Inside this issue...

Thoughts from the WAAL Chair--Gene Engeldinger

The first weeks of the fall term are always extremely busy. Sometimes there is a relative lull and then, about mid-November, things pick up again with the students’ mad dash for the finish line at the end of term in December. If we do get a bit of a lull, we should all be prepared to take advantage of it and use the time for recharging our batteries and participate in a few professional development opportunities.

And what better opportunity for professional development and battery recharging is there than the WLA Annual Conference?! This year we will be meeting at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, November 2-5, 2004. Not only is this a wonderful facility, but the program has something for everyone. Frequently, I hear some of my academic colleagues say they find little or nothing of interest at WLA Annual—that it is all public library stuff. Well, all I can say is, “T'ain't so McGee!” to quote from an old radio program. There is plenty at this conference for academics, several sponsored by WAAL itself. Plus, many of our professional colleagues will be there. And, we know we always learn from them whether it is work related information, the latest gossip or another useful something we did not know before.

As I scan the program I find sessions of special interest to public services librarians, both academic and others, as well as some of particular interest to technical services. There are sessions for those of us who are more bookish and those of us who are more electronically-oriented. In addition, there are social activities and organized dinners, and, of course, opportunities for dinner on your own. Check out the program and you will definitely find a session you will like.

I believe this will be another great conference and urge my academic colleagues to attend. I hope to see you all in Lake Geneva in early November.

Program planning is well underway but the Conference Committee welcomes your suggestions. Send your program ideas or speaker names to Jo Ann Carr (carr@education.wisc.edu) or Cheryl O'Connor (caconno@wisc.edu) by October 1st. Watch the WAAL Web site for additional details as they develop. Registration information will be sent to WAAL members early in 2005.

Please mark your calendars and join us at the Monona Terrace in Madison for a capital convergence!

Do you know the next winners of the ACRL Women’s Studies Section Achievement Awards? Nominate a Colleague!

--Phyllis Holman Weisbard, Women's Studies Librarian, UW-System

The Women’s Studies Section of ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) is seeking nominations for two awards that honor major contributions to women’s studies librarianship. Each includes an award of $1000.

The ACRL Women’s Studies Section Award for Significant Achievement in Women’s Studies Librarianship, sponsored by Routledge Press, recognizes one-time achievement, by a group or individual, during the year of the award. Achievement may be in any area of academic women’s studies librarianship including:

Publication of a monograph, journal article, CD-ROM, or website;
Talk or other presentation at a nationally recognized conference;
Innovation in library instruction in women’s studies;
Significant creative and innovative contribution to the work of the ACRL Women’s Studies Section.

The ACRL Women’s Studies Section Award for Career Achievement in Women’s Studies Librarianship, sponsored by Greenwood Publishing, Inc., is designed to honor individual career achievement in women’s studies librarianship. Nominees should have demonstrated significant achievement and contributions in one or more of the following areas:

Service within the organized profession through ACRL/WSS and/or related organizations;
Academic/research library service in the area of women’s studies;
Research and publication in areas of academic/research library services in women’s studies;
Planning and implementation of academic/research library programs in women’s studies disciplines of such exemplary quality that they could serve as a model for others.

Deadline for nominations is December 3, 2004. More information about the awards, including the nomination forms, can be found on our web site at: http://libr.org/WSS/awards/index.html. Past winners of the awards are profiled at http://libr.org/WSS/awards/winners.html.

PDF Flyer/Announcement

Book Now!
And never apologize for what you read!*

--Helene Androski, Memorial Library, UW-Madison

Two Events for Book Lovers:

Many programs are slated for book lovers at the WLA Conference in Lake Geneva, November 2-5, 2004. The keynote address, Wednesday evening, will be given by Nancy Pearl of Book Lust fame. Programs for Thursday include the (ALA and WLA) Notable Books Marathon in the morning and the Banta Award program, with winner Larry Watson, in the afternoon. A book discussion of Larry Watson's Orchard will be held Thursday evening.

The Spring 2005 WAAL Conference will see another book discussion led by - ahem! - me on "The Old and the New Converge: The Immigrant Experience in Fiction." The featured book will be Banta winner, Mary Helen Stefaniak's new novel The Turk and My Mother which features Eastern European immigrants in Milwaukee during the early years of the Twentieth Century and is based on her own family experience. As before, I will compile a reading list, to be posted on the Readers Section Web site, and invite readers to send me their favorite books about the immigrant experience (I already have My Antonia on the list!). Send book recommendations to handroski@library.wisc.edu.

