Things That Go Batty In the Library

It goes without saying that there is never a dull moment in a public library. A reference question can either cause a librarian to go on a wold goose chase or leave one scratching their heads wondering what really is going on in a patron's mind when they asked a particular question. Let's face it anyone who has spent anytime on a reference desk will have wonderful stories that they retell over and over again about their most memorable patron. Here's a few to get a few smiles on a Monday as we start the week. As a fresh out of grad school librarian working in a mid-sized public library on a Saturday the typical reference questions are expected. Like the homework assignments on the plants or the latest book by Dean Koontz. On this particular saturday a woman in her late fifties maybe early sixties comes up to the desk and inquires about books on medical surgeries. As a young librarian eager to help, the reference interview goes as follows: Young Librarian: "Is this pertaining to patient health information, to help you decide if you want to have the surgery done?" Patron responds, "No. I want to know how to perform the surgery." Young librarian: "I see. Books of those nature are not normally found in a public library but you may want to consult a medical library. I would be more than happy to direct you to the health information center or the area where books on the human body can be found." Patron looking perplexed, " You don't have books on how to do surgery?" Young librarian, smiles and answers politely, "No I'm sorry we do not." Patron responses, "Well, I just want to do the surgery myself. I don't trust the doctor to work on my husband." With that the patron walks away. As the patron walks away, the librarian can't help but wonder who to be more sorry for, the wife or the husband. Phone calls coming into the library are a cross between the super easy to the I'm not sure why you called category. Most of the times patrons calling in are asking non reference questions such as "What time do you close?" or "When is the teen program starting?" Simple. Direct. No brainer questions right. Then there are times when patrons call in with spelling questions. Again, no brainer for the most part. Unless the patron not only questions the librarian's ability to look up a word but also the authority of the author of the dictionary. This is too weird to even make up. A man called up his local library to inquire how to spell apprentice. As all well trained librarians know, the best source to use is a Webster's dictionary. After looking up the word, the librarian then proceeds to spell the word to the patron. Patron replies, "Are you sure? That doesn't look right." The librarian quotes her source that she is using the Webster's Dictionary copyright 2010. After a brief pause, "Is he an expert in English grammar and spelling?" The librarian not knowing if this is a prank or not, reassures the patron that Webster has been established as "the source" on spelling since the beginnings of American's history. The man then replies, "Well there must have been a typo in the printing of this dictionary that no one caught, because he got it wrong. You may want to find another dictionary to buy next time, He probably got other words wrong too." With that he hung up. Hmm. Poor Daniel Webster, he's been dissed and can't even defend his work! Last but certainly not least of the examples here, is a story of a child who loved her library so much that she didn't want to leave. After a story time, a little girl and her mother go to the children's room to browse through the stacks to find books to take home. After about twenty minutes, the mother informs her daughter that they have to leave. The little girl looks up and says, "but I'm reading a book." The mother responds that they can check out the book and the girl can continue reading it at home. "No." says the little girl and continues to read her book. The mother decides a couple of more minutes at the library will not hurt anything, so she informs her daughter that she is going to look for a book for herself. When she returns the little girl should be ready to leave. The girl does not even look up and acknowledges what her mother has just said. She continues to read and looks totally absorbed in the story. The mother than leaves the room and after fifteen minutes she returns to find her daughter right where she left her. Busy with her nose in the book. "Honey, it's time to go." she gently nudges her daughter, to which the daughter responds, "Nope. Not ready. I need to finish this book." Mother clearly getting a little upset, " Don't be impossible. You can check out that book and finnish it at home." To which the girl replies, "But I don't have a library at home and it's the best place for me to read." The mother pauses and says, "Well, you can pretend you have a library at home and read in your bedroom where it's nice and quiet." Without blinking an eye the daughter says, "In my bedroom I sleep. In the library I read. You just want me to nap instead of reading." The girl continues on with reading her book. The mother uses one last attempt to reason with her daughter before she is forced to close the book and pick up her daughter, forcing her to leave. "If you don't get up right now, I'm going to leave you here all alone." the girl with big blue eyes, finally takes her eyes off her book, and says "Go ahead. I'm safe here with plenty of books to read." With that last statement, the mother takes the book for the child, puts it in her library bag to check out and picks up a the girl who is now wailing and letting everyone within the library know, "I LOVE MY BOKKS! I WANT MY BOOKS" Aw, if only that could be captured in a PSA for libraries! Everyday there is something new to talk about in the library. What makes libraries wonderful are the patrons who visit them on a regular bases. Without them, the libraries' story would not be interesting or inviting. Perhaps, the American Library Association should promote a National Library Patron Appreciation Day. AFter all without them, libraries would have no reason to exist.

