I hope y’all had a really good long weekend! Here’s the scoop.
Libraries in the news
Menomonie celebrates 150 years, featured on WEAU.
Send your news to kilde@ifls.lib.wi.us with “news” in the subject line.
Needed at IFLS: plastic courier envelopes
If you have any of these at your library (see photo), please send them back to the IFLS office. We usually have a good supply of these on hand for distributing items through the courier network, and we are currently out of stock. We are hoping to increase our supply for future needs. Thank you!
Important: big changes in website-land
In mid-August the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division announced on ADA.gov updated regulations to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities act, requiring all websites and mobile apps provided by state and local government entities comply with new ADA accessibility standards.
All public (Title II) entities, including public libraries, will need to have ALL WEBSITE and MOBILE APPS fully compliant with the new ADA standards for accessibility, or suffer the same penalties as when your building is not fully ADA accessible.
Compliance deadlines:
- Libraries serving populations 50,000+ – April 24, 2026
- Libraries serving populations up to 49,999 – April 26, 2027
A comprehensive summary is available from ALA: Ready for It? Ensuring Web Content Accessibility in Libraries
In September Erica and Brendan’s website trainings will focus on introducing the new standards. It’s highly recommend you attend or watch the recordings, even if your website isn’t hosted by LeanWI. Erica and Brendan invite your questions.
Free money for your brain: Sep 16 deadline
Scholarships for any public library worker from the IFLS region–directors and staff alike–are available. Those who have not recently received a scholarship will receive priority for funding, but we also consider other factors, and we will sponsor as many participants as possible. Please check out the exciting line-up of fall scholarship opportunities and apply by September 10. Opportunities include:
- Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference (Green Bay, November 5-8)
- Online classes from the University of Wisconsin iSchool
- Back in Circulation Conference (Madison, October 7-8)
- Library Marketing and Communications Conference (St. Louis, MO, November 13-14)
- Build-Your-Own Inservice for your library! (any time this fall)
These scholarships are provided through funding from the Department of Public Instruction with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. If you have any questions about the scholarships please contact Leah! (langby@ifls.lib.wi.us)
End of public Explore MORE, staff program open until Sep 15
Send (via courier attn: Reb) or scan and email (kilde@ifls.lib.wi.us) your completed tally sheets and entry forms. Send your stamp back to IFLS after the 15th. You can recycle leftover passports after you tell Reb how many you have left.
The next Marketing Monthly will answer questions about the end of the program, and think about what’s next for library marketing. Note: we’re working on an end-of-Library-ELF toolkit for you.