Plans for the new year

Like everyone else in the world, we're well into planning for 2010 at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. From the sounds of things, patrons and staff alike are in for a very good beginning to the year.

First, Sharon and I have been ordering books like crazy since we received the go-ahead from the library's accountant late last month. A handful have been delivered (in record time no less), but the majority of them will be arriving in early 2010. These books comprise our choices from *two* quarterly hotlists published by United Library Services (our main book supplier), a dozen smaller brochures from various publishers/distributors, and titles we've stumbled upon over the course of the last few months. While the books from these orders arrive, Sharon and I will be going through our non-fiction section to identify gaps in the library's collection and then ordering books to fill the gaps.

Second, I received a call from IT North (the library's tech support company) yesterday. Our new patron computers are ready to be installed. Regular users of the library probably know that our current patron computers are getting pretty old (the majority of them are still Pentium-IIIs) and that it's definitely time for an upgrade.

Third, the library's seventeeth Itchy Feet season will begin in the new year. We had over a dozen Itchy Feet presentations last year (including a stellar one by yours truly), and they provided an excellent respite from the winter doldrums.

Finally, the library's children's programming will start up again in mid-January. Wednesday Club, Lapsit, and Storytime will return to provide the weekly recommended allotment of library fun for children.

We've got an exciting start to the year ahead, so stop by the library early and often in 2010.
Merry Christmas folks!

--Jacob Fehr

=====Coming Attraction=====

Stay tuned for A Very Special Storytime on January 29th.

Featuring the King of Itchy Feet 2009, the Illustrious Impresario of ILLs, the Overlord of Overdues, the Charismatic Captain Amazing, the library's Head of Technical Services himself:

Jacob Fehr

in his first storytime ever with Sharon in attendance.


The Theme: Hockey (to coincide with the Olympic torch passing through TR that weekend)
The Books: The best hockey books in the library's children's collection PLUS Jacob's favourite children's story
The Craft: a Jacob original craft

9:30am - Daycare Storytime
10:30am - General public Storytime (pre-registration for 2010 storytime sessions is on now)

Thoughts on NOT spoiling Christmas for children

[Please note, the opinion expressed in this blog post is my personal opinion as a human being, not a library technician, and is not endorsed or approved by the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, its staff, manager, or board.]

I recently heard about the kerfuffle at the Christmas concert last night. For those who are unaware, a man stood up unannounced (and indeed, was not part of the program) and began reciting a lengthy poem describing how Santa Claus is a marketing creation while event organizers tried to figure out who this man was and what he was doing.

This did not occur during an adult conversation of the over-commercialization of Christmas, or during a roundtable discussion about the cost of Christmas. This occured at a Christmas concert where Santa was seeing children down the hall...

Here my response to that man:

*Beginning of extreme sarcasm*

Fantastic! Would you like to kick some puppies for an encore?

*End of extreme sarcasm*

Even if the modern view of Santa was a marketing creation as this man claims, Santa STILL represent an ideal that we can and should aspire to. Santa is an unselfish person who works extremely hard to bring joy to others and asks for nothing in return. That's something we should be celebrating, not denegrating, particularly during this time of year.

Now, I fully acknowledge the rights of this individual to have his own opinion. I also acknowledge his rights to pass his beliefs about Santa and Christmas on to his own family.

However, this man does not have the right to attempt to destroy Christmas for children in Tumbler Ridge. We live in an age when children seem to lose their innocence younger and younger every year. A belief in Santa Claus is one of the precious few things that allow children to remain children for a few brief years, and to try to take that away from these children and their parents is inexcusable.

--Jacob Fehr

Various Announcements

There are quite a few things going on in the library in December, so I thought I'd write a quick post about them. If you're a regular visitor to the library's website (tumblerridge.bclibrary.ca), you've probably already read about them, and may feel free to skip down to my previous blog post.


Holiday Hours @ the Library
Thursday, December 10: 10am-5pm (closed early for staff + board Christmas party)
December 24 - December 28: Closed
December 29 - December 30: 10am-5pm
December 31 - January 1: Closed


Food + Fun for Fines
December 1st to 15th

The library is continuing its holiday tradition of forgiving overdue fines in exchange for a donation to the Tumbler Ridge Foodbank.

1) Bring in non-perishable food items or a new, nonwrapped toy to the library

2) Ask a library staff member to clear your overdue fines.

Please note: Fines related to lost books, damaged books, or processing fees will not be forgiven due to the nature of these fines.


Musical Christmas Pajama Party
Join us on Tuesday, December 15th at 6:30 for the library's annual Musical Christmas Pajama Party. The evening will include

Music with

• Brian Bray
• Kelly McManus and Georgia LaPrairie-McManus
• The Top of the Hill Gang
• Crys White and her marmots

a Craft with library staff

a visit from Santa

Pajama attire is strongly encouraged.


Book Launch + Sale

On December 17th at 7pm, the library will play host to the book launch and sale of

The Forgotten Explorer:
Samuel Prescott Fay's 1914 Expedition to the Northern Rockies
by Dr. Charles Helm and Mike Murtha

Children's Books and Programs at the Library

I've recently heard through the grapevine that a patron or two has complained about the amount the library spends on children's books and programs. Here is my response to that: (please note that my response is my personal feelings on the matter both as an individual and as a library technician, but is not and should not be taken as the library's official stance on the matter)

:-P

I recently joked to Sharon that library staff are like drug dealers. We try to get our customers hooked young. In fact, that's not all that far from the truth. If we catch children while they're young and get them interested in reading, the chances of them becoming life-long readers is much higher.