Library Funding Part One: The Road to Privitization?

In an anti-tax environment libraries across the United States are going to have to do some soul searching. Especially in states where the economy is not doing well due to high unemployment and soaring cost of living expenses. It seems that prices are going up on everything, which means that libraries are feeling the same pinch. Once again, many libraries are turning to the tried method of mileage proposals on the ballot to raise the revenues they need. In the past couple of election cycles, there have been many success stories of libraries passing their mileages. However, if the economy takes another downward turn, as many economic indicators predict, the mileages won't mean a thing if taxes can't be paid. It is very likely that the anti-tax voice will get stronger and louder. Libraries must be bolder than just going after the tried and true money box of mileages. It may be time to consider privatizing libraries for profit and secure a future. Before the naysayers raise their objections, consider the following points. Publishers are in no hurry to help out libraries as it relates to ebooks. Frankly, it is probably the moment they have been waiting for all their proverbial lives. The chance to squeeze out not only libraries but booksellers too. Why else would three out of the six major publishers refuse to sell ebooks to libraries? The other three that are willing to sell to libraries overprice the books to capitalize on profit. It's not "fair" that libraries lend out books to readers, who thus get to enjoy the book for free. Here's a crazy thought: avid readers love to share the books they read with others. Electronically or in print they will find a way to loan their friends a copy of their book. It's a fact of life. Publishers need to realize that libraries are as part of the society as apple pie and Chevrolet. Not matter what form the libraries take, there will always be libraries serving an important role in the community. Having said that, there needs to be an effort to encourage publishers to lower prices and sell to libraries. For once and for all, it has to be proven that it is a win win situation for both parties. Especially with indepent publishers pushing their way into the market and making an impact that could be comparable to when paperbacks made their breakthrough in reading habits. The problem with the publishers is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to library survival. The digitization of our culture is another battle that must be won. Libraries can talk about the digital divide and how it is important to bring everyone on board to the new digital reading world until they are blue in the face. The fact of the matter is, when push comes to shove the haves and the have nots in this world will not matter one iota when paychecks get smaller and everyone is grumbling about the cost of everything. Start asking for more tax revenue and it may make th4 ecommunity begin to question do they need a library. Forbes did a wonderful two part article on why libraries matter. The basic premise is that librries are needed as an insstitution where reading is promoted. The Library also acts as a gathering place for informtioan and meeting. Wonderful. What they fail to address is the promotion of librareis as a return of investment (ROI) for the community. If this can not be provem, a community will look a the library as a dinosaur and unable to change. If the discussion is going to turn to practical usage of taxpayer dollaars and community benefits it might be time to consider consolidating or communities sharing resources. For example, many cities have found ways to share police and fire resources to help the finacial bottom line of both communites. While it is always a nice idea that every community deserves a library, perhaps a better way to view it is that every community dsserves access to a library. With the digital age and downloading capabilities there is no reason why communities can not share one library building and serve multiple communities. Returning to the origianl idea of privitizing libraires. The question becomes is there a "product" that libraries offer. yes. It's called information in any form a patorn desires it and for any purpose be it educational or entertainment. Those agains selling or using information as a commodity fail to remember that the first public library in the United States was not free. It was supported on a subscription basis. think of it this way, if the population valued their libraries as much as they say do they do, they won't be mind paying for it like they do for cable or cell phones. It is a servcie that is wanted, therefore it is not rolled into a tax. Libraries have relied so heavily on the tax systme that it may very well be to their demise. Perhaps they are are afraid it will be harder to fund a private library becasue they do not see a commitment from their own communities to their libraries. If that is the case, then shame on librarians for going along with the status quo and not even trying to venture out to something new. Clinging on to old ways is a recipe for disaster. Time to look at new revenues, new challenges and finding the solutions to make it work for the future. Stay tuned this is a discussion that will be reviseted in the months to come.