* Motto of the WLA Readers Section

Library Action Figure Photo Contest

Vote for your favorite picture at the WLA Conference Store!

--Nancy Fletcher, WCFLS & WLA Conference Store Manager

WLA is sponsoring a photo contest of the Library Lady Action Figure. Take her on your vacation, pose her in a “tableau,” or include her in that next picture of your library! Perhaps you will catch her at a staff meeting or a board meeting. The WCFLS staff got a picture of her ON the bar at the Olive Garden! And it is rumored that her photo was taken at the governor's office! Contest Details:

Pictures must be no larger than 4 7/8” x 4 ¾” or the size of a single CD jewel case.

Pictures must be displayed and submitted in a single CD jewel case.

Include a caption.

Include name of individual or WLA unit submitting the picture.

Deadline: Friday, October 22, 2004.

Send to: Nancy Fletcher, Waukesha County Federated Library System, 831 N Grand Avenue #220, Waukesha, WI 53186. Outside of Waukesha County, van it to WCFLS.

Awards will be given in the categories of “Farthest Away,” “Most Extreme,” and “Most Creative.” Steve Platterer suggested a category of “Biggest Fish Caught When Used As Bait.” However, no removing of Library Action Figure body parts is allowed.

Remember, Nancy Pearl will be reviewing the photos and, time permitting, has agreed to judge a category. We trust discretion will be used when posing the figure(s). Representatives of Dewey, GUI, Cutter, and Farkle reserve the right to final approval of photos selected for display.

Need a Library Action Figure? Send a check for $7.50 (made out to WLA) to: Nancy Fletcher, WCFLS, 831 N Grand Ave. #220, Waukesha, WI 53186. Figures will be shipped via van unless an additional $1.50, along with a mailing address, is included. PLEASE specify library if it is to be shipped by van. NO tax is charged.

For more information, contact WLA conference store manager Nancy Fletcher at (262) 896-8245 or nsfletch@wcfls.lib.wi.us.

Web Sites for Job Seekers

--Marlys Brunsting, UW-Green Bay

Looking for a new position or want to advance in your career? Don't overlook Job Searching on the Internet, an annotated list of job sites and related pages created by library science students at UW-Madison. Their Web page lists various Internet job sites specifically for librarians, as well as other more general job sites. Find sites offering job seeking advice, view the Annual Salary Survey published by ARL, or research and compare cities across the country. Check it out at: http://www.slis.wisc.edu/beyond/jobs.html.
[Suggestions for improvements are welcome and should be sent to Barbara Arnold at bjarnold@wiscmail.wisc.edu].

Job vacancies are also posted on many electronic mailing lists. Notices often appear here before they reach the collective job web sites. Find a list appropriate to your interests at http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html.

WeLead, WLA Membership Initiative

--Lisa Strand, Executive Director, WLA

WLA is proud to announce an exciting new membership initiative. “Wisconsin Emerging Librarians Exploring and Developing” (WeLead), was proposed by the WLA Membership Committee and approved by the WLA Board at their, August 20, 2004, meeting. To attract and retain new WLA members, and groom members to be active in WLA leadership, WeLead will identify and mentor three “emerging” or new librarians during the next three years.

WeLead will provide valuable opportunities for professional growth and networking to individuals new to the profession and to WLA, while at the same time strengthening the organization by preparing a new crop of WLA leaders. Each individual selected as a WeLead protégé will receive a one-year WLA membership stipends to attend three WLA annual conferences, and to attend one section conference. They will each be paired with a more experienced WLA member and library professional who will meet with them regularly throughout the three years to offer career and professional guidance. In addition, they will be assigned to a WLA committee, task force or other leadership opportunity.

To be a success WeLead needs you! WeLead presents opportunities for involvement at several different levels:
Students and those new to the profession: This is a great professional development opportunity for you.
“Seasoned” WLA members: We need volunteers to accept the responsibility and opportunity to mentor and advise new professionals.
Employers and supervisors: Encourage promising candidates to submit protégé applications.

The first step for those leading the WeLead initiative will be to identify and recruit mentors to work with the selected protégés. Why should you say “Yes!” when approached for mentoring duties? What a great opportunity, and what fun to pass on the wisdom you have gained during your library career, not to mention, the satisfaction of knowing you have contributed to the next generation of library leadership!

The first “class” of protégés will be selected in May 2005. Watch for the announcement of the invitation to apply for WeLead in early 2005.

Wisconsin Association of Public Librarians (WAPL), and Embury Ltd., one of WLA’s vendor members, have stepped forward with funds to support WeLead. Additional sponsors are being sought.

Watch for updates about WeLead in the WLA Newsletter, blog, Webpage and email lists.