Does it work on all children? Of course not. But it seems to work on quite a few. Look back to the salad days of cigarette advertising. Cartoon characters such as Fred and Barney from the Flintstones appeared in cigarette ads. There was a reason for that.


Ideally, children start visiting the library for Sharon's lapsit program while they are still babies. Lapsit establishes a routine of visiting the library and having fun. Sharon's rhymes and songs are all intended to help develop early literacy skills.

When the children get a little older, they can start to attend storytime. The mix of stories and songs continue to develop literacy and help to create a habit of visiting the library. Children start to read and sing along with their favourite books and songs, and most drag their parents over to the shelves to borrow some books before they leave the library. At this point, the children have already become weekly library users!

Finally, Wednesday Club and the library's Summer Reading Club mostly cater to school-age children. Sharon can read books to them that explore more complicated ideas and introduce them to a wider range of books and ideas.

We are in a time when literacy is a stated goal of the government. There are a large number of people who never read a single book once they graduate from school. Children who go through these programs (and have access to a wide variety of children's books) literally grow up in the library, and these programs increase the odds that they will continue to use the library for the rest of their lives.

In short, to suggest that we should be spending less money on this goal is absurd.

--Jacob Fehr

Book order with many graphic novels

The library received information from our accountant this week that allowed us to begin ordering books again. On Tuesday, Michele gave Sharon and I the good news and told us to go ahead and order books post-haste. Needless to say, she didn't have to tell us twice.

Sharon and I agreed that I'd place the first order because

1. I already had a list of books to order (some requested by Michele) that had been accumulating.
2. My order would be much smaller than hers and it would be easier to check her order against mine to avoid ordering duplicates.
   

Before Tuesday was over, I'd placed an order for around 40 items. Shortly after I placed the order, Sharon handed me a catalogue she had been saving called "Fiction K-12 Graphic Novels 2009-2010". I told her that I had done my order and it already included twenty or so graphic novels, but she said that I should take a look, and order more if I felt the need. I ended up making a smaller order (only another six items) just before I left the library last night.

Sharon spent the last two days digging through two hotlists from ULS (the company we order most of our books from) checking books that she'd like to order. When she's done with the hotlists (later today, she hoped), I'll be going through them to see if there's anything that I'd like to order that she hasn't already marked.

So, what did we order?

There are a few highlights for me. I ordered The Golden City, the final book in John Twelve Hawk's Fourth Realm trilogy and Sharon will be ordering Pirate Latitudes written by Michael Crichton shortly before his death.

The other highlights of the order (for me anyway) are mostly graphic novels and manga. Here's a list of what we ordered:

Amelia Rules! vols. 3-5 by Jimmy Gownley

• If you've been following this blog or my Twitter, you'll already know that Sharon and I absolutely love Amelia Rules! We're thrilled to be getting the next three volumes of it, and I am really looking forward to reading volume 5, The Tweenage Guide to not being Unpopular.
  

Amulet vols. 1-2 by Kazu Kibuishi

• I borrowed the first volume of Amulet through an ILL on a whim, and thought it was a fun, fantastical story.

Bleach vols. 7-8 by Tite Kubo

Bone vols. 1-9 by Jeff Smith

• The library already owns the complete Bone collection. The problem is that it's one extremely large paperback volume that has been in and out of book repair repeatedly. As a result, Sharon suggested that we order the individual volumes which will be smaller and less prone to damage.
  

Death Note vols. 7-9 by Tsugumi Ohba

• We're closing in on the finish line with Death Note. After this we'll only have three more volumes to purchase to finish the story, and a fourth volume that helps explain the series which we may or may not purchase.
  

Death Note: Another note by Nisioisin

• Another note is a prequel novel for Death Note that explains and expands on the history of L. I enjoyed the book when I borrowed it through an ILL, and I hope that it will serve as a literacy gateway. If Death Note readers enjoy the manga enough, hopefully they'll read this novel, and will continue on into other mystery novels.
  

Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet by Richard Appignanesi

• I found this in the graphic novel catalogue Sharon passed to me. In this version, Romeo and Juliet live in Tokyo and belong to different warring Yakuza families.

Phoenix vol. 2 by Osamu Tezuki

• The library has had Phoenix vol. 1 since before I started, and I've put off buying any more because of the price (it's twice as expensive per volume as Bleach or Death Note). But when we're trying to order the number of books we normally would have in the last few months, it isn't as big an issue.
  

Star Wars Legacy vols. 1-2 by Jan Duursema

• We try to keep up with some of the Star Wars books (the Darth Bane trilogy, etc.), and thought that it might be neat to try one of the graphic novel series. Instead of going with a series that just rehashes the movies, Sharon and I chose Star Wars Legacy, which takes place over 100 years after the movies and focuses on the exploits of one of Luke Skywalker's descendants who has left the jedi.

More graphic novel/manga news as it happens. Stay tooned!

