Gardening expert and author Melinda Myers is offering all Wisconsin Public Libraries FREE WEBINARS and Gardening Projects from April – June for patrons of your libraries. Below is the necessary webinar registration info and attached are the webinar graphics-- please feel free to use these to promote the webinars to your patrons. If you’d like to host the webinar at your library for your patrons to watch together, simply register your library (using the links below) and then promote your library's viewing party event. Your patrons’ gardening questions can be submitted for Melinda to answer live right after her presentations – simply submit the questions in the Zoom Q&A box during each webinar broadcast. Additionally, the 2024 WI Public Library Program Factsheet has information about the Free Gardening Activities, Videos, and Projects (and webinars) Melinda Myers will be providing for you to use and share with your patrons this spring and summer. The 2024 program info (webinar info & registration links, videos, activities, and downloadable projects will be available at: Beauty Outside Your Door - 2024 Library Program with Melinda Myers. April 10, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT WEBINAR: Container Gardening Throughout the Year with gardening expert & author Melinda Myers Use container gardens to boost the color and seasonal interest in any size landscape, garden, balcony, or deck. With your budget in mind, we will explore attractive combinations of trees, shrubs, flowers, edible plants, and those that attract pollinators. Plus, you’ll learn strategies for extending your enjoyment year-round by transforming all or a portion of the container planting with the changing seasons. Register for this free webinar at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SwTJwDSaQgWnm7YU-iY0mg.
May 1, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT WEBINAR: Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables with gardening expert & author Melinda Myers Increase the nutritional value and beauty of your landscape by incorporating attractive fruits and vegetables into your landscape, garden beds, and containers. Growing varieties that are both ornamental and productive increases the opportunities for creating a beautiful space right outside your door. We will look at new and proven fruit and vegetable varieties suited to both gardens and containers. Register for this free webinar at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SFUNmF3LSUmpTXGpRMVbiA.
June 5, 2024, 6:30 p.m. CT WEBINAR: Under-Appreciated Pollinators with gardening expert & author Melinda Myers The plight of honeybees and monarchs fills the news, but many more pollinators are often overlooked yet critical to the production of food, fiber, and other raw materials we depend upon. Native bees, moths, bats, beetles, flies, and birds are also important. We will look at a variety of pollinators, their role in the environment, and their impact on people. Plus, we will discuss ways to co-exist with these often overlooked and sometimes feared or dreaded animals. Register for this free webinar at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__q1UbmcTTMyyumfGd-o6AA.
If you have any questions, please email Diana Paul, coordinator of this program at diana@melindamyers.com or 414.758.7047. Thank you for participating in the 2024 Check Out Wisconsin State Parks At Your Library program! Following are a few helpful documents:
Check Out These Digital Resources:
A new message from the author:
Posted December 20, 2023:
I am the former Executive Director of the American Neurological Association and the Organization for Human Brain Mapping). Here is the cover and a bit more information about my personal memoir that will SOON be available to readers (PDF file). I was a former library employee in my small rural NW Wisconsin Library and would sincerely appreciate it if you would share this email and both attachments with the libraries in your system. I self published the book and used Ingram and Amazon to make it easily available to both libraries and individual readers worldwide. It is my prayer that it helps many through the trials and tribulations that dominate today's headlines. Thank you in advance for your willingness to spread my story. I can be reached at lorijpeterson.author@gmail.com or on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. I sincerely appreciate any help you can offer to share this book with as many people as possible. I'd cherish your honest book review as well as I consider library directors to be the most expert in the field of information sharing and service to the public. With warm regards, Lori J. Peterson" Calling all Wisconsin readers! The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) and the Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison are pleased to announce plans for Great Lakes, Great Read, a basin-wide community read program scheduled to launch in 2024. Great Lakes, Great Read is designed to inspire passion and connection to the Great Lakes Watershed through reading. The Wisconsin program will serve as a pilot with the goal of being a catalyst for the development of similar programs in other states and provinces in the Upper Midwest and Canada. There is a need for greater education about the Great Lakes as an important natural resource. While approximately 34 million people in the US and Canada live in the Great Lakes Watershed, recent surveys, such as the 2021 International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Poll, show a lack of understanding of the threats facing the greatest freshwater resource in the world. Greater education – greater environmental literacy - is critical to cultivating stewardship of the Great Lakes and of water resources more broadly. Enter Great Lakes, Great Read. The program’s “one book, one community” model, already adopted by many libraries, is a natural