Not Your Grandmother's Library!

Tongues were wagging as library users "pinned the tattoo on the librarian"--a feature of UW-Madison, Memorial Library's recent exhibit of collection items devoted to the culture and artistry of body modification. In addition to the opportunity to match photos of librarians to photos of their tattoos, exhibit coordinator and librarian Nikki Busch selected representative titles from the collection to inform the exhibit.

Titles included the following:
Punk and neo-tribal body art by Daniel Wojcik,
Bodies of subversion : a secret history of women and tattoo by Margot Mifflin,
Tattoo; secrets of a strange art as practised among the natives of the United States by Albert Parry, and
The tattooing of both sexes in Samoa by Carl Marquardt.

People & Places in the News

Carroll College

Sue Riehl is the new Public/Technical Services Librarian at Carroll College, in Waukesha, as of August 2, 2004. Previously, Sue was the Cataloging Coordinator and Library Automation Manager for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Marquette University

The final phase of the Raynor Library project included a top-to-bottom renovation of the connected Memorial Library and a permanent closing of the Science Library. Science collections are now fully integrated into Memorial and the combined facility seats 2,100. See a listing of new features: http://www.marquette.edu/library/information/news/2004/Memorial.html

The Libraries’ virtual reference service, AskUs! Live, has gone 24/7 thanks to a consortium of 19 Jesuit university libraries. See information link at: http://www.marquette.edu/library/askus/index.html

The Libraries’ exhibit featuring Jack Kerouac’s original On the Road manuscript runs from September 15 until November 30, 2004 in the Prucha Archives Reading Room. The exhibit is making its third stop in a four-year national tour. Special hours have been announced for the duration of the exhibit. http://www.marquette.edu/library/information/news/2004/kerouac.html

Governor Doyle has appointed Matt Blessing, Head of Special Collections, to a three-year term on the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board.

The Libraries’ all-digital newsletter for fall is posted at: http://www.marquette.edu/library/information/news/fall04/index.html

UW-Baraboo/Sauk County

Jim Bredeson, former Director of the T.N. Savides Library at UW-Baraboo/Sauk County, has begun a new position as the Evening Reference Librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society (August 2004). He served the Baraboo campus and the UW-Colleges Library Council for 15 years, making numerous contributions in service and good humor to the students, faculty, and staff of UW-Baraboo, the Council of Wisconsin Librarians (CUWL), and the WiLS Board.

Stacey Burkart is the current Acting Library Director at Baraboo, as well as the new Chair of the WAAL Publications Committee.

UW-Colleges Library Support Services

Jon Mark Bolthouse began his duties as the Automation Librarian for the UW-Colleges in the Library Support Services department on the UW-Fond du Lac campus, August 30th, 2004. Jon Mark comes to the Colleges after serving as the Systems Coordinator for the Tri-College Consortium (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges) on the East Coast. Prior to that, he was the Library Systems Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.

UW-Eau Claire

After what seemed like an endless string of retirements, McIntyre Library is happy to announce that three new people have joined the staff over the summer:

Christopher Cox, the new Assistant Director, moved to the area from the east coast. He most recently served on the library faculty of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he took a leadership role in reference and instructional initiatives. In addition to attending to administrative duties at McIntyre, he will participate in reference and instruction activities.

Becky Wojahn is McIntyre's new Education Reference Librarian. Originally from Eau Claire, Becky has returned with her family after living in the St. Louis area. She has five years of experience teaching middle school, in addition to her experience working as a school librarian and public librarian. Her degrees are from UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee.

Dan Hillis, McIntyre's new Library Systems Technician, is a recent graduate of UW - Eau Claire, and will be working hard to keep the computers and the computing infrastructure of the library running smoothly.

UW-Green Bay

David Dettman received the 2004 Founders Association Award for Excellence in Academic Support at the recent campus convocation. Dave was described as being "relentless and creative" in finding information students and faculty need. He has initiated collaborative programs with the offices of Residence Life and Career Services. He has also served as an orientation group leader, has chaired the Library's public relations committee and is a member of the WAAL Information Literacy Committee.

UW-Madison

Ebling Library has welcomed several new library staff: Rebecca J. Bailey, Information Architecture Librarian, Linda Balsiger, Public Services Coordinator, Stephen M. Johnson, Distance Services and Outreach Librarian, J. Patrick O'Toole, Document Delivery Coordinator, and Gregory J. Prickman, Historical Services Librarian.

UW-Marinette

Aaron Nichols recently began his duties as the Associate Academic Librarian at UW-Marinette. He has a BA in History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his MLIS from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston. In addition, Aaron has five year’s experience in the publishing business working at three different publishing firms in Massachusetts.

