National Library Week At SOM

National Library Week was celebrated at South Mandarin Branch, April 13, 2019, with the theme, "Libraries Are for Everyone.”  Twelve children and their caregivers discussed the importance of traditions in families and in Latino culture. Additionally, they enjoyed the movie “Coco”, which is about Hispanic traditions, including celebrating the Day of the Dead and the children made skull masks for themselves. Thanks to Isabel Moreno-Santiago, SOM's YS Librarian II, for the input and picture. 

Ripe Time For A Library Card

JPL fans of DJ Easy E (of "Duuuval Chant" local fame) can cheer Mackenzie Freeman and Illesha Massaline, two astute library clerks at University Park Branch Library.  They were surprised to find during DJ Easy E's recent visit that he did not have a JPL card.  Mackenzie and Illesha convinced him he could have many new adventures with a JPL card and DJ Easy E signed up for his first library card.  (Illesha shared a little background on DJ Easy E: he created the "Duuuval Chant" 25+ years ago and it has rung out nightly on local radio.  He recently released a song, "My City Is Duval", featuring local Jacksonville Jaguars footfall players and a well known local rap group, Quad City DJ's.)

WAY TO GO, MACKENZIE and ILLESHA!

Duo Sets National Library Week To Music

In celebration of National Library Week, April 7 - 13, customers at the Pablo Creek Library enjoyed a live classical musical performance, April 13, 2019, by PT Library Associate and pianist JohnWillard Utuk (R) and cellist Marsel Malolli (L)). The duo played several tunes at the entrance to the lobby. Customers checking out materials, getting their first library card, or working on computers enjoyed the relaxing music.

B Is For Baby Kicks Off

Main Children's department's first B is for Baby event, April 6, 2019, attracted 140 customers ready to celebrate babies.  Fifteen community partners participated with library staff to offer programs and presentations where our customers learned about medicine safety, car seat safety, sleep safety, infant health, lactation, yoga, sign language, financial information, and even prenatal belly dancing,"  reports Joanna Nigrelli, Main's YS Librarian II. 

 

Joanne added, "Thank you to additional library staff who pitched in to make this day successful:  Erionnia Wadley (Main Circualtion), Emma Pancho and Dionne Arline (Main Non-fiction), Kara Chenoweth (YS Librarian II at CW), Paul Schaffner (Main Grand Reading Room), and the JPL Conference Team.

 

"We plan to make this an annual event."

A Fun Feast W/A Win & Learn

YS Librarian I Kate Zakharov shares a win-win for JPL, "YS Librarian III Rebekah Mitchell and I competed in the Duval Literacy Association’s annual 'Table Tales' competition at the dinner meeting, April 11, 2019, held at The Shultz Center. We decorated a table for the Mermaid Tales fiction series by Debbie Dadey, and a table for the Elephant & Piggie reader series by Mo Willems. The mermaid table was voted most creative!
 

"Rebekah served as President of the Duval Literacy Association this year, which is an enormous voluntary time commitment. Last night marked the final meeting of her presidency, and I would like to congratulate her on such a successful term."

When asked what Kate's take away from the meeting was, she said Peggy Campbell Rush from The Bolles School spoke on "The ABC's of Brain Change: Move Your Body; Engage Your Brain".  Kate learned that people disengage after their age plus two minutes. So if she has a program for 8 year olds, she should give them a break after 10 minutes so they can stay engaged for the rest of the program.

 

 

Special Ed Volunteers Celebrated

Tricia Larrabee, who heads up Talking Books, was joined by Librarian IV Stephanie Miller, April 10, 2019, to thank some valued teens.  Tricia said, "We had fun celebrating our Talking Books volunteers from the North Florida School of Special Education.  We treated them to pizza, drinks, popcorn, cake, gifts, and the decorations made it festive. The students help us with items returned and they shelve and pull items for new customers.  They may volunteer for a few semesters or as much as two years.  Pictured are (L/R) Stephanie Miller, Kaleigh, Austin, Ethan, Tori, Josh, and their teacher Ms. Heather."

JPL Cares About Teens

Library Associate Allison Mason is pictured here (R) with Iman El as they gathered  items donated for the Main Library teen care cart.  Allison said, "We received these gifts from Nicolle Burton that were donated to Jax Cares for our department’s teen care cart, which provides free hygiene items to any teen in our library who needs them. We are amazed at the amount of support shown to us! We have received over 1,000 items to date, and want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated. We are so grateful for your generosity, and this will be an immense help to our teens who need care items."

 

As usual JPL staff have shown their caring and generosity.

"B" Stands For Big Deal For Little Babies

What is the B?

Coming up, Saturday, April 6, 2019--10:30 am – 2:00 pm--is the first annual “B is for Baby” Event in the Main Library Children’s Department.  This everything baby event is for parents, expectant parents, and caregivers of children from birth to 2 years old.