Another Year Over -- What Have We Done?

There are many polls and stats that label certain professions as being the most stressful or the least appreciated. Librarians is hardly ever on those lists. There's plenty of reasons the omission on these lists. One very important one is that it almost always ranks high in job satisfaction. As the year draws to a close and a new one is just beginning, it's time to consider as John Lennon asks of us each year around htis time, "What have we done?" Librarians have been at the forefront of the information age when it began in the late 80's and zoomed into the 1990's with the Internet taking society on the virtual road trip. The places we have been and yet to go on this information highway is surreal at times. The internet has made patrons comfortable on finding things out on their own. It should have been a wonderful moment for libraries, yet the potholes on the information highway proved to be more troublesome than anticipated. For example, too much information, too little attention to accuracy and too much time spent on gaming, chatting and other time wasters. Librarians continue to struggle with copyright issues and validating a persons' work. In the era instant gratification it seems that the Internet has created he illusion that real research is as easy as a few keystrokes. In reality, research on the internet requires boolean searching skills, patient to go beyond the initial first searches to validate data and a professional librarian who can help and teach how to find the back roads of the information highway. There has been much done on teaching about the information highway but there are still problems that continue to nag the profession. The constant need to prove the value of libraries in a digital era is just one out of many that pops into mind. E-readers and tablets like iPad have significantly changed the way librarians deal with the printed word. Many librarians believed that the day would never arrive when patrons would prefer downloading a book to checking a hard cover out. Thankfully there were librarians who saw the opportunity to serve other patrons by providing online databases and digital contents. With all opportunities there are some strings attached. First and foremost the many different brands of e-readers. Librarians are finding that on a daily basis they are working more with electronic gadgets and becoming techie geeks whether they want to or not. Putting that aside, which is really quite a small detail when considering digital content is chewing up more budget dollars than any library director would like. There continues to be a battle for the library to provide patrons with quality information sources while still holding down the bottom line. It is with fingers crossed that librarians are hoping that a compromise can be reached between publishers and libraries. Could authors jump into the fray of the conversation and defend their library friends? Once could hope. One last note on what has been done this year is the role of the librarian in each library. It is a sad to see many young grads coming out of library schools without the opportunities to work in libraries. Budget are tight to be sure but there is something else that is happening that is being ignored entirely by the profession. There are too few full-time jobs and to many part-time positions. On top of that, many of the smaller to mid size libraries are quite comfortable with clerks and non-graduates with a Bachelor's Degree or less do the work required of a librarian. It is dismal and disheartening. While these libraries who follow this practice may not have the funds to pay a professional and mean well. However, for the people that they serve this is a disaster. It cheapens the profession, library services and libraries in general. It would be far better if state libraries and library associations withhold the credentials and state aid of these libraries until they have at least one Library Science graduate on staff. This may seem harsh but in the long run it will strengthen libraries across the board. For those who would argue that every community deserves a library, the response should be that every community deserves access to a library. It's not the quantity of libraries that's important, its the quality. There is good news for the library professionals in the way of finding opportunities to work. Librarians are realizing just how versatile their education has helped them to become. A librarian is at the core knows the value of the commodity called information. Bring people and information together is done at a public library everyday. Yet, that's not the only place this can happen. Not only that, with a little imagination and creativity, there's no telling what librarians can conjure up to help our fellow man and child. Yes, the good news is that we have accomplished much this year. The better news is that the world is waiting for librarians to take charge in navigating the digital information maze. The best news is that there are so many talented librarians who can take this challenge on successfully and creatively! Here's to an exciting 2013!

