Library News from Menomonie Public Library

2009 Annual Report

Ted — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:27:41 GMT

It is that time of year again when I start thinking about spring. Besides the welcome thaw in the weather, spring means library statistics! It is the time of year when librarians need to get annual reports on library activity to the state and their governing boards. So while I enjoy the first hints of warm weather and the excited chatter of birds, it also a time spent gathering numbers and sweating over the calculator. Librarians even have workshops on doing annual reports. Misery loves company they say.

The numbers are in for 2009 and they do tell a story. I don’t want to bury you in a blizzard of numbers so I will limit myself to a few key statistics.

172,424 visitors to the library in 2009 which is over 500 visitors per-day.
368,015 items were circulated to customers which is an 8.5% icrease over 2008.
20,271 Internet sessions were logged by customers on our computers.
4,397 children attended story times. This was an increase of 860 over 2008.
4,353 children learned about the importance of reading through our programs for the schools and daycare centers.
1,473 children participated in the summer reading program.
1,600 people attended 19 events during our community wide read of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The programs were made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Looking back on 2009 it was a busy year for the library. The Board of Trustees approved a small renovation including new carpeting throughout. The lobby floor was restored and the Children and Teen areas received new furnishings. Despite being closed for nearly three weeks our business was up.

The library also began winter Sunday hours in from 1 – 5 p.m. in 2009. They started off slow but are now a busy day just like any other.

What’s in store for the library in 2010? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are providing us with funds to purchase new computers for public Internet. The landscaping along Wolske Bay Rd. will be restored. The public restrooms will be refurbished. The Youth Department is increasing their outreach to daycares and the Menomonie Middle School. “Reading in the Dog House” where reluctant readers can read to a trained therapy dog is launched. The library is also on the list to receive expanded Internet bandwidth through funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the state of Wisconsin. I am excited about 2010 because I see the library continuing to offer a diverse selection of materials and programs. Please stop by often this year.

February News of Note

Ted — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:28:20 GMT

The library’s Menomonie Reads event, which kicked off January 15, has been rolling along. This community read of bestselling author Sherman Alexie’s National Book Award winning coming of age novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian offers an opportunity for the community to discuss important social issues raised by the book and to remember the Native American heritage of our region. We have given away 600 copies of the book since the kickoff event that featured TRAILS Native American Youth Dance Troupe from Hertel. Peter Phippen, renowned flutist from Eau Claire, regaled us with his skills on Native American flutes last week. This week, we are showing the film Smoke Signals for which Sherman Alexie wrote the screenplay. Professor Jean-Marie Dauplaise will lead our discussion. The film showing begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 7 at the library. The event is free and open to the public.

The library will be initiating a new e-book program in the near future. We will begin checking out Amazon Kindle e-book readers soon. E-book readers have become the rage since Amazon introduced their Kindle reader a couple of years ago. Kindle readers are perennially at the top of most wanted gift lists. This new generation of electronic book readers features so called e-ink technology which rivals the resolution of ink on paper. The library plans to begin its Kindle program by allowing our customers to choose the e-book they want us to put on the Kindle. In no time we will have a collection of local favorites on the Kindles that will reflect the reading choices of our community. Look for this program to commence in the coming months. If you have further questions about this program, contact the library at 715-232-2164 ext. 10.

The library’s youth department has started a new program called Reading in the Dog House Kids Reading to Dogs! Dogs Listening to Kids! This is a story time where kids will be able to read to Harley, a small Shi-Tsu companion dog. Open to children currently in 1st-5th grade. Reading in the Dog House will be held on Tuesdays from 4:15-5pm starting February 2, 2010. Contact Youth Services with any questions. The program is FREE and NO registration is necessary.

2010 Library Trends

Ted — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:10:03 GMT

The past two years one of the most popular holiday gifts to give and receive has been an e-book reader. Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader, and now Barnes and Noble’s Nook have perennially topped the list of most popular gifts. All the e-book readers are based on the recent development of so called e-ink technology. For the first time, the resolution of text on screen rivals that of ink on paper. Frequent travelers and commuters find e-book readers particularly useful because they can carry hundreds of titles on a compact device. Avid readers are also falling in love with e-book readers and the instant gratification of downloading their next must read. Amazon announced that on Christmas Day, for the first time ever, they sold more electronic books than physical books. All those lucky people that were gifted a Kindle trying it out, no doubt.

