Director Gubbin Honored At Retirement Party

Library Director Barbara Gubbin was honored with a retirement party at the Main Library, June 15, 2017. Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop, who MC'd the event, and other JPL executives made sure it was a memorable occasion.  A video was played of Mayor Lenny Curry and ALA President Julie Todaro enumerating Director Gubbin's many outstanding accomplishments. Library Board Chair Ronnie King, Chair Emeritus of the JPL Foundation Betsy Lovett, President and CEO of WJCT Michael Boylan and Dr. Jamie Self, Development Director of the JPL Foundation, followed suit. 

For an array of pictures of this event, click here:   https://flic.kr/s/aHskXjrBEW

The Resolution passed by City Council, copied below, covers Director Gubbin's many accomplishments not only with JPL but serves as a bio of her profession as a librarian and a Library Director, and includes what the speakers honored her for at the event.  One star in her crown, which should be listed is FLA named JPL as 2017 Library of the Year.

Introduced by Council Members Hazouri and Crescimbeni and Co-Sponsored by Council Members Brosche, Newby, Love, Bowman, Wilson, Anderson, Becton, Dennis, R. Gaffney, Morgan, Carter and Gulliford:

RESOLUTION 2017-330

A RESOLUTION HONORING AND COMMENDING BARBARA A.B. GUBBIN FOR HER EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP AS DIRECTOR OF THE JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FROM 2005 TO THE PRESENT ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

            WHEREAS, as repositories of literature, history, the arts and many other facets of our culture and heritage, libraries are the intellectual and cultural anchors of great cities; and

WHEREAS, for the past twelve years, Barbara A. B. Gubbin has been the Director of the Jacksonville Public Library, providing widely recognized leadership that has made Jacksonville’s library system an invaluable resource that  provides City residents access to a great collection of books, art, film, children’s projects, the information superhighway, various educational courses and more; the Jacksonville Public Library has 21 branches, employs about 400 employees, had 3.4 million customers in 2016, and has a $33 million budget; and

WHEREAS, born and raised in India, Barbara Gubbin has lived in England and West Africa; she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors at the University of Birmingham in England; a Master’s degree in Library and Information from the University of London followed; while teaching for a short period of time in West Africa, she worked in the school library where her interest in library work was piqued; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Gubbin’s first job in the United States was as “teen services” librarian at the San Antonio Public Library in Texas, 1977-1979; she subsequently served as Assistant Director and Director of the Houston Public Library from 1989 to 1995; and     

WHEREAS, innovation has been the hallmark of Barbara Gubbin’s tenure at the Jacksonville Public Library since her arrival in 2005; she is credited with leading the library into the technology age; under her watch, digital materials are now as much at the core of the library’s resources as traditional books; self-service checkout has replaced long lines; in 2015, the library partnered with the Duval Public Schools to introduce “virtual library cards,” a program that provides over 130,000 students with access to the Jacksonville Public Libraries; with its G.E.D. program, the library has become a center for adult learning, community interaction and work force development; in 2015, Project LEAP – the Library Enhanced Access Program – was created to send librarians, armed with computers and other materials, to community centers in underserved neighborhoods to promote literacy for all age groups; in 2016 the library won acclaim for its Careers On Line program that enables high school students to earn their high school diploma; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, in recognition of Barbara Gubbin’s outstanding leadership and accomplishments, she was awarded the 2017 Earnest A. DiMattia Jr. Award for Innovation and Service to Community and the Profession by the American Library Association, an award that recognizes a public librarian from among the more than 9,000 systems in the country who demonstrates leadership in anticipating emerging trends, services and technologies that enhance the library’s position in the community; and

WHEREAS,  Jacksonville has been truly fortunate in having an individual of Barbara Gubbin’s caliber and commitment to lead our library system and enhance the library’s image and use in every neighborhood and community of our City, and it is our honor to recognize, commend and honor her for her exemplary achievements; now therefore

            BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:

            Section 1. The City Council does hereby honor and commend Barbara A. B. Gubbin for her exemplary leadership as Director of the Jacksonville Public Library from 2005 to the present and extends its best wishes on the occasion of her retirement.              

            Section 2. Effective Date.  This Resolution shall become effective upon signature by the Mayor or upon becoming effective without the Mayor's signature.

