State Rep. Tracie Davis At DU Story Time

State Representative Tracie Davis visited the Highlands Regional Branch Library, August 26, 2017. Children explored books and activities that were “all about me”. In addition to assisting Felecia Battle by reading stories, Representative Davis also helped the children make crowns with their ages and “favorite things” on them. Following story time, families enjoyed sharing mini-muffins and juice with Representative Davis.  (Thanks to DU's Michelle Petrin, YS Librarian III, for the input.)

GED Grads Celebrate

Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop (far right) and CAL Program Manager Katie Devanny were cheering the happy high school graduates at Main, August 23, 2017, and Katie proudly reports, "The first JPL GED Graduation ceremony was held and eleven of the 20 graduates walked across the stage and received a certificate of achievement from JPL. (The students already had their high school diploma from the State of Florida.)  Al Emerick, the keynote speaker, delivered a great message on 'their value' to the graduates. Ja’Markis Daniels, the student speaker and new EWC student, shared his story."  See more inspiring pictures:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofjax/albums/72157685460267490

400 At WST Eclipse Program

P/T YS Associate Melodie Brunson said, "It was eclipse madness at West Branch, August 19, 2017. A few folks in lawn chairs were in front of our library by 6 am. With about 400 showing up, Bill Figletti, our Teen Associate Librarian, led a great program on solar eclipses. Pinhole viewers were made as well as flip-books that showed the phases of a solar eclipse.  Free-hand eclipse art was created and at the end of the program, if you were among the lucky 100 that had tickets, you received eclipse glasses."

Terry Welch Wins $1000 Grant For JPL

Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop and JB Branch Manager Theresa Rooney were on hand, August 23, 2017, for a very special day for JB and Library Clerk Terry Welch.  For the last four years Terry has entered the Sisters in Crime (SinC) "We Love Libraries" contest. This year, thanks to Terry's persistence, JPL was randomly selected as the February 2017 winner and received a $1000 grant to purchase materials for our collection. Terry said, "Each item purchased with these funds will include a bookplate indicating the purchase was made possible by the SinC grant. Debbie East, President of the Florida Chapter of Sisters in Crime, presented the check to JB Branch Manager, Theresa Rooney. Forty four people--many of them aspiring writers--attended the grant presentation and author panel, including FOJPL President Margaret Smith, who was one of the founding members of the Florida SinC Chapter.

L/R: Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop; authors Susan Kiernan-Lewis and Nancy Quatrano;  JB Manager Theresa Rooney; Debbie East, President, Florida SinC; author Kathy Bain and Terry Welch (wearing the Nancy Drew vest she made.)

"Following the presentation there was an author panel about the craft of writing crime fiction. The SinC authors were Nancy Quatrano, Susan Kiernan-Lewis and Kathy Bain and the moderator was JPL Coordinator of Lifelong Learning & Community Outreach Lisa Buggs. Each of the authors also donated books, which will find a home in JPL’s upcoming Florida Authors Collection.

"Killer snacks were served and it was a fun filled evening. (The event was also live streamed on Facebook.) "

Library Clerk Terry Welch (L) and Teen Volunteer Ilyssa Ward in the photo that won the February 2017 SinC "We Love Libraries" contest.

Eclipse Program Was Sunshiny Day For Main

Main Manager of POP & Makerspace Kathleen Brunner said, "We’re excited about the success of the eclipse program done in the Makerspace recently! We had a gate count of 1,100 people between 10 am and 1 pm, August 19, 2017, and the line was wrapped around the entire perimeter of Makerspace.  Over 300 people completed the program stations, even though we only had 185 solar glasses to give away."

Alex Shares His Toys With Others

"Last week, Alex Hood (pictured here) and his mom kindly donated his train table and some toys to the Argyle Library Children’s Department. The children have been excited to have a table to play at and use in the Play and Learn Center," reports YS Library Associate Kimberly Bennett.

Kudos From Customers

Argyle Branch:  The teen summer reading program was outstanding! The book review where all the kids got a chance to talk! The craft that went with the book! The snack that went with the book! So much fun was had by all! The program was well put together. My son had so much fun! Always left the program talking about the book and started talking about the next week’s book. Well done, Mrs. Kim (Bennett)! You make reading fun!

Main Library - Circulation: Received Excellent Customer Service from Tammy (Billings) when I got my new library card. Thank You!

Main Library – Circulation:  We visited the Main Library as a birthday wish of my 13 year old. While checking out, Erin Tuzuner noticed my daughter likes teen mysteries. Erin grabbed some books for my daughter to try. She showed me the digital library. We are Clay residents who now pay $100/year for library usage. She helped seal how great a deal it is. We've been with you since 2006 and will continue on; especially thanks to Erin. Thank you!

Mandarin Branch:  the Mandarin Branch group seemed professional, well trained, and knowledgeable.  (Mark Hohnadel, Margo Crafton, David Foster, Robert Moseley, Isabel Santiago-Moreno, Alison Pulley, Frances Wickes, Caitlin Ruvolo, Diane Lewis, Jessica Bayne, Shukti Banerjee, Ysabella Banta, Tammy Hilbert, Patricia Henderson, Patricia Klingler.)

San Marco Branch:  We have been attending the story time at San Marco Library for a couple of years and met several teachers, but recently we started attending more regularly and my daughter has fallen in love with Ms. Crystal (Kadkhodaie.) My daughter is super bright and silly, but very shy. Ms. Crystal sang “Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink” and my daughter was asking for me to sing it all week! Since then, she pretends that she IS Ms. Crystal and refers to herself in 3rd person all the time. (What would Ms. Crystal do?) This has helped us in so many ways.  It is like a new super hero has entered her life. We told Ms. Crystal about this love affair and she said, "That warms my heart". When I remind my daughter of that story she blushes for a solid 5 minutes. I am so grateful for this safe place to go and learn and play and for Ms. Crystal who has defined this season for us! We will always cherish our days at the library.

Job Well Done: Bobbie Knight

Webb Wesconnett Branch's Beth Friederich (above left) presented Bobbie Knight, YS Library Associate, a Job Well Done Award, August 22, 2017. Bobbie wrote CW's first solar eclipse program, August 1, utilizing process art, which was fun for families with children of any age. Minutes before the program, Bobbie learned that a local news crew would be filming part of it. The crew arrived mid program to set up while Bobbie was preparing attendees for the art activity. During that time, she checked on the class' progress while fielding questions from the news crew. Beth said, "She balanced conducting her program and ensuring the participants’ engagement while checking with the news crew, making sure they received all information needed. Bobbie accomplished all of this brilliantly."

Main Teen & Children's Staff Promote JPL Resources

Alexandra (Alex) Bishop is a new Library Associate in Main's Teen Department and shares news about several of their staff outreach programs. Alex said, "The Teen and Children’s departments have been visiting Eugene Butler Leadership Academies to talk to them about the solar eclipse and promoting JPL resources. We talked to them about student cards, Brainfuse, and Science in Context and did science experiments about surface tension as an example of what to do for science projects. These outreaches were made daily from August 14-18, 2017 and will continue on August 21-25." 

A Dark and Cloudy Day

For those who could not view the solar eclipse, August 21, 2017, Richard Lamb was thoughtful and sent these views, which he was able to get despite the cloudiness.  Per Google, the solar eclipse began at 1:16 pm, peaked at 2:47 pm (with a 92% coverage of the sun) and ends today at 4:11 pm. Many thought it would get much darker than we experienced.

This just in:  The City's James Croft forwarded some pics of the eclipse for our enjoyment, too, adding, "I hope all of your eyes are intact after that eclipse! If the cloud cover was too much for you to catch a glimpse, we posted a few photos on the City’s Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – but they’re a little cloudy too." 

S'mores & Eclipse Top SOM Program

SOM held a Solar Oven S’mores program, August 18, 2017, in recognition of the solar eclipse. Christie Rogers reports, "We had 80 participants between the ages of 5 and 18. The children learned what a solar eclipse is and why it is important not to look at the sun. Then we made solar ovens using pizza boxes (thank you to Dominos and Al’s for providing the

boxes!), and went outside to test the ovens by making some s’mores. The result was the chocolate started melting immediately--the 90 degree heat probably helped--and the marshmallows needed more time to cook. At the end of the program, the 80 participants received eclipse glasses to view the eclipse, August 21."

Brentwood Prepares To Close For Renovation

NS/EB Manager Kathleen Krizek sent us a picture of Brentwood Branch Library staff and two SST VIP's (Charlene Adkins and Jill Haile) busy packing NS' collection, August 14, 2017, in preparation for NS getting its long overdue redo:

Aboive, L/R: Aquilla Stewart, Charlene Adkins, Linda Smith, Jill Haile, Diane Willman and Tammy Billings are busy packing Brentwood’s collection. Not pictured are David Stevenson, Milicia Thomas and Veronica Galman, who were packing elsewhere in the building.

Kathleen said, “Boxes are ready for storage and the workrooms have been emptied.

"Renovation, here we come!"

200 Backpacks For Students Given Out At NS

Kathleen Krizek, Manager of  NS and EB , volunteers and staff enjoyed a rewarding day at NS, August 11, 2107.  Kathleen said, “The Friends of the Brentwood Library sponsored the 4^th annual Back to School Bash at the library, August 11^th. Over 200 backpacks, filled with school supplies, were distributed. 

"JSO provided officers to block the street and JFRD had a fire truck and fire fighters on the scene. Food and activities were provided by the Friends, volunteers and library staff. Larry Roziers, former DCPS Executive Director, was the guest reader.

"Cranston Burney took many pictures, which are now in G:\Share\NS. 

"Pictured below, advertising those wonderful backpacks, are L/R: Main/Urban Region Manager Sara Roberts, unidentified person (if you know, email Sara Gunter); Sharon Coon, founder of Friends of Brentwood Library and longtime advocate for JPL; Jeanette Ali, Friends Board member; Joyce (last name unknown); Urban Librarian IV Stephanie Miller; and Acting Assistant Director, Facilities & Planning Michael Sullivan."

75 Learn About Eclipse At Kite Elementary Thanks to NW Staff

Library Associate Sheenae Nelson and YS Librarian Andy Gallegos visited Henry F. Kite Elementary, August 16, 2017, to do a Solar Eclipse program they completed the week prior at NW.  Andy said, "The students have been excited about the upcoming solar eclipse and Principal Biannca Hill thought this program would be a perfect opportunity to bring the library to the school. We learned a lot about solar eclipses and why the Great American Solar Eclipse is so significant. Then the students had fun while testing their knowledge of what the phases of the eclipse will look like. There were a total of 75 students and we all had a blast!"

Interim Director Giltrop Praised By Friends Of MH

Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop is flanked by Friends of Murray HIll: (L) Florence Rando and (R), Judy Klein; both are strong advocates for JPL.  

Everyone appreciates a kudo for a a job well done and JPL Interim Director Jennifer Giltrop shares this note of appreciation from a VIP for her presentation, August 11, 2017, to the City Finance Committee at City Hall.

Hi Jennifer,

Just wanted to let you know again what a great job you did advocating for our Jacksonville Library System at the Finance Committee meeting on library funding! The Friends of the Murray Hill Library are happy to stand with you along with all of the Friends groups in Jacksonville and push for increased funding for materials and hours.

Thanks,

Judy Klein 

KR SLP Winners

Isabel Moreno-Santiago, YS Librarian I, proudly announces, "We had some beautiful children, who were 2017 SLP prize winners at KR, collect their well earned loot recently. They are: Avery Brown - Guinness World Records 2017 Book; Ann Marie Wilkerson - Movie Night Goodies; Lilly Phillips (pictured with Newfoundland dogs, Diva and Tenor) - Fast Food Erasers and Pen; Claire Minnich - Dr. Seuss Book and Giraffe; and Luke Thompson (pictured) - Outdoor Fun pack."

Congrats To JPL Achievers

Tracy Pigott, JPL's Training and Development Manager, sent this picture of graduates from the NEFLIN Management Training Institute 2017, August 8. Interim Library Director Jennifer Giltrop and Tracy congratulate these graduates for their professional development accomplishments. JPL staff pictured include: Mia Clark, Alison McCarty, Stephanie Miller, Hongying Song and Raelyn Wiirre; (Shawn Norton, not pictured.) 

Tracy added, "Looking forward, we congratulate Shirdellah Groulx, who was chosen to participate in Year 14 of the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute (SSLLI) which begins in early October."

All of us add our High Fives to you!

Tammy Crotts Retires After 24 Years At JPL

Many of us know Tammy Crotts, P/T Library Clerk at Main, whose last day, unfortunately for us, will be August 30, 2017. We express our appreciation for her many ways of helping us through the years and pray for happiness and the very best success for her in the future. 

  

                Tammy, above left, received a Job Well Done Award in November 2016. 

Tammy wanted to leave you a note:

Hi, Everyone,                                                                                                                                                             

I appreciate and have enjoyed working for the Jacksonville Public Library.  I am sad to let you know it’s time for me to go after 24 years. I first worked at Highlands Branch, then Tech Services, ILL and now at Main's Circulation/Dock. I hope I have touched everyone’s lives and made a difference. My 24 years have been fulfilling, fun, frustrating and hard work.

Now it’s time to leave; it’s time for a new adventure Tammy’s way because every day is a new adventure. I have good memories of my years with my friends at JPL and I’ll miss you all. 

With love, kindness and God’s Blessing,

Tamara (Tammy) Crotts

JPL Supporter and Friend

JPL: Tied For Gold & Platinum In Go365 Race

Some things bear repeating and if you missed Richard Mott's latest e-mail updates on Go365, you can get essentials here:

Richard created a new Go365 step challenge for JPL staff called I Survived Summer Learning; it started August 10, 2017, and lasts for a month.  Richard wants you to join him for some healthy competition. As he says, "Earn some Bucks. What’s not to like?

"You must be a Go365 member to participate. This challenge only works on a mobile device. If you haven’t already, download and install the Go365 App from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Using the App, join the Survived Summer Learning Challenge. If tapping the link on the Challenge name doesn't work, copy and paste the following link into your smartphone's web browser. Note: this link will not work from a desktop computer: Survived Summer Learning

   

"JPL Rules Go365 Gold and Platinum! JPL is tied for the most employees in the top two Go365 levels, Gold and Platinum, of any department in the city. With 13 at GOLD and 7 at PLATINUM level, only the Sheriff’s Department (3,000 employees) matches JPL. 

"Congratulations to Jessica Serrano, Library Associate at CW, who crushed the competition in the Go365 city-wide “Summer Step Challenge. With 732,000 steps in one month (around 350 miles, I think), she had almost 100,000 steps more than her nearest competitor. 

"And congratulations to everyone else from JPL who participated. 

"Here’s the thing about reaching higher levels – you get these large Bucks bonuses – 1,500 for GOLD and 5,000 for PLATINUM -- PLUS, you know those random prize drawings they do for everyone who is in Go365? The higher the level you are the better the prize.

NW Eclipses Boredom

Andy Gallegos, YS Librarian. reports, "NW's Solar Eclipse program, August 11, 2017, attracted 40 school kids--all excited to.learn about the upcoming solar eclipse and how it happens. They watched

two short videos on the impact of a solar eclipse on Earth. We then did an art activity where we divided a piece of paper into fourths and painted and pasted the various phases of a solar eclipse and all were happy to receive solar glasses at the conclusion of the program."