April 2009

Hello AWSL-ites, My how time flies! Doesn't it just seem like yesterday, when we were gathered to learn, present, and socialize at the WLA conference in Middleton? Can you believe that so many months have passed since then?

It was lovely to see so many of you at the AWSL-sponsored events. Thank you again, to Wendy Cramer, Jennifer Friedman, and Casey Peterson for sharing their knowledge and personal experience during the Services to Special Populations Panel. What a wealth of expertise you all have! The tour of the Marshall Erdman Resource Center was also fabulous; kudos to Amy Doyle and Molly Beverstein for putting together such an engaging session.

Additionally, AWSL co-sponsored two more presentations, "Library for the Blind: Update on New Audio Formats" and "WisconsinEye: A Progress Report" — both of which were well received. Thanks to all those who made them possible.

Looking forward to this year's conference in Appleton, WI, I'm delighted to say that our Chair-elect, Anne Moser from Wisconsin's Water Library, has some lovely treats in store for us. I've no intention of stealing her thunder, but do watch for the next installment of the AWSL newsletter, which will provide the exciting details.

Speaking of new board members, please help me in welcoming the in-coming class of 2009: Nichole Fromm of Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) has recently been elected to serve a two-year term as AWSL Secretary. And, of course Anne Moser (mentioned above) is our Chair-elect and will be our new leader in short order.  [Applause]

Perhaps you too are looking for a way to get involved. If so, we have some exciting opportunities coming up:

• Serve as the AWSL representative on the WLA Committee on Organizations (COO).  COO is responsible for reviewing and "blessing" policy and procedure language, by-laws, and more This group is composed of six members appointed by the Committee on Appointments. Members at large serve a 2 year term.

According to Connie Von Der Heide, a former AWSL representative on COO, "It's a great way to learn about the organization and structure of WLA, and to get to know some more people in the organization." Those who like this sort of thing would definitely find it an "interesting and rewarding" role.

• Master our Web site! Keep your current web coding skills sharp - or hone those in the making - by serving as the AWSL Web site webmaster. Heaven knows, it's fallen a bit behind the times (says the current web master, yours truly) and we could sure use someone with the enthusiasm and creativity to get things back up to speed. Check it out at: www.wla.lib.wi.us/awsl and let us know if you'd like to help!
  
  
• Share your ideas. Just send me a line and let me know what you'd like to see coming from AWSL. How could we best serve your needs as an Information Professional? How would you like to network with other Special Librarians? What kinds of programs would you like to see sponsored? Whatever you want, we need to know! (nbusch@library.wisc.edu)

I look forward to hearing your ideas, so please let me know what's on your mind — or the way(s) in which you'd like to participate further in AWSL!

Sincerely,
Nikki Busch, AWSL Chair

Established in 1967, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is a dynamic multi-arts complex located in downtown Sheboygan, WI. Through exhibitions, performing arts, artist residencies, community collaborations, and classes, tours, and workshops, the Arts Center functions as catalyst and explorer of new art and ideas that impact artists and public. The Resource Center of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center is a specialized art library that offers research materials in support of Arts Center collections and exhibitions: artist-environment builders contemporary art contemporary and traditional craft art metal-work folk and traditional art The Resource Center is also the source for Arts Center history, including: visual history available in a digital image database information about past exhibitions and exhibited artists examples of work created by artists in the Arts/Industry residency program videos of community performances through the Connecting Communities program audio and video recordings of various Arts Center-sponsored presentations, performances, lectures, and conferences Located on the main floor of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, the Resource Center is open to the public weekdays 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m., but may be closed without notice. Visitors are advised to schedule an appointment prior to visiting in person. John Michael Kohler Arts Ctr. Resource Center 608 New York Ave, Sheboygan WI 53081 Phone: 920-458-6144 x147 Email: resource@jmkac.org www.jmkac.org

I have appreciated being a member of AWSL for many years and identified myself as being a special librarian. I will continue my membership and I look forward to attending AWSL-sponsored programs and reading about new challenges in special librarianship and growth in AWSL.

AWSL is the smallest division of WLA, but I think it is an important because it includes a variety of librarians with varied collections and information roles in different types of organizations. Ihave enjoyed serving in various AWSL offices in the past and at various times representing AWSL on the WLA Board, Long Range Planning Committee and currently on the WLA Finance Committee. I am happy that younger AWSL members have stepped up to serve as our current leaders. I encourage each of you to get/stay involved in AWSL activities.

