Mandarin Branch Is Cookin'

The staff of the Mandarin Library recently helped at the First Annual Chili Cook-off at the Mandarin Senior Center. Everyone enjoyed the chili, and a good time was had by all! Shown in the picture are (clockwise) Don Carpenter (red hat), Library Associate; Eric Cusaac, CSA II; Linda Smith, Library Associate; Margo Crafton, Children's Librarian Senior; Robin Kowalski, CSA II; and Elizabeth Garnett, Librarian. Not pictured: Mary Mlady, Librarian; Lisa Veal, Part-time Clerical; and Lynne Baldwin, Branch Manager.

Kudos from Customers

Brentwood Branch: “I appreciate that, when asked, they (Trudy Hill, Gloria Armstrong, and Margaret Miles) are most helpful, in a kind manner, not condescending as though I should know how to look up an item. Or, because I walk with a cane, they do not treat me as though I am not intelligent, and as I am an older person, they do not treat me as if I have lost my mind or am a ‘little old lady’”.

Main Library – 3rd Floor Reference: "I would like to call attention to an exceptional employee, Stacey Van Hoy, who has proven on a consistent basis to be helpful, knowledgeable, and very courteous. She exemplifies what a library associate should be. Thank you."

Main Library – Talking Books: "I would like to compliment Chris (Eaton) and all of his staff at the Talking Books/Special Needs Library. "Special Needs" "Need Special" People to serve. These guys truly are "Champions for the Underserved". Please give these "Special People" all the support they require to continue this Worthwhile Endeavour. Thank You!!"

Mandarin Branch: "Elizabeth (Garnett) was really helpful; she took really good care of me."

Murray Hill Branch: "So many resources, always back where they belong. I think the librarians and staff (Mark Hohnadel, Revondolyn Dubois, Elizabeth Cobb, Tonya Wright, and Margaret Esposito) are always helpful and polite. Thank you."

Library Board Honors Director Barbara Gubbin for Outstanding Leadership

The Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees (front, left to right: Mark Wood, Chair, Rocelia Roman de Gonzalez, Director Gubbin with plaque, Rita Cannon, Brenda Simmons; l to r, back: William (Bill) Scheu and Jim Selzer) presented Barbara Gubbin, Library Director, with a plaque at their November 12 meeting and congratulated Ms. Gubbin on her outstanding leadership and work.

Director Gubbin thanked the Library Board and took the opportunity to recognize the library staff for their hard work during a challenging budget year.

Director Gubbin also announced in the board meeting that JPL would receive a "Star Library" rating in the second year of the new ratings index from Library Journal.

Week of Valor at the Main Library

To celebrate the City’s Week of Valor, the Center for Adult Learning’s Karen Wishart found inspiration in the Navy’s Professional Reading Program for Leadership Development (http://www.navyreading.navy.mil/). Through this program, the Navy recommends specific titles for Junior Enlisted up to Senior Leaders.

Karen and her co-workers created a book display of reading list titles near the Laura Street entrance of the Main Library, using camouflage and Navy uniform colors to set off the display. They developed a bookmark of titles for customers interested in the Navy Leadership Program. Karen then contacted Military Affairs who put out the word that the Library was looking for someone to talk about books from the list. They were fortunate enough to have two Commanders reply to the invitation.

The first speaker was Commander Jon Singleton (right), a Logistics Officer, who has served in the Navy for more than 18 years. He chose the book, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10. The book was particularly meaningful to him since he served in Afghanistan where this incident took place. If you have not read Lone Survivor, it is Marcus Luttrell’s recounting of Navy Seal training, the nature of their mission, and the agonizing decision to determine whether the men they met moving across Afghanistan were farmers or Taliban. The book is also about Luttrell’s coming to grips with his order not to summarily execute three local travelers, a decision which ultimately led to the ambush and execution of his entire squad. Commander Singleton’s photographs of Afghanistan and his first-hand accounts of the struggle to distinguish friend from foe were both riveting and terrible.

The second speaker was Commander Scott Smith (pictured left with Karen Wishart). Commander Smith is the Captain of the Naval Frigate, USS Klakring, which anchored at the Landing during the Week of Valor. He chose to talk about the book, Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy. As a captain of a frigate, he pointed to a pin that all frigate officers wear on their uniforms. On it are six stars which represent the original six ships built by the Navy. Commander Smith has sailed extensively throughout the Mediterranean Sea. He brought maps with him to illustrate which countries were active in piracy during the early years of the Navy as described in Six Frigates, then drew parallels to the piracy and shipping problems experienced by some of the same countries today. Retired officers and residents of Fleet Landing attended this book talk; they enjoyed exchanging memories of their service with Commander Smith as much as they enjoyed hearing about the book.

Both of the commanders and those in attendance would like to participate in additional book discussions in the future.

Video Stories -- Destination:LEADERSHIP

So many of our staff are doing a wonderful job of living the Five Practices of Destination:LEADERSHIP, and we want to share some of their stories.

