Miss Maria Returns

 

3-28-2025

It’s spring at the library, which translates into cleaning in my native tongue. This year it was courtesy of the best Department of Public Works a library could ask for. A few weeks ago, Jason Equitz and I toured the building in anticipation of creating the 2026 Capital Budget. The library board followed up with approval to replace the two sections of concrete in front of the library with cracks running across them.

Jason followed up by sending Anthony, aka the library’s DPW guy, over for the day to clear out some of the clutter in the mechanical rooms, make a plan to install a dehumidifier (I just realized my $2,900 cut to heat and electric will take a hit), measure for a shelf to organize cleaning supplies, and hang our ladder. Anthony was still wiping off phantom cobwebs at the end of his day. 

Additional cleaning will require assistance from the East Troy Lions Club. One of our mechanical rooms has a fair amount of storage space available. It houses several items the Lions left in storage when the library took over the building. The space is too remote and damp to be terribly useful, but anyone who has seen the library’s evolution over the past three years knows I’m not a fan of clutter. Given how many years the items have been in that room, it isn’t likely the Lions even know what is there. I also have to fess up to storing a few items there for later consideration that need a second look.

The above makes me happy, but for all of us I followed the Save the Best News for Last adage. Miss Maria’s doctor signed off on her return to work!

April 3^rd will see Miss Maria back in the library on a limited basis. She will be here for Monday afternoon programming, her regular Thursday shift, and Friday children’s programming. I will continue to cover her Saturday shifts for at least another month but up to another four.

She’s been planning for April for months with Easter and spring focused storytimes. This includes a visit from Mr. Nibbles on Thursday, April 10^th at 2:00 for a bonus Easter bunny storytime. In the past Miss Nancy wore a bunny costume. Miss Maria arranged for a bunny instead. She will continue the Easter Egg hunt tradition the following day during the regular Friday morning storytime.

Miss Maria’s most ambitious program upon her return is Mini Golf in the Library on Thursday, April 17^th at 11:30. This is during East Troy Community School District’s Spring Break. It is open for all ages.

 Listening to Now: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

Technology Got the Best of Me

 

3-21-2025

I consider myself at least technologically literate. Like many Americans, I spend much more time on my computer, phone, and tablet than is really good for me. I answer questions about patron devices on a regular basis and can troubleshoot just fine. True there are devices I choose not to learn such as our video game system and the most recent update to the smart tv, but that’s because I have staff and can delegate. If I really need to use it, I learn how.

Then Friday happened.

One of the services a library system provides the libraries in its service area is negotiating collective purchasing and subscription agreements. Deciding what subscriptions will be included is a focus for several months. The directors of Prairie Lakes libraries began discussions on the 2026 services and budget in February. This is the budget that funds Ancestry.com, our Libby/OverDrive contribution, and computer programs for staff use among other services.

One of this year’s computer programs is a marketing tool for sending out emails – newsletters, announcements, even personalized messages. We haven’t used any email newsletter services, so this was supposed to be exciting and tailored to fit the strategic goal regarding expanding communication.

The marketing director for PLLS arranged a workshop for libraries wishing to receive hands on instruction and work time with peers available to ask questions and bounce ideas. As a bonus, a rep from the company was available to lead the training portion. So, I sallied forth to Milton Public Library to get creative.

Let’s just say after waiting an hour for the rep to log into the webinar, my sallying time was dwindling quickly. Staff from the larger libraries, ones with dedicated marketing time, had newsletters ready to go and were there to brainstorm and fine tune. I learned how to make it past the log in screen. An hour later I had a rough idea about the purpose of various tabs without any real comfort in using them. That was partially due to every libraries’ documents being saved together and no clear understanding about the various boxes I was supposed to be filling in with titles and descriptions and commands.

An hour after the rep began answering questions, I was able to log into their help site, yes it’s a different website and covers all the companies products making it ever so fun finding the answer to that one, beginner level question. I’ll take it as a win.

If you find me huddled in the lower level with my laptop, I’m probably searching their help site for training materials or throwing my hands up and using YouTube videos to figure it out and wishing Apple made the product. (Yes, I’m iPhone, not Android.) The frustration will be good for me. I’ll be ever so much more empathetic in the future.

Newsletters to follow.

Listening to Now: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

What to do with the white chairs?

 

3/14/2025

If the library staff didn’t already know the weather is lovely, the sounds of children playing at Playmore Park would clue us in. There is so much joy being experienced this week, I have to remind myself the school district isn’t on Spring Break. Knowing they aren’t, I’m sending my thoughts to the teachers who have to keep students engaged for the next four weeks.

Here at the library we can dust off our outdoor Library of Things items instead and offer them up. It’s a great time to checkout the telescope. The weather is lovely, the stars are relatively close, it still gets dark fairly early, and there are no mosquitoes to battle. Of course, last week before the whole-time change would have been better, but then the weather was less cooperative. That’s Wisconsin for you and proof we can’t have both.

