In This Issue: 03.20.08

Your Library's Budget • Survey Reinforces the Value of Libraries • Cancer Survivorship Notebook Donations • Librarian: one of the best careers of 2008 • Popular Merlin Holds • The Merlin Library Catalog • Useful URLs • Reflection

March 25-29 Public Library Association National Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota

April 4 Merlin Consortium Meeting, NWLS, 10:00 - 1:00

April 5 Library Trustee Basics, Phelps Public Library, 10:00 - 2:30

April 10 Effective Library Marketing and Advocacy, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30

April 19 Library Trustee Basics, Spooner Memorial Library, 10:00 - 2:30

April 13-19 National Library Week

April 30-May 2 The Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries Annual Conference, Stevens Point

UW-Madison SLIS Continuing Education Courses in Madison.
Visit the School of Library and Information Studies for more information.

Your Library’s Budget

From Linda Stobbe, NWLS - Budgets are really the statement of your library’s purpose. Your library’s budget reflects the plans, priorities, goals and aspirations that drive your service programs. You can look at your budget as the blueprint for what is important to the library and the community it serves. The budget also provides control and communication, encourages sound management and allocates the library’s limited resources.

In reality, no library has unlimited resources and has the ability to meet all the needs and wants of its customers. For purposes of both financial management and understanding, directors must make a clean distinction between needs and wants. Needs are essential elements – a want is something desired. A want may have potential to move the library forward but is not essential to the operation of the library.

There are two key elements to any budget, revenue and expenditures. The goal is to closely predict the revenue and assure that expenses do not exceed available funds. The first step is to look at what the library would like to accomplish in the next year. This is where your planning documents are useful – reviewing strategic plans and long range plans will make this step easier. Secondly, determine the library’s financial resources. Funding increases are often necessary because of higher costs, increased usage or new services. This is where your library’s annual report comes in handy. Reviewing the data collected in the annual report can help you document trends and changes in the way your patrons are using the library, and help identify your needs and wants.

A budget proposal should include the rationale for the request and present a clear picture of how library patrons will benefit. When possible, data should be provided to support your budget request - what will change as a result of funding, what will remain the same, how many people will be served, and how success will be measured. Again, your library’s annual reports contain valuable information that when compiled and analyzed will show your library’s strengths, needs and trends to support your budget proposals.

DPI’s Administrative Essentials document (http://dpi.state.wi.us/pld/ae13.html) outlines 4 desirable characteristics of budgets - clarity, accuracy, consistency and comprehensiveness. The library budget should be clear enough for everyone to understand. The budget should be accurate - make sure you validate all figures, transcribe and report the numbers carefully. The budget should be consistently formatted from period to period so comparisons can easily be made. The budget should provide a complete picture of the library’s fiscal activities.

For those new to creating budgets or are uncomfortable with the process, WebJunction offers 3 companion courses on budgeting and financial management. Each course can be completed in about an hour and a half and costs $20:
• Understanding Budgets is an overview course to help you take control of the budget process.
• Basic Budgeting will help you learn different budget building blocks, including forecasting, presentation and adoption.
• Financial Management - Once the budget has passed, the work of managing it begins. This course covers ongoing concerns such as budget revisions, tracking systems, and financial management software.

Northern Waters Library Service staff is also available to help you during the budget process. Contact Linda Stobbe or Jim Trojanowski with your questions or requests of assistance.

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Survey Reinforces the Value of Libraries

From Channel Weekly, January 10, 2008 - Although the Internet is increasingly important as a source of information for a majority of Americans, most adults still use libraries, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the University of Illinois. The survey, "Information Searches That Solve Problems: How People Use the Internet, Government Agencies, and Libraries When They Need Help," was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funding for U.S. museums and libraries.

"The reports of public libraries' death due to the rise of the Internet have been greatly exaggerated," said Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD, Director of the IMLS. "I urge those who encounter obstacles in their Internet searches or who are looking for additional resources to acquaint themselves with their local library professionals. They are an information army trained to search for answers online and in the stacks."

The survey of 2,796 Americans looked at overall library use and library use for solving problems related to subjects such as health care, education, taxes, and job searches, etc. More than half of American adults said they visited a local public library in the past year. Public library users tend to be younger adults, with higher incomes, who have attended college. The majority of visitors rely on libraries for help solving problems and benifit from library staff assistance.

A key challenge for libraries is increasing public awareness of the host of assets offered by trained library staff and reference materials, the survey suggests. For a copy of the report, please visit http://www.pewInternet.org/PPF/r/231/report_display.asp.

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Cancer Survivorship Notebook Donations

From the American Library Association - The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) is collaborating with the American Library Association (ALA) to provide libraries across the country with reference materials to better serve those seeking health-related information, specifically cancer. Recently, the LAF began shipping LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebooks to more than 14,200 libraries across the United States.

“As a cancer survivor and someone who grew up in a city where more than 95 percent of families use the public library, I recognize the importance of providing access to cancer resources through libraries,” said Doug Ulman, president of the LAF. The LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebooks offer:
• a way to organize and journal health information and concerns;
• a booklet of stories told by cancer survivors; and
• information about challenges, after effects, treatment, financial planning, and communicating effectively with a health team.

Individuals, groups and organizations can order the free LIVESTRONG Survivorship Notebook at LIVESTRONG.org.

