Fall 2012 MPLF Newsletter

Fall 2012

a quarterly newsletter from the Madison Public Library Foundation

FOUNDATION NEWS A Piece of “Bookless” for the New Central Library Thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Madison Arts Commission, two artists from Bookless will create permanent pieces for the new Central Library. Some additional funds will need to be raised to cover the complete cost, but this grant gives the foundation a big boost toward funding the project.

At the one-day Bookless event in January, 5,000 members of the public streamed into the empty library to view the work of over 100 artists, many of whom re-purposed parts of the old Central Library as focal points in their artwork. Two of these local artists, Niki Johnson and Heath Matysek-Snyder, were lauded favorites of many.

Matysek-Snyder will create his piece from stacks of split firewood and library furniture. In his words, he is “excited” and “proud” to make his own personal contribution to the new library.

The Library’s two new pieces, along with six other permanent pieces in the library’s art collection, will be featured in a special September 2013 grand opening event.

Johnson will work with traditional metal bookends to create a library-specific sculpture, with the purpose of displaying “the fusion of old and new.”

“I believe this new work will serve to celebrate the future of the new space and will reflect the idea of innovation, much like the new architecture of the building - reconfiguring the beauty of the past into a new design for the future,” Johnson said.

“Arch” by Niki Johnson Photo: Niki Johnson

“Kominy” by Heath Matysek-Snyder Photo: Eric Bailles Photography

Lunch for Libraries: Dish with David Nets Nearly 20K Pulitzer prize-winning author David Maraniss entertained 208 guests at the inaugural Lunch for Libraries with stories of his own journey as he researched the early life and history of President Barack Obama. After lunch, he signed copies of his generational biography Barack Obama: The Story for a long line of enthusiastic attendees.

Ticket sales and sponsorships for the soldout event netted almost $20,000 for the foundation’s Annual Fund, supporting foundation grants for collections and programs in all nine libraries.

Event Committee Member Martha Vukelich-Austin and Diane Ballweg enjoy lunch

Mayor Paul Soglin awaits the program

More photos online:

David Maraniss signs copies of “Barack Obama: The Story”

FOUNDATION NEWS We Want to Know...

What’s your favorite book you’ve read this summer?

Inquiring Minds Your Questions Answered Q: What’s in a Brand? Or in the case of Madison Public Library, what’s in a rebrand?

Al Friedman, President, MPLF

A: “Brand” and “branding” are important components of how businesses and institutions communicate today. As a part of marketing and public relations efforts, the brand concept is also jargon and the subject of some cynicism. So what is it -- and not to be cynical -- why does everyone seem to need “a brand?”

Mira & Noah Rosales

In a less cluttered world, we were satisfied with our household brands: Ford®, IBM® and Barbie®. But increased competition for our attention, the recent communication explosion, and the call for public institutions to be more “business-like,” cause us to consider every proven tool in the communication toolbox.

In the case of Madison Public Library, our brand is the umbrella under which staff and volunteers do their work. For library patrons, our brand is the promise we make to serve individuals and our community. To donors, the brand embraces good stewardship and integrity.

Madison Public Library enjoys an excellent brand, but we are also a complex organization. We have a director’s administrative office and many centralized services, nine libraries, friends groups, and a foundation. In the past we have not made it easy to identify and unite all of these moving parts. As we embark on a new era for Madison Public Library, the rebranding goal is to build on what we have and make it easier for you to see us. One way we can do this is through a strengthened visual identity – one of the pillars of a strong brand.

In the coming months, you will see our new logo in the media, in the libraries, and in library materials. I am excited about the new logo as a new visual cue, and proud of the rebranding effort unifying all the parts that make the whole of Madison Public Library.

Millie Carter

Kirana & Asha Bahls

Mira Rosales Snow Party by Harriet Ziefert because “it’s snowy and the grass is happy ‘cause it rains.”

Noah Rosales That’s How! by Christoph Niemann because “they make machines into animals.”

Aquila Chiang Wisconsin from World Almanac’s Library of the States series because “I love Wisconsin!”

Millie Carter O’Brien Spork by Kyo Maclear because “I like the messy baby and I like that the spork is the hero.”

Kirana Bahls Art & Max by David Wiesner because “it’s funny.”

Asha Bahls Higher, Higher! by Leslie Patricelli because “nya-nya!” (Her mom says she likes to point to the picture of the daddy in the book!)

A published quarterly by

Madison Public Library Foundation, Inc. Executive Director

Jennifer J. Collins Newsletter Editor

201 W. Mifflin Street Madison, Wisconsin 53703 608.266.6318 mplfoundation.org info@mplfoundation.org

Aquila Chiang

Courtney Davis Contributing Writers

Tana Elias Meredith Lee

Newsletter Designer

Rebecca Curran

Madison Public Libraries • Alicia Ashman 733 N. High Point Rd. • Hawthorne 2707 E. Washington Ave. • Lakeview 2845 N. Sherman Ave. • Meadowridge 5740 Raymond Rd. • Monroe Street 1705 Monroe St. • Pinney 204 Cottage Grove Rd. • Sequoya 4340 Tokay Blvd.

