2010 A Library Odyssey

Attention: Waterofrd Public Library Staff!

Make plans to attend the Support Staff Section Conference on May 26 at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference is sponsored by the WLA Support Staff Section and the Fox Valley Technical College. Sessions include: Are You Game?: The Library's Place in the World of Gaming by Jeannie McBeth, BadgerLink: Now and Moving Forward by Martha Farley Berninger and Social Media 101 by Laurie Boettcher. See Andrea if you are interested in attending.

The 10 Best Free Anti-Virus Programs

Microsoft Security Essentials
Released by Microsoft in late 2009, Microsoft Security Essentials sports more than a typically verbose Microsoft name: it's also a really good antivirus. Leightweight enough to run on older machines without cripplign their performace, yet competent enought to handle most viruses and malware out there.

AVG has become synonymous with free anti-virus, and there's a reason for this: AVG offers complete malware protection, with considerably less blat than the top pay-to-use antivirus clients. And while AVG Free does constantly remind you that you could pay for the professional version of the program, it does this withour ever getting in the way of the progrma's core purpose: protecting you from viruses.

Avira Free
In terms of simplicity, Avira's right up there with MSE. It's faily lightweight , too, so the comparison is quite apt. While Avira does have a paid profession version to peddle, much like AVG, it's not quite as aggressive as AVG in peddling it. Avira is sold and worth looking into for sure.

Avast!
If this competition were for the collest name, the piratey Avast! wouldwin hands down. Even though that's not what we are discussing, Avast! stands up pretty well. This is one of the top free anti-viruses on the market, and for good reason: it's remarkabley complete. Expect great all-round protection, including against trojans and spyware. You can also expect constant reminders that there's a free version you can upgrade to, on your desktop and in your inbox. Still, the protection is solid.

MakeUsof 4/27

Earth Day Founder Biography

The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has released a young readers biography of Gaylord Nelson, the Wisconsin politician who founded Earth Day in 1970.

Gaylord Nelson: Champion for Our Earth follows Nelson starting in boyhood in Clear Lake, Wisconsin and including his time as governor and senator.

After hearing "Young Bob" La Follette, Jr. speak, the 10-year-old Nelson knew he wanted to go into politics. College wasn't easy for him; it took three tries to make it through, but he got straight A's after exercising his determination.

Author Sheila Terman Cohen reveals that Nelson was one of the first politicans to oppose the Vietnam War. In founding Earth Day, he helped catalyze popular understanding of how and why to protect the environment. Readers watch Nelson win the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995, and reflect on his legacy after his passing in 2005.

The book is part of the Badger Biography series for young readers. (Another recent release from the series chronicles Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright.)

DPI Connect Ed 4/10

National Library Week 2010 (April 11-17)

Libraries are the heart of their communities.

National Library Week will be celebrated witht the theme:

"Communities thrive @ your library."

National Library Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

Neil Gaiman is Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2010

Neial Gaiman to speak about Libraries and Censorship as part of Natioanl Library Week.

House of Representatives passes resolution honoring National Library Week.

Why Neil Gaiman loves libraries.

Nearly 700 Neil Gaiman fans and library lovers join Gaiman onlie for National Library Week kickoff.

ALA webiste 4/2010

National Library Workers Day

National Library Workers website 4/2010

Libraries in your state need your support this week!

This week is National Library Week, a perfect time for you to send a quick e-mail to you state legislators and governor to let them know how important libraries are to you!

Libraries are in a perfect storm. They are busier than ever helping families survive during these tough economic times, yet public, school, and academic libraries are facing closures and elimination of librarians and library workers—the people who help those with a job application, teach 21st century skills, and nurture the love of reading in kids that will serve them the rest of their lives.

State governments provide much needed funding for libraries to provide public access to the Internet for everyone, databases for individuals and small businesses, homework help, and much more. Without this funding, libraries are in peril, and residents in your state are denied critical resources when they need them most.

Please send an e-mail to your governor and your representatives today, and pass this message on to your friends and colleagues.

Thank you for advocating for libraries and library staff in your state.

Sincerely,

Michael Dowling
Director, Chapter Relations Office
American Library Association

Libraries quietly give us what we need, love

A woman who lost 60 pounds, without joining a weight loss program or a gym, was on a television show and said the secret to her succes was in her pocket. She whipped out a library card.

Yes, the woman had been devouring library books. Low calorie, low fat and rich in fiber. Well, not really.
She had been devouring books to educate herself on nutrition and exercise, developed her own plan for weight loss, and put it to work.

There's not much you can't learn at the library - includeing the follies of writing sentences with doulbe negatives.

To quote Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who is at the library at this very moment, " how do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

I love libraries because they have summer reading programs, and summer reading programs keep mothers sane. Kids who are reading books are kids who are not yelling, bouncing off the walls or corralling worms in your Tupperware.

I love libraries because their late fees are reasonable, none of the 28% business the credit card companies charge.

I love libraries because they promote social networking. You can meet explorers, artists, musicians, politicians, theologians, talking dogs and singing frogs at the library.

I love libraries because they don't play games with frequent flier miles. Simply open a book and you can travel to France, Italy, the Arctic or the Outback. The air fare is free and there's no baggage fee.

A library is the only business model that lets you smaple before you buy. If you suggest that the grocry store let you load up a cart, take it all home and return what's left a month later, they'll call security. Only a library lets you take home the goods and fully enjoy them.

I love libraries because they are the last remaining institution able to sustain the reverential hush. The reverential hush has all but disappeared from the movie theathers and concert halls. You can still find it in some churches, but even many of thse have been overcome by the Casual Friday mentality.

How do libraries still maintain the hush?

With the look - chin up, eyes narrowed jaw set. Mastering the look is a prerequisite to a library science degree, along with a commitment to simple hairstyles. Libraries are also able to enforce the hush because word among the stacks is that all those demure librarians have Tasers beneath the checkout counters.

One belly laugh, one cell phone call and - ZAP!

Now is a good time to express your appreciation for libraries and librarians who run them. How, you ask? Quietly. Very, very quietly.

By Lori Borgman
McClatchy News Service
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
4/11/10

Credit Card Act

The Credit Card Act of 2009, which took effect February 22, 2010, aims to reform the credit card industry and halt abusive credit card practices. It makes changes to the credit card provisions of the Truth-in-Lending Act, and amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. The new law requires credit card companies to give 45 days notice before making significant changes to the terms of the card, changing fees associated with the card, or increasing the interest rate. The new law also bans retroactive interest rate hikes on existing balances. For an explanation of the new Credit Card Act protections read, What You Need to Know: New Credit Card Rules from the Federal Reserve Board.
Following is a selected list of State Law Library resources on the topics of consumer credit and debt collection that may be useful for doing further research. Wisconsin-specific resources have a “W” in front of the title. For assistance in accessing these or other materials, please contact our Reference Desk.
Remember that printable and online versions of all our Start Here guides are available through the Learning Center section of our website! Print a copy of our most recent guide now: Start Here: Credit/Debt

article from WSLL 4/10