Form Approved:

__/s/ Paige Hobbs Johnston

Office of General Counsel

Legislation Prepared By: John J. Jackson, Council Research Division

Several gifts were presented to Director Gubbin, including a bouquet of flowers from Mrs. Lovett; a lifetime membership in ALA from many well wishers; a wonderful caricature of Director Gubbin drawn by Roosevelt Watson, III; a handcrafted bowl from the Friends of the Beaches Branch, which was made by Mark Wood; and the staff at the Highlands Branch made her an Honorary Zookeeper at the Zoo and named a gorilla for her. Other gifts were also left by some well wishers for her to open later. 

Attendees enjoyed the event, shared good memories over hors d'oeuvres and cake, and everyone lifted their glasses in a toast made to Director Gubbin led by Deputy Director Mark Merritt.

Director Gubbin thanked everyone heartily for coming, the many gifts and acknowledgements, and for an evening she enjoyed immensely and will not forget.  

Deputy Director Giltrop expressed her and JPL's appreciation to the Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library, Inc. and the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation for sponsoring the event.

EB Off & Running With SLP

EB's Shawn Norton, YS Librarian II, said, "We started our children’s program series, Building Better Worlds, designed by Chris Tabur, June 16, 2017. In our first adventure, we read part of The Little Prince and built our own spaceships out of recycled supplies such as cardboard and paper towel tubes. E-Specialist Luis Terron joined us and demonstrated some 3-D printing techniques by adding plastic flourishes to children’s space crafts.

JOB WELL DONE: HELENA DAVENPORT

June 14, 2017, Helena Davenport, a Maxville Branch Clerk, was presented a Job Well Done Award.  Beth Friedrich credits Helena with having created a scavenger hunt using old VHS tape cases and the theme for June is Father’s Day. Beth said, "Each case has a themed image and customers are provided with a list of images to locate. The scavenger hunt is popular with children, teens and adults. As a prize, Helena brings in candy for customers. Her engagement with the community using this fun activity is a great demonstration of JPL’s Everybody Serves Youth initiative."

JOB WELL DONE: CHRIS TABUR

PCR’s Youth Services Associate Chris Tabur received a Job Well Done Award, June 12, 2017. Hongying Song nominated Chris for his outstanding service to young customers and noted, "During our Build-a-Story school age (5-12 yrs) Lego program, he observed that most of the students had younger siblings (up to 5 years) with them who needed to be engaged.  Chris up cycled old foam boards, painted them with bright colors and built a wall in the Build-a-Story program that now separates the room with a wall. While the school age kids are enjoying Legos, etc. on one side of the wall, the younger siblings can play with Duplo and Mega blocks on the other side. Chris saw a real need, creatively solved the problem, resulting in a win-win for the kids and staff. 

SOM KIDS BUILD CASTLES & FORTS

Children at South Mandarin Library gathered for an evening of Building with Bricks program, June 14, 2017. Joanna Nigrelli, YS Librarian II, said, "This week the engineering challenge was making forts and castles. Each builder had the opportunity to present their castle or fort and talk about its unique characteristics."

CM Scott Wilson Helps Kickoff SE SLP

SE Region Manager Keli Likins reports, "Council Member Scott Wilson helped kick off Summer Learning, June 9, 2017, at the Southeast Regional Library.  He spoke to the crowd about the importance of reading over the summer and asked them to keep utilizing the library for reading materials. Special thanks to Mia Brack, Shaina Ford and Paul Schaffner for their work on the event."

"Build A Better World" With A Strong Foundation

Families attending Willowbranch Library’s Summer Learning Kickoff Party, June 9, 2017, enjoyed carnival style games, dancing with “Ms. Belle”,  a scavenger hunt and refreshments.  To help “Build A Better World”, children signing up for Summer Reading Challenge received kid-sized “hard hats”. 

“Mr. Joe”  (Joseph Gaskin) created a fun visual and everyone had a chance to help build a strong foundation by writing down how they would make the world a better place on a  paper brick to be added to the building. 

Ryan Reid (L), the new WB YS Librarian II, stands beside the visual that depicts a building with books making up the foundation:  Books/reading are the tools we need to learn new things, become inspired, and find ways to help our communities. 

Below, Dr. Jamie Self, Executive Director of the JPL Foundation joined Roxanne Henkle, President of the WB Friends to give the kids and their families a warm welcome.  Roxanne also directed them to the sign up area and helped serve refreshments.

