Saturday, August 31, 2019

UPDATE. Racine Public Library: Annual Circulation and Program Attendance, 2009-2018







Racine Public Library in the news:
City proposes county zoo, bus, library sales tax as one way to help budget.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/26/2019)
Palenick said a one-cent county sales tax could generate enough revenue to cover the Racine Zoo, the Racine Public Library and public transportation. 
Racine is one of six Wisconsin counties that does not have a county sales tax. 
Palenick pointed out that a sales tax would bring in new revenue through everyday consumer activity: if a new store opens in an existing building, it would not affect net new construction, but it would contribute through the sales tax.

Racine Public Library adds a part-time social worker to work with patrons facing crises.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/25/2019)
Libraries aren’t just for books anymore; librarians have been called on to be more than just experts on the Dewey Decimal System. They have do a lot more, taking on roles they didn’t expect to when they took the job. 
Darcy Mohr, Racine Public Library’s head of adult and youth services, said that RPL’s librarians “had been identifying needs in the community that they weren’t really trained to answer and to help people with: things like poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental illness. These are things that we were never trained for, in library school, to help people with.”
Q&A: Racine Library director on Cubs, books and race equity.  (Racine Journal Times, 12/25/2018)
Jessica MacPhail, Racine Public Library executive director, came to the library in 1999 and currently oversees a staff of 60 people. 
MacPhail graduated from Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, ill., with a master’s degree in library science in 1976 and worked in Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio before coming to Racine for this position. 
She is a single mother of four children and two grandsons and describes herself as a “maniacal” Cubs fan.
Library celebrates opening of upgraded Youth Services Department.  (Racine Journal Times, 11/16/2019)
Three years ago, the Racine Public Library received a surprise donation of $98,000. The money was left to the library in the will of Marilyn Lois Wilson, who died in November 2013 and whose estate was settled in 2015. 
The money came “no strings attached,” library Marketing Assistant Julia Heiser said, although Wilson had requested the money be used somehow to help the children who visit the library. 
After several years of planning, that money has finally been put to use.. 

Related posts:
Madison Public Library. (8/26/2019)
Milwaukee Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Brown County Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Appleton Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Waukesha Public Library.  (8/28/2019)
Hedberg Public Library, Janesville.  (8/28/2019)
Kenosha Public Library.  (8/29/2019)
La Crosse Public Library.  (8/29/2019)
Marathon County Public Library.  (8/30/2019)
Neenah Public Library.  (8/30/2019)
Oshkosh Public Library.  (8/31/2019)


10/9/2018 update starts here.




Racine Public Library in the news:
Racine library employees remember Peggy Martin.  (Racine Journal Times, 3/16/2018)
Racine Public Library temporarily suspends, eliminates fines.  (Racine Journal Times, 3/22/2018)
Racine Public Library needs renovation and expansion.  (Racine Journal Times, 6/19/2018)
Racine Public Library cards get a makeover.  (Racine Journal Times, 7/19/2018)
Racine Public Library's children’s department to close for renovations.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/15/2018)



Related posts:
Madison Public Library. (10/5/2018)
Milwaukee Public Library.  (10/5/2018)
Brown County Public Library.  (10/5/2018)
Waukesha Public Library.  (10/5/2018)
Appleton Public Library.  (10/5/2018)
Kenosha Public Library.  (10/6/2018)
Neenah Public Library.  (10/6/2018)
Marathon County Public Library.  (10/6/2018)
La Crosse Public Library.  (10/6/2018)
L. E. Phillips Library, Eau Claire.  (10/7/2018)
Wauwatosa Public Library.  (10/7/2018)
Hedberg Public Library, Janesville.  (10/7/2018)
Middleton Public Library.  (10/8/2018)
Oshkosh Public Library.  (10/8/2018)


11/1/2017 update starts here.





Racine Public Library in the news:
Partnership between Sturtevant, Racine Public Library discussed.  (Racine Journal Times, 6/23/2017)
Bookmobile could trade Sturtevant for Racine hours.  (Racine Journal Times, 7/23/2017) 
Racine rolls out new bookmobile.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/2/2017)
The Poky Little Puppy comes home to Racine Wednesday.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/8/2017) 
Library studying Sturtevant branch option.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/26/2017)
Library exhibit commemorates 50th anniversary of Milwaukee's civil rights marches.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/28/2017)
MacPhail:  Western Publishing’s Little Golden Books a success.  (Racine Journal Times, 8/31/2017)
Library, bookmobile closed Friday after bedbugs found.  (Racine Journal Times, 10/13/2017)
No live bedbugs found at Racine Public Library.  (Racine Journal Times, 10/15/2017)


8/14/2016 update starts here.



