Kudos from Customers

Main - Popular: Karen Harden is great. She assisted me in finding the ACII needed in no time. She is awesome.

Main - Special Collections: Thanks to Ms. Kathleen Krizek. She always smiles and is always ready to be of help.

Pablo Creek Branch: Susan (Williamson) is always courteous and has a smile on her face. I appreciate her service very much and just simply want recognition for her. Thanks.

Regency Square Branch: Ms. Mary (Heaney) is doing a good job with storytime.

West Regional Branch: Antoinette Walker is very helpful. I come in here a lot and she always knows the answer to my questions. She is fast to help me find wonderful books.

Banners for Staff Development Day Hail JPL Staff Champions of...

The great success of Staff Development Day was framed with 34 colorful banners, designed by staff, heralding individual branches' and departments' focus on what they are
CHAMPIONS OF...
Administration: Innovation
Argyle: Creativity
Beaches: Teamwork
Bradham Brooks Northwest: The Journey Toward Hope and Equality
Brentwood: Customer Service
Brown Eastside: Diversity
Dallas Graham: Teamwork - We Work Hard But Working As A Team Makes It Easier
Facilities: Sustainability - Leeding by Example
Highlands: Reserves
Main - Center for Adult Learning: Adult Learning -
Grammar, Spelling, Pre-GED, Workplace Skills, Computer Literacy, Phonics,
Life Skills, Math, Comprehension, & ESL
Main - Children's - Mirthful Jocosity
Main - Circulation - Circulation Desk Teamwork
Main - Interlibrary Loan: Resource Sharing - Interlibrary Loan & Books by Mail
Main - Popular: District Champs of JPL - POP - 2005-2009 - A Dynasty
Main - Reference: Reference
Main - Remote Reference:
Internet, Email, Ask A Librarian, Chat, Instant Messaging, Call Center & Phone
Main - Special Collections: Accessing Your History
Main - Talking Books: The Underserved
Main Teen: Awesomeness
Mandarin: Group Effort
Maxville: Customer Service - Happily Helping Customers - All Shapes and Sizes - Since 2005
Murray Hill: Diversity
Pablo Creek: Circulation, Customer Service, Technology, Volunteers, & Holds
Partnerships & Communiction:
Promoting Partnerships, People, Places, Communication & Events
Regency Square: Customer Satisfaction...Just Ask Us
San Marco: Customer Service
Southeast: Children's Services - art night, game night, storytime & circulation
South Mandarin: Community - Adults, Teens, and Children
Support Services Team at University Park: Materials and Access
University Park: Customer Service
Webb Wesconnett: Technology - Come And Experience The Wild Wild Webb
80% Self Check - 90% Computer Usage
West Regional: Teamwork - Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Westbrook: Community
Willowbranch: The Neighborhood

Congratulations to all who worked to make these beautiful banners!

Notes from Collection Development:

Are your customers still interested in the New York Times Bestseller lists? Do they want to know a bit more about the titles on the list? Perhaps they are interested in what other readers think of the titles? Maybe you don’t have enough hours in your day to keep up with all of the latest popular titles and want a quick way to stay current…

Well there is a new mash up you may want to investigate and pass along to customers.

It’s called Reading Radar: http://readingradar.com/. The creator, John Herren, has won awards for his mash ups. Reading Radar combines the NYT bestseller lists, Amazon’s customer written reviews and Amazon’s star rating system. So if you, or a customer, want to know more than just the spot a title occupies on the bestseller list, take a look at Reading Radar.

Also keep in mind that you can find the bestseller lists with links to our catalog holdings by going to “Resources for Readers/Hot Titles at the Library” on the library’s website.

Staff Profile

Wally Bowden has been Graphic Artist for JPL nine years and his professional graphics and input help put JPL's best foot forward. At left is a picture of Wally, 2nd from right, with his bride, Jenny, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walt Bowden.