SLP Kickoff At KR Big Success

Above, Council Member Matt Schellenberg prepares to cut the "Lego" cake for Mandarin Branch's SLP kickoff party, June 6, 2017. KR was off to a good start to "Build A Better World" with a total of 160 children and caregivers, who enjoyed cake and other refreshments. They participated in activities such as a construction photo booth, coloring, arts and crafts and games. Demonstrations of 3-D printing and Origami were done by Donna Pereztman and Margo Crafton respectively. Below Isabel Santiago and David Foster are pictured with the Chick-Fil-A Cow, who greeted everyone as they entered the Children's department.  (Thanks to Isabel for the input and pics.) 

Brentwood Friends Award Director Barbara Gubbin

Above front (L/R): Director Gubbin, Jashaiya-Lee Daniels, Mrs. Coon; back (L/R): Library Board Chair Ronnie King and FOBL President Melvin Turnage.

Sharon Coon, Founder, Organizer and Chair of Friends of the Brentwood Library presented an award to JPL Director Barbara Gubbin at the June 8, 2017 Library Board meeting in appreciation for Ms. Gubbin's twelve plus years of outstanding service. Mrs. Coon asked her 8 year old great granddaughter, Jashaiya-Lee Daniels, to read the award for the audience.  

Mrs. Coon  announced that Jashaiya-Lee has made all A's and just finished 2nd grade.  She is enrolled in the National Gifted and Talented program and as such will study next summer at Emory University. (She has to be 9 years old.)  

There was a resounding applause for Jashaiya-Lee and Ms. Gubbin. 

Mrs. Coon said she wanted everyone to see how much libraries influence children's lives. Jashaiya-Lee is an avid reader and has to read 23 books this summer.  She is enrolled in NS' Summer Learning Program and is a NS cardholder. Mrs. Coon said it was important to her personally and for the community to keep Brentwood Branch open when it was being considered for closing. She noted that Jashaiya-Lee is just one example of the value of urban core libraries and she will always advocate for them. She added that we can all see the benefit of working together in unity to keep libraries open.

WST Prepares To BUILD A BETTER WORLD

West's "Build A Better World" themed SLP kick-off, June 6, 2017, boasted 125 kids, teens, and adults. P/T Associate  Melodie Brunson said, "We had soooo many building opportunities--cardboard boxes for tunnels and other ‘constructive’ activities, including building opportunities with Lego blocks, wooden blocks, bristle blocks, magnetic shapes-and BOOKS-which became a ‘world’ for our summer reading visual. Cookies, ‘Lego’ brownies, and lemonade helped everyone to come together and share their experiences that day and no one wanted to leave!"

Below (L/R): Julie Horton, Melodie Brunson and Carolyn Koehler enjoy having a successful kick-off.

 

SOM Starts W/100 For SLP Kick-Off

Families braved the summer rains to attend South Mandarin Branch's Harry Potter-themed kick-off party, June 6, 2016. They signed up for JPL's Summer Learning Program, then were sorted into Hogwarts Houses, made wands and other crafts, answered trivia, enjoyed Harry Potter-themed drinks and snacks and watched one of the movies in the conference room.  

Joanna Nigrelli, YS Librarian II said, "We were able to host 100 customers--thanks to the help of Mia Brack and a small army of Summer Teen Volunteers.

WBK's Kickoff For SLP Draws 100+ Partyers

(L/R): Board Trustee Jill Dame, Main/Urban Regional Manager Michael Sullivan, Hon. Paula Wright, Chair, DCPS Board, YS Librarian II Chiquita Powell AND 3 adorable children.  

(L/R): WBK's P/T Clerk Akeem Adell; F/T Clerk Susan Williamson  and Library Assistant Sean Wallace are ready for the party to begin.

The Westbrook Library had a lively kick-off party with special guests, Honorable Paula D. Wright, Chairman of the Duval County School Board, and Library Trustee Jill Dame, who attended our event, June 7, 2017. They enjoyed speaking with our kids and learning more about WBK.  E-Library Specialists Luis Terron and Tara Connolly did an educational, interactive robot program (see Tara and boy below) with our kids. Publix donated a huge, beautiful cake with the globe front and center, with the words below written in beautiful script, "Build A Better World".  The 100+ partyers left not one crumb!  All topped off the fun with sno-cones.  (Thanks to Chiquita Powell for the input and Stephanie Miller for the pics.)

P.S. JPL employees Build A Better World Every Day.

State Sen. Aaron Bean Wows 'Em At PCR

PCR Manager Jackie Spiritas reports, "Florida Senator Aaron Bean had a great experience as our guest reader at Stories and Art for Early Literacy at Pablo Creek Library, June 6, 2017. Senator Bean captivated everyone's attention with one of his favorite childhood books, Harry the Dirty Dog by author Gene Zion, where he acted out the parts and scenes with gusto. He praised the parents’ participation and acknowledged their commitment to their children’s education by bringing them to the program.

"Pablo Creek hosted 110 kids (over two Storytime sessions) despite the downpour, and parents and children alike were entertained by the Senator. He introduced the letter of the day, the shape (his favorite, the circle) and the number 6. He read Harry aloud as animatedly as if he had written it himself and was starring in the role. The Senator then posed for pictures in which he hammed it up for the camera, insisting that Children’s Librarian Tristan Denmark and I pretend we were reading and then we just act surprised by the camera. He charmed the crowd and hinted about what he would like to read when he visits again (Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, spoiler alert!)

"A few extras during the program which went over big with the Senator: The staff created a puppy dog paw print trail that lead the Senator and the kids to Community Room A when Storytime began.  Treats of Scotty Dog shaped shortbread biscuits and Scooby Snacks were given out to the kids and the Senator took some back to the office 'for research purposes only,' or so he told the crowd glibly. Senator Bean liked that we tied all of the doggy themes into his book of the day.  (Tristan even taught the kids the word dog in Spanish and how to sign dog in sign language.) Just when he thought it couldn’t get more exciting,  Tristan let loose with the bubble machine and the Senator was seeing stars. He was very appreciative of the Storytime experience and left with a sense of how important Pablo Creek Library is to our community. He will not forget his experience anytime soon nor the impact that PCR has in the community.

Branch Manager Jackie Spiritas reports that “hosting Senator Bean was one of the more rewarding experiences of being a part of the Jacksonville Public Library system. All of the work we do going out in to the community and hoping the word gets filtered “up” – I was able to show off the library to one of our most compelling library advocates in a visible way.”

Summer Library Program Kicks Off At JB

Library Associate Gail Blumberg kicked off the Beaches Branch Adult Summer Library program, June 5, 2017, with a fun summer craft. Participants created "beachy" themed flip flop anklets and bracelets made of beads and charms.  As you see, these ladies were happy to show off their creations.

EB Kicks Off SLP With Party

Shawn Norton, Linda Griffin-Foresto, and Stephanie Miller hosted the Brown Eastside Library's kickoff party, June 5, 2017, for JPL's Summer Learning Program.  The room where the party was held featured a coloring table, bean bag toss, and “Truth or Jenga".  A variety of refreshments were served for the 25 youths who attended.  Shawn said, "We were the three staff  in the room; however, all of EB's employees helped prepare for the party--a well planned, successful event.

Sweet Thanks To Main Circ

Some tasty thanks were given to the Main Circulation staff from the Children's/Teen department, May 23, 2017, for all their help and hard work during the dozens of school tours that took place this past school year. Thousands of children checked out books, many of them for the very first time. Our Circ employees did it all with great expertise, patience and lots of heart!

CW: Helping Change Lives, One By One

Coupled with these success stories about three regular customers at CW, Janice Adams quoted Paul S. Spear's adage, "As one person, I cannot change the world but I can change the world of one person."  

Janice says, "As a library we can’t change the world but we make a difference in the lives of our customers. Webb Regional Library makes a difference every day. Here are the stories of a few people that our staff has helped.

"Mercedes and her family moved here from out of state about a year ago. Over the last 9 – 10 months, she studied for and took the FSA, SAT, ACT, ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), and AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test). Her family doesn’t have a computer or Internet at home. While other teens were socializing or playing computer games, Mercedes was on the library computers nearly every day after school and many Saturdays completing her assignments. She used library books and databases, especially the Testing and Education Reference Center.  We are so very happy to know that 
Mercedes is graduating high school June 2 and she scored well on both the ASVAB and the AFOQT.  She plans to enter the military.