In this clip, Susan Mankowski tells about a day when she was feeling stressed and Keith Hayes Encouraged her Heart.

(To play properly, you may need to click Play, then click the Pause [||] button, give it a minute to pre-load, then check back and click Play [>] again.)

Do you have a story to share of how someone demonstrated one or more of the Five Practices? If so, please contact me at jpltraining@coj.net.

New Options Available in the General Employees Pension Plan

by Beth Mangold and Angela Vigil

New retirement plan options for positions covered by the General Employees Pension Plan became effective on October 1. Employees now have more choices when selecting their city retirement plans.
Perhaps the biggest change is that the medical process was abolished. This means that employees who did not enter the pension plan because of medical issues when they were hired may now join as a regular member. Members who joined the plan under a medical waiver will no longer be limited by the waiver.
Another attractive change to the plan is the introduction of a Defined Contribution (DC) plan, similar to a 401(k) plan. Under this option employees can contribute 7.7 percent of their pay to an investment account and the city will match their contributions. These investment accounts will be managed by Great West Retirement Service, who also administers the deferred compensation (457) plan.
The new pension laws (governed by Ordinance 2007-1136) provide an opportunity for current Defined Benefit (DB) plan members to change to the DC plan. This is a one-time option for current employees. New Employees hired after October 1 will select their pension plan upon employment - either the traditional DB plan or the new DC plan. Both plans will be covered by a disability trust fund, which is essentially the same disability program that was offered with the original DB plan.
Employees who are not currently enrolled in a city sponsored plan are encouraged to contact the Retirement System Administrative Office to set an appointment to review plan options and make an enrollment selection. Once a plan selection is made, employees will be enrolled in the selected plan for the next practical payroll.
For additional information regarding the new pension options, please check the links below.
Retirement Systems Employee Portal page
Questions on Plan Comparisons
Read the new pension ordinance
Pension Plan training is in development. Watch for an announcement from Retirement System Administrative Office when it is available.
If you have immediate questions or would like to make appointment with Retirement System staff to review the plans and enrollment options, please contact Beth Mangold or Judy Connare 255-7281 in the Retirement System Administrative Office at 255-7285.

Staff Profile

Virginia Dixon, pictured to the right, is a lovely lady who has been
a JPL English as a Second Language teacher and "Volunteer
Extraordinaire" for more than six years.

She gets to know each of her students personally, discovering what they most need to know to improve their English and adjust to American customs. She creates lesson plans and special learning activities to meet their needs. For instance, a class she teaches could include adult students from the Ukraine, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Puerto Rico. Virginia Dixon is well liked by students, fellow volunteers, and JPL Staff.

Sharon Jaskula, Program Manager for JPL's Center for Adult Learning, was so impressed with Ms. Dixon that she nominated her to be one of the outstanding people to be featured in an article entitled "Unsung Heroes" in the November issue of Florida Monthly magazine. We thought you would like to know a little more about Virginia Dixon, who is enjoying her 90th year.

Q: You have been volunteering for a long time. What interested you in volunteering at JPL?
A: I had a desire to enjoy the teaching/learning experience again.

Q: What is the most outstanding thing you have learned as a volunteer?
A: I would pay to enjoy myself on this volunteer job.

Q: What would you say to someone who is contemplating becoming a volunteer?
A: It's a "give and take" situation.

Q: Who was your favorite mentor and how did he/she influence your life?
A: A high school teacher who taught me--in an interesting fashion--not to "hide my light under a barrel." This led me into the education field, and now--toward the end of my life--in the joy of sharing again.

Q: What is your favorite book or author and why?
A: Strangely enough, Dick Francis, a famous author of mystery stories. His fame is due to his fabulous plots and conveying information of all sorts, such as telling about horse raising--always in a British setting.

Who Pays and Who Paid the Price

Veterans' Day can never be just another holiday. Many of us have lost family and friends and know the depth of this truth. Young men and women who never experienced having a family of their own or left their families far too early in life. My family has lost five. So we remember all those who are valiantly serving their country and who have done so in the past. We remember with great respect and honor. Thank you.

Some pictures say it all and this one does.

You Oughta Be In Pictures, University Park

Halloween, Halloween! Oh, what scary (and lovely and awesome)things were seen by customers and staff at UPK. At left is a wall decoration University Park Branch sported for the occasion.

Marlin Day is an avid scifi/fantacy fan and his costume was based on Gimli the Dwarf from Lord of the Rings. Cindy Chism made the Gimli costume, name plates for those who wore costumes, Peter Pan's hat, and the Incredibles logo.

Kim Hamilton donned an Afro.

And Leeanna Trail breezed around as a lime colored Tinkerbell. Cindy Chism commanded attention as the lovely Queen.

Zavonia Robinson's choice was a leather Jacket with a mini skirt. David Humphries masked his handsome face as Dash (the Incredibles), and Joshua Wise was Peter Pan.

Good service and a good time were enjoyed by all!

Mayor Peyton Honors Employees for Years of Service

Below is the link to the photos taken at the Mayor’s Service Pin Ceremony,Tuesday, November 3, when he recognized and thanked City and JPL employees for their years of service. JPL employees are honored each month on the right of this blog in a gadget entitled "Years of Service with City/JPL". There's a long list of staff celebrating their years of service this November and we appreciate every one of you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34206377@N08/sets/72157622601404871/

Halloween Was Party Time at Willowbranch

Willowbranch Branch Library celebrated Halloween with a party on Wednesday, October 28. They had a great turnout of about 100 parents and children.

The first photo is from the “bubble tent”. Julie Lipschutz, Librarian, created a tent out of black garbage bags, installed a black light, and blew glow-in-the-dark bubbles using a bubble machine. Is that clever or what!

The second photo is of children volunteering to participate in the mummy-wrapping contest.

Notes from Collection Development

For Fans of Fall Football, we have the Following:

Nothing Comes Easy
Author: Kristine Setting Clark, Foreword by Frank Gifford, Introduction by Steve Sabol

ISBN: 9781600782107
Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
Pub Date: September 01, 2009

Before cable television, artificial turf, multimillion-dollar contracts, and Are you ready for some football? pro football players lives were not much different from those of the fans in the bleachers. Back in football’s golden era, the game they played was much simpler but far tougher than anything seen today.

Y.A. Tittle began his career in that simpler era, when players were expected to play both offense and defense and worked off-season jobs to make ends meet. Following a stellar career that lasted from 1948 until 1964, he retired from the game at age 38 after starring for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants. Although he was the quarterback in the 49ers famous Million Dollar Backfield, he is best remembered for his four years in New York and for his willingness to take the field even when badly hurt. Y.A. took the Giants to three consecutive NFL championship games during his tenure in New York.

Tittle's autobiography covers his life beginning with his Marshall, Texas, schoolboy heroics, continues through his time at Louisiana State University, and includes his many years in the professional ranks. His football story culminates with the Giants climactic playoff loss to the Chicago Bears in 1963. This loss, Tittle s last chance at a championship, is captured in the Sports Illustrated Photo of the Century, showing Tittle kneeling on the field, bleeding from the head. As he describes the glorious and not so glorious games, players, life on the road, and his path after football, Tittle delivers the kind of awe-inspiring story that can only come from the man who has lived this incredible life. With a foreword written by his good friend and former teammate, Frank Gifford, Y.A. s lively account of his life and Hall of Fame career will appeal to fans of all ages

Gridiron Gauntlet: The Story of the Men Who Integrated Pro Football in Their Own Words
Andy Piascik

ISBN: 9781589794429
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Pub Date: October 01, 2009

One year before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball, four black players joined the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams to become the first African-American pro football players in the modern era. Players who began their careers from 1946 to 1955 reminisce about the violence they faced on and off the field, the world of segregation and the violence it brought, but also of white players and coaches who assisted and supported their careers.

Frantic Francis: How One Coach's Madness Changed Football
Brett Perkins

ISBN: 9780803218949
Publisher: Bison Books
Pub Date: September 01, 2009

When Francis Schmidt, a bow tie–wearing law school graduate with a bombastic personality, got started as a volunteer high school coach, football still followed Victorian tenets of caution and simplicity and often employed fewer than fifty plays. By the time “Frantic Francis” had risen through the ranks of small colleges on the plains to one of the top coaching jobs in America—head coach at Ohio State University in the 1930s—football was a wild, wide-open game, largely because of Schmidt’s own daring style. With a mind that never stopped thinking about football, he created a playbook ten times larger than those previously used during his era and filled it with daring, complex plays that broke all the decades-old golden rules of offense.

This book tells the little-known story of the man who forever changed the way football is played—and whose coaching lineage can be traced to such current names as Bill Walsh, Al Davis, and Mike Holmgren. Frantic Francis offers an unforgettable portrait of an eccentric character whose paranoid, manic, brusque, and profane ways shocked and confused even his players, but whose speedy, deceptive, and imaginative plays remade the sport of football. Although Schmidt’s mania eventually sabotaged his career, his legacy was secure and the style he introduced continues to make football one of the most popular spectator sports in America.

Resurrection: The Miracle Season That Saved Notre Dame
Jim Dent

ISBN: 9780312567217
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pub Date: September 01, 2009

Jim Dent, author of the New York Times bestselling The Junction Boys, returns with the remarkable and inspiring story of one of the biggest comebacks in college football history.

Back in the 1960s, Notre Dame’s football program was in shambles. For five straight years, from 1958 through 1963, the home of Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy could not produce one winning season. Plagued by a series of bad coaching choices, inept management, and a loss of institutional support, no one could be sure if the Fighting Irish would ever return to glory. When “Touchdown Jesus” was erected in 1964, it presided over a team so hopeless that the entire football program was on the brink of collapse.

