Kids Learn Summer Reading Is Important

Main Children's department enjoyed a visit last week from magician "Too Fun".  She told stories, including The Three Little Pigs, while children came on stage and acted out the characters.  She told us that reading over the summer is important and helps prevent 'summer slide'.  Above, kids hold up a secret message, READ.  In one of her comedic magic tricks, "Too Fun" took a blank coloring book, said the magic words, and suddenly color appeared.  

45 Yr. Jax Beach Police Chief, Now Author & City Council Member at JB's Book Club

Julie Rekow led an exciting Beaches Branch Flamingo Book Club, July 26, as *Perception of Power was discussed by the author, Bruce Thomason, former 45 year Chief of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department and current Jacksonville Beach City Council Member. CM Thomason's first book was a children's story starring his grandchildren, who come to Santa's aid in Santa's Super Rescue; How Beezle T. Claus Tried to Steal Christmas. Since then he has authored two other thriller novels, beside Perception of Power, in a series about a fictional detective, Clay Randall. Julie said, "Bruce told us about the true stories and real people that influenced his writing. He is currently working on his fourth novel. We hope he will make another appearance soon."
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*Perception of Power won the author/councilor the 2016 Florida Book Awards bronze medal in the Popular Fiction category. 

Outstanding Display at SE

Kate Zakharov, Teen Library Associate/Teen Volunteer Coordinator, said, "Abby McGeathy went above and beyond to help me bring a Pinterest project to life. We made an Olympic ring collage, using inspirational quotes from Olympic athletes, to hang in the Southeast Regional Branch Teen Room. Let the games begin!"

Job Well Done: Kimberly Smith

Kimberly Smith is a P/T Associate in the Popular Department at Main and was presented with a Job Well Done Award, July 23, 2016, by Tamera Branam, Librarian III in that area. Tamera said Kimberly deserves the award for her artistic work that enhances book displays advertising "Movies at Main".  Above is a house on top of a witch designed for Wizard of Oz, and under that is a display advertising the movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Below is the display Kimberly made out of clay and paper mache for The Maltese Falcon.  Other creations to her credit thus far are a candy basket for Willie Wonka and a camera with a window for what else but Rear Window. Tamera says Kimberly's innovation, imagination and creativity make Main displays pop and has drawn the attention of both customers and staff.  Wonder what Kimberly will create next.

20 Adults Color At AR

“A great surprise happened at the Regency Square Branch July 20, 2016. Twenty people participated in an adult coloring program--the biggest group we have had. Our participants expressed their enthusiasm with the great selection of coloring pages, pencils, markers, and even crayons. When they started coloring their chosen pages, the room became a place of camaraderie. Some of the customers brought their own coloring books and supplies and shared them with the group. Each one produced a work of art by the end of the session and each of them had a story to tell when they left. The program ended with a colorful bang!”  (Thanks to AR's Shirdellah Groulx for the input.) 

PCR's "Turn It Up Thursday" Turns Down Temp

Pablo Creek Manager Jackie Spiritas reports, "Nearly 350 people turned out for the Pablo Creek Library 'Turn it Up Thursday', 4:00 – 7:00 pm, July 21. The fourth installment of the monthly event had the community coming together in a variety of interactive, engaging ways

to celebrate 'Winter in July.' Children and families met a real Snow Queen (at left with JB's Manager Theresa Rooney's granddaughter, Rivers Matchett). They could play four holes of Putt-Putt in the stacks, see a live 3-D printing demonstration, participate in a make a polar bear and snow flake craft, learn about downloading Zinio Magazines in the puppet theatre, adopt Humane Society kittens, and play in the 'snow' at the first Putt-Putt tee by our snow machine. Instrumental to the success of the program were the Girl Scouts of America, who created the putt-putt holes and facilitated the program, including creating the score card and tallying the scores. The Masons of NE Florida were on hand to provide a free Child I.D. service to families with approximately 60 parents receiving a free CD with each child’s information on it.  A live guitarist played music to browse new books by and there were winter crafts and ice pops for the children. If that wasn’t enough – an expert from 'Just Brew It' was on hand to show and tell how to brew your own beer during the last hour of the program. 