fit for a basin-wide project, and Wisconsin is the perfect state to pilot the project. Wisconsinites have a deep connection to water through culture, economy, tourism and way of life. Wisconsinites also have access to a well-connected network of academic, public and special libraries that serve as the center of our communities. Funded by a grant from WiLS, the Great Lakes, Great Read program will officially kick off on February 1, 2024. The selected titles will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) 2024. Two books, one for adults and one for children, with themes related to the Great Lakes watershed will be announced. All Wisconsinites will be encouraged to read these titles, and libraries around the state will be encouraged to engage their residents through book discussions and related activities. While program designs are still being finalized, the plan is to host public presentations by the selected authors and a website that includes book discussion questions and other ideas for engagement. Watch the WLA website and join the Great Lakes, Great Read 2024 email list for program updates: Great Lakes, Great Read email list. Brian Hudelson directs the University of Wisconsin Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic. In 2024 (as he did in 2023), Brian will be providing free monthly Zoom presentations on a range of plant disease topics, which may interest library patrons. This PDF file describes the talks (with brief descriptions), lists the days and times, and also provides information on how to register for the talks. The online descriptions of the talks is also available at https://pddc.wisc.edu/2024-pddc-plant-disease-talks/. Brian has additional advertising materials (an 8.5 X 11 advertising poster for each talk) if these might be of interest to you. Brian also published a book of plant disease-themed limericks (with additional prose descriptions of the featured diseases, photos, and original artwork). Learn about Limerickettsia: A Plant Pathologist's Book of Verse at https://pddc.wisc.edu/limerickettsia-book/. If you have questions, please contact Brian at: Brian Hudelson Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic University of Wisconsin-Madison 1630 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706-1598 Phone: (608) 262-2863 FAX: (608) 263-2626 E-mail: hudelson@wisc.edu Website: https://pddc.wisc.edu Follow on Facebook and Twitter @UWPDDC Consider booking Barnaby Jones for a speaker showcase at your library! Barnaby is a cryptozoologist, paranormal researcher, author, narrator, speaker, podcast host for "Monsters on the Edge" and "Whispers from the Dark," and founder/lead investigator of Wisconsin CAPS (Cryptids, Anomalies, and the Paranormal Society). Barnaby, in collaboration with Barb and Craig Sulk, will be releasing the book Bigfoot is Hyden: The Incredible True Story of Strange Activities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on January 1, 2024. This book will be available for purchase at the speaker showcase. You can find more information about Barnaby and CAPS at www.wisconsincaps.com. Speaker showcase presentationsAvailable presentations for his speaker showcase include:
We are pleased to share below some FREE webinars and gardening activities for 2024 from nationally known and Wisconsin-based gardening expert and author Melinda Myers for all public libraries in Wisconsin. Melinda hopes you can incorporate any or all of the following into your 2024 Library programming calendars. If you have any questions, please contact Diana Paul at diana@melindamyers.com. Look for more information in the New Year coming via WisPubLib! Your Library can host a watch party on the dates below or schedule it after the live webinar date and play the recording. If you host a live watch party on the dates below, your patrons will be able to submit questions live and get them answered by Melinda at the end of each webinar. You can also let your patrons know they can individually register for the webinars if they’d prefer to watch them at home. Registration links are below:
Solar science resources are available from the Wisconsin Department for Public Instruction for local libraries looking to host activities coinciding with the upcoming solar eclipses. Public libraries can serve as centers for eclipse education and viewing for their communities during the annular solar eclipse in October 2023 and the total solar eclipse in April 2024, while state agencies, like the DPI, will be the backbone for supporting their libraries by circulating the solar science programming kits. The solar science kits are a “program in a box,” featuring books Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch and When the Sun Goes Dark by Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz, interactive activities, and solar viewing instruments including a solar telescope, a SunSpotter, and Sunoculars. They also include printed materials aimed at helping public library staff feel more comfortable when talking about these exciting celestial events. There are two kits geared for a multigenerational audience, and two kits for a younger audience. The solar kits, along with two in-person training workshops held in September 2023 for library staff throughout Wisconsin, were made possible by funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and a supplement to the NASA@My Library project,the Space Science Institute, through its Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL). To reserve a kit for a program at your library, please submit a SEAL KIT Reservation request. The kits are available statewide starting the week of October 20th, 2023. A description of the contents of each kit is also available. For programming ideas and other resources, visit Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL). Please email Jeni Schomber, Public Library Consultant, if you have any questions.
