“Welcome Stranger” - immigrant outreach

Earlier this year, the Urban Libraries Council published a look at public library strategies that help communities successfully welcome New Americans. "Welcome, Stranger: Public Libraries Build the Global Village" is a guide to finding the areas in which libraries can make a difference and identifying programs that turn ideas into action."

I can compare some of our current local activities, even while looking for opportunities:

• Our library is a member of a local diversity organization, Toward Community, which is holding its annual "Celebrate Diversity" picnic this Sunday. One of the organizers just checked out CDs from the library's collection of world music to play at the picnic. The library & TC have done many joint programs.
• APL is also active in the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, which on August 23 will hold their annual fundraiser, "Foods of All Nations" on downtown streets near the library. Contact us if you want tickets!
• For the second consecutive year, our library will host a local visit by the Consulate General of Mexico, which will help Mexican citizens renew their official papers without traveling hundreds of miles. The visit, planned in conjunction with our Mayor's office and local Hispanic organizations, will be Oct. 2-5.
• We did some innovative work providing the Prime Time Family Reading program for emergent readers and families in a multilingual format
  
• We have developed, and are close to unveiling, our Hmong Resource Center collection. Our staff, working in concert with the local Hmong community, has been doing a great job.
  

The ULC work "Welcome, Stranger" identifies five strategies for successful immigrant inclusion and community adaptation, including

1. Understand Local Immigration Dynamics
2. Bring Sensitivity to Service Delivery (effective promotion using first languages of immigrants)
   
3. Build English Capacity
4. Create Connections to Local Institutions
5. Encourage Civic Engagement
   

The ULC website says:

Authors Rick J. Ashton and Danielle Patrick Milam, both of ULC, note, "Using their historic role as strong, unbiased public spaces, dedicated to learning and exploration, they [libraries] are fostering public discussion of the challenges faced by both newcomers and the communities receiving them."

and quotes ULC President Martin Gómez:

"It's clear that the public library has an important and vital role to play in providing essential library services as well as directing immigrants to resources in their new communities"

LaRue on intellectual freedom

In a blog posting of a response to challenged title, Jamie LaRue writes:

...here's the truth of the matter: not every parent has the same value system...

...our whole system of government was based on the idea that the purpose of the state was to preserve individual liberties, not to dictate them. The founders uniformly despised many practices in England that compromised matters of individual conscience by restricting freedom of speech. Freedom of speech – the right to talk, write, publish, discuss – was so important to the founders that it was the first amendment to the Constitution – and without it, the Constitution never would have been ratified.

How then, can we claim that the founders would support the restriction of access to a book that really is just about an idea, to be accepted or rejected as you choose? What harm has this book done to anyone?

...if the library is doing its job, there are lots of books in our collection that people won't agree with; there are certainly many that I object to. Library collections don't imply endorsement; they imply access to the many different ideas of our culture, which is precisely our purpose in public life.

This is the crux of why librarians go to bat for unpopular titles -- not to endorse any particular writings or ideas, but to ensure free access to a broad diversity of ideas. Thanks to Jamie LaRue for articulating this so eloquently.

Appleton board backs new library plan

Appleton board backs new library plan
Source: www.postcrescent.com
APPLETON — The Appleton Library Board voted 6-0 Tuesday to endorse a consultant's recommendation to build a 138,000-square-foot library in or near the downtown area.

Good article by the Post Crescent -- though there's not much of a plan yet, but a preliminary consensus that a new building appears to be the best way of meeting current & future needs. The Board is asking for the next step, which would be preliminary design work.

There's a fair amount of discussion on the Post Crescent's page on this story, but I appreciate any questions or comments here -- and I encourage people to read the report.

A community resource, not a recreational luxury

In a July 15 letter to the editor of the Hartford CT Courant, David Samuels decries closing library branches as "another example of how the lack of opportunities in Connecticut's urban communities contributes to generational recidivism."

Samuels continues:

Public libraries are a vital source of information for urban residents, many of whom lack the funds to travel outside their neighborhoods to take advantage of library services. Libraries provide people of all ages access to reading materials and computers, which they use for job searches and other vocational and educational opportunities. Closing down the two library branches further compromises already insufficient support services for Hartford residents.

Lack of opportunity is one of the root causes of violence in Hartford. City officials need to create opportunities for its citizens to succeed, instead of continuing to marginalize them.

