Wedding Bells For Alison & Jake

Southeast YS Librarian II Alison Halkovic (née Pulley) married Jake Halkovic, December 21, 2019.  Alison said, "We had such a fun time celebrating our union during this festive time of year! (DIY projects included cinnamon ornaments and Christmas crackers.)"

"Thank you to our JPL family for all of the warm well-wishes."

 

May all your days together be as beautiful as you were on your wedding day, Alison.

 

Sad News

Geraldine Atkinson, former Children's Department employee in the old Main Library, passed away, January 5, 2020, at age 96. Many of you may not have known "Gerrie" since she retired many years ago. Those of us who knew her back in the1970s and 1980s at the old Haydon Burns Library remember her fondly. Gerrie Atkinson's memorial service will be held at Arlington United Methodist Church, 1400 University Boulevard North, Jacksonville, FL, Saturday, January 18th at 11:00 a.m.

Rodney Hurst''s Writers Workshop At DU

DU's Alisha Lockley gives this review of Rodney Hurst's writers workshop at Highlands, January 4, 2020: 

"Highlands Regional Library had the honor of hosting a non-fiction writing workshop with local author, activist, and civil rights icon Rodney Hurst.    The It was Never about a Hot Dog and a Coke! : a personal account of the 1960 sit-in demonstrations in Jacksonville, Florida and Ax Handle Saturday author gave tips, valuable advice, and historical highlights from his experience to 12 aspiring authors of the genre. Mr. Hurst also discussed what incited his writing journey.  He recalled attending a panel discussion, which he says he rarely attends due to the superfluous nature of varying opinions. He recalled that when recounting the events of Ax-Handle Saturday many of the commentators gave inaccurate historical information.  As a historian, and someone who witnessed the events first hand,  (https://www.visitjacksonville.com/blog/jacksonvilles-civil-rights-movement-ax-handle-saturday/), this angered him.  Mr. Hurst said that when writing a non-fiction book it is important to recognize the motivation behind the project.  It Was Never About a Hotdog and a Coke initially was a project of passion that came from a desire to correct previous inaccuracies but later transformed into a mission to inform others about the civil rights movement demonstrations that occurred in our city.  His frustration inspired him to lend his own voice to the literary world in a way that was fierce, impactful, and necessary.

"Mr. Hurst’s second work is Unless WE tell it... it never gets told!.  Both books are available at JPL."

Friends of JPL Big Bag Sale: Go, Invite, Promote

JANUARY 2020 FRIENDS OFJPL

BIG BAG SALE

Friends of JPL Has Lots of Books, DVDs and CDs:

 

COME EARLY FOR BEST SELECTIONS

 

Thursday, Jan. 16: 4 - 8 pm:

     FJPL Members Only - *You can join at door: $10

     After member discount:  $15 per bag

          Buy one bag; get second for FREE

 

Friday, Jan. 17: 4 - 8 pm:  $20 per bag

     Buy one bag; get second for FREE

 

Saturday, Jan 18:  9 am - 4 pm:  $20 per bag

     Buy one bag; get second for FREE

 

7% sales tax included in all purchases.

*Proceeds help support the Jacksonville Public Library.

Invite To Free Health Screenings

 

If you have any questions regarding the notice below, you can email your JPL Go365 go-to person, Matthew Taylor,  The message below is from Bob Blanco, COJ's Business Partner, Employee Services:

"On 1/1/2020 everyone will start fresh at blue status and 10% of 2019 points will roll over to kick you off for 2020.

"Earning points in Go365 is easy when you get a biometric screening.

"Make an appointment for an on-site screening.  Based on your results, you'll unlock recommended activities that are just for you that help you reach your health and wellness goals even faster.

"You can earn up to 4,000 points for completing your biometric screening.  Points help you add up Bucks (one point = one Buck), which you can redeem for things such as gift cards, movie tickets and much more.

"Date:  January 28, 29, & 30 & February 18, 19 & 20, 2020

Time:  8:30 am - 11:30 am - Be sure you are fasting but take morning medicines with water.

Place:  January 28 & February 18:  City Hall

January 29 & February 19:  Ed Ball Building

January 30:  JSO

February 20:  Yates Building

"For more information:  Schedule a time/date via the Employee Portal; click Go365 on the left.  Additional dates will be scheduled for coming months so check the COJ-Go365 Portal page."

     

En Pointe & Twirl At WST

For the first Little Movers and Shakers program at West Branch, December 4, 2019, 17 potential dancers met  a real ballerina.  Eve Harm said, "We partnered with Dynamic Dance, a local dance school on 103rd Street to bring in Cecelia Despres, a ballerina and teacher (shown with Ms. Melodie on left.)  She taught the dancers in training the five basic ballet positions, how to go up to en pointe and twirl or pirouette.  They twirled to the 'Waltz of the Snowflakes' from The Nutcracker.  I demonstrated how a real nutcracker works with peanuts.  Ms. Melodie shared how the nutcracker came to life as a solider in the story/ballet, The Nutcracker."

Get A Load Of This

SST participants in the 2019 ugly sweater contest L/R: Hannah Ringstaff, Stacey McClain, Alisha Levasseur, and Lynn Jacobson.  (Thanks to Hannah Ringstaff, SS Librarian II in Acquisitions, for sharing the results of their creative talent.)

P.S.  Alisha won the contest.

Games, Games, & More Games

DU's Beverly Mason inundated two teens with games, December 19, 2019.  Though there were only two in tow, Beverly and P/T shelver Joshua Long made sure the teens' time was entertaining and a little challenging during the program, Game On:  Minute to Win It Holiday Edition.  Beverly said, "Joshua and I served as human Christmas trees and the teens decorated us.  They competed to see who could use all their supplies first; it turned out about a tie and they enjoyed bedecking us in less than splendor.  You may want to use some of the games we played so I'm sharing those:

"White Elephant - Book Style! – Teens introduced themselves and familiarized themselves with different teen fiction books.  They took a few minutes to preview the books involved and shared a brief summary of a few of the books.

"House of Cards – We discussed Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen.  Then the teens had to see how tall of a shelter they could build with a deck of cards in one minute.

"Progressive Snowball Balance Relay – Teens ran a relay race while balancing paper snowballs.  They started with a snowball between their knees.  Then they added a snowball under their chin.  Then they held a last snowball between their elbows.

"That’s a Wrap! – Teens competed to see who could unwrap the most Hershey kisses with one hand in a minute.

"Present Time – Teens competed to see who could unwrap their gift first while wearing a pair of ski gloves.

"Snowball Stack  - Teens competed to see who could build the tallest tower with their marshmallows(snowballs).

"Christmas Pictionary –  Teens used their drawing skills to see if they could draw a picture well enough for other teens to guess the word or phrase.

"Then the teens enjoyed Gingerbread Cookies."

Santa Stop & Photo Op At Argyle Branch

Council Member Randy DeFoor (District 14) and Library Board Trustee Jill Dame came to Argyle Library to spread cheer at the Santa Stop and Photo Op, December 13, 2019.  CM DeFoor (L center) read T’was the Night Before Christmas by Daniel Kirk. Afterwards, Janelle Pornovetz read 10 Trim-the-Tree’ers by Janet Schulman while Branch Manager Carol Bunker decorated a tree to match the book.  CM DeFoor also helped the children count each thing put on the tree all the way up to 10. Carol said, "We sang 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' and then CM DeFoor read Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? by Jerry Pallotta, followed by our singing 'Jingle Bells'. Justina Lockley then escorted in Santa and 90 little and big children came to visit and some took part in the photo op, as you see in the pictures.  CM Defoor and Trustee Dame were treated to a tour of our library"  (Pictured top right are L/R Trustee Jill Dame, CM DeFoor, Carol Bunker, and Brooks Dame, Mrs. Dame's daughter and CM DeFoor's assistant.)

Mr. Stork Beats Santa In Delivery

For P/T E-Specialist Larry and Becky Cahill, the Stork beat Santa in delivery this year! Mr. and Mrs. Cahill welcomed the best Christmas gift of all:  their first grandchild, beautiful Stella Primrose McKnight!   Stella was born December 8, 2019, weighing 7 lbs., 15 oz., and 19 1/4 inches tall!

Congratulations to the parents and grandparents from all of us!  

SOM Santa Stop

Seventy-six customers came to SOM's Santa Stop, December 12, 2019.  District 6 CM Michael Boylan and his wife and grandchildren joined other kids and caregivers to enjoy a family program with Librarian II Isabel Moreno-Santiago reading The Gingerbread Boy.  Topped off with crafts, cookie decorating, hand painting and pics with Santa, it was a joyful time for all.

(Whip cream on the Christmas cupcake for Isabel was a hug from Santa.)

Go365 Discounts for COJ/JPL Staff

Matthew Taylor, JPL's spokesperson for Go365, asked for these discounts for Camp Gladiator and First Coast YMCA programs to be shared with you:

Camp Gladiator https://campgladiator.com/cg-fit-challenge
Use discount code CGCOJ2020

YMCA:  https://fcymca.org/
You’ll receive:
• 20% savings on a Branch Specific or the Florida’s First Coast (FFC) Membership. (FFC allows access to all locations of the YMCA of Florida's First Coast.)
• No Joining Fee for COJ Employees
• No Annual Contracts and No Annual Fees
• Membership includes: Group Ex Classes (Zumba, Body Pump, Cycle, Yoga, ETC.), Pool, State-of-the-Art Exercise Equipment, Kid Zone, and Fast Forward Fitness.
• Savings up to 50% for sports programs, summer camp, swim lessons, and more!

Should you have questions, Matthew's contact information is: 

O: (904) 630-2445

E: matthewt@coj.net

Yes, Kids Like Old Maps

Jay Brasfield (standing at front) gave a tour of the Special Collections department, December 12, 2019, with an emphasis on the Ansbacher map room to 28 5th graders from San Jose Episcopal Day School.  John Wilson (standing left) took pictures along the tour and noticed how Jay interacted with the kids, "The students were here for nearly two hours and they were very engaged.  Jay presented information in a way that was fun, age appropriate, and easily assimilated.  The students listened attentively and kudos to them!  Afterward, they had time to explore on their own, chat, and compare observations with their peers, then move on to a new portion of the collection."

Here's Looking At You, Kids--With Cheer!

Hongying Song, East Region YS Manager, shares, "Pablo Creek Library staff and 105 customers enjoyed holiday cheer spread by Santa when he slid down the chimney for PCR's Santa Stops program, December 11, 2019. 

"And before he left, Santa shared candy canes and joy with staff in the work room.

 

"Pablo Creek took a group photo with Santa in our Winter Wonderland so all of us could share a smile and cheer with all of you in JPL."

Welcome Baby Winter

Isabel Moreno-Santiago, Library II at South Mandarin Branch shares, "We celebrated our Children 's Library Associate, SeBria Milton, with a beautiful baby girl shower complete with gifts and great food, December 10, 2019.  All of us at South Mandarin wish SeBria great joy, blessings and health, both for her and baby Winter.”

And the rest of us say "ditto", SeBria!

FOBL & NS Staff Entertain 200 Kids

The  Friends of the Brentwood Branch Library sponsored a Children's Christmas program at NS, December 6, 2019.   NS Friends Founder Sharon Coon (above) happily introduces Santa Claus to an excited bunch of about 200

youngsters, plus caretakers, who gathered at the Brentwood Branch and heard Tenikka Hughes (below), anchor for TV 30/47, read I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison.  Each child received a Christmas gift bag stuffed with a book and a toy from FOBL.

These effervescent JPL elves assisted Mrs. Coon and Santa Claus in making everything merry and bright:

L/R Aquilla Stewart, Pam Beaton, Victoria Price, and NS Manager Kimberly Kirkland.

FOJPL BOOK SALE - DECEMBER 2019

Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library

December In-Store Sales! 

All DVDs are buy one get two free,
All teen books: Buy one get 2 free (including books on CD)
And all holiday themed books are buy one get two free!
Gift certificates are available for purchase!   

---

Our store hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from
9:00 A.M to 12:00 PM and
Saturdays from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Please note: The Bookstore will be CLOSED on the following dates for the holidays, December 24, 26 and 28, 2019, and January 2, 2020. 

UPK CELEBRATES 3 MILLION CUSTOMERS!

UPK Library Clerk Illesha Massaline has the honor and joy of shouting some great news, "On November 23, 2019, University Park celebrated its THREE MILLIONTH CUSTOMER VISIT since it opened in October 2004!  (The number is based on the gate count being returned to 0.)  Staff celebrated the occasion that day with a public  announcement and some library bling for honored customer, Andrew Pelkey (above.)    

"Mr. Pelkey popped into UPK to return items while running errands and received the items shown below for raising UPK's gate count to three million.  He was happy to show off his 'I love my library' sticker and, of  course, we thanked Mr. Pelkey profusely."

CONGRATULATIONS TO UPK FROM ALL OF US!

Thankful For...At KR

Glass case display is courtesy of Library Associate Frances Wickes.

 

Mandarin Library Manager Mark Hohnadel says, "Happy Thanksgiving from the Mandarin Library staff.  Pictured are our two Thanksgiving displays we wanted to share with you and a few statements of what our customers say they are THANKFUL FOR:

 ....Mysterious Benedict Society and the Librarian who introduced me to them.

 ...access to free books and additional materials, as well as library activities.
...all the wonderful people at Kori Road Library.

,,,helpful staff, new books, Hoopla, and free computers.

 

"The Thanksgiving Tree (above) is courtesy of Library Associate Lan Nguyen.  Lan does this every year and customers can write what they are thankful for on the leaves."

Head And Headless And More At DU

 

 

For DU's November Homeschool STEAM Dinosaurs Program, Kathy Frazier reports, "We had two fun activities. The kids dug for fossils in "dirt" (dinosaur pasta) with little paint brushes. Then they used the fossils to create their own dinosaurs.  I created the headless T-Rex named Marie Antoinettesaurus (shown at right.)  Dinosaurstella is smiling above."

JPL Has A New Chair For The Library Board Of Trustees

Ronnie King, last row on right, served us well as Board Chair and will continue as a member of the Board.  Carlo Fassi now serves as Chair of the Library Board of Trustees and officiated as such for the first time at their meeting, November 21, 2019.  (Mr. Fassi stands in front, 4th from left.) Other members of the Board are, L/R, front row: Mr. Guy Anderson, Mr. Donnie Horner, Ms. Virginia Haworth, (Mr. Fassi), Board Secretary Mario Payne, and Director Tim Rogers.  Second row:  Ms. Jill Dame, Ms. Celia Nass, Dr. Matt Swanson, Mr. Steve Eagerton, Mr. Fernando Meza, and Mr. Ronnie King. 

(You can click on both pictures to get a better view.)

Before the picture above was made, as usual, JPL's Board members were hard at work:

     All of us really appreciate everything you do.

CONGRATS To All Of Our 4th Qtr. Winners





JPL's new Library Board Chair Carlo Fassi, standing far right in the Library Leadership Award pictures below, had the pleasant opportunity to announce the winners at the board meeting, November 21, 2019.  Director Tim Rogers, far left, proudly posed with his outstanding staff.

Ryan Emmons, E-Services Supervisor, above center, won the Inspiring a Shared Vision Award which led to his Leadership Award for Employee of the 4th Quarter (July-September).  In March, Main library adult service supervisors brain stormed ideas to bring in at least 100 people to Main on a Saturday.  Ryan had a vision, a plan, and a way of garnering talent and experience from fellow colleagues. The plan also included appearances on First Coast Living and the Melissa Ross shows, speaking to staff, parents, and students who attend tech themed summer camp to have a Tech Fair for children and young adults.  The Tech Fair at Main, July 20, 2019, had 800+ visitors and resulted in card renewals with checkouts numbering 100+ above the number usually checked out on Saturdays.  It was a team effort that succeeded in bringing young people together to learn and share--and it will be a success again as another Tech Fair is being planned for 2020.  Ryan has been with JPL two years.    

Robbie Crabtree, Library Assistant at JB, has served 15 years with JPL.  His Challenge the Process Award was earned by finding a simple solution to a common cash handling error--selecting the wrong payment type when customers paid fines and/or fees.  Admin thought this was a good idea and changed the default payment type from "cash" to "credit card" system-wide, thereby slashing the number of cash handling errors!

A Challenge the Process Award went to Hannah Bedenbaugh, (L), a two year P/T Library Associate in Special Collections, for leading the effort to weed 25% of Government Documents in Main's Special Collections.  This allowed room for the incoming Florida Times-Union collection.  She developed a set of innovative procedures for the entire department and put in place a highly efficient process that will be replicated for future Special Collections projects.

Professional Development Lead Worker Susan Mankowski (below) received an Enable Others to Act Award. Susan developed two separate ways to enable others to succeed and grow. She worked with Marshelle Berry and the Human Rights Commission to coordinate and promote the four sessions of Inclusion Conversations. 

Susan helped demystify the study circles for staff by sharing her own experience at the first session.  Secondly, she merited this award for creating the Professional Development and Training Newsletter with eye catching visuals, links for easy registration, and a spotlight section for library resources.  Susan has been with JPL 14 years.

John Wilson, (L), a fourth year librarian in Main's Special Collections, won an Enable Others to Act Award because he helped two recent high school graduates form a book club.  They wanted a forum to discuss local history and connect the events of history to today.  John guided the two young men through the process so they could assume ownership.  Now their book club, called "The Perspective", meets biweekly in Special Collections.

Chris Tabur, Model the Way Award winner, standing next to Director Rogers, and Tamera Pritchett, Enable Others to Act Award winner, were credited for their combined efforts to replace 759 computers at six libraries in five weeks last spring.  (WHEW!) Library Associate Chris works in ILS and Technology and is in his fourth year with the library.  He was the lead worker for this project. PT Library Associate Tamera worked with Chris and the ITD/Emtec team to ensure that computers were installed on time and issues that arose were promptly resolved.  Chris, working with Tamera, created a computer inventory database that made possible creation of a computer ID card for each computer.  This will help ITD staff to better troubleshoot computer issues as they arise. 

Cheyla Scantling is a Model the Way Award winner and for a very good cause: Quick thinking and life-saving action.  July 25th, Cheyla saw a child with his hands at his throat, having difficulty breathing and speaking.
   
She performed the Heimlich maneuver which dislodged a piece of candy from his throat, allowing him to breathe freely. Cheyla has been as a Library Clerk for nine years and currently works at Brown Eastside Library.

Writers, Writers Everywhere

The all day Jax By Jax Literary Arts Festival at the Main Library and MOCA, November 16, 2019, drew 796 literary enthusiasts. Jax By Jax featured writers living in and writing about
Jacksonville.  This year, 31 selected writers including poets, novelists, short-story writers, and memoirists read their work every 30 minutes in JPL's and MOCA’s auditoriums.

The event kicked off with a Student Showcase featuring young writers from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, and the University of North Florida.  And Women Writing for a Change kicked off their morning program with the release of their new anthology, (a) river rising, and led an interactive workshop.  (Below attendees are holding up their copies of (a) river rising.) 
 
Both readers and attendees took home information regarding Jax Book Fest 2020.

(Thanks to Lisa Buggs, Coordinator of Lifelong Learning and Community Engagement, and Gabby LoSchiavo, P/T Community Relations Specialist, for their input.)

Beautiful Morning; Beautiful Day

Friends of the Beaches Branch Library celebrated their 40th anniversary, November 16, 2019, at JB in a special way.  They gave the community a literary day and 683 fans reaped the benefits over a four hour period.

Starting at 10:30 am, 100 fans enjoyed coffee with Cassandra Conroy, the keynote speaker.  They gave their rapt attention as Ms. Conroy, shared some of her special memories of her and her late famous author/husband's relationship--more detailed in her newest book, Tell Me a Story.  She told how Pat Conroy never actually proposed.  He took her shopping for wedding bands and when they got back in the car Cassandra asked him if there was something he wanted to ask her.   

Later a panel of authors gave readings from their books and shared experiences with their devotees. Below Shannon Greenland said the inspiration for her book, The Scouts, was the 1980's movie, The Goonies. Katie Devanny (left) joined other customers for Ms. Greenlands recounts. 

Below President of the Beaches Friends Marianna Kane greets Ms. Conroy upon her arrival at the library Saturday morning.  Terry Welch was impressed with Ms. Conroy's social graces.  Ms. Conroy asked Jo Ann Mattingly, one of the committee members for the FOJB anniversary event, if she had read Susan Cushman's book about the Friends of the Library. 

Another memorable takeaway for Terry, "One of our local authors, David Weiskircher, gave Cassandra a copy of his book, A Thin Place.  She graciously accepted it and asked him to sign it.  As others agreed, It was a wonderful day capped by several outstanding moments."

The Frozen Globe

How cool can it be to paint an ice globe? At Regency Square Library, kids painted ice globes as an art project prepared by YS Librarian Alison Pulley, just out of their Young Children Read Play and Learn program presented by YS Associate Lauren Lazar, November 19, 2019.  Hongying Song said, "Some children were still painting ice globes after 20 minutes."  (The ice globes ere made by freezing water in a balloon.)  

Old McDonald Had A Farm

Pablo Creek Regional Library is booked almost all Mondays and Thursdays from September to mid-April by 11 elementary schools for DCPS field trips. Hongying Song says, "YS staff is dedicated to making memories for our young customers and their teachers.  Here you see YS Associate David Humphries and Casey Cassese putting on a puppet show using the reference desk as a stage where elephants stomped and dragons roared on the 'Old McDonald’s Farm,' November 18, 2019."  (Old McD. expanded  his range of creatures, I see, and much to the children's delight.)

 

WBK Youth Agree: Stop Bullying!

Westbrook Branch Library's Shaunda Jenkins and Portia Price created a book display and poster contest in observance of Bullying Awareness Month.  Victoria Quante-Dulaney reports, "Our young customers spent the month diligently working on their posters, which were displayed on and around our bulletin board, along with a selection of books on bullying.  We were especially happy to see that many youth invited their parents to view their posters on display.  On November 1, 2019,  we announced our winners: Melody, Krystal, and Siradus. They received gift cards and bags of candy in recognition of their stellar work and all participants received a bag of candy.

"Thanks to our panel of volunteer judges for helping select our winners: Amanda Heaton, Donna Carroll, Marshelle Berry, Ryan Merkel, Maria Griffith, Jackie Perry, and Kathleen Frazier. An even bigger thanks to Shaunda and Portia for leading the charge on this project. We enjoyed seeing the youth engaged in this noble effort and the community coming together to recognize the important issue of bulling prevention."