No Recall Petition At Library

Judging from several phone calls received today, there is a rumor in town that the Chippewa Falls Public Library is a place where the recall petition can be signed.

This is untrue. For the record, it is a matter of policy that such political activity would not be allowed on the premises of the library.

Call 715-720-4720 with questions regarding the recall petition.

FAQ: Governor's Budget Bill & Libraries

The library staff and I have been getting quite a few questions about what the new budget bill will mean for the Chippewa Falls Public Library. I have been trying to wait a while so that no one could accuse me of being unduly alarmist, but when I was asked this past Saturday by a local gentleman if the budget meant the library's membership in MORE was going to be cut, I told him I doubted it but that everything, frankly, was on the table if things got tight enough.

His advice was to make sure the public was warned and informed so that they weren't caught off guard by any changes.

So, I'll try to answer a few of those Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here:

If Passed, What Does the New Budget Have in Store For Wisconsin’s Public Libraries?

Not much is known just yet. The budget bill recommends the elimination of maintenance of effort funding requirements for belonging to a library system and a 10% cut to the budget of the Department of Public Instruction, the state agency that oversees public libraries and Badgerlink. The budget bill calls for a 10% cut to Badgerlink as well.

What does “Maintenance of Effort” mean?

Maintenance of effort has been a legal requirement for libraries that belong to a library system. The Chippewa Falls Public Library, for instance, belongs to the Indianhead Federated Library System, which administers MORE. The requirement states that a municipality must fund a library at a level that is at least the average of the past three years.

Theoretically, this keeps libraries from being unduly targeted for cuts during sudden power shifts in local government or economic downturns and ensures that libraries in a consortium all contribute a fair share without relying too much on other communities.

So far, Act 150 requirements have been left intact. Act 150 requires that counties pay municipalities for the library service rendered to those living in areas without libraries at about 70% of the actual value of the transactions. In other words, Act 150 requires that Chippewa County reimburse the City of Chippewa Falls (or Bloomer or Cadott) 70% of what it costs the city to provide library service to someone living somewhere like Jim Falls or Eagle Point.

What Could Cuts Mean For The Chippewa Falls Public Library?

The City of Chippewa Falls values its library and knows library service needs to be maintained. However, if the new budget entails large cuts to municipal aid, then the entire city government will need to spend that much less. Changes to services could be possible, depending on the changes in the budget.

No matter what, we will do our very best to avoid any inconvenient changes to or interruptions in service.

How Much Money Does it Take to Run the Chippewa Falls Public Library?

The library budget for 2011 is just over $1 million. Of that, salaries and benefits make up about 74% of the expenditures. The rest is operational, including purchase of books, CDs, magazine subscriptions, databases, MORE membership, utility bills and building upkeep.

Who Oversees the Library?

The library's daily operation is overseen by me, the library director. As a department of the City of Chippewa Falls, the library has a Board of Trustees made up of seven people appointed by the Mayor. The board oversees and has final say over the usage of the budget and monitors the administrative competence of the director.

Because the library receives a sizable amount its budget from the County of Chippewa, we also have two board members from adjacent communities in the County nominated by the County Board Chairperson who report, as needed, to the County Board.

What Can I Do to Speak Up For My Library?

Communicate with government. Let your state legislators and local representatives at the county and city level know that you care about your library, use it and want it to be a funding priority, even in a lean year.

For Tweens and Teens: Visual Poetry Contest

Do you know a Chippewa County resident in the 6th-12th grades who's interested in photography? During the month of March here at the Chippewa Falls Public Library, we're holding the first annual Visual Poetry Contest. We're looking for original photographic work done during the last two years. Three winners get a free Papa Murphy's Pizza and a certificate, and there will be four honorable mentions, who will all receive ribbons. Tell a teen!

Rules

Entry & Release Form

Tax Forms Arriving

Heads up, Chippewa! 1040 EZs have just started to arrive. By the middle of the month, most of our federal forms should be here.

When you come into the library, take an immediate right and then a left. We keep the forms under the stairs. State forms haven't gotten here yet, but I'll keep you updated.