Office 2007 Compatibility at the Library

We're still using Microsoft Office 2003 on our computers at the library. There has been no real impetus for us to upgrade to Office 2007. It's not cheap, and it would offer no tangible benefits to the library staff in day-to-day use. I have Office 2007 on my notebook at home (I required Microsoft Access for some of the classes in my library technician program), and based on my experience with it I don't believe the UI changes justify an upgrade at the library at this time.

As far as staff use goes, the version of Office we use really doesn't matter. We all use Office 2003, so we have no problems sending files back and forth. When we send files to recipients outside the library, they're generally able to open them without any trouble (Office 2007, OpenOffice.org, and even Google Docs can open Office 2003 files). If we're sent an Office 2007 file from an outside source, we can usally contact them and request that the file be re-saved as an Office 2003 file.

The problem occurs when a patron comes to the library with an Office 2007 file and needs to open it. We can't help that patron. We have to suggest that the patron find someone who has Office 2007 and re-save the file as an Office 2003 file so it can be used at the library. In effect, Microsoft's change to a different default file format (and in part, the people who use the default file format assuming that anyone can open it) are punishing our patrons because we have chosen not to upgrade so far.

At this point, many people may be tempted to point out that Microsoft offers an Office compatibility pack that can be installed to allow Office 2003 to open Office 2007 files. Those people would be correct. However, it's not especially easy to justify the expense of installing that pack (any installation of that kind would have to be done by our tech support company whose hourly rates are not excessively cheap) when

1. The number of patron comptability problems is fairly low (I'm aware of less than one a week on average)
   
2. The lack of compatibility doesn't cause any real problems for library staff
3. There is a simple work-around for the people who create the files (File-->Save As-->Office 2003 format)
4. An upgrade to Office 2007 (or Office 2010 depending on when our next upgrade cycle is) may be considered in the future

Where does this leave the library now? Right here:

An Open Request

To all patrons of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library and their friends, families, and associates:

If you plan to open, edit, print, or otherwise use a Microsoft Office file at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, or are creating a Microsoft Office file on behalf of someone who may want to open, edit, print, or otherwise use the file at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, please take a moment to save the file as an Office 2003 file.

This step (select File-->Save As, and select "Office 97-2003" from the pulldown menu before saving) will ensure that the file you create will work properly on the library's computers.

Thank you.

Sporadic Greatness

What's been going on at the library lately?

The short answer is "Nothing worth a full-blown blog post."

The real answer is much lengthier and more complicated. Since none of these topics is worth a full blog post, I'll write a little bit about everything.


New Graphic Novels
The library has received three new graphic novels in the last two weeks.

Last week we received Lost at Sea (by Bryan Lee O'Malley, also author of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels). I originally ordered Lost at Sea in May, and had basically given up hope by the time it came in. I previously read Lost at Sea via ILL and I recommend it. It's a little odd at times (the main character believes a cat stole her soul), but very entertaining nonetheless.

On Tuesday, we received the first two volumes of Amelia Rules! (by Jimmy Gownley). Ever since I borrowed the first volume through an ILL, Sharon and I have been chomping at the bit to get Amelia Rules! for the library. In fact, I enjoyed Amelia Rules! so much that I dressed as Captain Amazing for Halloween (photos available here)


New CAP Youth Intern
The library hired a new CAP Youth Intern last week. Melissa will be available to help patrons with their computers and to train patrons on various computer skills (using Office software, searching the Internet, using Library2Go to download audiobooks, etc.) If you'd like to make an appointment for some training/assistance, you can call the library at 250-242-4778 or e-mail Melissa directly: mstclaire@tumblerridgelibrary.org


My Illness
My ironman streak ended last Tuesday. I went home sick part way through the day, breaking a streak that started when I began working at the library last August. For the record, it was not H1N1 -- just an industrial strength cold.


10000 Villages
The library will be hosting the 10000 Villages craft fair from Wednesday, Nov. 18 to Sunday, Nov. 22. Fair trade items from countries around the world will be available, and we encourage everyone to come take a look.


So those are a few of the things that have been keeping us busy at the library lately. I'm hoping that I can start updating this blog more frequently, but it really depends on how much inspiration is available. ...or if inspiration is unavailable, it'll depend on how much access I have to the desks of my co-workers so I can describe their workspaces in detail.

The Appeal of Paperbacks

I had a patron come in today and ask why the library has so many pocket books (he meant paperback fiction). He said that many of ours were in bad shape and that they took up too much space in the library. I was caught offguard by the question and his arguments. So I told the patron that

• We don't really purchase that many of them
• Most of the library's paperbacks have been here for years
• Patrons donate more paperbacks than hardcovers
• Paperbacks are handy for travelling patrons.

At this point, the library manager wandered by, and the patron started asking her.

I thought about it some more, and there are many good reasons for the library to have an extensive collection of paperbacks.

Cost

1) A new paperback usually costs $12-13 dollars, while a new hardcover can cost over $35. We can just about buy three paperbacks for the same price as a single hardcover book. If the library had $1000 (random convenient number) to spend on new fiction, we could buy around 28 hardcovers, or over 75 paperbacks.

2) If we aren't generally convinced of a book's merit (if it received mediocre reviews, was overly esoteric, etc.), we will not purchase it in hardcover. Spending $35 on a book that won't be read is fairly painful. However, it might be worth spending $12-13 on a book to see if people will like it.

