8th Fall Teen & Adult Poetry Jam - Let's Do THAT Again

What can a dozen performers, 56 attendees, and a few hard working staff do?  Create a real hit at the Main Library.  Mia Clark reports that the 8th Fall Teen & Adult Poetry Jam, October 1, was just that. On the staff side, Mia, Lisa Buggs, Joe Gaskin, and Keli Likins contributed their fair share to this success.  Lisa was responsible for finding the show host, Lydia Stewart of The Ritz, and Lisa kicked off the event, made the official introductions, managed the front stage, etc.  The new host kept the poet performers engaged and interactive with the audience with her smooth, seasoned style.  Joe came with prior Conference Center experience and his good technical skills were utilized in the sound room and behind the camera. He also assisted with the general set-up and break down. Mitesh Sangani arranged for the Poetry Jam to be held in the Hicks Auditorium and made sure it was ready for the event.  Good participation and attendance, positive program evaluations and verbal feedback resulted in JPL considering hosting this event quarterly.

You can view one of the teen participants, Jazmine, on this video; please click here:
http://youtu.be/DF6gn0CzvaQ

New JPL Interlibrary Loan Procedures at 12/5/11

ILL's new manager, Jerry Reynolds, thought it would be a good idea to give JPL staff a heads-up on the new ILL policy and procedures that will be listed in a leaflet (copied below) that Wally Bowden is preparing for distribution.  JPL cardholders will soon be able to pick up this leaflet at all JPL locations and everyone should use the procedures listed below as of December 5, 2011.  (An abbreviated outline of the new procedures was given in Administrative Supervisor Ava Barrett's Novembaer 28, 2011 email.)  Florida Navigator can be accessed at: http://floridanav.worldcat.org/ 

What is Interlibrary Loan?
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers Jacksonville Public Library cardholders in good standing the opportunity to request and receive materials that are not owned by the library. Through Interlibrary Loan, you have access to the circulating book collections of library systems in Florida, as well as universities and public library systems throughout the United States. Through ILL, cardholders can also request photocopies from books and periodicals that are not owned in JPL’s collections and databases. ILL services are available to anyone holding a valid JPL card. Interlibrary Loan services are not available to JPL e-Card holders. Requests for books can be placed electronically from any JPL branch via the Florida Navigator. If you are uncomfortable placing your own requests, the staff at any JPL branch can place requests for you. Please be aware that your Personal Identification Number (PIN) will be changed to a default PIN in the process to allow staff to place requests for you. If you don’t have a PIN or have forgotten it, library staff can provide a new PIN either in person or by calling 630-2665. You can also request your PIN online using the form found at http://jpl.coj.net/lib/replaceform.html. You’ll use the same PIN to access your library card account, Overdrive, and Florida Navigator.

What can I request through Interlibrary Loan?  Customers may have a total of ten (10) per month.

Requests for photocopies from books or periodicals are requested using the ILL Photocopy request link on the JPL ILL Policy page and are limited to 15 pages per request.

Material Which May Not Be Requested through ILL: Items currently owned by Jacksonville Public Library
Newly published materials (materials less than one year old)
Audio-visual material (Mixed media, CD-ROMs Videos, Audio-Cassettes, 16mm Films, Microfilm, etc.)
Textbooks
Books copyrighted or dated prior to 1920
Entire issues of periodicals
Rare books or non-book materials
E-books or e-documents/articles

Important Notes: Every ILL book has a lending label on it with the due date on it. The one-time renewal of ILL material is dependent upon the restrictions set by the lending library. If you desire a renewal, you must contact Interlibrary Loan (904-630-2986) at least three working days before the material is due. Fines will be incurred for overdue materials. Overdue materials can not be renewed. There are costly replacement fees for lost or damaged materials. You are responsible for paying any fees incurred.

Customers wanting photocopies or loans from fee-charging libraries must submit a check or money order made payable to the lending library before the loan request can be submitted. If the item is not filled by the lending library, the check or money order will be returned to the customer.

