Service to Children Public libraries promote the development of pre-reading and reading skills. Children who develop reading skills at an early age gain an essential tool for succeeding in school as well as for learning throughout life. Libraries must have staff, services, resources, and facilities that promote reading and learning for children. Libraries also need resources and services that support parents and other adults who work with children. Service to Young Adults Special efforts also are needed to serve young adults properly—those who are no longer children but not yet fully adult. Young adults have interests and abilities that require unique resources and services. Special resources, targeted services, and a welcoming atmosphere are required to serve this population adequately. Service to Adults Adults have a wide range of interests and needs, and the library’s resources and services must be varied to meet those needs adequately. Today’s rapidly changing society and economy make lifelong learning a necessity for most adults. Libraries must provide resources and services that support the needs of adults covering a wide range of issues—from the practical to the philosophical. This document attempts to the services, resources, and other Standards requirements for basic library service that should be available to residents of all the state, including those who face physical, developmental, or other barriers to their use of public libraries. public library standards are entirely voluntary, but ’s every library is encouraged to strive to offer all local residents the highest level of service possible. It is hoped that this document will assist in the continued development of high quality library service throughout . As in previous editions of the the new Wisconsin Public Library Standards, edition establishes certain quantitative standards for public libraries based on both the municipal and the service population of the library. Service populations in this edition are more accurate because they have been calculated based on each library’s actual usage by county residents who do not live in a library municipality. As in the last edition, quantitative standards are established at four levels of effort: basic, moderate, enhanced, and excellent. Local libraries can establish service targets by selecting the appropriate level of effort to apply to each standard, or use the levels to plan for progressive improvements over a period of time.
Service to Children Public libraries promote the development of pre-reading and reading skills. Children who develop reading skills at an early age gain an essential tool for succeeding in school as well as for learning throughout life. Libraries must have staff, services, resources, and facilities that promote reading and learning for children. Libraries also need resources and services that support parents and other adults who work with children. Service to Young Adults Special efforts also are needed to serve young adults properly—those who are no longer children but not yet fully adult. Young adults have interests and abilities that require unique resources and services. Special resources, targeted services, and a welcoming atmosphere are required to serve this population adequately. Service to Adults Adults have a wide range of interests and needs, and the library’s resources and services must be varied to meet those needs adequately. Today’s rapidly changing society and economy make lifelong learning a necessity for most adults. Libraries must provide resources and services that support the needs of adults covering a wide range of issues—from the practical to the philosophical. This Standards document attempts to the services, resources, and other requirements for basic library service that should be available to all residents of the state, including those who face physical, developmental, or other barriers to their use of public libraries. ’s public library standards are entirely voluntary, but every library is encouraged to strive to offer all local residents the highest level of service possible. It is hoped that this document will assist in the continued development of high quality library service throughout . As in previous editions of the Wisconsin Public Library Standards, the new edition establishes certain quantitative standards for public libraries based on both the municipal and the service population of the library. Service populations in this edition are more accurate because they have been calculated based on each library’s actual usage by county residents who do not live in a library municipality. As in the last edition, quantitative standards are established at four levels of effort: basic, moderate, enhanced, and excellent. Local libraries can establish service targets by selecting the appropriate level of effort to apply to each standard, or use the levels to plan for progressive improvements over a period of time.
standards5th.docx