                                          And snow it did!

"We are grateful to all the community partners that helped make this event possible: The Masons I.D. of NE Florida, The Jacksonville Humane Society, The Girl Scouts of America, and Just Brew It.  Our Snow Queen was provided by funds raised for the Children’s Program by the Newcomer’s Club of Jacksonville. Inviting clubs and groups to participate that normally provide a service to the community makes this program valuable to our customers. The cross promotion in a public library venue is a unique way to turn up activity and interest in both organizations. The July event was enjoyed by all, including many of the library public service managers who stayed after their monthly meeting to see what all the “noise” was about. Turn it Up continues to be a program that defies standard programming provided for the community in a library setting.  

                                Dad making son a golf pro.                                              

"This programming would not be possible without the effort of every staff member--from displays, to craft ideas, to giving out Ice pops at the Circulation desk. All departments are involved and turned up for the day.  It really pulls everything together and supports a team environment.

             Kids enjoyed making snow flakes and Dad thought it a good idea.

"A walk around during the event showed people of all ages undisturbed and rather enjoying the activity.  Overheard were children saying 'I want to see the snow!' and 'Where can I get my ice pop?' Adults just wanted to know what we have planned for August!"

Friends of SOM Donate 'Frig From Their Book Sales!

SOM's Christie Rogers shares a picture of the  plaque that reads, “In gratitude from the Library Staff for the support of the Friends of the Library .”  Staff wanted to permanently show their appreciation for the refrigerator the Friends of the South Mandarin Library purchased for them with money from

the Friends' book sales.  Christie said, "The refrigerator is in our meeting room and is a great help for programs that include food and for groups using the room.  Right away, our summer worker, Raymond Anthony, stored some drinks to be served during  the movie ,The Good Dinosaur, which we showed today.  Drink refills take less steps and make happier customers.  YEA!

Italy Is On Display At NW

Check out this display created by Anthony Baltiero at the Bradham & Brooks Northwest Branch that celebrates Italy and Italian culture. There are resources showcasing Italian history, culture, art, literature, language, and most importantly the food! Brush up on Italian history, start learning the Bella Lingua, or pick up some wonderful Italian recipes. Come on out; the display will be up through August.  (Thanks to YS Library Associate Anthony  Baltiero for the input and pictures.).  

Great job, Anthony.

The Python Is Epic At GB's SLP

Graham Branch kids 5-12 years old had the opportunity to hold a python during Wild Wonders: Animal Adventures program offered on July 6^th.  As part of our EPIC! Summer Presenter Program, aside from the python, kids were taught about small mammals and (large and small) reptiles and how to handle them. (Thanks to YS Librarian Alexis Carter for the pic and blurb.)

Grants Status Reviewed In Admin Meeting

Resource Development Coordinator Pam McClellan made a presentation at the Administrative Team meeting, July 22, 2016, entitled "Resource Development Grants Look Ahead Forecast" concerning the status of JPL grant opportunities.  The report lists grant funding opportunities that have been awarded (and open, meaning we are doing the project and have received funds from the grantor), or pending (we are waiting to learn if our grant proposal will be funded.)  The Available Funding category lists grants that staff are pursuing, the potential value of the grant and the application deadline.  Resource Development is on track to meet and exceed our $600,000 FY 2015-16 funding objective.

 

       Reggie Garrett (red shirt) to right of Pam McClellan (left center).

Pam concluded, "I also had the opportunity to introduce our Resource Development Summer Jobs Intern, Reginald Garrett to the Admin Team.  “Reggie”, as he prefers to be called, is an A-B honor student at Terry Parker High School.  A rising senior, he likes math and is a wide receiver for the Braves football team.  He has been an exceptional intern this summer supporting Resource Development assisting with donor letters, donor spreadsheets, and other departmental tasks.  Thanks to some prompting from Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop, he had the opportunity to share his perspectives on the summer job experience with the Admin group."

