Projects Funded
2023
Clear Lake School District, Bringing Our History to Life
Using traveling display cases, the project will bring historical items to students and community members so they can learn about the past and help strengthen our future.
Mid-project report, February 2024 | Final report, June 2024
Hales Corners Library, W. Ben Hunt Prairie Learning Garden
The Learning Garden will offer a hands-on educational experience, inviting community members to engage in volunteer work or self-guided tours, fostering a deeper connection with prairie ecosystems as they explore and nurture native plants.
Mid-project report, March 2024
Hartland Public Library, Biking Along the Ice Age Trail with the Hartland Public Library
This project will add a bike repair station next to the Library building along the Ice Age Trail, purchase a foldable bike that can be checked out at the Library, and hold a bike safety event for kids to help promote both the Trail itself and the Library’s evolving mission in the 21st century, as a community center that supports everyone and all kinds of activities, which includes getting outside and taking part in an active lifestyle for better physical and mental health.
Mid-project report, April 2024
Lake Geneva Public Library, Leaves and Sheaves: Papermaking for Art and the Environment
The Lake Geneva Public Library will connect books, history, recycling, and plant foraging with a hand papermaking project that encourages sustainable thinking and innovative adaptations of traditional arts and crafts.
Mid-project report, July 2024
UW-Stevens Point, Poem in Your Pocket Day
This project shares the love of poetry in the Central Wisconsin region by distributing poems with colleagues, family, neighbors, and strangers to be read and shared at work, school, in local establishments, and even local government meetings, with the intention of spending one day – Poem in Your Pocket Day in April – to engage with each other through the beauty of poetry.
Mid-project report, January 2024
Western Technical College. Blooming with Books: Cultivating a Community of Readers of All Ages in the Learning Commons
Blooming with Books is a community- and literacy-building opportunity imagined by Western’s Learning Commons, which is an open-access college learning center and library that seeks to support all students in balancing parenting, academic, and work responsibilities.
Mid-project report, February 2024
Wisconsin Library Association, Great Lakes, Great Reads: A Community Read for Our Watershed
This basin-wide community read program will be piloted in Wisconsin with the goal of being a catalyst for other states and provinces in the Upper Midwest and Canada to engage and inspire passion and connection to the Great Lakes watershed through reading.
WJ Niederkorn Library, Libraries for Everyone: Supervised Visitations at Your Library
This project includes creating a visitation guide for caseworkers and families, creating activity bags for families during visitations, and offering possible solutions to common needs such as private meeting areas and food-friendly spaces.
Mid-project report, June 2024 | Final report, June 2024
2022
In 2022, WiLS awarded dollars and staff support to eight projects. Proposals were accepted April-June 2022 and the awardees were announced in September 2022.
Chilton Public Schools – Calumet County STEAMFest
Kimberly Public Library – Celebrate Native American Heritage
Kimberly Public Library offered programming and exhibits in partnership with local Indigenous storytellers, artists, and a chef.
Final Report (February 2023)
Lakeshore Technical College – Supporting & Celebrating a Multilingual Campus Community
Lakeshore Technical College is building services and collections to support Spanish-speaking and Hmong-speaking students.
Final Report (May 2024)
Madison West High School – Building a Digital Archive of School Memorabilia
Marathon County Public Library – Digitizing Oral Histories and Transcripts
Northern Waters Library Service – Advocacy Toolkit
Northern Waters Library Service is creating templates and resources to communicate the value of libraries to communities and elected officials.
UW-Platteville – Capturing the Oral Histories of Rural Teacher Preparation
Waukesha County Technical College – Walking in Community: A Place of Our Own
Waukesha County Technical College is setting up and running a virtual wellness space for librarians of color.
2021
In 2021, WiLS awarded dollars and staff support to ten projects. Proposals were accepted in May and June 2021 and the awardees were announced in September 2021.