Looking for excuses to be outside, I brought a stack of the white chairs from our lower level out to be disassembled and recycled. The seat and back are plastic, but the frames are some form of metal. Looking a them in the sun, it seemed a shame to do so. They are less sturdy than I would like and fewer than we need, but tightening the screws on the frame and replacing missing screws on the back made them serviceable for someone.

Therefore, I held off. The stack is still just outside the library for all to see. I’m wondering if there is any organization who could find a use for some or all of them. We have about 35 left. They do have all their parts and are tightened. The distinction among them now is regarding the whiteness of the plastic seats. Some are more so than others which are showing their wear more.

They do stack for storage. We kept the stacking down to 4-5 as unlike heavy restaurant chairs, the stacks tend to lean. Plus, I was always worried a little one would try to climb on top of one of the stacks. A few years ago, we could line the stacks up against the wall. Now we have bookshelves where they used to go. Our new chairs are a navy blue that matches the couches and chairs in that space. They also fold and fit somewhat on a cart in the side storage room making them much easier to store and free up floor space.

I’ll give word of mouth a few weeks to work its way through the community and find a group/groups interested in a few or all of them before finding a means of disposing of them. Anyone interested should call or stop by and take a look at the stack outside available for trying out.

Reading Now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Book Club already met, but it's worth finishing.)

Listening to Now: Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne

Senior Outreach

 3/7/2025

I know it seems as though sourdough is all I am interested in. That’s not true even though I stayed up late baking sourdough, chocolate chip cookies for my daughter’s March 7^th birthday. (She’s 19 and away at college, so I had to ship them.) I have not forgotten about other aspects of my job. One of those is implementing the Strategic Plan.

Goal 3 calls for the creating solutions to minimize facility shortcomings. Translation, how do we make our programs and materials available for people who can’t make it down stairs or to the library at all.

With the second scenario in mind, we reached out to the management of The Heritage, East Troy Manor, and Brolen Park about beginning at out reach program. This is modeled after the Dane County Library services provided to my mother’s senior housing facility in Stoughton. The library drops off a crate of books each month for the residents. We have offered to do the same for East Troy’s senior living facilities. Thanks to a donation by our Friends group, we will also lend them a portable CD player and headphones and include audiobooks in the delivery.

The items will be checked out to a corporate library card in order to track where they are and update their availability status in the library’s catalog. A clipboard with a title list will be provided for residents use in signing out material to aid management’s ability to track in house. So far, two of the facilities have agreed to participate. The third hasn’t had time to respond. Deliveries will begin in early April.

The long-term goal is to offer delivery to individual patrons. It would not be difficult from our end to have residents with their own library cards, place holds and include their books in the delivery.

We actually have tested this with a resident at one of the facilities. Each week his daughter, who lives on the west coast, logs into his library account to place holds on movies he’d like to watch. On Thursday we get take out. I deliver this week’s checkouts and pick up his returns as part of the lunch pick up. It’s gone very well. With the help of a volunteer, I anticipate opening up this outreach service to patrons who live in private homes as well. The key to success has been having the patron or a family member make the selection and having a consistent day for delivery.

If this sounds like an appealing service, reach out to us in May, after we get into the swing of things and before summer kicks in.

 Reading Now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Listening to Now: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup

 

Brainstorming with Yarn & Stitch

 

2-28-2025

This Monday was a Yarn & Stitch day. It’s a wonderful group of ladies that does nearly as much socializing as crafting. I like to sit it at least part of each session whenever possible to both get to know them and to gather ideas.

This week they brought in sample items created for our Friends of the Library’s Books and Bites book sale over Memorial Day weekend. Included were a variety of book marks and small animals. I think my favorite was the owl, but the snail was darn cute too. Then there was the frog.

We also shared stories of, yes I’m bringing it up again, sourdough baking. While bread and crackers were common recipes, there were several more creative bakers among the mix: cookies, muffins, pancakes, pizza crust, etc. I made an apple pie last week and kick myself for using the old standby pie crust rather than finding a sourdough recipe. I also learned that a starter from our program has made its way to a former student of mine who lives in California. Another one is soon to travel to Georgia. 

Out of that discussion came the idea of holding our own blue ribbon style event. I’d like to bring Margaret back for another demonstration, especially if she would include a Q&A for those of us who attended the first. Part of that could involve bringing in our favorites, taste testing, swapping recipes, and tips. Those who felt confident in their baking skills could enter their creations in a taste testing competition.

I’m looking for feedback on who would be interested as well as ideas for other one-off classes we can offer. Obviously, I’ve made my dreams come true already.

Last Sunday I took advantage of the Mitchell Park Domes experience pass. I took Max, the six-year-old grandson made famous when his picture at our Life Size Candy Land game appeared in the newspaper. The last time I was there my eighteen-year-old was younger than Max and the show dome was closed. The parking lot was full when we arrived. I hadn’t thought about the fact that it was a weekend and they had a special Bonsai Tree exhibit, but people were constantly coming and going so it didn’t take long to find a spot. We had a great time. He’s already asked to go back while the trains are still there.

I would highly recommend it.