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Librarian: One of the best careers of 2008

From the U.S. News and World Report - Helping people, learning new things, shopping for resources, public programs, and reasonable hours are among the reasons why Librarian made the U.S. News and World Report list of Best Careers in 2008. According to the report of 31 Careers With Bright Futures, “Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths, helping researchers plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records. It’s an underrated career.” For more information visit the Money and Business section of U.S. News and World Report.

Popular Merlin Holds

(Holds/Merlin copies)
13/1 . . . . 2 days in Paris [videorecording(DVD)]
16/15 . . . 3:10 to Yuma [videorecording(DVD)]
96/24 . . . 7th heaven / James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
15/3 . . . . 1408 [videorecording(DVD)]
20/9 . . . . Across the universe [videorecording(DVD)]
40/6 . . . . American gangster [videorecording(DVD)]
72/30 . . . The appeal / John Grisham
26/2 . . . . Atonement [videorecording(DVD)]
14/10 . . . Becoming Jane [videorecording(DVD)]
37/4 . . . . Bee movie [videorecording(DVD)]
21/5 . . . . Beowulf [videorecording(DVD)]
15/4 . . . . The brave one [videorecording(DVD)]
14/18 . . . Change of heart : a novel / by Jodi Picoult
23/5 . . . . Dan in real life [videorecording(DVD)]
16/1 . . . . The darjeeling limited [videorecording(DVD)]
26/1 . . . . Enchanted [videorecording(DVD)]
14/1 . . . . The golden compass [videorecording(DVD)]
20/11 . . . Gone baby gone [videorecording(DVD)]
16/2 . . . . Good luck Chuck [videorecording(DVD]
17/4 . . . . In the valley of Elah [videorecording(DVD)]
30/8 . . . . Into the wild [videorecording(DVD)]
23/5 . . . . Knocked up [videorecording(DVD)]
14/2 . . . . Lost. The complete third season [videorecording(DVD)]
16/2 . . . . Love in the time of cholera [videorecording(DVD)]
14/4 . . . . Margot at the wedding [videorecording(DVD)]
13/3 . . . . Martian child [videorecording(DVD)]
44/7 . . . . Michael Clayton [videorecording(DVD)]
21/4 . . . . Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium [videorecording(DVD)]
12/2 . . . . Mr. Woodcock [videorecording(DVD)]
23/5 . . . . Nancy Drew [videorecording(DVD)]
15/1 . . . . National treasure 2. Book of secrets [videorecording(DVD)]
47/9 . . . . A new earth : awakening to your life's purpose / Eckhart Tolle
39/6 . . . . No country for old men [videorecording(DVD)]
22/10 . . . No reservations [videorecording(DVD)]
17/7 . . . . Stalked / Brian Freeman
18/13 . . . Strangers in death / J.D. Robb
21/4 . . . . Sundays at Tiffany's / James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
15/5 . . . . Where are you now? : a novel / Mary Higgins Clark

[print version]

The Merlin Library Catalog

From Marsha Sorensen, NWLS - Merlin is an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) of materials owned by public libraries in eight northern Wisconsin counties served by Northern Waters Library Service (NWLS). Library staff and the public can access Merlin online within the library or from home. In 2000, local library card catalogs migrated to the Merlin Web-based interface to form one large searchable catalog.

Merlin is a browser-based catalog that relies on pulldown menus, popup windows, dialog boxes, mouse operations, and other graphical user interface components to simplify the entry of search commands and formatting of retrieved information. Merlin offers a variety of search capabilities on several indexes and offers interactive request and renewal functionality.

You can log in to Merlin with your library card and view your account, renew books, reserve books, save search queries, and maintain a history of your checkouts.The Merlin interface includes circulation and provides the option for you to choose where you'd like to pick up the books you request on Merlin. One library card can be used at any of the 27 automated NWLS libraries. You can access Merlin on the web at http://merlin.nwls.lib.wi.us/ .

Internal Revenue Service: Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center
Official Internal Revenue Service (IRS) information about the 2008 "economic stimulus" payments that will be sent to U.S. taxpayers starting in May. "Eligible taxpayers will receive between $300 to $600 if single or $600 to $1,200 if married filing jointly." Provides payment scenarios, a FAQ, material for Social Security and veterans' benefits recipients, an alert about rebate scams, and other details about the payment program. From the IRS.
URL: http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=177937,00.html

National Priorities Project
Analyses of federal government spending and budget issues showing "how federal tax and spending policies impact your community." Calculators show users how their tax dollars were spent in the previous tax year, how taxes could be spent under different tax and spending circumstances, and how much the war in Iraq costs to cities throughout the U.S. Also includes documents and charts on the national debt, military casualties, and homeland security.
URL: http://www.nationalpriorities.org

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"Do you know," Peter asked "why swallows build in the eaves of houses? It is to listen to the stories."

- from Peter Pan by James M. Barrie

Contact NWLS for subscription services or to submit an article for publication: email Marsha at newsletter@nwls.lib.wi.us or call 715-682-2365.

NWLS: 3200 E. Lake Shore Dr. • Ashland, WI 54806 • Phone: (715)682-2365 • Web: http://nwls.wislib.org • Serving libraries in Ashland, Bayfield, Burett, Douglas, Iron, Sawyer, Vilas and Washburn Counties.