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October 21, 2003 The President's Luncheon presentation "Taking the Pulse: the Library as Heart of the Community" inspired this year's conference theme "Libraries @ the Heart". Dr. Gene Musser , a bright and dedicated cardiologist, is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the UW-Health and Medical School. Dr Musser is also quite enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the amazing transformation of the libraries in recent years. Ellen Kort is Wisconsin's Poet Laureate and is the author of 11 books and seven books of poetry. She is the recipient of the Pablo Neruda Literary Prize for poetry and many other awards, currently teaches poetry at the Renaissance Fine Arts Charter School in Appleton.

James Gollata, Director of UW Richland Library, is someone you all know and someone I got to know just recently. I am impressed and humbled by the multi-talented Mr. Gollata, his varied interests, the depth and wealth of experience and accomplishments! In addition to being a library director, Mr. Gollata has led such an adventurous life and has hitch-hiked around the country. He has widely traveled in Europe, he was captain of a pool team, and yes, James can cook! He rode on an elephant and in a hot air balloon. And won't you know, he has even milked a goat! He rides a motorcycle, is a drummer and collects statues of Buddha and other art works. Mr. Gollata is also a gifted actor and has twice played God and once played Judas in theatrical productions. He " tends toward the exotic, and interprets nearly everything and every experience aesthetically". He likes variety (really!) and is quite eclectic. In case you think this is not enough, he is currently working on a novel/memoir!!

If you are not planning to attend the President's Luncheon on Friday, Oct 31, please think again. Three terrific presenters, a cardiologist, a poet, and a library director who underwent quadruple by-pass surgery, will educate you, entertain you, and intrigue you. The food will be hearty and delicious and a beautiful and evocative piece written just for the event will be performed at the luncheon. What else can you ask for? Don't miss this unique event on Friday, Oct 31, Noon-2 pm, Grand Ballroom center.

October 14, 2003 "Scientists have found that laughter is a form of internal jogging that exercises the body and stimulates the release of beneficial brain neurotransmitters and hormones. Positive outlook and laughter is actually good for our health!" (Drs. Gael Crystal & Patrick Flanagan). Laughter is still the best medicine out there!

The "Libraries @ the Heart" invites you to laugh with Will Durst and enjoy some of the lighter moments of the conference on Wednesday, Oct 29, 5:30-6:30 pm. Mr. Durst will be delivering his keynote speech in the Grand Ballroom West/Center.

This former Milwaukeean is sure to entertain you with his lively, refreshing and humorous comments, his keen insight, and unique strength and style of his delivery. Described as "busier than a blind squirrel neck-deep in an almond sorting warehouse", Durst frequently contributes to several magazines, leading newspapers, and is a regular commentator on NPR, CNN Headline News, etc. He received seven consecutive nominations for the American Comedy Awards Stand Up of the Year. He has appeared more than 400 times in TV shows including PBS, HBO, The Today Show, David Letterman, A&E, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, and the Comedy Central. Mr. Durst hosted and produced the award winning PBS series "Livelyhood", which examines work and its relationship to personal and community life.

The LA Times called him "a modern day Will Rogers", the San Francisco Chronicle hailed him as "heir apparent to Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory" and the Chicago Tribune called him a "hysterical hybrid of Hunter Thompson and Charles Osgood". This accomplished and gifted satirist says that his heroes remain the same since he was a 12-year-old boy: Thomas Jefferson and Bugs Bunny! Don't miss Durst's informed and intelligent comments and pointed and refreshing humor.

Don't miss this opportunity to see and hear one of America's leading political satirists! Remember the old saying: He who laughs ...lasts!

The 2003 WLA Conference is proud to showcase the new products and services by numerous vendors. You will see many familiar faces among them, and they have been faithfully returning to WLA each year, supporting us and being an integral part of the conference. We know we can count on them. We also welcome some new vendors this year: Action Express, American Locker Security System, ART After School, BBC Audiobooks America, CustomGuide, Inc.,Gareth Stevens Publishing, Hal Leonard Corporation, HGA Architects & Engineers,InfoCor Communications Company, The Book Fair, Inc.,The Book Farm,Voss Jorgensen Schueler Company and Wisconsin Retired Educators' Association.