Most materials acquired through ILL may be circulated. Occasionally the materials you request may be designated by the lending library as restricted. This means that this material must be used in the library and cannot be checked out. For example, any items borrowed for you from the Library of Congress must be used in the library. You can, however, use the material in the Jacksonville Public Library location of your choice. When you receive the restricted materials, you will be asked to relinquish some form of identification. This identification will be held until you return the material to the desk.

ILL Books may be returned to any JPL branch. Please do not put ILL books in the book drop. To insure that you receive credit for returning ILL books, leave the lending labels on the books.

How do I place an Interlibrary Loan request using Navigator?
Jacksonville Public Library uses the Florida Navigator to request loans from Florida libraries and other libraries throughout the United States. To use Navigator you must have a valid Jacksonville Public Library card number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN). If your library account is blocked or barred due to unpaid fines or overdues, you will not have access to Navigator to request items or track your requests.

Go to the Interlibrary Loan page on the Jacksonville Public Library website: http://jpl.coj.net/ill/ill-policy.html .
Click on the Florida Navigator button.
Search for the item you wish to borrow using search box. The Florida Navigator shows the holdings of libraries throughout the Florida and the US. The item you wish to borrow must be listed in the Navigator.
When you locate the item you want to request, click on the title of the item.
Click on the Request via ILL button.
Select Jacksonville Public Library from the list of libraries in the drop down box.
If the log on screen appears, log-in by typing in your Jacksonville Public Library card number and PIN in the spaces provided.
Fill in additional information in the spaces provided. Providing a current e-mail address allows us to contact you faster. Using the drop down list provided, select the library you want to use as your Interlibrary Loan delivery location. Staff at your pick-up location will contact you when the material is available for pickup. If the item can be checked out and is not picked up within 7 days, it will be returned to the lending library.
In the space titled “More Information About My Request”, submit any additional information you think will help us locate the item and the maximum amount you are willing to pay for your loan or photocopy if there isn’t a free ILL lender available.
Submit the request. You will see a screen confirmation indicating that the request has been sent.

The My Requests link is featured on the Florida Navigator main page located under the Florida Navigator Libraries drop down box. This link allows you to view the status of your current book requests. Log-in to My Requests by selecting Jacksonville Public Library from the drop down list, then logging in using your Jacksonville Public Library card number and PIN in the spaces provided.

How can I find out more information about this service?  Please call Interlibrary Loan at 630-2986; Fax: 904-630-2734. Interlibrary Loan hours are: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. 

Placing requests using Navigator is the quickest way to obrtain ILL materials.  You can also place your requests by phone.  We can accept up to 3 requests by telephone at one time.

Volunteer/Artist Lafser Adds Fall Touch at SOM

Volunteer Gayle Lafser made good use of her artistic talents to create a 'pumpkin patch" running across South Mandarin Branch's children's room doors, and soon she will paint a winter season scene for SOM. 

City Open Enrollment for Employee Benefits

The City's annual Open Enrollment period runs from November 14 to December 7. Visit http://EmpSelfService.coj.net to enroll for your 2012 benefits. Visit www.coj.net/benefits for up-to-date rate information.

View the flyer here.

Kudos From Customers

Main – Call Center: “I spoke with Tony Miller in call center – he was helpful, kind, polite and didn’t rush me. He let me take my time and I appreciate it.”

Main – E-Library: “Instructor Eric Soriano is excellent. He knows the material, speaks clearly, and responds to students' questions.”

Pablo Creek Branch: (In Counting Opinions Q: What are you most satisfied with staff? A: “Carol (Bailey) at the reference desk.”

Webb Wesconnett Branch: “…I simply wanted to find a place to praise the staff at Webb Library for the outstanding job they did today with the children…(Laurie Mills, Mia Brack, and Merikris Boado). They are always enthusiastic and go much beyond the ordinary. I wasn't a participant but I watched the delight on the children's faces."

