Find a wrap-up of the latest in Wyoming library news in the July 2019 Outrider newsletter from the Wyoming State Library. Subscribe today, and we’ll send the Outrider straight to your email inbox each month. You can also see past issues.

Have news you’d like included? Contact Susan Mark, WSL Outreach Librarian, at susan.mark@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5915. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Dolleen Grobe

Washakie County Library volunteer Dolleen Grobe has been named the Wyoming Library Association’s “Outstanding Heroine” for 2019. The award recognizes an outstanding person or group whose hard work has made a difference to a Wyoming library within the last two years.

The public is invited to a reception in her honor at the Ten Sleep Library on Monday, July 15, at 4 p.m. The library is located at 200 North Fir Street in Ten Sleep.

Grobe served two terms on the Washakie County Library Board and then moved to the library’s Foundation Board, working diligently to achieve the Wyoming Library Endowment Challenge goals. Her support of the library, though, goes well above and beyond her service on the two boards.

“She says she’ll do anything for the library that isn’t illegal,” said Karen Funk, Washakie County Library director. Funk nominated Grobe for the award. “When Dolleen makes a commitment to join any organization, she dedicates her time, talents and energy. If she missed a meeting, it would be a shock! She volunteers with purpose and dedication.”

Grobe has been instrumental in the continued transformation of the Ten Sleep Branch Library renovation through her work with the Friends of the Library, and she reviews the Friends scholarships. She’s filled needs for the library’s After the Bell after-school program and provided special items for displays. Her rescue dog Gus visits every day with her, and has become known as “the library dog” to the children who are excited to see him.

“When someone sees Dolleen on the street in our community they see a friendly face that speaks a LIBRARY to them,” Funk said. “Although recognition is not something she desires, we feel the need to honor her. She has our back and we want to recognize her as a person who makes a difference through dedication and volunteerism.”

The Wyoming Library Association is a statewide association that provides leadership to the Wyoming library community and serves as a collective voice and advocate for advancement of Wyoming libraries.

Carol Jean McMurry, 1944-2019. Photo credit: Dignity Memorial.

We are saddened to share with the Wyoming library community that noted library philanthropist and former librarian Carol McMurry has passed away at the age of 74.

Carol graduated from Natrona County High School in 1962, attended Casper College, and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1966. She worked as a librarian for most of her career. More details about her life may be found in her obituary and in a 2007 article in the Wyoming Library Roundup.

In 2000, Carol and her two sisters donated $5 million to the Wyoming Community Foundation, $1 million of which was dedicated to libraries through the Carol McMurry Library Endowment. The Library Endowment supports both library projects and continuing education. Over the years, numerous projects have been accomplished with this funding and many library workers have furthered their education and training, due to her generosity.

More recently, Carol and her husband Pat Spieles made a $2.5 million gift to the University of Wyoming to create two programs: a campus reading program and a librarian position to work closely with the UW Honors College.

Find a wrap-up of the latest in Wyoming library news in the May 2019 Outrider newsletter from the Wyoming State Library. Subscribe today, and we’ll send the Outrider straight to your email inbox each month. You can also see past issues.

Have news you’d like included? Contact Susan Mark, WSL Outreach Librarian, at susan.mark@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5915. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too.

The May 2019 Wyoming State Library training calendar is now available with 87 webinars and four recordings to watch “At Your Leisure.” Every training opportunity on this list is free and offered online. Topics include advocacy, planning, careers, children and teens, collection development, communication, databases, managing change, fundraising, legal, management, outreach and partnerships, programming, readers’ advisory, reference, school libraries, technology, training and instruction, and volunteers.

View, download, or subscribe to the calendar at library.wyo.gov/services/training/calendar.

From UW News

A $2.5 million gift from two University of Wyoming alumni, Carol McMurry and her husband Pat Spieles, will create two programs: a campus reading program and a librarian position to work closely with the UW Honors College. Carol and Pat are are staunch supporters of UW Libraries.

UW Reads aims to broaden the shared understanding of the world through the joys of a good book, and the Endowed Librarian for Academic Excellence position will serve as a liaison between the Honors College and UW Libraries, as well as overseeing the UW Reads program.

The UW Reads program, modeled on the Big Read program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is  based on the principle that larger conversations about shared ideas can transform communities.

Once the program is established, a book would be selected from a range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, which participants sign up to read. Based on the book, the program may include activities such as readers joining book discussions online or in person. Speakers, including the author of the book or subject matter experts, may be invited to visit campus. Panel discussions, film screenings and public readings also may be offered, and the number and type of events will evolve from year to year.

The Endowed Librarian for Academic Excellence position will support the mission and programming of UW’s newly established Honors College, as well as scholarship and student excellence in general. This person will serve as a liaison between the Honors College and UW Libraries, as well as the main point of contact for Honors College students and faculty for library services and resources. He or she also will promote collaborations with the Wyoming State Library, community college libraries and statewide public libraries.

The position also will teach colloquia in the Honors College; develop open educational resources for the Honors College in the libraries; and serve as a critical point person for students seeking essential library resources for their theses. The position will create exhibits and offer lectures and specialized workshops on library research or digital scholarship. He or she will assist with educational and research experiences at the American Heritage Center and will oversee undergraduate research awards.

“This amazing gift of Carol and Pat represents a major step forward in UW Libraries helping realize the strategic plan of the University of Wyoming,” UW Libraries Dean Ivan Gaetz said. “Through this endowed position, a new partnership with the Honors College will unfold on several fronts — teaching, other educational programming and student scholarly development — that intersect with a wide scope of disciplines and promote a high level of student achievement.”

Read more  from UW News.

A map from the 1870 Statistical Atlas showing river systems
in the United States. Image credit: U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau recently posted on Facebook that in 1872, academics urged the Census Bureau and Congress to publish graphic representations of the data collected during the 1870 Census. Congress appropriated funds and Superintendent of the Census Francis Amasa Walker published the first Statistical Atlas of the United States 1874. The U.S. Census Bureau continued publishing atlases periodically until halting the program following the 1920 census.

In 2007, the Census Bureau published the Census Atlas of the United States. This atlas is the first comprehensive atlas of population and housing produced by the Census Bureau since the 1920s. It contains nearly 800 maps covering topics such as language and ancestry characteristics, housing patterns, and the geographic distribution of the population.

View all published editions of the Census Atlas.

Do you want research help with historical or current U.S. Census information? The Wyoming State Library is here to help. Contact our reference staff at statelibrary@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6333.

This beautiful resource, for kids ages 6-14, includes books and magazines (every page, every issue), videos, and pictures. Explore topics: Animals, Environment, People & Cultures, History, Science & Tech, and Places. This is also the feature for January’s marketing campaign.
January 2019; 23 minutes

Wyoming Reads, a program of Sue Jorgensen Library Foundation dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy, has received reports that individuals have been contacted by solicitors asking for donations in support of “Wyoming Reads.” Wyoming Reads does not solicit donations from anyone via phone. If you have been contacted via telephone and asked to provide your credit card information in order to make donations to Wyoming Reads, this is a scam.

Each year, Wyoming Reads provides a hardback picture book to every first grade student in Wyoming. The Wyoming State Library is proud to be a partner in this effort.