"Genesis is another young woman whose family moved to Jacksonville from out of state for her senior year. She came to Webb to earn volunteer hours for her Bright Futures Scholarship. She was told her volunteer hours from another state wouldn’t transfer, so she was pushing herself to get the hours she needed, all while studying for the SAT, ACT, and completing class assignments. Not only is Genesis graduating from high school, she is class Valedictorian, is certified to work at a dental office front desk, and soon she will begin undergraduate studies at UNF.

"Ulysses, pictured below at CW, is a man in his 30's who went to Grand Park Alternative High School here in Jacksonville. He wants to provide for his child and set a good example. Ulysses works an overnight shift and comes into the library several days each week to use our computers to complete graduate level classes online. He is currently working toward a Doctorate in Education. Ulysses will finish his coursework in a few weeks and will soon begin writing his dissertation.

"We are so proud of each of these students. They are just a few examples of people who use and benefit from the resources and support provided by Webb Regional Library and its dedicated employees."

Janice, an LAS in CW's Teen Services, proves another adage, "The proof of the pudding is in the pot."--or in the case, the library.

Tell us about your library's success stories!

Powerful Words For Powerful Display

AYL Library Clerk Terri Basemore created  this display to make it easier for customers to find the graphic novels in the Children’s department.  She also created a display for the Teen graphic novels.  Webb Region Manager Lynne Baldwin said, "Argyle is very fortunate to have someone as creative as Terri on their team." 

WWII Navy Vet Couple Embrace Love, Literature & Living Life to the Fullest

CR&M's Sheenah Thrasher-Zamora had an interesting interview with two avid Regency Square Branch customers, May 25, 2017:

"As many of us gathered with friends and family to celebrate Memorial Day in remembrance of the fallen men and women of the armed forces who fought for this country, let us not forget to give thanks and appreciation to those who are still with us.  WWII Navy Veteran Couple, Raymond, 95 and Dorothy McDuff, 94 sat down with me to share their life experiences serving in the military, their love for the Jacksonville Public Library (JPL), and what keeps their relationship so strong after all these years. 

"Raymond enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16, graduated from boot camp in Farragut, Idaho. He then chose the job of Fire Controlman  but later changed career paths to become an instructor. Mr. McDuff served from sea to shore at various duty stations throughout the world, including Australia, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Pearl Harbor, Hi in support of WWII operations. A Macon, GA native, Dorothy joined the Navy at 17 years old, and trained in boot camp out of New York as Yeoman (Executive Administrative Assistant), and continued to serve in Oklahoma, completing her enlistment at a Naval hospital in Bethesda, MD.  

"This active couple has been frequent customers of the Regency Square Branch Library for many years, where they regularly take advantage of the resources available to continue their never-ending journey of learning. Mr. McDuff joyfully responds to my question regarding his favorite thing about JPL, 'They have first class service and they all do great job, and so do you ma’am…every time I go to look for an author, I get help right up front…I got no complaints,' Raymond also tells me of memories of simpler times, as a teenager  back in Iowa, where he’s originally from, of walking 1½  miles, each way, going to the library.  'You could get books on Monday, Wednesday and Friday…3 books is all you could get', noted Raymond.  When asked what their favorite book was, without hesitation, Dorothy replied, 'The Bible'...'Oh yes!”' echos Raymond. They both agree that it is the teachings found in this book and love that keeps them connected with one another. 'Love covers all. How can I ask God to forgive me of something, if I haven’t forgiven my fellow man? And all this black/white [referring to racial issues in society] stuff; let me tell you something, there wouldn’t be all these problems if we all just talk it out. You got to talk it out.”  Mr. McDuff adds this Rx pertaining to their secret to living a great life, 'We don’t drink, smoke, complain or argue… I love that woman…it’s a privilege to have this lady and I enjoy taking care of her. She’s very intelligent and has a lot of common sense…. We have a really first class relationship.'  Dorothy concludes, 'There was something about him that drew me to him.' 

"The McDuffs take pleasure in travel, having visited Europe and Canada on multiple trips, living as young and free as their hearts desire.  Their passion for enjoying every day and each other is inspiring to all ages." 

Job Well Done: Kim Bennett

Argyle Branch Manager Kristi Dorney nominated Kim Bennett for a Job Well Done Award because Kim created a 3-D undersea scene for the door window to the Children’s workroom. Kim also designed a woodland theme for the door window to the adult workroom. She has also decorated the Children’s area to be more welcoming.