Q: You’ve been JPL’s Graphic Artist for nine years. What part will your expertise play in the success of the new Library Card Campaign?
A: I am working with a great team on a committee to cover the social media aspect of the campaign. We will be doing a case page on Facebook promoting library card awareness, some youtube materials, blogging and shared stories via email which will allow all branches to participate.

Q: Why did you become a graphic artist?
A: I actually backed into the profession. My college major was Advertising and my minor was Political Science. It is impossible to break into the advertising field without any experience. My church had an open position for what was then called a typesetter. I was qualified for that with the few design classes I had in my days at UNF. That was 1997 and I have been doing it since.

Q: What is your favorite subject to read about and why?
A: I absolutely LOVE history and great historical figures such as Lincoln and Washington. Lately, I have also been reading a lot about how to turn good companies into great companies. I believe a lot of the same principles apply to making a good church a great church. My wife’s brother began a church in Jacksonville last month, and we are a part of the launch team for that church on the Northside. Outside of that, I just love suspense authors like Patterson and Koontz.

Q: Since design and color are big aspects in your daily work, what is the most beautiful place you have visited?
A: When I was married in June 2008, my wife and I wanted to honeymoon in Greece as my international travel only consisted of a trip to Canada, and I always thought that Greece is beautiful from the pictures/documentaries I have seen. Unfortunately, the cost of a wedding dictated us staying in the states so we went to Captiva Island, Florida, and it was gorgeous. We plan on taking that trip to Greece and celebrate the finish of her Masters in Counseling next year.

Q: What is something most people would not know about you?
A: I played two years of tennis for FCCJ on scholarship and just this February started my first tennis coaching position. I am the coach of the Varsity tennis boys and girls team for Mandarin Christian school.

Ron Block Is Runner-Up as Library Journal’s Paraprofessional of 2009

Ron Block was nominated by Gretchen Mitchell, Main Library Administrative Supervisor, for the Library Journal’s award for Paraprofessional of the Year, and he is the runner-up. You can read the article in the April 2009 Library Journal by clicking here.

Among his notable accomplishments, Ron sequestered Adriana Trigiani and had his picture made with her. (Ms. Trigiani entertained a crowd with her hilarious presentation at Much Ado About Books' luncheon, Saturday, February 28.)

Ron Block has been JPL’s Circulation Services Coordinator since October 2007. Among his varied challenges, he chairs Jacksonville Public Library’s Circulation Review Unit, comprised of librarians and support staff, and CRU reviews and recommends changes to policy and procedures that have supported the Library Board of Trustees' development of JPL’s user-friendly policy. Their work has resulted in improvements in our holds, library card registration, and renewals procedures. Through this team, Ron led the cause to make it easier for homeless living in shelters to obtain library cards. In addition to this team, he chairs the Circulation Roundtable, a group of paraprofessionals from each branch. Ron is also one of 16 trainers who teaches in the JPL’s Destination Leadership program. Prior to his current position, Ron worked as Clerical Services Supervisor at Regency Square, University Park and Southeast branches.

Lincoln's Bicentennial

How can you honor this great man? Read one of these recent orders and promote them to your customers.

920.073 STAUFFER 2008

Giants : the parallel lives of Frederick Douglass & Abraham Lincoln /John Stauffer.

ISBN: 0446580090

Booklist (Wednesday, October 01, 2008):Like Paul and Steven Kendrick, authors of the recent Douglass and Lincoln, Stauffer has to scale up to achieve book size, since the men’s personal relationship consisted of just three meetings. Stauffer does that partially by using the Kendrick’s method of chronicling Douglass' criticisms of Lincoln and partially by presenting a dual biography couched in the theme of the self-made man. As he hits the mile markers of the men’s rise from nothing, Stauffer, an English professor, often speculates about what each man certainly or would have thought about events in their lives (such as Lincoln's supposed homosexuality, of which Stauffer is convinced, despite acknowledging there is no explicit evidence). This casts his narrative more as historical essay than straightforward history. Stauffer also emphasizes what he regards as key features of the men’s interaction, such as a friendship, perhaps genuine, perhaps diffident, growing out of Lincoln's incremental adoption of the abolitionist position championed by Douglass. A work well worth the attention of students of emancipation. – Gilbert Taylor (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)