Some Of PCR's Summer Gets to Winter (Olympics, That Is) For SLP

PCR Manager Jackie Spiritas reports, "The Children’s staff at Pablo Creek Library are so dedicated and good with the kids. They handle the multitudes with a smile. The Pablo Creek community is very lucky to have such a tight knit and caring staff of professionals working with their children. (Pic at left, front L/R: Marcie O’Dell, and Kimberly Bennett; standing: Hongying Song, Diane Ressler, Erika Zeigler.)

"It’s an Epic Summer with big numbers at PCR and all things books are being promoted to prevent summer slide. Despite the summer heat, the children know that the Winter Olympics are coming and they are learning about sports and culture in Russia, Brazil, China and other countries in a fun and educational setting. Our performers have been first rate and well-attended, starting with Jennifer Swanson’s Brain Games with 114 attendees to Cotton Candy the Clown most recently.  Ronald McDonald is making plans to come out next. The fun and excitement for reading has grown with more than 10,000 books logged for the summer reading program! There are a total of 882 registrants in Epic Summer, including 145 early childhood,  448 school age, 62 teens and 227 adults. 

 "Overheard and seen:

• Children counting to ten in Romanian 
• Children walking the “balance beam” on tape like Nadia Comaneci did in the 1976                Olympics.
• Children singing synchronized action songs to mirror synchronized swimming

 

"The Teen programs have provided lots of opportunities to get your Game On and play some oversized Scrabble and glow in the dark games among other activities. On July 20, Teen Library Associate Mandy Elliott presented the final teen mini-series of the Game On program: LIVE ACTION PAC-MAN with 15 attendees. She started by showing the tweens the pop culture database and a video of Pac Man gameplay.  Then the tweens teamed up and wrote a 10 step code to move around the giant game board on the floor. Pac Man had to avoid the ghosts, who were trying to catch Pac Man.  They had a blast and even some parents helped with the coding."

Life Size Scrabble At NW

Thirteen teens/tweens enjoyed playing a Life-Size Scrabble game at Bradham and Brooks Northwest Branch, July 21. This was part of the Summer Learning Program, a six-week series called Game On where teens play traditional games in a whole new way.  (Thanks to Gloria Buenavista for the input and pic.)

Charlene Ovshak: Job Well Done

Tamera Branam, Main POP Librarin III, couldn't be happier to give Circ Supervisor Charlene Ovshak a Job Well Done Award, July 21, 2016, for her excellent work on circulation policy and procedures. (Thanks to Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop for the pic.)

NW Concludes SLP

Bradham and Brooks Northwest Branch held its “Olympic Medals” program, July 20, culminating the 6-week Summer Learning program “Cook a Book” series. Library Associate Anthony Baltiero gave book talks for How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals by Michael Phelps and Who Was Jesse Owens? by James Buckley Jr. The children created edible medals out of vanilla wafers and fruit roll ups. They also designed medals and participated in a mock ceremony where Anthony presented them with the medals they created.

On June 20 at NW, JPL and Learn to Read Jacksonville dedicated NW's new Adult Learning Center to be shared with CAL.  As part of the "opening" of the Learning Center, the  Betsy Lovett Reading Corner was also dedicated in honor of Mrs. Lovett, a major supporter of JPL and Learn to Read.  The same day, NW held the grand opening of their Multipurpose Room. This room is where children's and teen programs are held, as well as AARP tax help sessions, etc.  All in all, good use of tax payer dollars!

Feast Your Eyes At KR

These paintings were done by Gene Suckovich and his work is on exhibit through August at Mandarin Branch. The artist is represented by Jennifer Sukovich, who is shown with the pictures..

You're Invited To KR

Mandarin Branch Manager Mark Hohnadel invites you to see these paintings and others by Leah Frazier.  They will be exhibited at Mandarin Branch through August.

