Memorandum:
From: Mark Arend,
Assistant Director
Subject: Report of System Activities
Greetings and Happy New Year! The following is an update of activities since our last meeting. I would be happy to provide further details at our meeting, or feel free to give me a call or send an email in advance.
Legislative Update: The first bill of the new legislative session relating to libraries has already been introduced. SB-1 would allow a library board additional options in how donations are handled; a summary is attached as Exhibit E. It’s also a budge year and we are waiting for the Governor to release his budget proposal. I have attached a report: The State budget and your library listing the DPI’s library related requests and explaining how these affect local libraries.
The Wisconsin Library Association’s Legislative Day was held on Tuesday 23 January. 7 member library directors, 4 system trustees, and several member library trustees and Friends representatives visited State Assembly Representative and Senators. Being a budget year it was especially important to have good representation to make the case for library issues.
Strategic Planning Process: At our annual meeting for directors on 16 January we held a session to brainstorm ideas for possible new services and new ways to provide services. A summary of the ideas is attached as Exhibit F. The Strategic Planning Committee will be looking at these, and other, ideas over the next few months.
Library use up in 2006: We have only begun to compile 2006 statistics but early indications are that library use increased again last year. Twenty one of the 26 libraries who have been automated with WALS for more than a year saw increases in use; several of them double-digit percent increases. Overall, circulation was up 3.5% in the WALS libraries.
Library
Director Changes: Two libraries
have new library directors as of the first of the year. Kathy Saemann is
the new director at Oakfield Public Library and Sharon McDowell is the new
director at Montello Public Library. Those of you who have been on the board
for a while may recognize
Attachment
The State Budget and
Your Library
Even though your library doesn’t receive funding directly from the state, there are several items in the Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) budget relating to public library service. The Superintendent of Public Instruction has submitted the DPI request for the 2008 and 2009 state budgets to the Governor’s office for review. The Governor will probably make some changes before submitting the entire state budget to the Legislature in late January or early February.
Comments on any of these items can be addressed to the Governor’s office or to your state legislators.
Public Library System Aids: Your library receives services from Winnefox Library System (you can see more information on system services at: http://www.wals.lib.wi.us/blogs/speakup/2006/08/library_systems_in_wisconsin.html). State statutes require the DPI to request funding equal to 13% of the amount that local cities, villages, and counties fund libraries. The Governor and Legislature, however, are not required to fund systems at that level. Current library system funding is about 8% of local spending.
Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts as well as the 2007 budgeted amount:
2008 $20,939,800
2009 $21,691,600
Badgerlink: If you’ve used the online magazine or newspaper indexes through your library’s web site you’ve used the Badgerlink service. These reliable, up-to-date, and age-appropriate resources are available to all state residents from home, school, or office as well as at the library. The DPI is requesting increased funding to maintain the Badgerlink service at its present level and to add online encyclopedias to the Badgerlink databases. Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts as well as the 2007 budgeted amount:
2007 $2,030,500
2008 $2,519,600
2009 $2,568,900
Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC): The CCBC is a nationally-known examination, study, and research library for librarians, teachers, early childhood care providers, students, and others interested in children's and young adult literature. Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts as well as the 2007 budgeted amount:
2007 $62,700
2008 $75,000
2009 $77,000
The Regional Library is requesting an increase in funding for 2008 to upgrade computer equipment. Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts as well as the 2007 budgeted amount:
2007 $733,600
2008 $911,600
2009 $868,300
Interlibrary Loan contracts for public libraries: Interlibrary loan is when one library borrows something from another library because they don’t own it or their copy isn’t available. If you’ve ever checked out something from your home library that has another library’s name on it you’ve used interlibrary loan. Because of their unique collections the UW-Madison, the State Historical Society Library, and the Milwaukee Public Library receive many more requests than other libraries. To prevent these requests from becoming a burden on these libraries, and to help them maintain their special collections, the state pays these libraries for loaning items to other libraries. Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts as well as the 2007 budgeted amount:
2007 $80,100
2008 $147,600
2009 $151,900
Statewide delivery services: Library systems maintain delivery services to transport interlibrary loan items between libraries. Currently these services are paid for by library systems and federal funding. This budget item would add state support for library delivery. Here are the 2008 & 2009 requested amounts. Because this is a new item there is no 2007 budgeted amount:
2008 $382,000
2009 $401,000