In the meantime, if you want tax forms, you can download and print them at these sites:

IRS Form and Instruction Search Page


Wisconsin Department of Revenue--Forms and Publications--Note: 2011 forms are not uploaded yet.

Scrabbling To Keep Up--2010

Well, the other night your intrepid library director was invited to participate in the Chippewa Valley Literacy Volunteers' Scrabble tournament.

The team was made up of me, Carol Peterson of Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library, Library Board members Connie Russel, Linda Nebelsiek and Robert Hoekstra as well as Mary Ann King of the Chippewa County Board. The table was sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and we were given $50.00 by an anonymous donor to buy more tiles as we needed them. A formidable team, I'd say.

Well, cutting right to the chase, we didn't win. Unless you don't look up what I'm writing to confirm this, in which case we dominated the room like Sonny Liston in a bad mood.

All in all, it was a good time for a good cause and Ms. Nebelsiek even went home with a south-of-the-border themed prize bucket full of tortillas and maragarita mix after she won a drawing. So, we felt consolated.

Our "word waitress," Libby, kept the ball rolling even at those times in which we became sidetracked, which wasn't hard as we were fed free pizza until we were full. Or, at least, I was.

And I couldn't help but feel that someone coming over to our table to thank us for letting the literacy volunteers use the library as a place to tutor--as if we'd ever refuse such an endeavor--was a real touch of class.

This is the kind of thing I like, and I'm glad we did it. The picture above, by the way, is an actual image from the tournament.

New (To Us) Computers

Above you see strong, silent IT types Andy Bauer (left) and Ron Strasburg (right) in the process of installing refurbished computers in the Chippewa Falls Public Library early this morning. The pair represent Chippewa County who, in cooperation with the City of Chippewa Falls and this library, have agreed to sell us 10 of these used computers at a great price.

One of the first things I noticed when I got to town was that it was taking me far too long to get the public machine to the point where I could check my email. It even crashed in the process! So, as I sat there fuming, computers became priority one.

Hopefully, these new(ly installed) machines will serve the public a little better.

Come check them out!

Technology at the Library: It's All Yours!

Chippewa Falls History: Playing Catch-Up

Early this morning, I stood in the area of Chippewa Falls that long-time residents call "West Hill" and looked down toward the center of town. Snow covered many of the sidewalks and ice was glistening in the branches of the trees in the front yards all along the streets. The cold air seems to sit kind of heavy and muffle sound, so it's very quiet here in the early morning hours as the street lights are still flashing.

As I stood there in the frigid quiet, something in me could feel the history of the town very close at hand. Maybe it's the design of the city or the way historic buildings have been left in peace here (or maybe it's the big, old Victorian house I'm staying in), but I could feel the spirit of the history of this place, even if I have yet to delve too terribly deeply into its substance.

So, in honor of the history of Chippewa Falls and to help those who, like me, don't know enough about it to satisfy themselves, here are some links that might get us all started:

The Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce's History Page

The Chippewa County Genealogy Site, Debra McCann, Site Coordinator--Includes an interesting link to information about "Old Abe" the eagle who accompanied Wisconsin troops during the Civil War, becoming famous among both sides at the siege of Vicksburg.

A History of the Chippewa Falls Public Library

History of the Parks of Chippewa Falls

A History of Chippewa Falls, by the Rotary Club of Chippewa Falls

A History of Leinenkugel Brewery, With Handy Bibliography

The Tribe That Gave the Area Its Name

Wisconsin Historical Society Full-Text Book: History, Tradition and Adventure in the Chippewa Valley

Also, feel free to come by the Chippewa Falls Public Library and see what else we've got in the Wisconsin Studies section. In my office, there are several old, thick volumes that I've been trying to leaf through when I have some time, such as an illustrated history of the Chippewa Valley and several histories of the county, which appear to be very well-written and surprisingly thorough. Come by and see me if you want to take a look at some of these; they aren't in the regular collection because they seem a little old and maybe a bit fragile.