Wisconsin residents borrow more than 1 million library materials each week, ranking the state among the top 10 in the nation for library usage.
“The collaboration and cooperation among Wisconsin’s public libraries and library systems is a testament to the value we place on libraries and the connections libraries form to serve their local communities,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “During our recent economic struggles, libraries stepped up their employment resources. Librarians helped patrons search for jobs, write resumes, and submit employment applications online, many times in partnership with local job centers and employment organizations.”
Wisconsin’s 385 public libraries are part of a network of 17 public library systems that work together to fill requests, share materials, and provide services more economically than if each library worked alone. State funding for library systems was cut 10 percent each year of the 2011-13 budget, which amounts to $3.3 million over two years. Those cuts, and local and county funding decreases, have made it difficult for libraries to maintain their historic high service levels.
The $15 million in library system aid for 2013 operations will help libraries
• ensure that system residents have complete access to all public libraries within the system area. State residents made 34.4 million visits to public libraries and checked out 64.5 million items in 2011.
• coordinate the sharing of library materials among participating libraries to meet user needs. Annually, libraries loan more than 9 million items to each other in response to users’ requests, ranking Wisconsin first in the nation for per capita interlibrary loans. System-supported delivery networks deliver interlibrary loan items at no charge to library patrons.
• support the download of digital materials. Wisconsin’s digital collection ranks third in the nation in volume of use. In 2011, state residents downloaded more than 500,000 ebook and audiobooks from their local libraries and regional library systems. For 2012, use has already exceed 1 million downloads.
• offer programming to support child and adolescent literacy. In 2011, children’s programs provided by public libraries attracted more than 1.6 million attendees. The Department of Public Instruction coordinates an annual Summer Library Program along with 46 states that are part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program. Wisconsin library usage data and system aid.
Summer Library Program attendance for children and young adults was more than 500,000 in 2011.
• provide training and continuing education for local library staff to help them offer the best possible service to their communities.
• coordinate cooperative library technology projects. About 93 percent of the state’s public libraries now participate in shared computer systems that offer users online catalog access to regional library holdings. All public libraries provide the public with the use of computers with high-speed Internet connections and most offer free wireless access for laptop users in the library.
“Even though library visits and circulation have increased over the past five years, the number of library staffers per capita working in our libraries has decreased by 2.6 percent,” Evers noted. “I know librarians are dedicated to helping patrons get the information they need and commend the 5,000 plus individuals who work in our state’s libraries and library systems for their devotion to the public.”
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