BIO 973.7092 LINCOLN 2009

A. Lincoln : a biography / Ronald C. White, Jr

ISBN: 1400064996

Booklist (Thursday , January 01, 2009): A scholar of Lincoln’s rhetoric (Lincoln's Greatest Speech, 2002), White offers the full-bodied Lincoln biography, the most recent example of which was David Herbert Donald’s highly praised Lincoln (1995). Donald’s intent was to craft a definitive portrait of Lincoln's enigmatic personality, while White aims for a chronological narrative of Lincoln's public activity. White adheres to a factual tone rather than trying to figure Lincoln out a la Donald. This is an important need for readers seeking the arc of Lincoln’s life (rather than an interpretation of it) and is one that White ably fulfills. Recounting Lincoln's beginnings, White informs readers about the importance of Lincolns' stepmother; the rapidity with which Lincoln, once emancipated from his father, gained political standing in Sangamon County, Illinois, in the 1830s; and the rise of his reputation through descriptions of numerous election campaigns that Lincoln conducted from his power base. Capped by his account of Lincolns' Civil War presidency, White's book provides a solid informational foundation. – Gilbert Taylor (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

BIO 973.7092 LINCOLN 2009

Mrs. Lincoln : a life / Catherine Clinton.

ISBN: 0060760400

Booklist (Monday, December 1, 2008): This biography of the wife of the sixteenth president is perfectly timed: it will be published in the first month of the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. It is certainly not a rush job. Clinton's careful research and thoughtful presentation result in the best treatment of the troubled life of Mary Lincoln in recent memory. It is important to approach Mrs. Lincoln with not only respect but also balance, to not only understand her eccentricities but also sympathize with them while making no unwarranted excuses for her. This Clinton does brilliantly. Mary Lincoln’s mercurial, insecure personality and crimes, namely, overspending on clothes and White House improvements, were hot fodder for journalists during her husband's administration and even during her peripatetic widowhood. Clinton sees Mary making many wrong choices in behavior that simply fueled the smear campaign against her and gives witness to Mary’s deteriorating mental condition after the shock of her husband’s assassination played havoc with her already fragile stability. The issue of whether she went insane, her only living child, Robert, had her committed for a while to an asylum to stop her waywardness is sensitively analyzed. She was, and continues to be, controversial, but, as Clinton submits, she remains a figure of great color, worthy of continued interest. – Brad Hooper (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

Town Hall Meeting Schedules

What are Town Hall meetings?

Town Hall meetings are scheduled periodically by the Library Director to give all staff members an opportunity to learn more about the Library, get to know senior staff and to ask questions. They also give the Director and her staff an opportunity to know about issues that are important to you!

How do I participate?

Let you manager know if you are interested in attending and he/she will accomodate as many people as possible. Even if you aren't able to attend, you'll be able to read notes from the meetings on the blog. And, you can submit your questions ahead of time by clicking on the "comment" button below. (Comments can be anonymous.)

Meeting Schedule

April:

1. 4/21/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to South Mandarin
2. 4/22/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to West
3. 4/23/09 - Pablo Creek, meeting room, 2:30-4:00

June:

1. 6/15/09 - Pablo Creek, meeting room, 2:30-4:00
2. 6/16/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to South Mandarin
3. 6/17/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to West
   

September:

1. 9/1/09 - Pablo Creek, meeting room, 2:30-4:00
2. 9/2/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to South Mandarin
3. 9/3/09 - Main, MP1, 2:30-4:00 and, remote to West

If you have questions or need more information, please contact your supervisor.

Readers Wanted: Be A Part of Something Exciting!