Got booths? Yes, we do and we invite you to come and explore the products and services. These exhibitors contribute greatly to the success of our conference and theWLA Conference folks, in turn, would like to make them feel appreciated. So be sure to stop by the booths and say hello to our friends there. You will see a wide variety of companies and organizations present. For a complete listing, visit: http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/exhibits.htm

Don't miss the prize drawings, food breaks, and author appearances twice each day at the north end of the Baton Rouge Hall. All this will take place during the no-conflict time (10:00-10:45 am and 3:15-4:00 pm) for your convenience. Visit http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/autograph.htm to see the impressive list of authors lined up at the time-honored autograph garden and the exact schedule of their appearances.

October 13, 2003 Are you still undecided about attending the WLA Conference? You are looking for something more than those excellent sessions, entertainments, outstanding speakers, and area attractions? How about some fantastic give-aways?

Hewlett Packard, one of the giants in the computer industry, is generously donating four HP USB Keys and an iPAQ Pocket PC! Thanks to the nice folks at HP, especially Michael Takemura, there will be five lucky winners among the conference attendees. You will be able to enter the drawing to win any of the five prizes during the Assistive Technology Fair on Thursday between 9 am and 1 pm. Drop by the Technology Fair in the Exhibits area and check out the new gadgets and products. There will be brochures from HP on their accessibility program and products. Around 1 :00 pm, when the Fair closes, the four lucky winners of the USB keys will be chosen and announced.

If you are unable to enter the drawing for the Grand Prize, the iPAQ Pocket PC, during the Technology Fair, don't despair. All attendees will get a chance to enter their names during the Conference Reception at the Milwaukee Public Library on Thursday night. Drawing for the grand prize, the iPAQ Pocket PC, will take place at the President's Luncheon on Friday.

The "Libraries @ the Heart" invites you to meet the YSS luncheon speaker Neil Gaiman on Wednesday, Oct 29. Whether you are partial to comics, children's books, novels, novellas,or films, Neil Gaiman is one best-selling author who would not disappoint you. This gifted writer has produced award winning works in many of these categories and continues to mesmerize his fans with each work. Just in 2003, he published "The wolves in the walls, "1602" (a "six-part look at the X-men set in 17th century England") and "Endless Nights". The book world has been anticipating the return of Gaiman's most famous character, the Sandman, for the last seven years. Neil Gaiman has won many prestigious international awards from Finland, Austria, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Norway! In 2002, his novel "American Gods" won the Hugo award --the Science Fiction Achievement Award. His "Coraline" won the Hugo award for the best novella earlier this year. This famous author, who was born and raised in England, now resides in Wisconsin!

The WLA Children's Book Award Committee selected "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman as the winner of the Elizabeth Burr Award. Mr. Gaiman will be speaking at the YSS Luncheon on Wednesday, Oct 29, Noon-2 pm. The Children's Book Award Committee is planning to present him with the Burr Award at this luncheon. What a great opportunity to meet and hear Neil Gaiman!

The "Libraries @ the Heart" provides all Gaiman fans with another opportunity to meet him and get his autograph. He will make an appearance on Wednesday, from 3:15 to 4 at the time-honored autograph garden! Don't miss it!

October 3, 2003

The "Libraries @ the Heart", the 2003 WLA Conference, is filled with thought-provoking sessions, great speakers, wonderful exhibits, a "night in downtown Milwaukee", opportunities to do fun things and tour some interesting and innovative libraries.

Don't miss the Cudahy Family Library Tour on Tuesday, Oct 28, 7-9 pm. It is one of the newest libraries in the Milwaukee County and is very close to the Conference hotel. Engberg Anderson and Frye Gillan Molinaro designed the 30,000 sq. foot library. A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article described the new building as "a modernist placemaker: a stunning, transparent building that mixes traditional with modern materials (brick, copper, aluminum), generous windows and an uptilted roof." Be sure to go on this tour and enjoy the open house with refreshments.All are cordially invited by the Friends of the Cudahy Library.

The Association of Wisconsin Special Librarians has planned an informative and enjoyable Wednesday afternoon for you. Cynthia Lynch, Director of Library Services, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, will give you a tour of her facility. (We regret that the PDF version on the conference web site has incorrect information about the MIAD tour.) Robert Duchek and Patricia Ellingson will take you through the Corporate Information Center and Law Library at Northwestern Mutual. This tour is from 1:30 to 4:30 on Wednesday, Oct 29. Don't miss it.

** These tours don't cost you anything, but be sure to sign up on the conference registration form** Don't forget to register before Friday, Oct 10. We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

September 30, 2003

Have you checked out the 2003 WLA Conference web site recently? Please take a look and see what's new. Check out the Exhibitors' list at
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/exhibitslist.htm. Be sure to take some time off your busy schedule and stop by these booths and greet them. Gayle Falk reminds you that she's still looking for volunteers to help at many events. If you are able and willing to give an hour or two, please visit this page
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/volunteers.htm and call Gayle Falk at 262-763-7623 or email her at gafalk@burlington.lib.wi.us . Thank you in advance. Don't forget, the deadline for advance registration is Oct 10.

