Northwest Welcomes Maude Scott

Northwest staff would like to welcome Maude Scott as the new children's librarian. You bring experience, knowledge, skills and sunshine to our branch.

Once again, welcome to Northwest!

Good Service and Experience Are Cause to Celebrate

On the morning of October 27, 2009, Mark Ely, Librarian at the Southeast Regional Library, was honored for his 20 years of service when he was presented his 20 year service pin by Deputy Director, Carolyn Williams. Pictured are Mark and the Deputy Director after he received his pin.

Mark began his two decades with JPL working at the Regency Square Branch Library and then at the Charles Webb Wesconnett Branch, in addition to his current location at the Southeast Regional Library. Among his many duties at Southeast, he handles the processing of all new incoming books. Congratulations to Mark on his 20 years with the Jacksonville Public Library!

Magical Haunted History Tour

Deputy Director Barrett King will play a headless pirate in the St. Mary's, Georgia, Magical Haunted History Tour, on Friday, October 30th, 6:00 p.m. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the Bryan Long Historical Archives Library in Woodbine. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the event. For a sneak peak, view the video below!

Notes from Collection Development

With economic success more important than ever to our community, Collection Development recently increased purchases of business and career related titles. These include finding a new career, networking, resume writing, interviewing skills, writing a business plan, e-business, business consulting and much more. Throughout the year, you will notice even more business books, career guides and college guides as buying more business titles will be emphasized in Collection Development!

Here are just a few new titles--

Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others by David Kord Murray

PW Reviews 2009

There really is nothing new under the sun, says entrepreneur Murray. All good ideas are constructed out of already existing ones, and rather than viewing borrowing as theft, we should view it as a necessary even a desirable path to invention. Charles Darwin did it, as did George Lucas, Steve Jobs, Stephen King and a host of other innovators who knew how to take existing ideas and turn them into new answers to old problems. Murray draws heavily on his own experience and well-known successes, such as the evolution of the Walkman to the iPod, for example, to drive home his thesis, and even dips into the neurology of idea creation. The somewhat hashed-to-death point takes a more practical turn as Murray explains how the average organization can borrow successfully; his "Brilliantly Borrowed Brainstorming" system effectively lays out the steps, from identifying a good idea to adapting it to one's own uses. While somewhat repetitive, Murray's prescriptions are lucid and helpful, and this book should garner prime shelf space.

Bulletproof Your Job: 4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out on Top at Work by Stephen Viscusi

Booklist Reviews 2008

"There's a tendency to scoff at all the work advice being offered, whether to recent college grads or to seasoned executives, including "look the part," "details are important," and "don't make waves." In this age of economic turbulence, headhunter-author (On the Job: How to Make It in the Real World of Work, 2001) Viscusi puts truth behind those clichés and turns his four bulletproof strategies into

a memorable mantra: be visible, be easy, be useful, be ready. Of course, in back of each of the four are a series of 50 tactics in total, all with proof-positive facts delivered via sidebars, such as "just so you know" and "true story" examples. Eat at your desk? Not a chance; move to the dining area. Unclear about the how-to's of a new task or position? Pick a mentor. Common sense infuses every chapter, as does the author's extraordinary attention to readability, including short paragraphs, millennial language, headlines that grab you, bullets, and final summaries. Your job is your most valuable asset, he says. So, too, might be this book."

Working World 101: The New Grad's Guide To Getting a Job by Bridget Graham

BookPage Reviews 2009

Working World 101: The New Grad's Guide to Getting a Job by Bridget Graham and Monique Reidy draws upon years of cumulative human resource experience to present a tight, no-nonsense how-to: how to move successfully from campus to corporation. After completing a personal and professional inventory, readers are ready to hone communication skills to create a self-confident, capable, poised new product: themselves. Communication is a key theme of the guide; it drives the preparation of a résumé and cover letter, the formation of a network, choice of dress and speech and the whole interview process. A handy list of online job search sites is included, as is advice on how best to use social networking sites like Facebook and more professional networking sites like LinkedIn. The authors are especially sensitive to generational challenges between Baby Boomer employers and ever-younger employees, and are quick to suggest ways to package differences advantageously.

Start Your Own Green Business: Your Step-by-step Guide to Success by Entrepreneur Press

This guide offers ideas, tips, and warnings for establishing a business as a green business. It explains how to choose eco-friendly means of production, get funding from green lenders, and establish an environmentally responsible business culture. Marketing, promotion, and advertising are also covered, from press releases to company websites, blogging, and television. Some of the examples of green businesses presented include Kettle Foods, Newman's Own Organics, Seventh Generation, and Patagonia. An appendix lists green resource websites, websites for the 22 green business examples used in the book, contacts for US government agencies and business associations, web sites of magazines, newspapers, and professional organizations, and web sites for office supplies. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kudos from Customers

Circulation - Main Library: "I spoke with Mrs. (Carolyn) Woods on the phone earlier today. She was very patient and helped me find a solution to the problem on my account. I'm so appreciative of her pleasant personality and am certain that people like her make life less stressful. "

Mandarin Branch: "Don (Carpenter), who works at the reference information desk, was very friendly and helpful. Thank you! He got up and showed us what we needed to find."

Murray Hill Branch: "Hire more people like Margaret (Esposito). She is always professional, kind, and helpful and she's great at what she does."

South Mandarin Branch: "Tracy (O'Sullivan), Children's Dept., was an awesome help! She was very patient and helpful."

West Regional Branch: "The staff is phenomenal, especially Gregory Pierce. He is always friendly, helpful and thorough. He is a great asset to the library."

50 Lessons for Launching a Successful Blog

Came across a link to an advice post titled "50 Blogging Lessons to Know" -- http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/10/19/starting-a-blog/.

This blogger knows his stuff. Recommended if you are interested in establishing and marketing a successful blog.

Poster Session at FLA Conference

JPL is overflowing with interesting projects and innovative ideas. The Poster Session at FLA Annual would be a great place to share them. This is from FLA's Continuing Ed Committee:

Poster Sessions are a great opportunity to share your projects, research, interests and information with your colleagues in the library community. The Florida Library Association seeks Poster Session proposals that will be presented at the 2010 FLA Conference April 7-9 in Orlando.

Poster sessions may cover an array of topics such as reports on library projects and programs, research studies, trends, and problem analysis. Presenters create high quality visual material to cover a 4 foot by 8 foot area and will be present to discuss their poster session with other conference attendees during a pre-assigned time slot.

For more information, tips, and examples see http://www.flalib.org/conference_2010.php and click on Poster Session - Information, or click Online Application to apply. The deadline is January 22, 2010.

Any questions please contact patty@neflin.org.

Patricia Morris
Chair, FLA Continuing Education Committee

Important Info on City Health Enrollment & Proof for Dependent Coverage

Open enrollment for City benefits is later than usual this year for City employees: November 2 - 20, 2009 for 2010 coverage. You should soon receive all the information about next year's benefits, rates, etc. via U.S. mail. You must enroll this year to continue your benefits coverage.

Proof for dependent coverage was due October 1, 2009; however, the City has extended the time for you to deliver proof for dependent coverage.

Please use this link to be fully informed about 2010 City benefits:

http://inside.coj.net/News/Pages/OpenEnrollmentInformation.aspx

Nice comments from a library board member

Wow! Nice comments about the great work library staff does from library board member, Bill Scheu in The Daily Record. Check out the link.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529113&searchtext=bill%20scheu

Jean Winney Retires from Mandarin Branch

Jean Winney, Children’s LA at Mandarin Branch Library, retired September 30th to be a full-time mom. Jean has worked for JPL for 20 years, starting as a page at Webb Wesconnett Branch. For the past 9 years, she has been the Children’s LA at Mandarin. Whether doing pre-school storytime or dressed up as Nate the Great, all the children loved “Miss Jean”. Jean was a dedicated member of the Mandarin team, and she will be greatly missed!