3) In a town (such as Tumbler Ridge) where the population is in a constant state of flux, there's always the worry that patrons will move without returning their library books. It's happened a few times this year alone, and I have not been able to bill those patrons for their books. If those patrons had borrowed paperback books, the library would have taken a smaller financial hit.

Space
[[Brief definitions for this section: "width" = width of spine, "depth" = width of cover]]

1) The limited height of paperbacks (even the annoying tall paperbacks) allows more shelves of them to fit in a limited amount of space. The bookshelf frames in the library are all roughly the same height, but the paperback shelves have two more shelves per frame (7 versus 5). Because paperbacks are generally no wider than the equivalent hardcover edition, it means that far more paperbacks can fit in a given shelf frame.

2) Because paperbacks also have a shallower depth than hardcovers, paperback shelves can be built narrower to take up less space than shelves for hardcovers.

Convenience

1) Because of the smaller, mostly standardized size of paperbacks, patrons can easily carry 7-8 of them without any trouble. A stack of 7-8 different sized hardcovers can be somewhat more awkward.

2) Paperbacks don't have dust covers to fight with. Library staff don't have to tape covers on paperbacks or deal with patrons who insist on removing dust covers and forget to return them with the book.

3) Travelling with a stack of hardcover books is often not an option. A pile of paperbacks however, can easily fit in a carry-on bag and keep patrons entertained throughout a lengthy flight.

4) Our library has a rack meant for holding paperbacks, so when we have to weed and sell some, we don't have to borrow every table in the library for the purpose.


Now, paperbacks are not perfect. They are easy to damage, hard to repair (cannot realistically be re-bound, etc.), and look shelf-worn much faster than hardcovers. However, a library without paperbacks would have far fewer books, a more homogenized collection, and many more frustrated patrons.

Definition of a Five Minute Warning

I thought I'd take a moment to explain what a Five Minute Warning is.

I give patrons a warning five minutes before I have to turn the computers off and again five minutes before the library closes.

Let me make this clear. A five minute warning in the library is like the last minute of play warning in the NHL. As soon as the final minute ticks down on the clock, the game is over. Is there a shot in the air? It doesn't matter. The game is over. Thanks for coming. Bye now.

Similarly, when the five minute warning is up at the library, all patrons should be gone, the lights should be turned off, and the door should be locked.

When I'm wandering around giving patrons a five minute warning at the library, I would appreciate it if you would do the following:

1. Quickly finish up your current thought on anything you're working on (an e-mail, a paper you're writing, etc).
2. Log out of any website you're using (if applicable).
3. Shut down your notebook computer (if applicable).
4. Pack up all of your things, including any garbage.
   
5. Proceed directly to the circulation desk with any library materials you'd like to check out.
6. Leave the library.

If you begin this process as soon as you hear my five minute warning, you should have ample time to leave the library before it closes.

After a five minute warning has been given, the following comments/request may be met by wild laughter or an icy glare (depending on the staff member):

• "I need to look something up online for a school paper"
• "I just need to log into Facebook for *one* minute"
• "This is a matter of life-or-death!" [this doesn't apply to any circumstances that are *literally* life-or-death. However, a library probably shouldn't be your first choice in those cases.]

Book Sale Ending Soon

Well folks, it's time for the library's book sale to start winding down. I talked with Sharon and Michele today, and we planned its end.

Because I'm being lazy, I'll just repeat the text from the posters (including my spiffy rhyme):

The Tumbler Ridge Public Library
Book Sale

Ends Oct. 9th

These tables of books are a total frustration.
Bring a bag! Fill it up! Pay by donation!

Nearly October already...

Library staff members tend to notice the passage of time for one simple reason: every time we sign books out we see the date due slip that shows what the date will be in three weeks. As a result, we've known October was on the way since September 10th.

Why does this matter?

October is kind of a big month around the library. For one thing, October is Canadian Library Month. That means we'll have spiffy posters around the library to remind you to appreciate libraries. ...And if you feel like appreciating the staff members at the library (small, unmarked bills are always appropriate), that would be okay too.

Halloween also comes at the end of October, and it's always fun at the library. Like last year, we'll be taking photos of everyone's costumes during the week of Halloween. We still have to work out all the specifics, but we still have a few weeks to do that.

Halloween is a chance to see your friendly library staff members in costumes of their own. Last year our costumes included a hippy (Rebekah), a princess (Sharon), Daniel Boone/Davy Crockett [I can never remember which is which] (Michele) and Dr. House (Jacob).

I have my costume already planned out for this year. It's currently a secret, but here are a few clues.

1. My costume will be amazing.
2. I could make the costume myself, but will probably visit my parents to use my mom's sewing machine to make it easier (and neater).
3. I can buy all the supplies to make the costume at Wal-Mart.

Are those clues enough to guess my costume? Probably not, but that's sort of the point.

Eight more days until October. Let the countdown begin.

Thoughts on corresponding with an author

I'm in quasi-correspondence with an author right now. His name is Jimmy Gownley, and he's the author and illustrator of the graphic novel series Amelia Rules! (which Sharon and I both love).

How did it start? Well...

I've been using Twitter since late April to post about my job at the library. When I first borrowed Amelia Rules! volume 1 ("The Whole World's Crazy) through an interlibrary loan, I posted a few messages about it, and how much I enjoyed it. Then a few weeks later, I did the same regarding volume 2 ("What Makes you Happy")

At some point along the way, I noticed that a kgownley was following me on Twitter, commented about it, and then started following her on Twitter. It turned out that she was Jimmy Gownley's wife.