Source:  Wisconsin Public Library Service Data (2015 preliminary)

Recent RPL news:
Racine Public Library turns up the heat with wi-fi hotspots.  (Racine Journal Times, 7/6/2016)
The library announced Wednesday that it has 10 Wi-Fi hotspots that can be checked out with a library card and taken off library property. The hotspots, which connect phones and computers and other digital devices to the internet, can be checked out for one week and may be renewed if no other patrons are waiting.

Racine Public Library need renovation and expansion.  (Racine Journal Times, 6/19/2016)
Space needs can be seen when story time has to accommodate too many children in its designated area. It can be seen when one of the many popular adult programs requires chairs to be dragged into a second-floor patron space, causing others to complain of the noise. It can be seen by the long waiting lists for computer training because its current space can only accommodate seven patrons at a time. And it can be seen by the constant back and forth of makerspace materials to areas that have to serve multiple uses.

Ad hoc committee wants to add third floor to library.  (Racine Journal Times, 6/12/2016)
The biggest benefit of adding the third floor will be an enclosed meeting space which could hold between 200 and 250 people, according to the architects. The library is in desperate need of such a space, Nash said. “They need an enclosed large meeting room, which they do not have,” she said. “They’re having to use floor space, where people are trying to study, to have meetings.”

Racine Public Library plan would make student IDs into library cards.  (Racine Journal Times, 2/18/2016)
Every student in the Racine Unified School District would be able to access the Racine Public Library with his or her own student identification card at their own school library under a newly proposed partnership. Although the pilot program would start with just one school, officials’ goal is to eventually give every student an ID that doubles as a library card.


Original 8/20/2015 post starts here.




Statistics found at Wisconsin Public Library Service Data: 1996 - Preliminary 2014. (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

Racine Public Library



Population loss in Colorado: Baca County/Springfield


It all started here.

Population loss as in major -- 50% or more. 

Source:  Wikipedia (Baca County, Springfield)

Springfield is the county seat of Baca County.

Population loss by degrees:  80-90%70-79%, 60-69%, 50-59%.
Percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree:
  • 21.4% - Baca County
  • 39.4% - Colorado
  • 30.9% - U.S.
Percentage of population 65 and older:
  • 24.7% - Baca County
  • 14.2% - Colorado
  • 15.6% - U.S.
% of population living in poverty:
  • 19.7% - Baca County
  • 10.3% - Colorado
  • 12.3% - U.S.

The last time a Democratic candidate for president won Baca County was in 1964.  Trump won 81.4% of the vote in 2016, best ever showing by a GOP presidential candidate.

Baca County Library, Springfield

Related reading:
BOOKS OF THE TIMES.  Laying Bare Dust Bowl's Scar Tissue.  (The New York Timee, 12/17/2005)
Egan makes this iconic material fresh by focusing on the plight of a handful of families from the hardest-hit bottom of the Dust Bowl, the western edge of the Oklahoma Panhandle known as No Man's Land; Dallam County due south in the Texas Panhandle; and Baca County in southeastern Colorado.

Other Colorado population loss posts:
Sedgwick County/Julesburg.  (8/28/2019)
Washington County/Akron.  (8/29/2019)
Cheyenne County/Cheyenne Wells.  (8/30/2019)
Kiowa County/Eads.  (8/31/2019)

Other population loss series:

Johnny Isakson retirement puts both of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats in play



Reported in Isakson to Resign From Senate, Citing Health Reasons.  (The New York Times, 8/28/2019)

Sources:  Wikipedia (2000, 2002, 2004), Ballotpedia (2010, 2016)

Isakson won a special election in 1999 to fill a vacancy caused by Newt Gingrich's resignation.  He easily exceeded the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff election.

Source:  Wikipedia

Barbara Ann Johnson Jerman (1926-2019) Warren High School class of 1944



1944 Dragon yearbook


Charlotte's high-school activities:

Carnival (2); Girls' A. A. (2, 3); Junior Shorthand Club (3); Stenographers' Club (4).

1967 Warren City Directory  
1983 Warren City Directory  
  • Jerman Barbara A clerk-typist US Forest Service r112 North Parker Street
  • Jerman George H & Barbara A; h112 North Parker Street

The popularity of Barbara as a baby name is graphed here.  Let's take a look at Ellis.


Ellis peaked at #158 in 1902, after which he expereinced a long and increasingly bumpy decline. until 2011, when he turned it around and jumped up more than 400 places during the next 7 years.

