SLIS in the news

SLIS Director Kristin Eschenfelder was recently featured in both The New York Times and the Sauk Prairie Eagle newspaper. She weighs in in the NYT's Room for Debate section, discussing the topic "Does the Law Support Inventors or Investors?" Read Kristin's arguments here. She is also quoted in the Eagle, discussing the role of libraries in small communities, saying "libraries have always been about more than books." Read the Eagle article here.

The Future of E-Books and Libraries

When you walk into a library to borrow a book, traditionally we think of a printed book. A solid material you take home after it is checked out. However, a growing number of library patrons now turn to electronic devices to enjoy their reading; thus, the question of e-book enters the equation. 

Earlier this year there have been several talks between the Big Six Publisher (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House and Simon & Schuster) and libraries regarding the introduction of e-book lending. Overall, the Big Six has been reluctant to team up with public libraries due to their fear of library e-books undercutting other sales. Currently, libraries are paying high prices to obtain e-books' titles from the Big Six Publisher. HarperCollins has a 26-lend limit on its library e-books. Random House nearly triples its e-book prices in March and Hachette recently confirmed it would more than double its prices.

Although there have been many obstacles, things are moving slightly forward. In June, Penguin launched a one year pilot project with vendor 3M and the New York Public Library. Macmillan officials recently announced that the publisher is also working on a pilot program that would enable e-book lending for libraries. This development is monumental since libraries have been fighting for equal access to e-books citing that library patrons should have equal access to print and electronic books. Despite recently developments, the future of e-books and libraries remain uncertain. 

What do YOU think?
Readers what do you think about e-books and public libraries? Do publishers have the right to be concern about their sales? Do public library patrons have the right to access e-books? Do you think a six-month delay release for public library e-books is fair?  

For more articles on the future of e-books and public libraries: 
The Digital Shift: Macmillan Confirms Ebook Pilot for Libraries         Publishers Weekly: Macmillan Poised to Test Library E-book Model
The Wall Street Journal: Libraries Cut E-Book Deal With Penguin
paidContent: Hachette to Raise Ebook prices for libraries by 220%

Current SLIS student's YA Lit for Adults reading program in the news!

Toni Streckert, a current SLIS student and the Outreach and Teen Services Coordinator at Monona Public Library is in the news this week! 

Monona Public Library

Streckert, a self-described "book pusher," noticed adults who were looking for tight, fast, well-written reads in the YA section-- not the adult fiction shelves.  Since she has a great appreciation for YA lit--"they have some of the most exciting, concise writing"-- she started recommending titles.

Her innovative YA Lit for Adults Bookclub has garnered lots of attention locally as a great place for adults to confess their love of Young Adult literature and get new perspectives and book recommendations. Librarians, school teachers, parents, and lovers of literature who were drawn to the genre come to Monona to talk about a new book every few weeks and share their opinions.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman for May 17th

 The next meeting is on May 17th, and the group will read Unwind by Neal Shusterman. 

Check out the full article here:
Book clubs appreciate grown-ups' newfound attraction to teen lit
OR log onto Monona Public Library's website to sign up for the next meeting!

UW SLIS alum Lillian Wallis leaves massive gift to Hennepin County Library

Lillian Wallis

Who says the good die young? 

Lillian Wallis, who graduated from the UW School of Library and Information Studies in 1950 died at 85 in September, 2010 after a long life of travel and library service.  But what might have been a sad post on the loss of a great librarian who really believed in how libraries could serve and enrich a community has turned into a much more fitting elegy:  celebration!

Lillian, who retired as technical services chief from Minneapolis Library in 1987, willed the bulk of her estate-- $646 thousand dollars-- to Hennepin County Library.  In typical librarian fashion, she organized her life and her finances in such a way that her legacy and impact on her community will continue long after her death.  Her gift stipulated that the money should be used to buy popular titles that circulate.  Brava, Ms Wallis!

Read the full article from the Star Tribune here: 
Librarian leaves $646K gift for Hennepin bookshelves

ALA calls on Congress to restore support to libraries in FY2012 budget

Check out the eponymous article here:
ALA calls on Congress to restore support to libraries in FY2012 budget.

This press release, of April 15th, is about the deep cuts to library services that the new federal budget bill, H.R. 1473, could make.  The bill includes a $28 million cut to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and shuffles the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program (which is the only federal program for school libraries) off on the Department of Education to determine funds for school libraries. 

ALA is making a case to Congress as the budget process moves forward.  ALA President Roberta Stevens  says:
“These cuts in funding hurt people throughout the United States who depend on libraries. We are putting our nation at a disadvantage as we compete in a world that realizes and values the importance of being educated and informed.”

Librarians: Masters of the info universe

When the economy looks bleak for just about everyone, sometimes it's hard to believe that you're on the right track in a degree program.  Well, here's a good reason to be confident in an LIS education:  CNN thinks librarians rule the world!

 

This morning's article, titled Librarians: Masters of the info universe, CNN librarian Kerith Page McFadden highlights some of the important things librarians are capable of doing in a world increasingly overloaded and information-sick, and gives an ego-boosting run-down of some of the famous thinkers and leaders who have been librarians or library workers.  Check out some these highlights, be confident in your degree, and celebrate National Library Week with us!

