1. State survey on broadband availability
2. Wisconsin shows improvements in adult literacy
3. New online tools available for National Library Week 2009
4. Lois Lenski Covey Foundation grants for children's books
5. Website of the Week -- The Great Buildings Collection
6. Calendar
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1. STATE SURVEY ON BROADBAND AVAILABILITY
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) has made available on its Website a brief survey on broadband availability in Wisconsin. The PSC is gathering information that may ultimately be useful in addressing where there are unserved or underserved areas in the state. This fact finding is related to the $7.2 billion in federal broadband funding that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Much of the federal funding is targeted at unserved and underserved areas.
For more information, see the "Customer Survey" section at
http://psc.wi.gov/recoveryAct/sfBroadband.htm. This section also has a link to the survey itself. Please feel free to complete the survey and forward this information to other staff and make patrons aware of it too. The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and will likely be available for several months.
2. WISCONSIN SHOWS IMPROVEMENTS IN ADULT LITERACY
The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report showing an estimate of the number of adults who lack basic literacy skills in Wisconsin by county. The report posted online on January 8, 2009 shows that Wisconsin improved from 10% of adults lacking Basic Prose Literacy Skills (BPLS) in 1992 to 7% by 2003 according to the NAAL (National Assessment of Adult Literacy) comparison. This change seems to be part of a national trend among other states, with the exception of border states or states with a high immigrant population like Florida where the number of adults at the lowest level of basic literacy skills rose from 15% in 1992 to 20% in 2003, and in California where an even bigger increase occurred with the numbers jumping from 15% to 23%.
Adults who lack BPLS range from being unable to read and understand any written information in English to being able to locate easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose text, but nothing more advanced. Adults who were not able to take the assessment because they were not able to communicate in English or Spanish (i.e. language barrier cases) are included in the indirect estimates and classified as lacking basic literacy because they can be considered to be at the lowest level of English literacy.
According to Michele Erikson, Executive Director of Wisconsin Literacy, "While Wisconsin shows an improvement, it is important to note that the need for adult literacy services is still very great. Between adults in the Wisconsin Technical College System and those enrolled in Wisconsin Literacy's 58 member literacy programs and other community-based literacy organizations, less than 10% of more than one million adults in Wisconsin who qualify for all levels of literacy services are receiving them, with many programs having waiting lists.
"Given the current economic status and loss of employment among so many in unskilled labor positions, the need and demand for literacy services will greatly increase for programs that are already stretched to meet the need."
An interactive Web tool that shows the National Assessment of Adult Literacy data for all states and counties and the full report can be found at
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/index.aspx.
For more information about adult literacy in Wisconsin, contact Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. at 608-257-1655 or
info@wisconsinliteracy.org.
3. NEW ONLINE TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK 2009
New online materials and products are available to help libraries reach out to their communities during National Library Week (April 12-18, 2009) from the American Library Association (ALA) Public Information Office and the Campaign for America's Libraries. Materials are available in both English and Spanish, focusing on the 2009 National Library Week theme, "Worlds connect @ your library." They include a proclamation, sample press release, and letter-to-the-editor, as well as scripts for use in radio public service announcements (PSAs). Libraries can download materials at
http://www.ala.org/nlw.
Libraries planning to participate in "Worlds connect @ your library" themed programming are encouraged to share their stories with the Campaign for America's Libraries, by sending an e-mail to
atyourlibrary@ala.org.
4. LOIS LENSKI COVEY FOUNDATION GRANTS FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation (LLCF), Inc. annually awards grants to rural and urban, public and school libraries serving at-risk children. The Foundation gives priority to applications from libraries and agencies with real need and limited book budgets. Funds are earmarked for purchasing books for young people, and are not intended for administrative or operational use. Previously awarded grants have ranged from $500 to $3,000. Successful applicants have proposed purchases to update their children's book collections generally or to expand their holdings in specific areas. LLCF grants are solely for the purchase of fiction and nonfiction trade books for young people. Grant funds may not be used to purchase textbooks, encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries, basal readers, or similar texts, or workbooks and like instructional tools.
The Foundation gives to libraries or organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need. In order for a library to be considered, it must have been in operation for at least three years. County or district library systems cannot apply as a whole; public or school libraries within a county or district system are eligible to apply individually.
Links to a downloadable application may be found at the Grant Application web page:
http://www.loislenskicovey.org/4.html.
5. Website of the Week
The Great Buildings Collection --
http://www.greatbuildings.com/ -- This gateway to architecture around the world and across history documents a thousand buildings and hundreds of leading architects, with 3D models, photographic images and architectural drawings, commentaries, bibliographies, web links, and more, for famous designers and structures of all kinds.
6. CALENDAR
March 22-24, 2009 - Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association Spring Conference, Madison
April 8-9, 2009 - 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
May 15, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Stevens Point (TBC)
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 3/19/2009 2:51:10 PM
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