The following was originally published in the April 2009 edition of Government Information Round Table's newsletter Eagle Press:

Loretta Harmatuck reflects on Documents Over the Decades

I retired on December 29, 2008, from my position as Government Services Librarian at the Reference and Loan Library (RLL). As I was cleaning out my files recently I was reminded of the many changes that have taken place in librarianship and in state documents since I began working 37 years ago for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

We didn't have computers at DPI when I was hired in 1971 as the librarian of the DPI Professional Library. I spent a lot of time searching the print indexes of ERIC and then typing bibliographic information and abstracts for DPI staff. By the mid-1970s we searched ERIC using software developed by the UW Computing Center. In 1976 I wrote a federal grant and we received seven years of funding for the Wisconsin Dissemination Project, of which I was the director. This was a reference and online information service for DPI staff and K-12 educators.

In 1983 I became the government services librarian at the Reference and Loan Library. This gave me the opportunity to be part of a larger library with more staff, and to work in reference and government documents. Although coordinating the Wisconsin Document Depository Program (WDDP) was never more than 25 percent of my position at RLL, it gave me the opportunity to work with and get to know many talented, dedicated documents librarians, and to work with state agencies to educate them about sending their publications for distribution via the depository program. Oneof my goals has been to help provide Wisconsin citizens better access to government information.

In April 1983 I was appointed by Leslyn Shires, Assistant Superintendent of Library Services, to coordinate Wisconsin's response to the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer and the Government Printing Office's request that states develop state plans for improved public access to government documents. The publication Wisconsin's Federal Documents Depository Program was the result of the work of the State Plan Committee in 1985, which I chaired.

The accomplishment in the world of state documents that I am proudestof was serving on the study committee that helped revise the Wisconsin Document Depository Program statutes in 1991. Again in 2002-2003 I worked with the study committee that made recommendations on the handling of digital government documents. I wrote the manuals—with help from depository librarians and colleagues from the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS), Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) and RLL—for depository librarians and for state agency staff contributing materials to the depository program. Completing the appendices for the Manual for Depository Libraries took several years.

Being a member of and serving in various offices of the Wisconsin Library Association's Documents Section, now GIRT, during the past 25 years has been very rewarding. I hope that you won't mind my reminiscing for a bit.

In May 1989 RLL held a two-day conference for State Document Depository Libraries at the Wisconsin Historical Society. A major goal was to brief state documents librarians on the proposed state document depository legislation. A frequent comment regarding this conference was how helpful it was to get depository librarians together to meet with each other. In May 1990 the first Documents Day (now Government Information Day) sponsored by the Document Services Section was held at the Wisconsin Historical Society. I have always looked forward to this annual spring get together. It was a wonderful way to meet and talk to document librarians and to learn about new resources and issues in the world of government information. I was also glad to be given time to give an update about the state document depository program at Documents Day over the years.

Likewise, I was happy to be able to contribute articles for the Document Services Section Newsletterabout the state document depository program, although I'm sure my procrastination and last minute rush to get articles in on deadline were a challenge to various Eagle Press editors. I remember when it was just called the Document Services Section Newsletter. It became the Eagle Press in March 1987.

Changing technology has certainly been a blessing and a challenge for documents librarians through the years. I remember how exciting it was when, in 1994, I could send the depository shipping lists to Lloyd Velicer at the Historical Society via a new system called "email," and attach lists as WordPerfect documents. Before that I sent it via the Madison Academic Computing Center's Badger gopher system (I'm not making this up). We sent it to Lloyd so that he could add the WiDoc numbers, correct and proofread the shipping list.

In 2000 I represented Wisconsin at two national conferences. The first was the second national GILS (Government Information Locator System) Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This was the movement of cataloging or metatagging electronic government information on the Web. The second was the State Documents Conference for states east of the Mississippi, held in Hartford, Connecticut. It was interesting to hear presentations and to meet document librarians from 28 other states. I was proud of how large and far-ranging the WDDP is compared to many other states.

The Internet certainly challenged us to figure out how to find, access and preserve electronic state documents for our patrons now and in the future. As a reference librarian at RLL for 25 years I have answered questions using traditional print state and federal documents and reference resources. I have answered questions from citizens looking for information on the Wisconsin.gov state portal since the portal began in 2001. Starting in 2003 I worked on email and virtual reference services for library patrons from around the state and nation through the AskAway service. I know how valuable government information is to citizens, whether it be at the federal, state or local level and often how difficult it can be for them to find the information. They need the help of good documents librarians, catalogers, and reference librarians like you.

