Library Log 11/20/08

Mary’s ILL Moment :

No, I ‘m not “ILL”. Should you see “ILL” by my name, don’t worry…I’m not sick. I-L-L is a term the library uses for “Inter-Library Loan”, which means we participate with other libraries in Colorado, loaning each other materials for a short time. As we here at JCFLD are a small library, not having space nor shelving for all the items we would love to have, we check with other participating Colorado libraries for availability of your desired item which is then “couriered” to us for you to use. ILL items may include books, audio books, some movie and music discs and more. If after checking our shelves and catalog you don’t find what you need, give the author’s name and the title to any JCFLD employee, along with any other information should you prefer large print, or audio, or book #4 of the series, etc. This will make the item easier to locate and request. Generally, ILL’s take 7-10 days to be couriered to us, you will then receive a call advising your item is in and ready for pick-up. We can order as many as three ILL’s at one time for you. ILL’ing is for young and old…feel free to use this library service…if we don’t have it, we can get it! Ask!

Director’s Corner :

We all came back inspired from this year’s Colorado Association of Libraries annual meeting – the theme of which was “Communities and Libraries,” exploring the many ways that libraries interact with and enhance their communities. If your idea of a library is a storehouse filled with books, well, you’re partly right. But it’s so much more than that Today’s libraries – and the John C. Fremont Library is a perfect example – are community centers as well as repositories of knowledge and information. While many places and organizations bring together people of like mind, libraries also have the ability to build bridges in a community – to bring together different types of people who might not otherwise meet. Come into the library on any given day and you’ll see a variety of people of different ages, backgrounds and interests coming together, building new social networks. Got a preschooler? Bring him or her to Ms. Cid’s story time on Tuesdays at 10; not only will the kids have fun, but one of the other parents might just become your best friend. Do you like crafts, writing, knitting or talking about books? The library plays host to lively groups devoted to each of these interests. If you’d like to improve your computer skills, ask about the library-sponsored classes which unveil the mysteries of the internet, email, Google and MS Word. And if you want to see some teenagers having a blast, drop by most Wednesdays around 2:15 and see what Gypsy and her loyal band of teens are up to – they’ve done everything from calligraphy to making sock puppets and video gaming tournaments. Oh, yeah – you can still check out a book, magazine, dvd, cd or video game! And if you haven’t met me yet, stick your head in my office door (it’s usually open) and say hello. I’m looking forward to meeting you! – Bev Allen

Library Log 11/13/08

Robin’s Observations from the front desk:

So the month is almost over and in the blink of an eye my first CAL (Colorado Association of Libraries) conference has come and gone. I have to say it didn’t disappoint my ubber excited anticipation of it. I got to network with other librarians, learn lots of neat stuff, and I came away with some great ideas that I hope we will be able to implement in the future. One of the things I enjoyed the most was the variety of Keynote Speakers they had. My favorite by far was the keynote by Mary Dempsey, the Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library. She really got us all thinking about the importance of early childhood literacy and preparing them for school. And how as librarians, educators, and parents it is our job to prepare the next generation for school otherwise they will be ill prepared. It was truly a wonderful experience and I can’t for next year.

Kieran’s notes from the back room:

We arrived back from the CAL conference late Saturday night. On the way home we talked about which workshops we had gone to, and what was the most exciting thing we learned. I enjoyed many things, especially the young adult book talk I attended! But I think the most exciting thing I learned was at the Colorado State Library booth. Jim Duncan the Director of the Networking & Resource Sharing Unit of the State Library had set up a video game station and had Guitar Hero going. The Colorado State Library is planning to loan their Wii and Guitar Hero game to libraries all over the state so they can experience first hand what a gaming tournament is like. The State library is taking an active roll in getting teens into public libraries! (and I thought all they were good for was making policy and suit wearing – hehehe!) They even had a quote from me in their gaming booklet! I also went to a workshop about self-check machines and security systems. Hopefully armed with their info and advise we can get ours up and running this coming year. Overall I think the conference was a success. Thank you CAL committee! Stop by and see me to get a sneak peek on the self check system we are getting ready to roll out.

The John C. Fremont Library Catalog

Please Click the Link below to access our catlog. Our Website is currently down, so, we have provided the link to our online catalog for your convience.

http://jcfld.us.to/cgi-bin/koha/opac-user.pl

Library Log 11/07/08

Kieran’s notes from the back room :

The big event of the week was CAL – Colorado Association of Libraries. CAL is held in Denver once a year. Lots of workshops and lectures on the ins and outs of library science. Bet you wish you had gone… 2000 librarians in one building and you could have heard a pin drop (kidding). Librarianship has many facets and techniques employed to get the job done and are more complex than you might guess. One topic that almost requires a slide ruler is called deaccessioning. Basically it means getting rid of books. “What!”, you say, “A library getting rid of books!” Yup, like you, the library has a limited amount of space. I can’t keep my favorite sweater from high school if it doesn’t fit me any more, and the library can’t keep the best selling how-to manual from 1972. Go figure. We use a complex formula that I like to call ‘use it or lose it’ to decide which books stay and which books are ‘voted off the island’. So now I will let you in on a little secret, I turn this article in ahead of time so I haven’t actually been to the conference yet, but will be back before you read this. It is kind of like time traveling. So upon my return and in the very next column I will tell you all the secret library things that I learned. In the meantime stop by the back room and take a look at the librarian action figure I got.

Gypsy’s Corner:

Well it’s been another busy week chock full of activities here at the library.  The weekly teen after-school group has been having a wild time lately with pumpkin carvings and a Halloween party.  But this week we slowed it down and had a very special guest.  Joy Sato joined us and introduced us to the fine and ancient art of Japanese Calligraphy.  During our lesson we learned how everything from standing in certain poses, breathing correctly, and settling into a calm peace of mind would affect how our calligraphy came out.  Joy incorporated a brief demonstration of the Japanese Tea Ceremony that taught a lot about the fuller meaning of the characters we learned to paint.  I was truly amazed at the talent displayed by everyone in the group after such a brief lesson.  This is a compliment to both Joy as an instructor and the participants as they really focused and tuned into one another during the one hour we had.  I encourage all of you to stop by the teen area in the back of the library and check out the beautiful and excellent work produced by this group.  I also want to thank Joy for taking the time to teach this class to our young people.  It just goes to show that you never know what you might learn when you stop by the library!  Hope to see you all soon.