Request from John Thompson
This is for everybody at your library: directors, library staff, and board members (directors please share with your board members).
As part of 2025 budget and planning process, IFLS is conducting a brief planning survey. Your feedback will help us make decisions on how best to serve you in 2025. Feedback we received from a similar survey in 2023 resulted in the creation of an intellectual freedom committee, a partnership with other systems for website support, and new resources for collection development and trustee orientation materials.
The deadline for the survey is Friday, August 16. Thank you for taking some your time to complete this survey.
Tip Jar is back!
With fall right around the corner, book club requests are coming in fast and hot! Please remember that these requests often contain a specific due date. This date can be found in the Note field of the item paging slip – remember to update the due date after checking out the item to the requestor! For more details, please have staff review the ILL Lending training tutorial found here.
New directors
Join me in welcoming new directors:
- Amy Abele, Ogema Public Library
- Olivia Moris, Altoona Public Library
- Sue Queiser is back at Barron Public Library
- Jennifer Mabie is official at Hawkins Area Library (she’s been acting director)
Don’t miss out
Registration is open for Trustee Training Week
Registration is open for Trustee Training Week 2024 – our 11th season! We have a great lineup of webinars this year and I hope many of you and your trustees will be able to attend! Please share with your trustees. Some libraries hold live viewing parties with lunch for trustees all week. Others view selected recordings before board meetings every year. And still others just share the information with their trustees so they can view at their convenience.
- Monday, August 19: Everything You Want to Know about Book Challenges…and a Bit You Probably Don’t with Tasslyn Magnusson
- Tuesday, August 20: Wisconsin Library Law with Kris Turner
- Wednesday, August 21: Making Each Other Look Good: The Library Board and the Library Director with Jamie LaRue
- Thursday, August 22: Organization & Governance Best Practices for Boards with Charity Tyler
- Friday, August 23: Robert’s Rules Refresher with Thomas Pugh
These high-quality professional development opportunities are free thanks to sponsorship by all 15 Wisconsin public library systems and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Public Library Team, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
All sessions will be recorded and available to use for your board education events at Trustee Training Week website. Each session will provide one contact hour for public library director certification.
Registration is open for Tech Days WI 2024
(Free! Tech! Two of this editor’s favorite words!) Tech Days Wisconsin 2024 is coming up September 17 and 18. Hear from experts from any location! Another amazing series sponsored by all 15 library systems and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Public Library Development Team, with funding support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
- From Basics to Breakthroughs: AI Strategies for Library Leaders
- Navigating Artificial Intelligence Through a Public Librarian’s Lense
- Empowering Lifelong Learning: AI Guidance for Enhancing K12 & Library Education – an update from the DPI
- Virtual Reality for Career Readiness – Details to Come
- Trends in Emerging Tech with Laura Solomon
All the details are on the Tech Days website or the IFLS calendar.
DPI Releases AI Guidance for Schools and Libraries
Version One of AI Guidance for Schools and Libraries (link), is now available. The document was developed by Monica Treptow, School Library Media Education Consultant, and Chris Baker, Public Library Consultant, with cross-agency expertise. It’s a digestible overview of current AI considerations for schools and libraries.
This will be an ongoing discussion, so watch this space for future updates!
In case you’re feeling like sharing those opinions
- Maternal and Child Health needs assessment survey is on track to have the most responses ever! Results will be used to plan the family health programs and projects for the next five years. Please get this out to your community so the voices of rural Wisconsin are heard loud and clear!
- Librarians at North Carolina LIVE investigating how libraries market their e-resources. They’ve got a 20-minute survey (link) for any library to complete.There’s a chance to win one of five $100 Amazon gift cards.
Coming up on the IFLS calendar