KR: All About Holiday Fun

Mandarin Branch Manager, Lynne Baldwin, said her employees made several displays for holiday cheer. Sara Peretzman and Jessica Jones created a display celebrating Hanukkah and decorated a Reading Tree using bookmarks.  Sara and Jessica also worked with Frances Wickes on setting up the tables for the Customer Appreciation Open House KR hosted on December 18.  Additionally, KR had a cake decorated with poinsettias and best wishes for the holidays, and, of course, "Start Here. Go Anywhere" wrapped up the greetings.

Charlie Brown & Friends At CW

Snowflakes made a soft backdrop for Charlie Brown's crowd and more paper cutouts of snowflakes hung from the ceiling in the Children's department at Webb Wesconnett Branch.

It's a Winter Wonderland In Main Teen Dept.

Main Teen Department invites teens to its warm winter wonderland and teens added felt ornaments for the teen's tree.  Mia Clark made wreaths for the Main Library's doors out of small colored paper circles--neat idea, Mia. 

NS For the Holidays

A lively Christmas tree on the ground floor was complemented by a wreath, greenery and touches of red on the stairway to Brentwood Branch's second floor.

NW's Delights

NW had delightful decorations for everyone to enjoy, including this beautiful wreath made from drinking cups.  Gloria Buenavista also made a snowman display and a "book" wreath made from a withdrawn book.  Other eye catchers were a Christmas card display and a music table --all to make NW's customers and staffs' spirits bright!  (Thank you, Gloria, for showing off your creativity.)

SOM's Door Sets Holiday Mood

South Mandarin Branch Manager, Keli Likins, and employees know how to welcome customers during the holidays.

Highlands Holiday Special

Felecia Battle at Highlands Branch shares their holiday display/greeting.

Santa's The Draw At SE

southeast's Deborah Wainwright and santa.  (no DISCLOSURE HAS BEEN MADE ON DEBORAH'S WISH LIST.)

SE Manager Ed Murray reports that Santa drew an audience of 120 young fans with the help of Clerical Supervisor Deborrah Wainwright at Southeast on December 19.

Argyle Branch Fires Up Christmas

Argyle Branch's Children's Department holiday decorations were created by Tia Samuels, Library Associate Senior, and Melanee Terrell, Library Assistant. A "warm" fireplace was created from construction paper and toilet paper rolls. Daily, children created their very own stockings to place around it.  Additionally AYL’s “Toilet Paper Roll Owl” themed tree and their “Christmas Around the World” display of seasonal books, and Christmas lights wrapped around a bench, etc. brightened customers'  visits.  

Thank you, Tia, for sharing Argyle's holiday joy with us.

JB's Teen Event: "Nightmare Before Christmas"

On December 19, Beaches Library offered the first “teens only” program in many moons.  The movie “Nightmare Before Christmas” was shown and the title was used for the teen holiday event to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the movie.  JB teens decorated “undead gingerbread” , “holidays around the world” trivia and more.  Pictured are some of the undead cookie creations.  Twelve teens enjoyed the celebration and they are excited about future events, including a “My Little Pony” Art Afternoon, “Random Fandom” Wednesdays and an “end of the world” dystopian book club.  Stay tuned for more fun and educational teen events at JB!  (Thanks to JB's Michelle Petrin, Teen Services Librarian, for this article.)

Jessica Serrano Gets To Yes Jaguar

Webb Wesconnett Region Manager Marshelle Berry sent in this photo of Jessica Serrano, CW's Teen Library Associate, who was recently presented JPL's "Get to Yes Jaguar" for providing excellent customer service to our Spanish speaking customers at CW.
Congratulations, Jessica!

Angels At Work

Every year, a City angel, Sandra Stonestreet, heads up a city wide program, Adopt An Angel. She asks for City employees to donate gifts and volunteer, if they can, at the Salvation Army's big give-away for children birth to 12 years of age. 

Again this year, JPL's staffs joined other volunteers for their all-day job, December 17, in the old Montgomery Ward store at Regency Square Shopping Center. As their expressions show, they thoroughly enjoyed helping make 3200+ children happy for Christmas. Volunteers passed out children's gifts to parents who came to pick up items they could later give to their kids. Playpens, basketballs, softballs, wagons, tricycles, bicycles, dolls, etc. were happily received. Everyone received a Christmas stocking.  Pictured left to right are Tenesha Anderson, Jackie Curry, Charlene Ovshak, Pam Beaton, Diane Alexander, and front/center is Alfreda Whitfield.  

Thank you, ladies, for sharing your time, talents, and love for so many children.

Tenesha Anderson gave us the heads-up on this event and shared these pictures.

Kudos From Customers

Murray Hill Branch;  Absolutely love Murray Hill Staffs (Raymond Neal, Chiquita Powell, Douglas Fair, Margaret Esposito, Mary Fletcher, Erin Tuzuner)…

Pablo Creek Branch: Mary Boyd is such a special asset for you. I always feel fortunate when she assists me in checking out books. She is always smiling, pleasant and professional. Everyone in that branch is very friendly and professional.

San Marco Branch: My wife and I love the San Marco Library. We are on a first name basis with the staffs and they are very helpful. I am an author and have had readings in the library and Pam Thompson has been very accommodating of my style. Donna (Crowther) and Philip (Sturges) are always friendly and help me renew items…

Southeast Branch:  The staffs here (Ed Murray, Anita Haller, Sally Doherty, Steve Egbert, Karen Hardin, Brenda Javier, Carisia Rooney, Mandy Elliot, Deborah Wainwright, Jemima Diggs, Paul Schaffner, Blake Fowler, Crystal Kadkhodaie, and Paul Thornton) are very kind, helpful and friendly. I have grown up going to this library, and I am very thankful for all the advantages it has offered me...

Webb Wesconnett Branch:  Love Greg (Royce) who teaches sessions on different systems (PC, tablets, etc.) He was very helpful and polite. 

It's A Merry Christmas At The Turner Home

Library Clerk Patricia Turner works at Webb Wesconnett Branch.  She graciously shares this picture of her sons, Mark (age 2) and Thomas (age 1) enjoying a prelude to Christmas--"reading" together.

What a nice present for us.  Thank you for making our day!

What Your Gift To United Way REALLY Does

JPL's United Way donations total giving this year is: $10,010.  Considering the drive was right at Thanksgiving and people were preparing for that and what to start buying for Christmas, and some employees on annual leave during the very short turnaround time for UW, that ain't bad.

These days every dime counts.  Follow this link, if you'd like an encouraging,  positive revelation of the good being done with your United Way donations.  

http://members.jacksonville.com/opinion/premium-opinion/2013-12-12/story/local-united-way-leading-nation

To those of you who donated to United Way and read the article above, you have the assurance of being an integral part of much good effected for many in our community.  "Thank you" seems inadequate but you certainly deserve appreciation and you have it from the many who cannot offer it personally.

Hats off to Pam Beaton, Tenesha Anderson, and Diane Alexander for helping sort the UW materials and get them out to all departments and branches.  Additionally, Diane Alexander served as coordinator for the Main Library departments and branch UW representatives were Jason Brown (WB), Aracelis Diax (WST and MAX),  Theresa Rooney, (UPK), Gretchen Mitchell (SST), Paul Schaffner (SE), Keli Likins (SOM), Pam Thompson (SS), Farryn James (AR), Hongying Song (PCR), Gloria Beuenavista (NW), Chiquita Powell (MH), Lynne Baldwin (KR), Felicia Battle (DU), Jackie Spiritas (GB), Sharon Kirkes (CW), Michelle Petrin, (JB), Janet Ducat (AYL), Gloria Armstrong (NS), Anthony Williams (EB), and Kimberly McTeer (WBK).

What's Retiree Joan Dismore Doing Now?

Joan Dismore (regretfully we do not have a picture of her) worked in the SWIFT (System Wide Information for Telephoners) department at the old Main Library.  When the new Main Library opened at 303 North Laura Street, the department was renamed the Call Center.  Here’s Mrs. Dismore’s update to us:

“It’s hard to believe that 17 years have passed since my stint in the SWIFT area at the Haydon Burns Library.  I still remember the fun we had and some of the really unusual questions customers phoned in to us.  It was a happy nine years for me.

“Since that time, George and I have enjoyed many wonderful trips—ocean cruises to Hawaii and through the Panama Canal; riverboat cruises through the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; bus tours of the western canyons, Poland, Czechoslovakia and parts of Russia and Italy; and a trip across Canada on the American Orient Express.

“Now we’ve narrowed our travels to a week each summer on the Gulf Coast with my sister’s family.

“Nearer to home, we work out three times a week.  My husband, George, is active in the Exchange Club and I volunteer one day a week at Nemours Children’s Clinic, meet old college friends once a month and also old high school buddies once a month.

“Thankfully, I’ve been able to keep in touch with a few former employees at Haydon Burns Library--Louise Warren (a former part-time librarian), Elsie Oishi (Senior Librarian in Literature and History), and Arden Brugger (headed up Genealogy department).

“At Sara Gunter’s request, I’ll relate a funny story about my engagement to George 54 years ago:  Meeting the father of a childhood friend, I told him to tell Joanne I was engaged to George Dismore.   Somehow, in transition, Dismore became Dinsmore (a Dinsmore dairy was here in Jacksonville for many years and was owned by the Skinner family who owned a lot of land).  By the time Joanne got my message, it had become my engagement to one of the Skinner boys whose family owned the Dinsmore dairy farm.”

Board Member Ronnie King at GB

Library Board of Trustees member Ronnie King participated in the Graham Branch Art Club, December 4. The Art Club was facilitated by Children's Library Associate Marie Myers and Children’s Senior Librarian Peggy Crawford with Library Clerk Chanika Kimbrough offering assistance.  The event was attended by 18 area children and teens coming from various schools in the community, including Stanton High School, K.I.P.P (Knowledge is Power Program) and Susie Tolbert to name a few. Pictured here is Ronnie King with his creation along with the students working on their art. The children were shown how to create their own unique prints in reverse to stamp on cards and create a handmade image. The young group was amazed by their own artistic ability!

Thanks to Graham Branch Manager Jackie Spiritas for this article.

Staff Profile

Valerie Evans has seen many changes in JPL in her 34 years of service. She is quiet, modest, and certainly a Southern lady.

Q:  You began working as a librarian at Regency Square Branch in 1979.  Where have you worked during these 34 years?

A:  I worked in "pre-Charles Webb Wesconnett Branch" in the old Main Library.  CW was being planned in an office on the third floor. From the early 1980's through early 1990's I worked in the old business department on the first floor.  It was called Business, Science and Industry and later named Business Science and Documents.  This area included business reference, newspaper indexing and run-of-the-mill library work.  Later I transferred to Literature and History, then Periodicals--all in the old Main Library.  Later I worked in Non-fiction in the new Main Library, and now I am a librarian at Willowbranch.

Q:  Having seen JPL change from a Dewey Decimal system collection typed out on 3"x5" cards and correspondence hammered out on typewriters to the technology we use today, how did employees initially address this huge change?

A:  The changes were good for customers and staffs but a struggle for non-techies.  After finally absorbing the knowledge, it was obviously a good move in the right direction.  Technology made indexing FTU a breeze for librarians.  Instead of typing 3x5 cards, we only had to type the headlines into the computer.  During that time,  Infotrac made its appearance and that made searching for periodical information easy for customers.  I do feel it was a big undertaking for library staff to walk customers through the procedures on new technology.  E-mail made life much easier because employees didn't have to climb steps or use elevators to talk to each other.

Q:  Dress codes have changed dramatically over the years at JPL, along with society's many social changes.  Can you tell us something about that?

A:  JPL dress codes thankfully allowed for the uniformity of staffs' appearance but favored personal style.  Staff was counseled if they did not adhere to dress codes.  Hose was required for women; no round neck shirts; no slogans or statements on clothing and no T-shirts.

Q:  What other changes in JPL and the community have you seen that made a big impression on you?

A:  The technology that we now use does not allow for many mistakes.  It also helps customers retrieve more information.  The services the library provides allows a library visit to operate as smoothly as a trip to a store.

Q: Do you have a favorite author or two and care to share what appeals to you about their writing?

A:  I don't have a favorite author, but I love mysteries--from purely fictitious stories to actual events.

How To Cool & Chill

Dallas Graham Branch Manager Jackie Spiritas submitted this pic and said, "Library Clerk extraordinaire Chanika Kimbrough created this wonderful bulletin board for the GB Meeting Room with the theme of 'Cool Readers Chill With Books.' The meeting room is where the stories for both Children and Teen programs take place so it will get plenty of visibility this winter."

UPK Volunteer's Reward: New JPL Tote Bag

University Park Branch volunteer Emily Adams (left) received her newly designed JPL tote bag recently from UPK's Volunteer
Coordinator/Library Associate Hazzel Sutton.  The new, beautiful JPL tote is stronger, has a reinforced bottom and the graphics are eye catching--a smart choice to show appreciation to JPL's volunteers.