A special legacy of Hugh Highsmith

Hugh Highsmith passed away on June 7, 2009 at the age of 94.   Even though Mr. Highsmith lived a long and fruitful life, it is still hard to say goodbye.

Mr. Highsmith personally touched many by providing employment to hundreds of people at his library supply company in Fort Atkinson for over 50 years.  I have heard employees remark about Hugh’s obvious interest in them as people.  Quite simply, he cared about the well-being of his employees.

Mr. Highsmith, a truly philanthropic gentleman, contributed financially to projects of all kinds, including our own library and The Hoard Museum.  He did so at key times, for example, when the library project relied on a gift in the early stages of our expansion in 1983.  He contributed to the county by acquiring and donating the land for the Jefferson County Indian Mounds Park.   He was quiet, humble, and so giving.

He gave…so that others could enjoy and grow.

At his memorial service, I could tell by the comment from grandson, Cyrus, that he fostered growth in his family too.   When Cyrus Highsmith, an artist,  spoke of the voice he hears inside his head and how he came to identify that as Hugh’s, I couldn’t help but feel an incredible admiration.  To leave a gift like that for his grandson is a remarkable thing indeed.

Son Tod spoke about his connection with the land that was fostered from his early childhood exploration of the family’s beautiful property.   He recognized his father’s role in nurturing his lifelong love of the earth.

Son Duncan shared his sense of deep gratitude to be able to work with Hugh, side-by-side, for so many years until he’d learned enough to take over as CEO/President.

At the memorial service, it certainly clicked for me.  I understood that the similar refrain in all the stories was the way Hugh Highsmith fostered growth in everything and everyone he touched.  As I pondered that thought, I realized how fitting it was that he and his wife Fanny were selected as the honorary chairs of our “Foster Growth” capital campaign last year.

Foster growth.  Mr. Highsmith demonstrated they aren’t just words in a capital campaign slogan.  When you live it, you leave quite a legacy indeed.

Words to live by: Don’t settle, wear sunscreen, and for heaven’s sake, share

It’s graduation time.   I always enjoy this time of year because I think such an important life passage is to be honored, appreciated, and remembered.

Plus I love to read graduation-related books and speeches.  I have no idea why.  Maybe it is because graduating always made me incredibly happy! (As opposed to studying.)  Several years ago I read the commencement address Steve Jobs gave at Stanford and I thought it was particularly inspirational.  I found the speech on YouTube and thought I’d post it here for your viewing pleasure.

Then there’s the famous, Wear Sunscreen “commencement speech” that was actually not a speech at all, but a “Here’s what I would say if anybody ever asked me to give a graduation speech” essay.  A column originally published in the Chicago Tribune, it was written by Mary Schmich but initially attributed to Kurt Vonnegut incorrectly on the Internet.   Listen to a fascinating interview with Schmich here. (Note:  the actual program doesn’t start until about 30 seconds into the audio.)  You can also read the full text of the Schmich’s beloved column here.

I recently purchased a book called What Now?: Words of wisdom for life after graduation by Jennifer Leigh Selig.  I absolutely love this book for all the wisdom packed in 333 pages.   I was thinking I would give this book to my son as a gift since he’s graduating this year.

But I’m not sure I can part with it.  Maybe I’ll just have to distill it for him and give him a series of envelopes with the best of the words of wisdom collected from a variety of  sources such as I’ve mentioned and other books like, All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.   A batch of envelopes with advice will likely be a better delivery method than my usual barrage of motherly “guidance” because it can be managed…apportioned over a longer period of time…sort of like time released medicine!  (I can pretty much guarantee he’s not likely to rip open all the envelopes and pore over them on graduation day.  Unless he thinks there’s money inside.)   So that’s my plan.  I feel it’s appropriate that I send him on his journey with a box full of…words.

My son’s first envelope might look like this:

Wear sunscreen.  Never settle.  Always do your best.  Work hard.  Pay your bills. Vote.  Get a library card.  Practice the golden rule.  Don’t live beyond your means.  Be respectful.  Love deeply.  Live honestly.  Laugh often.  And for heaven’s sake, share.

Darn.  That’s too many ideas for one envelope.    Maybe I should just have one idea per envelope with supporting documentation.

Expanding on the sharing idea, how about this for the first one?

Give to a worthy cause.

