UPK's 3rd Annual Academic Excellence Awards

UPK's Rosalin Smalls submitted this well-earned brag:

"UPK held their third Annual Academic Excellence Awards ceremony, May 8.  Pictured above are: Kim Hamilton, Children's Library Assistant; 13 year-old Zylynn Clark, who is an 8th grader at Fletcher Middle School and an Honor Roll student; Roz Smalls, Library Clerk, and Zylynn’s proud grandmother; and Mary Calcagni, Children's Librarian.

"UPK staffs annually commend and encourage their regular customers/students that have become like family.  They are reminded of the rewards of working hard in school and getting a good education, and having respect for others and themselves.

"Kim has all of her students that visit the branch give her a copy of their report cards during the year. Students who may not have made the Honor Roll, but have shown good progress, are also included. Honorees get prominent seats and parents sit along the wall; this is the students' time to shine.

"Guest speaker Mary Willis, a retired nurse, who attended Tuskegee Institute (previously named Tuskegee College), also stressed the lifelong value of a good education.  Ms. Willis also spoke about George Washington Carver and how much he valued his education.  Students were asked what education means to them and how it can benefit them.

"One of the attendees, David Delphin, a senior at Terry Parker High School, has attended the program from its inception. There were 21 young people present, ranging from first grade to senior high. Many of the students have maintained their Honor Roll status for the past three years. The honorees were given certificates with their names on them, a “Recipe for Success”, and a poem “Be True to Your Heart and Your Dreams Will Come True”, by Debra Ruegg-Jenkins.

"After the ceremony, pizza, drinks, and a cake from Publix was served.  The cake was inscribed, "Third Annual Academic Excellence Awards".  The students enjoyed coming together and seeing others that attended the ceremony last year."

Kudos to you, UPK, for taking time to recognize outstanding students. 

FLA Annual Conference 2013

 

Richard Mott, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, shares news from the Florida Library Association Annual Conference, May 1-3: 

"Twelve JPL employees attended FLA held at the Orlando Hilton. Many of them were involved in the show, not just spectators. Ron Block and Kathy Lussier (along with Liz Morgan, a local public relations consultant, shown in pic above with Kathy and Ron) led a session called Novel Partnerships to Expand Your Library's Reach. I was not able to attend, but I happened to sit next to a librarian before the following session, who was animatedly describing to a colleague some of the great ideas she learned from Ron & Kathy. Sounded a lot like buzz. Michael Sullivan participated in a panel on Powerful Partnerships for Workforce Recovery, highlighting our valuable partnership with WorkSource.

"Lynn Jacobson presented a poster on JPL’s model inventory process. JPL was well represented on committees, too. Michael, a member of the Scholarships Committee, was hard at work helping raise a boatload of money for scholarships, through a gift basket auction, a wine toss (you purchase 10 plastic rings and get to keep as many bottles as you can ring), and a 50-50 drawing.

"Sara Radovic met with the New Membership Committee to discuss their work over the past year and plans for the coming one. Barbara Gubbin attended on Thursday to participate in the Legislative Committee, and I had the opportunity to meet with the Awards Committee, on which I am serving. Other conference attendees included Mike Shell, Eric Soriano, Gretchen Mitchell, and Marshelle Berry.

"We heard an opening session keynote from Duane Bray, Partner and Head of Global Digital Business, at the award-winning global design company IDEO. The closing session takes place during a Friday luncheon every year. Bill Barnes of Unshelved fame gave the closing keynote, which was just a sharing of the five cartoons he sketched the night before based on “worst library stories” that were submitted by members. It was funny but there wasn’t much to it. If you heard him speak at our own Staff Development Day several years ago, you heard a better speech.

"The heart of the conference, though, was of course the food, I mean, the programs. There were a number of excellent presentations. Here are some of the ones that I attended:

• Sara and I attended Using Technology to Energize Teens and Tweens, presented by Diana Silveira, who will be one of the speakers at NEFLIN’s upcoming Technology Conference

• Marshelle and I attended The 21st Century Library: Innovation is Key, by Monique Sendze from Douglas County (CO) Libraries.