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Past library workers include world leaders and a famous lover...guess who!
• "Star Wars" creator George Lucas has his own research library on his Skywalker Ranch.
• The chief librarian of Basra, Iraq, saved 30,000 books by removing them from library before it was destroyed.
• A librarian found one of Beethoven's final compositions at Palmer Theological Seminary when she was clearing out the archives.

Happy Spring Break!

Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/mar/28/acallforposterpoems

Spring Break is upon us!  Even as the bitter winds and 3-5 inches of snowfall continue to plague us, the university calendar reminds us that, hey, spring might be coming soon!  The SLIS Library offers reduced hours over break, so if you are trying to write that paper, collaborate on that presentation, or just feel like reading and watching the lake thaw, come visit us!  Our break hours are as follows:

Saturday and Sunday, March 12-13: CLOSED

Monday thru Thursday, March 14-17: 9AM - 5PM

Friday, March 18: CLOSED (furlough day)

Saturday and Sunday, March 19-20: CLOSED

We wish everyone safe travels and relaxing times over the next week!  Regular hours will resume on March 21st.

ALSO!  Reminder for continuing SLIS students: Check out the fall timetable while you have some time off from classes.  Advising week here at SLIS is the week following spring break, so don't forget to make an appointment with your advisor.

The History of Content: A Neat Infographic

We are constantly thinking about the forms that information can take here in librarianship.  I came across this infographic from sketchee.com that really made the think about the form of content today and how it relates to earlier forms: (post found here)

Content: An illustrated history by Sheldrake & Karoshikula is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Where do you think content will go in the future? 

Inform Thyself! Gov Docs Librarian's research guide to the Wisconsion State Budget

This just in:

Beth Harper, the Government Documents Reference Librarian at Memorial Library, worked with SLIS student Kim Pittman to create a new research guide to the Wisconsin State Budget!

This guide provides links to government documents about the state of Wisconsin budget, specifically documents about:

* the 2011 budget repair bill
* the 2011-2013 biennial budget
* the budget process in Wisconsin
* and links to relevant state agencies

The guide is available at on the Memorial Library website (URL noted below) in the "government" and "political science" categories. Check it out, and let Beth know if you have any suggestions!

http://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/wistatebudget

UW Forward Launches New Interface!

If you managed to make it to our workshop Sunday last month, you know a little about Forward, the UW system's experimental OPAC. After copious testing and adjusting, Forward developers are please to announce the launch of the new Forward interface, found here. The new interface should improve searching, browsing and viewing records. Take a chance to play around with the new interface and let Forward developers know what you think using their feedback form!

Workshopolooza!

Ever feel frustrated that you can't make SLIS Library workshops during the week because of class or work?  Well, here is your chance to knock out a bunch of workshops in one fell swoop!  Tomorrow (Saturday, February 5), the SLIS Library will be hosting our first Workshopolooza, featuring four workshops in five hours!  Come  to the library and learn to build a website with Dreamweaver, led by Tien-i Tsai at 12.  Get organized by learning your way around Zotero with Rebecca Karr at 1:15.  Delve into the open source integrated library system Koha, at 2:30 pm with Walker Evans.  And close the day with a demonstration of Forward, UW's experimental resource discovery tool at 3:45!

We look forward to seeing you all in a day designed for fun and cooperative learning!

Library Legislative Day!

Mark February 22 on your calendars, SLISers, and plan to attend Library Legislative Day at the Concourse Hotel on the square!  Library Legislative Day is a day during the year when librarians, directors, and library enthusiasts descend upon our capitol to advocate for their libraries to state legislators.  It's a great opportunity for networking and professional development (as advocacy is a huge part of our profession).

Make sure to register and attend some of the sessions!  Voice your support for libraries' programming and funding!

When can I come to the library between now and next semester?

We made it to the end of another semester!  Hope everyone's finals go well.  Just a reminder about the schedule for the SLIS Library over Winter Break:  We will maintain regular hours through the 22nd.  On December 23rd, we are open from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.  The SLIS Library will then be CLOSED until January 2nd, 2011.  For the two weeks before classes start again, our hours are as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00AM - 1:00PM
Wednesday: 1:00PM - 5:00PM
Saturday, Sunday: Closed

We will be closed on Monday, January 17th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Normal hours will resume on January 18th for the spring semester!

JLG Booksale Blowout!

With the holidays coming up fast, do you need some ideas for gifts that won't break the bank?  Come to the SLIS library from now to Wednesday, December 8 to peruse the JLG Booksale Blowout!  Hundreds of titles for $1.00 on Monday, $.50 on Tuesday, and $.25 on Wednesday.  All proceeds go to the Jail Library Group.

Buy some books for a good cause!

LIS Web Resources

The librarians at the Library and Information Science Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has compiled a diverse list of LIS resources. Topics range from “general” to “acronym” to “research and publishing in LIS.” The list may be somewhat overwhelming to someone newly entering librarianship, but it does include many useful resources—both helpful and humorous.


One of the site's more humorous resources is its collection of library quotation web sites—which includes a link to the Laughing Librarian. The Laughing Librarian collects quotations from a variety of sources, including historical literature, academic articles, and television. As the semester comes to a close, perhaps the following adages will lighten your mood as well as your workload.

"Are all librarians this much trouble?"

--Stephen Sommers, from The Mummy

"I really didn't realize the librarians were, you know, such a dangerous group. ... You think they're just sitting at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them. You know, they've had their budgets cut. They're paid nothing. Books are falling apart. The libraries are just like the ass end of everything, right?"

--Michael Moore

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