The International IMPAC Dublin Award is presented annually to a novel written in English, or translated into English. Unlike many literary awards, the IMPAC Dublin accepts nominations solely from libraries around the world. In 2008, 157 libraries, representing 117 cities in 41 countries, submitted nominations. This year, the Jacksonville Public Library would like to join that group.

The objective of this award is to promote excellence in world literature. Because of this, books are nominated based on "high literary merit", and not necessarily on popularity. Although literary fiction is hard to define, a brief explanation can be found on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fiction), or can be gathered from past examples of award winners (http://www.impacdublinaward.ie/awardarchive.htm).

We are looking to nominate a title for the 2010 award, and we would like your help.

From now until March 18th, I will be collecting suggestions of titles from staff. ALL staff members are eligible to suggest a title. From these titles, we will form a short list of our own. One of these titles will become our official nomination. We are also looking for staff members to be judges. For judges, a commitment to read the five shortlisted titles over the course of a month will be required. If you would like to suggest a title, or would consider being a judge, please email me directly at kema@coj.net.

Happy Reading!

Kudos from Customers

Brentwood Branch: I adore my library and the best staff on the planet--Gloria Armstrong, Maude Scott, Tasha Toliver, and Margaret Miles.

Main Library - Reference Department: Greg Royce was so helpful to me and my husband. He went out of his way for us.

South Mandarin Branch: Love Anne Robert and David Foster. They treat the kids so good! They are very helpful to the kids and parents.

Southeast Branch - Jodi Nehrt and Dee Young provide excellent service in the Teen Department.

Westbrook Branch: Wonderful employees--Eve Harm, Janene Cortez, Beatrice Kungu, and Laura Minnich.

Notes from Collection Development

At Midwinter ALA in late January, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards were announced. Below are the winners and honor books. All of these titles are in the collection just waiting to be read and more copies are on the way!

Randolph Caldecott Medal - Honors the illustrator of the most distinguished picture book for children published in the U.S. during the preceding year.

Winner: The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes:

Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A young girl is given a golden key to a house. “In the house / burns a light. / In that light / rests a bed. On that bed / waits a book.” And so continues this simple text, which describes sometimes fantastical pleasures as a bird from the book spirits the child through the starry sky to a wise-faced moon. The cumulative tale is a familiar picture-book conceit; the difference in success comes from the artwork. Here, the art is spectacular. Executed in scratchboard decorated in droplets of gold, Krommes’ illustrations expand on Swanson’s reassuring story (inspired by a nursery rhyme that begins, “This is the key of the kingdom”) to create a world as cozy inside the house as it is majestic outside. The two-page spread depicting rolling meadows beyond the home, dotted with trees, houses, barns, and road meeting the inky sky, is mesmerizing. The use of gold is especially effective, coloring the stars and a knowing moon, all surrounded with black-and-white halos. A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

Honors:
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
A River of Words by Jennifer Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

John Newbery Medal - Honors the year’s most distinguished contribution by a U.S. citizen or resident to American literature for children.

Winner:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean

Kirkus Reviews
Wistful, witty, wise—and creepy. Gaiman's riff on Kipling's Mowgli stories never falters, from the truly spine-tingling opening, in which a toddler accidentally escapes his family's murderer, to the melancholy, life-affirming ending. Bod (short for Nobody) finds solace and safety with the inhabitants of the local graveyard, who grant him some of the privileges and powers of the dead—he can Fade and Dreamwalk, for instance, but still needs to eat and breathe. Episodic chapters tell miniature gems of stories (one has been nominated for a Locus Award) tracing Bod's growth from a spoiled boy who runs away with the ghouls to a young man for whom the metaphor of setting out into the world becomes achingly real. Childhood fears take solid shape in the nursery-rhyme–inspired villains, while heroism is its own, often bitter, reward. Closer in tone to American Gods than to Coraline, but permeated with Bod's innocence, this needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child. (Illustrations not seen.) (Fantasy. 10 & up) Copyright Kirkus 2008 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