UW-Milwaukee

Michelle Harrell Washington, Multicultural Studies Librarian, presented the results of a research project, "Promoting Information Literacy Through Coalition Building," at the annual conference of the American Library Association in Orlando. The research, funded by ALA's Office for Diversity, looked at strategies for partnering with existing UW-Milwaukee mentoring programs to increase the utilization of the library instruction program by students of color.

Also at the ALA annual conference, Steve Miller, Head of Monographs, was honored by the Library of Congress Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) with a certificate of appreciation "in recognition of his contributions and leadership as chair of the PCC Standing Committee on Training Task Group on Integrating Resources Training." Steve was also elected Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the Networked Resources and Metadata Interest Group of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services.

Christopher Baruth, Curator of the Libraries’ American Geographical Society Library, delivered a paper, “The American Geographical Society's Hispanic Map: Creation and Legacy,” at the annual International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August, 2004.

Michael Doylen, Head of Archives, was recently appointed to a second term on the editorial board of Archival Issues, the professional journal of the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC). He also has been appointed to a three-year term on the Society of American Archivists' Diversity Committee.

Three new online digital collections have been created by the Libraries this year, under the direction of Digital Projects Librarian, Krystyna Matusiak: Milwaukee Neighborhoods: Photos and Maps 1885-1992; Greetings from Milwaukee: Selections from the Thomas and Jean Ross Bliffert Postcard Collection; and Picturing Golda Meir: Photographs from the Collection at the UWM Libraries. They may be accessed at http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/.

New staff at the Libraries since January, 2004 include Susan Coenen and Molly Mathias in Research and Instructional Support; Ellen Engseth in Archives; Rebecca Herzog in Reserve Services; Amelia Klem in Special Collections; Kelly Leu, Chieko Maene, and Bart Schmidt in the American Geographical Society Library; and Joe Tomich in Monographs.

UW-Oshkosh

Ronald Hardy was recently hired as Head of Information Resources. Ron comes to Polk Library from Central College in Pella, Iowa. At Central College, he was Collection Development Librarian. Ron received his MLS and BA from the University of Iowa.

Renee Sengele was recently hired as Outreach Services Librarian. Renee has held that position at Polk Library since 2001 on a temporary appointment. After a search, Renee was selected for the permanent appointment.

Patrick Wilkinson, Polk Library Director, was elected as a delegate to OCLC’s Members Council for a three-year term. During the past three years, Pat has been an alternate to Members Council.

Patrick Wilkinson and Nolan Pope, Associate Director for Technology,
General Library System (UW Madison) recently gave two presentations about the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections (http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/) at the EDUCAUSE Regional Conference in Chicago and the Wisconsin Digital Library Conference in Madison. In October, they will be speaking at the LITA National Forum in St. Louis.

UW-Parkside

Geoffrey Morse joined the library’s staff as a reference/instruction librarian on August 30, 2004. Geoff has a B.A in American History from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts and received his master's degree in Library and Information Studies from the UW-Madison. Jeff’s last position was at the UW-Superior, where he spent two years as an Information Services Librarian. Jeff has also worked at several other libraries, including the Wisconsin Historical Society Library and the Tompkins County Public Library in Ithaca, New York.
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Elizabeth Wickersheim is UW-Parkside's new Archives Assistant. Liz has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Shippensburg University and a Library Technical Assistant Certificate from the City College of San Francisco. Liz has worked as a library assistant at San Francisco State University, Mechanics Institute Library, and Arizona State University.

UW-Platteville

John Leonard Berg, Coordinator of Public Services, received the 2004 Academic Staff Award for Excellence. A letter in support of John's nomination stated that [John's] "positive attitude, quick wit and heartfelt compassion for others are infectious and help to make Karrmann Library a model library."

Jon Musselman has switched positions within Karrmann Library. He has moved from the Reference Department and is now the Library Automation Manager. This position also includes supervision of computer support and cataloging for the library, as well as administration of SFX and Metalib.

UW-Sheboygan

Amy Mussell, Reference & Instruction Librarian, is a contributor to the recently published anthology, An Invitation to Poetry edited by Robert Pinsky and Maggie Dietz and published August 2004 by W.W. Norton & Co. Robert Pinsky is the former poet laureate who founded The Favorite Poem Project (http://www.favoritepoem.org/). This book is a compilation of individuals' favorite poems and brief introductions explaining their choices. The editors received 22,000 submissions to this third anthology from the Favorite Poem Project. They chose selections from 200 contributors. Amy selected the poem "He lived--childhood summers" by Lorine Niedecker (1903-1970), a Fort Atkinson poet who has been described as the Emily Dickinson of her time. In 1978, WLA posthumously awarded Lorine Niedecker the Notable Wisconsin Authors Award.

