Volunteer Briana Moore Honored At Mandarin Branch

The Mandarin Branch Library honored Volunteer Briana Moore for her service and commitment to the Jacksonville Public Library on Thursday, August 21.   Briana is a big supporter of both of the Mandarin Libraries, working on Wednesday at South Mandarin and Thursday and Friday at Mandarin. Briana received an Innovator Award for helping the children’s staff at Mandarin reach its annual goals in collection management, programming and promoting educational resources. Briana received a gift card from Target and a Star Wars gift from the children’s staff.  SE Region Manager Michael Sullivan was on hand to show his support and the staff welcomed Briana’s parents (flanking Briana in picture) to the festivities.  Everyone enjoyed cake, donuts and fresh strawberries.  Big thanks to Alison, David , Frances, Diane and Sara for organizing the party. (Thanks to KR Manager Lynne Baldwin for the idea to honor Brianna and for the article.)

KR Makes Racking Up Birthdays Fun

August is the month to celebrate birthdays at the Mandarin Branch Library. Four employ-ees celebrated birthdays in August – and pictured L/R: they are David Foster, Patricia Klingler, Patricia Henderson Eric Cusaac. The staff at Mandarin threw a surprise birthday party on August 19 with carrot cake, balloons, birthday cards, and gifts.

With cake like this and treats like that, it almost makes you want to have another birthday soon, doesn't it?

 

Kudos From Customers

Highlands Branch:  Everyone that works at the Highland Branch is very pleasant, helpful & very knowledgeable (Ann Fridl, Maude Scott, Joel Thorbs, Beverly Mason, Julia Horton, Felecia Battle, Tyneshia Matthews, Anne Norris, and Scott Corey.)

Main Library- Conference Center: Letter from Mayor’s Office: …We wanted to recognize your amazing staff for their professionalism and team spirit. …When we requested the use of one of your rooms, Mitesh Sangani, Will Daniels and the staff quickly rose to the occasion and set up the room.  …When we determined our invitee list was not as big as we anticipated, they offered to help reconfigure our large conference room to accommodate our guests ... Your team proved to be gracious team players and very accommodating of our changing needs.  Thank you for all you do for the City of Jacksonville and specifically the Mayor’s Office.
 
Main – Reference: Kathleen Brunner was very helpful to me in trying to find a Saturday edition of The Florida-Times Union. She walked about the library to locate one of the four copies but all were in use. She then helped me find the the information I was seeking on line. She was efficient and courteous at all times.  

Southeast Branch: Mark Hohnadel went above and beyond more than any other person past or present to help me find  my book.

Support Services –E-Specialist: Thank you so much for having Open Lab at Southeast Branch. I happened upon it while here to check out books I had reserved.  Donna Peretzman was professional, KIND, patient, knowledgeable and made me feel totally at ease. I came in to learn about Zinio and left with lesson plan ideas/source sites and other information to help me obtain images for my father's memoir. …

Library Board Presents Awards & Hails Ed Lein's 28 Years

The Library Board made several awards at its August 14 meeting, and Board Chair Dr. Brenda Simmons-Hutchins and Deputy Director Carolyn Williams proudly made the presentations.  KR Library Assistant Robert Moseley was named the Employee of the Quarter (3rd quarter) and he received a Challenge the Process Award.  He is responsible for JPL's reprogrammed cash registers so customer receipts now itemize what they are paying for.  (Read more about his accomplishment in the September 5 "Staff Profile"). 

Beverly Brown, PCR's Clerical Supervisor, won the Enable Others to Act Award for her recognition of the need for a training class for clerical staff and pursuing that need to a successful reality.  (You can read more about that in the August 5 "Staff Profile".)

Ann Fridl, DU's Manager, won an Encourage the Heart Award for giving "Caught in the Act" awards that recognize staff that demonstrate exceptional team work.  The awards also encourage cooperation and assistance among staff.

Chelsea Partridge, a Shelver at WST, volunteered to present a monthly science program at WST and is working on a notebook to assist other branches in this endeavor, and she is the winner of an Inspired a Shared Vision Award. (Not pictured.)

Winner of the Challenge the Process Award, Gail Blumberg is a Library Associate at JB.  She created and trained a team to implement her plan of a uniform JPLVolunteer program.  (Read more about this accomplisment in the July 5 "Staff Profile.) Gail could not be present at the awards.

Last--but most certainly not the least--to be honored was the indomitable Librarian Ed Lein for his 28 years of service to JPL's Main Library.  Ed was presented with a gold library card, a plant, and a letter of appreciation from Director Gubbin. (Read about his work and organizing concerts at Main, which remain among the best attended adult programs at JPL in the May "Staff Profile".)

Meet Gail Hunyar, New President of FJPL

We thought you'd like to meet the effervescent, community minded new President of the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library, who introudes herself in her bio for the JPL Staff News blog, as

 "Gail Mary Hould Jewett Hunyar          

"During the summer of 1959, my family chose Jacksonville as our new home.  My father had just retired from the U.S. Navy and he did not want to return to New Hampshire to shovel snow.  Jacksonville was and still is a navy town and we felt at home.  My brother and I started school at Hogan Spring Glen Elementary, followed by Southside Jr. High and Englewood High School.  I was part of the class of 1968 and after graduation I got a great job at the Federal Reserve Bank counting and sorting currency.  This was my introduction to the financial community which became my career for over 30 years.
"In our early days in Jacksonville, my mother was very lonesome.  She found the San Marco Branch Library and became a regular patron.  She could go to the library twice a month and she would check out 25 or so books each time.  She taught us that the library was a safe place with endless possibilities.
In 2008, when the opportunity arose, I took early retirement from banking.  I goofed off for a few months, walked daily on the beach and enjoyed being free of the corporate world.  I decided to volunteer at the Friends of the Jacksonville Library (FJPL) and started sorting books on Saturday mornings.  Slowly I became more involved until this past June when I was elected President of this same group.  My love of books, early retirement and wanting to give back have brought me to this place where I feel like I am making a difference while having a really good time and working with like-minded people.  My glass is always half full!

"These days, if I am not at the FJPL warehouse, you will find me in Evergreen Cemetery.  I am one of the guides for the 14th annual Tales of our City Cemetery Tour.  The Pilot Club of the Port of Jacksonville and Evergreen Cemetery will present our historical tour on October 11 & 12, 2014. The proceeds from this tour will go to the North Florida School of Special Education and other community service projects of our club.  This will be my third tour as a guide and I am having fun learning & sharing the history of Jacksonville.

"I have a wonderful husband to whom I have been married for over 25 years, two daughters and two grandsons.   Eddie and I travel the USA visiting national parks and "the must see places" across our great country.  Life is good for me and mine and I am thankful every day for the day my family decided that Jacksonville would be our "home town"." 

Gail Hunyar is like a friendly neighbor that you wish you had met a long time ago and we at JPL hope we have the pleasure of knowing her for a long time to come.

Bright, Sunshiney Day For GB Volunteers

GB's Manager Jackie Spiritas said, "Graham Branch provided lunch for their volunteers, August 15, in appreciation for all of their services to the library. Without their help on a weekly and sometimes daily basis, our customers would not get the items they need as quickly. From shelving materials to processing holds and reserves – they do it all, sometimes working on special projects that staff would not be able to do. The volunteers received a Panera Gift Card, a community service pin, T-shirt, and certificate. They munched on Bono’s Barbeque with lots of homemade sides, thanks to the generous contributions of employees. (Pictured L-R: Volunteer Coordinator: Sharon Whitt, Volunteers Brittany Stewart, Lanicha McMillan, and GB Manager Jackie Spiritas. Not pictured are Volunteers Ifeyinwa Ajaegbu, Lance Franklin, Patricia Mull and Leroy Harrison.)"

All of us at JPL thank these and all our Volunteers throughout the library system for their many hours of hard work.

JPL's SRP 2014 Wrapup

Amber Holley, Librarian III, Youth Services Specialist, wraps up SRP this way, "Summer Reading Programs are the library’s answer to the dreaded 'summer slide' when children on summer break tend to regress in reading skills and vocabulary.  There are so many other things to do, and any required reading can wait until the week before school starts. Right? WRONG!

" Summer Reading Programs share a great idea with the kids: Reading is fun and an amazing way to spend a rainy, hot, boring, sunny, summer afternoon.  And the library programs are fun, informative, free AND there are incentives for kids who record and participate in reading challenges.  Kids win. Summer slide? Not so much.

 

"This year 6,533 children and teens signed up for the summer reading program. They read a total of 69,082 books, reporting their reading to local branches and receiving encouragement and prizes for all of their hard work. Main and branches kept track of children’s reading using these great visuals, making tracking summer reading fun!

"The themes this year, FIZZ BOOM READ and SPARK A REACTION, focused on science and the many topics related to exploring, predicting and observing the world in a scientific way.  Library programs hosted at Main and branches around the city supported that theme, showing children that science is exciting and fun. Programs like Boom Science: Fire and Ice Show, Curious Moon Puppets: Fizz, Boom, Bugs, and Machines, Ronald MacDonald, and Zombie Makeup programs drew 38,749 people to our summer programs this year.

"All of this goes to show that you really were as busy as you thought! Congratulations and Thank You to all of the youth services staff for a successful Summer Reading Program. . . . Time to start planning for next year!"

Above left pic is from Main's Crafternoon where Batman masks were provided.  The crowd scene was taken as SOM's Ice and Fire program.

Baseball & Reading Score A Home Run!

Library customers and staffs watched the Jacksonville Suns play the Mississippi Braves at Bragan Field,  August 10, 2014, for our Library Night. The game was a lot of fun for baseball fans and library staffs, and the all you can eat hotdogs, popcorn, and lemonade were wonderful.

 The Mississippi Braves won with a one run lead; a fly ball flew up towards the lights and became uncatchable. Suns manager Andy Barkett said, “We’ve won a number of close games this year. Sometimes, your luck starts to run out on you, and it kind of ran out on us in this series.”

Two young participants in the Library’s Summer Reading program, however,  had a tremendous run of luck at the game. These readers won the random drawing for a bike donated by the Jacksonville Suns. The prize bikes were awarded at the game by Jacksonville Suns owner and President Peter Bragan, Jr. From June 1 to August 1, Christopher Martin, age 8, read and logged a total of 235 books. Nine-year-old Divyne Wright, read and logged a stunning total of 566 books.

Thank you to the Jacksonville Suns and Peter Bragan, Jr. for another wonderful baseball event!

 And thanks to Amber Holley, Librarian III, Main Library, Youth Services Specialist, and Janice Best, Main Library Associate, for the blurb. 

WBK Makes Going Back To School Fun

Getting ready for the school year, WBK had a total of 18 children attend the Back to School Bash. Two children were rewarded by our raffle with a bag full of school supplies and goodies. Hot dogs, chips and drinks were served for refreshments. Bingo was a big hit. They really enjoyed the activities, prizes and give-a-ways.  ( Thanks to Kimberly McTeer, WBK Library Associate for the article.) 

GB's "Unique Boutique"

Graham Branch Library hosted a Back to School supply and clothing giveaway event on Tuesday, August 12, with over 200 children and their parents in attendance. There were lots of hugs and thanks from the parents and kids with happy smiles as they left with their goodies. The event was organized and efficiently run with Library Clerk Delores Walker at the helm. The families were invited one at a time into the room which was transformed into a “Unique Boutique” with tables of new and gently used clothing and accessories. Each child was allowed to pick out two items of their choice with the help of their parent. The families were led to the supply bag table to pick up their essentials for heading back to school and then were treated to refreshments on the way out. There were several

prize drawings including the grand prize of a Wii console and games, donated by Cipeo Walker. Delores organized the donations and the gathering of supplies and clothing, setting up, and helping the families flow through quickly.  The outpouring of donations of clothes and school supplies from library departments and branches including SST and UPK and many individual staffs was generous. Graham’s staff all played a part in the success--organizing donations, signing people in, helping children pick out clothes, and raffling off prizes. There were many other people outside of the Graham employees that helped with the event, including Highlands Library Assistant Felicia Battle, who helped families in the Unique Boutique. Part-time Library Clerk Margaret Miles was borrowed from Brentwood to help at the customer service desk. Tierra Chandler, a representative of Tobacco-Free Jacksonville and the Florida Department of Health, offered illustrations and information about the health risk of smoking flavored tobacco products. Carl Patterson, Operational Manager with Crystal Spring Waters, delivered donated cases of water. Target Stores donated tote bags with handles to accommodate the supply giveaway. Edward L. Thomas, Jr., Academic Tutor with FCCJ helped efficiently organize the set-up of the supply bags. Greta Gordon baked cupcakes, made honey-drippers, cookies, and popped corned for the event.

 
  Dee would like to give a special thanks to Gretchen Mitchell and Friends of JPL Vice President for Programs Margaret Smith, who have been generous supporters of the Back to School event for years. There were many unnamed donors and helping hands that unselfishly gave their time and resources. Graham Branch Manager Jackie Spiritas said the event ran smoothly thanks to Delores Wallker’s organization of the event combined with her years of experience running it.

 

Helping A Good Cause On Saturday

 Here's is a photo of Kristi Dorney and Donna Crowther  manning one of the ShadCo tables and handing out ShadCo information at the Safety Fair at the Avenues Mall last Saturday, August 9.  They were there about 2 1/2 hours.  They both also help man San Marco Branch.

Whatever It Takes

To help inspire teens to sign up for the Summer Reading Program, Ron Jones and Terry Welch of the Beaches Branch agreed to dress as Frankenstein and The Bride,  IF 100 teens signed up--117 teens signed up!  Here they are with Branch Manager, Tamera Branam “Sparking a Reaction”. Above is a picture of the  scoreboard created by Julie Rekow (or as the Bride calls it, ‘our family tree’).

Customers, JPL, Community and Government Working Together

In 2012, JPL received a Preservation Award from the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission for its role in providing a location for the restored Lee Adams mural, "Ribault's Landing" at Ft. Caroline, which was installed on the 4th floor of the Main Library.  JPL also provided pamphlets and bookmark copies of the painting.

Fast forward to June 30, 2014, CR and M and Special Collections supported Mrs. Lyn Corley's display and program celebrating the 450 anniversary of Fort Caroline by supplying flyers and posters.  The week long display culminated in a special program at City Hall where Rev. Ted Corley and Lyn were awarded the key to the city by Mayor Brown for their devotion to keeping alive the importance of Jacksonville's history and for their years long effort to have "Ribault's Landing" displayed by the City, and they believed it would be appropriate for that place to be in the Main Library's Special Collections.  A beautiful reception was held on Main's 4th floor to celebrate the installation of the painting in 2012.

Mrs. Corley provides a review of the more recent celebration:

"From June 23 through July 2 the exhibit 'Portraits from La Caroline' was displayed in the City Hall Atrium .  The evening of June 30th a celebration was held commemorating the colony of La Caroline on its 450th birthday--the celebration of the First Thanksgiving of America. City Councilmen joined in the celebration by portraying, in costume, some of La Caroline's colonists.

"The exhibit included an enlarged colorized version of the volume of work attributed to artist Jacques Le Moyne.  The Main Library posted informational signage for the work that guided guests to the original works displayed across from City Hall on the 4th floor of the Main Library.

 
"The exhibit also featured interpretations of Le Moyne's renderings by Roger Early, recently donated to the Jacksonville Historical Society.  Eleven oil paintings were on loan from  Warren Anderson. The creators of the works were winners of a national competition sponsored  by the Public Trust Environmental Institute of Florida.  Each artist described and then depicted in oil how the original work published in 1591 might more correctly define the Timucua, who the French encountered in the 1560's."
 

"Local marine artist, William Trotter's 'Second Day in the Morning' depicting Ribault's Landing in 1562 was also displayed, on loan from the Mayport Civic Association.

 

"The most exciting display was a case full of artifacts that survived the shipwreck of Ribault's fleet in 1565.  Twenty pieces from the collection at McLarty Treasure Museum were returned to Jacksonville for the event-after 449 years they came home. The artifact exhibit included a small canvas transfer of the original Lee Adams' thirty-one foot mural now displayed in Special Collections of the Main Library.  The library provided brochures for the display that describes the mural and the local artist who depicted the French Huguenots who lived at La Caroline in the 1560's.

 

"Throughout the exhibition several thousand local residents, including many summer school students, were given a view of the native Floridians who the French encountered in 1562 and 1564.  Jacques Le Moyne, first commercial artist of America, gave a great legacy to our city and our nation by recording the oldest renderings of any city in America."

Archaeology At AR

The Regency Square Branch  Library was proud to present a summer adult reading Literary Element, July 31, Fantastic Archaeology: Florida Frauds, Myths and Mysteries. Thanks to Lenora Stucky for this coverage:

"The program was open to all adults and teens and presented by Sarah Miller, Public Archaeologist of the Archaeology Public Network of Flagler County.

"Regency's savvy patrons lead the discussion on the misuse and abuse of the Northeast Florida’s past that included the most recent controversy over “Where is Fort Caroline?” Regency patrons learned Ms. Miller that “skepticism is a skill we continually have to develop; otherwise we will revert to complacency,” thus allowing the press and their news sensationalism to determine our belief.  “Aways dig deeper,” says Sarah Miller, and “Don’t believe the hype”.

"This was demonstrated when  The Cardiff Giant (a ten-foot giant man) was discovered and appeared upon the archaeology scene in 1869, and turned out to be a great hoax of that time. The Cardiff Giant is located in Cooperstown, NY (down the street from the Baseball Hall of Fame) where people still journey to visit this site.

"Ms. Sarah Miller took library visitors and patrons on a visual journey to the ruins of Bulow Plantation Historic Park located in Palm Coast, FL, that includes a coquina sugar mill, foundations of the manor house, slave cabins, wells and a spring house. Other archaeology peeks were Turnbull Plantation at the New Smyrna Museum of History, Smyrna Beach, FL; and locally, Kingsley Plantation National Historic  Site off of Palmetto Avenue here in Jacksonville, FL.  Regency started here and went everywhere!"

Staff Profile - August 2014

Beverly Brown currently serves JPL as Pablo Creek’s Clerical Supervisor under PCR”s Manager, Sandra Ostroski.  She has been with JPL for 33 years—first as a Clerk 1, and 2, then as a Library Assistant and now in her present role at PCR.   She first worked at WBK where she remembers JPL used the Gaylord system--punch cards were used to put the due date on individual cards that were then placed in a sleeve in the back of each book at the check-out desk. Later, Beverly moved to Main Circ, AR, then back to Main in SST, JB, and finally PCR.  So Beverly Brown has a long history and knowledge of how JPL works. 

May 2, 2014, Beverly presented her new manual “Customer Service Using jaxpubliclibrary.org” to the Administrative Team.  Her presentation was well received, and we thought it would be of interest to you to know a little about how Beverly progressed from the concept for the new manual to the actual product.

Q: You tackled “Get to Yes” training for Clerical Supervisors and Clerical Staffs, and by your own observations realized better guidelines were needed.  How did you get the ball rolling to produce the new customer service manual?
A:  As a part of my performance evaluation I’m required to conduct training for the clerical staff in my region --JB, PCR, AR, and UPK.  As I worked with the circulation staffs at branches in the region, I realized they were referring customers to the reference section for information that they themselves could answer, if they were knowledgeable of the library homepage.  I thought if we don’t know what products or services we offer, how can we share it with our customers.  A more comprehensive, up-to-date customer service manual would be a tremendous help and keep JPL service consistent system wide. 

Q: You discussed your suggestions with your supervisors and other staffs, and once you received input from them, what was your next step? 
A:  I contacted Karen Walker with JPL E-Services and shared my desire to do some training for the clerical staffs using JPL’s website.  Karen agreed that it was an excellent idea, and would be a good tool for “Get to Yes”.  The task was very easy because Karen had PowerPoint slides for the website already.  We worked together to provide script for each PowerPoint slide.  I have to say “thank you” again to Karen because she was a big help because I had never used PowerPoint.

Q:  And then how did you go about putting the customer service manual together?
A:  After Karen provided the PowerPoint slides for the website,  we went through each slide and added wording and instructions for most of the slides. Wording the instructions had to be detailed enough to be understood clearly and be as succinct as possible.

Q: What has been the result of your hard work—are staffs giving customers better service now?
A:  When I presented “Customer Service Using jaxpublibrary.org” to the Administration Team, May 2, I received positive feedback, and subsequently, from staffs. The training has helped clerical staffs better understand how to assist customers with basic knowledge of navigating through JPL’s website, searching the catalog, placing holds, accessing library accounts, e-services, etc.  Another positive benefit from this training is, staffs are actually doing “front-line marketing” of the services we offer.  Additionally, It was suggested by clerical staffs that this training would be good for clerical new hires, which we will do.

Q: What is your favorite pastime?
A: I enjoy spending time with my family; my families all have busy schedules, so when we have the opportunity we try to do activities together.  Our most recent activity was attending the Beaches Jazz series in June and July, we convinced our mom, who is 75, to go to the Jazz series with us, and she enjoyed herself. We all had a great time.

CM Jim Love Visits Argyle & Lauds Staff & Programs

 Argyle Branch Manager Janet Ducat and her employees enjoyed a visit from Council Member Jim Love, August 1.  Janet gives a review of his visit, "CM Love observed our Story Time this morning and was very impressed.  He said Melanie Terrell was a fabulous teacher.   We then took a tour of the Library and I introduced him to the staff with an explanation of what tasks they completed.  CM Love complemented Becky Bellottie when she admitted to being the tightwad of supply clerks. He talked to Kim Kirkland about teens and volunteers and was very interested in the Short Story Contest and the volunteer requirements to participate.   As luck would have it Yuri Jewitt was working and meeting one-on-one with an older gentlemen.  I introduced CM Love to Yuri who introduced her student.  The gentleman went on and on about how much he was learning and how his children and grandchildren had told him he had to learn how to use a computer.  It could not have been better if we had staged the whole thing.  CM Love was unaware of the e-specialist services.  During the tour of the public area he introduced himself to customers  and one woman told him she was looking for a job on the computer.  How great was that!  During the tour of the workroom CM Love commented that he had no idea all the different tasks it took to keep the library running.  I commented that it was fabulous teamwork that kept services available with a much reduced staff." 

    (Kim Kirkland with Council Member Love below.)
 

"I see CM Love every month at the Argyle Civic Association Meeting and know him to be a great friend of JPL.  Through Argyle Civic I was able to offer our Community Room for public hearings on a proposed use of a piece of property on Collins Road.  The public outcry over a Family Dollar Store going in there caused the owner of the property to change his plans.  As I walked CM Love to his car, he said he had no idea of all the things that were going on in the library.  Jane Harris was here and we agreed that it was a very successful visit.  He said he had learned a lot and thanked me.  I, of course, thanked him for his interest and time and invited him to return to Argyle."

KR Promotes Friends Book Sale

Mandarin Branch Manager Lynne Baldwin and her staff are promoting the Friends of JPL's Book Warehouse Sale with a colorful display. Lynne and the KR staff invite you to "Enjoy reading this summer with your favorite book purchased at the Friends Book Sale." There is still time to catch a few bargains at the Friends Warehouse, located on the south end of UPK, 3435 University Boulevard North:

                      Tuesday, August 5: 4 - 7 pm

                     Thurday, August 7:  4 - 7 pm

                     Saturday, August 9:  10 am - 4 pm

 
 Sara Peretzman (left) and Jessica show off a couple of their beautiful props for the Friends of JPL Book Sale that also promote summer reading display in the lobby of the Mandarin Branch Library.

Exceptional Volunteer: Elaine Ginn

Thanks to CAL Manager Sharon Jaskula for forwarding this report, written by CAL Literacy Program Specialist, Kathy Zaccardi:  

 "JPL is fortunate to have a number of talented, dedicated volunteers supporting library staff and serving customers throughout the system.  One such volunteer, Elaine Ginn (pictured above), has been strengthening our community by serving as a volunteer English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor with the library’s Center for Adult Learning for a little over a year.  Elaine shows an exceptional understanding of the needs of adult English language learners as evidenced by the progress her students have made at the Southeast Branch Library.  To ensure instruction is relevant to her students, Elaine brings in objects from everyday life to use as teaching aids and incorporates current events to engage students in discussion.  When Elaine is not teaching, she is busy publishing; she recently co-authored Mission Unstoppable:  Extraordinary Stories from Failure’s Blessings .  She is also the sole author of second book entitled Patchwork.  Elaine has an MS in Nursing Education and has been a professor of Health Education at Western Illinois University. 

 

"JPL is very grateful for Elaine’s contributions and those of dedicated volunteers like her who do so much to enhance library services and programs."

Teens Learn Crime Solving At DU

DU hosted FOP's Detective Snead from their crime scene unit, who conducted a forensics program, July 22. He explained to the teens how fingerprinting, photographing, and collecting DNA helps solve crimes.  Det. Snead told the teens how to collect their own fingerprints and how to dust for fingerprints on a cup.  We had an observation activity  for the teens to observe 20 items on a table, then name as many as they could remember. Later the teens played Clue and made edible eyeballs. .... Thanks to Beverly Mason for the article.

DU's Final SRP Teen Program

Highlands Library Associate Beverly Mason says, "July 29 was our final summer teen program, including awards/gaming and a couple of trivia questions for them to answer.  Winners for most books read and winners from DU's drawing contest were announced, and two local businesses provided prizes.

"Andy Morlock, owner of Northside Comics, a book store soon to open in Oceanway, spoke to the teens about the importance of reading and how reading comic books can help them learn.  There are many different concepts that can be learned through reading a comic book.  He also pointed out that even though a comic book has many pictures, it also contains a lot of words  and noted that the comic book he brought with him contained about 2400 words.

"The program closed with the teens making ice cream sundaes and playing Wii, Xbox, and board games."

 

High-Fives From JPL's Customers

Thanks to Kathy Lussier for submitting these letters sent by two customers of JPL, quoted below from The Florida Times-Union.  The first letter is dated June 19; the second, June 25, 2014:  

SUMMER READING - A personal experience

Regarding the Jacksonville library’s summer reading program, I can affirm its benefits. I vividly can recall my own exposure to summer reading. My parents encouraged us to read and participate each summer break. It was free, interesting and something to do. And it was a safe place to hang out. We could read all sorts of books, age appropriate or not. All that was required was to complete a short book review after reading our book. I was somewhat competitive and not coordinated enough for summer sports. But I could read the required number of books to “win” my certificate of completion. I truly believe that our library program stimulated my lifelong love of reading. Reading is an activity that does not discriminate, teaches us to explore and stimulates the imagination. Fortunately, when I was a child in the suburbs of Cleveland, transportation was available to the library. Now it is much easier to find books online.

I would encourage every parent or child care provider to give children the gift of a library card and the potential to discover new horizons.   Fern Malowitz

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Public Library - Popular, Underfunded
The Argyle library branch was closed Sunday and Monday, and opened only after 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

I arrived at 1:30 p.m., and every spot in the parking lot was taken. Once inside, I saw an eclectic mix of our citizens. There were young children, older children, teenagers, adults, both male and female. There were blacks, whites and Asians. It was a real demonstration of the importance of our library.