 

To learn more, check out the great news coverage links below featuring Children’s Main Library Youth Department Manager, Chiquita Powell and Children’s Main Youth Services Librarian II, Joanna Nigrelli.
 

 Here is Joanna Nigrelli’s First Coast Living Show interview on Monday, April 1, 2019:

 https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/first-coast-living/are-you-expecting-b-is-for-baby-is-just-for-you-fcl-april-1st/77-55e84f85-5458-4c3d-a8e6-5ab846fdfb2d

 
And here is Chiquita Powell’s interview on News4Jax Morning Show, April 3, 2019:

 

https://www.news4jax.com/video/b-is-for-baby-event-on-saturday

YOU AND YOUR CUSTOMERS TO COME ON BY!

Candy Land At JB

Nicole Saville, YS Librarian II, reports, "Beaches Branch held a life sized Candy Land game, March 16, 2019.  Lots of children enjoyed jumping around the squares.  We had more than 50 adults and children attend."  (Unfortunately no pictures are available.)

Nicole Saville: Job Well Done

JB's Hongying Song nominated Nicole Saville for a Job Well Done Award because, "Nicole settles for nothing less than the highest quality outcomes. If you visit the children’s department, you will be amazed at the unique and wonderful displays on the wall and window, such as Get Caught up in a Good Book, Get Hooked on Books, real life sized I Spy with questions Can you spy……? In February, Nicole went several extra miles to enlist her sister and mom to decorate the wall to promote all the fun programs and resources our libraries offer to the community.  Under Nicole’s instruction, her sister used a silhouette machine to create all the words (Storytime, kids, JPL, crafts, poetry, books, DVDs, learn, Graphic novels, etc.) in different fonts and styles and colors. 'This is what we do during our family time over the weekend,' Nicole said. Together they created a handsome wall display accomplished by several visits from her sister and mom. A salute to Nicole and her family’s dedication to making a positive difference in children’s lives at JB". The award was made by JB Manager Theresa Rooney, March 14, 2019.

More can be seen in the February 8, 2019 article and pictures about Nicole and her family's talents making the Beaches Branch a place customers want to visit.

SOM Launches DCPS Art Expo

South Mandarin Library held a reception to kick off the DCPS Art Expo, March 26, 2019. YS Librarian II Isabel Moreno-Santiago said, "SOM annually celebrates our students and their exceptional art work from Duval County Public Schools. The event was a great success where 55 parents, teachers, and students admired the art display and enjoyed light refreshments during the reception."

Allegra Young: Job Well Done

San Marco Branch Library Clerk Allegra Young, received a Job Well Done award from SS Librarian II Sandra Ostroski, March 28, 2019.  Sandy said, "One of Allegra’s duties is processing new items received. For the last four months, SS was not on the In Process list, which the branch is on if there are items not processed.  Not being on the list means the branch’s new items are getting out to the customers quickly.  Allegra is a positive influence on other staff and shows by example the Library’s expectations for behavior.  She always follows through on commitments made."

Robin West-Rogers: Job Well Done

A Job Well Done Award was presented to San Marco Branch Children’s Library Associate, Robin West-Rogers (L), March 26, 2019, by Librarian II Sandra Ostroski (R), who nominated her for outstanding work promoting JPL educator cards.     

Sandy elaborated, "During the SS educator card initiative, Robin spoke at two staff meetings about the importance of inviting teachers to sign up for educator cards and staff highlighting other library services to customers.  Consequently, 16 teachers now have their new educator cards and SS has added 16 to its total in the New Card Scorecard.  Robin is a positive influence on other staff.  She shows by example the Library’s expectations for behavior and she always follows through on commitments made."

Kim Kirkland: Job Well Done

                                     The next Picassos or Dalis?


YS Librarian II Kim Kirkland received a Job Well Done Award from MH Branch Manager Shawn Norton, March 26, 2019.  Shawn is proud of Kim's ongoing accomplishments.  The art work shown here is a result of Kim's having worked with a local school teacher, Beverly Castro of Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center, to have her students’ art work displayed in the Children’s area of Bill Brinton Murray Hill Library. Shawn said, "The art makes a positive difference in the children’s lives by offering a gallery space of their own, and it expands on the type of work we already do with DCPS art shows. A BIG plus is it makes the Children’s department look great!”

 

Library Leadership Award Winners Honored By Library Board

The Library Board of Trustees honored these Library Leadership winners for the first quarter of FY2019 (October-December) at its regular meeting, March 21, 2019.  Board Chair Ronnie King (R) and Director Tim Rogers (L) personally congratulated them and presented them with their awards.

Nicolle Burton:  Employee of the Quarter:

 

 Nicolle first won the Encourage the Heart Award and ultimately the Employee of the Quarter Library Leadership Award.  Along with her many job responsibilities, Nicolle works hard and is positive and encourages staff to contribute to various citywide initiatives such as the Daniel organization's Thanksgiving baskets and Salvation Army's Christmas Drive for Children, etc.  Promoting participation by JPL staff while cooperating with other city departments running charitable campaigns, Nicolle has done a superb job--and always with a smile.  She is also appreciated for coordinating staff celebrations and get-togethers which take effort, patience, and passion.  Nicolle is a bright light in JPL!

 

Carolyn Armstrong - Inspire A Shared Vision:

 

 On Saturdays at Dallas Graham, each child is asked to do some reading before logging on to the computer. They check with staff on their reading, either relating elements of the story or reading along with a staff member. Part-time Clerk Carolyn Armstrong takes this mission seriously and spends significant time with each child, usually reading with them for several pages and ensuring they comprehend what is written. Her patience and determination serve as an example to other members of the team and reinforces the sense of purpose staff has in developing young readers.

 

Catherine Currier - Encourage the Heart Award:

 

Catherine formed and strengthened partnerships with local community organizations during the first quarter. She coordinated the exhibition of two Jacksonville Historical Society displays, ensured all paperwork was completed, and managed the installations. Catherine worked with Cummer Museum staff and library staff to develop adult and children's library programs to complement the Cummer Museum's Augusta Savage exhibit and to cross-promote institutions. She attended Memorial Park events and distributed library information. She established a partnership with Alliance Francais which resulted in the planning of a series of tours of Special Collections and English language instruction for a group of French visitors in the Main Library's Center for Adult Learning.  The partnership also resulted in promotion of the "Mapping Our Past" event on Alliance Francais's website and an email blast to Alliance Francais's email distribution list of 750 people.

 Mandy Elliott (not pictured) - Enable Others to Act:

For the 3rd year in a row, JPL has participated in Jacksonville Beach's Deck the Chairs by sponsoring and decorating a lifeguard chair. Each year, Pablo Creek Library's Mandy Elliott has stepped forward to give her assistance in this endeavor. This year, the library didn't have the help of the carpenter and an area school that had participated previously. The call was put out for regional staff to help assemble the chair and Mandy offered to chip in again. She studied the chair design, grabbed a string of lights, climbed up the lifeguard chair and within a few hours she led a JPL employee and a group of teens successfully through setting up and lighting the chair. Mandy brings this can-do attitude into every project and her willingness and talent are admired and appreciated.  (Region Manager Michael Sullivan accepted the award for Mandy Elliott.)

 Sylvester Rease - Model the Way:

Sylvester consistently goes above and beyond as he pursues and executes his duties at JPL's Conference Center.  He takes the initiative to look for improvements needed, projects to make our work more efficient, and to get started on tasks needing to be completed without being prompted or waiting for direction.  He prepares for event set-ups prior to his shifts by printing and reviewing floor plans and asking questions.  He exceeds expectations by being precise and taking measures to ensure safety and attendee comfort.   He sets up equipment properly and submits ideas and recommendations for improving working conditions and methods.  Sylvester models a strong work ethic, kindness, humility, and dependability.  He absolutely models the way for Conference Center helpers and is a huge part of the Conference Center's success.

 Stephanie Boilard (3rdd left) and Nicole Rivera (2nd left) - Challenge the Process:

Stephanie Boilard and Nicole Rivera 'Challenged the Process' in their efforts to develop, launch, and facilitate the first Girls Who Code Club at the Jacksonville Public Library.  With the idea to host a club for 6th - 12th grade students, they began meeting in the spring of 2018, along with volunteer Alexandria Lewis.  They established milestones, prioritized their tasks to launch the first club meeting, September 15, 2018, with 20 students in attendance.  Over the semester, they held a total of 11 sessions with an average of 13 participants in each session.  Since then, they have held regular planning meetings, attended webinars hosted by Girls Who Code, and reviewed the program tutorials and curriculum.  Although both Stephanie and Nicole have coding experience, they dedicated time to improve their skills and researched other Girls Who Code Clubs for best practices. Stephanie and Nicole developed the course and scope of the group project for the club.  In addition to the club curriculum, they compiled passive coding activities in the event of participant overflow.

They then worked with CR and M to develop promotional materials and reached out to local schools and organizations to generate interest and potential participation in the club and promoted it at outreach events.  Stephanie and Nicole also developed the parameters of the club, including holding club sessions in Main's e-Classroom and they set the semester schedule.  They are still working to improve the processes for the next semester.

 Shirdellah Grouix (not pictured), Kim Kirkland, Mary Fletcher (not pictured), Margaret Esposito (4th left), Doug Fair (3rd left), Akeem Adell (5th left), and Albina Akramova (not pictured) - Inspire A Shared Vision:

Murray Hill Branch Library celebrated its 50th Anniversary, Saturday, December 15, 2018, along with a name change and dedication to the late local attorney and library activist Bill Brinton. Over 300 people attended the event. The celebration was a perfect example of inspiring a shared vision and collaborating with others to achieve a successful community event.  MH staff organized and hosted the event, led by Branch Manager Shir Groulx and Assistant Manager Kim Kirkland with support from Library Associate Doug Fair, Library Assistant Margaret Esposito and Library Clerks Mary Fletcher, Albina Akramova and Akeem Adell.  Staff began planning in June and reached out to community groups and businesses for support. They decorated the branch with the theme Flashback to 1968 and the holiday season. Staff and many customers dressed in 1960's attire and 1960's games were played at the event. The team did a wonderful job working with other JPL departments, the Friends of the Murray Hill Library, community leaders, and area businesses to ensure that the celebration was a success.  Bedside this fabulous team, CR and M, Conference, and Facilities staffs, many local businesses, City Council members, our Director and Admin team all made this anniversary/renaming of MH a tremendous success.  Please see the December 19, 2018, article in this blog to enjoy fuller coverage of this event.   

Newly Stocked Book Shelves & Big Sale At FJPL Bookstore

Friends of the Jacksonville Public  Library

March In-Store Sale 

All books, CDs, DVDs, books on CD, puzzles, are Buy One Get One Free... 
 
...except for Special Books, which will be 25% off price noted on the item.

Since FJPL's last bag sale, we have been busy restocking the shelves with books, many of which have not been on the shelves before.

Also, we now have hundreds of non-fiction DVDs reduced in price from $2 each to $1 each, and with this BOGO that works out to be only 50¢ each. 

VISIT THE FJPL BOOKSTORE (SO. END OF UPK) YOURSELF
AND

SPREAD THE WORD TO CUSTOMERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

There's Nothing Like The First Grandchild

SE  Manager Carisia Rooney, happily announces, "Zephyr DeVoe Rooney was born on Sunday, March 10, l2019, to Anthony and Claire Rooney, my son and daughter-in-law. Anthony has presented summer teen art programs at the library, and Claire has had her DeVoe Design artwork displayed twice in the Jax Makerspace."  This is Carisia’s first grandchild!

 CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE ROONEYS!

 

WINNERS IN NEW LIBRARY CARD SIGN UPS

     Kim Smith, SE Library Associate, adds to SE's fast growing number of JPL cardholders.

"The Southeast Library now has a fun way to encourage Free Library Card sign ups. We use a station that mimics Charles Shultz’s Peanuts character, Lucy, and her ‘Advice 5₵’.  The yellow frame fits directly over a cart, so it can be rolled anywhere in the library. Its main feature is it makes people smile, and library card sign ups are climbing again at Southeast," reports SE Manager Carisia Rooney. 

 
Richard Mott, who is tracking new library card sign ups apprised us, March 12, 2019, "For the second week in a row, Southeast had the most new cards with 67."  Richard also cheered these libraries for their outstanding JPL card sign ups (some things are worth a repeat):

"Congratulations to Maxville. With 39 new cards last week, and a total of 82 for the year, they become the first library to exceed their annual target (79 new cards); 38 of those new cards were Educator cards.

 
"Last week, these libraries all achieved the furthest distance ahead of their weekly target that they have been all year:

"+25% - Willowbranch, with 22 new cards last week, achieved a record of 10 weeks in a row of beating their weekly target.

"+57 - Murray Hill with 34 new cards (12 of them Educator cards.)

"+14 - West, with 40 Educator Cards and 15 others, achieved 65 total new cards--four times their weekly target of 16.

"+49 - Westbrook, with 16 Educator Cards and a total of 29 overall, also beat their weekly target by 400%.weekly target by 400%.

"Congratulations to Webb with 56 new cards last week and 5 out of 6 weeks beings their week's target, surpassed their YTD target for the first time since December 22."

"Congratulations to Webb with 56 new cards last week and 5 out of 6 weeks beating their week's target surpassed their YTD target for the first time since December 22."

Job Well Done: Marsha Collins

Marsha Collins is a Library Associate in the Fiction department of the Main Library.  She was nominated by her supervisor, Librarian II Stacey Van Hoy, in February for a Job Well Done Award and received it at Fiction's staff meeting , March 7, 2019. Stacey commended the 30+ businesses Marsha visited to promote Jax Book Fest (see article posted in this blog, February 28, 2019.)  GREAT work, Marsha!

A Bit Of Fun Included In Training

Main Library's Marcie O'Dell says, "Interns learn all kinds of things during Youth Services Training.  Pictured here (L/R) are: Janelle Parnovetz, Rochelle Golomb and Caitlin Ruvolo with me in the Children’s Department having fun making Mardi Gras masks with the kiddos, March 5, 2019.  All enjoyed some King Cake and we donned beads to celebrate."