Little did anyone know, help was on its way in the form of Ara Parseghian, a controversial choice for head coach---the first one outside of the Notre Dame “family”---who had only set foot on Notre Dame soil when his football teams played (and won) there. It was now his responsibility to rebuild the once-proud program and teach the Fighting Irish how to win again. This was no small task.

The men of Notre Dame football were a bunch of unlikelies and oddballs, but Parseghian transformed them into a team: a senior quarterback who would win the Heisman Trophy two weeks before he picked up his first letter jacket; a five-foot-eight walk-on who would go on to make first team All-American; and an exceptionally rare black player, who would overcome much more than his quiet demeanor to rise to All-American, All-Pro, NFL Hall of Famer, and to justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Parseghian would change everything, from the uniforms and pads to the offensive strategy. He switched players from position to position like pieces on a chessboard, and just before the season opener, he hung a motto over the locker-room door:

What tho the odds
Be great or small
Notre Dame men
Will win over all

It would be a huge gamble against great obstacles, but Ara Parseghian had that look in his eye. . .
New York Times bestselling author Jim Dent chronicles one of the greatest comeback seasons in the history of college football---the first season in what is known as the “Era of Ara.” Once again confirming his position as one of the top sportswriters in the country, Dent writes with passion, humor, and incredible insight, bringing the legends of Notre Dame football to life in an unforgettable story of second chances, determination, and unwavering spirit.

More Than a Game: The Glorious Present and Uncertain Future of the NFL
Brian Billick with Michael MacCambridge

ISBN: 9781439109182
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Pub Date: September 08, 2009

Today's National Football League is more successful, more exciting, and more popular than ever. But the game in the twenty-first century is also ruled by a constant quest for more money. Super Bowl-winning head coach Brian Billick's More Than a Game examines how the relentless competition off the field affects the game on the field, and what it means for the future of America's most popular sport.

One of the NFL's most successful leaders, Billick coached the Baltimore Ravens from 1999 to 2007, leading his team to victory in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. With nearly two decades in the league, and now a Fox game analyst and NFL Network contributor, Billick has experienced the league's enormous pressure to win as well as seen what happens to those who don't.

Following the 2007 season, he took a step back from the coaching life and decided to spend a season examining the game he loved so much from other perspectives. Collaborating with Michael MacCambridge (whose book America's Game is regarded as the definitive modern history of the NFL), he delved into the NFL from every possible angle, spending time with people at every level of the game.

More Than a Game explains how the spectacle that dominates fall weekends in America works, and why it has served all of football's interest groups -- owners players, and fans alike -- so well over the years. We get a glimpse of the changing profile and increased influence of the league's owners. We come to better understand the pressure that players are under to perform for their team and for themselves and their future contracts. We see the challenge facing NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who must balance the concerns of owners, players, sponsors, the league's television network "partners," and the fans, whose devotion and dollars make the entire enterprise possible. Along the way, we see how the financial forces are exerting themselves on every level, working their way into the essence of the game itself.

Billick takes the measure of new offensive and defensive strategies, explains refined scouting and team-building methods, and focuses on the elusive quest for the franchise quarterback that can make or break careers.

Packed with the privileged knowledge that comes from a true NFL insider, More Than a Game is more than a look inside the complex system that is pro football. It's an attempt to understand why the game is so compelling, and what it will take to keep it that way. Complete with important developments in the 2009 off-season, the book stands as an absolute must-read for NFL fans.

The Long Snapper: A Second Chance, a Super Bowl, a Lesson for Life
Jeffrey Marx

ISBN: 9780061691393
Publisher: HarperOne
Pub Date: September 01, 2009

Brian Kinchen was a thirty-eight-year-old husband, father of four, and seventh-grade Bible teacher whose professional football career had been over for three years when the New England Patriots called on December 15, 2003. With the Patriots riding a ten-game winning streak and the playoffs only a few weeks away, they needed a fill-in for the obscure but vital job of snapping the ball for their punter and kicker—a long snapper. Brian had received similar invitations to tryouts that yielded only disappointment—the teams always went with a younger guy. But could he really turn away from the chance of a lifetime?

The Long Snapper chronicles Brian's remarkable journey as he and the Patriots seek the ultimate trophy. Unfortunately, the dream come true turns into a personal nightmare as Brian struggles both on and off the field, and the pressure to perform on the biggest stage in professional sports nearly causes him to walk away. Seven weeks after leaving the classroom, however, Brian overcomes his greatest fear and snaps the ball on the historic game-winning field goal with only seconds left in the Super Bowl.

As told by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, The Long Snapper is the story of a man who finally achieves the success he has always wanted. Brian Kinchen's championship ring is a powerful status symbol for all to see. But his journey forces him to reexamine what really matters, and he realizes the true measure of a man has nothing to do with status: life is not about prestige; it is about passion and purpose. It is about impacting the lives of others.

Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen
Joe Drape

ISBN: 9780805088908
Publisher: Times Books
Pub Date: August 01, 2009

An inspiring portrait of the extraordinary high-school football team whose quest for perfection sustains its hometown in the heartland
The football team in Smith Center, Kansas, has won sixty-seven games in a row, the nation’s longest high-school winning streak. They have done so by embracing a philosophy of life taught by their legendary coach, Roger Barta: “Respect each other, then learn to love each other and together we are champions.”

But as they embarked on a quest for a fifth consecutive title in the fall of 2008, they faced a potentially destabilizing transition: the greatest senior class in school history had graduated, and Barta was contemplating retirement after three decades on the sidelines.
In Smith Center—population: 1,931—this changing of the guard was seismic. Hours removed from the nearest city, the town revolves around “our boys” in a way that goes to the heart of what America’s heartland is today.

Joe Drape, a Kansas City native and an award-winning sportswriter for The New York Times, moved his family to Smith Center to discover what makes the team and the town an inspiration even to those who live hundreds of miles away. His stories of the coaches, players, and parents reveal a community fighting to hold on to a way of life that is rich in value, even as its economic fortunes decline.

Drape’s moving portrait of Coach Barta and the impressive young men of Smith Center is sure to take its place among the more memorable American sports stories of recent years.

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
Jon Krakauer

ISBN: 9780385522267
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Pub Date: September 01, 2009

The bestselling author of Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey.

Like the men whose epic stories Jon Krakauer has told in his previous bestsellers, Pat Tillman was an irrepressible individualist and iconoclast. In May 2002, Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the United States Army. He was deeply troubled by 9/11, and he felt a strong moral obligation to join the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Two years later, he died on a desolate hillside in southeastern Afghanistan.
Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s wife, other family members, and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush repeatedly invoked Tillman’s name to promote his administration’s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible.
In Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer draws on Tillman’s journals and letters, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served alongside him, and extensive research on the ground in Afghanistan to render an intricate mosaic of this driven, complex, and uncommonly compelling figure as well as the definitive account of the events and actions that led to his death. Before he enlisted in the army, Tillman was familiar to sports aficionados as an undersized, overachieving Arizona Cardinals safety whose virtuosity in the defensive backfield was spellbinding. With his shoulder-length hair, outspoken views, and boundless intellectual curiosity, Tillman was considered a maverick. America was fascinated when he traded the bright lights and riches of the NFL for boot camp and a buzz cut. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by complicated, emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, patriotism, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers.

Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war.

University Park Branch and Support Services Provide Thanksgiving Dinner to 100+ People

University Park Branch staff and Support Services staff recently donated $200 to the City Rescue Mission to provide over 100 Thanksgiving dinners to needy people in Northeast Florida. This project was spearheaded by Gail Midon at UPK. Michael Rouse, UPK's Branch Manager, wanted to express his sincere appreciation to Gail and all staff who donated to this worthy endeavor.

Halloween at Southeast Regional Library

Southeast Regional Library had a “special” Halloween crew working on October 31st. Pictured from left to right are Nelly Harnisch (Circulation), Carisia Rooney (Children’s Department Librarian and PT fairy), Petoria Kennedy (PT Circulation), Melisa Snowden (PT Shelver), Joyce Myllykangas (Circulation), and Anita Haller (Children’s Department Librarian). Most of them participated in the Children’s Department special Halloween costume parade and candy giveaway for 0 to 5 year olds.

The Halloween event began at 11:00am with a special scary Halloween Story Time presented by Librarian Anita Haller. Participants then began at the Children’s Department, and paraded to the Circulation desk and the Adult Reference desk to receive goodies at both locations. The parade ended at a meeting room for refreshments of cookies and juice.

Also pictured are participants receiving goodie at the Adult Reference Desk and "Count Dracula" who came to the event.
If you missed this year's event, you can come next year.

Northwest Welcomes Maude Scott

Northwest staff would like to welcome Maude Scott as the new children's librarian. You bring experience, knowledge, skills and sunshine to our branch.

Once again, welcome to Northwest!

Good Service and Experience Are Cause to Celebrate

On the morning of October 27, 2009, Mark Ely, Librarian at the Southeast Regional Library, was honored for his 20 years of service when he was presented his 20 year service pin by Deputy Director, Carolyn Williams. Pictured are Mark and the Deputy Director after he received his pin.

Mark began his two decades with JPL working at the Regency Square Branch Library and then at the Charles Webb Wesconnett Branch, in addition to his current location at the Southeast Regional Library. Among his many duties at Southeast, he handles the processing of all new incoming books. Congratulations to Mark on his 20 years with the Jacksonville Public Library!

Magical Haunted History Tour

Deputy Director Barrett King will play a headless pirate in the St. Mary's, Georgia, Magical Haunted History Tour, on Friday, October 30th, 6:00 p.m. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the Bryan Long Historical Archives Library in Woodbine. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the event. For a sneak peak, view the video below!

