We appreciate you!
Thanks to every single one of you. This year’s ALA tagline was spot on: our libraries work because you do. You’re an inspiring group of people to work with. It’s an honor.
Delivery Survey Week, May 1-5
Questions? Submit a HelpDesk ticket or contact Katelyn at noack@ifls.lib.wi.us.
Overdrive Update: May 1 is a big day (from Cecelia)
The legacy OverDrive app will sunset on May 1st. After the OverDrive app is sunset, users who try to access your library’s collection in the OverDrive app will see a message informing them that they need to upgrade to Libby. The Recommend to Library (RTL) feature currently available on the Wisconsin’s Digital Library website and in the legacy OverDrive app will also be removed on May 1, 2023, and has been replaced by the new Notify Me and Deep Search features. For more information on both of these updates, please see IFLS’s E-Resources page. Questions? Contact Cecelia Cole, Resource Sharing and Collection Consultant.
New on the website: data tracking help! (from Leah)
Leah created a 13.5 minute video about using the Data Tracker for counting programs and self-directed activities for the annual report. She also included in some general definitions and tips about things people often get confused about. She put the video in our Niche Academy, but also linked directly to the video on the website article: Program Tracking: What You Need to Know. Here’s a direct link to the video: https://vimeo.com/817755573
Baker & Taylor tool review (from Barb, Deer Park)
Barb discovered a tool on the Baker & Taylor TB360 website under the Customer Service Menu: Customer Service Dashboard – Orders.
One pane displays a circle graph of total units. You can select the order date range that is displayed. Hovering over a circle graph category will display the number of items in that category, double-clicking on it will open a list of titles with details about each item ordered. The data can be exported in a CSV file. Another pane displays a list of recent orders along with the current status. Clicking on the PO Number will open a list of the items on that order. The third pane is your Order History over a date range presented in a bar chart. Again hovering over a bar will display data for that date.
Barb found the Dashboard to be easy to navigate, the layout uncluttered and easy to read, along with useful information.
Help your community get this important information
The WI DNR is asking for your help to get the word out to potential applicants about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Well Grant programs. These programs are providing funding to well and water system owners to replace, reconstruct, treat, or abandon their wells or water systems.
A flier with a helpful overview of the grant programs, eligibility requirements and how to find more information can be found here. More information about the programs is also available on the grant program webpages:
It’s all fun and games
Chris Baker, a Public Library Consultant at the Department for Public Instruction, is putting together a Games and Learning Cohort with librarians around the state. The goals:
- Communicate and pool resources
- Share resources with new-to-gaming library workers
- Collaborate on projects
Interested in participating in this group or just keeping an eye on communication? Contact Chris Baker at Christopher.baker@dpi.wi.go. Also, please share your noteworthy games-based programs or initiatives at your library with Chris! He’ll be sharing the information with a colleague at the iSchool who is developing a course.
$$$: Make your dream idea come true
Do you have a project that needs a boost? Are you dreaming up a service you’d like to develop but don’t have funding?
WiLS Ideas to Action Fund applications are being accepted now through June 5th! The only requirements are for your organization to be a WiLS general member (it’s free and comes with all perks and no strings!) and for you to have a great idea that needs funding.
The lightweight submission form and minimal reporting requirements make this grant opportunity a great fit for organizations strapped for time and resources.
To date, the WiLS Board has awarded over $155,000 to 38 Wisconsin libraries and cultural organizations. The Fund has helped support public libraries in cultivating creative community partnerships in La Crosse, Kimberly, and Appleton, as well as creating practical, ready-to-use materials like the advocacy toolkit in development from Northern Waters Library System. Read about these and all the other projects we’ve funded for inspiration. Questions about the Ideas to Action Fund? Let us know at information@wils.org!
PBS Kids: high quality no-cost webinars
Please consider attending one or both of these free upcoming learning opportunities from PBS KIDS:
“Celebrating Spring & Summer: Changing Seasons Collection with PBS KIDS” Monday, May 1, 2023, 11:30 a.m.
Join PBS KIDS and explore the seasons: spring and summer, in this 30-minute webinar hosted by PBS Wisconsin Education! The lessons have been co-designed by museum and educational partners and feature many of your PBS KIDS friends. Introduce media clips, extension activities, articles, and crafts in your library and share resources with families to strengthen a library-to-home connection. Children will learn about the world around them through science, math, and art activities. As you engage in these lessons, you can feel confident that you are helping children develop an appreciation for the changing seasons! Resources available in English and Spanish.
“Equitable Libraries: Designing Library Programs for All Learners” Thursday, May 25, 2023, 1:00 p.m.
Join PBS Wisconsin Education’s Mouna Algahaithi and Wisconsin’s Library of the Year (‘22) Youth Services Director, Laci Sheldon, to learn about strategies for building communities with an anti-bias, anti-racist, and universal design for learning lens. Participants will learn about PBS KIDS intergenerational model for engaging with families, resources for deepening your own understanding around race and racism, and Sheldon’s Creating Community Beyond Biases: Library Resources programming. Participants will leave this session feeling uplifted, empowered, and ready to take action in their own library spaces.
On the calendar
This week: are you dealing with contentious challenges? This webinar should help.
May 4, 1-2 pm: How to Move Past Midwest Nice Towards Safety and Belonging (Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race)
REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zF7ReorbRv-cpz07xi020w
Creating a culture of belonging for a diverse library staff and patron population takes more than being “Midwest nice.” It requires the confidence and skill to manage conflict directly, either at the moment or later, with attention to power dynamics. In this webinar you will learn:
- principles and concrete strategies to guide your intervention when faced with hate speech or bigotry of any kind in the library, whether from patrons, board members, community stakeholders, or staff.
- strategies to address harm during and after an incident.
This webinar will provide one contact hour for library director certification. It will be recorded and captioned and available on the Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race website after the fact. For recordings of other previous sessions and information about upcoming sessions, check out the website.
Coming up soon on the IFLS calendar