• The best speaker I heard was Randy Hensley, from the Newman Library, City University of New York. He spoke on The Creative Dynamic for Today’s Library. This guy was a pro. Polished and confident, he had the audience’s attention from his introduction (before he said a word he sang a Broadway tune a capela) to his activities (he had us drawing w/ crayons and brainstorming on Post-it Notes). In between, he cited creativity gurus like Daniel Pink. Mike and I attended this one together.

• The most dynamic “amateur” presenter I heard was Katherine Kastanis, from Dunedin Public Library, on Steps to Successful Teen and Teen Volunteer Programs. That woman crammed what seemed like a hundred program ideas into her hour, complete with demonstrations, loads of visual aids, and detailed “how to replicate” handouts. On top of that, she described a very successful teen volunteer program. Can’t wait to pass on my notes to our own talented teen services staff.

"Despite working very, very, very hard, we did make time for some recreational activity. I saw Gretchen on the treadmill one morning (maybe “recreational” loosely defined). Michael was thwarted in his plans to float down the hotel’s lazy “river” because it seemed like it never stopped raining for five minutes. A group of JPL staff had dinner together one night and listened to an excellent band playing, I’d call it, classic rock-n-roll at BB Kings. One esteemed colleague could not resist the urge to demonstrate his or her skills on the dance floor (the photos will be sold to the highest bidder).

"A lot of learning went on – a lot of good ideas that need some time to digest. Good opportunities to spotlight some of our own successful activities and to nurture and build professional relationships that could bear fruit down the road. And for me, one of the most valuable aspects is always the opportunity to build professional relationships with colleagues from JPL – away from the pressure and grind of the normal day-to-day work responsibilities. I hope more JPLers will be able to take advantage of the opportunity next year."

Thanks, Richard, for sharing with those of us who could not attend.  (We did not get a picture of his handsome face to post; however, like all the other faces shown here, you know who's who.)

Friends Book Warehouse Sale, May 23-June 1, 2013

The Great Jacksonville Book Warehouse Sale is a Friend to anyone who wants a book, etc. at a very good price.  Spread the word and we'll meet you, your friends, and JPL customers at University Park Branch where the Friends Warehouse is located:

Thursday, May 23 - 4-8 pm - FJPL Members Night (you can join there)
Friday, May 24 - 4-8 pm
Saturday, May 25 - 9 am - 5 pm

AND $10 FOR A BAG OF BOOKS ON THESE DAYS:

Sunday, May 26, Noon - 5 pm
Tuesday, May 28 - 4 - 7 pm
Thursday, May 30 - 4 - 7 pm
Saturday, June 1 - 9 am - 1 pm

Thanks To A Talented Team: Traveling Tales Is Travelin'

Stephanie Miller, Youth Services Senior Librarian for the Webb Region, is proud to share her take on the new Traveling Tales program. Kits were available for checkout on May 1:

 "This is a great example of JPL’s ability to collaborate. Many different parts of the system had a hand in making these kits happen. The Main Children’s department was primarily responsible for coming up with all of the storytime programs featured in the kits. SST helped us purchase the book and media materials, sort them upon arrival, and then fully catalog each theme, catching more than a few accidental omissions on our part and putting up with a LOT of last minute changes, and put them on the website and the online catalog, making them accessible to the public. CR&M made all of the promotional materials for the kits and helped us put together the actual preview event. Mitesh Sangani's crew made it possible for us to use the conference level space. The various management staffs made it possible for us to use time to pool together the materials to go into the kits and then actually putting them all together. Laura Minnich helped us get the Friends grant in the first place and then continued to “steer the ship,” pulling everyone together to finish the project and get the kits launched. The Friends of JPL gave us the monies to purchase completely new materials for all of the kits.

