Wisconsin Library Association Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Wisconsin Library Association Foundation (WLAF) is the charitable arm of the Wisconsin Library Association
(WLA). The WLA Foundation, incorporated in 1996 as a 501(c)(3) charitable public foundation
, is headquartered in Madison
, Wisconsin
, United States
.
. Three of the Foundation's nine board members are appointed through the Wisconsin Library Association appointments process; three are elected by the WLA membership; and two community representatives are appointed by the Foundation board. The WLA treasurer also holds a seat on the Foundation board, and the WLA executive director is a nonvoting member of the Foundation board.
Every Wisconsin Library Association member automatically becomes a member of the WLA Foundation. This enables all WLA members to be able to serve on the Foundation board, to elect members of the WLAF board, and to participate in the Foundation's annual business meeting.
The WLA provides management and administrative services to the Foundation, and the WLAF president sits on the WLA Personnel Committee in order to participate in the executive director's performance overview.
Other individuals or corporations are encouraged to support the WLAF through annual giving
and major donations to support any of the current programs. Individuals may also contribute through planned giving
. Annual giving is recognized at varying levels of support. Aside from donations, the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation earns investment income on its endowment.
Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries (CFWL)
Scholarships
Wisconsin Library Heritage Center
Additional
Wisconsin Library Association
The Wisconsin Library Association , is a Wisconsin, United States non-profit,professional membership organization which has existed since 1891 --- more than 100 years of service to the library community and Wisconsin's citizens...
(WLA). The WLA Foundation, incorporated in 1996 as a 501(c)(3) charitable public foundation
Foundation (United States law)
A foundation in the United States is a type of charitable organization. However, the Internal Revenue Code distinguishes between private foundations and public charities...
, is headquartered in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Mission
The mission of the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation is to support the role of Wisconsin libraries as essential institutions in a democratic society.Governance & Structure
The Wisconsin Library Association Foundation is governed by a 10-member board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. Three of the Foundation's nine board members are appointed through the Wisconsin Library Association appointments process; three are elected by the WLA membership; and two community representatives are appointed by the Foundation board. The WLA treasurer also holds a seat on the Foundation board, and the WLA executive director is a nonvoting member of the Foundation board.
Every Wisconsin Library Association member automatically becomes a member of the WLA Foundation. This enables all WLA members to be able to serve on the Foundation board, to elect members of the WLAF board, and to participate in the Foundation's annual business meeting.
The WLA provides management and administrative services to the Foundation, and the WLAF president sits on the WLA Personnel Committee in order to participate in the executive director's performance overview.
Funding
The WLAF is supported almost entirely by contributions, the majority of which come from individual Wisconsin Library Association members.Other individuals or corporations are encouraged to support the WLAF through annual giving
Annual giving
Annual giving is one of the most important areas in an organization’s fundraising efforts. Annual giving consists of many separate solicitation vehicles...
and major donations to support any of the current programs. Individuals may also contribute through planned giving
Planned giving
Planned giving is an area of fundraising that refers to several specific gift types that can be funded with cash, equity, or property. These gift vehicles are commonly based on United States tax law, but Canada, the United Kingdom, and other nations are beginning to establish similar laws...
. Annual giving is recognized at varying levels of support. Aside from donations, the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation earns investment income on its endowment.
Programs
Awards and Honors- The Foundation funds expenses related to annual literary awards along with Wisconsin Library and Librarian of the Year awards.
Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries (CFWL)
- In 2006, the WLA Foundation embarked on an ongoing, state level, multi-media advertising campaignAdvertising campaignAn advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
to promote a wider understanding of the value and importance of Wisconsin's libraries. The Campaign for Wisconsin LibrariesCampaign for Wisconsin LibrariesThe Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries is the state level public relations and advertising campaign that seeks to promote a wider understanding of the value and importance of Wisconsin libraries...
provides a collective voice on behalf of Wisconsin libraries of all types (academic, publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
, schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, and special). This centralized state level campaign benefits all libraries, but especially those with limited promotional resources. The campaign takes advantage of national level efforts to promote libraries that are keeping with the purpose of Wisconsin's campaign.
Scholarships
- The Foundation maintains several educational development funds for continuing education for librarians and for library students. They are: The George Bauer Continuing Education Scholarship; the Vida Cummins Stanton Scholarship; the Library Education Scholarship; the Sally Davis Scholarship; the Diversity Scholarship; and the Gloria Hoegh Scholarship for the Education of Rural Librarians.
- These scholarships are administered by the WLAF Scholarship Committee, which is responsible for following guidelines for each scholarship, soliciting applicants and selecting recipients.
Wisconsin Library Heritage Center
- In March 2008, the Foundation supported the establishment of the Wisconsin Library Heritage Center. The Center was established to:
- promote an understanding and appreciation of the history of libraries and librarianship in Wisconsin by the general public and the Wisconsin library community.
- promote the preservation of artifacts and archives which contribute to an understanding and appreciation of Wisconsin's library heritage.
- promote research and publishing that would contribute to an understanding and appreciation of Wisconsin's library heritage.
Additional
- The WLA Foundation also provides programming sponsorship to the WLA Annual Conference; supports programming related to effective fundraising promotions and foundation development; and makes grants for activities related to the Foundation's mission to support Wisconsin libraries.