Title: Winding Rivers Library System Records
Date: 1938-2006

Creator:

• Winding Rivers Library System, Wisconsin.

Unique Identifier: La Crosse Series 014

Quantity: 8.0 cubic feet

Physical Description: 17 archives boxes, 1 record center carton

Repository:

La Crosse Public Library
Contact Information

Archival Location:

La Crosse Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

The Winding Rivers Library System, headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., began with a Library and Construction Act (LSCA) grant in 1965 to the La Crosse Public Library to develop an area library system among public libraries. It was known as La Crosse Area Library Development initially and in 1972 the name was changed to La Crosse Area Library System. Another name change in 1978 resulted in Winding Rivers Library System (WRLS). Today WRLS serves multiple libraries in a seven county region of Wisconsin: Buffalo, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon Counties.

Records include Board materials, such as minutes (1971-1990), director’s files and the like; historical materials which include a time line of WRLS development and newspaper clippings; financial records include audits (1971-1993), budgets and financial statements; Library and Technology Act (LSTA) grant files; visual materials which include photographs and 35 mm slides of various staff, board members and services; programs which include Mail-A-Book, Mail-A-Film, Bookmobile and others; publications which include the system newsletter “Whirlpools” (1979-2005); reports which include annual reports to the state of Wisconsin (1973-1993) and to the WRLS board of trustees (1985-2001); and files on system members. Lastly are materials of the defunct Winding Rivers Intertype Library Council (1978-1996) and the West Central District Library Association (1938-1996).

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.lcpl-lacrosseseries014

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(Accession no. 1992.016) Transferred from Winding Rivers Library System 1992, 1995, 1996, 2002

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

[Identification of item], Winding Rivers Library System Records, La Crosse Series 014, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, Marlie Bendiksen, and Katie Adams, 1992; 2002; June 2005

Records include Board materials, such as minutes (1971-1990), director’s files and the like; historical materials which include a time line of WRLS development and newspaper clippings; financial records include audits (1971-1993), budgets and financial statements; Library and Technology Act (LSTA) grant files; visual materials which include photographs and 35 mm slides of various staff, board members and services; programs which include Mail-A-Book, Mail-A-Film, Bookmobile and others; publications which include the system newsletter “Whirlpools” (1979-2005); reports which include annual reports to the state of Wisconsin (1973-1993) and to the WRLS board of trustees (1985-2001); and files on system members.

Lastly are materials of the defunct Winding Rivers Intertype Library Council (1978-1996) and the West Central District Library Association (1938-1996).

There are additional annual reports filed in the Annual Report file collection under La Crosse County-Winding Rivers Library System.

The Winding Rivers Library System, headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., began with a Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grant in November 1965 to the La Crosse Public Library to develop an area library system among public libraries. The $300,000 helped to defray costs of a new La Crosse Public Library building. It was known as La Crosse Area Library Development initially and in 1972 the name was changed to the La Crosse Area Library System. The director of the La Crosse Public Library served as director for the system as well.

The concept was that the area library would serve other libraries in the system rather than individuals. The La Crosse Public Library would contract with the system to provide centralized purchasing and cataloging as well as reference service and in-service training. Initially six counties participated: Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon.

Later, system services included interlibrary loan, the bookmobile and mail-a-book and mail-a-film. Another name change to Winding Rivers Library System (WRLS) occurred in 1978.

Today WRLS serves multitple libraries in a seven county region of Wisconsin: Buffalo, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon Counties. WRLS Web is a consortium of WRLS libraries that have joined the automated library catalog through LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grants. Van delivery between libraries and the headquarters helps to deliver library materials quickly.

• La Crosse Area Library Development (Wis.).
• La Crosse Area Library System (Wis.).
• Winding Rivers Library System, Wisconsin.
• Regional library systems--Wisconsin