The 12 Big Items On Librarians' Christmas Wish List

This is the season where wishes and dreams come true. Where little ones hop onto a jolly old man's lap and give a list of all the things they dream about all year long. Librarians are no different. Yes, its true many may be older and wiser. The case can be made that librarians share the same child like curiosity and wonder as those little ones who sit in storytimes. Of course, the "real" Santa does not normally grant wishes to grown ups but perhaps this might be the year where the jolly old man from the North Pole might find it in his heart to grant a wish or two from the dozen presented here. (By the way for the little ones who are wondering who the "real" Santa is, here's a hint: He's not at your local mall.) So Santa, for librarians everywhere who are hoping for a little Christmas miracle in their libraries, here is a list of Christmas gifts that is sure to put a smile on every librarians' face and for their patrons too. 1. A big spacious library that offers everything for everybody. A spacious children's room for youngsters to explore or find a quite spot to read. Plenty of study and meeting rooms for group discussions. Programming facilities that provides good views from any seating area and comfortable seating to boot. 2. Two great conferences for the library professionals to grow, exchange ideas and bring back to their communities a whole host of exiting ideas that will help their patrons receive the very best library service possible. 3. Three wise and wonderful library advocates that represent the community either locally, statewide or nationally. Yes, librarians would love community leaders such as mayors, state representatives, and congressmen to not only understand the challenges of libraries today but also be the voice needed to represent libraries on every level. It would be wonderful if the entire legislature were pro-libraries but at this point, librarians aren't greedy. Three to start with would be wonderful. 4. Four more hours in the day to read all the wonderful books that stir the imagination and make reader's advisory a joyful part of the profession. As it is now, reading book reviews are the closest that librarians get to reading the actual books. As the saying goes, so many books so little time! 5. Five incredibly awesome Author visits that can make any dull book discussion group rock! Many authors are the best advocates for libraries. Having them visit libraries is like having Madonna go to a music store to promote music appreciation. 6. Six publishers (and they know who they are) who finally see the light that libraries are not their foes. Libraries are indeed their friends. The gift that would be best here relates to e-books and pricing. If all six publishers would re0think their pricing for libraries and make it economical for everyone involved what a much nicer world it would be to see print and electronic text coexists in the library. 7. Seven generous philanthropists who would not only donate funds to help libraries meet the demands of a changing digital information driven world but help in annual fundraising campaigns also. 8. Eight weeks of Summer Reading Programs that are wonderful, creative, inexpensive and suited for every age. Who wants to cut summer short because the funding was not there? Rhetorical question but if anyone is still trying to figure out the answer they are not a true library lover. l 9. Nine teens leaping to get to computers that have all the resources plus the opportunity to "like" their favorite library on Facebook. Maybe they might even retweet a librarian or two? 10. Ten year millage that is renewed every ten years without fail and with full community support --- and that would be for every library in every city in every state. Well, that may be extreme but perhaps settling for our own communities would be acceptable. 11. Eleven pipers who daily sing the praises of libraries and help with free positive PR that every library needs on a daily basis Social media has made getting the positive word out about what libraries offer. Get those eleven pipers pipping away in the real world as well as the virtual one 12. Twelve months of library programming that keeps the patrons begging for more. Which in turn, will inspire the librarians to come up with twelve more months of wonderful programming for the the next year. Without a doubt, Santa can handle these requests. As Christmas Eve approaches, librarians will hang their stockings with care, snuggle up with a good book and wait for Santa to arrive at their library. Hopefully with at least one of these big items in his bag.

Resources For Helping Children Deal With Tragedy

The shootings at Sunny Hook Elementary School has shocked not only the community it served but the country as well. Who hasn't heard the horror stories and shed a few tears over the lost lives of the innocent children and the faculty members who gave their lives in trying to protect them? This act of violence has changed this nation greatly and the consequences of the change are yet to be seen. Whenever a tragedy like this occurs, parents and educators look for answers on how to explain the unexplainable to the children in their lives. The hardest part of finding the answers is looking for the right material that isn't preachy but not too practical that it ignores the emotions and struggles of the reader. There are few books that find that balance and here are a review of some to the titles. As with any book, it is strongly suggested that parent and child read together. Especially when many questions will be raised by the child. When I Feel Scared by Cornelia Maude Speilman touches on the range of emotions children feel when they are insecure. This book is perfect for the younger child in its simplicity and soothing suggestions of what to do to cope with the feelings. It also is a good reminder for children that it is okay to feel scared sometimes. For older children a simple book like Speilman is obviously not going to help them. Nationally known commentators Rabii Mark Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman have written a book which helps children deal with the headlines in our media-centric world in a positive, sensitive, and sometime humorous way. Bad Stuff In The News: A guide to Handling the Headlines deals with the many different story lines such as terrorist attacks, senseless violence as well as other topics that may be unsettling for children. What is also very helpful in this book is the discussion of simple acts of comfort that help in the process of healing. Quite frankly, this should be the go to book for educators, librarians and parents who deal with children on a day to day basis. Eve Bunting has written eloquently on many topics that are sensitive and hard to explain. In The Memory String Bunting tells the story of a little girl who has a string of buttons, each button is a connection to someone she has lost in her family. While the story is one of personal loss its message of dealing with grief and finding hope to carry on is right on target. This story may inspire readers to find their own way to "honor" the memories of the innocent children and heroes that died on December 14 2012. These are just a few books that can help adults help children in tragic situations when answers are not easily found. Each title mentioned here are available at a local library or bookstore. The main important ingredient to helping children deal with loss is a good dose of hugs, reassurance and love. Children can never receive too much love. Also as adults, it is hard to remember that its okay not to have all the answers. If a tough question from a child comes your way, be honest and say "I don't know." Children will appreciate the honesty. At the posting of this blog a complete list of books to help parents, educators and children is being produced. For a complete list of books please contact lvnlibrarian@yahoo.com.