"Those who attended the event were extremely enthusiastic about the program. Folks from various levels in the early learning community all found some way to use the materials. As soon as Rebekah Mitchell began checking in the kits, they started going out to holds. We could not be more excited about the positive reception these kits have received. The kits will be a valuable resource, providing a snap shot of our library services to children, for many years to come. They also show that JPL is capable of remarkable and wonderful things when we all work together (cheesy, I know, but it’s true)."

Traveling Tales includes 30 kits with puppets, flannel boards, a manual of suggested songs, arts and crafts for children ages 2-5.  You can access pictures about the big launch at:

  G:\SHARED\Traveling Tales launch 2013\Traveling Tales pics

Click the link below to read Folio Weekly's "Bouquets" for Stephanie, Rebekah, and Marie and add your own kudos to these staffs:

http://www.folioweekly.com/Bouquets-to-Senior-Librarian-Stephanie-Miller-and-Library-Associates-Rebekah-Mitchell-and-Marie-Myers,4718

Calling All Florida History Buffs: TO DO 5/9/13

The Friends of JPL and the Jacksonville Historical Society team up to host a reception and book signing (6:30 p.m.) with author T. D. Allman, Thursday, May 9, 2013 at Old St. Andrews, 317 A. Philip Randolph Boulevard. Author Allman's program is at 7:00 p.m.  He claims Florida has not been accurately recounted and has written a 556 page book to present Florida's real history.

Allman, a Harvard graduate, has had articles published in National Geographic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New Republic and Rolling Stone.  He has served as a foreign correspondent for Vanity Fair and has interviewed Yasser Arafat, Boris Yeltsin, Helmut Kohl, and Manuel Noriega.

Not a bad way to celebrate Florida's 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon's landing here--and who wouldn't enjoy such an interesting discussion while showing support for our faithful Friends.   

Neither Rain Nor High Water Could Stop ComicCon

Think the digital world has completely upstaged the printed word? Despite incessant rain and rising water, the Beaches Branch Library proved

otherwise on Saturday, May 4, celebrating a free comic book day.  From 2-5 p.m., 1,180 local artists and kids--large and small--flocked into JB's first ComicCon to absorb all they could of the comic book and Sci-Fi worlds.

The library partnered with the local comic store, Superhero Beach, and contacted local artists, shops, and schools to get on board.  Gavin Lambert and Julie Rekow worked hard to realize ComicCon's roaring success.  Customers enjoyed local graphic artists' works and talking to them.  Many showed off their costumes, mimicking their favorite comic book characters,and joined in the trivia contest.

At top,Tony Miller's version of Yoda.   Above right: JB's Gavin Lambert and Julie Rekow in front of "Tardis" (for non-SciFi fans, that's the time machine from BBC's TV show "Doctor Who".  Julie made this one from cardboard boxes. 

Gavin Lambert's daughter, Abigail, took a shine to Wonder Woman.  Of course, there was a costume contest and Richard and Noah Crook, dressed as Batman and Robin, won.  Below is comic book artist Henry Gonzalez.

Above Iron Man and JB's Terry Welch consider each other.

All fun things come to an end but Beaches Branch plans to WOW their community again next year with their second ComicCon.   For more info, enjoy the newspaper article from The Florida Times-Union:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-05-04/story/fans-flock-comicon-beaches-library-despite-stormy-challenges#.UYYbVGY4ijI.facebook

Library Board Honors JPL Award Winners

May 6, 2013, the JPL Board of Trustees will honor JPL's latest award winners.  Board Chair Dr. Branda Simmons-Hutchins will make presentations to:

Library Associate Hongying Song (Mandarin Branch) - Model the Way

Library Assistant Kenya Coleman (Main Library Circulation)  -Challenge the Process

Librarian Senior Scott Adams (Main Library, Talking Books, Interlibrary Loan/Special Needs) - Enable Others to Act

Library Assistant Midge Roton (Mandarin Branch) - Model the Way and Employee of the 2nd Quarter

Congratulations to all of you from all of us!