Notes from Collection Development

With economic success more important than ever to our community, Collection Development recently increased purchases of business and career related titles. These include finding a new career, networking, resume writing, interviewing skills, writing a business plan, e-business, business consulting and much more. Throughout the year, you will notice even more business books, career guides and college guides as buying more business titles will be emphasized in Collection Development!

Here are just a few new titles--

Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others by David Kord Murray

PW Reviews 2009

There really is nothing new under the sun, says entrepreneur Murray. All good ideas are constructed out of already existing ones, and rather than viewing borrowing as theft, we should view it as a necessary even a desirable path to invention. Charles Darwin did it, as did George Lucas, Steve Jobs, Stephen King and a host of other innovators who knew how to take existing ideas and turn them into new answers to old problems. Murray draws heavily on his own experience and well-known successes, such as the evolution of the Walkman to the iPod, for example, to drive home his thesis, and even dips into the neurology of idea creation. The somewhat hashed-to-death point takes a more practical turn as Murray explains how the average organization can borrow successfully; his "Brilliantly Borrowed Brainstorming" system effectively lays out the steps, from identifying a good idea to adapting it to one's own uses. While somewhat repetitive, Murray's prescriptions are lucid and helpful, and this book should garner prime shelf space.

Bulletproof Your Job: 4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out on Top at Work by Stephen Viscusi

Booklist Reviews 2008

"There's a tendency to scoff at all the work advice being offered, whether to recent college grads or to seasoned executives, including "look the part," "details are important," and "don't make waves." In this age of economic turbulence, headhunter-author (On the Job: How to Make It in the Real World of Work, 2001) Viscusi puts truth behind those clichés and turns his four bulletproof strategies into

a memorable mantra: be visible, be easy, be useful, be ready. Of course, in back of each of the four are a series of 50 tactics in total, all with proof-positive facts delivered via sidebars, such as "just so you know" and "true story" examples. Eat at your desk? Not a chance; move to the dining area. Unclear about the how-to's of a new task or position? Pick a mentor. Common sense infuses every chapter, as does the author's extraordinary attention to readability, including short paragraphs, millennial language, headlines that grab you, bullets, and final summaries. Your job is your most valuable asset, he says. So, too, might be this book."

Working World 101: The New Grad's Guide To Getting a Job by Bridget Graham

BookPage Reviews 2009

Working World 101: The New Grad's Guide to Getting a Job by Bridget Graham and Monique Reidy draws upon years of cumulative human resource experience to present a tight, no-nonsense how-to: how to move successfully from campus to corporation. After completing a personal and professional inventory, readers are ready to hone communication skills to create a self-confident, capable, poised new product: themselves. Communication is a key theme of the guide; it drives the preparation of a résumé and cover letter, the formation of a network, choice of dress and speech and the whole interview process. A handy list of online job search sites is included, as is advice on how best to use social networking sites like Facebook and more professional networking sites like LinkedIn. The authors are especially sensitive to generational challenges between Baby Boomer employers and ever-younger employees, and are quick to suggest ways to package differences advantageously.

Start Your Own Green Business: Your Step-by-step Guide to Success by Entrepreneur Press

This guide offers ideas, tips, and warnings for establishing a business as a green business. It explains how to choose eco-friendly means of production, get funding from green lenders, and establish an environmentally responsible business culture. Marketing, promotion, and advertising are also covered, from press releases to company websites, blogging, and television. Some of the examples of green businesses presented include Kettle Foods, Newman's Own Organics, Seventh Generation, and Patagonia. An appendix lists green resource websites, websites for the 22 green business examples used in the book, contacts for US government agencies and business associations, web sites of magazines, newspapers, and professional organizations, and web sites for office supplies. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kudos from Customers

Circulation - Main Library: "I spoke with Mrs. (Carolyn) Woods on the phone earlier today. She was very patient and helped me find a solution to the problem on my account. I'm so appreciative of her pleasant personality and am certain that people like her make life less stressful. "

Mandarin Branch: "Don (Carpenter), who works at the reference information desk, was very friendly and helpful. Thank you! He got up and showed us what we needed to find."

Murray Hill Branch: "Hire more people like Margaret (Esposito). She is always professional, kind, and helpful and she's great at what she does."

South Mandarin Branch: "Tracy (O'Sullivan), Children's Dept., was an awesome help! She was very patient and helpful."

West Regional Branch: "The staff is phenomenal, especially Gregory Pierce. He is always friendly, helpful and thorough. He is a great asset to the library."

50 Lessons for Launching a Successful Blog

Came across a link to an advice post titled "50 Blogging Lessons to Know" -- http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/10/19/starting-a-blog/.

This blogger knows his stuff. Recommended if you are interested in establishing and marketing a successful blog.

Poster Session at FLA Conference

JPL is overflowing with interesting projects and innovative ideas. The Poster Session at FLA Annual would be a great place to share them. This is from FLA's Continuing Ed Committee:

Poster Sessions are a great opportunity to share your projects, research, interests and information with your colleagues in the library community. The Florida Library Association seeks Poster Session proposals that will be presented at the 2010 FLA Conference April 7-9 in Orlando.

Poster sessions may cover an array of topics such as reports on library projects and programs, research studies, trends, and problem analysis. Presenters create high quality visual material to cover a 4 foot by 8 foot area and will be present to discuss their poster session with other conference attendees during a pre-assigned time slot.

For more information, tips, and examples see http://www.flalib.org/conference_2010.php and click on Poster Session - Information, or click Online Application to apply. The deadline is January 22, 2010.

Any questions please contact patty@neflin.org.

Patricia Morris
Chair, FLA Continuing Education Committee

Important Info on City Health Enrollment & Proof for Dependent Coverage

Open enrollment for City benefits is later than usual this year for City employees: November 2 - 20, 2009 for 2010 coverage. You should soon receive all the information about next year's benefits, rates, etc. via U.S. mail. You must enroll this year to continue your benefits coverage.

Proof for dependent coverage was due October 1, 2009; however, the City has extended the time for you to deliver proof for dependent coverage.

Please use this link to be fully informed about 2010 City benefits:

http://inside.coj.net/News/Pages/OpenEnrollmentInformation.aspx

Nice comments from a library board member

Wow! Nice comments about the great work library staff does from library board member, Bill Scheu in The Daily Record. Check out the link.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529113&searchtext=bill%20scheu

Jean Winney Retires from Mandarin Branch

Jean Winney, Children’s LA at Mandarin Branch Library, retired September 30th to be a full-time mom. Jean has worked for JPL for 20 years, starting as a page at Webb Wesconnett Branch. For the past 9 years, she has been the Children’s LA at Mandarin. Whether doing pre-school storytime or dressed up as Nate the Great, all the children loved “Miss Jean”. Jean was a dedicated member of the Mandarin team, and she will be greatly missed!

Outreach Success for JPL FY 2008-2009

Kathy S. Tekin, Youth Services Coordinator, proudly reports "JPL System Wide has reached the goal of contacting 85% of the schools in our community; this is both public and private schools. With the September statistical reports, we reached out to 198 schools during FY 2008-2009. The goal for the system was 197 schools. Everyone should be proud of helping us reach this goal. We tried for 3 years to meet this goal and Success has been achieved. If we can do it this year, we can reach this goal in FY 2009-2010.”

Staff Profile

Karen Wishart is a previous JPL Employee of the Quarter and works at the Main Library in CAL as a Literacy Program Supervisor, contributing much to this community's growth in literacy.

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of being a Literacy Program Supervisor?

A: We work with unique customers at the Center for Adult Learning. As a literacy program, our students come to us with very specific problems they want to tackle.

The first type of learners are native English speakers who read on a very low level. That means they are reading somewhere between 3rd and 6th grade level. They are trying to get a job, or read with their children, or just do not want people to know they cannot read. I had a student who recently shared with me that he was so proud of his new found ability to read. He said when asked to read something, he didn’t have to tell someone a “little lie” about not having his glasses with him. He went on the say that he would actually try to read it and mostly could. That proud moment is worth waking up for.

Our other students are in the English as a Second Language program. They come to us needing not only language skills but also job, culture, and life skills. One of our students was an administrative assistant at the UN in her country. She spoke several languages but was struggling with her English. She was having a difficult time finding work because of her accent. Recently she shared with us that she had a good job at a hospital. She was so proud of the improvements she had made with her English. She likes her job and “it didn’t have to be in housekeeping”.

These classes we give and the successes our students achieve are rewarding in many large and small ways.

Q: What made this career a good fit for you?

A: I started my career as a math teacher for middle school students. People always roll their eyes at me when I tell them that because it is a difficult age group to work with. I found, however, that I really liked that age group for the most part. You can joke and be sarcastic with them and they “get it”. Also, they are not so “grown” as to be horrid everyday. I was supposed to go into retirement from teaching when I began working part-time with the CAL English language learners. I loved them because they loved coming to class. This was a unique experience from my perspective. I decided retirement was not for me and was lucky enough to be offered a full-time position with CAL. It has been a wonderful experience for the past three years. The students learning to read often have learning disabilities, never liked school, or had to leave school early for a variety of reasons. I love to tell them that I was a math teacher who failed math in the 7th grade because I had such a poor math teacher. They laugh that I still remember her name. This makes them relax because they know I understand them because we have shared this school experience. I like having students who want to learn to read, to do math, or to learn English because they like to be here.

Q: What do you see as the next step forward in literacy programming?

A: CAL will be doing even more outreach this year. One outreach is with Wayman Enterprises. We are helping them start a literacy program using the reading program written by CAL.

We are also planning more work with the refugee population. I started attending the Refugee Task Force meetings and am beginning the process of meeting with the individual organizations that help with refugee resettlement. There are tremendous literacy needs with that population. The agencies have shared that more and more of those moving to Jacksonville have had immense disruptions in their education and the agencies want help from the library to provide a wide variety of education tools.