Not to be left off the gift list, the library will be purchasing e-book readers in 2010. We plan to start checking them out on a trial basis to see if it is a sustainable service and one that is popular with customers. We hope that patrons who don’t already have an e-book reader will the find the library’s reader a good way to try one out before purchasing. The e-book readers will also be a way for us to get more copies of current bestsellers available to our customers quickly.

Another tech development that is sure to keep growing in 2010 is the trend towards downloadable and streaming movies over broadband Internet. Amazon, Blockbuster, and Netflix are all getting into this service in a big way. Users can now download and stream hi-def movie releases over their broadband Internet connections to their digital video recording (DVR) devices. No more waiting for the newest release or even leaving the comfort of your couch. A few clicks of the remote and voila. I’ve noticed that several models of new hi-def televisions are coming with a DVR built-in and gaming consoles are adding this capability. Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix have made 1,000’s of movies available for download. I think this a big trend as more people get broadband Internet to their homes. Public libraries will be able to take advantage of this trend by offering collections of free digital video recordings.

Don’t miss our programs beginning this month:

Menomonie Reads Sherman Alexie’s award-winning coming of age novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Kickoff is January 15 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Dunn County Historical Society’s Rassbach Museum.

Crime Club adult mystery book discussion begins January 17 at 2:00 p.m. in the library. Discussion led by Jessica Moyer. Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell will kick off this exciting new book group.

For a full listing of upcoming programs visit the library’s web site or at www.menomonielibrary.org or stop by.

Thanks to all who remembered the library this year with a gift to our Foundation or Friends group. All gifts are tax deductible and go a long way in helping the library provide materials and programming that benefit all.

Plans for 2010

Ted — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:35:25 GMT

Library staff is currently planning new programming which will begin in January. We are forming a Crime Book Club which will meet the third Sunday of the month beginning January 17th at 2:00 p.m. in the library's meeting room. Menomonie and the library are fortunate to have Jessica Moyer leading this book discussion. She is an experienced book club leader and the author of several publications for librarians including Research Based Readers’ Advisory and Readers’ Advisory Handbook. She frequently presents at conferences on the topics of libraries and reading and is considered an authority on the art of readers’ advisory.

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell will kick off this exciting new book group. Faceless Killers is set in the province of Skane, Sweden. When an elderly farmer is murdered in his farmhouse, inspector Kurt Wallander is assigned to the case. His first and only clue is the dying word spoken by the farmer’s wife, “Foreigner.” Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill will be discussed at the February 21 gathering. To see more titles under consideration for discussion see the library’s web site at www.menomonielibrary.org or contact the library at 232-2164 ext. 10. The library is also considering starting a science fiction/fantasy book club if there is interest. Let us know if this is of interest to you.

Plans are also underway for Menomonie Reads, a community-wide reading event which will begin in January. Our community-wide read last year of The Call of the Wild was successful and I am excited about the community partnerships we are forming for 2010’s read and the title we have chosen. We already have a great lineup of programs and presentations to tie-in with the book so watch for announcements of the kickoff.

Santa and Mrs. Claus are coming for their annual visit on December 7 from 4-6 p.m. Even though I’m too big for his lap I always look forward to the visit. Parents, don’t forget your cameras!

Winter story times begin January 5 every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday through March. Learning Together is for children ages 1-3 years who attend with a parent or caregiver and runs from 10:10 – 10:30. On My Own is for 3-5 year olds and is FOR KIDS ONLY. It runs 10:40 – 11:10. No registration is required for either of these sessions.

Have you noticed the book price war going on between the big retailers Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Target? They are selling selected titles below cost. While this is good for consumers, some publishers and writers are concerned about the downward pressure this puts on the price of all books. They fear that it will make it more difficult for authors to be published as publishers look to print only those books that have the chance to be blockblusters. An interesting debate should follow.

Net Neutrality Debate

Ted — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:57:40 GMT

The net neutrality debate has heated up with the recent proposals from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to govern the flow of information on the Internet. What is net neutrality? It is not easy to find a simple definition. The best one I have come across is from the organization Save the Internet (www.savetheinternet.com): “Net Neutrality simply means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination.”

