Reminder!
Delivery study is next week! Questions go Katelyn at dubiel@ifls.lib.wi.us.
Friends of the Library Grants for Small and Rural Libraries
United for Libraries and Penguin Random House will award grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000) to support libraries in need. Specifically, grant funds will assist Friends of Library groups with priority projects. Additionally, in-kind book donation grants of $500 will be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles.
Applications for the program will be open from Feb. 3-17, 2025, and applicants will be notified by March 10, 2025. For libraries that are interested in applying but don’t know where to start, United for Libraries will present free virtual informational sessions beginning in December, including an overview of the process and tips on applying, a session on grant writing basics, and a session on how to start a Friends of the Library group (for libraries that do not currently have an active group); learn more and register.
For more information, click on this link to visit the United for Libraries Friends and Foundations page.
Hot off the presses
Hot off the press, designs of new-to-BadgerLink collection DIY resources are now available to all Wisconsin libraries and organizations, shipped free of charge. Check out what the bookmarks look like and order your own! If you are going to the WLA Conference, you can pick some up at the DPI booth.
Presentation slide deck templates for building or renovation projects
Does your library need to present a building or renovation project to your community? New resources are now available to help! You can read the latest news on the Wisconsin Libraries for Everyone Blog.
For those exploring library renovation and construction projects, the Wisconsin Library Building & Spaces website is a valuable source of information and planning tools. New resources have just been added to help your library advocate for your project, whether you’re in the pre-architect planning stages or have already hired an architect and are seeking permission to move forward with your project.
Two presentation slide deck templates and instructions were created by John Thompson, Rebecca Kilde and Katelyn Dubiel to educate and inform key stakeholders about the importance of libraries and advocate for funding to build or renovate. While the two templates contain similar background information, the Need an Architect slide deck makes the ask for funding to hire an architect/consultant, and the Have an Architect slide deck requests permission to move forward with the project. The slide decks are available as Canva templates that libraries can adapt to use when presenting to their community. Linked in the template is an instructional document that walks you through using the slide deck page by page.
For more information on these new resources, read the post on the Wisconsin Libraries for Everyone blog or visit the Wisconsin Library Building & Spaces website.
Check Out Your Library campaign
This year OverDrive launched “Check Out Your Library,” a multi-year campaign designed to celebrate and promote all that libraries have to offer – even beyond digital materials – and to help new and current patrons discover a new program, service, or resource at their local library.
If you are interested in learning more about the Check Out Your Library campaign and how your library can get involved, check out this FAQ blog post from OverDrive and more COYL resources.
The Did You Know? series spotlights features, tools, and other resources available to library staff, including patron-facing folks, to expand their know-how about Wisconsin’s Digital Library, OverDrive, Libby, and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC).
URLs from this message:
- “Check Out Your Library”: https://company.overdrive.com/2024/07/09/check-out-your-library-campaign-to-ignite-conversation-engagement-and-love-for-public-libraries/
- FAQ blog post: https://company.overdrive.com/2024/07/18/check-out-your-library/
- COYL resources: https://resources.overdrive.com/library/marketing-outreach-check-out-your-library
It was a great Palooza!
Seventy library workers attended the Library Assistant Palooza on October 15. People enjoyed the chance to connect with each other about books and got some great ideas about how to develop staff-wide and community-wide excitement about books and reading.
Job openings
Go to the job listings on the IFLS website for details.
- Northern Waters Library System is hiring a director
- McIntyre Library is seeking an instructional services librarian
- Baldwin is hiring a director.
- …and more.