• Goodman South Madison 2222 S. Park St. • Central Library Interim Location 126 S. Hamilton St.

Book Club Corner: Meet the SAIL Book Club

Foundation Grants More eBooks

The SAIL Book Club owes its existence to SAIL (Supporting Active Independent Lives), a subscription organization of people 55 and older who intend to live independently while they age.

Currently, ten women meet monthly at the original location, a small sunny room in Sequoya Library, to discuss a selection from the library’s Book Club Kit Program.

As eBook popularity grows, so does the patron demand for digital titles.

Since the library joined a statewide service, powered by OverDrive, digital checkouts of eBooks and audiobooks increased by 50% each year, and nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011. Digital checkouts are on pace to double again from 2011 to 2012.

What book are you currently reading? The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo What author would you like to have as a book club guest?

Jane Hamilton, David McCullough, the historian, Bill Bryson or Barbara Kingsolver If you could host book club anywhere, where would it be? At one of the great libraries of the U.S. perhaps the Library of Congress, Harvard University Library or the New York City Library

Use Overdrive to check out digital titles on your iPad, Kindle, Nook and more

If you could invite any person to join your book club, who would it be? Emily Auerbach, founder of the Odyssey Project, Andrew Carnegie, or Mrs. Obama

In order to meet the digital needs of Madisonians while continuing to meet demand for print titles in the library’s regular collection, the foundation has granted Madison Public Library $22,000 to grow and enhance the library’s digital collection.

Save the Date Planned Giving Seminar September 25, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Sequoya Library Complimentary Lunch Provided RSVP to 266.6318 or events@mplfoundation.org

SAIL Book Club

Congratulations to the SAIL Book Club!

They’ve won a gift card to Barriques. If you’d like to be entered in the drawing for next quarter’s newsletter, send an email to newsletter@mplfoundation.org including a brief description of your book club and your answers to the four questions above.

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LIBRARY NEWS Madison Public Library Welcomes a New Director

Go Big Read Selection Combines Radioactivity and Visual Arts

On September 4, Gregory Mickells will become the 16th Library Director in Madison Public Library’s 137 year tenure. Here’s your chance to learn more about your new director!

What attracted you to Madison and Madison Public Library?

I’m always looking for new opportunities and challenges. I wasn’t actively pursuing a new position, but I was intrigued Gregory Mickells, Library Director of when I saw the Madison Madison Public Library posting. The Madison library is used as a comparable study in Lincoln. The libraries are similar, and the cities share many features - they’re state capitals, they house major universities.

How did you become interested in public libraries?

My first public library job was at Omaha Public Library converting the card catalog to an [online] database. The [old] catalog was obsolete, it wasn’t updated, but customers still wanted it.

It was a huge change, one that was finally embraced by librarians and customers.

There’s always some type of change in libraries.

I think it’s great that Madison [Public Library] is working on branding. When you talk to librarians, they say we need to market ourselves better; we need to be proactive and out in the community making connections and being responsible stewards of tax money.

What was your greatest accomplishment from your time as Assistant Library Director at Lincoln City Libraries?

What I feel I’ve contributed most is offering a sense of empowerment to management. I feel I opened that door to let them initiate change, to see how it affected customers. Libraries often look at a policy or procedure from a library point of view, but we need to ask who it will really help and put the customer first. By talking with our customers, we found simple solutions we never would have thought of. Building relationships with customers is critical for our managers.

I hope that’s what I left - the ability and expectation for managers to get out of the building and into the community.

What other opportunities do you see for libraries to be out in the community?

I think it’s great that Madison [Public Library] is working on branding. When you talk to librarians, they say we need to market ourselves better; we need to be proactive and out in the community making connections and being responsible stewards of tax money.

Gregory Mickells was the Assistant Library Director for the Lincoln City Libraries in Lincoln, Nebraska since 2007 and has held other library positions in Nebraska and Colorado since 1989. He has his Masters in Library Science from Emporia State University.

Read the full interview online.

This year’s Go Big Red selection

This year’s highly visual Go Big Read selection, Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie : a Tale of Love & Fallout by Lauren Redniss depicts the Curies’ discovery of radioactive power. Through her writing, Redniss captures the complexity of the intersections between science, history, and biography. The dreamlike quality of the book’s brilliant graphics comes from cyanotype printing, which Redniss says she used to capture “what Marie Curie called radium’s ‘spontaneous luminosity.’ “

This year the library purchased over 400 copies of Radioactive to support the Go Big Read program with proceeds from the Friends of Madison Public Library’s Book Club Café fundraiser and donations from other friends groups.

