WLTA QUARTERLY MEETING

The Fourth Quarter meeting of Wisconsin Library Trustees and Advocates (WLTA) was held at the Portage Public Library on Saturday, November 10th. Thirteen board members and two guests were in attendance. The following are highlights from that meeting:

• A letter from the out-going Chairperson was read. She outlined what we have accomplished during the past year, as well as the role she intends to fill in the future.
• Activities at the past week's COLAND meeting were reported
• Discussion was held regarding the 2008 VISION Summit being planned by COLAND and the DPI. This meeting will discuss the "Library of the Future" and attempt to provide direction for Wisconsin libraries during the next 10 to 20 years. The last time a meeting of this type was held was in 1996. That session focused extensively on new technology for libraries. BADGERLINK was one of the outcomes of that session.
• A report from our Advocacy Advisor was discussed. She indicates that since the budget has now been passed with many favorable features for libraries, we need to focus our activities on local issues. Many local budgets are still in limbo as a result of the procrastination of the State Legislature. Advocacy issue reports are provided to us by the Director of the Rhinelander District Library.
• A one page summary of the "By-Laws" section of the DPI Trustee Manual was distributed. The importance of having up-to-date policies & procedures was stressed. Making sure that this was the case is a role of library trustees. These summaries are provided by the recently retired Director of Wisconsin Valley Library Service.
• The trial "marriage" between ALTA (American Library Trustees Association) and FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries USA) was discussed. Also, information on a Friends of Libraries manual was shared.
• The Conventions Chairperson reported on our participation in the recent WLA convention in Green Bay. Most of our sessions had standing-room-only attendance. Programs for the Spring WAPL convention in Stevens Point were discussed. Included was a program on Process-Flow analysis as part of a library quality improvement program. Similarity to automotive industry programs was noted.
• The WLA Executive Director touched on several subjects including the use of OPAL as a means of conducting meetings. Electronic meetings will be becoming an ever increasingly attractive option as transportation costs continue to soar.
• The DPI liason gave an extensive verbal report on activities in his area. These included follow-up action on the Greener Pastures - Rural Library Sustainability Project. No-cost education courses through Web-Junction were highlighted.
• Our web-master has done extensive work on the process of changing our By-Laws to the Policies and Procedures format. The changes were discussed and further revisions suggested. The current format may be seen on our division web-site. Approval of the final format will be voted on at the February meeting.
• The game-plan for our promotion program for Library Legislative Day was approved. We will work through the seventeen Library System Directors, encouraging formation of teams of non-professionals to attend. The coordinators of the Day and the WLA Executive Director will help in promotion of our program.
• The date for the 2008 Friends Conference to be held at SWLS (Southwest Library System) will be set shortly. It appears that the theme of this conference will be "How To Start A Friends Group".
• Board members were encouraged to visit our "Wiki" as this will be a growing method of communication in the future. Use of our "list-serv" will also be used for communication with the members of our Division.
• The board had been considering how to display the new assimilation of Friends of Wisconsin Libraries into our group for over a year. We decided to make a formal name change. Our new name will be WISCONSIN LIBRARY TRUSTEES & FRIENDS -- WLTF. Actions will be taken at several levels to change our identify within the Wisconsin library community.
• Two volunteers were obtained to satisfy the remaining committee appointments needed by the WLA Chair-Elect.
• Discussion was held regarding establishing more extensive committee assignments within our board in 2008. These assignments will help define the ideal size of our board. We will also work toward establishing a Trustee and a Friend liason within each of the 17 Library Systems in 2008. This will also help communication avenues.
• Portage and Saturday were approved as location and day of 2008 meetings. Meeting dates of 2/16, 5/17, 8/16, & 11/15 were agreed to.

This was a very good session, with a large number of issues being addressed. The Executive Committee of WLTF will be meeting electronically every month to ensure continued action on all our activities. We will work toward distribution of more informative materials before the meeting dates so board members come prepared to discuss the issues.