Honors:
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

"Start Here. Go Anywhere." Mural Dedication at Argyle Branch, January 31, 2009

Regions Bank and the Argyle Branch Library are community partners. Regions Bank--with its interest in public art--found a great project to sponsor when their representatives discovered Argyle Branch Library envisioned creating a mural in their children’s department. Regions Bank's Alicia Somers, Pam Hatt, and especially Sherri Johnson were instrumental in contracting a local artist, Pamela Miller, who is also a regular Argyle customer. She saw her finished mural--aptly named "Start Here. Go Anywhere."--dedicated, Saturday, January 31, when Regions Bank presented it as a gift to the Jacksonville Public Library during a Mural Dedication Party, attended by 200-300 people. Regions Bank provided refreshments and hired a talented face painter from Big Top Entertainment, who was popular with the children. Other activities included a storytime and a table where kids could get tattoos, coloring books and crayons. Library Director Barbara Gubbin made the opening remarks, complimented Ms. Miller on her mural and thanked Regions Bank and its represenatives for the mural. She presented Ms. Somers with a plaque acknowledging Regions Bank's gift to the library. The plaque will hang by the mural in the library. Everyone is invited to visit Argyle Branch and enjoy "Start Here. Go Anywhere." It is a dynamic, colorful work of art, that helps bring the community together. You can click below and see photos taken on the day the mural was dedicated:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AYLlibrary/MuralDedication

Ask a Librarian Day is February 20, 2009

You all can feel proud that Jacksonville Public Library has one of the largest live chat reference teams in Florida's Ask a Librarian network.

We now have 60 chat agents, librarians and library associates who work at every branch, as well as at Main Library.

In addition, each month we place fourth or fifth for the number of public library customers who login to Ask a Librarian through our website.

Ask a Librarian chat and email services are available to anyone on the Internet who logs in through one of the 100 participating Florida K-12, public and academic library systems (more information about the service and its history here).

Local Desk
Better still, JPL is now expanding its Local Desk service.

Whenever a JPL agent is logged into Local Desk, JPL customers are connected directly to us, instead of to someone in another library system. You can imagine how much more helpful this is.

We can

• search JAXCAT
  
• take local customers to JPL's e-Research databases, the Programs & Events calendar, etc.
  
• introduce them to all the resources of My Online Library
  
• do the same circ transactions we would do by phone (holds, renewals, reports of account information, etc.)
  
• draw upon our own staff, collections and services throughout the JPL system, as well as upon our knowledge of and access to other local resources.
  

Ask a Librarian Day
On Friday, February 20th, Florida celebrates Ask a Librarian Day (details on the Ask a Librarian Blog).

Here's a chance for all of us to make our local Ask a Librarian service visible to our customers.

JPL chat agents at each location will have bright Ask a Librarian tee-shirts to wear on the day, and there will be lapel stickers for the rest of you.

There will also be business cards to give customers, and we encourage branches to do displays.

Special note: You don't have to be a trained chat agent to demonstrate Ask a Librarian to your customers.

Just login, click the Chat button, and show your customer a sample chat with a Florida librarian or library associate.

You can also take customers to the live chat demo to show them what to expect during a chat.

Remember that we also offer two other services through the Ask a Librarian page.

Email reference can take questions 24/7, and our goal is to reply within 24 hours (except Sundays and holidays).

Book a Librarian allows customers to schedule a session with a librarian at Main Library, in order to get a personal introduction to resources available there.

Unsure what to say to customers? Here are a few key speaking points:

• If you need help when you’re not in our library, visit Ask a Librarian
  
• Your questions will be answered by library professionals
  
• The service is open until midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and 10am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday
  
• It's free
  
• If Ask a Librarian isn’t open for chat, you can always email your question to us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

And, of course, if you want more information about Ask a Librarian, contact Mike Shell, Christa Snow, Brian Moses or Julie McNeil in Main Reference. We'll be glad to help.

Thanks, everyone.