The presentation is for adults, often for Friends of the Library groups, who are generally made up of passionate advocates for libraries and books, as Lutie was.
If you are interested in a performance of any kind, please let Stuart know. His website is StuartStotts.com and he's happy to provide references. If you are interested in a summer reading event, Stuart often finds it’s a lot more affordable if libraries work together to combine bookings. "Thanks for your work. It’s not an easy time for many librarians, but I, and many others, believe you play an essential role in our society." - Stuart Stotts Stuart Stotts stuart.stotts@gmail.com 608-513-0724 www.StuartStotts.com ARTS for ALL Wisconsin is thrilled to announce the 2024 ARTS for ALL Wisconsin CREATIVE POWER Calls for Visual Art and Poetry! These unique opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to showcase their skill and talent will open for submissions on October 31 and close on February 14, 2024. ARTS for ALL Wisconsin celebrates the diverse perspectives of our community every year with its Call for Art and Call for Poetry. Submissions are juried by arts professionals, who will select CREATIVE POWER Award-winning submissions. Winning visual art submissions become part of the CREATIVE POWER Collection and tour the state for three years. Recent showings of the Collection have been La Crosse, Kenosha, Racine, Madison, and Milwaukee. Award-winning poetry will be featured in Arts for ALL Wisconsin's first edition of CREATIVE POWER Poetry to be published in 2024. The calls are free to enter, and open to any current Wisconsin resident over the age of 5 that identifies as having a disability. Both calls can be entered simultaneously. Submission Details:
There are flyers for both the Call for Art and Call for Poetry available on their website and linked here too – please feel free to share them electronically or by printing and sharing hard copies. For inquiries or assistance, please contact Mike Lawler at mike@artsforallwi.org or 608-241-2131. Let's celebrate the power of art and poetry within our diverse community!
Since its release, I’ve spoken about Tailspin at more than sixty events including forty libraries. 'Gene Moran’s story is, to put it mildly, amazing and John Armbruster’s presentation drew a crowd that was standing room only, which is rare in our tiny town! The presentation includes photos not included in the book, and Mr. Armbruster relates his experience recording Gene’s story so well. I would whole-heartedly recommend you include John Armbruster in your programming lineup.' - Amanda Hegge, Director, Whitehall Public Library My presentations are an hour long and include video, audio, slides, readings and a display of banners and artifacts. I will also sell and sign books for as long as needed after the presentation. The fee for my presentation is $400. I’ve already spoken at the following places in your Nicolet system area:
For more information on Tailspin, please read the (attached) sell sheet.
Updated July 28, 2023:Gardening expert Melinda Myers has shared her August gardening activities to her website for you to use with your library patrons. Click the following link, and scroll all the way down to the August video and activity. It can all be accessed at https://www.melindamyers.com/articles/grow-budget-wise-beautiful-gardens-anywhere-2023-library-garden-program. August 2023 - Video & DIY Project: Worm Composting – Convert kitchen scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Posted June 1, 2023:Gardening expert Melinda Myers has uploaded her June and July gardening activities below to her webpage for you to use with your library patrons:
Here are just a few ways to use the content from Melinda:
Also, your library can access all promotional materials, signage, press release templates, social media posts and images for this content at https://www.melindamyers.com/articles/electronic-press-kit. If you have any questions, email Diana Paul at diana@melindamyers.com. The Libraries Build Business Communications Toolkit offers advice and materials for library workers to promote their small business support services, engage with policymakers and government officials, and form and strengthen ties with local businesses and existing entrepreneur support structures.
The toolkit was created by the American Library Association’s Public Policy & Advocacy office (PPA), in partnership with Audrey Barbakoff from Co/lab Capacity, to help library workers communicate the value of and grow their small business services. "The Library Services Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced on April 18, 2023, a contract with the reading engagement platform Beanstack through April 2025. The agreement with Zoobean, Inc. provides new and continued access to Beanstack for all interested Wisconsin public libraries and public school libraries. This program is being offered through the DPI with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant. Over the next two years, the DPI will continue welcoming feedback from the field to ensure the product is meeting Wisconsin libraries’ needs." Learn more at https://dpi.wi.gov/wilibrariesforeveryone/beanstack-access-renewed-through-april-2025. Content and Promotional Materials now Available!Following are updates on the “Grow Budget-Wise, Beautiful Gardens Anywhere” Program from garden expert Melinda Myers for Wisconsin Public Libraries to use from April – September. Here is the news release with details about the program for your review. All the program content is free of charge thanks to underwriting sponsor We Energies.
You can help this program to be a success! Please promote it in your community and to your patrons. Here are some ideas:
If you have any questions, please email Diana Paul. The following is taken directly from an email from Ryan Bernsten to NFLS: "My name is Ryan Bernsten and I'm a Midwest-based writer. My upcoming book 50 States of Mind: A Journey to Rediscover American Democracy, which I wrote as a grad student at University of Oxford, is being released by the London-based publisher Bite-Sized Books on June 20th (US Hardcover) and March 28th in the UK. This book is a nonfiction account of my travels across all 50 states to meet people from different walks of life/political persuasions and is a modern take on Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. I grew up in Madison – I visited Racine, Marinette, Appleton, and Green Bay on my journey and would love to return to Wisconsin for an event with your library in 2023. Here's some information about the book, a press release, and a press kit is (available below): Amended January 3, 2023Per a follow-up communication from Tovah Anderson on January 3, 2023: "It was brought to my attention that Wisconsin requires seed (re)labelers to be licensed and that seed libraries may fall under this requirement. I spoke with Greg Helmbrecht at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Greg responded: 'Several years ago, we evaluated the need to license “seed libraries” and decided it wasn’t something we needed to do as long as commerce wasn’t affected. This was an exemption to licensing but the idea was that there wasn’t “bulk” seed involved. Jung is a licensed and reputable seed labeler and one that would be directly affected by your “give away”. I think that if they are aware of your plans and don’t have a problem with it, you shouldn’t need a license. Full disclosure with Jung is advised and they could probably do your labeling for you.' Upon his suggestion, I reached out to Jung Seed to see if this project was okay. I shared with him how Prairie Lakes Library System was planning to run this project in our area. Brian Isaacs at Jung Seed responded: 'It was a pleasure speaking with you this morning. When you are wanting to do this again, just let me know ahead of time and we can package them up for you and even add library information to the package. For this round, Jung Seed does not have any issues with the way it was handled.' It sounds like we have the go-ahead with the understanding that seed libraries are not meant to take business away from the seed sellers and that the planning committee will approach this project differently next year. Each library is free to order their seeds from any seller they like. There is no formal “oversight" of this project so you can run your program as you like." (Note: Tovah is interested in how many libraries think they will participate. As a courtesy, please email her at tanderson@prairielakes.info to let her know.) "Hello All,
You are invited to bring this project to your library – One Seed, One Wisconsin is a loosely defined seed giveaway and programming project spearheaded by Kirsten Almo, director emeritus of Edgerton Public Library. 2023’s seed variety is the Wisconsin 55 Tomato, which has a fascinating history! Please use #1Seed1WI when promoting or posting about this project so everyone can see what the participants are up to!
5/4/2022 update from Kelly Bolter, Adult Programming Coordinator @ Milwaukee Public Library: We're counting down the days until Melinda Myers will be celebrating Pollinator Month with your libraries and patrons! She’ll be hosting 3 live webinars and 3 youth videos with corresponding DIY projects that can be done as part of library programming with kids, tweens and teens. These projects can also be accessed online for any families or households who would like to do this at home with take home kits. Attached (below), you will find a DIY Project Supplies List created by Melinda. This could helpful for any libraries who plan on including them in a Summer Reading Program, and any take-and-make kits. Please note that step-by-step instructions for each of these DIY projects and the corresponding videos are being produced and will be available online by 5/16 on the program’s webpage, www.atc-GrowSmart.com/library. This page is currently under development. I’ve also attach(ed) a refresher of the Pollinator Month program and content that will be provided to our libraries free of charge (see the attached June 2022 Pollinator Month Factsheet) and information so you can promote the 3 pollinator gardening webinars presented by Melinda to your patrons (see Pollinator Month 2022 Webinar Registration Info). If you have any questions, please contact Diana Paul at diana@melindamyers.com. Thank you for getting the word out about the importance of pollinators and ways we can help them! Please note the dates of the Pollinator Month Webinars are June 1, June 15, and June 22.
Original post: 3/21/2022
June is National Pollinators Month. In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and how everyone can help them, American Transmission Co. is teaming up with gardening expert and author Melinda Myers. Together, they will produce and provide libraries throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with educational programming and content for National Pollinators Month. The content and programming will be made available to the libraries at no cost and the libraries may offer the programs and content to their patrons throughout the month of June... The following program information comes from Michigan author Ross Richardson. I’m scheduling virtual library programs (via Zoom) for the winter/spring season (February-May) of 2022. Each live program has an hour-long runtime and is followed by an open Q&A session. These programs feature state of the art underwater video, as well as historical imagery, research and documentation.
My most popular programs are:
Below are links to news stories concerning some of my discoveries. Folksinger David HB Drake was there… He played for Gaylord Nelson at the very first Earth Day in 1970, marched the streets of Madison in 1969 and has sung alongside Pete Seeger on the Clearwater. He remembers the era when folk music was shared across the country because he was there. “Blowing in the Wind” is a concert of those mighty times. The classic music of David’s mentors - Peter, Paul and Mary; Pete Seeger; Tom Paxton; Phil Ochs; Bob Dylan; Woody Guthrie; Joni Mitchell; the Kingston Trio; John Denver and more echo down the years sung by someone who lived it and never stopped singing the songs. David's program is presented with a PowerPoint panorama complete with sing-along slides and a history of the 60's folk era. 60 and 90 minute (full concert) and duo / trio versions are available! For a wealth of information on David’s rainbow of performances for all ages, visit www.davidhbdrake.com and David HB Drake on YouTube. Contact David at: orgarts@gmail.com 414-702-6053
The issue of mental health is prominent everywhere and it is an issue that commands a new perspective. Without advocacy and awareness, we will continue to wait until the crisis stage to address mental health for Law Enforcement Professionals and by then it may be to late.
The Law Enforcement Culture tends to expect Law Enforcement Professionals to resist normal physiological responses to tragedies or critical incidents. This combination creates the perfect storm when Law Enforcement Professionals are not provided with the tools to deal with effects of the profession.