Staff Profile

Mandarin Branch Library Assistant Midge Roton is efficient, succinct, self-effacing and respected by her peers and Mandarin Branch Manager Lynne Baldwin. She addresses each day with a positive attitude and completes tasks with all the skills she can muster. Midge is not shy about employing the expertise of others and knows who knows what and where to get what she needs to make Mandarin Branch shine. She likes a job well done.

Midge Roton won an Innovator Award in March and two awards for the second quarter of 2013: Model the Way and Employee of the Quarter.   

Q: Planning months ahead was key to your success with the Big Read promotions you did for Mandarin Branch. How did you go about that? When I heard a book club discussion was to be done on A Lesson Before Dying at Mandarin Library, I suggested that the Mandarin Book Club do it for the January selection. I got The Mandarin Book Club attendees on board and from there I just had to figure out how to go about it. We had some of the books and placed holds to add more. Later, Lisa Buggs sent an email that there were flyers and reading guides available so I immediately replied that I would like to have a supply of those. Once the books and materials were obtained, I just had to figure out how to do the display, programming, etc. Early planning allowed ample time to engage staff support and the right marketing materials made everything go smoothly.

Q: How did you involve other employees to keep your planning on track and fruitful? I join a book club discussion each month but usually I am not the one to lead the discussion and I have never done a display. Since I needed help, I relied on suggestions from Branch Manager Lynne Baldwin and other employees at the Mandarin Library prior to the event. This was more like a group effort throughout the process and I could not have done it alone.

Q: Did planning and getting other staffs on board with your Big Read promos have a positive result? There were the usual Mandarin Book Club attendees and some new ones. There was even a couple visiting Jacksonville from New York that attended. The positive result was that the attendance was higher than any of the other book club meetings.

Q: What is your philosophy of leadership? Taking responsibility and doing what needs to be done with a positive attitude and confidence, setting a good example for others.

Q: What is your favorite book? Gone with the Wind; I like the historical aspects of it.

Random Acts Of Kindness

Mary Hatfield, Library Clerk at Beaches Branch, shares this pleasant recount of a surprise visit from two grateful customers: 

"While I was on the circulation desk, a young girl, Malea James, put this hand decorated box, filled with cookies, on the counter.  As you see, on the box was written, “I love the library” and "thank you". Her mom, Meaghan Brundage, explained how much Malea appreciates the library and wants to come here often.

"Malea and her mom are performing random acts of kindness. Each week they will complete one project and talk about the lessons learned. I told them how much I appreciated Malea's gift of the cookies and how happy all of the employees would be to receive them. I asked for her address so we could send her a thank you card.

"You never know how your actions help motivate a child."

Remember Dr. Bertice Berry saying, "If you aren't grateful, you will always be in need."  Here's a parent who is teaching her child one of the most important lessons of life.

In Memory of Librarian Paul Votaw

We deeply regret the passing of Librarian Paul Votaw, April 25.  Today, May 1, we gather at his graveside service in Jacksonville National Cemetery to pay respect to a friend and fellow employee.  Paul's wife, Carolyn, was a longtime employee of JPL, too. She was Executive Secretary to two Deputy Directors, Sylvia Cornell and then Carolyn Williams, and retired in 2005.

Paul served his country well.  He retired from the U. S. Air Force in 1967. The Jacksonville Public Library had the benefit of almost 26 years of Paul Votaw's faithful service.  Paul loved the Lord, his wife, his friends and being a librarian.

We will miss you, dear Paul.

Beaches Branch Knows How To Get The Word Out

Beaches Branch employees and Friends advertised their upcoming Comic Con being held at JB on May 4 in a unique way.  Julie Rekow, parttime Library Associate, Terry Welch, Library Clerk, along with Cynthia Hagist of the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library, Ann Evans and Kristina Schuler participated in the 37^th annual Sandcastle Contest at Jacksonville Beach on April 27^th.  Their entry was based on a Batman Comic Book (must have been a first edition since the price was 15 cents!) Their art was sculptured and decorated with starfish and shells. They did not win a trophy, but a good time was had by all and they caught the eyes of a huge crowd that descended on Jacksonville Beach for their summer opening. What a great way to advertise, ladies!

Win-Win At NW Friends Annual Book Sale

NW's Manager Elaine Randolph said the Friends of the Bradham*Brooks Northwest Library held their Annual Spring Book Sale, April 25-27.  Who doesn't like books priced at 50 cents - $2?  Titles were available in a wide range of titles from mysteries to biographies for all ages.  Sales will benefit the Olga L. Bradham and Etta L. Brooks Branch Library.  Customers had an opportunity to pick up a stack of books to entertain or enhance their educational, economic, and quality of life.

The NW Friends and Ms. Randolph express their appreciation to all the volunteers and participants that made this Annual Book Sale a success.

2913 Staff Development Day Slide Show

As you requested, the SDD slide show is posted to the right. You can use that "small rear view mirror" Dr. Bertice Berry spoke of to see what you might have missed April 15, 2013, on the big screen.

A big thank you to Ayshea Golden for posting this and, again, a huge HURRAH! to all of you who make every day successes SOP at JPL.

Southeast's Bookie Monster

SE Senior Children's Librarian Anita Haller gives us this coverage of their fun Saturday, April 20, event:

"JPL's Director Barbara Gubbin announced the winner of the “Name the Auto Return” contest that was recently held at the Southeast Regional Library. The winning name was “Bookie Monster” and was submitted by the mother/son team, Rachel and Jay Bennett. The Bennett family won a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble Bookstore. The contest, run by the Children’s Department, had 60 names entered. The auto return machine checks in the books of library patrons, automatically sorts them into bins, and then issues a receipt.*

"The contest winner was announced during the weekly Saturday morning Stories for Young Children program. City Council Member Bill Gulliford was present to read to 73 children and parents. This program is run every Saturday morning at SE at 11 am and is very popular with families."

  As you see, CM Gulliford and Anita also led some audience participation activity.  
_________________________
*Do you know where we can get a similar machine for home that would open our mail, sort it, then open our checkbooks and pay our bills???

April Is National Poetry Month

Spring comes in all her pastel beauty
Beginning shyly her yearly duty.
She prances her way across starry nights in frozen wonder
And melts their hardened charms in summer rains and thunder.

That's mine.  What's yours?  What poetry project is in your wallet--I mean your location?

JPL also participated this year in Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 18th. It was a day long opportunity to share a poem with customers, family and friends. Four poems from the Academy of American Poets website were printed on cardstock for you to distribute at your service desks or in a program.

Let us know the fun things you did on Poem in Your Pocket Day at your library and we will post them here on your JPL Staff News blog.

BORED? GOT JUST THE FIX!

It's Friday, April 19, and once you buzz out the library door after work, remember ONE SPARK downtown this weekend.  If you can't make it this evening, go Saturday, or Sunday--great food (we've tried it and it is) and live music.  There are people with new ideas in art, music, science, and technology--and they need your vote as to who gets what share of the $250,000 that will be awarded according to public vote. You can make your day and someone else's. (See the earlier article this month for web sites to peruse.)

Kudos from Customers

Argyle Branch: (Before Mr. Carpenter transferred:) I came to the library for assistance in pulling some books for my son's school project. Mr. Don Carpenter was so helpful in assisting me to find the books I needed in a seamless fashion. I have never walked in and someone look up something and go out of their way to find what I'm looking for. Outstanding service. Thank you, Don Carpenter!!

Main – Reference/Non-Fiction/Special Collections: Mrs. Karren Deas is an excellent teacher! I don't know what I would do without her here! Please keep her as our teacher! My keyboarding speed is getting better and better! Thank you!

Murray Hill Branch: (Computer class taught by Greg Royce): Excellent. A+. 10 out of 10. Learned so many new things.

Southeast Branch: 1) Big ups to Ed Murray, way to lead by example. GREAT Customer Service my friend! 2) I am already a member of the FJPL and I support the libraries throughout the year. I like the new look at the SE Library, much more user friendly. I also like the new manager (Ed Murray) at the same location. He seems to be everywhere within the building. Very easy to talk to.

SST – Collection Management: Re: Charlene Adkins: Thank you so much. It is lovely to get a reply so quickly and I do now have the book checked out. You are so amazing about purchasing items and listening to suggestions. I really appreciate what the library offers. Everyone I have dealt with has been helpful, professional and kind. Who could ask for more?

Webb Opens Its New E-Classroom

Webb Wesconnett officially opened its new E-Classroom space on Saturday, April 13. The ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m. was followed by short addresses by Board of Library Trustees member Jackie Perry and Director Barbara Gubbin.

CW Branch Manager Sharon Kirkes reports she was honored to do the ribbon-cutting for the official opening of the new e-classroom space. CW Teen Library Associate Jessica Serrano had previously held a class in the new space.  Jessica assisted Gretchen Mitchell, Assistant Director for Support Services, and Lisa Peterson, Technology Systems Administrtor, in demonstrating some of the computer features, especially the “smart board.” Two interactive childrens programs have already been installed.

Luis Flores, Assistant Director for Facilities Management, was there with his daughter, Alexis, now age four.  CW Region Manager Marshelle Berry attended, as well as WST Region Manager Jane Harris and Manager of E-Services & Digital Access Karen Walker.

Mrs. Kirkes said, "JPL staffs and customers were enthusiastic about the classroom and what it may lead to for other locations in the system."

A Memorable Staff Development Day

The 2013 version of Staff Development Day was the best yet. 

Dr. Bertice Berry personifies the victorious person who is nurtured by the "manure" of life's worst experiences and greatest challenges and uses it all to mature into a sympathetic human being who can overcome any obstacle and find humor (one of life's best preservers) through it all.  Several things she said stood out, didn't they?  For this purpose, I'll use her statement, "Be grateful or you will always be in need."  That is so true.

We are grateful to the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library for good food and snacks.  Breakfast could not have been better.  Eggs, sausage, and biscuits were cooked to perfection and the fruit, orange juice and coffee were fresh.  The servers were so cheery their smiles woke me up before coffee had the chance.  Can't you still taste that brownie melting in your mouth just before we plunged into "constructing" our libraries? 

A standing ovation to Friends President Harry Reagan, Council Member and Vice President of  FJPL John Crescimbeni, Margaret Smith, and all the Friends!  Mr. Reagan's and Mrs. Smith's warm welcome at the door set the mood for the day.

Hats off to the JPL Foundation! Chair Dan Edelman and the board elected to give financial support for the prizes awarded to JPL employees, as well as Mrs. Eleanor Baldwin (Lynne's Mother) and other organizations and businesses.

Without the many volunteers taking on this huge responsibility with vim and vigor, we would not have had SDD.   We can thank our SDD Planning Committee and their advisors for well timed events; the day went smoothly, event to event.  We had good instructors for classes we all needed and there was not a boring moment. 

Closing the day with our project to not only build a library but build a JPL library system revealed where we are and where we need to evolve in our systemwide collaborative efforts.

For their leadership and their collaborative efforts, we express our appreciation to Library Board Chair Dr. Brenda Simmons-Hutchins, Director Barbara Gubbin, Deputy Directors Carolyn Williams and Mark Merritt.

We appreciate Council Member Ray Holt who recognizes our efforts to survive many budget cuts and hopes for a turnaround.  That reminds me of Dr. Berry's determination to go forward, expectantly looking through the much larger windshield of life.  She sees what's ahead, with only brief glimlpses in the much smaller "rear view mirror" so past mistakes can be used as building, not stumbling, blocks: Building Our Future Together.

Now There's A Real Thank-You

Some customers really know how to show appreciation and one such customer made Willowbranch Library's Jason Brown's--and other employees'--day recently by bringing in a batch of homemade brownies.   

WB staff must have appreciated right back because Sally Doherty took the time to send in this picture.