	Board Materials
Box 1   Folder 1	Bylaws, 1978-1990
Box 2   Folder 1-3	Board packets, 1990-1993
Box 2   Folder 5	Contracts, 1973-1992
Box 2   Folder 6-10	Director's files, 1976-1990
Box 1   Folder 2	List of members, 1972-1993
Box 1   Folder 3-7	Minutes, 1971-1990
Box 2   Folder 4	Planning Committee, 1985-1988
Box 3   Folder 1	Statistics, 1979-1988
	Historic Materials and Origins
Box 3   Folder 2	La Crosse Area Library Development (LALD) LSCA Title I grant request, 1967
	La Crosse Area Library System (LALS)
Box 3   Folder 3	History
Box 3   Folder 4	Provisional plan, 1972
Box 3   Folder 5	Plan, 1972 July
Box 3   Folder 6	Final plan, 1972 November
Box 3   Folder 7	Newspaper clippings
Box 3   Folder 8	System maps
Box 3   Folder 9	System formation
	Financial Materials
Box 3   Folder 10-12 Box 4   Folder 1-4	Audits, 1971-1993
Box 4   Folder 5-12 Box 5   Folder 1-4	Budget, 1968-1992
Box 5   Folder 5	Equipment
Box 5   Folder 6	Job descriptions
Box 5   Folder 9	Statements, 1966-1980
	LSCA/LSTA Grants
Box 5   Folder 10	Index, 1976-1991
Box 5   Folder 11-16 Box 6   Folder 1-6	Funded grants, 1976-1988
	Project Grants
Box 6   Folder 7	Area resource sharing, 1985-1986
Box 6   Folder 8	Audio books, 1987-1988
Box 6   Folder 9, 11	Bookmobile Mail-a-book, 1976-1979
Box 6   Folder 10	Bookmobile demo project, 1978-1979
Box 6   Folder 12	Cooperative system workshop media kits, 1978-1979
Box 6   Folder 13	Enrichment, 1978-1979
Box 6   Folder 14	Home delivery, 1978-1979
Box 6   Folder 15, 18	Public relations, 1978-1980
Box 6   Folder 16, 19	System-wide delivery, 1978-1980
Box 6   Folder 17	Library services outlets project, 1979-1980
Box 6   Folder 20	School Mail-a-Book, 1984
Box 6   Folder 21	Small library improvement, 1982-1984
Box 6   Folder 22	Special needs, 1987-1988
Box 6   Folder 23	Videos by mail, 1986-1987
Box 7 Box 8   Folder 1-2	Multi-type demo grants, 1986-1992
Box 8   Folder 3-5	Public Library Standards grants, 1988-1991
Box 8   Folder 6-10	Retrospective Conversion grants, 1986-1991
Box 9   Folder 1	LSCA grants (not funded)
	Visual Materials
	Photographs
Box 9   Folder 2	Board
Box 9   Folder 3	Staff
Box 9   Folder 4	Services
Box 9   Folder 5-7	WRLS area public libraries, 1982-1997
Box 10	Slides
	Programs
	Bookmobile
Box 11   Folder 1	Accident
Box 11   Folder 2	Artsmobile
	Blueprints and design
Box 11   Folder 3	1967 Ford
Box 11   Folder 4	1976 International
Box 11   Folder 5	1988 Barth
Box 11   Folder 6	Circulation totals
Box 11   Folder 7	Electrical outlet program, 1993
Box 11   Folder 8-11	Evaluation and study, 1981-1989
Box 11   Folder 12	Goal setting yearly schedule, 1989
Box 12   Folder 1	Memorabilia
Box 12   Folder 2	Bookmobile News newsletter
Box 12   Folder 3	Newspaper articles
Box 12   Folder 4	Parades
Box 12   Folder 5-6	Photographs and slides
Box 12   Folder 7	Promotions
Box 12   Folder 8	Promotions report, 1988
Box 12   Folder 9	Quilt project
Box 12   Folder 10	Schedules, 1968-1997
Box 12   Folder 11	Staff
	"Stops"
Box 12   Folder 12	Assessment, 1991
Box 12   Folder 13	Community
Box 12   Folder 14	Schools
Box 12   Folder 15	Formulas, 1989
Box 13   Folder 1	Summer reading
Box 13   Folder 2	Survey, 1991
Box 13   Folder 3	Wisconsin Bookmobile Service Directory
Box 12   Folder 4-6	Calendars, 1991-2005
Box 13   Folder 7-9	Continuing education workshops, 1966-2005
Box 13   Folder 10	Extension collection selection guidelines, 1989
Box 13   Folder 11	Films by mail, 1989
Box 13   Folder 12	Forms
	Interlibrary Loan
Box 14   Folder 1	Cost study, 1984
Box 14   Folder 2	Procedures manual, circa 1985-1991
Box 14   Folder 3	Procedures, undated
	Mail-a-Book
Box 14   Folder 4	Administrative files, 1976-1980
Box 14   Folder 5	Catalogs, 1974-1987
Box 14   Folder 6	Procedures and forms
Box 14   Folder 7	Statistics, 1985-1988
Box 14   Folder 8	Nursing home service
	Publications
Box 14   Folder 9	Fliers, circa 1968-2005
Box 15   Folder 1-4	System directories, 1979-2005
Box 15   Folder 5	Policy and procedures manual, 1988-1989
Box 16	Whirlpools, 1979-2006
	Reports
Box 17   Folder 1-21	Annual reports to the state, 1973-1993
Box 17   Folder 22-28	Annual reports to the trustees, 1985-2001
Box 18   Folder 10	Cost study, 1984 May
Box 18   Folder 1-5	Long range system plans, 1976-1995
Box 18   Folder 6	Public library systems for Wisconsin, 1967
Box 18   Folder 7	Report by Governmental Study Committee, 1972
Box 18   Folder 8	Strategic transition plan, 1997-2000
Box 18   Folder 9	System evaluation, 1983-1991
Box 18   Folder 11	Winding Rivers Multitype Library System Development Plan, 1986
	System Members
Box 18   Folder 12	Buffalo County, 1976-1988
Box 18   Folder 13	Jackson County, 1969-1989
Box 19   Folder 1	Juneau County, 1966-1988
Box 19   Folder 2	La Crosse County, 1952-1987
Box 19   Folder 3	Monroe County, 1969-2002
Box 19   Folder 4	Trempealeau County, 1965-2002
Box 19   Folder 5	Vernon County, 1962-1989
	Winding Rivers Intertype Library Council
Box 19   Folder 6	Administrative files, 1978-1996
Box 19   Folder 7-8	Minutes, 1978-1996
	West Central District Library Association
Box 20   Folder 1	Constitution
Box 20   Folder 2-9	Annual meeting, 1982-1989
Box 20   Folder 10-16	Annual conference, 1990-1996
Box 20   Folder 17-18	Meeting minutes, 1938-1973