This year all MPL locations will host book discussions of Radioactive and some will also host art cyanotype imaging workshops with local artist Aliza Rand, Director of Violet Art Studios.

Book Discussion Kits available in early September.

Mailing Lists a Snap with A to Z Databases In January, the library introduced a new online service, AtoZ Databases, which offers both residential and business information.

Here are just a few ways you can use this tool: • Create potential customer lists by income, neighborhood, or interests • Identify business partners or suppliers in a geographic area • Find old friends • Research potential employers Records can be customized and downloaded to Excel or other formats, up to 250 at a time, making creating accurate mailing or call lists extremely easy. New information is added to the service on a weekly basis.

Try it out online with your Madison Public Library card or at any Madison Public Library. www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/databases/atoz-databases

LIBRARY NEWS A New Look for Madison Public Library In researching why people use the library, local firm Cricket Design Works found that the library is a place for many different activities – children hearing and reading stories, teens hanging out with friends, adults searching for information to improve their lives, job seekers looking for work and improving their computer skills, and of course, people of all ages looking for a good book, movie, or music experience. In each case, the library delights those people with what they were looking for and surprises them with more than they were seeking. Cricket Design Works transformed those experiences into a logo which shows abundance, highlights serendipity, and promotes the library as a destination.

BRANCH CELEBRATIONS Exciting things are happening at Madison Public Library!

Join us for weeklong celebrations that feature fun activities, prizes, and meet-and-greet events with new director Greg Mickells.

The new look celebrates the uniqueness of each person’s library experience and the commonality of access to the library’s ever-expanding number of free resources.

As a follow up to last year’s grant for the rebranding of Madison Public Library, the foundation approved the library’s $8,000 request to fund the implementation of the new logo including updated printed materials, new library cards, web updates and a 9-week launch effort.

The logo launch kicked off at the Dream Big -- Read! Concert & Picnic at Olbrich Gardens on August 14th, and will include a series of Meet & Greets at each branch with new library director Greg Mickells.

Watch for the new logo on library cards, tshirts, social media, library publications and publicity, and a variety of items offered through prize drawings in the months of September and October.

Monroe Street Library September 4-8, 2012 Goodman South Madison Library September 10-15, 2012 Lakeview Library September 17-22, 2012 Hawthorne Library September 24-29, 2012

Meet Your Friends Group: Pinney Branch Think summer reading is just for kids? Think again. The Adult Summer Reading program at the Pinney Library, funded by the Friends of Pinney, offers adults an extra incentive to dive into a book.

“The Adult Summer Reading program is a great way for people to get to know the Pinney Library and other community members,” said Alice Kasper, Pinney Friends President.

Readers can find beach reads and other books recommended by program participants in the branch’s special display. Once they’ve completed their book, they can enter a drawing to win tote bags, gift certificates to local businesses and more prizes. The funding of this program comes primarily from the Friends of Pinney Branch book sales. This essential part of the organization’s fundraising activity enables the Friends’ continuing library support, including educational events for children and adults, library equipment and funds for the Pinney Library Endowment.

“The Friends of Pinney Branch’s almost 200 members are dedicated to their Library and work hard to give back,” Kasper said.

For more information about the Pinney Adult Summer Reading program or the Friends of Pinney Branch, contact Pinney Library at 224-7100.

Alicia Ashman Library October 1-6, 2012 Sequoya Library October 7-13, 2012 Central Library October 15-20, 2012 Meadowridge Library October 22-27, 2012 Pinney Library October 28-November 3, 2012

Learning for a Lifetime Campaign Updates My New Library Match: Over Half Way to 100K Madison Library-lovers have been called to action. An anonymous donor pledged to donate $50,000 to Learning for a Lifetime: The Community Campaign for a New Central Library if Madisonians can raise $100,000 by the end of the summer.

“We’ve raised over $72,000, but we still have a ways to go to meet our $100,000 goal,” said Jenni Collins, Executive Director of Madison Public Library Foundation, “The donor is a strong believer in libraries and hopes that this challenge will inspire new contributors to join in this community-wide effort.”

Book Clubs Rising to the Challenge 22 book clubs have collectively raised more than $6,500 for the Learning for a Lifetime campaign toward the Book Club Challenge’s goal of 100 book clubs in support of the new Central Library.

As part of the challenge, a donation of $250 or more qualifies book clubs to have their name incorporated into a custom-made bench made of natural wood created by award-winning artist Hongtao Zhou in collaboration with Driftstudio in Mount Horeb. Learn more about the artwork, the challenge, and the campaign for a new Central Library on the foundation’s website.

This 2:1 match will be applied to all new online gifts, check donations, or pledges made between June 1 and September 30.

Learning for a Lifetime The Community Campaign for a New Central Library

Renderings of the bench created by Hongtao Zhou in collaboration with Driftstudio

A quarterly newsletter from the Madison Public Library Foundation mplfoundation.org 201 W. Mifflin Street Madison, WI 53703

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