Let The Sunshine In...

Beautiful Baby Contest

See that kid up there? Well, he's all grown up now. But if you think he's a beautiful baby, come by and vote for him!

Here at the library we're having our first-ever BEAUTIFUL BABY CONTEST. It's a fundraiser during which we post BABY PICTURES of community leaders and city employees and allow you to tell us who's the best-looking by putting money in slots corresponding to the photos...the "baby" that attracts the most money wins! The grown-up version of teh person will receive a certificate declaring him or her MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY IN CHIPPEWA FALLS!

The proceeds will be used to pay for new furniture for the library. In case you're wondering, contestants include Rusty Volk of Northern Wisconsin State Fair, Mayor Greg Hoffman, Bill Volker of Volker Funeral Home and more! We don't identify the pictures, but maybe you can figure it out...

Come see what they looked like and give to a good cause!

Happy Retirement!

Today is the last day of work for Ms. Lynn Kuechenmeister who, for over 25 years, has been a fixture here at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. Lynn was head of the Circulation Department, the department that handles check-ins, check-outs, overdues, fines, shelving, lost items, etc. In many ways, the Circulation Department is where "the rubber meets the road," and Lynn has made sure the tire pressure stayed where it needed to be.

Lynn has been a smiling face for the public, a friendly ear to the staff and a helpful voice for administration. She deserves a happy retirement.

Her daily contribution will be missed and I wish her luck on behalf of the staff, board and Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library.

Construction Notice

STARTING TUESDAY, APRIL 3rd, THE CHIPPEWA FALLS PUBLIC LIBRARY WILL BE UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS.

Market and Johnson will be installing windows in the west wall. Work will be done between 7am and 3:30pm for about two weeks. There will be some noise and parts of the library (mostly the adult fiction section) may be inaccessible.

The library will not close during this time, but the environment may be less conducive to studying and other pursuits requiring the relative silence of a public library.

Also, ADULT FICTION, LARGE PRINT FICTION and LARGE PRINT NON-FICTION will not be available for online holds from April 2nd--April 17th.

If you have any questions, please call the library information desk at 715-723-1146 x. 106.

Meet, Greet and Goodbye

The readers of this blog are invited to a farewell gathering the Friends of the Library are holding for Library Director Darryl Eschete on Monday, April 2nd at 7pm. As you may know, Darryl is headed for Iowa.

The bittersweet little soiree' will be held in the mezzanine level, complete with refreshments.

A book will be donated to the library by the Friends in recognition of the time Darryl has spent here.

Look What You Missed!

Rock On At the Library!

Be sure to come by the library and check out the nifty rock collection that we're borrowing from members of the Chippewa Valley Gem and Mineral Society.

Pam Yarrington of Eau Claire and Brian Berthiaume of Chippewa Falls have lent us all sorts of lovely geodes and stones (see below) for our enjoyment. They have also asked us to pass along information about the 49th Annual Chippewa Valley Gem and Mineral Show.

It's April 21st and 22nd at the Eau Claire County Expo Center and is FREE TO ATTEND.

For more information, call Mike at 715-456-0664 or email him at cvgmsshow@gmail.com. And tell him where you heard about it!

Civil War Speaker Sure to Fascinate!

Be sure to keep next Monday evening free, as the Chippewa Falls Public library will be hosting a presentation by author and Civil War historian Michael Eckers.




Mr. Eckers will be speaking on the incredible contributions Wisconsin soldiers made in the Civil War, focusing on the Second Wisconsin and their part in the Iron Brigade. Mr. Eckers is a descendent of Henry McCollum, a native of Dekorra who enlisted to fight for the Union at the age of 16. Mr. Eckers has written a novel based on his ancestor's experiences in a book entitled Wisconsin Iron.

The book is one of four works Mr. Eckers has published to date.

The program will be upstairs in the mezzanine and will begin at 6pm on Monday, March 19th. Mr. Eckers will be in authentic uniform and will have accoutrements typical of Civil War soldiers with him.

It should be a fascinating evening. All ages are welcome.

Winter Storm Closing

THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29th DUE TO WINTER STORM CONDITIONS. ALL BOOKS DUE TODAY WILL BE BACKDATED IF RETURNED TOMORROW.

