Postcard Campaign ends July 25
Reb has a growing stack in her office already. Put your cards in courier anytime before the 25th. This week’s news and social media post have been added to the toolkit.
Also, call now!
Congress considering IMLS fund right now.
Once the federal budget is passed, the government is hashing out the details of how that funding is used. That’s based on requests from different departments. The current head of IMLS is not a public library advocate, so it’s up to us to speak up for libraries! Here is one good talking point (feel free to use your own!), and some specifics from IFLS.
IMLS Funding is an Economic Multiplier
On the state level, IMLS funding is an investment in our state that is an economic multiplier. This is from a blog article from the City of Madison:
“Over the past 15 years, IMLS has awarded an average of 18 grants per year to Wisconsin museums, libraries, and other institutions, for a total of nearly $70 million dollars over that span. This amount does not include millions of dollars of IMLS support for libraries provided at the state level.
Given that museums and other nonprofit cultural organizations return more than $5 in tax revenue for every $1 they receive in funding from all levels of government, that $70 million in IMLS funding has generated $350 million in tax revenue for the state over the past 15 years.”
How IFLS uses IMLS dollars
IFLS received only about $27,000 from LSTA/IMLS grants last year, which mostly funded Continuing Education scholarships for library workers. It’s a small amount of money that has a big impact. The specifics you’ve seen from Leah, but I’ll repeat the details here:
- $1,975 paid for 9 people to take 6 different courses at the UW Madison iSchool’s Continuing Education Department, with topics ranging from supervision/management to programming and services for both children and older adults and reference services.
- $17,783 for full or partial scholarships that enabled 19 people (two received 2 scholarships) to attend national conferences (Association for Rural and Small Libraries in Springfield, MA, Rural Summit 2025 in Anchorage,AK; Power Up: A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers and Staff in Madison, WI; Play, Make, Learn in Madison, WI; and Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement in Madison, WI) and state conferences (Wisconsin Library Association Annual Conference; Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries Conference; REALiving Be Your Best Conference).
- $1,500 to allow a library to hire a facilitator for an inservice for all staff
- $598 to support IFLS staff professional development
- $2,201 for live webinars that were recorded and captioned for a statewide audience
- Scholarships for classes, conferences, and inservices benefited staff at 21 libraries in the IFLS area.
What else does IMLS fund that will impact IFLS library users?
IMLS grants support critical services, especially in small, rural, and tribal communities, including broadband access, workforce development, early literacy, and technology resources. IMLS was last renewed in 2018 with overwhelming bipartisan support, passing by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a vote of 331 to 28 in the House. In 2024, IMLS’s $294 million budget represented roughly 0.0046% of the overall federal budget—about 75¢ per taxpayer.
420 copies added to IFLS advantage collection on Overdrive
Thanks to some large donations from New Richmond Community Library and IFLS-alum Maureen Welch, in addition to other funding sources, Cecelia was able to spend $18,000 to add 420 copies to Overdrive, mostly audio books. She shopped wisely, using Overdrive’s June sales to reduce the price per copy by 20%.
It’s the 35th Anniversary of the ADA
Food for thought from Eau Claire library and disability advocate Katherine Schneider about the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): https://volumeone.org/articles/2025/07/11/367057-column-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-americans-with-disabilities-act
BadgerLink Authentication instructions from Erica
Some of you may have seen the email from Elizabeth Neuman at DPI regarding BadgerLink authentication updates. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please don’t hesitate to contact Erica using their HelpDesk at websitehelp@librarieswin.org if you have any questions.
We have reviewed the links on the Online Resources page and confirmed that they are working correctly for the four pages. However, there are a few steps remaining:
- Please review your library website and make sure any other links to BadgerLink resources on your website (home page, other webpages) are authenticating properly. Click on each link and make sure it directs to the place you expect. If you find errors that you are unable to resolve, please email websitehelp@librarieswin.org.
- Please check authentication access to BadgerLink resources from inside your library. When you are accessing BadgerLink from a computer on your library’s network, no login will be needed. If you see this page when you attempt to access a BadgerLink resource from your library, you will need to have your IP addresses updated with DPI.
Notes from Libraries
- Chippewa Valley Technical College news spotlights Charlene Conradi (director, Fall Creek).
- Altoona is opening a brand new container park downtown, called The Yard. (Right across the street from the library). The official grand opening is July 26th.
- The Thomas St. Angelo Public Library of Cumberland is sponsoring a concert with Victoria Vox, a singer, songwriter and ukulele musician. The concert is on Saturday, August 9, and here is her website https://www.victoriavox.com/.
- D.R. Moon is on the move! The community is providing temporary space in a local church and the fire station.
- Rob Stafsholt will tour the library while he’s in Ellsworth for a public event.
- Welcome to Becky Manley (director, Spring Valley) and Judy Kraetke (interim director, Park Falls)!
Update library staff directory, please!
Please take a minute to check the member library directory and make any corrections needed. You’ll need a password to access it (submit a HelpDesk ticket if you don’t have it). It’s an embedded google document but you DO NOT need to log in to make corrections or additions. Libraries and IFLS staff use this document, so please update whenever you have staff changes in the listed categories. Problems? Submit a HelpDesk ticket.
New on the Calendar
Teenagers Part 2: Teens with Trauma/ ACEs, presented by Ryan Dowd (Homeless Training Academy), August 14, 1-2 pm, contact Leah for registration link.
TOPICS COVERED:
- Types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) teens can experience
- Impact of trauma on the brain (and their behavior)
- Five tools for working with teens with trauma/ACEs
A recording of this training will also be added to the Homeless Training Academy in the IFLS Niche Academy, where you can view and obtain a certificate. This training is sponsored for all public library workers from Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.