012)
Part 1  (11/20/2012)