It just so happens I’ve got the perfect supporting documentation for that idea  in the form of a Foster Growth library capital campaign brochure, complete with a form for easy donating.

Warmest congratulations to the entire class of 2009, especially to library staffers Eric, Elizabeth, and Tirzah as well as David and Hans (not staffers, but close).    You’ve worked hard to get where you are today.   May each of you find that your next chapter is filled with all the best that life has to offer.  And lots of bottles of sunscreen.

The Secret Ingredient

I’ve been thinking about recipes lately.  For one thing, our Friends of the Library organization is working on publishing a recipe book to raise funds for our Foster Growth capital campaign.  Stay tuned to hear more about that this Fall.   This is one cookbook you’ll definitely want to own.

You might not know it but our library actually has an outstanding cookbook collection.  If you want to know how to grill it, bake it, cook it, or create it, just mosey on down the 641.5 aisle.

The thing about recipes is that really good cooks/chefs don’t necessarily need them.  And then there are the rest of us.  Not only do I need a recipe, but I find myself following it like it’s a treasure map guiding me to the pot at the end of the rainbow.

In my life, I have been the lucky recipient of some really good recipes.  But none have been more special than the one carefully handed down from my predecessor, Mary Gates.

That would be the recipe for managing a library.

Mary taught me so many things.  She was an incredible leader, in every sense of the word.   She imparted her recipe for running a successful library via the demonstration method.  Every day she showed us all what was important…why it was important…and what “inputs” we needed for a successful “output.”

Think about how many ingredients there might be in a typical recipe for a library.  Virtually all of them are important, almost essential.  However, one ingredient really stands out.  One qualifies as the secret ingredient.

Is the secret ingredient the building?  Must you have a state-of-the-art building to have a great library?  Mary knew how important the physical space was.  She oversaw the expansion of this library in 1983.  She did so with a keen eye and a unwavering determination to the principles of good library business.  The end result has served us well for over 25 years of heavy use.

Because this is a building expansion blog, you might expect me to state that the library building is the secret ingredient.  And while it’s true that the most successful, efficient and effective operation is contingent on well designed space, I am not talking about that at the moment.  That’ll have to be a future post because the building is not the secret ingredient.

So it’s not the size or the quality of the building.  Nor is it the work flow or the layout.  It’s not the automation or the collection or the hours.  It’s not even the funding level.  (I say that because on rare occasions I’ve been to very well funded libraries that appear to be missing the secret ingredient.)

So, yes, all of those ingredients are vital…and interrelated.  But not one of them is the secret ingredient.

Then what in the world is the secret ingredient?

It’s the people.  The secret ingredient is the quality of the staff and volunteers, of course.

It’s secret because if they are doing their jobs well, you almost take them for granted.  But you shouldn’t.  I try hard not to because I know our library would flop without them.  (Like the blueberry muffins I made last week where I forgot to add the eggs to the batter.)

This staff has worn out the carpet because they walk a mile in your shoes.  Every day they make a concerted effort to help those who enter.  They do so with the highest regard for the people we serve.  They do so amidst ringing phone lines, complex questions, technological challenges, and building deficiencies.  They do it with earnestness, grace, and a sense of humor.   I am thankful every day for our library staff’s commitment to our mission.

Additionally, we have a dedicated team of volunteers who help with everything from baking cookies for National Library Week to serving on the capital campaign committee or library board to keeping our shelves in order to selling used books.   Our library is unbelievably fortunate to receive the support of volunteers who give to us so freely…and without regard for compensation.

As we move forward into our building design process, we’ll be investing great effort in planning for the best possible facility for our community’s future.  It’s certainly one of the key ingredients in our recipe.  But it’ll never be more important than the “secret” one that binds it all together.

Do you doodle?

(This is fairly representative of my skill as a doodler)

Okay, so I admit to being a doodler even though I’m not necessarily proud of it.  (As you age, you learn to accept the things you cannot change.)  I’ve attended enough meetings over the years to realize it might be a hard thing to eliminate at this point in my life.  If I am running the meeting, you won’t find me doodling.  It’s when I’m not actively involved that my pen starts to wander.  (Doesn’t mean I’m not listening though.)

However, I’m not actually talking about that kind of doodling.