Related links:
Gloria Grotzinger sheet music collection.  (University of Colorado)

Other members of the class of '44:
2019
Gloria Hausaman Grotzinger.  (5/7/2019)

2018
Charlotte Mason Brown.  12/22/2018)
Richard Finley.  (1/10/2018)

2017
Robert Still.  (12/29/2017)
Janet Cannon Templeton.  (11/17/2017)
Marjorie Eleda Larson Brenan.  (10/31/2017)
Charles Gray.  (8/6/2017)
Crissi Danos Verros.  (3/27/2017)
Barbara Chester.  (1/27/2017)

2016
Raymond Elsholz.  (7/26/2016)
Barbara Berdine Graham.  (6/16/2016)
Grace Youug Strand.  (2/13/2016)

2015
Mary Davis Christensen Spencer.  (9/27/2015)
Leonard Lucia.  (7/4/2015)
Mary Blackwell Bancroft.   (6/22/2015)
Kenneth Klenck.  (1/31/2015)

2014
Dolores Nuhfer Anthony.  (9/21/2014)

2013
Marjorie Christensen Anderson.  (10/6/2013)

UPDATE. Oshkosh Public Library: Annual circulation and program attendance, 2009-2018





Oshkosh Public Library events calendar


Oshkosh Public Library in the news:
Community invited to celebrate new children’s area at Oshkosh Public Library.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 1/11/2019)
Explorers Grove will feature a circle of tree-like structures that spans from floor to ceiling; a large animal mural, a reading bench and a discovery station designed for free play and interactive learning. The setting encourages children and their grownups to play together, with hands-on activities that will be changed out periodically. The first set of activities will focus on Wisconsin wildlife and their native ecosystems. 

Related posts:
Madison Public Library. (8/26/2019)
Milwaukee Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Brown County Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Appleton Public Library.  (8/27/2019)
Waukesha Public Library.  (8/28/2019)
Hedberg Public Library, Janesville.  (8/28/2019)
Kenosha Public Library.  (8/29/2019)
La Crosse Public Library.  (8/29/2019)
Marathon County Public Library.  (8/30/2019)
Neenah Public Library.  (8/30/2019)


10/8/2018 update starts here.




Oshkosh Public Library in the news:
Photo: “View from Oblio's back bar looking at Oshkosh Public Library designed by William Waters”.  (Trip Advisor, 7/26/2016)

Not a view seen during my Oshkosh Public Library days, although Oblio's was a favorite watering hole back then.





11/1/2017 update starts here.




Oshkosh Public Library in the news:
Obituary:  Sharon Lenz.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 3/1/2017)
Library, businesses partner for deals this week.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 4/10/2017)
Starting Tuesday Oshkosh Public Library will open at 8 a.m. weekdays.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 8/30/2017)
Dark Stacks event a haunted literary thrill at Oshkosh Public Library.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 10/19/2017)


8/14/2016 update starts here.



Source:  Wisconsin Public Library Service Data (2015 preliminary)

Recent OPL news:
Oshkosh Public Library goes to the dogs.  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 6/20/2016)
Chris Smieja, Tanner's owner, said he has been working as a therapy dog for two years, and enjoy coming to the library to help children build confidence in their reading skills and get more comfortable around dogs.


Original 8/19/2015 post starts here.




Statistics found at Wisconsin Public Library Service Data: 1996 - Preliminary 2014. (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)

Oshkosh Public Library

Comparison tables


Population loss in Colorado: Kiowa County/Eads


It all started here.

Population loss as in major -- 50% or more. 

Source:  Wikipedia (Kiowa County, Eads)


Eads is the county seat of Kiowa County.

Population loss by degrees:  80-90%70-79%, 60-69%, 50-59%.

Percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree:
  • 21.0% - Kiowa County
  • 39.4% - Colorado
  • 30.9% - U.S.
Percentage of population 65 and older:
  • 23.4% - Kiowa County
  • 14.2% - Colorado
  • 15.6% - U.S.
% of population living in poverty:
  • 14.0% - Kiowa County
  • 10.3% - Colorado
  • 12.3% - U.S.

The last time a Democratic candidate for president won Kiowa County was in 1964.  Trump won 85.2% of the vote in 2016, best ever showing by a GOP presidential candidate.

Related reading:
The Rural Life, the Towner Tragedy.  (The New York Times, 9/26/2000)
I was in Eads, Colo., recently, just passing through, which is true of nearly everyone who has ever come to Eads. The town lies on a major truck route across southeastern Colorado. 
What Eads takes from that truck route is hard to tell.  A few people stop now and then at Shepp's drive-in on the edge of town. Plastic lambs line the windowsills, and you can read a religious magazine called Guideposts while you wait for lunch, for the full name of Shepp's is the Good Sheppard Inn. 
But only the locals turn off the truck route and onto the main street of Eads. On one side of the street lies the Crow-Luther Arts Center, which used to be the Plains movie theater. Its marquee says, almost ironically, ''THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE FINE ARTS.'' One of the E's has blown sideways in the wind.
 
Other Colorado posts:
Sedgwick County/Julesburg.  (8/28/2019)
Washington County/Akron.  (8/29/2019)
Cheyenne County/Cheyenne Wells.  (8/30/2019)

Other population loss series: