Thursday, December 5, 2019 ⢠Vol. 55, No. 29 ⢠Verona, WI ⢠Hometown USA ⢠ConnectVerona.com ⢠$1.25
Eliminating overdue penalties had positive effect, library director says RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
When Verona eliminated its daily library fines a year ago this month, it joined a trend sweeping libraries across south central Wisconsin â and the rest of the country. Communities including Sun Prairie and Fitchburg have already removed late fees, while places like Stoughton and Madison are considering the move. With a year of this approach under Veronaâs belt, libraries going fine free are able to look to the city as one example of how the change might affect them. Stacey Burkart, Veronaâs library director, told the Press in an email she thinks the change has been a good one, without major negative effects. In particular, Burkart wrote, the library has not experienced a large loss of revenue as a result of the policy. âFor the past several years, weâve been increasing our fundraising efforts,â Burkart wrote. âSince weâve been fine free, donations have increased nearly by nearly the same amount as the lost fine revenue. I canât say whether that is a coincidence or the result of increased goodwill towards
the library.â One of the most important positive effects of going fine-free, according to Burkart, has been the change in interactions between library users and library staff. âThe staff really appreciate that interactions with the public no longer center around paying library fines,â Burkart said. âNow staff can focus on more positive interactions and helping people access the information and services they need.â She said she felt the change in policy had effectively increased access for those patrons who need the library the most. Burkart wrote that the library does not have numbers on how quickly books have been returned since the fine free policy when into effect. However, she said that immediately after fines were eliminated, the return rate went up significantly and stabilized thereafter. S t i l l , t h e p o l i cy h a s not resulted in a dramatic increase in circulation numbers, one of the reasons often cited for removing fines. âIn 2018, the library circulated about 460,000 items and it looks like we will circulate a similar amount in 2019,â Burkart said. This is in line with recent trends, Stoughton Library director Jim Ramsey said in a presentation he delivered to that cityâs library board Nov. 20 on the potential
Call Joyce & Ken Buczak Today! S ho
Since 1968!
p Local!
MP#6973
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
Kindergarteners do yoga during a mindfulness session on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Stoner Prairie Elementary School.
Thinking it over
Stoner Prairie adds mindfulness room to encourage mental well-being KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
Stoner Prairie Elementary School students are learning more than academics in the classroom
this year. Through yoga and mindfulness activities, theyâre getting a better grasp on their emotions. Prior to the start of the school year, Stoner Prairie staff created a mindfulness room to encourage physical and mental well-being for students and staff, and to provide an outlet for both groups to learn how to manage emotions and daily
stressors. The mindfulness room fits in with the districtâs overall goal to promote student well-being, and is part of the implementation of social emotional learning programming added to elementary school curriculum starting this year. That added curriculum encourages teachers to be intentional about the way theyâre integrating social emotional
Page 11
The
Verona Press
learning into lessons. Having the social emotional learning curriculum take shape through the mindfulness room allows staff to address student mental health, and teach them from an early age about how not only can they recognize their emotions, but manage and work through them, Thompson-Kapp said.
Turn to Mindful/Page 14
Woodworking for a cause NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group
Wildcats edge Crusaders in season opener
845-7755
www.plumbingandglass.com
Verona Area School District
Turn to Fines/Page 14
Inside
New Home Plumbing Remodeling & Repair Well Pumps ⢠Water Heaters Water Softeners Power Sewer ⢠Drain Cleaning Glass & Screen Repair Mirrors Cut To Size
At Badger Prairie Needs Network, free community meals are served twice a month, quite often in bowls. Soups and salads are regularly scooped by volunteers into bowls for the hundreds of monthly guests at BPNNâs Prairie Kitchen, 1200 E. Verona Ave. This coming Saturday, bowls Photo submitted will play a greater signifiKen Brunner will be selling his bowls on Dec. 7 at BPNN to cance during the meal. raise money for the food pantry and other programs. Ken Brunner, a Mount
Horeb resident, will sell his handmade bowls from 10âŻa.m. to 1âŻp.m. at BPNNâs Dec. 7, community meal and will donate all funds raised to the pantry. They will be sold for a minimum suggested donation of $5-10, depending upon the size of the bowl. The Dec. 7 meal will b e f r o m 1 1 : 3 0 âŻa . m . t o 12:45âŻp.m. and in addition to Brunnerâs bowl fundraiser, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be attending lunch to
Turn to Woodwork/Page 5
Family Visiting for the Holidays? Stretch out, relax and feel at home here in our Hometown
Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast, Indoor Pool and Fitness Center, Complimentary High-Speed Wireless Internet and much more!
613 WEST VERONA AVE ⢠VERONA, WI 53593
608-845-3000 ⢠fairfieldverona.com
515 West Verona Ave ⢠Verona, WI 53593
608-497-4500 ⢠hiexpressverona.com
adno=117305
A fine first year
Plumbing & Glass Service, Inc.
adno=108041
Verona Press The