1. Common School Fund aid payments announced
2. Pandemic Plan Resources to Prepare for Possible H1N1 Virus Outbreak
3. DLTCL Programs at the WAPL conference
4. Colorado's Library Research Service survey on the value of an MLIS
5. Rare and ancient written works go online
6. Website of the Week - Confusing Words
7. Calendar
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1. COMMON SCHOOL FUND PAYMENTS ANNOUNCED
School libraries throughout the state are sharing $35.3 million in payments made earlier this week from the Common School Fund. Aid can be used to purchase books, media materials, and computer equipment for public school libraries.
The news release is available on the Department of Public Instruction news release website at
http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/prmenu.html. Please direct comments or questions about this news item to Patrick Gasper, DPI, (608) 266-3559, or Tia Nelson, BCPL, (608) 266-8369.
2. PANDEMIC PLAN RESOURCES TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE H1N1 VIRUS OUTBREAK
Information about the current swine influenza outbreak (H1N1 virus) can be found at
http://pandemic.wi.gov. The site includes current information, national and international resources, links to news articles, as well as pandemic planning checklists that may be of interest for local government planning as well as resources for families and businesses in the library's service area.
The possibility of avian flu several years ago inspired communities to prepare for a wide array of possible emergencies and crises. As with current local emergency preparedness plans, which you may have been involved in developing, the focus for pandemic flu planning should be on prevention, preparedness, and response. Pandemic flu planning should be incorporated into local emergency preparedness plans, and public libraries can play a critical role in distributing information and helping to keep the public informed.
In addition to the state and national resources posted at
http://pandemic.wi.gov, resources prepared by the Department of Public Instruction are available at
http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/pandemicflu.html.
3. DLTCL PROGRAMS AT THE WAPL CONFERENCE
The Division for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning (DLTCL) is contributing to a number of programs at the upcoming Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) conference in Wisconsin Dells. The keynote address will be delivered by Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director of the American Library Association office in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 7, from 9 to 10 a.m. She will address library initiatives in Washington, focusing on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), intellectual freedom, and other legislative issues.
On Thursday, May 7, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., Rick Grobschmidt, Assistant State Superintendent, DLTCL, and Paul E. Nelson, retired director, Middleton Public Library, and Chair of the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Library Development and Legislation Committee, will brief attendees on the state of Wisconsin library legislation and its impact on the WLA legislative agenda. The speakers will also provide an update on status of the state's 2009-2011 biennial budget.
On Thursday, May 7, from 2 to 3 p.m., Lisa Reale, Wisconsin Reference and Loan Library, will demonstrate how BadgerLink is moving into the second decade by demonstrating recent changes, tool, tips, and new features. Also on May 7, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., Martha Berninger and David Sleasman of the Reference and Loan Library, and Lita Haddal, Child Care Information Center, will demonstrate the following Wisconsin library resources: Wisconsin documents and digital archives, virtual reference and resource sharing through WISCAT and the Child Care Information Center. Martha will also team up with others to provide tips on finding answers to difficult reference requests on Friday, May 8, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Vickie Long, Reference and Loan Library, will explore WISCAT's many new and improved features during a presentation on Thursday, May 7, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
On Thursday, May 7, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., Bob Bocher and John DeBacher, Public Library Development Team, will review the latest developments in the Gates Foundation's PC Grant program. This program is for libraries that have already been selected to apply for the grants. On Friday, May 8, from 9 to 10:15 a.m., John will also be part of a group presenting the good, bad, and ugly situations that can occur at public library board meetings and how to avoid the latter. Anders Dahlgren, formerly with the DLTCL, will describe the revised DPI publication, "Space Needs for Public Libraries in the Millennium," and review changes to the facility evaluation process or as part of a library building program. This presentation will take place Friday, May 8, from 9 to 10:15 a.m.
On Thursday, May 7, from 2 to 3 p.m., Steve Sanders from the Instructional Media and Technology Team will give an update on the WINSS (Wisconsin Information System for Successful Schools) database, which tracks the progress of students in a number of subject areas within Wisconsin schools. On Friday, May 8, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., John DeBacher will join several directors to discuss tips and advice about the library field for public library directors.
4. COLORADO'S LIBRARY RESEARCH SERVICE SURVEY ON THE VALUE OF AN MLIS
Colorado's Library Research Service (LRS) has released three "Fast Facts" papers on the results of its first "60-Second Survey," posed in the manner of an online reader poll: short and to the point. With a single purpose, to capture librarians' gut-reaction to "is an MLIS worth it," respondents were asked just seven questions, including the two key questions: 1) Do you feel your MLIS degree was/is worth the time and money invested in it? 2) If asked today, would you recommend pursuing an MLIS degree?
The survey was distributed primarily via listservs and blog posts and resulted in over 2000 responses, including respondents from each of the 50 states and six continents. More than 1,000 of them added comments reflecting their thoughts and feelings about the value of a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree.
The results have been released in three "Fast Fact" Reports, entitled, "What I Learned About the Value of an MLIS Degree: An LIS Student's Perspective," "In Your Own Words: The Value of an MLIS," and "Is it Worth It? The Perceived Value of an MLIS Degree." The reports, along with other Fast Facts reports, can be found AT
http://www.lrs.org/fastfacts/index.php?year=2009.
5. RARE AND ANCIENT WRITTEN WORKS GO ONLINE
National libraries from more than a dozen countries, in coordination with the United Nations' education agency, put some of humanity's earliest written works online April 21 with their launch of the World Digital Library, a web site in seven languages -- English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian -- that leads readers through a trove of rare finds. Among these are a 1562 map of the New World; the only known copy of the first book published in the Philippines, in Spanish and Tagalog; an 11th-century Serbian manuscript; and the oracle bones -- pieces of bone or tortoise shell heated and cracked and inscribed that are among the earliest known signs of Chinese writings. The online archive also contains early photographs, films, and audio tracks. Aimed at researchers, educators, and students worldwide, the site provides page-by-page viewing of the original works, scanned in by the national libraries that took part in the project, often with multilingual narration by curators. The link to the site is at
http://www.wdl.org.
6. Website of the Week
Confusing Words -
http://www.confusingwords.com/ - This website features a collection of words that are sometimes troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused. Some of these words are homonyms (words that sound alike but are spelled differently) and some are just commonly confused.
7. CALENDAR
April 1-30, 2009 - School Library Media Month
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
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
July 10, 2009 - Council on Library and Network Development meeting, Madison
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 5/1/2009 8:44:58 AM
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