UW-Stevens Point

Christine Faris Kline is the University Library's new Serials Librarian. Prior to coming to UW-Stevens Point, she served as Electronic Resources Coordinator at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Before her South Dakota experience, she was a researcher and teaching assistant at the University of Iowa.

WISPALS Library Consortium

The WISPALS Library Consortium welcomed Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) as its ninth member library in June. WITC will be a Participating Member in the Consortium contracting for services for a specified fee. The Docutek E-Reserves System is the first WISPALS project for WITC. Testing of the new system is scheduled for this fall with full implementation anticipated by the spring semester. The WITC Libraries serve 3,000 FTE students at four campuses in northwestern Wisconsin in Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake, and Superior. Judy Lyons, Assistant Manager for WITC Learning Centers, is overseeing the electronic reserves project for the WITC district.

The libraries at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) announced the launch of the Endeavor Voyager library management system in July. The new web based catalog at http://fvtclib.wctc.edu will provide access to over 40,000 titles held by three campus libraries. Searches can be limited to the Appleton, Oshkosh-Riverside or Oshkosh-Spanbauer library collections. Simultaneous searching of other WISPALS technical college library collections is also incorporated into the new system. The libraries support all areas of the curriculum with significant collections in quality management, culinary arts, manufacturing, natural resource management, and health sciences. Karen Parson is the FVTC Library Services Manager.

The WISPALS Voyager databases are now individual Z39.50 hosts on the WISCAT Z-portal gateway thanks to coordinated efforts of Bob Becker, WISPALS System Operations Manager and Mary Clark, WISCAT Coordinator. The WISPALS databases can be searched individually or selectively under this new arrangement. Collectively, the eight technical college libraries hold over 250,000 bibliographic records.

WISPALS member librarians presented a two-part session, “Our Best Customers Are The Ones We Never See: A Library Consortium Approach to E-Learning” as part of the 2004 Wisconsin Technical College System Tech Expo at Waukesha County Technical College in April. Gary Flynn, Gateway Technical College; Charlene Pettit, Moraine Park Technical College; Kim LaPlante, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; Julie Gores, Waukesha County Technical College; and Ellen Pedraza, WISPALS Library Consortium were the presenters at the session that described library resources that enhance the learning experience of distance education students. The presentation was followed by a one-hour hands-on session giving attendees time to test-drive the services.

The WISPALS Library Consortium is in its 15th year of service to technical college libraries in Wisconsin. The Consortium was organized in 1989 under Wis. Stats. 66.0301 and now includes nine technical college district members and also provides library services to Agnesian Healthcare in Fond du Lac. More information can be found at the WISPALS Library Consortium Home Page: http://wctclnx.wctc.edu/~wispals.

WLA

The Wisconsin Library Association’s Awards and Honors Committee is pleased to announce the following award recipients for 2004:

DEMCO/Librarian of the Year: Rob Reid, Indianhead Library System, Eau Claire, and Peter G. Hamon, Director, South Central Library System, Madison.

Library of the Year: Hedberg Library, Carthage College, Kenosha.

Trustee of the Year: Sandralee Thiele, President, Darien Public Library Board of Trustees.

Special Service Award: Donald Bulley, Trustee, South Milwaukee Public Library.

WLA/Highsmith Award: Marathon County Public Library, Wausau.

Muriel Fuller Award: Laura Moss Gottlieb, Reference Librarian, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville.

Congratulations to all award winners. More information is available on the WLA Website.

The WAAL Newsletter welcomes articles of interest to academic librarians. Please consider sharing summaries of research or research in progress, announcements/results of meetings or conferences, and news of staff changes and/or accomplishments. Deadline for the next issue:

Material should be sent to:
Karen Dunn
Steenbock Memorial Library
550 Babcock Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1293
(608) 263-3899
kdunn@library.wisc.edu

WAAL Publications Committee:
Stacey Burkhart (Chair), Julie Fricke (Web), Marlys Brunsting, Karen Dunn (Newsletter Co-Editors)

© 2004 Wisconsin Library Association. Portions may be quoted or copied if credit is given. Contact the WLA Executive Director when quoting or reproducing extensively. WLA Phone: 608-245-3640; Fax: 608-245-3646

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Send questions or comments regarding these newsletter pages to Karen Dunn (kdunn@library.wisc.edu)