Bekkum Memorial Library, Westby – Appleby Trail Story Walk, a partnership with Westby Elementary School
Bekkum Memorial Library is partnering with Westby Elementary School to install a story walk at the school.
WXOW (Oct. 2022)
Chilton Public Library – Technology Learning Lab
Chilton Public Library is hosting digital literacy training, particularly for seniors.
Update Report (June 2022), Final Report (January 2023)
D. R. Moon Memorial Library, Stanley – outreach services to home schools and rural Amish/Old Order Mennonite schools
D. R. Moon Memorial Library is providing outreach services to rural Amish and Mennonite schools.
Update Report (March 2022), Final Report (June 2022)
La Crosse Public Library – Threads of Tradition: Connecting Hmong Generations Through the Textile Arts
La Crosse Public Library is hosting Adult programming to teach traditional Hmong textile arts.
Lakeland Union High School, Minocqua – STEAM Field Day
Lakeland Union High School is hosting STEAM events at the school forest for Elementary and High School students, focusing on Indigenous cultures.
Final Report (October 2022)
Oconomowoc Public Library – Curbside/After-Hours Pickup Lockers
Oconomowoc Public Library is providing lockers for curbside/after-hours holds pickup.
Final Report (October 2022)
Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose – The Memory Spot, a lab for personal digital archiving
Patterson Memorial Library is creating a digitization lab for patrons for personal digital archiving.
Update Report (April 2022), Final Report (February 2023)
Racine Public Library – Multisensory Healing Room
Racine Public Library is creating a space to support people experiencing trauma or mental health barriers, which will reduce the need to dismiss people from the library for behavioral issues.
Update Report (March 2022), Racine Journal Times (Feb. 2022), Racine County Eye (Feb. 2022)
River Valley High School, Spring Green – Windows and Mirrors, a partnership with American Players Theatre
River Valley High School is partnering with APT actors, who are guiding high school sophomores in a shared read and discussion of race and racial profiling.
Wild Plum Memory Project, a collaboration of public libraries in Waukesha and Washington counties – Hybrid Outreach to Memory Cafe Attendees
Wild Plum Memory Project is providing equipment for public libraries in Waukesha and Washington counties to support combination virtual/in-person events.
Final Report (December 2022)
2020
In 2020, WiLS awarded $30,200 and staff support to seven projects. Proposals were accepted in April and May 2020 and the awardees were announced in September 2020.
Appleton Public Library – The Piano Project: Community Engagement through Music and Art
Appleton Public Library is partnering with local artists and community members to install interactive displays throughout the city that use music to engage the public in a community read while also raising awareness of the Hmong American experience through stories such as “The Latehomecomer” by Kao Kalia Yang.
Proposal (May 2020), Update Report (March 2021), Final Report (November 2021), Fox 11 News (May 2021), Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region (May 2021)
Dane County Library Service – Ripple Project: Equity Teams
Dane County Library Service is supporting the sustainable development of four regional equity teams throughout Dane County libraries.
Kenosha Public Library – Mind and Body Challenge
Kenosha Public Library is helping keep patrons physically active and entertained while waiting outside the Bookmobile and Book Truck for their turn to board.
Update Report (March 2021), Final Report (November 2021)
Madison Trust for Historic Preservation – Madison Trust Archive Digitization Project
The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is digitizing their archives and making them accessible to the public through Recollection Wisconsin.
Update Report (March 2021), Final Report (November 2021), Digital Readiness Case Study, Recollection Wisconsin (Jan. 2021)
School District of Belleville – Documenting a Historic Time: COVID19 and Opening a New Library….and Beyond!
The School District of Belleville is providing opportunities for school and village community members to record experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as record segments or interviews to air as podcasts as Belleville opens a new public library in March of 2021.
Sun Prairie Public Library – Story Walks
Sun Prairie Public Library is providing an opportunity for the entire community to engage in literary walks that promote literacy, community and family engagement, physical health, and mental wellbeing.
Update Report (March 2021), Sun Prairie Star (August 2022), Sun Prairie Star (Sept. 2022)
Tomahawk School District – Making Connections One Game at a Time
The Tomahawk School District is connecting community, schools, teachers, and students in a virtual gaming world, collaborating with Northcentral Technical College to establish a high school eSports team.
Proposal (May 2020), Update Report (March 2021), Final Report (November 2021), Tomahawk Leader (Feb. 2021), WXPR (March 2021)
2019
In 2019, WiLS awarded a maximum of $30,000 and supporting staff time according to the needs of the particular project. Proposals for the 2019 Ideas to Action fund were submitted through June 14, 2019 and the winners were announced in August 2019.
Beloit Public Library – Memory Care Kits
Provide a collection of materials designed to trigger memories and encourage interaction, oriented for caregivers to use with family members/patients dealing with dementia or memory loss.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (September 2020)
Cardinal Stritch University Library – Back to High School: A college and high school collaboration for teaching information literacy
Collaboration of college and high school faculty and librarians to develop information literacy curriculum for high school students.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (2020)
Door County Library – Door County Speaks: A Library Oral History Initiative
Provide kits of essential oral history equipment and supplementary materials to the satellite branches of the Door County Library as well as the Door County Archives, for use by both patrons and library staff.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (September 2020)
Fox Valley Technical College Library – General Studies OER Un-Textbook Create Fest
A one-day event to bring Wisconsin technical colleges together to create a general studies OER un-textbook — this could include video, learning objects, PowerPoints, articles, chapters, student renewable homework, quizzes, and many other sources.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (September 2020)
Lodi Woman’s Club Public Library – Intro to Podcast Production
Working with groups of teens to teach them about podcast production, helping them create their own original podcasts.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (September 2020), Shared Resources (April 2021)
Mill Pond Public Library – Savvy Senior Space
Turn the library reading room into a space where older adults can meet, see presentations, and have fun.
Update Report (March 2020), Final Report (September 2020)
Sauk Prairie High School Library – Making Global Connections with VR and AR at Sauk Prairie High School
Students attending this rural Wisconsin high school will participate in and design immersive experiences using Virtual and Augmented Reality equipment through the classroom and Library.
Update Report (March 2020)
2018
In 2018, WiLS awarded a maximum of $25,000 (up to $5,000 per applicant) and a total of 25 hours of WiLS staff time. Proposals for the 2018 Ideas to Action Fund were submitted through May 14, 2018 and the winners were announced in July 2018.
Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire – Affordable Resources Movement
This project will research the interest, needs, and feasibility of providing centralized support for open educational resources (OER) to Wisconsin libraries.
Final Report (August 2019)
Karl Junginger Memorial Library, Waterloo – Hispanic Community Outreach
The Karl Junginger Memorial Library will seek intentional interaction through educational, language and cultural exchanges that will encourage Hispanic members of the community to more fully use the library and feel safe and truly part of the larger Waterloo community.
Final Report (August 2019), Hispanic Community Outreach bilingual flyer (September 2019)
McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids – Community STEAM Kits
The library will develop Science / Technology / Engineering / Arts / Music kits to be made available for use by community non-profits.
Proposal (May 2018), Final Report (August 2019), STEAM Learning Kit Brochure (September 2019)
Menasha Joint School District – Elementary Digital Citizenship
This project will create an online curriculum to deliver Digital Citizenship lessons to 2nd – 5th graders.
Final Report (August 2019), Standards-Aligned Lessons and Other Resources
Schreiner Memorial Library, Lancaster – Lancaster Business Center
This project will establish a business incubator inside the Schreiner Memorial Library so that students and citizens of Lancaster have a space in which they can get startup business support and resources.
Final Report (August 2019), WI Libraries for Everyone Article (July 2019)
UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library – Games in Libraries Conference
The library will host a one-day conference on games (board, card, video, etc.) in libraries in which people can learn and share about their use in libraries of all types.
Final Report (August 2019)