September 28, 2003

The "Libraries @ the Heart" invites you to visit the conference web page http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/index.htm and discover all the wonderful things Milwaukee can offer you and your family. Take a peek at the "area attractions" on the conference page or go directly to http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/area.htm. You will see sightseeing tips and a restaurant guide. These restuarants are sure to please your palate no matter what kind of cuisine you prefer. The restaurant guide will be also available at the local arrangement table. No need to wait until you arrive in Milwaukee; take a look at the website and make plans with your family and friends. After attending some great sessions, relax at the beautiful lakefront, stroll through the botanical gardens, visit one of Milwaukee's wonderful museums, and enjoy good restaurants.

Register by Oct 10th to take advantage of the early bird discount. See you at the Conference!

August 21, 2003

"This year's theme, "Libraries @ the Heart" gives us pause to consider the integral part that libraries and those who work in them have in our communities and in our country" says Conference Chair David Weinberg-Kinsey in his welcome message. (http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/). At this difficult budget time, when many of our colleagues are facing a tough job market, and some of us are having second thoughts about our chosen profession, it helps all of us to stop and reflect on what people (famous or not) say about libraries and librarians and remember what a library means to people from all walks of life.

Here are just a few...(gathered from various websites)

Nutrimentum spiritus.
(Food for the soul.)
— Inscription on the Berlin Royal Library

"In my day the library was a wonderful place.... We didn't have visual aids and didn't have various programs...it was a sanctuary.... So I tend to think the library should remain a center of knowledge."
— Cited in American Libraries, July/August 1980, p.411-412
Norman MAILER (1923-

"The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries."
— Cosmos
Carl SAGAN

"The best of my education has come from the public library ... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library."
(Lesley Conger)

"My mother and my father were illiterate immigrants from Russia. When I was a child they were constantly amazed that I could go to a building and take a book on any subject. They couldn't believe this access to knowledge we have here in America. They couldn't believe that it was free."
— Kirk DOUGLAS (1916- )

"I am what the librarians have made me with a little assistance from a professor of Greek and a few poets. "
— Quoted by J.R. Kidd in Learning and Society
Bernard Keble SANDWELL (1876-1954)

"Getting my library card was like citizenship; it was like American citizenship."
Oprah Winfrey

"When I was a kid and the other kids were home watching "Leave it to Beaver," my father and step-mother were marching me off to the library."
Oprah Winfrey

"What in the world would we do without our libraries?"
Katharine Hepburn

"Access to knowledge is the superb, the supreme act of truly great civilizations. Of all the institutions that purport to do this, free libraries stand virtually alone in accomplishing this mission. No committee decides who may enter, no crisis of body or spirit must accompany the entrant. No tuition is charged, no oath sworn, no visa demanded. Of the monuments humans build for themselves, very few say "touch me, use me, my hush is not indifference, my space is not barrier. If I inspire awe, it is because I am in awe of you and the possibilities that dwell in you"
Toni Morrison

"I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved. "
Barbara Kingsolver

"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better. "
Sidney Sheldon

"Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually. "
James A. Michener

"Librarians have always been among the most thoughtful and helpful people. They are teachers without a classroom. No libraries, no progress."
Willard Scott

"The library profession is ... a profession that is informed, illuminated, radiated by a fierce and beautiful love of books. A love so overwhelming that it engulfs community after community and makes the culture of our time distinctive, individual, creative and truly of the spirit. "
(Frances Clark Sayers. From: quoted in The Reader's Quotation Book)

And just a few minutes ago, a retired faculty member called one of my wonderful colleagues " the angel of library science"!

I guess our hearts are in the right place after all...

August 11, 2003

The 2003 WLA Conference, "Libraries @ the Heart", has lined up an impressive list of authors for the time-honored autograph garden. Take an early peek into the garden and plan on being there when your favorite author is scheduled to make an appearance.

Wednesday, October 29

Thursday, October 30

August 6, 2003

If you are looking for that perfect book for the beach or backyard patio, stop looking and start reading the "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane. Then join your colleagues for a lively book discussion at the WLA Conference in October. Gary Niebuhr, Director of the Greendale Public Library, will lead the discussion which will be held on Wednesday, October 29 at 9:00 p.m. Snacks and a cash bar will be available.