When I received volume 3 ("Superheroes") and tweeted about it, she asked how I liked it. I replied "one word review: fantastic."

A few weeks later, I was reading kgownley's posts, and noticed that she followed jimmygownley. I put two and two together (and got four), and started following him as well. Yesterday he posted a link to the cover of the newest volume of Amelia Rules! (volume 5 "The Tweenage guide to not being Unpopular" -- Amazon has it listed for sale in April). I retweeted it, and then posted a comment that said "I showed the cover of AR 5 to Sharon and we both loved it. It's going to be a long seven month wait for it. :-( "

So when I came in to work this morning and logged in to Twitter (to complain about doing overdues), there was a message to me from Jimmy Gownley. He said "@jake_fehr I'm glad you both like the cover. I'm really happy with how the book turned out - I'm excited to get feedback on it!"

I've got to say that I was really impressed. He could've easily ignored my tweet (though he is following me on Twitter, I didn't specifically direct the tweet at him), but instead he took a brief moment to acknowledge me. As far as I'm concerned, Jimmy Gownley is a class act, and I'll continue to be a fan of him and his works for a long time to come.

That being said, if I'm disappointed by Amelia Rules! volume 4 when it arrives via ILL later this week, he'll be hearing about it.

Working Left-Handed (sort of)

I thought I'd change things up a little bit today. I moved my mouse to the left side of my desk and switched the mouse buttons in the control panel. I've done it before, but this is the first time I've done it while working at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. It seems like a small change, but it has really made me think about how computers are set up.

As a rule, I'm a very keyboard-oriented computer user. I suppose that's a result of my early years of programming on an Apple II. When I need to access something through the start menu, I almost always do it by using the keyboard (pressing the windows key, then using the arrows to move through the menu). When I switch between running programs, I almost always use Alt+Tab.

The end result is that normally I keep one hand on the mouse, and one on the keyboard while I'm doing most work (other than typing). That method falls completely apart when I use the mouse left-handed. Stretching my right arm across to press Alt+Tab (or Ctrl+Tab for that matter) while I'm still holding the mouse is downright awkward. It occurred to me that keyboards have two Shift keys, two Ctrl keys, two Alt keys... Why can't they have a second Tab key to make life easier for left-handed users?

The (seemingly) logical place for a second Tab key would be where the oversized backslash key is (just above the Enter key) because it would mirror the position of the first Tab key. However, if keyboard manufacturers replaced the backslash key with two keys, they'd each be far too small to be useful.

My suggestion is to narrow the right Shift key. I have reasonably large hands, and I never even touch the right half of the right Shift key. What if keyboard manufacturers lopped off one key-width of the right Shift key and made a second Tab key? The distance between the right Alt and Tab keys would be about the same as the distance between the left keys.

Or I suppose I could reprogram the Menu key (between the right Windows and Ctrl keys) to work as a second Tab key, but that sounds like too much work...

Book Sale at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library

We've been weeding adult fiction for a few weeks now, and the books are really starting to pile up. We've overfilled the normal book sale carts, just about filled three of our study cubicles, and have overloaded an extra table. That means it's time for a book sale!

Book Sale at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library

Starts: Immediately.

Ends: When we're tired of having so many tables occupied by books.
(The sale will last until September 16th at least)

Cost of books: 3 for $1.

Note: We're not finished weeding, so there will be new books added as the sale goes on.

Weeding Adult Fiction

If you've been in the library lately, you've probably noticed how stuffed the shelves are. Sharon and I have been working on weeding adult non-fiction on and off for the past few months, and it's finally having some impact. We focused on non-fiction because it's much easier to weed than fiction. Fiction arguably never goes out of date and does not get replaced by a newer (but different) book on the same topic. As a result, our adult fiction (hardcover) shelves became fuller and fuller.

I started playing with ReportTool, which is one component of our ILS (integrated library system). It had a report that allowed me to enter a number to see which books had not circulated in that number of days. I started small, and worked my way up. At some point between 900 and 1000 days, every adult fiction book was circulated, probably during inventory. So I decided to search for every adult fiction book that hadn't circulated in 900 days (approximately 2 1/2 years).

Sharon and I went through the resulting list and crossed off many of the books that we wanted to keep. I crossed off some of the books in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 series and a few Douglas Adams books, and Sharon picked some more to keep. At that point, the list was still really long (by my rough calcuations, it was still over 2000 books). So we decided that we'd keep newer books regardless of their circulation. I chose 1998 as an arbitrary year.

So last night, Mackenzie (one of the library's pages) went through the shelves to find the books on the list that were published before 1998 that Sharon and I hadn't crossed out. When we arrived this morning, there were stacks of books surrounding my desk. Sharon and I went through the piles and picked some books to save (either because they were part of a series, were written by a very popular author, or because the book sounded too interesting to weed).

We ended up with around 75 books to delete from the catalogue, and we're not even halfway through the Bs. We'll be working on this for the next few weeks, and we're tentatively scheduling a major book sale during Mass Registration in September. So when the time comes, please come out and buy some.