Kudos From Customers - July 2016

Main – Genealogy Dept.:  I wish to express great gratitude for Ms. Christa Snow for her kindness and generosity. Ms. Snow has a wonderful personality and good since of humor. …Ms. Snow made my task easy… with a word document.  I'm very glad that Jacksonville library has employed such a magnificent person …

Main – Reference/Periodicals:  I am very pleased how Ms. Karren Deas has been helping me every time I come in the library and need help.  She always assists me and helps throughout my time in the library. She is a very good worker and she never has a problem when it comes to helping me. 

Pablo Creed Branch:  I enjoyed the activity…by Kim (Bennett) and Diane (Ressler).  Both were kind and helpful. …

SST & Mandarin Branch:  Randy Mapanoo helped me with a Nook problem. Great instructor.

Webb Wesconnett Branch:  …I appreciate that there is still a library to use with books, computers & other resources.  Your most valuable resource…is the children's department staff—Ana Gonzales, Noah (Thomas), Josh (Jubinsky), & Isabel (Morino-Santiago)-- have been very helpful with my numerous questions and have been a valuable source of information.  They are the reason I scored this branch as high as I did. As a special highlight, Ms. Noah does a wonderful job leading children's activities & classes (My son gives her an A).  Also, I must tell you about Jessica (Serrano) in Resource.  She has always been a very helpful, informative, & friendly staff member. I can't say enough about her over the years. Let's just say she could honestly lead a training class for new staff members and refreshers for the seasoned. …

From Book To Movie To Read

Alison Pulley and Frances Wickes propose a Q for you, "Mandarin Branch is promoting books in our display case that were made into movies.  How many ‘Based on the Book’ have you read?"

Jazz, Games, & ESP Headline SLP At DU

Highands Branch  held a Jazz It Up program, July 13.  Library Associate Beverly Mason said, "A few of these teens may be musicians in the future.  Many of them caught on quickly to the rhythm.  And a few took on solo parts with their instruments.

"These pictures are from our 4^th week of Game On, July 14.  Today we played Giant Jenga after learning a little about earthquakes.  Prior to that we--the teens and staff involved--played  week 3 of our Game On Series, July 7.  (This week was Library Games.)  Teens were quizzed with trivia questions based on getting library cards and borrowing materials.  Then they did a book truck relay race, speed sorting, and book stacking.  Some of the teens who were overconfident at the beginning became humbled as they realized our library jobs are not as simple as they seem.  Week 2 of our Game On series, June 30, featured glow in the dark games.  We also had the ice breaker Freeze Frame where teens walked around the room talking until I called out a particular sport, then the teens had to hold a still “freeze frame” illustrating or acting out the sport.  The rest of the activities for this program included Glow Potato, Musical Glow Sticks, Glow Stick River Jump and GID Bowling.  All the games were a hit, but I think the two most enjoyed were GID Bowling and Glow Stick River Jump.

"On July 6, Barry Hinnant presented a program called "ESP: FACT ... OR FAKE?"  He discussed ESP and predicting the future.  His tricks/illusions were based on reading someone's mind, predicting the future and more."

WBK Adults Play Monopoly

Westbrook Branch's Adult “Life Size Monopoly” game, July 12, was popular with the seven attendees. Kimberly Cherry said, "Summer worker, Jarell Wise helped with all the board pieces that he drew freehand. Jarell is talented and a big help to WBK this summer. I made each house for the game and the life size dice, which you see being twirled by one of the players. I also had Antoinette Walker cutting pieces." 

SOM Zumba Program

Thirty six people attended SOM's Zumba program, July 11, 2016, hosted by Studio Jear. One of the instructors was Lora., a 16 year old who is on the National Team of Rhythmic Gymnastics. Lora became a Florida State Champion in 2014 and 2016. Kids and adults enjoyed the program.

Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves. Zumba routines incorporate interval training - alternating fast and slow rhythms - and resistance training.
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More about Zumba:  Alberto "Beto" Perez initiated the Latin dance class now known as Zumba in an aerobics class in Cali, Colombia in 1986, according to the New York Times. Perez arrived to teach class one day without his traditional aerobics music, so he substituted Latin music he had with him at the time. The improvised class was a hit with his students. Perez, along with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, trademarked the Zumba name in 2001, two years after Perez introduced his Latin-inspired fitness class in the United States. (livestrong.com)

Margo Crafton & Linda Ehnert: Jobs Well Done

South Mandarin Branch Manager Ann Fridl presented Job Well Done awards to Margo Crafton (pictured right), June 29, and Linda Ehnert (June 30) for tackling the job of cleaning out the supply closet and the workroom shelving at SOM. Though they were festooned with spider

webs, thanks to their efforts, the supply closet was organized and the workroom shelves were free of clutter and dust when they finished. 

Westbrook Hosts Critters From The Zoo

Westbrook Branch's Shawn Norton, YS Librarian II, says their EPIC summer program, June 30, hosted a Jacksonville Zoo representative, who captivated 21 participants who came to learn about and interact with a baby alligator and an armadillo.

Eastside Educates & Entertains for SLP

On July 6, Brown Eastside Branch's SLP hosted a guest reader from the St. Johns Riverkeeper. She read The Raft, had puppets and stuffed animals representing wildlife found in and along the river, and she had a life sized cutout of a manatee. Eighteen kids enjoyed the educational program.

For EB's June 29 SLP program, Cotton Candy the Clown told a variety of jokes and performed magic tricks, including making a live bunny appear for the 32 attendees. (Thanks to Raelyn Wiirre, EB's YS Librarian II for the input.)

Beaches Friends Give $25,000 For New Landscaping At JB

July 6 took 2nd place only to the 4th for July celebrations at the Beaches Branch today.  The Friends of the Beaches Branch Library made a gift of $25,000 for the landscaping project everyone is looking

forward to seeing completed. Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop, ready to start this long awaited face lift, was ready to take the first big scoop of dirt but on second thought, she left that task to the contractor.

Pictured below are, L/R, Beaches Friends member Harriet Pruett, Council Member Bill Gulliford, President of the Friends of the Beaches Public Library Josh Messinger, and Director Barbara Gubbin at the groundbreaking ceremony.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE BEACHES FRIENDS FOR THE BIG DONATION!

Whole Lotta Fun Going On At SOM

SOM Library Associate Christie Rogers reports, "Cook-a-Book: Soccer was held on June 29^th with 34 participants. Above, Mrs. Crafton and teen volunteers Colleen Mackin and Sarah Swain are demonstrating with balloons how soccer players will bounce soccer balls on their heads. The kids had a great time bouncing their balloons and seeing who could last the longest. 

"At left, children are making Pão de Queijo, Brazillian cheese bread and learning how to make the dough; afterward, they took the dough home to bake.  Samples of the bread were available, too.

"Below, fourteen kids attended Swara Soundscapes, June 30^th. Attendees had fun with the interactive concert and the presenter, Arvid Smith, played children’s songs and incorporated the children’s names into the songs. (The children loved that.) He also asked two children and summer worker Zarria Harrison to help play instruments during one of his songs."

"A young girl is pictured below who attended our Read to Rover program. Collies, Trey and Shelly, came ready for the Fourth of July holiday, (Shelly wears the hat.)  We had seventeen children and their families stop by to read and pet the dogs."

Happy First Birthday, Eden!

SE Library Assistant Alfreda Whitfield took time last year to be with her daughter, who gave birth to Eden Renae and Eden celebrated her first birthday, June 6, 2016, and she is pictured here with her big brother, Jaiden, who turned six, February 16.

Midge Roton: Job Well Done

UPK Manager Sandra Ostroski awarded Mildred “Midge” Roton a Job Well Done award, July 1, saying, "University Park Library is currently a test site for the Point of Service cash management system and Midge has been a tremendous help with the implementation of this system. She has worked with Alisha LeVasseur to fine tune POS procedures.  She also has been a coach to other staff members to help them learn the new system.  All-in-all, a Job Well Done." 

Sharon Whitt: Job Well Done

Main Manager Lynne Baldwin granted Library Associate Sharon Whitt a Job Well Done Award, June 30.  Lynne said, "Sharon just transferred to Main's Nonfiction/Reference/Periodicals Department from EB where she was the lead employee for several years.  Sharon brought those

skills to Nonfiction, providing great Get to Yes customer service, volunteering for outreach opportunities to promote Small Business resources at JPL and filling in at Urban Core branch libraries when they are short staffed.  Recently, Sharon volunteered at the Young Adult Job Fair promoting library resources at the JPL table.  Sharon can be trusted to help wherever help is needed.  She has been especially valuable to the Nonfiction Department by assisting with completing the daily schedules.  Manager Kathleen Brunner says that the schedules are 'almost letter perfect' needing little or no revisions.  Kathleen says that Sharon’s work on the daily schedules has made her job as manager much easier and she is very impressed with Sharon’s 'can do' attitude."

Director Gubbin's Take On ALA

Director Barbara Gubbin shared some of her experiences at ALA, June 24-28, "There were a lot of staff members at ALA and in addition to those who registered for the full conference, staff, including Jamie Self (Foundation) and Chris Boivin (CR&M), had exhibit passes over the weekend.  Roxanne Henkel, the President of the Willowbranch Friends was also there!  I did not hear Lynn Jacobson's presentation but Richard Mott's was very well received.  I have asked him to make it to the Board.-- it reported on our recent 'lapsed user survey.' What made the occasion extra special was that Richard’s father and brother came from Jacksonville to be in the audience.  I don’t remember Richard’s exact words but they were along the lines of his father being a preacher, and so he, Richard, had listened to his dad speak thousands of times, so now the tables had turned and his father was there to hear him!

"A program I attended sponsored by the ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children) was called 'Libraries: The Space to Be' and had a great mix of presenters, especially as we were in Orlando, home of Disney World.  First we heard from Marty Sklar, Walt Disney’s first Imagineer and instrumental in the design of many of the theme parks.  Mr. Sklar is now in his 80’s and had some great memories and ideas to share on designing spaces for children. Then we moved on to current design ideas for children’s spaces in libraries hearing from someone representing the Center for Childhood Creativity in the Bay Area, the Richland Library in South Carolina and the architect of a new branch library in Chicago’s China Town." 

JPL Staff At ALA, Orlando

Thanks to Richard Mott, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, for giving us a recap of JPL's contributions to the recent ALA Conference

"Barbara Gubbin, Jennifer Giltrop, Gretchen Mitchell, Lynn Jacobson, Richard Mott, Sara Roberts and others (listed below) attended the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Orlando, which ran from Friday, June 24, through Tuesday, June 28. This is the largest library conference in the world, with over 20,000 attending from public, academic, school, and special libraries in every state and many foreign countries.

"We attended programs for professional development and explored the massive exhibit hall, where hundreds of vendors displayed and demonstrated everything from furniture to books to research databases. They experienced the unique culture of Orlando, Florida.

"Several made presentations. Barbara served on a panel on Sunday to discuss *“Libraries That Listen". Lynn participated on a panel discussion that discussed issues related to serials cataloging by playing the game Family Feud. Richard was one of two presenters of a Monday morning program on the topic Using Data for Strategic Planning.

"Phenessa Gray and Jill Sherrod attended and have already posted reports on the Conference Attendees team site. Here’s a link: 

http://inside.coj.net/li/sd/Lists/CONFERENCES%20%20Reporting/AllItems.aspx

Other staff attending ALA beside ones named above:  Lisa Taylor, Karen Walker, Alison McCarty, John Carter, Ann Fridl, Amber Holley, Donna Carroll, Chiquita Powell, Beth Friederich, and Phenessa Gray.  Staff attending exhibits only: Shirdellah Grouix, Marshelle Berry, Lisa Buggs, Mia Clark, Charlene Adkins, Jill Haile, and Linda Smith.    