Mystic River begins in 1975, when a young boy named Dave Boyle got into a car. When Dave came back four days later, he was different in a way that destroyed his friendship with Sean Devine and Jimmy Marcus. Now Sean's a homicide investigator , Jimmy's a store owner with a prison record and mob connections, and Dave's trying hard to keep his demons safely submerged. When Jimmy's daughter Katie is found murdered, each of the men must confront a past that none is eager to acknowledge.

Enjoy this exciting mystery this summer and then kick back after a day at the conference for an interesting book discussion." With Mystic River, a passionate, ambitious novel of crime, punishment, and misplaced revenge, Lehane fulfills his early promise and takes his place as an important American writer."

July 16, 2003 - Dessert's on us! @ The Heart of the City

On Thursday evening, after a great dinner on the town, join us for dessert at two of Milwaukee's premiere libraries located in the heart of the city. Whether you're interested in state-of-the-art technology, special collections, or historic architecture, you'll find it all at these libraries.

Receptions: 8:00 -10:30 PM

Experience "The Making of Milwaukee", during a slide presentation by author and historian John Gurda, beginning at 8:15 PM at the Central Library. Shuttle service between the reception sites will be provided.

Fun, excitement, and yummy treats!! Make your hotel reservation today.

June 27, 2003

"Libraries @ the Heart", the 2003 WLA Conference congratulates and welcomes Deborah Blum, winner of the Banta Award! The Banta Award is for literary achievement by a Wisconsin author selected by the Literary Awards Committee of WLA. Deborah Blum's "Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection" won the award this year. The Banta Award will be presented to Ms. Blum at a gathering on Wednesday, Oct 29, 10:45-Noon at the WLA Conference in October.

"Love at Goon Park" is about the life and research of the controversial scientist Harry Harlow. Harlow's research provided hard evidence that a loving relationship in infancy is vital to social and intellectual development of the child, thus challenging the long-held belief that children can be harmed by too much affection and that they relied on parents only for food.

Deborah Blum who teaches Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, won the Pulitzer Prize for "Monkey Wars". In "Monkey Wars" she presented the positions taken by both scientists and animal rights activists on the issue of using primates in medical and psychological testing. Another work by Ms. Blum, "Sex on the Brain", is a study about the differences in the structure and functioning of male and female brains, based on the latest scientific evidence.

Don't miss this great opportunity to meet the award-winning journalist Deborah Blum on Wednesday, Oct 29, 10:45-Noon at the Mardi Gras Room, Four Points Sheraton. The Awards Banquet is on Wednesday, Oct 29, 7-9 PM in the New Orleans Room.

A big thank you to those of you who already contacted Gayle Falk and volunteered your time. Gayle would like to hear from more of you. Please contact her at gafalk@burlington.lib.wi.us.

June 11, 2003

The WLA Children's Book Award Committee selected "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman as the winner of the Elizabeth Burr Award. Mr. Gaiman will be speaking at the YSS Luncheon on Wednesday, Noon-2 pm. The Children's Book Award Committee is planning to present him with the Burr Award at this luncheon.

Neil Gaiman is a prolific author and has won awards after awards for his comics/graphic novels. From 1992-1998, Neil Gaiman won many prestigious international awards from Finland, Austria, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Norway! Norman Mailer praised that Gaiman's "Sandman is a comic strip for intellectuals". Ten Sandman collections have been published and the collections have sold several million copies. In addition to Sandman, he is the author of many other works like Stardust, Smoke and Mirrors, Dream Hunters, Death: the High Cost of Living, etc., and a six-part TV series for the BBC, "Neverwhere".

Gaiman's first children's book was "The Day I swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish" was listed by Newsweek as one of the best Children's books of 1997. Neil Gaiman had the world's attention as a top writer in modern comics, but he is also a best selling novelist now. And he makes us all very proud by residing in our beautiful Wisconsin!

Elizabeth Burr Award for the best children's book to "Coraline" adds another glorious feather to his cap!

Don't miss this exciting event on Wednesday, Oct 29, Noon- 2 pm.

June 4, 2003

Jam -packed with interesting and informative sessions, tours, and special events, the 2003 WLA Conference in Milwaukee looks most promising and exciting. Many units are sponsoring some fabulous programs and tours. Watch this space for more information on all of them.

On Wednesday, Oct 29, 10:45-Noon MATS,TSS and SWITCH will be sponsoring a session on "What's Hot and What's Not: Library Technologies and Trends from Applets to Z39.50." Roy Tennant, Manager, eScholarship Web and Services Design at California Digital Library is the speaker. Mr. Tennant is also presenting another session "Is MARC Dead? What Comes Next?" on the same day from 2pm-3:15 pm. This Program is also co-sponsored by TSS/MATS.