Explore – Discover - Be inspired at Much Ado About Books 2009

Since 1990, JPL Foundation has held an annual premier book festival, Much Ado About Books (MAAB), and proceeds have supported and enhanced many library projects over these years. MAAB has hosted some of the best authors in America, and you don’t want to miss this year’s array of writers. You can meet and learn from another outstanding panel of authors, including David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Tracy Brown, Carla Neggers, Adriana Trigiani, and many more.

Much Ado About Books, February 27-28, 2009, will—for the first time—be hosted entirely at the Main Library.

Friday, February 27

Novel Discussions: Writer’s Workshop – FREE
8:30 a.m.: Registration; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Workshop
Multipurpose Rooms, Conference Level, Main Library
Best-selling author, Steve Berry, will host two morning and two afternoon sessions.

Book Brunch and Young Writers Awards with David Baldacci, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Multipurpose Room, Conference Level, Main Library
*Tickets: $50 per person (signed book included)
Best-selling novelist, David Baldacci, will host a brunch to discuss his career and current novel, "Divine Justice", and he will present The Young Writers Awards.

Ex Libris Gala: Journey to Xi’an
7 p.m. – Midnight
Betsy Lovett Courtyard, 2nd Floor, Main Library
*Reservations start at $250 per couple, or $150 per couple, under age 35. Join Bank of America and national best-selling authors.

Saturday, Februay 28:

Much Ado About Books Festival – FREE
9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Main Library
Meet national best-selling authors. enjoy author and panel discussions, buy your favorite books and get them signed.

Children’s Chapter – FREE
9 a.m. – Noon – Children’s Library, 2nd Floor, Main Library
For children of all ages: Enjoy celebrity readings and hands-on activities. Visit the Nemours BrightStart! mobile classroom. The first 500 children to complete the journey will receive a copy of "We’re Going to the Library!" from the Mayor’s Book Club. Join Clifford, Curious George and other costumed characters on the journey through a world of books! And you can meet Diane deGroat, author and illustrator of the "Gilbert the Opossum" series.

A Very Valentine Luncheon with Adriana Trigiani
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Multipurpose Room, Conference Level, Main Library - *$50 per person (signed book included).
Best-selling novelist, award-winning playwright, TV writer and documentary film writer, Adriana Trigiani, will present a luncheon highlighting her new novel, "Very Valentine".

*Please call (904) 630-1995 for reservation information, visit muchadoaboutbooks.com, or send in your completed order form (found in all the Much Ado About Books 2009 brochures) to JPL Foundation, P. O. Box 40103, Jacksonville, FL 32203-0103.

MUCH ADO ABOUT BOOKS, FEBRUARY 27-28, 2009

Let's see what exciting things are planned at MAAB this year...

West Regional Branch Highlights

Our programs have really taken off out here on the fringe of civilization. Although with all the growth and road widening going on it's easy to see where this side of Duval County is the next great development area and we're gearing up to serve this side of the city with a wide variety of programs and events! We had a solid turnout for the African American Authors Book Club last night that Yuri Jewitt hosts on the first Wednesday evening of every month. This weekend our Children's Librarian has prepared a "Tree-mendous Trees" finger painting story time adventure to compliment Mayor Peyton's Outdoor Adventures tree planting ceremony at the Arboretum on Saturday.
Several weeks ago now we hosted a fishing seminar conducted by local charterboat captains. They demonstrated fishing techniques, showed video of their fishing adventures, and gave away a number of great doorprizes. Look for them again at West on March 14th and soon at a JPL branch near you.
Computer classes have also receive a great deal of attention and were featured on the TU's Jacksonville.com. We're looking forward to the "Call of the Wild" events in March & April and hope everyone is staying warm until then !

Your Opinion Counts!

The January Your Opinion Counts! marketing campaign was a huge success with 2327 survey responses received. Great work everybody!
The customer prize drawing was held today and here are the lucky winners:

• Heather Burnette, Main - gift card


• Waheeda Yakub, PCR - gift card


• Rhonda L. Price, SOM - gift card


• J.B. Roberts, Main - gift card


• M.R. Jordan, Southeast - FOL Membership


• Rosanne Virata, Beaches - Booktique Coupon

Winners will be notified in the next few days. Congratulations to all!

Staff Profile

Meet Ralph Henderson,
Library Associate Senior
at the Southeast
Branch Library.

Q: Where have you worked outside the Jacksonville Public Library, and do you view the library differently now that you work here?
A: My prior employment was with Probation and Parole Services, State of Florida. I view the library differently in that I had no idea the library provided so many electronic resources through the database system. I wish I had known about them when I was working on my masters degree.

Q: Who is your favorite author and why do you think he/she is most interesting?
A: I have always enjoyed Kurt Vonnegut Jr. I believe, as one person once said, he is the Mark Twain of the 20th century.

Q: What are your hobbies or favorite pastime?
A: Reading of course. I also dabble in trail hiking, collecting autographed celebrity pictures, and trap shooting.

Q: What is something most people may not know about you?
A: I soloed in a Cessna 150 at the St. Augustine Airport when I was sixteen years old.

Q: What do you think is the library’s most valuable contribution to the community?
A: The ability to provide resources to the community on a variety of topics and needs. A good example being the economic and employment problems we are having now. Customers can get information on investing during these difficult times, as well as employment information like how to complete resumes and interview for jobs. Customers also have access to computers for obtaining employment. There are very few places in our community where so many resources are provided under one roof.

Notes from Collection Development

The 2008 Oscar nominees were recently announced so Collection Development wanted to highlight this year’s Oscar nominated films owned by the system. The Duchess is on order, but has not arrived yet. The majority of the nominees aren’t yet released but will be ordered when they become available.

Video Librarian Reviews
Website: http://www.videolibrarian.com/

It’s rare for two superb comic-book movies to arrive in the same decade, much less the same summer, but The Dark Knight followed the well-received Iron Man with even better reviews and went on to shatter box-office records. Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne, alias the Batman, still fighting crime in Gotham City but suffering from the increasing physical and emotional toll on his personal life—including the loss of his sweetheart Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to crusading district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart)—at a time when a vicious new crime wave masterminded by the dangerously sociopathic Joker (Heath Ledger) is being unleashed. Director and co-writer Christopher Nolan fleshes out the two-dimensional characters, which are perfectly played by returning cast members Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine, while Ledger’s final performance is quite literally blood-chilling and may well prove to be the definitive interpretation of a comic-book villain. Exciting, suspenseful, and dramatically engaging, The Dark Knight is highly recommended. (E. Hulse) Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2009.

Video Librarian Reviews
Website: http://www.videolibrarian.com/
Director Andrew Stanton’s animated Pixar entry WALL-E begins in the far distant future when robots have become responsible for most of the work once performed by human beings. After hundreds of lonely years on Earth fulfilling the mission for which he was programmed, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class) finds new purpose in life when a robot from outer space named EVE (short for Extra-Terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) arrives and discovers that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to Earth’s future. EVE races back to a galaxy far, far away to report her findings to self-exiled humans eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home. When WALL-E realizes that EVE is gone, he follows her and naturally gets into more trouble than you can shake a tractor beam at. Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt (who recorded many of the film’s sound effects in a junkyard) supplies the “voice” of WALL-E, with Elissa Knight as EVE. Other voice work supporting players include Sigourney Weaver, Fred Willard, Kathy Najimy, and John Ratzenberger. Boasting Pixar’s trademark excellent animation and “characters” who seem more human than some of their three-dimensional counterparts in live-action movies, WALL-E is highly recommended. (E. Hulse) Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2009.


