1. Madison Public Library: Policy Revision Lisa, Emily and Chandi

2. Quick Facts about Madison Public Library, Central Location: Main Library for the Madison Public Library System. Located in the downtown area of Madison, near the State Capital, the Square, and State Street. Newly updated and renovated in 2013.

3. Proposed Policy Change:  Current policy: http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/get-a-cardhttp://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/get-a-card  We propose providing a one-year library card to every child enrolled at Madison's schools, as long as they can print both their first and last names. Reasonable exceptions will be made for special circumstances including students with special needs and English Language Learners.  These cards are for children who do not have a current Madison Public Library card or one incompatible with the SCLS.  The library card will be good until the start of the next school year, at which point each child will be issued a new card.  It will be provided by the Madison Library District, but distributed by the children's classroom teacher, homeroom teacher, or school librarian.  Card privileges will extend only to the child who holds the card; the card can't be borrowed or transferred within a household.

4. Benefits:  Expand access to library materials and resources.  Support literacy, current educational needs, and spread early awareness about the benefits of life-long learning.  Encourage involvement of families who might not otherwise have been aware of, or interested in, library resources.  Strengthen the ties between the library system and school system.

5. Possible Hindrances:  Administrators, teachers, and/or school librarians might resist the additional shift in job duties this may place on their busy schedules. This is an opportunity to develop and nurture strong relationships across the two systems and thus across the community.  Children might move districts and inadvertently take books with them; children are less likely to understand the repercussions of losing or forgetting to return items.  We feel that the potential costs of replacing library materials is not nearly as important as the potential for increasing awareness of Madison's Public Library among children and families.

6. Cost:  $1250 to produce 3200 new library cards through Demco.  This number allows for extra cards in the event that a child moves into the school district.

7. Staff:  School liaison from the Central Public Library will initiate a staff and student in-service prior to issuing new cards to the children who qualify.  School staff involved will be the children’s primary school teacher, homeroom teacher, and/or school librarian.  Invite classroom teachers to conduct a field trip to the library where the children can learn about the children’s area, the materials available to them, and how to use LINKcat.

8. Conclusion:  Thank you for listening to us.  We hope you take into consideration the points we have brought up in this presentation in shaping future policy.