I’m talking about the web tool called Doodle.  It’s a very nifty website that allows you to send out a calendar and have people report their availability for potential meeting dates.  The people who respond don’t even need to sign up for accounts.  They can just go to the website (via a link you provide), type in their name, and click on the dates and times that work for them.  As soon as people start entering their availability, the schedule starts to fill in and everyone to whom you sent the link can visually see the calendar.

I love this.  I set a lot of meetings and getting everyone’s schedules to mesh can be an incredible challenge.  As we move through the building project, I know that meetings will become the rule rather than the exception because it just takes a number of people working together to make the complex manageable.

If you set meetings or events or would like to poll your friends on a topic, you can simply sign up for an account and become an administrator.  It’s easy and intuitive.

I set up a sample for you to see. Just click on the word Doodle here and see for yourself.  Feel free to actually try it, entering a fictitious (but appropriate) name.  I will keep the meeting open for awhile.

Even if you’d never dream of actually doodling, you might find this tool suitable for implementation.  Forgive the name (and the image the word might evoke…especially if you are now visualizing my sample doodle) and see if it can make your busy life just a little bit easier.

A big COMMUNITY boost

Fort Community Credit Union delivers a check for $150,000 (Photo courtesy of James Debilzen of the Daily Jefferson County Union)

I’m delighted to report that the Dwight Foster Public Library received a check in the amount of $150,000 for our building project from the Fort Community Credit Union several days ago.  (I rushed to deposit it before the ink was dry!)  The Daily Union was there to report the story.  You can read all about it online at the Daily Union’s web site.

That gives a big boost to our library’s Foster Growth capital campaign in terms of reaching our goal.  It secures naming rights for a community meeting room for the Fort Community Credit Union and allows us to continue to move forward with our plans to improve our library facility.

Thank you, thank you to the Fort Community Credit Union.  Your gift demonstrates your understanding of and commitment to the word “community.”   Your willingness to live your name will be appreciated by many people…for many years to come.

Business is Booming

That’s a rare headline these days.   However, it’s the reality for many libraries in our country.  It’s been the subject of quite a few national news stories.  They are conveniently gathered and available for viewing at the American Library Association’s web site press page.

I can vouch for it here in Fort Atkinson.  We’ve been extremely busy.  We’ve seen an increase of over 12 percent in circulation comparing the first quarters of 2009 and 2007.  If you look at Internet usage, the increase is even more startling.  We’ve had 28% more Internet usage (measured by time spent on our Internet computers) during that same time period.  That’s some pretty incredible growth in a relatively short time period.

It’s nice to be needed.  But I really wish it wasn’t because someone lost their job or home.  I’d prefer that people use us because they wanted to learn something new rather than because of some negative major life challenge.   When times get tough, people do turn to their libraries more than ever.

So here we are.  And here we’ll be.  Regardless of whether the market is labeled bull or bear.  Regardless of the price of gold or Goldman Sachs’s viability.  Regardless of the emergence of text messaging, Twittering, or reading on a Kindle.  (Doesn’t that sentence seem a bit like I’m speaking some kind of foreign language?)

Anyway, we’ll be here because we’re all about providing access…regardless of format.

We were here during the Great Depression, during the booming years, and for all the ones somewhere in between those extremes.

It’s National Library Week.  As we celebrate, we realize we’re a reflection of our community offering a variety of resources that are not only helpful but can actually be life-changing.

We’ll be here…with something for just about everyone.

Unshelved Comic by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

The problems with disappearing ink

Last Tuesday evening, the Fort Atkinson city council approved the contract for services related to the library’s expansion project with Uihlein Wilson Architects.

We are very excited to enter this next chapter and will work diligently to ensure that we move forward in the most thoughtful manner possible.  More about that as the design process unfolds.

I wanted to take a moment to publicly thank James Debilzen, reporter for the Daily Jefferson County Union…as well as all the staff and the Daily Union itself.  James wrote the story about the library’s building project that appeared on the front page of the newspaper the day after the city council meeting.   James not only wrote about what transpired at the meeting, but he also did his research regarding the history of our project which allowed him to write an informative, detailed, and accurate story.

James and I joke about the fact that when he first started work at the Daily Union he was told by staff that he’d have to cover the library’s building project…just like the five reporters before him.

Okay, so we’ve been at this project for quite awhile!

All this time, in fact for its entire history, the Daily Union has had a presence everywhere in the community.  They report on what matters to us.   They ask questions and share information. They hold folks accountable and, more often then not, bring people together.