Outreach Success for JPL FY 2008-2009

Kathy S. Tekin, Youth Services Coordinator, proudly reports "JPL System Wide has reached the goal of contacting 85% of the schools in our community; this is both public and private schools. With the September statistical reports, we reached out to 198 schools during FY 2008-2009. The goal for the system was 197 schools. Everyone should be proud of helping us reach this goal. We tried for 3 years to meet this goal and Success has been achieved. If we can do it this year, we can reach this goal in FY 2009-2010.”

Staff Profile

Karen Wishart is a previous JPL Employee of the Quarter and works at the Main Library in CAL as a Literacy Program Supervisor, contributing much to this community's growth in literacy.

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of being a Literacy Program Supervisor?

A: We work with unique customers at the Center for Adult Learning. As a literacy program, our students come to us with very specific problems they want to tackle.

The first type of learners are native English speakers who read on a very low level. That means they are reading somewhere between 3rd and 6th grade level. They are trying to get a job, or read with their children, or just do not want people to know they cannot read. I had a student who recently shared with me that he was so proud of his new found ability to read. He said when asked to read something, he didn’t have to tell someone a “little lie” about not having his glasses with him. He went on the say that he would actually try to read it and mostly could. That proud moment is worth waking up for.

Our other students are in the English as a Second Language program. They come to us needing not only language skills but also job, culture, and life skills. One of our students was an administrative assistant at the UN in her country. She spoke several languages but was struggling with her English. She was having a difficult time finding work because of her accent. Recently she shared with us that she had a good job at a hospital. She was so proud of the improvements she had made with her English. She likes her job and “it didn’t have to be in housekeeping”.

These classes we give and the successes our students achieve are rewarding in many large and small ways.

Q: What made this career a good fit for you?

A: I started my career as a math teacher for middle school students. People always roll their eyes at me when I tell them that because it is a difficult age group to work with. I found, however, that I really liked that age group for the most part. You can joke and be sarcastic with them and they “get it”. Also, they are not so “grown” as to be horrid everyday. I was supposed to go into retirement from teaching when I began working part-time with the CAL English language learners. I loved them because they loved coming to class. This was a unique experience from my perspective. I decided retirement was not for me and was lucky enough to be offered a full-time position with CAL. It has been a wonderful experience for the past three years. The students learning to read often have learning disabilities, never liked school, or had to leave school early for a variety of reasons. I love to tell them that I was a math teacher who failed math in the 7th grade because I had such a poor math teacher. They laugh that I still remember her name. This makes them relax because they know I understand them because we have shared this school experience. I like having students who want to learn to read, to do math, or to learn English because they like to be here.

Q: What do you see as the next step forward in literacy programming?

A: CAL will be doing even more outreach this year. One outreach is with Wayman Enterprises. We are helping them start a literacy program using the reading program written by CAL.

We are also planning more work with the refugee population. I started attending the Refugee Task Force meetings and am beginning the process of meeting with the individual organizations that help with refugee resettlement. There are tremendous literacy needs with that population. The agencies have shared that more and more of those moving to Jacksonville have had immense disruptions in their education and the agencies want help from the library to provide a wide variety of education tools.

We have also learned recently that the military needs help working with the sailors who are trying to learn English quickly so that they can pass their citizenship test.

Finally, we are going to different organizations and groups locally and around the state to train volunteer tutors who want to teach reading.

Q: Who was the greatest mentor in your life and why?

A: My greatest mentor was a fellow teacher who took pity on a first year teacher. Unfortunately, when I began teaching the principal handed you your classroom keys and you either succeeded or not. There was not much (not any, really) in the way of guidance. I also had never had an education class at college because that was not my major. To learn to do lesson plans, I lied to this sweet woman. I told her I knew that every principal liked the plans written differently so what should mine look like. This should have set off alarm bells in her head but instead she very patiently explained how she wrote hers. From then on if I had a question, I headed to her classroom. She was patient and kind and never let on that she thought there was a bozo in the 7th grade room. She spent two years getting me into the rhythms of teaching. I know that she sometimes wondered how I fell into teaching but she never spoke aloud about her misgivings. I will always appreciate what she did for me.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or author you would like to tell us about?