NAME CHANGE

The WLTA Board of Directors met for their quarterly meeting today at the Portage Public Library. Considerable discussion was held regarding the new role of the Division as the home for Friends of Libraries activities in this state. Eventually, it was decided that our name should reflect who we are and what we represent. The new acronym will be WLTF, which will stand for Wisconsin Library Trustees and Friends. The name assumes that "advocacy" is a role that all of us have to play, whether we are a library professional, a trustee, a member of a friends of the library organization, or simply a friend of libraries in general.

A full report of the meeting will be issued shortly. Reporting of the name change will also becoming via many communication methods, and work will be done very shortly to change the existing website.

Welcome WLTF to the Wisconsin family of library organizations!

TRUSTEES / FRIENDS RELATIONSHIP

In April of 2006 the FOWL organization (Friends of Wisconsin Libraries) voted to disband the group. The WLA representatives at the meeting offered to meld Friends activities into the Trustee branch, WLTA (Wisconsin Library Trustees & Advocates). Ever since then efforts have been made to make Friends, Trustees & Advocates a united front as library related issues are faced. There has been much conversation about a potential name change to reflect the new relationship. (This will be on the agenda again at the November 10th WLTA board meeting).

It appears that the same sort of merger is currently under investigation at the national level as well. ALTA (American Library Trustees & Advocates) and FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries - USA) are experimenting with a "trial marriage" of the two organizations. Final decisions on the potential merger are to be made mid-year in 2008.

Information about this national experiment can be found at http://www.decenturl.com/libraryjournal/alta-folusa-merger

Thanks to John DeBacher of DPI for alerting me to this situation.

THE BOOKNERD BLOGGER HAS RETURNED

I have returned! My hand has healed fairly well from the Carpal Tunnel operation. The doc had said I should avoid any type of repetitive motions during the recovery period, so I have stayed away from the computer as much as possible. Much can be accomplished one-handed with the mouse when going through Email. You can hit the delete button just fine. Answering Emails one-handed is another story.

I've done a lot of reading the last three weeks, and I'll be passing on some observations on what I read. I attended an IFRT meeting in Madison last week (Intellectual Freedom Round Table). A very dynamic learned group. WLTA will be co-sponsoring with IFRT the Pre-Conference at WLA this year. They've lined up a fantastic speaker and I'll be relaying information about the program to you throughout the summer.

I'm also starting a new phase of my life. My wife retired on Friday after well over a quarter-century of teaching in the Wausau School District. I look forward to having a companion 24/7. Already my life is changing as we have begun our joint fitness program. Among other things she wants me in tip-top shape for our trip to China next Spring.

I will also be working to improve this blog, both from the aspect of content and technological features. Feel free to give me your suggestions for improvement.

WLTA BOARD MEETING

The first 2007 board meeting for WLTA was held in Portage on 2/17/07. The following are highlights of that meeting:

• The new Chairperson welcomed this year's mix of old and new board members.
• The President of the Friends of the Portage Library greeted the group and gave a history of their great library.
• Minutes of the November meeting were reviewed.
• Status of WLTA finances was provided by the Executive Director of WLA.
• Absorption of FOWL into WLTA was discussed. It was decided not to change the organization's name at this time. Rather, an aggressive program of inclusion of Friends activities into WLTA & WLA functions and publications was agreed to.
• WLA DIRECTOR'S REPORT - WLA will be the only group to have By-Laws. All subsidiary units will change theirs to a Policies & Procedures format. Copies of our existing By-Laws were distributed for discussion regarding modification at the next meeting. The Director suggested WLTA consider re-doing their brochure to reflect the new makeup of their constituency.
• COLAND REPORT - WLTA has two representitives on this committee. A report will be issued clarifying the purposes and programs of this group for our new board members.
• LD&L REPORT - None submitted at this meeting.
• ADVOCACY REPORT - Letter from Co-Chair of Library Legislative Day was distributed. Key issues for WLTA were that only 30 non-professional people were in the 160 who attended the session. We will work toward getting more Trustees and Friends to the 2008 session. Program was also outlined to identify the legislative representatives for each of the State's libraries. We will work toward getting board members from all support and monitoring groups to attend so no legislator will be "lonely". We will also work toward providing a "Tool-Kit" for libraries to hold their own LLD events, inviting their representatives to visit them on the library's home turf. Writing letters to the Governor's office were encouraged, to thank him for his budget proposals relating to libraries.
• TRUSTEE EDUCATION REPORT - A one page summary of the first section of the DPI's Trustee Manual was distributed. This report covers the "Job Description" of a Trustee or Board member. The summary was prepared by the Director of Wisconsin Valley Library Service. It will be included in the WLTA newsletter and this blog. We will encourage going to the DPI website and reading/downloading the complete section for review.
• FRIENDS OF LIBRARIES REPORT - A report on running effective meetings will be distributed. A report on comparison of duties/responsibilities of Library Directors, Trustees, & Friends will also be distributed. Information on obtaining free DVDs and brochures from the Gates Foundation regarding Friends groups advocating in their own communities will be published in newsletters and on blogs. Information on buying books with CDs from FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries - USA) regarding advocating activities for Friends Groups will also be published in newsletters and on blogs. WLTA will investigate holding Friends Conferences annually in a different quadrant of the State. These would be similar to the the Northwoods Conference held recently in the Northern part of the State.
• CONVENTIONS REPORT - WLTA will present a session at the Wisconsin Association of Public Library (WAPL) convention in Eau Claire in May, regarding "Top Ten Things" learned at the recent Friends conference. The group voted to co-sponser a session on Intellectual Freedom at the WLA convention in Green Bay in October. They also voted to present a session regarding Statistical Process Control in libraries.
• WLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT - An extensive reporting of activities at the WLA headquarters was given. A report on current status of all legislative issues pertaining to libaries was distributed. Segments of the report, available at the WLA web-site will also be published on this blog. The Director agreed that WLTA should consider re-doing their brochure.
• DPI REPORT - A written report was distributed which highlighted activites in the Trustee Education area and the ten "Greener Pastures: Rural Library Sustainability" workshops which will be conducted in 2007 around the state. The Gates Foundation recently announced a second round of hardware grants for computers to areas with 10% poverty rates. Local matches will likely be required this time. DPI will also be incuded in a 2008 program to distribute resources, training, and information to assist in service to Spanish speaking communities.
• NEW BUSINESS - A proposal was made by the Chairperson to consider changes to our Policies and Procedures at the next meeting, including a specified level of attendance performance to remain a board member. The Chairperson also suggested that no one be sent to the National version of Library Legislative Day this year, and that we should use the monies for programs such as new brochures and other activities related to our re-organization. The WLA director suggested the possibility of adding Friends leaders to a list-serv currently distributing information to Trustees, Board Members and other library leaders. The Vice-Chair will investigate establishment of a "wiki" allowing Board Members to discuss key issues between the scheduled meetings.
• CONCERNS AND COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS: Information on the Eau Claire multi-million dollar library addition program was distributed. Several board members reported on new library directors in their areas, and continued searches for directors for libraries who currently have voids. Activities at the Janesville library were presented. A seasoned representative from the Portage Library Board talked of activities at that library and his thoughts on acceptance of new programs. Discussion was held regarding "All Politics Is Local" in relation to Friends groups. The Vice-Chair told several lame jokes.
• Next meeting, Saturday May 19th, 2007, Portage Public Library, 10:00 AM.

WLTA MEETING

The first 2007 meeting of WLTA will occur in Portage tomorrow. It should be a very exciting session. Several new board members will be installed. They are coming from Algoma, Eau Claire, Janesville & LaCrosse. All have extensive experience relating to libraries and some have experience relating to Friends activities. These new people coupled with the existing board members will provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to administer our programs.

We will be placing special focus on the four primary missions of the group:

1. Trustee Education
2. Advocacy Programs
3. Friends of the Library Activities
4. Participation in Professional Conferences & Conventions

In is our intent to disseminate information discussed and agreed to at our meetings, to our supporting libraries and friends groups. We also will be seeking upward flow of information and opinions regard our missions.

It should be an exciting year!