By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library could join a growing list of neighboring public libraries seeking to leave the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System and join the counterpart organization in Waukesha County.
The Irvin L. Young Library Board of Trustees voted in favor of the switch April 20. Their recommendation will be forwarded on to the Whitewater Common Council for a final vote May 5.
As a community straddling two counties, Whitewater leaders had their choice between several different federated library systems when they were created in the 1970s. Leaders ultimately decided to follow their Jefferson County neighbors.
With individual municipalities and the entire Jefferson County Board looking to leave Mid-Wisconsin, Whitewater’s Irvin L. Young is looking to follow suit as well.
Irvin L. Young Library Director Stacey Lunsford said she sees a number of benefits behind linking arms with the Waukesha County system.
“One of those benefits is a much larger collection of items that will be available to patrons,” Lunsford said. “We are projecting a 30-percent growth in our overall catalog growth. They also have a much stronger database system.”
While operations within Irvin L. Young and the other impacted Jefferson County municipal libraries are not expected to change, Lunsford said the new partnership does open the individual sites up to a world of new possibilities.
“I think (the change) will be a big help to us,” she said.
While concerns about Mid-Wisconsin’s operations plan were not necessarily aired in Whitewater, several Jefferson County municipalities have taken the organization to task for a number of issues in recent months.
An ad-hoc group known as the Jefferson County Library System Review Committee was formed in December and was charged with conducting a comprehensive comparison of services between Mid-Wisconsin and Waukesha County.
While specifics have not been revealed, library directors throughout Jefferson County have reportedly raised concerns about the services and support that have been rendered through the Mid-Wisconsin system.
A provision within Jefferson County’s three-year library service plan that ends this year has called for a periodic review of the current library system.
As part of their findings, the Jefferson County ad-hoc group found a number of benefits to joining Waukesha County.
In a widely circulated document, “Why Waukesha County?” members of the ad-hoc group outlined some of the services that could be added to local libraries, including a greater number of online databases that include Ancestry.com, Reference USA and Consumer Reports.
From a technical side, the group outlined a number of perceived benefits to joining Waukesha County, including a high caliber of technical support, innovative social media opportunities and a mobile app.
While the upcoming Whitewater council vote would help solidify the city’s position on the library system change, there is one pivotal decision that waits in the wings. The Jefferson County Board needs to sign off on the proposal May 12.
If all goes as planned, Lunsford said she expects Irvin L. Young to join Waukesha County at the beginning of 2016.