Join us for an exciting presentation at the YSS Luncheon on Wednesday, Noon- 2 pm. Neil Gaiman, an outstanding author and resident of Wisconsin, will discuss "his wide-ranging and evocative body of work." Mr. Gaiman will also present the "Graphic Novel" at 4-5:15 on the same day. There is no doubt that his comics, rather the 'Graphic novels", have made a big impact on the publishing world. This program is sponsored by YSS and Co-Sponsored by WAPL, RASS, Readers Section, and WASL.

Don't miss this great opportunity to meet and listen to John Gurda, the Milwaukee-born writer and historian. At the evening reception on Thursday at MPL Central Library, Mr. Gurda will present a "slide program that captures the full sweep of the community..." and it is sponsored by WIGLHR. Plan to go on a tour of the Marquette University's beautiful new John P. Raynor, S.J. Library as part of this reception.The state of the art facility will
feature an information commons, a teaching and learning center, group study
spaces, a conference center and an Internet cafe.

The President's Luncheon on Friday, Noon-2 pm, is sure to intrigue and entertain you. UW Health and Medical School Cardiologist, Dr. Gene Musser, Wisconsin Poet laureate Ellen Kort and Library Director and Quadruple by-pass survivor James A. Gollata will offer a program from each person's perspective: "The Heart as a physical entity, as poetic image, and as a metaphor for the library community". They will also perform an evocative piece written for this event.

Volunteers, we need you. This is your conference and we need your talent, creativity and time to make it a success. Please contact Gayle Falk at gafalk@burlington.lib.wi.us . Thank you in advance.

Stay tuned for more highlights in the upcoming weeks.

April 1, 2003

Will DurstWill Durst is keynote speaker for Libraries @ the Heart 2003 WLA Annual Conference.

The WLA Annual Conference in Milwaukee promises to bring a wide array of outstanding programs to the Wisconsin Library Community. Will Durst, America’s premier political comic, will deliver the keynote address at the WLA Conference in October at the Four Points Sheraton in Milwaukee. This former Milwaukeean is sure to entertain you with his lively, refreshing and humorous comments, his keen insight, and unique strength and style of his delivery. Described as “busier than a blind squirrel neck-deep in an almond sorting warehouse”, Durst frequently contributes to several magazines, leading newspapers, and is a regular commentator on NPR, CNN Headline News, etc. He received seven consecutive nominations for the American Comedy Awards Stand Up of the Year. He has appeared more than 400 times in TV shows including PBS, HBO, The Today Show, David Letterman, A&E, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, and the Comedy Central. Mr. Durst hosted and produced the award winning PBS series “Livelyhood”, which examines work and its relationship to personal and community life.

The LA Times called him “a modern day Will Rogers”, the San Francisco Chronicle hailed him as “heir apparent to Mort Sahl and Dick Gregory” and the Chicago Tribune called him a “hysterical hybrid of Hunter Thompson and Charles Osgood”. This accomplished and gifted satirist says that his heroes remain the same since he was a 12-year-old boy: Thomas Jefferson and Bugs Bunny! Don’t miss Durst’s informed and intelligent comments and pointed and refreshing humor.

The President’s Luncheon presentation “Taking the Pulse: The Library as Heart of the Community” inspired this year’s conference theme and promises to be dynamic. The UW Health and UW Medical School Cardiologist Dr. Gene Musser, Wisconsin’s first Poet Laureate Ellen Kort, and librarian, poet and quadruple by-pass survivor James A Gollata will give their perspectives on “the heart as a physical entity, as poetic image, and as a metaphor for the library in the community”.

One important change this year is that the Awards Dinner will be on Wednesday night. This event traditionally has been held on Thursday nights in the past.

The Conference Planning Committee needs your time, skills, and creativity to make this conference a great success. Please consider lending some time to volunteer and contact Gayle Falk at gafalk@burlington.lib.wi.us

Plan early to attend the WLA Conference, October 28-31, in charming Milwaukee and bring your family. There is so much to see and do in Milwaukee. The conference hotel is Four Points Sheraton, 4747 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee. Book early and make sure you have a room!

In addition to the WLA Newsletter, you will be able to visit the WLA website soon for information on the 2003 Conference. Stay tuned for updates on programs and special events.

Vanaja Menon
2003 WLA Conference Publicity Chair