West Regional Library: “Thanks to Justin Keiser. He is a great asset for the library; he was great in helping me with e-books.”

Fine Time At Prime Time--Again

Kathy Tekin, Youth Services Library Supervisor, gave this report today on Prime Time, "We have just completed another successful six week session at the Charles Webb Wesconnett Branch Library where we ran two programs two nights per week. This would not have been possible without the support of branch staff and Prime Time Team staff.

"We started on Tuesday, September 27, and Wednesday, September 28, with two sets of scholars and storytellers. We had 17 families participate on Tuesdays and 10 families participate on Wednesdays.

"This was our fourth and fifth sessions of Prime Time Family Reading Time. We have worked with 59 families encouraging them to read with their children and to ask questions regarding what has been read. We also encourage the families to relate the reading to the experiences the children have.

"We will hold our next session beginning in late January 2012 at the Highlands Branch and in the spring we will hold our last program for this grant period at the Dallas Graham Branch.

"Some of the comments we received from the families include more reading in the home; turning off the television more frequently; the child is doing better in school. This last time we had several families indicate on their entry survey that they rarely use the library or read aloud with their children. On the exit survey, they indicated they will use the library more often and would like to participate in similar programs offered at the library."

Credit and three cheers for the success of this series of Prime Time go to team members: Emily Gideon, Tenesha Anderson, Diane Alexander, Mia Brack, Erica Brown, and Kathy Tekin. Storytellers and scholars were Robert Kelly and Lisa Wells on Tuesdays, and Debra Keels (pictured right above) and Dr. Elizabeth Furdell (pictured left) on Wednesdays.

Meet Beauty

November 8th was the opening night of Beauty and the Beast, presented by the Florida State CollegeArtist Series. They launched their 46th season with this performance and Family Night at the Times Union. There was a reading of fairy tales before the performance and during intermission by our own Susan Mankowski. She was dressed as Belle (the Beast was not able to attend.) There was bracelet and crown making, pin the rose on the vase, make your own paper rose, and photo opportunities. Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller also stopped by the JPL table to promote her health and fitness programs for girls. JPL provided a selection of books that were available for check out, and provided a recommended reading list of fairy tales for elementary children and teens, which also featured future library activities on the back. By the end of the evening, everyone in attendance was given the I (heart) JPL sticker. This was an amazing event due to the tremendous effort and support of Alisha Levasseur, Julie McNeil, Ron Block, Lanette Jackson, Susan Mankowski, Wally Bowden, and Angela Vigil. We had a great time and hope to continue with the Artist Series in the future.

Comin' Up: Friends of JPL's Book Warehouse Sale

Talk it up!  The next FJPL Book Warehouse Sale for early December is almost here.  The schedule is listed below.  The Sale will be in FJPL's warehouse located at University Park Branch, 3435 University Boulevard, North, south end of the building.  Dates and times are:

Thursday, December 1: 5 pm - 8 pm (members only; you can join FJPL then)
Friday, December 2 : 5- 8 pm - come one; come all Friday-Sunday
Saturday, December 3: 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, December 4: 12 pm - 5 pm ($10 bag special)

               AND:
Saturday, December 10: 9 am to 1:00 pm ($10 bag special)

Gaming Day At Regency Square Branch

On November 12, 2011, Regency Square Branch Library participated in  National Gaming Day Activities by hosting three gaming events.  Family gaming was presented by the Children’s Department.  The 38 attendees played DDR, Wii games and assorted board games, including “The Greatest Day Ever” and Loaded Questions Jr., donated by Familyandpartygames.com.   Fourteen teens played video games and had chopstick races during Anime Club, and a Wizards Duel with 13 Teens and Tweens was presented by Mr. T. J. of Magilus.

National Gaming Day is brought to public libraries by the American Library Association to highlight the importance of gaming in  bringing people into libraries, developing partnerships, highlighting libraries as community hubs and building family and community relationships.   Go to http://ngd.ala.org/2010/11/23/final-ngd10-numbers/  to see comments from some other participating libraries to see how they benefited from hosting these events.

