Jan 18
At WiLS, we want to bring valuable information to our library partners, including information about the missions and big ideas of the vendors they may already do business with. Each month, WiLS interviews a vendor partner in order to bridge the gap and open the door to valuable collaborations. This month, we are delighted to share insights from Julie Salvatori, Account Manager with ProQuest.
Jan 18
One of our greatest joys at WiLS is hearing our members tell the stories of the big and important work they are doing – interesting new projects or initiatives, or even interesting and new approaches to old projects. And, in addition to hearing about it, it makes us even happier when we can share those stories with other members. Each month, WiLS is proud to feature an interview with one of our library members. This month, we interview Steve Platteter, Director of Arrowhead Library System and WiLS Board Chair-elect!
Jan 18
As we all know, we have big work to do as community organizations to reduce barriers to and increase the diversity of our collections, services, and staff. Read more
Jan 11
The Call for Presentations and Registration is open for University of Wisconsin-Stout‘s “E”ffordability Summit for “anyone concerned with the cost of educational materials.” Read more about the “E”ffordability Summit programs, submit a presentation by February 1st, and register to attend by February 15th! The Summit will be held March 26-27.
Jan 5
It’s been a year since we launched the WiLS Community Chronicle and we want it to be the best newsletter for our members it possibly can be. Read more
Jan 4
In July of 2017, a team of researchers carried out an ARL SPEC Survey. The survey gathers information on the breadth of practice taking place at the intersection of research libraries, presses, and publishing, and on the blurring of boundaries as libraries engage in publishing and press activities in new ways. We haven’t had a chance to absorb it yet, but want to share the survey itself and a webinar put on by the authors with anyone interested in this large and growing part of what libraries do.
Jan 2
We are excited to announce our new partnership with ALA Graphics!
ALA Graphics has been a champion for libraries, literacy, and reading for more than 40 years. Home of the iconic Celebrity READ® poster campaign and exclusive art from award-winning children’s book illustrators, ALA Graphics is also the source of the unique authorized promotional materials for of Banned Books Week, National Library Week, Library Card Sign-up Month, and Teen Read Week, among other events.
WiLS Cooperative Purchasing members can get 10% off their $75+ purchase of:
But wait! There’s more! If you are an American Library Association member, you’ll get your 10% WiLS savings off your ALA member price!
Read all about the terms of our partnership with ALA Graphics and how to order here or contact Andrea Coffin () with any questions.
Dec 27
The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) turned 15 years old this year. As 2017 comes to a close, Richard Poynder, a scholarly communication journalist, asked the following question of several leading voices in the movement: “what should the stakeholders of scholarly communication be doing now to fully realise the vision outlined at the Budapest meeting?”
We’re still reading many of the responses, but wanted to point out that 0f Peter Suber, philosopher, professor and Open Access advocate. Suber is Director of the Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication, Director of the Harvard Open Access Project, Senior Researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and widely regarded as the de facto leader of the open access movement. Suber’s response is thorough, wide-ranging and comprehensive. It’s broken down into advice for researchers, institutions, librarians and even publishers. It’s well worth a read!
Dec 22
In a recent article in College & Research Libraries News, Alverno College librarian Dolores Skowronek described a new pilot project being undertaken by the library. A recent survey indicated that 62% of Alverno seniors had gone without a textbook due to cost. The library wanted to try to help students with textbook affordability.
As Skowronek points out, “offering Open Educational Resources (OER) and other textbook alternatives would be ideal, however, advocating for campus-wide acceptance and implementation of OER can be a lengthy and time-consuming process.” So, in order to offer immediate relief from the financial burden of expensive textbooks, Alverno librarians chose to offer a physical textbook collection.
We think this is a great idea worth sharing. While WiLS is strongly in favor of OER initiatives, we recognize that there can be obstacles to implementation. Skowronek’s article details their process in building this collection as a step in the right direction towards helping students with this urgent need. It’s also yet another great example of just how important the campus library is!
Dec 21
Last month, we held our Regional Community Meetings around the topic of information literacy in six locations across the state. From Kenosha to Menomonie, we were blown away Read more
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