Reading Now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (March Adult Book Club selection)

Listening to Now: Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (Book 2 in Dune series)

 

Library Legislative Day

 

2-21-2025

Last week Tuesday, our Facebook followers would have seen a picture of Governor Evers delivering a welcome speech to a room full of librarians. Each year the Wisconsin Library Association organizes Library Legislative Day. This was my third opportunity to attend, but the first year I’ve screwed up the courage to do so. Have PLLS Trustee/ETLPL Trustee/Village Trustee Mary Hubbard Nugent with me for support helped with that.

The day started at the Best Western Premier Park Hotel right across the street from the Capitol building where Gov Evers delivered the first welcome speech followed by Representative Tony Kurtz, State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly, Assistant State Superintendent Dr. Darrell Williams, and Senator Dianne Hesselbein. All the speakers spoke of the value of libraries. More than one also mentioned librarians are the loudest group they usually see at the Capitol. That reassured me that I’m not a misfit after all.

Organizers scheduled appointments for the librarians to meet with their Representative and Senator in small groups. Mary and I met with Nathan Cobb, State Senator Nass’s Legislative Aide, and Representative Robin Vos.

At both meetings we spoke about the importance of libraries and specifically addressed proposed statute changes that would facilitate the formation of a joint library. For perhaps the past decade, the Town of Troy, Town of East Troy, and Village of East Troy have worked to combine resources and make their services more efficient and cost effective. The combined emergency services may be the ultimate example of their success in doing so. The formation of a joint library was intended to be part of that. The agreement was written, revised, accepted by relevant governing organizations and ready to sign in August 2022 when funding issues reared their ugly heads.

Library funding is a bit like public school funding; everybody pays it. However, the biggest difference lies in first where it fits in the tax bill and who receives the initial payment. In the case of the Village of East Troy, which houses the ETLPL, library funding is part of their tax levy and subject to those limits. The monies are collected and put right into our account. In contrast the Towns do not contain a public library. Their library funding is collected as part of their Walworth County taxes. Walworth County then passes it onto the library system that oversees the libraries their residents frequent. In our case that would be Prairie Lakes Library System, which later writes out checks for the individual libraries. The county tax is neither part of the Towns’ levies nor part of their levy limits. Becoming part of a joint library would change that.

The proposed change in statutes would alter that slightly. In forming a joint library and funding it directly, the change would identify that funding as a transfer of services. It would not increase the levy and is not meant to increase taxes. It simply shifts who receives the check.

Representative Vos was aware of the proposal and has one of his aides researching it looking for any unintended consequences to make certain it isn’t as simple as I indicated in the previous paragraph. His main question to me was, “What would you do with the additional funding?”

My internal answer was more sourdough.

Reading Now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Listening to Now: The Colour of Mystery by Joy Ellis

Book Valentines

 

2-14-2025

For the last two year’s I’ve written about Claudia Felske’s Literary Soulmate tradition in AP Literature and revealed my all-time heartthrob. For 2025 I’m looking over 12 months of reading and trying to decide who/what would receive that honor if those were the only books I read in my life.

Thanks to Goodreads, I can scan the covers rather quickly. Doing so brings home how eclectic my reading choice seem to be. While there is a fair amount of fluff or mind-candy, the covers that bring back the strongest impressions represent more serious work. That isn’t simply because they are serious, it is more a reflection of the beauty of the writing. These are the books I placed holds on for my mother as I no longer buy her the best books I’ve read. Here’s an overview.

Taking the top spot is author Viet Thanh Nguyen. Pulitzer Prize winning Nguyen and his family are Vietnamese refugees. The books I read this year reflect those experiences. Starting with his prize winning The Sympathizer about a North Vietnamese plant who flees to the United States with his military superior and which HBO turned into an eight-episode series. It isn’t an easy read and not just because of the content. While beautifully written, the lack of quotation marks requires extra focus to follow the dialogue. For this story, slowing down my reading helped my take the time to absorb the main character’s emotions as both a mole and a refugee. The quality of Nguyen’s writing extended to the other two books on my Read list.

The Sympathizer also kicked off a streak of Pulitzer winning novels, especially given Percival Everett’s James was a favorite this year and he has been recognized several times by the committee. While I find Everett thought provoking, Nguyen tells a better story.

There are several writers of fiction whose work I’ve systematically been making my way through and enjoyed. There are too many good books out there to continue with them if that were not the case. However, I’ll just briefly mention those I have only begun to delve into and who represent a variety of genres, okay mostly historical fiction. Jennifer Rosner’s The Yellow Bird Sings was beautiful and made me cry – Poland, 1941, Jewish mother and daughter in hiding. Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Women was a fascinating look into Chinese 15^th century culture. Katie Hafner’s The Boys was the most unusual book I read this year. It requires the most attention to detail to understand and a bit of a puzzle, which was refreshing. Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island is literally a puzzle as it belongs to the mystery genre. It’s the second Lehane book I’ve read, the first being Mystic River. He is the king of the suspense genre.

Not quite the same take on literary soulmate, but perhaps this list will offer reading suggestions. Three of them and several I wanted to include but forced myself to cut are from our Adult Book Club. Providing my most persuasive argument for people join in the reading even if they can’t join the conversation.

Reading Now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Listening to Now: Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne