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Vol. 17, No. 17 -- Sept. 13, 2019
- Bruce Deming to receive SCLS Foundation's 2019 Cornerstone Award
- Dashboards -- Fast Facts by Library or County
- Monona Public Library is circulating kits
- Member/Staff News
- Plain Language webinar recording available until Sept. 30
- Resource Alert: New Book on British Binge Worthy Television
- Free PLA Webinar -- Tips on Serving Patron Tech Needs
- Upcoming StarNet Programs
- Continuing Education Calendar
Reception is Oct. 17 in Sun Prairie
Bruce Deming to receive SCLS Foundation's 2019 Cornerstone Award
Bruce Deming's career in the library furniture business began innocently as a college business major when he took a summer job in a furniture manufacturing plant. After a subsequent position in sales serving Wisconsin and its public libraries, Deming made the life choice to start his business here instead of Illinois or Michigan.
He will come full circle later this year when he retires and closes the doors on Embury Ltd.
In recognition of his efforts to serve libraries with quality furniture and shelving, and his support of libraries through regular participation at Wisconsin's Library Legislative Day, Bruce Deming will receive the South Central Library System Foundation's 2019 Cornerstone Award. The award will be presented Thursday, Oct. 17, at Buck & Honey's Restaurant, 804 Liberty Blvd., Sun Prairie, WI. Corporate sponsors for this year's reception are Chase Lumber Company, First Business Bank, and Summit Credit Union.
The reception, which begins at 5 p.m. and runs until 7 p.m., features food and a cash bar. There is no cost to attend, and everyone is welcome. More information, plus a link to a map and directions, is available on the Foundation website at www.sclsfoundation.org/cornerstone/.
Bruce grew up in a small western Michigan town of about 500 people. He chose to attend Miami of Ohio University and later transferred to Michigan State. He worked in a furniture factory for four summers and during winter breaks, and upon graduating with a business degree he returned to work as the plant manager. "This was my start in the furniture industry," Bruce said. He was the plant manager for several years, then moved into sales and at 25 years of age became the national sales manager.
Bruce's next career move was to join the Worden Company in Holland, MI, which is a library furniture manufacturer. He worked in sales and sales support for several years, then joined a firm in Chicago selling library furniture primarily in Wisconsin. In 1986 he decided to part ways and start his own business and chose to locate in Wisconsin. He started out as a sales rep not a dealer, but soon decided it would be better to be a dealer, so he started Embury LTD in 1988.
"If I had thought then that I could run the company for 30 years, I would have been shocked," Bruce said. "It has been a good run and I have enjoyed what I have been doing." He said working with and serving libraries has been very enjoyable. "They are pleasant, logical people who ask good questions, respect professionalism, and pay their bills on time," Bruce said of libraries.
The company's market is public libraries and academic libraries. They work primarily in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, the Dakotas, Iowa, and Michigan.
"I've always tried to be very honest with people," Bruce said. "My job has not been so much about sales as it is about solving problems. You need to provide good information so libraries can come to realistic decisions about what they need."
Bruce said he has long-term relationships with many libraries, which often means directors and boards turn to him as a sort of consultant to help find the best solutions. "That doesn't always result in a sale, but I'm happy to provide that kind of support to help libraries be successful."
Once they were working on a project in Waukesha and to save money and get the job done quicker, they actually worked late into the night and slept in the library. "I'm not sure we could do that today, but that was a result of the relationships we had with the director," Bruce said.
One of the ways Bruce chose to support libraries was by attending Wisconsin's Library Legislative Day. "I really wanted to support the industry I was in," Bruce said. "I wanted to try and give legislators another perspective—from the role of vendors—about the import role libraries play in our communities."
Bruce said participation in Legislative day really opened his eyes to the pressures under which libraries operate, and he learned a great deal more about what libraries do to serve communities.
"As we wind down our business and are cleaning out files, we are realizing how many contacts we've had and how many friends we've made," Bruce said, explaining that they believe they have done more library projects in Wisconsin than any other vendor. He said they have probably worked with nearly 1,000 libraries over the years, and short- and long-term friendships came out of most of them.
Bruce said he learned early that as a business they needed to listen to the wants and needs of librarians because they are speaking from experience. He said at one job in a Chicago suburb they were installing 42-inch high double-face shelving and the director wanted it anchored to the floor. "We were trying to convince her that wasn't necessary, and we really challenged her on that," Bruce said. "We finally gave in when she said, 'Well, you just wait until the seventh-graders come in here with ropes and tip it over.' We said, 'Okay, we will floor anchor them if that is your situation.'"
Once when preparing a quote for a prison in Michigan, Bruce was explaining to the warden that they should avoid the black shelving because it needs to be dusted more frequently. "The warden stopped me and said, 'Bruce, I've got plenty of people here to dust.' We installed the black shelves."
Bruce said there is no question that libraries continue to be relevant today.
"The usage of libraries is still there," Bruce said. "Carnegie's vision of the need for libraries is still as important as it was all those years ago." He said they're actually installing less shelving today, but they are doing more to provide furniture for gathering spaces, coffee spaces, computer stations, and other uses that weren't there only several years ago. "Libraries are being used differently, but they are definitely still being used," Bruce said. "We see that every day in every community we serve."
Dashboards -- Fast Facts by Library or County
The Fast Facts dashboard now includes all Wisconsin libraries and a new tab for county fast facts.
The dashboards use the 2012-2018 Wisconsin Public Library Service Data provided by libraries via their annual report. Filters at the top of the dashboards allow a library or county, and a year to be selected. Additional details can be viewed by hovering over areas of the dashboard. County comparison data is also readily available in another dashboard.
Read more about the new FastFacts dashboard in the TechBits post by Jody Hoesly, Data Services Consultant.
Monona Public Library is circulating kits
Monona Public Library is engaged in efforts to help parents and caregivers keep preschoolers busy with hands-on activities that encourage playful learning while exploring S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) concepts and reading.
Using Monona Public Library kits, preschoolers find lots to discover with their parents and caregivers, including kits for literacy, math, science, outdoor movement, and art. Kits include:
Read & Play Literacy Kits: kits include a puppet or puzzle and coordinating book
Math Kits: shapes, matching, measure/sort/compare, money matters, counting, number hunt, construction, geometry
Squishy Circuit Kits
Art Kits: zippered bags include miscellaneous craft supplies for creative free play
Disc Golf Kits: backpacks include discs and instructions
Monona Public Library also offers memory kits filled with items for caregivers of people living with dementia. Patrons can check out a kit to create special moments, engage the brain, and help unlock memories. Kit themes are Nature, Rural Life, Meditation, and Hands On Fun! Memory Kits are provided with the support of generous donations from Friends of Monona Public Library, Friends of Monona Senior Center, and Home Instead Senior Care.
Contact Monona Public Library if you'd like more information about any of these kits.
Member/Staff News
The September issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. Your comments are welcome! Please direct them to the editor, Carol Hassler. In this issue: Read it online with your library card-- Did you know you can access HeinOnline, LLMC Digital, and Index to Legal Periodicals outside one of our libraries, for free? You just need our library card (read more); Leave Your Card at Home-- September is Library Card Sign-up Month and while we love our library cards, it's not always convenient to carry them around. You can take a photo of your card and store it in your phone for easy access (read more); New Books-- Our featured titles this month are What Are My Rights? Q & A About Teens and the Lawand Handbook on Household Hazardous Waste. Our September new book list is also included (read more); Tech Tip-- Link rot. It's an apt name for a serious and annoying problem. Link rot is when an online link no longer leads to the information being cited (read more); Library News -- Read library staff news, find opportunities to listen to us speak, and see a list of upcoming CLE class opportunities (read more); September Snapshot-- Julie Robinson gave a lunchtime presentation to Sauk County Bar Association members in picturesque Baraboo. Afterwards, she stopped by the next-door Circus World for some photos (read more).
Plain Language webinar recording available until Sept. 16-30
The Plain Language Webinar from Wisconsin Literacy (originally presented April 8, 2019) will be available for online viewing Sept. 16-30.
Wisconsin Literacy's Plain Language Webinar focuses on the fundamentals of plain language, including the benefits of using it in your workplace. Introduced in this hour-long webinar are several strategies for clear written communications such as simplifying word choice, grammar tips, active vs. passive voice, and layout and design.
You can watch the recorded webinar at https://vimeo.com/329145166.
Resource Alert: New Book on British Binge Worthy Television
When I am out providing my RA training programs, I always talk about how our work with readers includes all of the ways they consume stories -- meaning that while books are the primary method (and audio, ebooks, and graphic novels are included there), tv, movies, and podcasts are also something we need to be aware of, always.
Our patrons consume stories in a variety of ways. They "read" in many formats. One of the biggest areas is through binging television shows. Just this weekend I was talking with a friend about how much she loves to read a novel and binge a tv series. We discussed how they are both a similar activity and honestly, take the same amount of time. And, from what I have seen, my friend is not alone.
People are binging more shows, and this is great for us because, again, it is simply another way they take in a longer story. We need to understand that in the patrons' eyes, the wide difference we see between reading a book and watching a multi-episode tv series is rapidly shrinking. To our patrons, both are consuming a story. And, not only do they do both, we have both for them -- as DVDs to check out, streaming services to access, and even Rokus to checkout to access the pay services.
The author of the book referenced in this article is from Middleton and mentions SCLS libraries in her article. You can read the entire RA for All blog post at http://raforall.blogspot.com/2019/09/resource-alert-new-book-on-british.html
Free PLA Webinar -- Tips on Serving Patron Tech Needs
There's a free webinar coming up from the Public Library Association (PLA) that addresses something many library staff hear a lot about: how best to serve patron tech needs. In a technological world that is ever changing and evolving, public libraries are providing programs and services that help patrons get jobs, gain knowledge, increase productivity, and engage with others online. And we need to keep up so we can assist out patrons to the best of our ability. In this free webinar, a panel of digital literacy experts will share tools, resources, and partnership strategies to help you enhance digital skill development among patrons and library staff.
At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
Understand how to integrate digital tools and resources into the library's new or existing digital literacy training efforts to reduce burdens on staff, capture learner data, and promote local resources;
Spread information among library staff about tools they can use and also recommend to patrons seeking technology or computer help; and
Recognize potential partnerships that can support and sustain new technology and its impact on the community's access and digital readiness.
This webinar is free, but registration is required. You can register for this webinar until it begins, or until space is no longer available. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, an archived recording will be available on PLA On-Demand Webinars.
Upcoming StarNet Programs
International Observe the Moon Night -- International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is a worldwide, public celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. On Oct. 5, your library is invited to join this world-wide celebration by hosting an InOMN event on one day each year to look at and learn about our Moon. To access STAR Net's programming resources, click here.
Name The Rover Challenge -- NASA's Mars 2020 rover needs a name! Any K-12 student in U.S. public, private, and home schools has a chance to name the next Mars rover bound for the Red Planet in July 2020. To enter the contest, students submit their rover name and a short essay (max 150 words) to explain the reasons why their chosen name is the best. The contest closes Nov. 1, 2019. For contest entry and details, visit the Name the Rover site. Not a student? Teachers and other interested adults can sign up to be a judge on this page.
Download/Print Flyers| Mars 2020 Mission
Ready, Set, Create! How Engineers and Libraries Can Collaborate to Make a World of Difference -- Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, at 3 p.m. Central Time. Get More Details| Register Now!
September 13, 2019 in 2019 | Permalink
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