To renew books, call the 24-hour telephone renewal line at 1-866-697-3639 (1-866-MYRENEW).

We will reopen for regular hours on Thursday, March 1st.

Valley Art Association +Library=Gallery

Starting next week, the Chippewa Falls Public Library will host regular, rotating exhibits of art produced by members of the Valley Art Association.

The Association has been kind enough to not only provide the art, but also neat portable screens upon which to hang the art as well.

And, if a piece strikes your fancy, information will be available so that you can contact the artist and buy something that might look just perfect in the entrance hall or landing.

For more information, contact Ray Peterson at the Valley Art Association.

The Valley Art Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the arts in the Chippewa valley.

Let the Sunshine In

Above is a very rough idea of what the library will look like once we are done installing three 6' by 4' windows in the west wall. Since 1969, the Chippewa falls Public Library has missed out on this abundant and useful natural resource and we're trying to amend this oversight. Hopefully, this will allow us to turn off some lights during the day and save some energy.

Our goal is to have the work completed before mid-April, if possible.

Keep an eye out for the upgrade!

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Why, YES!

The new clock is up and is keeping excellent time. It blends so seamlessly into the overall "1960s chic" decor of the library that it looks like it was built in...

Cake Pop Clock

The staff of the library is a great staff. Last fall, I pointed high up on the wall in front of the big window on the north side of the building and said: "It looks so BARE up there. A big clock would look great, wouldn't it?" I even drew a sketch. But after that, I have to admit I didn't do a whole lot more to make it happen.

But Reference Assistant Sue Rada (pictured leftmost above) heard me and coordinated a bake sale effort with Circulation Clerks Diane Bergeron (center) and Brandi Kinderman (right). On their own time, they created the cutest, most delicious little sports-related morsels and mounted them on lollipop sticks. After making and selling over 200 of them (at $1.00 each), the clock is bought and paid for (it came from Korger's.)

It will be up and keeping time by the middle of next week. Come in and see it!

Tax Forms Online

In case you don't have the time to come down to the library for your tax forms (which are here), you can download and print them at home:


IRS Tax Forms and Publication PDFs (Need Adobe)


Wisconsin State Forms Here

Or, file online:

State Web-Based Filing Portal

Federal Web-Based Filing Portal

E-Reader Device Drop-Ins

Starting Friday, February 3rd, the Chippewa Falls Public Library invites you to bring in your device to the library during one of the times listed below and we'll help you download e-books. No registration required.



This is an event that will be occurring on the first Friday of the month from 9-10am. We're holding these workshops before the library is open because helping folks "tune in" their devices can be a pretty intensive endeavor.

Upcoming workshops:

February 3rd,

March 2nd,

April 6th,

May 4th

"E" there or "E" square!

Chippewa Local History Room

We're trying, bit by bit, to ready the Chippewa Falls Local History room here at the library. The idea is to make the collection easier to access. As it stands now, those wishing to use certain parts of the Chippewa Falls collection have to use a key to get into locked cases. Our idea is to have the materials moved into a secure room that will allow users a bit more freedom within. We hope to have the room done by the end of February.

In that room we plan to keep the centennial cigar box, shown above. It was found by a Mr. Lee Gisvold of Norway, Iowa at a recent auction. The date marked on it is "1937," commemorating the 100 years since the Ojibwe tribe signed the Treaty of 1837 (Pine Treaty),in which they agreed to cede their tribal lands to the United States but retain fishing rights.

Mr. Gisvold thought enough of our community to purchase it and send it to us unsolicited, and we thank him and his family. We have placed it in the locked case in the lobby.

AARP Information

Starting February 2nd, the American Association of Retired Persons will be at the Chippewa Falls Public Library to help elderly and low-income filers with their tax returns.

CLICK HERE FOR A PDF OF THE COMPLETE SCHEDULE

This year, the AARP volunteers in our community will have a telephone number that filers can call to make appointments, BUT ONLY DURING THOSE TIMES WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS ARE ON-SITE. That number is 715-404-5414.

Should you ask them to help you with YOUR taxes, be kind enough to bring the following:

-2010 tax return

-2011 tax forms and preparation booklet

-W-2 forms

-All 1099 forms, including Social Security Statement

-All forms mentioned on the AARP intake sheet (available at library)

-Any other income, payment or tax-related documents which may apply to your tax return

-Social Security numbers for you, your spouse and your dependents

-Some form of identification

Call the Chippewa AARP representative at 715-829-2245 between 9am and 8pm for more information.

Special thanks to the following AARP Facilitators: Sandy Bowe, Kathy Cloutier

AARP Preparers: Dennis Buttke, Deb Cornett, Nancy Thornton, James Plowman, Dick Turner, Sue Wynimko, John Spaeth, Bruce Miller, Paul Nicolai.

Silica Sand Information OR, "Frac Facts"

Here is some information from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey on Silica/Fracking Sand in our state:

Frac Sand in Wisconsin

Silica Sand in Wisconsin

Depth to Bedrock of Chippewa County

Potential Yields of Wells in the Sand and Gravel Aquifer of Chippewa County

These links were sent to me by Ms. Carol McCartney of the UW Extension service.

And...Voila'

Come see the new carpet in the Young Adult section at the top of the stairs. It's lovely.

Continuing Upgrades

Here you see the intrepid workers of Independent Flooring Incorporated of Eau Claire beginning the process of tearing out old, buckling carpet in the 835 square foot Young Adult section. The new carpet tiles will be down by tomorrow evening.

Be sure to come by Monday and see the difference!

Pay a Fine Online

At the library without cash? Here's how to pay a fine online with a credit or debit card. Click the images to see them larger.

1. Go to http://www.more.lib.wi.us

2. Click "My Account."

3. Enter your name and library card number.

4. Click on "Unpaid Fines and Bills."

5. Click "Pay Online."

6. Enter name, address, email, credit card/debit card number and security code and submit.

7. Confirm that the information is correct. Submit payment.

8. Look for the confirmation message.

Winter Used Book Sale!

The Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library are having a book sale this month!

Books, Books on CD, DVDs and Music CDs will all be offered...

The sale will be held of Tuesday, January 17th from 12 noon until 7:30pm & Wednesday, January 18th 10am--2pm

The sale will be in the large meeting room of the Chippewa Falls Public Library at 105 W. Central St. in Chippewa Falls.

Call Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library President Carol Peterson at 715-723-4970 for more information.

Your MORE Responsibilities

Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2012 is a year of happiness, prosperity and regular library usage for your family.

If you don't have a card or someone in your family doesn't have a card, be sure to get one this year. If you do decide to get one, you'll notice on the back of the card you'll fill out that the following points are covered under a heading that reads "By becoming a MORE library cardholder I accept the following responsibilities:"

• "Any library materials checked out on my card are my sole responsibility.


• "I will promptly return all borrowed items by the due date or pay overdue charges.


• "I will pay any replacement costs assessed for lost, unreturned or damaged materials."

In the last month or so, I have had to deal with several less-than-pleasant situations wherein I had to explain to people who had checked out items that were returned grievously damaged or after long periods of being overdue that they would be held responsible for the replacement costs or the sizable fines. With all the tact my mother taught me to use, I have had to point the above agreed-to responsibilities out to library users, reminding them of the contract they signed with us, before politely insisting that they recoup the library for damaged, destroyed or long-overdue items.

We live in an imperfect world, and it's impossible to always tell with mathematical certitude where, how or at whose hands damaged or destroyed library materials met their fate, and I am certain that some good people who frequent the library have been made to pay for damage not done by them or their children since I have been director. If this error occurs, the fault is completely mine. But one of my responsibilities as library director is to ensure the health of this library's collection (and to bear the disdain of those who pay under protest).

Let me say, however, that we of the library do not leap for joy when our books return to us with pages torn out or marker scribbles or coffee stains across half of the pages. We don't see damaged books as a chance to "get over" on the public or punish wrongdoers. It is often with heavy hearts that we tell esteemed patrons they'll have to pay for a book damaged while they had it checked out. And paying fines for books kept long past their due dates can be thought of as recouping us the cost of having to get the book from another library in the MORE system (a service which all users pay for).

I thought I'd take this first blog posting of 2012 as an opportunity to explain our thought processes and to ensure our users that, even if we get it wrong, our hearts are in the right place. We hope that's clear.