Westbrook Has You Covered

Improvements to Westbrook Branch Library were celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony under their new canopy, November 1. Funding was provided by Project Safe Spaces, a multi-year library facilities infrastructure improvement program.  The new canopy will increase the safety and security of library customers and staff.  Pictured left to right: Michael Sullivan, Administrative Supervisor; Jackie Perry, Library Board member; Kimberly McTeer, WBK Library Associate; Councilman Warren Jones, Barbara Gubbin,Library Director; Tia Samuels, WBK Library Assistant; Camilla Cooper, Human Services Planner Supervisor, Housing & Neighborhoods Department; Luis Flores, Assistant Director, Facilities & Planning; Robbie Tiedeman, Executive Assistant, Facilities Manager; and in the back is Marjorie Gibbons, GB Library Assistant.  (Thanks to Angela Vigil, Community Relations & Marketing, for the beautiful picture.)

West Regional Branch Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican three-day festival that begins the last days of October. It is a time to honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. 

One of the customs is to decorate sugar skulls. Since West Regional Branch did not have sugar skulls, kids were offered plastic skulls to decorate in an Early Release craft program.  For their snacking pleasure, candy replaced the traditional sugar skulls.

Eve Harm said there were about 30 participants who demonstrated a lot of creativity. Mexican music played during the program and a small display of Day of the Dead books made it easy to find out more about this Mexican tradition.

Staff Profile - November 2011

Bob Silkett, former Southeast Branch Librarian Senior and now manager of NW, was one of the 3rd Quarter “Challenge the Process” award winners. He is a big supporter of DESNINATION: Leadership and has completed 64 hours of LDA training. Theresa Barmer, former SE Branch Manager, asked him to implement and oversee a branch communication plan as part of his DESTINATION: Leadership Action Plan Objective. As a result, Bob, along with a big helping hand from Ralph Henderson, Library Associate, successfully launched SE’s news blog in January 2011, and you can view it at: http://www.selibraryjax.blogspot.com/.

Bob’s former manager at SE, Lynne Baldwin, noted that as a librarian and a leader, he “encourages the heart of his staff every day through his hard work, creativity and dedication to JPL.”

If you plan to develop a branch blog, Bob says it may not be as difficult as it may seem, and you can contact him at NW Branch, 765-5402, ext. 220, if need be.

Q: How did you plan the SE blog and get buy-in from staff?
A: Concerning planning of the SE blog implementation, we benefited greatly from some thoughtful work that Ralph Henderson and I did as part of the DESTINATION: Leadership Action Plan process during the FY09-10 year. Our project that year focused on how and what we were communicating to our customers in terms of library related information. First we identified and defined the various communication vehicles available (posters, plasma screen, blog), listed potential content or topic areas of information (SE/JPL events, Library Resources, What’s new at the Branch, for example) that we thought would be of interest to our customers, and then developed a proposed media schedule allowing for easy management to deliver customer focused information throughout the year. As we moved forward on this project, we focused more attention on our blog. It needed the most help and also represented our best opportunity to reach the most people, if we could provide quality and quantity of content on an ongoing basis. That was the big test.

As for getting buy-in from staff, the best way is to either get staff involved early in the development/planning process or develop an implementation plan that not only tries to anticipate challenges to success but also attempts to help staff succeed. If staff succeeds, so does the plan and everyone wins. In this case, we were far along in the planning, so the focus was on implementation. Here’s what I tried to do:

Gain Management Support: Theresa liked Ralph’s and my work enough to identify it as a key branch objective for FY10-11, and we were also able to tie it into the Performance Objectives (“promote awareness of the Library’s informational and educational resources”).

Sell the Vision: If SE was to be the center of the community long term, there was a lot of information that we could share and we needed everyone to participate. So the challenge was to convince staff that with a little effort, each person could make an impactful contribution. The effort would be too much for one person, but manageable if everyone participated--plus it would count towards everyone’s performance objectives.

