More residents check out library to save money

Rockford (IL) Public Library

Link to January 3 Rockford Register Star article.

Excerpt:

James is among the many Rock River Valley residents leaning on their local public libraries while money is tight at home. Library patrons are saving hundreds of dollars on high-speed Internet, printer ink cartridges and movie rentals by using their local library.

“I need this library. I need this computer,” said James, a former legal aide, who discontinued her home Internet service after losing her full-time job in mid-November. “I work some nights, but I need something more dependable. There just isn’t much out there.”

Library usage is up throughout the region, say Rock River Valley librarians. More people are walking through library doors this year, more library materials are circulating among cardholders, computer usage is experiencing a bump, and more people are attending library programs.

The More Things Change....

Link to December 30 "College on the Record" post, "73.4 Percent of All Wikipedia Edits Are Made By Roughly 1,400 People".

The next time you're in the vicinity of a library reference collection, take a look at the long list of names of editors and contributors to World Book, Encyclopedia Americana, or Encyclopedia Britannica.

Freshman legislators temper goals with budget realities

Link to January 2 Eau Claire Leader-Telegram article.

Excerpt:
Newly elected state legislators often head to Madison with big dreams of all they can accomplish - and spend - for their districts.

But things are a little different for the freshman class of 2009.
Sure, the three representatives-elect from west-central Wisconsin still believe they will be able help their constituents, but they recognize that filling the state's $5.4 billion budget hole will dominate the agenda.

The Democratic trio - Kristen Dexter of Eau Claire, Chris Danou of Trempealeau and Mark Radcliffe of Black River Falls - has gone through orientation programs for new Assembly members and hopes to hit the ground running after inauguration ceremonies on Monday.