We have also learned recently that the military needs help working with the sailors who are trying to learn English quickly so that they can pass their citizenship test.

Finally, we are going to different organizations and groups locally and around the state to train volunteer tutors who want to teach reading.

Q: Who was the greatest mentor in your life and why?

A: My greatest mentor was a fellow teacher who took pity on a first year teacher. Unfortunately, when I began teaching the principal handed you your classroom keys and you either succeeded or not. There was not much (not any, really) in the way of guidance. I also had never had an education class at college because that was not my major. To learn to do lesson plans, I lied to this sweet woman. I told her I knew that every principal liked the plans written differently so what should mine look like. This should have set off alarm bells in her head but instead she very patiently explained how she wrote hers. From then on if I had a question, I headed to her classroom. She was patient and kind and never let on that she thought there was a bozo in the 7th grade room. She spent two years getting me into the rhythms of teaching. I know that she sometimes wondered how I fell into teaching but she never spoke aloud about her misgivings. I will always appreciate what she did for me.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or author you would like to tell us about?

A: I am a sci-fi nut. I love nothing better than to read or reread a Larry Niven or Isaac Asimov. One of my current favorites is Jim Butcher.

Notes from Collection Development:

Disney- more than animated films. Look for these titles new to the collection.

Two young siblings (Robb and Ludwig) find themselves on the run from a dark organization seeking to exploit their paranormal abilities in this remake of the beloved Disney classic. A helpful cab driver (Johnson) and a UFO specialist (Gugino) try to keep the kids safe. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, who played the siblings in the original movie, co-star.

When the pop star fame of her secret alter ego, Hannah Montana, becomes too much to bear, Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) takes a break and journeys back to her Tennessee hometown of Crowley Corners for a much-needed break from the spotlight. But the pressures of celebrity life prove difficult to escape when Miley is pursued by a snoop who suspects the truth about her identity.

Follows polar bear, elephant, and humpback whale families on their journeys and struggles within their environments.

Your ticket to... tips for outreach and promotion

Each month, JPL will focus on promoting specific library services as part of the library awareness campaign. This month's services are downloadable media-- audiobooks, digital video, and e-books. The home page on the library's website is rotating images to promote downloadable media, and each location received signs with a note about promoting downloadable media.

Use your knowledge of downloadable media or recent vendor training to promote this valuable service to your customers. Downloadable audiobooks have proven to be very popular with library customers, but there are customers who still might not know about downloadable e-books and video.

The best, easiest and most inexpensive way to promote library services and programs is through word-of-mouth. Take every opportunity you can to talk to customers about downloadable media in October.

- Tell customers about downloadable media while working at the reference or circulation desks. Use the signs as a reference point while talking to customers. The best time to start a conversation about downloadable media is when a customer is asking about or checking out a physical audiobook.

- Place Discover Online services brochures on the desks near the signs promoting downloadable media. Also take Discovery Awaits Online brochures to outreach activities. (Note: More Discovery Awaits Online brochures can be ordered by using the promotional materials order form on JPL Neighborhood)

- Make an announcement at the beginning of a library program or storytime. Use one of the signs to hold up and point to during your announcement.

- Talk about downloadable media when doing outreach. Additional signs for outreach are available upon request. Please email your requests to Wally Bowden at wbowden@coj.net.

- If you are artistically creative, put together a downloadable media display. Email requests for additional signs for displays to Wally Bowden at wbowden@coj.net.

- And last but not least, share your own creative ideas on how to promote downloadable media and other library services with your colleagues. Share in person, or post your ideas right here on the staff blog.

**Look for November's signs in the library delivery next week (week of October 11-16). Upcoming highlighted services include:

October

Downloadable audio books (IPOD accessible)

Downloadable video

E-books

November

Your ticket to answers:

Live Homework Help

Ask-a-Librarian

Book-a-Librarian

Also Festival of Trees

December

Break

But continue to promote Festival of Trees

January

Your ticket to answers:

E-research

Your ticket to economic success:

Business and economic resources

Free tax assistance from AARP and RealSense

Investor education

(For a full list of highlighted services, visit JPL Neighborhood at library awareness campaign plan)

Best Free Reference Websites

Check out RUSA's 2009 list of the best free reference websites. A gold mine for JPL reference staff.

How many were you familiar with?

(First seen on NEFLIN's blog)

Reader's Advisory now on Facebook

The Reader’s Advisory Committee is now on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacksonville-FL/Jacksonville-Public-Library-Readers-Advisory/122636279653

Here you’ll find staff recommendations, announcements of new releases, author readalikes and more. Visit us on Facebook at Jacksonville Public Library – Reader’s Advisory and become a fan today!

And don’t forget the Personalized Booklist! It’s a great tool for reader’s advisory. Recommend it to your customers or have a printed version available at the desk.