Make Participation as Easy As Possible: I asked staff to submit one blog article a month. They could choose from nine possible topic areas ranging from SE/JPL programs, library resources (such as databases or services), to highlighting new titles at the branch or even staff interests, that could be tied into library resources. (One staff shared her favorite Spring Roll recipe and it was put in our Cookbook section). Employees could choose their own topics. To participate, staff articles did not have to be lengthy but did need to have quality.

Appoint a Staff Coordinator to Manage the Process: To increase our chances for long term success, I asked Ralph to manage and coordinate the whole process. He received blog submissions on Word Documents, got branch management approval and then posted them on the blog throughout each month. He also kept track of the number of submissions and who was participating and the number of page hits the blog received each month. Ralph did a great job and helped us maintain momentum on this project while he was with us.

Q: Do you personally write articles for the blog and what have you written?
A: I had written six articles through March but was unable to sustain my own output during the second half of the year due to ongoing staffing challenges at SE and new priorities caused by the recent budget process. For some, I took the press releases generated by our Marketing Department and turned them into articles that (if possible) had a SE connection. I wrote an article about the 2011 Black History Calendar, developed a list of titles available at SE that tied in with the calendar’s theme, and set up a display of those books. Sharon Kirkes (Librarian Senior, CW) was also working on a program offering Student Financial Aid Workshops, so in support, I wrote a short article noting the purpose of the workshops and where/when they would be held. I also wrote a detailed article about AARP Tax support at SE.

Q: Who else regularly contributes articles and what criteria are used for submitting articles?
A: The goal was to have all reference staff, Adult, Teen, and Children contribute articles on average of once a month. We also looked for opportunities to gain other contributors. One of our Circ staff contributed an article and one particular volunteer did a series of book reviews called “Book Notes from a Shelving Cart”. In terms of criteria, the article needed to be of reasonable length, with a subject that easily fit within the nine topics that had been established for content. All articles were reviewed by branch management before being posted.

Q: What do you believe the SE Branch blog has accomplished for staff and customers?
A: A big challenge for any new idea or process is sustainability – can we maintain momentum long enough so the program becomes the “new normal”, or in effect becomes part of the branch routine? Here the results are mixed but positive. During FY10-11, we added 77 blog articles which average 6.5 blogs per month. Our goal was to generate 8-10 blogs/month, which we achieved from January - April. Everyone contributed multiple times. We have good content although some topic areas do need more focus. Ralph found a metric that measured page hits, and we have been averaging around 300 page views a month.

Conversely, we lost some momentum over the summer. Ralph was transferred to another branch in May, so we lost his coordinating skill. The credible threat of a deep budget cut presented to staff in the spring forced the branch to a back-to-the-basics strategy.  We stressed more cross training and focused on maintaining operations in the midst of significant staff losses occurring during the summer. Staff has done a wonderful job of continuing to add content in this environment, but at much lower levels.

In terms of impact on customers, the jury is still out. Our focus this year was to determine whether the branch could add a certain number of articles month end and month out. I think we were largely successful, but reassessment is needed based on current staffing, which is not expected to change soon. Once we proved that we could sustain the blog and keep it fresh, the next step in the process was to approach the Marketing group and get their help to publicize the blog and start building readership with our customer base. I had some positive discussions with Orin Heidelberg; however, this phase has not started.

Q: What is something about you that most of us probably do not know?
A: I lived and worked for a couple of years in Australia, penned an unpublished manuscript on Civil War military history and avidly collect Old Time Radio shows. I also have owned and managed a community bookstore for four years before doing library work.

Webb Is Keen on Halloween

Webb Wesconnett Branch’s Halloween party, October 29, hosted 97+ customers. A pumpkin drawing contest was held for children and candy was the treat for little and big kids. Customers were photographed in CW’s pumpkin patch and later copies were emailed to them at home. Grandparents, parents, and kids danced to "Ghost Busters” and “Monster Mash”. For the grand finale, everyone joined in dancing several times to “Thriller”.

