Staff Profile

CSAII Susan Williamson works at Pablo Creek Branch Library and believes in furthering your education.

Q: You received your AA in Psychology from the University of Phoenix recently--Congratulations! Do you plan to continue your education at this time?

A: Thank you. I am very excited about my AA degree. I have been working on it for a long time. Yes, I do plan to continue my education. I am waiting to see if FCCJ is going to have a four year program for psychology. My dad always wanted me to finish school. At this time, however, I am not sure when and where I will be finishing up. I have to give a special thank you to Christie Rogers and Joanna Tuskey for helping me to get through math. I was having a very hard time and they offered to help me.

Q: What have you learned in psychology that will help you in your position as CSAII?

A: Working with customers every day, I find that I use a lot of psychology. The classes have helped me understand and meet the needs of our customers. These classes have also helped with my personal development plan which is “Model the Way”.

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of working at the library?

A: For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to work in a library. For 13 years I worked in a private elementary school library. However, I knew I really wanted to work in a public library. When the opportunity came, I was ready. I worked for a summer at Webb Wesconnett Branch and then I was able to work part-time at Regency Square Branch. I have been full-time for five years and I love working at the Pablo Creek Branch. The most rewarding aspect to me has been getting to know the customers and working with some good people.

Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A: Since I now have some free time, I enjoy reading the most. I have also found that I enjoy writing book reviews on PCR's Facebook page.

Q: What is the most interesting book you have ever read?

A: I cannot think of one book that has been the most interesting to me. However, when I realized in ninth grade how much I had missed reading, the first book I picked up was Victoria Holt’s Menfreya in the Morning. After that, it was all the Gothic romances that were written at that time; now it is any good mystery.

Notes from Collectin Development:

These Summer Blockbusters are now on DVD and in the collection:

When college-bound Sam Witwicky learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers, he must accept his destiny and join Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in their epic battle against the Decepticons, who have returned stronger than ever with a plan to destroy the world.



James T. Kirk and his fellow novice crew members aboard the Enterprise face the Romulan villain Nero, who seeks revenge against the Vulcan race for an action committed by Spock in the future.




Shawn Levy (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, JUST MARRIED) directs the sequel of his hit film NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. Night guard Larry Daly (Ben Stiller), now a successful entrepreneur, returns to the Museum of Natural History to visit his friends--the exhibits that come to life at night--only to learn that they are being shipped off into deep storage at the Smitsonian Institution. To make matters worse, the exhibts at the Smithsonian, including the pharoaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria), are suddenly coming to life--and they aren't at all happy about their new visitors. Determined to save his friends, Larry rushes to Washington, D.C., and makes his way into the inner workings of the largest museum complex in the world while Kahmunrah recruits the likes of Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon (Alain Chabat), and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Larry, meanwhile, finds himself with spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) as a co-conspirator and love interest, and General Custer (Bill Hader) leading the battle for the Smithsonian.

One-Minute Video Story -- Marlin Models the Way

In this week's one-minute video, Joanna Tuskey shares a recollection of how Marlin Day, by his work ethic and teamwork, Modeled the Way when University Park was preparing to open to the public for the first time.

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

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

p.s. If you missed the last video story, simply click the arrow on the left side of the screen to display the previous clip.

Webb Wesconnett Branch Library Turns 30

Barbara Gubbin addressed a group of customers and staff and congratulated Webb Wesconnett Branch staff for their successful efforts in producing their library's 30th anniversary celebration, November 21. Other speakers were Senator Stephen Wise, Rev. Webb (the library bears his father's name), and Margaret Smith, Webb Wesconnett's first branch manager.

Library Associate Jack Betancourt and Librarian Mia Brack hold the 30th birthday invitation created for the event.


Publix donated a beautiful cake and prizes were noted on pieces of paper inside balloons that were released for this celebration.

Happy Birthday, Webb Wesconnett, and all of you can take a bow, who have been and are a part of its great success in this community.

"Tom" Is No "Turkey" at Raising Food Need Awareness at Southeast Branch

On Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 10:30am, Mr. Tom Turkey, (Paul Schaffner, Library Assistant) strutted his stuff at the Southeast Library first annual Turkey Trot Rally. In commemoration of Thanksgiving Day, children, 0 to 18 months, and their parents, chased "Mr. Tom" around a track set up in the Children's Department. Participating children chose non-perishable foods, donated by the employees, and placed them in a food donation barrel. The items, donated by the staff, will be taken to the local food bank in Jacksonville.

The Turkey Trot Rally events will occur several times during the day, and also on Wednesday, November 25. So if you have a need to burn some calories before the big day, visit the Southeast Regional Library. Shown in the picture is "Mr. Tom," encouraging trotters by flapping his wings before his first run.

Collection Development Resource Management FY2010

We will be sharing ideas and plans from various departments about how they will contribute to resource management in FY2010 and how they plan to help JPL meet its Performance Objectives.

Charlene Adkins, Library Supervisor, Collection Development, shared a vital plan her department will use:

"One of the ways Collection Development will be contributing toward the economic success objective in this year’s service priorities is by doing regular searches and orders for materials such as career development (resume books) and testing books. These materials are not regularly reviewed so by doing targeted searches within our vendor’s databases we will be able to identify and order materials that may not have been ordered otherwise. This process will provide additional economic success materials throughout the system on a regular basis."

Mandarin Branch Is Cookin'

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

Kudos from Customers

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

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

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

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

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

Library Board Honors Director Barbara Gubbin for Outstanding Leadership

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

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

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

Week of Valor at the Main Library

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

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

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

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

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

Video Stories -- Destination:LEADERSHIP

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

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

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

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

New Options Available in the General Employees Pension Plan

by Beth Mangold and Angela Vigil

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

Staff Profile

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who Pays and Who Paid the Price

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

Some pictures say it all and this one does.

You Oughta Be In Pictures, University Park

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

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

Kim Hamilton donned an Afro.

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

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

Good service and a good time were enjoyed by all!

Mayor Peyton Honors Employees for Years of Service

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

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

Halloween Was Party Time at Willowbranch

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

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

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

Notes from Collection Development

For Fans of Fall Football, we have the Following:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resurrection: The Miracle Season That Saved Notre Dame
Jim Dent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Halloween at Southeast Regional Library

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

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

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