Funding cuts less than expected

On August 20th, 2009, the provincial government announced that it would continue to support BC public libraries with $13.7 million in funding, which is ~78% of previous funding levels. Nobody is ever happy with a 22% funding cut, but even two weeks ago, the libraries of British Columbia worried about a total loss of provincial funding. The details still have to be worked out, but on the whole this is good news.

The staff members of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library would like to thank everyone who sent letters, mailed postcards, and signed the online petition. You let the provincial government know how important public libraries are, and they listened.

On that note, we would also like to thank Blair Lekstrom (our MLA), Margaret MacDiarmid (Minister of Education) and Gordon Campbell (Premier) for listening to everyone's concerns.

Jacob's Desk

[begin stupid parody]
Today on Behind the Spine Label:
It's a place where decisions are made and instantly regretted.

Jacob's desk.
[End stupid parody]

If you walk by my desk at the library (and see me hard at work), it'll probably look pretty messy. Random papers are strewn about the desk and floor, and there are piles of books, post-its, and envelopes everywhere.

I just completed a (semi) major cleanup of my desk and shelf section today, and they're looking pretty good. So what's left? Well....

One of our phone handsets has a semi-permanent home on the back left (from my perspective) corner of my desk. It's as far away from me as it can be without leaving my desk. As the most junior full-time staff member, I get stuck with the phone quite often for a few reasons.

First, Sharon doesn't want it, so she only takes it when she needs it or is feeling very generous. Second, our circulation clerk Rebekah is only here for four hours each day, and her schedule overlaps the time I need the phone (to call people about books that have come in, overdues, etc.) Third, my desk is the closest (regularly-inhabited) staff desk to Michele's office and the back room. So it's become second nature for everyone to drop the phone off on my desk on their way by regardless of where the phone was to begin with.

Underneath the phone is a pad of paper. Right now I've got a scribbled list of notes on it about authorized Library of Congress subject headings. I could put the list into a notepad file, but I have to switch between three different windows when updating subject headings as it is. Adding a fourth would just slow things down even more. If you take a quick look at the pad, you'll see that I switch between handwriting and printing at random. (Well, maybe it's not random, but I haven't been able to identify a pattern, and I'm the one doing it!)

Next to that is my monitor, with some papers on its base. One stack is some ILL request forms for a particular patron. He has asked me to request the books around August 25th so that (hopefully) their arrival will coincide with his schedule. I have a strategically placed post-it note on the front ILL request form to cover the patron's name so that I'm in compliance with FOIPA (the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act).

The other paper on my monitor is a post-it note reminding me that I need to make a folder in the vertical file for 338.40971187. Michele has asked me to make a folder for the tourist trade in Tumbler Ridge. I believe (I looked it up a while back and can't remember off the top of my head) that that number corresponds to Tourism-Canada-BC-Northern BC-Peace River region. [I did check. It refers to Northeastern BC, and names cities and towns that are mostly from the Peace River region]

Beyond my monitor and speakers is where I keep the pens I've received for various things. I've got one from a LawMatters training session, a few promotional ones from a company that tries to sell them to the library, and one from the Credit Union's grand reopening. I keep these pens separate because they aren't the cheap $0.39 pens the library purchases. What do I use on a daily basis? A cheap $0.39 papermate pen with the cap on the end (they feel unbalanced otherwise). I use black ink because blue ink looks too friendly on overdue notices.

Moving on I've got two containers of quick-ties (thin ones used for sealing cloth mailing envelopes), the empty plastic ring from a roll of tape (which is handy if I feel the need to keep my hands busy), a few CDs from when Kristen was here (3 blank, 4 used), a pile of rubber bands (some libraries use them to hold books together in shipment but I generally don't), and a few blank ILL forms.

My water bottle (Dasani, refilled with TR tap water) is also sitting on my desk right now, as is one of the library's books that a co-worker put in an ILL request for (but clearly didn't check the catalogue first).

I've got a storage container on the upper level of my desk that holds a few handy things (date stamp, highlighters, staple remover) alongside some shipping label slips. There's a nearly empty post-it note tower (it was much cheaper to buy one and hand out post-it notes to everyone as necessary than to buy individual packs for everyone), a paperclip holder (filled *only* with standard paperclips. no oversized, plastic-coated, novelty coloured, or ridged), a box of tissue, a stack of message and note pads, and a stapler that looks like it's army surplus from the 70s.

I've got a couple of souvenirs (given to me by co-workers) on my side shelf, along with a printer used almost exclusively for printing spine labels and envelopes for overdue notices, a roll of removeable tape (used underneath temporary barcodes) and a few DVDs I need to catalogue. The shelf also holds two binders -- a thin one for patron bills that couldn't be mailed and a thick one that holds my copy of AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules) -- which are covered in a stack of books that I need to ask other staff members (mostly Sharon and Michele) about.

The lower shelves hold our office supply catalogues (one from Corporate Express for standard office supplies, one from Brodart for library supplies) and all the things I need for ILLs (temporary barcodes, folders to hold request forms, a scale, etc.)

Finally, the floor around my desk is pretty much always a mess. I keep spare padded envelopes for ILLs (cloth and paper) to the right of my chair (because it's much handier than keeping them in the back room), and spare mail bags next to them. I usually have a pile of papers to the left of my chair that will all end up in the recycling bin. It's generally easier to keep an ongoing pile that I remove once a day than it is to walk over to the bin with every little piece of paper.

