1. VISTA volunteers available for summer 2009
2. George Hall retires after 12 years with DPI
3. Job-seeking in public libraries is focus of new issues brief
4. National Library Week - Celebrate April 12-18, 2009
5. Rural Assistance Center provides free information on rural issues and resources
6. Bilingual website connects Latinos with disabilities to employment opportunities
7. Broadband for libraries referenced in Senate stimulus bill
8. Website of the Week - 50th Anniversary of NASA
9. Calendar
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1. VISTA VOLUNTEERS AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER 2009
The Department of Public Instruction is participating in a Summer VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) project. For the first time, VISTA volunteers will be available for summer-only assignments (8 weeks). Typically their service is for 12 months. The program is intended to involve the VISTA workers with anti-poverty efforts. This could involve having them work with summer reading programs, tutoring, mentoring, outreach, etc. Unlike their 12-month activities, the summer project allows more flexibility and the volunteers can do much more direct service.
Public libraries, as well as schools, are eligible applicants and can apply through DPI for a Summer VISTA Associate. A limited number of slots are available COST-FREE to sites; these will be available on a first come, first served basis. Otherwise, in rural communities the library would pay $1524, and in urban areas libraries would pay $1589 for 8 weeks of service.
In addition to a monthly stipend, the VISTA volunteers are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward tuition or educational loans. For more information, contact Betsy Prueter at 608-267-7290 or
betsy.prueter@dpi.wi.gov no later than Monday, February 16.
2. GEORGE HALL RETIRES AFTER 12 YEARS WITH DPI
George W. Hall retired on January 30 after 12 years as Office Assistant/Office Operations Associate for the Public Library Development Team (PLDT). George was the only office support staff for the PLDT for the last six years. In addition to general office support duties, George did much of the day-to-day processing for the Public Librarian Certification program, assisted with the administration of the federal Library Services and Technology Act program, and maintained an accurate Wisconsin Public Library Directory.
George's helpfulness and expertise in many topics will be missed-from English usage to the most arcane features of Microsoft Word and other software.
Many current and past DPI employees and other friends attended George's retirement party on January 30.
3. JOB-SEEKING IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES IS FOCUS OF NEW ISSUES BRIEF
In the second of a series of reports related to technology access in U.S. public libraries, the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research & Statistics (ORS) is drawing attention to the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in supporting job seekers. The issues brief draws from national data published in the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (
http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding). The new issues brief is available for download at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ors/plftas/IssuesBrief-Jobs.pdf.
"Job-seeking in U.S. Public Libraries" discusses the range of library resources available to job seekers and challenges to maintaining these services. Library staff and users in site visits in nine states report increased use of library computers for job-seeking and e-government services. Nearly 73 percent of libraries are their communities' only source of free computer and Internet access.
"More and more employers - from grocery stores to casinos to state governments - are requiring people to apply for jobs online," said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. "Americans are depending on libraries not only for free access to hardware and software, but also for the assistance and training library staff offer every day. Nearly three-quarters of public libraries report offering information technology training for library patrons."
Library staffs are encouraged to use these briefing papers as educational tools with community stakeholder to raise awareness of the specific - and sometimes unique - concerns of libraries around technology deployment. Staff may also use this format as a template for providing local data and examples related to a given topic.
The briefing reports are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to share key findings from the largest and longest-running study of Internet connectivity in libraries. The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, continues work begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure. The study assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability.
4. NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK - CELEBRATE APRIL 12-18, 2009
National Library Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate. National Library Week 2009 will be celebrated with the theme, "Worlds connect @ your library."
New York Times bestselling author and actress Jaime Lee Curtis is the Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2009 (April 12-18). Bring her messages about the value of America's libraries to your community by downloading public service announcements (PSAs) at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/pio/natlibraryweek/nlw.cfm.
5. RURAL ASSISTANCE CENTER PROVIDES FREE INFORMATION ON RURAL ISSUES AND RESOURCES
If you live in a small community and look for research or statistics on rural topics, or could use some leads on funding opportunities to support rural health and human services, then the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) is a free resource that can help. The RAC is a federally-funded information resource with a range of products and services addressing rural health and human services issues.
The RAC web site (
http://www.raconline.org) has a searchable database of funding opportunities. Anyone who has a project in mind to benefit a rural community can request an in-depth search for funding specific to their project and location. The RAC site also has information guides on over 70 topics such as dental health, domestic violence, tribal health, and grant writing. Guides include frequently asked questions on the topic, links to publications and online tools, organizations and contacts for more information.
Librarians staff the RAC toll-free phone (1-800-270-1898) and email reference service (
info@raconline.org) and offer free search services to support rural health and human services. RAC can do literature searches, funding searches, help find statistics, and connect users to experts within the federal government and research communities.
6. BILINGUAL WEBSITE CONNECTS LATINOS WITH DISABILITIES TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Proyecto Visión is a project to connect Latinos with disabilities to employment opportunities. Its bilingual web site provides information on education, employment, and independent living resources and lists hundreds of job, scholarship, internship, grant, award, and other educational opportunities of interest to Latinos and students with disabilities. The website is frequently updated with information about new opportunities. For more information go to
http://www.proyectovision.net/english/opportunities/index.html
7. BROADBAND FOR LIBRARIES REFERENCED IN SENATE STIMULUS BILL
The economic stimulus bills now going through Congress have extensive sections related to increasing broadband deployment. Both the House (H.R.1) and Senate (S.336) bills include funding to expand broadband deployment and adoption. The bills focus primarily on rural and other underserved areas. Libraries are not specifically referenced in the House bill but the Senate bill does include funding to "provide broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to schools, libraries, medical and health-care providers, community colleges, and other organizations." In addition, the Senate bill includes $200,000,000 for competitive grants for expanding public computer access at various locations including public libraries and community colleges. When the Senate bill passes it will then go to a conference committee to reconcile differences with the House bill. A final version will then need to be passed by both houses before being sent to President Obama. The American Library Association's District Dispatch Website (
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch) posts regular updates on Congressional action on these two bills.
8. Website of the Week
50th Anniversary of NASA --
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/50th/ -- Welcome to NASA's 50th Anniversary multimedia feature. This site is best viewed over a broadband Internet connection with a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768. This site uses the Adobe Flash plug-in. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com.)
9. CALENDAR
February 12, 2009 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee, Madison
March 13, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development, by videoconference
March 22-24, 2009 - Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association Spring Conference, Madison
April 8-9, 2009 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee meeting, Madison
April 12-18, 2009 - National Library Week
April 21-24, 2009 - Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians Annual Conference, Green Lake
May 6-8, 2009 - Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries Spring Conference, Wisconsin Dells
June 8, 2009 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee, Madison
June 28-July 1, 2009 - National Educational Computing Conference, Washington D.C.
July 9-15, 2009 - American Library Association Annual Conference, Chicago
October 12, 2009 - Library Information Technology Advisory Committee, Madison
October 20-23, 2009 - Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference, Appleton
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To access previous issues of Channel Weekly, or to subscribe or unsubscribe, go to:
http://dpi.wi.gov/channel/chweekly.html
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Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (609) 266-8770
For questions about this information, contact Roslyn M. Wise (608) 266-6439
Last updated on 2/10/2009 9:49:20 AM
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