These are good points. Because our city is contemplating an expanded or new library, many people are rightly worried about costs. But this concern can go too far, as seen in a letter sent to our library board. The letter states:

I can't even fathom the talk of a new library ... we have schools that cannot afford to pay for teachers and pay for programs ... we have gang and drug problems, homeless people and people who can't find jobs ... shame on all of you

Compare and contrast these points of view. The difference is in a perception what libraries are, can do, and what they mean for a community. Schools and police do not have all the answers. Education is surely important and the library works with the schools, but we provide educational resources for all -- children and adults who need them and can't pay. Books, job information, employment skills information, Internet access, all of these are part what of David Samuels calls opportunities for citizens to succeed.

Yes, times are tough, but we know from long experience -- and we are seeing it again -- that in tough times, public libraries get busier. The decision of what to do about the library building will be one for the people of this community and their elected representatives. But I can't be ashamed of the need. I'm proud of what we do. I'm hopeful for what we will be able to do, and the positive difference we can make in the lives of our users and our city.

Summer reading packs educational value

by Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent of Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction

Summer reading is fun, but there's a special value that extends into the school year. Students who read four to six books during the summer return to school ready to learn.

Research has shown what teachers have known forever: students who do not engage in educational activities during summer vacation suffer learning loss. That loss can amount to as much as two to three months of learning each year. The greatest learning losses are procedural and factual information, meaning children who don't read in the summer tend to start the school year fuzzy on math and spelling. Summer readers, however, return to school in fall more enthusiastic about reading and learning. Many gain a month of learning by staying engaged and involved during the summer break from school.

It really doesn't matter what kinds of materials children read during vacation; in fact, it's better for youth to pick what they like. Joke books, magazines, mysteries, or sports stories-whatever suits their fancy is best for recreational reading. There are no tests or reports. This reading is at a comfortable level to keep it fun. Still, recreational reading develops vocabulary and builds reading speed and comprehension skills.

Wisconsin's public libraries are great for children to select reading material, and the price is right: free. Adding adventure to the reading fun, each year Wisconsin joins 46 member states in the Collaborative Summer Library program, which provides high-quality summer reading materials based on a topic. This year's theme for preschool and elementary students is "Catch the Reading Bug!" Programming for teens centers around "Metamorphosis@Your Library."

Children and teens who register for the Summer Library Program receive a reading record to tally the number of pages, minutes, or books they've read. Many libraries offer literacy games and activities and provide incentives to support reading efforts. This year, in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, children who meet their reading goals earn a day pass good for one free car admission to any one of 58 state parks, forests, or recreational areas in the state. There is so much to gain by reading during the summer. I encourage all families to visit the library and "Catch the Reading Bug!"

Library Building: "Doing nothing is not an option"

The Post Crescent has a fairly good article on the Library Board Building & Equipment Committee's deliberations on our facility study. The only reason the article is fairly good rather than very good is the difficulty of conveying complex topics in relatively few column inches.

Thus, some people reading the article make the jump that we are committed to having a new building at a specific price tag. There is, as yet, no building proposal, decision or plan. Some people are talking about where to put the hypothetical building, and while it's good to dream, it's also premature.

Our study says we need more and better-designed space, for current and future library needs, ideally a new building downtown. The committee endorsed the study's recommendations, and recommended we budget for architectural program design next year. Program design should further clarify issues, determining in more detail how much space we should have and how that space can be configured to get the most bang for the buck.

In fact, the committee discussed at some length why specific plans and associated price tags might be premature. But people want to have some idea of what we're talking about so we talk about specifics even when they're hypothetical. If we build at 138,000 square feet and if the cost is $300 per square foot, the cost would be in the area of $41 million, but the "if" statements represent many very many untested assumptions. Despite that, speculative numbers make headlines.

A new building downtown might be ideal, but what if we do something less than ideal? What would that cost? What are the trade-offs? It depends on what we decide, and we haven't even committed, as a community, to making those decisions.

What we do know is that the needs are real, and it's not just library staff saying so. Our current space is too small for our volume of use, and ill-designed for current types of use, let alone projected use. In the words of a Library Board member, "Doing nothing is not an option for us."

Our best course can only be determined in a lengthy process involving not just the Library Board, but our elected officials. This is a decision for the whole community -- let's keep talking! Read the report -- share your comments.

Library facility recommendations

We have the final report of our facility study from Durrant -- here's a condensed version of recommendations from the executive summary:

Long-term actions:

• Construction of a new library about 138,000 square feet in size in the downtown central business district to meet immediate and long range space needs.
  