So that's the official tour of my desk. I'm afraid on-site offical tours will generally not be given during library hours.

Thoughts on standardization

I like standardization. We drive vehicles that have a fairly standardized layout (steering wheel, two pedals for an automatic, three for a standard), use keyboards with standardized layouts (either Qwetry or Dvorak) and refer to weights and measures in either the metric or imperial system. In short, standardization makes life simpler.

My goal in updating the library's cataloguing was not to fix or correct it, but to standardize it. Libraries have a reference called AACR2 that describes how to catalogue items. In theory, following AACR2 perfectly should result in a "correct" record. The cataloguing done at this library over the past 20+ years has deviated from AACR2. I've been fixing some bad cataloguing (skipped fields, incorrect information, etc.) but in cases where the deviation is helpful, we've kept it and standardized it.

For instance, a book from a popular series like the Babysitters Club should be catalogued like this:

100$a Martin, Ann M. [author]
245$a Welcome back, Stacey [specific book title]
...
490$a The Babysitters club [series title]
490$v v. 28 [series number]

The problem is that our OPAC (online public access catalogue -- the card catalogue) only shows the title, author, and publication information. When searching the catalogue, library patrons could not tell what volume number they were looking at.

Things become even trickier with series without volume numbers (Harry Potter, Twilight, etc.). Many times patrons will come in and want "the third book in the series", and unless we have a personal knowledge of the series, we're not able to answer without checking an external source (Amazon, Wikipedia, etc.)

The records in our catalogue had a few different ways to deal with this shortcoming, but Sharon and I eventually agreed on a standard to follow. After being fixed to conform to our new local standard, the record looks like this:

100$a Martin, Ann M.
245$a Welcome back, Stacey : #28
...
490$a The Babysitters club
490$v #28

It seems like a small change, but it does two things. First, it includes the volume number in the book's title, making it much easier for patrons and staff members to find a particular book. Second, this record standardizes how the volume number is recorded (the number sign, followed by the volume number).

According to AACR2, this record is incorrect. However, it conforms to a standard, and the record is extremely usable. Patrons can easily understand that the #28 means that the book is the 28th volume. Future staff members should also be able to look at a few records in the catalogue and understand this particular system.

The library's standardization efforts are proceeding very well... at least, they were. As I previously posted, we found out that we will have to convert our subject headings to Library of Congress (LoC) subject headings before we transition to Sitka. So for the past week, I've been digging through LoC authority files to make sure our subject headings are accurate.

Guess what? The LoC subject headings contain just as many inconsistencies as our catalogue does. The LoC subject headings aren't standardized nearly as well as they should be. The biggest problem is the complete lack of guidance for singular versus plural subjects.

The following are all LoC authorized subject headings. My notes are enclosed in square brackets.

dogs [plural]
cats [plural]
walrus [singular]
giraffe [singular]

winds [plural]
water [singular]
water-power [with a hyphen]
wind power [without a hyphen]

This lack of standardization is causing me no end of problems.

For instance, many of the library's books had "handicrafts" [plural] as a subject heading. When I looked at the LoC authority records, there was no listing for "handicrafts"[plural] , and at "crafts" there was a link to "crafts & decorating". So I changed all the records with the heading "handicrafts" [plural] as I got to them. I've fixed the subject headings on 930 records now, and I just discovered that "handicraft" [singular] *is* an authorized subject heading.

It's getting frustrating. If LoC had standardized subject headings, my subject heading cleanup would be relatively easy. But right now, it isn't.

Sitka News

We just learned today that Sitka (the integrated library system most libraries in BC will be transitioning to) has an interesting cataloguing requirement. Apparently all subject headings in the 650 field in Sitka will have to be official Library of Congress subject headings.

So what's the problem? Our library uses Sears subject headings. We're currently waiting to find out if Sitka will also support Sears. If it doesn't, we'll have to double-check the subject headings on all 36000 records (including the ~2200 I've fixed already) to make sure they're official LC headings.

This project (especially this latest problem) is making me feel more and more like Sisyphus (I had to look up the name -- just knew the reference) every day. Well, I guess there is one difference. Sisyphus didn't get paid to push the boulder up the hill for eternity.

Don't Pull the Plug on Libraries

We've received indications that the provincial government is considering cutting operating grants for public libraries in British Columbia. These grants support many library programs, including

• Interlibrary loans
• BC OneCard
• Summer Reading Club
• Online databases
• AskAway (the online reference service)

If the operating grants provided at the provincial level disappear, these services will simply disappear. Individual libraries cannot afford to subsidize interlibrary services without provincial funding. And if these services cease to exist, there is the distinct possibility that the staff members responsible for them will see their hours cut, if not eliminated outright.

These funding cuts are inappropriate for a few reasons:

1) Library usage increases during an economic downturn.

• Patrons turn to libraries during times of economic trouble for two major reasons: help, and inexpensive entertainment. The help comes in the form of a place to apply for employment insurance and other government programs online, type resumes, look up online job postings, and do other research. The entertainment comes from the library materials (books, videos, etc.) and programs (Summer Reading Club, book discussion groups, author visits, etc.) Both of these services (assistance and entertainment) are desperately needed when the economy is failing.
  