Libraries' Give The Gifts That Are Lasting & Priceless!

With the jolly holly Christmas season coming ever so closer. Now would be the perfect time make a list of the many gifts that libraries give to their community and patrons all year round. To be honest this list could be one hundred items long but for the sake of time and attention span this list will contain the most important items. Not only that but the list is easy to remember because it is categorized using the dewey decimal system. Life couldn't get easier, could it? Beginning with the 000, the area affectionately known as "general knowledge". The everyday mundane questions are answered here. What is the average size of a Bengal Tiger? Look that up in the World Book Encyclopedia (030 W). How does one figure out Windows XP? Tons of books for that in 005. So why need to go any farther than that? Seriously simple life questions are found here. However, everyone knows that libraries often go above and beyond the call of duty. If the question of life and it's meaning can be found anywhere it would be in the 100 section of the library. Yes, general answers as well as the deeper meaning of life can be found between the hallowed stacks of the library. Not to mention if one were to drift farther down the stacks they would find the world religions and might find the ultimate answers to life's deep questions. Either that or at least find their a spirituality that is uniquely uplifting. Okay corny but true. Libraries can be very inspiring and uplifting. Consider that gift number two and three. Moving along into the 300's libraries offer the gift of understanding complex organizations, rules and laws. Without libraries political think tanks would not be able to complete their research. It goes without saying that these bookshelves in this area would be bare if political figures who had the desire to run for President didn't pen their tomes. Could this be a blessing or a curse? Let's consider it a blessings for now. Language opens up communications and understanding between people. Libraries have always been about communicating, understanding and bring people together. In the 400's the dictionaries and grammar books of all languages are available for self study. If one is lucky enough, some cultural groups will gather at the library to not only teach the language but also the customs at library programs. Who needs the UN when the libraries can bring the world together through books and programming? Our modern world not have been possible without the advances made in Science and Technology. All the complex issues of the day such as understanding the functions of the human body, fixing a car or getting a view of the inside of a space rocket can all be found here. What is even more amazing is that all of these wonderful discoveries are in print for anyone to find at the library. Following the theory that all things are connected by a common thread. It is quite possible that the world would not have known the genius of Einstein if had not been for libraries. It's all here in black and white, libraries are responsible for the discovery of many wonderful scientific and technological advances in our times. What an awesome gift! The arts and literature have often held a mirror to society for the purpose of introspection. Great paintings plays and novels all contain the "view" of how society behaves or in some cases misbehaves. Whether the picture is rosy or bleak the library has kept these treasures for the next generations to enjoy. Libraries have given their community the beauty of art and appreciation of the wisdom in words. It's quite possible that Shakespeare and other great writers would never had been known if it weren't for libraries. Perhaps the most valuable gift of all is found in the 900. History. The past is a tool that can not have a value placed on it. History tells us who we are where we have been and hopefully can direct us on the right path to follow. Presidents have relied on history books to aid in decision making. One president that comes to mind Lincoln loved reading so much that it could be said that he read his way into the White House. Would it be too boastful to say that libraries have contributed to the education of some of America's finest Presidents? No not really. Somewhere in Lincoln's life there had to have been a library or two that held the books that helped Lincoln be the president he was. It isn't that much of a stretch to believe that he may have had helped from resourceful librarians. As a way of summarizing the grand list of Libraries' gift to the community if not the world The list is as followed: general knowledge the meaning of life, uplifting experiences, understandings of complex government and laws, communications and understanding of cultures, advances in science and technology, safeguarding treasures in art and literature and finally the keys to the past and the future. These are many and priceless gifts and one can honestly say, a community would surely be lost without their library.