Video Librarian Reviews
Website: http://www.videolibrarian.com/ Anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Allan Gibson’s (James McAvoy) chances of dramatically changing his life are nigh on nil—until he’s recruited by a secret society of assassins headed by the sinister Sloan (Morgan Freeman) to exploit a skill Wesley doesn’t even know he has: the ability to fire a gun in such a way as to make the bullet curve. Under the tutelage of seductive, aptly named Fox (Angelina Jolie), Wesley becomes a somewhat reluctant but effective killing machine. Sound ridiculous? Well, of course it does, but just like similar modern-day movies that turn comic books into marginally plausible movies, Wanted tries to bring a patina of believability to the proceedings, with Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch) backed by an impressive array of talented craftspeople: from cinematography to set design to stunt work to special effects, the film boasts a level of fastidiousness that extends to the tiniest detail. Unfortunately, no such care has been taken to correct the plot’s silliness, flesh out the two-dimensional characters, or explain the plethora of physical feats that defy the laws of physics. Overall, however, this is still a tolerable complement to a bowl of popcorn. A strong optional purchase. (E. Hulse) Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2009.

Synopsis:
After PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT, Keira Knightley continues her reign as the queen of the period film with this 18th-century costume drama. The corset-clad actress stars as Georgiana Spenser, the Duchess of Devonshire. With her marriage to the duke (Ralph Fiennes), Georgiana achieves an impressive level of fame as Britons follow both her clothing style and her political advice. But even celebrity and wealth can't act as a salve in her marriage to the boring, boorish duke. When he begins to flaunt his affairs, Georgiana is tempted to return to a teenage crush, Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper of THE HISTORY BOYS), to the anger of her husband and her mother (Charlotte Rampling, SWIMMING POOL). Fiennes's portrayal of the duke ranks roughly with his Lord Voldemort on a scale of beastly behavior, but the acclaimed actor manages to give him a level of humanity that far surpasses what he deserves. THE DUCHESS focuses on the lack of power possessed by Georgiana and, in fact, all women of her time, and the duke is the primary agent of her suppression. As she has done with other period films from the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN series to KING ARTHUR, Knightley brings spirit to the role, as well as a regal carriage that perfectly fits the detailed costumes by Michael O'Connor. Fans of history-based drama--Georgiana was real-life royalty who is found in the genealogy of Princess Diana--will find much to like in this film, which boasts impressive locations, lush costumes, and forbidden love.

Regency Square Branch's Customer Appreciation Board Is A Big Hit With Customers

Virginia Martin, pictured at the Appreciation Board, is a librarian at the Regency Square Branch Library. She has developed a way to give customers an opportunity to express their positive thoughts about the library. This is Ms. Martin's story about how Regency Square's Appreciation Board came to be:

I got the idea for the Customer Appreciation Board after reading Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. The book is by the director of the Spencer, Iowa library who finds a kitten in the library drop box and decides to let the cat become part of the library. The cat befriends customers and media alike and generates a renewed interest in the library.

I dreamed one night after reading this book that I went to Spencer, Iowa and visited the library. Customers were leaving notes to each other and the library staff about how much they loved the library, similar to our Staff Appreciation Board in the staff lounge. I told my supervisor, Marshelle Berry, about my dream, and she suggested that we make a board saying, "I Love My Public Library Because…” and leave sticky notes for them to fill out. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve had 44 notes from customers in the past week, only two of which needed to be taken down because they weren’t sincere. Some of my favorite quotes include, “Because the books on CD make my drive to and from work more enjoyable! And I get old, old movies for free!” “I love the public library because you can learn the things you need to learn just by books” “I get free pencils…like the one I’m writing with and I can study here!” Thank you, Marshelle, for letting me carry out my idea!

Marshelle Berry added some of her favorite quotes that are also on the board:

"I love the public library because it contains a wealth of public information."
"I love the fact that it’s the only place where you can check out “rent” a movie for five days—FREE."
"I love the diversity in music CD’s it offers."
"Very educational."
"It’s always clean."
"They have good security and everyone is friendly."
"Because I can get books."
"Because the people are nice and helpful."
"It’s a nice place to go when I don’t feel like going home directly after school."
"I love to read!"
"Because the books help edamacate me."
"I like the books because I get educated and I learn how to read."
"Because it has nice people there."