A: I am a sci-fi nut. I love nothing better than to read or reread a Larry Niven or Isaac Asimov. One of my current favorites is Jim Butcher.

Notes from Collection Development:

Disney- more than animated films. Look for these titles new to the collection.

Two young siblings (Robb and Ludwig) find themselves on the run from a dark organization seeking to exploit their paranormal abilities in this remake of the beloved Disney classic. A helpful cab driver (Johnson) and a UFO specialist (Gugino) try to keep the kids safe. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, who played the siblings in the original movie, co-star.

When the pop star fame of her secret alter ego, Hannah Montana, becomes too much to bear, Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) takes a break and journeys back to her Tennessee hometown of Crowley Corners for a much-needed break from the spotlight. But the pressures of celebrity life prove difficult to escape when Miley is pursued by a snoop who suspects the truth about her identity.

Follows polar bear, elephant, and humpback whale families on their journeys and struggles within their environments.

Your ticket to... tips for outreach and promotion

Each month, JPL will focus on promoting specific library services as part of the library awareness campaign. This month's services are downloadable media-- audiobooks, digital video, and e-books. The home page on the library's website is rotating images to promote downloadable media, and each location received signs with a note about promoting downloadable media.

Use your knowledge of downloadable media or recent vendor training to promote this valuable service to your customers. Downloadable audiobooks have proven to be very popular with library customers, but there are customers who still might not know about downloadable e-books and video.

The best, easiest and most inexpensive way to promote library services and programs is through word-of-mouth. Take every opportunity you can to talk to customers about downloadable media in October.

- Tell customers about downloadable media while working at the reference or circulation desks. Use the signs as a reference point while talking to customers. The best time to start a conversation about downloadable media is when a customer is asking about or checking out a physical audiobook.

- Place Discover Online services brochures on the desks near the signs promoting downloadable media. Also take Discovery Awaits Online brochures to outreach activities. (Note: More Discovery Awaits Online brochures can be ordered by using the promotional materials order form on JPL Neighborhood)

- Make an announcement at the beginning of a library program or storytime. Use one of the signs to hold up and point to during your announcement.

- Talk about downloadable media when doing outreach. Additional signs for outreach are available upon request. Please email your requests to Wally Bowden at wbowden@coj.net.

- If you are artistically creative, put together a downloadable media display. Email requests for additional signs for displays to Wally Bowden at wbowden@coj.net.

- And last but not least, share your own creative ideas on how to promote downloadable media and other library services with your colleagues. Share in person, or post your ideas right here on the staff blog.

**Look for November's signs in the library delivery next week (week of October 11-16). Upcoming highlighted services include:

October

Downloadable audio books (IPOD accessible)

Downloadable video

E-books

November

Your ticket to answers:

Live Homework Help

Ask-a-Librarian

Book-a-Librarian

Also Festival of Trees

December

Break

But continue to promote Festival of Trees

January

Your ticket to answers:

E-research

Your ticket to economic success:

Business and economic resources

Free tax assistance from AARP and RealSense

Investor education

(For a full list of highlighted services, visit JPL Neighborhood at library awareness campaign plan)

Best Free Reference Websites

Check out RUSA's 2009 list of the best free reference websites. A gold mine for JPL reference staff.

How many were you familiar with?

(First seen on NEFLIN's blog)

Reader's Advisory now on Facebook

The Reader’s Advisory Committee is now on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacksonville-FL/Jacksonville-Public-Library-Readers-Advisory/122636279653

Here you’ll find staff recommendations, announcements of new releases, author readalikes and more. Visit us on Facebook at Jacksonville Public Library – Reader’s Advisory and become a fan today!

