Wisconsin Books to Prisoners is appealing to you as readers, book lovers and champions of the self-education of all people, to call Governor Jim Doyle (608-266-1212) and John Bett, the DOC administrator (608-240-5104) to express your concern and objection to this ban. Wisconsin is the only state in the U.S. banning books to prisoners.

Essentially, this appeal is about protecting the First Amendment rights of prisoners; freedom to speak includes the right to read (and not just tattered books by Louis L'Amour.)

Thanks so much,

Wisconsin Book to Prisoners
contact: 608-455-2712 or 608-262-9036

image from WI_Humanities_Council

Geri has 18 years experience in management of public land and water, working with citizens to define a river or stream in their community as a cultural landscape steeped in shared history and value.  Her written cultural histories of Midwestern rivers have been a catalyst for citizen stewardship initiatives.  "The river is just being itself, we have to decide how to interact with it."  Ms. Weinstein-Breunig will share her perceptions on people & rivers on

Thursday, July 10th , 7pm at the Soldiers Grove Library.

Things are beginning to settle back a bit after our recent bout with flooding, and thankfully, the library here in Soldiers Grove has remained safe & dry once again.

Dedicated crews of volunteers have been helping Maura at the library in Gays Mills,which took in water soaking the carpet and seeping up the walls.  She hopes to be open by mid-July, with fresh paint & a brave smile.

Meantime, the Summer Reading program has begun here and the theme is:

"Catch the Reading Bug" featuring story hour Tuesdays at 10am. Ongoing weekly t-shirt drawings are open to all those who wish to keep track of time spent reading this summer and also to the "independent readers" who are working on the library's "challenge checklist" of creative activities.  The t-shirts, once again, have been designed by Pat Gilbert and hand-painted by a group of library friends.

Sparkling and beautiful, these little incentives continue to be earned & worn proudly year after year; thank you Pat & crew!

We'll conclude our story hour series on July 8th with a visit from Josh Peters, an astounding escape artist & sideshow performer.  Josh will join us outside in the courtyard behind the library for a picnic & fun, starting at 10am.

Also in July we'll have two evening programs related to water...!  Details in the full story...

The book is called FRAMESHIFTING; A PATH TO WHOLENESS, by our local networker David Banner.  The web site for the book and other things is here. You can order the book from the site if you wish, or you can buy it on the 29th at a discount ($15) over the retail price of $19.95. Dean Saner of SANER WORLD will provide the music and there will be snacks.

Keeley, a recent graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania , funded his trip with the prestigious Watson Foundation Fellowship, which offers an opportunity to pursue independent research & travel outside the USA .  A graduating student must be recommended by their college or university and write a research proposal.  Keeley's winning proposal was titled "Faith and the Farm"; a study of how religious values may affect agricultural practices and environmental ethics.  So during the year between August 2006 - August 2007 Keeley traveled the countries of Africa, New Zealand, India, Japan and the United Kingdom, living with families, learning their lifestyles, talking about farming and spirituality.  

Visioning Conference questions are here
and the Economic Impact Study survey is here.

Your thoughts are valuable to all of us who work in libraries.  Please share them with us.  Thanks in advance.  Stay warm!