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*Click on the link in the article below, "Director Gubbin On Panel At ALA", for details.

Staff Profile - July 2016

Margaret Morford has mastered one of Wisdom's greatest components: knowing when to speak and when not to; she has that down pat.  And you would never know if she doesn't like someone because she is gracious to all. This Special Collections Librarian tops off these jeweled characteristics with a proficiency she wears like comfortable shoes.  

Margaret's husband, Don, is a physician. She is a proud aunt of grown nieces, Mary and Kris, and she and Don are excited about their planned visit with them and their families in Ocean City, MD, in late July.

 Q: You won an “Inspired a Shared Vision” award in the 2^nd fiscal quarter for your accomplishments with the JPL 50+ grant program.  What did the grant require of JPL?

A:  JPL was one of 4 libraries in the country selected to receive the AARP Foundation ISOA grant that ran from June 1, 2015 through March 31, 2016.  JPL was chosen due to its excellent programs for seniors.  Since Jacksonville’s population has 30% of its people over 50 years of age, we were considered an excellent candidate for the grant.  

The grant required that we combine AARP Foundation resources with library staff, volunteers, materials and programs to help patrons ages 50+ to find jobs and local support agencies to achieve economic success.  We performed 5 minute intake surveys for the AARP Foundation at a designated place in the library Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., August 2015 through March 2016 and we surveyed 460 people.  The survey was designed by the AARP Foundation which asked people if they had concerns about food costs, housing, looking for a job, wanting information about free tax preparation, or taking care of a relative. If they were interested, the AARP Foundation would send the person information about organizations within the community that could help them.

Q: How did you promote the JPL 50+ program and what challenges did you overcome?

                                      

A: The American Library Association monthly magazine American Libraries interviewed Lisa Buggs and me about the success of the JPL 50+ program and is running an article in the June issue.  

Transportation was an issue for older adults-- getting downtown to participate in the programs and take the surveys. We had to be creative and take programs and outreach to various events.

We had a challenge recruiting volunteers due to the distance they had to drive to get downtown and find convenient parking.

Some people didn’t want to take the survey due to privacy concerns and security of the information taken (i.e. giving name, phone number, and email address). 

We had to move our daily AARP Foundation JPL 50+grant room in the Main Library from the 3^rd floor to the ground floor to increase our visibility to customers and so we could be of more help.

Q:  How did the success of the program benefit JPL?

A: The library reached a good number of older adults in our community. We are continuing our programming at the library for seniors and it continues to be called JPL 50+.  The e-specialists have upcoming technology programs at the branches for seniors with topics such as social networking, Android phones and tablets for Adults 50+, and iPhones and iPads for Adults 50+.  Also programs are planned for topics such as Lawyers in Libraries, Get Financially Fit, and we have Career Source Northeast Florida for those looking for jobs.

By targeting people 50 years of age and older, the library is able to design programs of interest for them to attend and address their needs for resources for technology support, personal finance assistance and health concerns.

Q: You have a long history serving JPL. Please tell us about it.

A: I have been with JPL for almost 12 years after coming from a corporate/scientific librarian environment at a chemical company.  I started in Special Collections at the Main Library as a librarian in the African American Collection and remain in Special Collections as a Librarian II. I really enjoy my work in helping people with their research needs.

I have served on the JPL Leadership Awards Committee, am editor of the Special Collection’s newsletter called The Owl’s Nest, and I served as Pilot Program Manager for the AARP Foundation ISOA – JPL 50+ grant.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge in your life and how did you overcome it?

A: The biggest challenge in my life was finding out I had breast cancer in the fall of 2013.   It was a whirlwind of a year at Mayo Clinic with surgery and treatment, but I am glad to say I am cancer free and doing well.  I appreciate the support I have had from my family and friends (including library, neighborhood, and church friends). The love for my job has gotten me through it.  I definitely have a lot to be thankful for.

There were better days ahead:

Margaret and Don at the Kentucky Derby, May 7, 2016.