E-Readers: The Future of Reading

Reading is a very personal activity. What motivates a reader to finish a book or not is a mystery. Was the story lacking a plot? Was the writing style too flowery or just too plain? Where the characters engaging? All of these questions are valid to be asking from a publisher's and author's point of view. Even valid from the standpoint of a librarian who is considering whether a book is a worthwhile investment for the library. How are these questions answered? Before the digital era, publishers relied on sales of books to determine popularity and prosperity of an author's work. There was also the opportunity to have prominent reviews to promote the book before the publication, but by and large sales have always driven the market. For librarians determine what will circulate based on bestsellers and reviews. With e-readers things have changed slightly. Publishers now have the ability to track the reader's habits by gathering information digitally. They types of information they gather can be how many times an author's work is downloaded or how quickly do readers read through a book. This may seem innocent enough in the e-reader digital friendly era, but should there be some concerns for librarians about protecting the privacy of their patrons? Perhaps now is the best time to explore these issues. If the information that the publishers are receiving from e-readers download is simply to find out how popular an author is by then number of downloads, that is not a serious issue. That action in itself is not violating the readers right to privacy. However, what if the publishers were doing more than just seeing the number of downloads. Is there a possibility that other information could be obtained such as the types of books downloaded? Nonfiction? Fiction? Titles that deal with sensitive health issues or political views? Most readers might say that its okay for publishers and authors to find out what they are reading. After all this might motivate publishers to continue working with authors to write and publish the stories people like to read. Could there be a time when this information could be sold? Could this information get into the wrong hands where it could be used against the reader? Not to sound like an alarmist who believes that Big Brother is beginning to control all aspects of life, but it does seem a little creepy that reading habits could be monitored. After all, as stated previously, reading is an activity that is purely personal. There was a time, not too long ago, when getting an email required that a user subscribed to an internet provided such as AOL. Not true anymore. If users don't mind their email scanned for key words used for marketing. An email address is as simple as signing up for one in a matter of minutes. What has this got to do with digital reading? Plenty. Just as there are row away email addresses and disposable cell phones what would stop publishers from marketing e-readers that are one time use only, very cheap and to keep the cost down companies like NIke can advertise on the e-readers through pop-up ads. Don't think this would happen? It could especially with magazines and newspapers trying to find ways to stay afloat these days. Never mind the fact that more throw away gimmicks and technology will fill up garbage trucks faster than landfills. The ability of a company to "bother" the consumer while reading is enough to make any lover of print book to scream "I told you e-readers are awful!" Who would want to be interrupted during a pivotal part of story with an pop-up ad from Amazon? Frankly, this is another invasion of privacy but more annoying than intruding. One other thing to consider is that everything it seems is on the internet. Personal information work history, pictures and just about anything under the blue moon. There are times when searching the net or social media where the TMI moment happens more often than not. Librarians have always been at the forefront of protecting the privacy of their patrons. In the brave new world of digital access this will be harder to achieve. Libraries that are offering the Kindle or Nook for checkout to their patrons should be considering how "private" those devices are. Would a patron have the ability to see what other books were downloaded by the previous patrons? Amazon has a wonderful way of keeping track of what has been downloaded and suggests similar titles for the reader to consider. Would this not come up when Patron X checks out a Kindle after Patron Y? Libraries should not be loaning these items out until an e-reader is made specifically for the library market that allows for libraries to control content and history of downloads. E-readers like any other computer device, can be manipulated for purposes that might not be so noble. Certainly, this is an era where libraries are approaching with a mix of caution and excitement. The possibilities that technology has brought forth are fascinating. However, there continues to be the small black cloud of worry that follows the profession. Can library professionals continue to protect privacy and information of their patrons? It is a loaded question to be sure but it needs to be addressed and discussed.