Please contact me if you would like me to speak about my experience. You can learn more about Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma at: http://www.stopthethreatstopthestigma.org
Let's work together to Stop The Threat - Stop The Stigma. Please share this (e-mail) with others. Thank you. Sincerely, Adam A. Meyers 13034 30th Avenue Lake Hallie, Wisconsin 54729 Call/Text: (715) 869-3361 StopTheThreatStopTheStigma.org Rochelle Melander is a writing coach and teaching artist. She is the founder of Dream Keepers, a writing workshop for young people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and she teaches at libraries, local schools, and museums. Rochelle's new book, Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing (Beaming Books; July 27, 2021), is a middle grade social justice book pairing life changing writing exercises with the stories of a diverse group of people who changed lives and communities throughout history. The book features people from a variety of disciplines who used their words to educate people about the stars, advocate for women’s rights, end slavery, save the environment, protest injustice, and more. Sidebars explore types of writing, fun facts, and further resources. Library directors: if you would like to review the eARC to take a look at this book, please contact Rochelle for a link. She’s also written 11 books for adults, including two books to help people write: Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It) and Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity. Rochelle is also available for author visits. Chad Lewis: Author of the Strange and Unusual Offers Virtual Openings for Fall & Winter 20218/31/2021 Speaker Bio For nearly three decades Chad Lewis has traveled the back roads of the world in search of the strange and unusual. From tracking Vampires in Transylvania and searching for the elusive monster of Loch Ness to trailing the dangerous Tata Duende through remote villages of Belize and searching for ghosts in Ireland's castles, Chad has scoured the earth in search of the paranormal. Chad has been featured on the Discovery Channel's A Haunting, William Shatner's Weird or What, ABC's World's Scariest Places, Monsters and Mysteries in America, along with being a frequent contributor to Ripley's Believe it or Not Radio. With a Master's Degree in Psychology, Chad has authored over 25 books on the supernatural and extensively lectures on his fascinating findings. The more the bizarre the legend is, the more likely you will find Chad there! **Virtual Openings for Fall & Winter** "Due to the rise in Delta and winter driving conditions, many libraries have been asking for virtual options for their Fall & Winter programming. With this, in addition to my in-person programs I have converted all my presentations to include a virtual option through Zoom, Skype, Facebook Live, Blue Jeans, etc...... or even a pre-recorded version as well. Many libraries are even taping the live video to make it accessible through their websites for those who couldn't attend the live broadcast and a pre-recorded option is available as well. I have included all the info for you below---just let me know what you pick. It is great to know that even in these strange times people still crave storytelling. Keep an eye out, Chad Lewis 715-271-1831 www.chadlewisresearch.com" Are you and your patrons still looking for that perfect paranormal/ghost program at the library this fall? Something that would be educational, entertaining, and even infused with humor an fun (without being too deep into occult or questionable material)? My "Visiting the Beyond" paranormal program could be just the fit your library needs - and at a fair price!
My name is Curt Strutz, and I am a self-proclaimed "Paranormal Explorer." I tour and visit some of the country's most notorious haunted locations and experience them - with personal happenings, history, and original photography. I bring all of this original content to libraries and museums across the country - and already have a semi-full fall schedule at this point in time (with live and in-person lectures in WI, FL, IA, and AL already booked in 2021). My presentations are loved by those into the paranormal, but also are great for those into both history and photography. I am pleased to announce that I do have a handful of solid/great dates that can still be booked for this September and October that will work for WI libraries - given the fact I do reside right here in the state! While the majority of the bottom half of October being booked, there are still quite a few solid dates open for the top half of the month. We could still make it happen for your library! I have been scheduling lectures on the paranormal for nearly 10 years - speaking at libraries all over the country, as well as museums, special events, and even some paranormal conferences down in Illinois a few years back. I was also a featured cast member of a nationally syndicated cable access TV show called "Paranormal Generation." This show aired on cable access channels across the country, from Lancaster, CA to Philadelphia, PA! The show ran for two seasons/years, and all back episodes are still available to view on YouTube! |
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