I’ve been privileged to know most of their staff over the years.  I have yet to find a reporter who wasn’t interested in and passionate about telling our very own local stories.  The Dwight Foster Public Library, the treasure trove of stories, is more than a little thankful that we have an official storyteller among us.

There is enormous value in having a local newspaper.  As “the information place” our library needs the Daily Union to help us provide information to the community.  As a depository for local history, we would not have consistency and depth without them.  The newspaper provides a great community service.  Ventura County (California) sheriff Bob Brooks penned an editorial  in the Ventura County Star that thoughtfully details the many ways in which a local newspaper matters to citizens.

So what can you do?

You can subscribe.  You can advertise.  You can support the advertisers by spending your money with them.

At the library, we’ve made the decision to subscribe to several copies, one for daily reading and one for archival purposes.  We also purchase all of the newspapers on microfilm so that we have a permanent historical record.   We advertise our jobs openings in their classifieds.  As an individual, I support them with a personal subscription, have given it as a gift for others, and read the ads so I can frequent the advertisers in town.

As the world of publishing continues to change and some newspapers across America are ceasing publication, I think it’s vital that we make an effort to support and preserve what matters.  Web sources absolutely have a place at our information table.  A strength of the web is its speed and fluidity.  But that is also a fundamental weakness.  As a librarian, I’m not a fan of the unverified, undocumented or uninformed.  I’m also no fan of copyright infringement, plagiarism, or disappearing information caused by someone else pulling the plug on what’s accessible.  Whenever I think of the “here today, gone tomorrow” possibilities of web information I am reminded of that old childhood prank where you splash someone in specially prepared disappearing ink and…

…discover later (thankfully) it has magically vanished!

But I digress.  All of these troubling activities are happening on the web already.   That isn’t to say there aren’t worthwhile and valuable Intermet resources available (with unparalleled connectivity options) as well as entrepreneurial opportunities with enormous possibility.  What I am trying to convey is that I think as a society we must understand (in a way that spurs action) that worthy content costs money to create, produce, and preserve.

I sincerely hope newspapers will stop disappearing.  We need them to help us not only make sense of our world in the here and now but also to record it (with accountability and permanence) for later.  Newspapers…like libraries…are central to democracy.  They matter.   The Daily Union really matters.

The  disappearing ink thing wasn’t all that funny when I was 12.  It’s a lot less funny now.

Sometimes the less said, the better

Fort Atkinson’s famous poet, Lorine Niedecker, is known for her spare writing style.  She “condensed” her words into ideas that hinted at meanings on multiple levels.  Many consider her one of the most brilliant poets to ever have lived.

When I was a high school student, shelving books here at the library, I was soon introduced to Niedecker’s books of poetry as well as her personal library.  I think the introduction went something like this:  “Here are Lorine’s books.  She’s our famous poet.  Make sure you keep them in order.  Don’t let anyone check any of them out.  They are VERY VALUABLE.”

Immediately I knew that of all the books here those were our most precious.  I was 16 years old at the time and I grew up in Fort Atkinson, but  I had never heard of her before.  It was a complete surprise to me to discover the treasure trove right here in this very building.

Over the years, the people who appreciate (and revere) Lorine have done a marvelous job of spreading the word about her work, talent, and life here on Blackhawk Island.  An upcoming event, Here on Earth with Jean Feraca, on Wisconsin Public Radio, is an example of a unique way her poetry can be shared.

Lorine used to work here at the Dwight Foster Public Library.   She also worked at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital and Hoard’s Dairyman.  I’ve been told that she wanted the library to have her personal collection because she understood what a library means to a community.  We are, after all, the place of words.

As we move forward with our building expansion, we are keenly aware of Lorine’s place in both our library’s history as well as our community’s.  We are “at the table” (thanks to Amy Lutzke) with all things Lorine and remain proud of her significant (and everlasting) contribution to the body of poetry.  We are excited to be able to incorporate her gifts to the world into our expanded library.

Tune in to Jean Feraca’s show (more info about date/time if you follow that link to the program.)  Come in and check out a book of Lorine’s poetry.  Drive out to see her cabin.  See the room at the Hoard Historical Museum. Read about Lorine’s fascinating life.  See the film.  Also, you won’t want to miss the story about Lorine in today’s Daily Jefferson County Union.