And don’t forget the Personalized Booklist! It’s a great tool for reader’s advisory. Recommend it to your customers or have a printed version available at the desk.

Notes from Collection Development

Titles recently released about the King of Pop--

Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin

In late December 2008, Ian Halperin told the world that Michael Jackson had only six months to live. His investigations into Jackson's failing health made headlines around the globe. Six months later, the King of Pop was dead.

Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Friends and associates paint a tragic picture of the last years and days of his life as Jackson made desperate attempts to prepare for the planned concert series at London's 02 Arena in July 2009. These shows would have earned millions for the singer and his entourage, but he could never have completed them, not mentally, and not physically. Michael knew it and his advisors knew it. Anyone who caught even a fleeting glimpse of the frail old man hiding beneath the costumes and cosmetics would have understood that the London tour was madness. Why did it happen this way? After an intense five year investigation, New York Times bestselling author Ian Halperin uncovers the real story of Michael Jackson's final years, a suspenseful and surprising thriller

Life Commemorative: Michael Jackson by Life Magazine

His talent was spectacular, electric. He was a thriller beyond compare. And he left us too soon. LIFE was there to capture the excitement that was Michael Jackson, from his earliest days when the magazine's John Olson visited the Jackson 5 to the adult years when Jackson invited Harry Benson to tour Neverland for LIFE. This book is an intimate portrait of the artist and the chronicle of an extraordinary American life. There was never a performer quite like Michael Jackson, and in the pages of this special commemorative book a singular superstar is captured in full.


Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009 by J. Randy Taraborrelli

So much has how been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. This book is the fruit of over 30 years of research and hundreds of exclusive interviews with a remarkable level of access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family - including Michael himself. Cutting through tabloid rumors, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind Michael Jackson, from his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent to his ever-changing personal appearance and bizarre publicity stunts. This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's life: his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's best-sellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.

Kudos from Customers

Argyle Branch: I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this library. Barbara Hughes is always helpful and makes me feel so welcome.

Beaches Branch Library: I love your children’s section. I check out books weekly for my pre-k class. The librarians are helpful and knowledgeable. Nicole Saville, Children’s Dept., comes every year to read and do movement activities with our five classes of pre-k students. She does an amazing job.

Brentwood Branch: I would not know where else to go that supplies so much information, friendship, and satisfaction. Thank you especially for the marvelous staff (Gloria Armstrong, Margaret Miles, and Maude Scott).

Southeast Branch: Recently, I had surgery and was unable to lift books I checked out. A woman at the circulation desk named Joyce (Myllykangas) notified someone in the back that she would be assisting me to get my books to the car. She carried two book bags to the entrance and waited for me to pull up to the curb where she placed the books on my front seat. How is that for service! Please let her know that I have submitted this commendation on her service beyond the call of duty.

Webb Wesconnett Branch: My daughter and I go to the library every Saturday. My daughter adores Jackie Bartha. She knows my daughter’s name and takes time talking with her.

They Don't Call It "Special Services" For Nothing

Heather Campbell, Manager-Special Services (Interlibrary Loan and Books by Mail), and her team received a good review about their dedicated service and many customer accolades in a recent article in the Financial News and Daily Record:

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=528879

Ms. Campbell is assisted by Carolyn Hampton, CSA II; Betty Person, Library Assistant; and Tammy Crotts, a Part-Time Clerical employee. This department boasts 98 years of service to JPL, its customers, and the City of Jacksonville.

Westbrook Branch Summer Library Program Winners

Meet two of the cutest winners you will ever see:

Jhaniya, age 5, was delighted to receive one of Westbrook Branch’s grand prizes at the close of their Summer Library Program. The grand prize included a new backpack full of goodies.

Also pictured are Megan, age 8, who was another grand prize winner, along with her mother, Melissa.

Eve Harm, Children and Teen Librarian
at Westbrook, reported that over
29,000 minutes were turned in for the Summer Reading Program at Westbrook and over 300 people attended the Be Creative @ Your Library programs.

'Way to go, Westbrook!