• No branch libraries -- due to increased operational costs of multiple sites.
  
• Use “green” building for energy efficiency & a healthy indoor environment. Use construction of a new facility to illustrate benefits of sustainable design.
• Adequate interior public open space and expanded shelving areas to provide enough space for collections and promote ease of use & staff efficiency
  
• Consider a drive-up window.
• Increase the number and variety of types of technology workstations, e.g. workstations designed for multiple users, workstations with an array of software to facilitate collaborative projects, development of content, etc.
• More public meeting spaces, designed for extended hours.
• Better security for collections and allowing meeting room use independent of library hours.
• More outdoor green space near the library.

Short-Term Actions:

• Start processing the collection with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to fimplement an automated material handling system (AMHS) and more efficient and effective system of self-service checkout.
• Begin planning an automated material handling system with a conveyor and sorter to handle returned material.
• Replace the existing self-service checkout units with newer, smaller, more functional units to alleviate staff workload.
• Upgrade bandwidth & technology for heavier computer usage and increased need for media-rich content.
• Replace seating with new, more comfortable seating featuring integrated power and data to support computer use.

Independence Day: thank a veteran ... and a librarian.

As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we hope it means something more than fireworks and picnics. It's important that we remember the Declaration of Independence, because we like to think our country stands for something more than just the place where we live. We need to approach that thought with humility, because the USA does not have a preeminence on patriotism, nor on taking care of our own, nor on freedom.

What we do have is our own story. And the Declaration is a powerful part of that story. Those great words "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The genius of the Declaration was to state a basic philosophy of freedom, and it was the genius of the Bill of Rights amendments to the Constitution to enumerate many of these rights and put them into the language of law.

Freedom is a fundamental quality of the American public library: freedom of speech, freedom to read, freedom to learn, freedom to decide and think for oneself. Our nation's founders understood this idea, and counted on it. Jefferson said “A democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry.” And James Madison, defender of the Bill of Rights, said “A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

So as we think about our national story from July 4, 1776 until today, we should be thankful for all of those who believed in and fought for this country and its best hopes. I'm thankful for many veterans and for librarians who are veterans. I'm concerned for our troops who are fighting today.

But in thinking about our story, I know the freedom to speak requires the freedom to hear, and the freedom to write requires the freedom to read. Part of our national story is the story of librarians who put it on the line to preserve our freedom:

• Trina Magi, who organized librarians in Vermont to work against the USA PATRIOT Act.
• Jerilynn Adams Williams, who fought removal books from public libraries in Montgomery County, Texas
• Ruth Brown, who in 1950 lost her job in Bartlesville, OK for subscribing "subversive" publications, including The Nation, The New Republic, Negro Digest and Consumer Reports
• Jeanne Layton, fired from the the Davis County library in 1979 for refusing to remove Don DeLillo's novel, Americana
• Joan Airoldi, of the Whatcom County Library System in Washington, who successfully quashed an FBI subpoena that was too far-reaching and neglected patron rights, saying "Libraries are a haven where people should be able to seek whatever information they want to pursue without any threat of government intervention."
• Forrest Spaulding of the Des Moines Public Library, who crafted the first Library Bill of Rights in 1938
• The leaders of the American Library Association who framed the Freedom to Read statement during the difficult times of McCarthyism.

The list could be much longer and there are many stories. But on a day of appreciation for our country, I'm thankful for all those who defend our freedoms.

Teaching the catalog with online videos

Staff at our library and at the OWLS system have released three videos this week, using screencasting to highlight new and useful features of the catalog. With a lot of people taking summer vacations, its great that we can "freeze" our holds, so we don't miss stuff we've been waiting for.

Exciting new catalog features allow patrons to "rate" titles and post reviews, a la Amazon. I like it that the catalog is becoming more interactive.

Here are the screencasts. Check 'em out!

Library Foundation - historic video

This video, circa 1989 from the Appleton Library Foundation, gives us a glimpse of the library prior to its last renovation. The video was made by the good media folks at the Aid Association for Lutherans (now Thrivent) to help promote a campaign for our Foundation's endowment. Our Reference staff created this online digital version.
It's interesting to see how things (and people) have changed. Thanks to those who made things happen for our Library Foundation, including those seen in this video: board members John Bubolz & Chuck DeVries, and Library Director Jerry Pennnington.