Staff who wished wore costumes for the October 29 party and all staff came decked out on Halloween in their horrorble best.

 

Feeding Dreams Program in Northwest

Bradham Brooks Northwest was selected to host a General Mills Feeding Dreams Program.
We had 47 ladies in attendance and Reverend Yvette Williams was our special honoree.
The program is designed to empower African American women in health and education.

Operation Christmas Cards at CW

Webb Wesconnett Branch is involving children in Operation Christmas Cards. Michaels Arts & Crafts sponsored CW by providing stickers and cards. Children make the Christmas cards and then staff gives them back to Michaels to be sent to the soldiers in Afghanistan. CW has offered this program three times a week. Interest has grown and CW now has about 125 kids who participate. Operation Christmas Cards will culminate the end of October.

Princes and Pirates Party at CW

Webb Wesconnett Branch hosted a Halloween party, October 27, with 90 kids (and some adults), who came to show off their costumes.  Before they could ask, "Trick or treat?", CW offered plenty of candy, food, and other goodies.

How DO You Get 500+ Kids To Your Library?

On October 25th, Urban Library Center staff, including Garland Wilson, Anthony Williams, Joshua Wise and Library Supervisor, Marshelle Berry, welcomed a parade of over 500 students from R. L. Brown Elementary School. Students, teachers, and parents, as well as the Principal and Vice Principal, made their way through the Brown-Eastside Branch Library dressed as book characters. Those who did not have JPL cards, completed library card applications, which were handed to staff as students chanted, “We love to Read”. Each student was given a colorful bookmark to take with them.

In upper left photo, students file into Eastside Branch as Joshua Wise holds the door, and Garland Wilson passes out bookmarks to students in lower photo.

The event was followed by a Family Learning Night at the school and staff also participated in that.

Fire Prevention Program @ Northwest

October is fire prevention month, Northwest had a wonderful program today with Officer Cynthia Downer from the Fire and Rescue department. We had 61 in attendance representing Precious Hearts Learning Center, As we Grow Learning Center, St. Thomas Child Development Center and Genius Factory Learning Center. Thanks to Maude Scott, Northwest's Children's librarian for coordinating this program.

Councilman Ray Holt Reads at Highlands Branch

On October 24, Councilman Ray Holt (pictured center, facing camera, photo to right) visited Highlands Branch Library and read a book at the Family Preschool Story Time. CM Holt recently presided over the opening of the Oceanway Express lockers, for which Highlands is responsible. At that same event, a dog park was opened at the Oceanway community center, so DU chose dogs as their story time theme.

Beverly Mason (center, facing camera in photo at left), DU's Children’s Library Associate, planned and presented the story time. CM Holt read the book, Digby Takes Charge, by Caroline Jayne Church, and sang along with “B.I.N.G.O” and “How Much is that Doggie in the Window.” Ms. Mason reports that CM Holt was an excellent reader, engaging the audience of 20 preschoolers and parents. As an elected official, CM Holt is used to taking the stage. He also “has the three most adorable children on the planet” according to his official online profile and is clearly comfortable reading to children.

Southeast Branch Draws Kids With Chibi

Southeast Chibi Drawing Club proudly presents the "Artists of the Month" (top picture).  Each month students (a girl and a boy) get their own exhibition in the SE Teen Department.  Congratulations to October Artists Stephanie Preston and Tyler Ray, who attended the program all summer and did great artwork.  You are invited to visit SE Teen Department and feast your eyes.

SE Tween Chibi Drawing Club (bottom left) welcomed autumn with a party recently where they snacked on cupcakes and chocolate milk.  Chibi drawing classes will be going full speed during winter 2012, too.

Palin Hangul, SE Library Associate, sent in these pictures and comments and said "chibi" is a different kind of manga art in that it is simpler and more cartoonish than manga.