I am glad that I can take a bit of credit in finding Abbigail Swanton when we were able to hire a documents librarian at RLL. I first met Abby at a UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies career fair. I have appreciated the opportunity to be her mentor and to pass along to her the history of the Document Depository Program. I appreciate Abby's skill and hard work in developing the Wisconsin Digital Archives.

I am fortunate to have worked in reference, education, and state government information services that I care deeply about during a long career. I am confident in the talent and commitment of government documents/information librarians in Wisconsin to provide citizens better access to government information regardless of format. I look forward to seeing many of you at WLA and GIRT events, to attending GIRT-sponsored programs, and to reading about the challenges and accomplishments of Wisconsin document librarians in Eagle Press!

- Loretta Harmatuck

According to Wikipedia, that great reference source in the cloud, "community of practice" refers to the process of social learning that occurs and shared sociocultural practices that emerge and evolve when people who have common goals interact as they strive towards those goals." * The WLA Board began considering CoPs as one means of encouraging members' interests to bubble up, flourish, then subside as interest declined. Organizationally, CoPs could provide a "place" for members to share ideas in response to current interests without requiring a elaborately structured hierarchy of organization. The WLA organization contains 21 special interest units grouped by type of library, professional role, or topical interest area. These units include divisions, sections, and round tables. There are rules for unit operation and required positions of leadership. The current WLA organizational structure does not provide "space" for informal interest groups. Other library organizations have introduced CoPs as a mechanism for their members to connect on issues of mutual interest. ** In 2008, Lisa Strand, Executive Director of WLA posed these questions to the Board "Is this structure of the best way for members to get involved in WLA? Could they be more effective if they were structured as Communities of Practice?"  The WLA Board does not intend to throw out the current organization structure. However the Board will continue to explore ways in which members can identify and join other members with similar interests. 

For background reading, see two articles posted in the WLA MemberClicks Bulletin Board "Are Communities of Practice Right for WLA?".

1. Andrew Cox, Anne Morris. "Creating professional communities of practice for librarians". The Electronic Library; 21(2):94-98, 2003.
2. Andrew Cox. "What are communities of practice? A comparative review of four seminal works". Journal of Information Science, 31(6):527–540, 2005.

For more information, contact the WLA AWSL Board representative Emily Wixson (UW-Madison Chemistry library, ewixson@library.wisc.edu).

* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communities_of_Practice

** Some library associations providing "space" for CoPs include Public Library Association (PLA) www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/pla/plagroups/placops/index.cfm and Special Libraries Association (SLA) www.sla.org/content/community/cop.cfm.

Greetings,
In honor of National Library Week, Wisconsin's Water Library is featuring unusual posts on AquaLog, the library's new blog about news, resources and publications relating to water and the Great Lakes.

Please visit and check out this latest post: aqualog2.blogspot.com/2009/04/national-library-week-look-what-we.html

Comments and suggestions are welcome about the blog are welcome.

Happy spring!
Anne

$300 Grants Available for Writers and Illustrators

Using grants awarded by the Wisconsin Center for the Book, communities can celebrate and explore the literature of Wisconsin with its authors and illustrators. The Wisconsin Center for the Book will award up to 4 grants of $300 each to qualifying organizations wishing to sponsor a Wisconsin author or illustrator at a public event.  The event must be open to the public and free of charge. The grants are made possible through the cooperation of the Woodland Pattern Book Center and the generosity of donors.

Wisconsin nonprofit organizations interested in books and reading are eligible to apply. Collaboration among groups is preferred. Such groups may include, but are not limited to: libraries, public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools, community organizations, and places of worship. Libraries are encouraged to look beyond their Friends groups for partnerships.

Applications will be judged on the basis of community outreach and collaboration, thoroughness of planning, and rationale for the choice of speaker.

Applications may be obtained at: wisconsincenterforthebook.wordpress.com/wais

Time line:

• July 1, 2009: Applications due; if mailed, they must be postmarked on or before this date.
• July 30, 2009: Winners will be notified by this date.
• September 1, 2009 — April 30, 2010: Programs must be scheduled between these dates. A final report must be submitted within 10 days of the event or the honorarium will be forfeited.

Definition of a Wisconsin author or illustrator: Any author or illustrator who has lived in Wisconsin for a significant period of time, including someone who may no longer be living in the state.

More information may be obtained by calling Sarah McGowan, WAIS 2009-10 Chair. Please contact her at 920-748-2784 or windsong@centurytel.net.