This debate is interesting because it calls into question the very nature of the Internet and there are so many powerful players on both sides of the issue. On one side you’ve got the big content providers like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Ebay, and Amazon. On the other side you have the big telecommunication providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Time-Warner. With the recent vote by the FCC to implement rules that would “protect” the Internet and keep it neutral, politicians of all persuasions have joined the debate.

Libraries also have a dog in this hunt. Libraries have come to rely on the Internet to provide information resources for our patrons. Many information sources are only available on the Internet. The Internet has become such an important component of our work that the American Library Association (ALA) has come out with a position on net neutrality. For the ALA, net neutrality is critical to intellectual freedom, quoting from their position paper: “Network Neutrality (or "net" neutrality) is the concept of online non-discrimination. It is the principle that consumers/citizens should be free to get access to - or to provide - the Internet content and services they wish, and that consumer access should not be regulated based on the nature or source of that content or service. Information providers - which may be websites, online services, etc., and who may be affiliated with traditional commercial enterprises but who also may be individual citizens, libraries, schools, or nonprofit entities - should have essentially the same quality of access to distribute their offerings. "Pipe" owners (carriers) should not be allowed to charge some information providers more money for the same pipes, or establish exclusive deals that relegate everyone else (including small noncommercial or startup entities) to an Internet "slow lane." This principle should hold true even when a broadband provider is providing Internet carriage to a competitor.”

If you use the Internet, this is a debate of consequence and there are good arguments on both sides. If you want to learn more just type “net neutrality” into your search engine of choice and you will get mountains of information.

For now, I’m going to watch the debate over the FCC’s new ruling on net neutrality more closely. Of course as my teenage daughter likes to point out I have a boring life.

Public library funding a challenge

Ted — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:30:08 GMT

Excerpted from a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation study on public library funding in the United States

"Public library use in the United States is growing. Circulation and visits to U.S.libraries are increasing and a wide range of services, such as literacy classes, teen programs and public access computing, are also experiencing strong demand. But the public funding required to sustain the variety, use and appetite for library services is not keeping pace with demand. For many public libraries, particularly those in smaller rural communities, funding is a growing concern."

"Federal and state funding for public libraries has flattened or declined, and the ability to raise funds from local sources, which represent 81% of all library funding, has also become more difficult."

"Library levies and referenda are being placed on election ballots less frequently in recent years and passage rates of the library levies that make it to the ballot have steadily declined over the past decade."

Sources of public library funding:

Local government funding (81.4%)
Federal government (0.5%)
Nontax sources including fees, donations, fines, etc. (8.4%)
State government (9.6%)

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2007

Libraries are experiencing increased demands for service

Ted — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:21:00 GMT

The current economic climate has made libraries an even more vital part of their communities; they’re busier than ever. It’s a national phenomenon.

Key quote*: "Whenever you have tough economic times, public libraries are a place people go because they have no other alternatives or because they know they are going to get the kind of powerful information that will make a difference in their lives."

--Kristin McDonough, Director of the Science/Industry/Business Library of the New York Public Library.

“Frugal readers drive up library circulation 30%.&dquo; Chicago Sun-Times, 6/28/2009.
“Downturn Puts New Stresses on Libraries”. The New York Times, 4/1/2009.
“Libraries Stressed, Yet Needed More Than Ever.” The Denver Post, 3/22/2009.
*“Hard Economic Times a Boon for Libraries. CNN.com, 2/28/2009.
“In Slumping Economy, Library Use Shoots Up”. Greater Milwaukee Today, 2/10/2009.
"Libraries many benefits rediscovered in hard economic times". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/22/2009.
"Folks Are Flocking to the Library, a Cozy Place to Look for a Job". Wall Street Journal, 1/15/2009.
"Library use up with economy drop." Racine Journal Times, 1/4/2009.
“Check it out: As the economy sags, library use is booming.” The Boston Globe, 1/4/2009.
"As economy goes down, traffic at the library goes up." Wisconsin State Journal, 1/1/2009.

Computer Workshops for Beginners

Ted — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:35:56 GMT

The library will be offering beginner computer workshops in October. All workshops will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the library's meeting room.

Monday, October 12 - Computer Basics
Tuesday, October 13 - Internet 101
Monday, October 19 - Email Basics
Tuesday, October 20 - Microsoft Word Basics

No registration is required. All classes are free. For more information contact the library at 232-2164 ext. 10

Funded by a Library Services and Technology Act Grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services