And then I reflected on the shortsighted actions of our City Council in repeatedly reducing the library’s budget. The council has approved the use of $40 million of our taxpayer dollars to construct a sports scoreboard that only a small percentage of our people will ever see. How sad! … Tom Brady

FREINDS BOOK SALE

The Friends of JPL are having another book sale:
Thursday July 31: 4-7 - members night (can join there) - SPECIALS DEALS
Friday , August 1:  10-6
Saturday, August 2:  10-4
Sunday, August 3: 12-5
$10/bag of books or CD's -dont miss this:
Tuesday, August 5:  4-7 
Thursday, August 7:  4-7
Saturday, August 9:  10-4

The Friends of JPL support us; lets support them. Customers and Staff can get excellent buys at the Friends Warehouse, 3535 University Boulevard, at the south end of UPK (1/2 mile past JU).

Brentwood's Summer Guitar Workshop

ULC Supervisor Pat Morrison reports on NS' recent Big Event:

The Summer Guitar Workshop that was held at Brentwood Branch Library ended with a mini concert on Friday, July 18.  Ten students from the workshop and the instructor Alexander Stoetzer displayed their musical talents before an audience of family, friends and community leaders. 

The six week workshop introduced children ages 7 – 14 to basic music theory, notes and strings.   The Friends of Brentwood Library generously purchased 10 guitars for the workshop and paid an honorarium to the instructor.  They also provided funds to purchase snacks.
At the end of the concert, the workshop participants received a certificate of completion, a table top music stand, a wooden foot rest, AND the GUITARS they used during the workshop.  They carried their “loot” home in a Jacksonville Public Library book bag.
 Too often we do not acknowledge the pistons that keep our engines going.  I must acknowledge it does take a village/a community/a system to …  Many thanks to The Friends of Brentwood Library and their community partners who donated money to purchase the guitars; thanks to JPLFacilities and Gary for creating the foot rests; thanks to Carolyn Williams, Julie McNeil and Kathy Lussier for attending and participating in this community event; thanks to Michael Soto and Mitesh Sangani for providing chairs for our audience; thanks to Ron Block for providing the bags; thanks to Cranston Burney for the photographs; and thanks to the wonderful staff at Brentwood who took turns staffing the workshop.

 State Representative Reggie Fullwood (rear, left below) encouraged the students and was delighted to be photographed with them and their "loot". 

The guitar workshop was a wonderful experience for the children.  We look forward to providing other unique experiences for the youth in our area.

(Click on the pictures for a larger view.)

Retiree Update - Elaine Kitchings

 

Thanks to ULC Supervisor Pat Morrison for this update on a stupendous retiree:

 

Mrs. Elaine Fears Kitchings retired from the Jacksonville Public Library in the year 2000 after decades of service to the youth of our community in her job as children’s librarian and storyteller extraordinaire.  She began her career with JPL at the Myrtle Avenue branch and she also worked at the Eastside branch, Regency Square branch and the Northwest branch libraries.

Elaine is quoted as saying, “I thought I had the BEST JOB in the public library because I worked with children … instilling in them a love of reading and learning about authors and illustrators.”  Despite all the wonders and information available via electronic resources, Mrs. Kitchings declares “The book is still the greatest source for learning.  Enjoy the printed page.”

Post-retirement, Mrs. Kitchings continues to promote literacy, storytelling and the joy of a good book.  She has worked as an adjunct professor at Edward Waters College teaching Children’s Literature to education majors, and she is the Tale Tellers coordinator for the RSVP program at Mary Singleton Center. Volunteer activities include a 14 year engagement reading stories to pre-K students at George Washington Carver Elementary school on a weekly basis. Mrs. Kitchings also continues to work with the group she co-founded 26 years ago – The Northside Storytellers League.

 

Most recently Mrs. Kitchings began the “More Than A Book”  discussion group for young girls at the Brentwood library.  She hopes to share the joy of reading with the young ladies and promote grammar, diction and writing skills.  Mrs. Kitchings chose the first title for the group, The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.  The older title is still relevant and the lessons in the story and the situations were very relatable when placed in a modern setting.  The young ladies did a great job relating to the book and a lively discussion ensued.  Pictured with Mrs. Kitchings are Miss Kezia Weston and Miss Anna Williams.  The group selected Lois Lowry’s The Giver for the next discussion in August.

There have been a number of milestones in Mrs. Kitchings’ life since retirement.  In 2009 her husband and notable high school coach Earl Kitchings passed away.  Mrs. Kitchings is still surrounded by her loving family and proudly shares their accomplishments.  Her son W. Earl was the recipient of the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission’s 2014 Preservation Award in the Heritage Education-Books category for his book The Perfect Ending.  Oldest grandson Cemal is a postal inspector in Pittsburgh; while her youngest grandson William Earl, II is a doctoral candidate at the Florida State University.  Her daughter in-law Angela continues to teach at Mandarin Oaks Elementary school.

GB's Special Summer Helper

GB Manager Jackie Spiritas and staff, as many other branches, regretted to see their summer helpers depart , July 25, and thew a party or a luncheon. Jackie said, "Graham Branch staff said 'thank you' and farewell to Summer Worker Zahria Singletary at a luncheon prepared by staff on the day before she left.  Zahria was very helpful keeping things running smoothly during the busy summer activities at the branch. She worked on the Reserve list each morning and unpacked
 
delivery.   Zahria is seen here as she trapped holds, which she did under the tutelage of other staff. In her 'spare time' she helped Children’s Librarian Peggy Crawford during the Fizz Boom Read children’s programs held at the branch each week. She was tested and retested on her shelving knowledge by Chanika Kimbrough until she knew where everything was supposed to be shelved and had few errors. She attended and participated in the Teen programs and discovered her skill for Duct Tape crafts with Michelle Petrin. She also shelved untold numbers of DVDs each day. For her short time with Graham, Zahria made an impact with her bright smile and sunny attitude. When asked what she learned about working at the library she admitted that she never knew about the concept of Reserves and processing Holds. Working behind the scenes opened her eyes to all the work that the library staff does to keep the customers coming back for more. The Graham staff wishes Zahria the best of luck in her future endeavors."

JPL wants to add our best wishes to all our summer student helpers and thank them for all their help this summer of 2014.

KR: 130 at Zoo Program & 2000+ Books Read for SRP-So Far

Jacksonville Zoo and friends visit the Mandarin Library
Melissa from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens brought some four legged friends with her when she visited the KR, July 16.  More than 130 kids and parents attended the program. 
 
See How Much We’re Reading

Sisters Jiwon and  Jihoo Byun and their little brother Jian are active members of the 2014 Summer Reading Program at the Mandarin Branch Library.  On July 11, the siblings with a little help from their mother Jeong Lee, added their books to the Fizz Boom Read beaker that keeps track of the number of books read this summer.  Over 2000 books have been added to the beaker since the Summer Reading started on June 1.

Thanks to Branch Manager Lynne Baldwin for the reports.

 

KR Happenings

Jessica Jones and Eric Cusaac (pictured below) celebrated the 4^th of July at the Mandarin Branch Library with enough decorations of red, white and blue to

launch their own Independence Day Parade.  Jessica and Sara Peretzman created a learning display focusing on the American Revolution and a book display highlighting the American History collection at the branch.

On June 18, at the last minute, MOSH had to cancel their scheduled program at Mandarin due to a fire at the Museum.  David Foster and Alison Pully rescued the situation so 160 kids and parents would not be disappointed! They stepped in and did an impromptu art class.   The kids loved making their own art work and Alison and David showed real leadership and customer service skills.  A Get to Yes Moment!

KR Volunteer Dipayan Banerjee Honored

KR Manager Lynn Baldwin is proud to congratulate Mandarin Library Volunteer Dipayan Banerjee who was selected by the Duval County Public Schools to attend the National Youth Leadership 

Forum (NYLF) on Business and Innovation to be held at Stanford University, California, July 16-23, 2014.  Dipayan is a senior at Stanton College Preparatory School and has been a volunteer at the Mandarin Branch Library since he was 12.  The all-expense paid trip was sponsored by the Duval County Public Schools.  Dipayan is the son of Mandarin PT Library Clerk Shukti Banerjee.

 

All of us throuhout the library system want to congratulate you, Dipayan, and thank you for your service to Mandarant Branch for so many years!

Kudos From Customers

Beaches Branch:  Michelle Petrin was a big help with printing from computer…          

Highlands Branch: I've just begun to learn more about the functions and gain hand-on knowledge of the computer. Ms. Yuri Jewitt, is a jewel, she is patient, great at explaining the process and procedures in terms that become clearly understandable and easy for this great granny to comprehend. Please continue to extend this service for all.              

Mandarin Branch: Dear Lynne Baldwin & the Mandarin Branch Library, Thank you! I really appreciate all the support you gave to the World Refugee Day celebration -- housing an awareness-raising display and providing services at the event. Thank you very much!

Pablo Creek Branch:  Ms. Elizabeth (Garnett) does awesome work.

South Mandarin Branch: The staff is consistently courteous, knowledgeable, and efficient (Keli Likins, Margo Crafton, Bryan Thomas, Ralph Henderson, Linda Ehnert, Lilly Waller, Leslie Patterson,  Irissa Allen, and Barbara Hughes).