Sometimes the less said, the better.  Other times it’s important to spread the good word.

Lorine in the cabin on Blackhawk Island

Embracing our “V”niqueness

For nearly one hundred years, people entering the library here in Fort Atkinson have been admiring the columns and stonework at the entryway of the Dwight Foster Public Library.

The name of the library, beautifully cut in the stone, makes an elegant statement.  It reads:  DWIGHT FOSTER PVBLIC LIBRARY.

So why does it say PVBLIC instead of PUBLIC?  What’s that all about?

I’ve been asked about that many times over the years.   People have suggested different reasons that the engraving above the front doors uses a “V” rather than a “U.”  One thought is that it was easier to carve straight lines than curved ones.  That seems plausible.   But then what about the letter “C”?  That’s a curved letter if ever I saw one.

The best explanation I’ve found is at the Henderson County Public Library website.  They are a Pvblic Library too.

Here is what it says:

According to the World Book encyclopedia, U was adopted from the Greek letter Y. The Romans dropped the bottom stroke and wrote the letter as V. This was used for both the consonant sound V and the vowel sound U. Some time around 900 A.D. people began to use V at the beginning of a word and U in the middle of a word. It was during the time between 1400 A.D. and 1600 A.D. that U became the letter commonly used for the vowel sound.

There was a Renaissance of the Classical style of architecture in the United States from 1890-1940. William R. Ware, the founder of M.I.T.’s School of Architecture, taught a style that he called American Vignola. (Vignola was an Italian architect who codified the standards for Classical Architecture in his work Rules of the Five Orders of Architecture)…

In the early 1900s, it was common for educated men to be taught both Greek and Latin. Therefore the people involved with the design of this building and many others during this American Renaissance more than likely would have known the Classic Roman alphabet used the symbol V for both U and V.

We are not the only library to be a “pvblic” library.  Pictures have been found of several other libraries where a V is substituted for a U. While their architectural style does not always match our Classical columns, domes and pediments, most of them were built during this time of American Vignola. So it is accurate to say that we were built during a time when architects and builders were embracing Classic themes. Therefore it is very likely that the engraving reads “Henderson Pvblic Library” because it was in accordance to what was popular in the architectural world at the time our library was built….

The oldest portion of our library was built in 1916.  So the timing is exactly right for this explanation.  And it makes sense that it was, indeed, an architectural statement…a “design thing.”   Henry E. Southwell of Chicago, son-in-law of Dwight Foster, who donated the funds to build a new library had only two stipulations attached to his gift.  One was that the library be of  “good design” and the other was that it be named in honor of Dwight Foster.

We’re happy to report, all these years later, that our library is still named Dwight Foster…and remains committed to the “good design” stipulation.

So DWIGHT FOSTER PVBLIC LIBRARY it is…and shall remain.  We’re good with embracing our “V”niqueness.

Lazy stonecutter? Poor speller? Or good designer?

Moving the doorway to learning

Our library doors...now also at Purdy Elementary!

Not too long ago, Purdy Elementary School Principal, Rick Brietzke, informed library staffers that Milwaukee-based artist Reynaldo Hernandez was in the process of painting our library doors in the school.  Hernandez (with assistance from art teacher Karen Gomez and students) was working on turning the lunchroom into a work of art via a larger-than-life size mural.  Students had photographed various images of Fort Atkinson and the Dwight Foster Public Library entrance was selected as one of the images that would ultimately be used for the artist in residence project.

I think the result is stunning.  It is a very life-like depiction of Fort Atkinson’s very own doorway to learning.

We treasure the architectural beauty of our name DWIGHT FOSTER PVBLIC LIBRARY carved into the stone and set atop the sturdy Roman pillars.  (Over the years people have asked me why there is a “V” where there ought to be a “U.”  More on that in a future blog post.)

Our doorway was built in 1916 and moved in 1983.   As I’ve mentioned before, we plan on preserving it and moving it South with our next expansion.  We do think it embodies our library for the people in our community.

But we are absolutely delighted that now children can get that library feeling by walking through the lunchroom door at Purdy Elementary. Children of future generations will have an even more vivid mental image of the doorway to learning as a result of this imaginative and clever depiction.

Kudos to everyone involved for accomplishing something profoundly moving.  (In more ways than one!)