2) The amount of money saved would be a tiny drop in the bucket.

• According to some sources, the BC budget deficit for this year is $3-5 billion, and will probably be $2-4 billion next year (figures from "Gov predicts B.C. deficit to reach billions" on Canada.com). The total amount of provincial grants to public libraries is around $18 million annually.

• Even if the deficit ends up at the low end of the estimate, cutting library funding from the provincial government will only cover 0.6% of this year's deficit and 0.9% of next year's. If the deficit is at the upper end of the estimate, library funding from the provincial government will only be 0.36% of this year's deficit and 0.45% of next year's.
  

3) These grants account for up to 10% of a library's total funding.

• The Vancouver Sun noted that the Fraser Valley Regional Library Association "receives $2 million in grants each year, about 10 percent of its total revenue." (figures from Vancouver Sun, July 24th, online). Provincial funding represents a smaller percentage of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library's revenue, but it's still significant enough (over 5%) to cause drastic changes in service levels if the funding is cut.
  

4) These cuts will affect patrons and libraries in other ways as well.

• Patrons will no longer be able to borrow books from other libraries. This means that smaller libraries (including Tumbler Ridge) will be stuck in a tough place. Our town really does not have a large enough population to justify the purchase of books for a niche audience. If we can no longer rely on interlibrary loans we will be forced to either purchase obscure books that only one or two patrons will ever read, or abandon these patrons and their interests.

• Patrons will no longer be able to borrow and return books outside of their local library system. Travelling and vacationing patrons will no longer be able to borrow books from one library and return them to another.

• Reference capabilities in smaller towns will be reduced. Larger libraries may have a designated reference librarian, but most smaller libraries do not. AskAway (the online reference website staffed by library staff members from across the province) helps to cover this gap. Funding for AskAway comes from the provincial government. In addition, some reference sources used by library staff (such as online databases) are also funded by the provincial government. In short, if provincial funding for libraries is eliminated, reference services at smaller libraries will be hobbled by lack of access to reference sources and staff member availability.
  

So what can we do about it?

1) Visit www.stopbclibrarycuts.ca. It has more information about the potential funding cuts and has a link to an online petition asking the government to refrain from making these cuts.

2) Write your MLA. In Tumbler Ridge, our MLA is Blair Lekstrom.

Hon. Blair Lekstrom
10300 - 100th Street
Dawson Creek, BC
V1G 3T6
e-mail: blair.lekstrom.mla@leg.bc.ca

3) Write to the Minister of Education, Margaret MacDiarmid

Hon. Margardet MacDiarmid
PO Box 9045
Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E2
e-mail: margaret.macdiarmid.mla@leg.bc.ca

4) Write to Premier Gordon Campbell

Hon. Gordon Campbell
Premier of British Columbia
Box 9014
Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E1
e-mail: premier@gov.bc.ca


In short, we have to let members of the provincial government know that it is *not* acceptable to cut funding for libraries. Please take a moment to tell them exactly that. Don't let them pull the plug on libraries.


Thanks.

www.stopbclibrarycuts.ca

OPAC Computer at the Library

When you walk into the library on your next visit, you might notice a minor change. We now have a computer set up next to the photocopier.

This computer will serve three purposes:

1) OPAC
This computer is our library's card catalogue computer. If you'd like to look up a book, feel free to use this computer to do so. Library staff members, as always, will still be available to help if you are unable to find a particular item.

2) ServiceBC Access
Patrons may use this computer to access services available through the ServiceBC website (http://www.servicebc.gov.bc.ca)

3) Online database Access
For short time periods (under 15 minutes), patrons may use this computer to access the library's online databases. For longer periods of time, patrons will be asked to use an Internet station.

Note:
This computer is not for open Internet access, e-mail, Facebook, or any other activities not listed above. The library has six computers available for non-OPAC/reference purposes.

Cleaning up the Library's Catalogue

For the past few weeks I've been working on a major project: cleaning up the library's catalogue. It started as a fairly minor project. When signing items out for a patron, I noticed that a few items had really odd loan lengths (a book was only loaned for one week, while a video was loaned for three).

In each cataloguing record, there's an entry that tells our circulation program what type of item it is, and how long it should be loaned for. The items in our catalogue fall into a few categories: general collection, adult video collection (being consolidated with juvenile video collection), reference, periodicals, etc. So one by one I've been opening a list of all items in a particular category.

These lists includes the title and author of the library's materials, but also the information that's on the item's spine label (which would look something like "ANF 054.35 JAC") So I can scan down the list looking for things that don't belong (such as a video in the periodical list). I fix the item, then move on.

While doing this quick fix, I stumbled on some other problems. Some items in our collection have screwy entries for the spine label information. Because spine labels on books are just there to help patrons find books on the shelves, they're only supposed to include three capital letters to indicate the author. A few of them had extra punctuation (L'CA), more than three letters (MACK), or a mix of upper and lower case (McL or Mcl). As a result, I expanded my catalogue clean-up to fixing the spine label information in the records.

And I continued on my merry little way. ...until I found another recurring error. Some records had information in the wrong fields. To many people, it probably doesn't matter that much whether the call number prefix is in field 852$h or 852$k. But the programs we use at the library require that information in the right fields to parse it properly. If a staff member wanted to see a list of all the adult paperbacks in the library, many items would be left out because "APB" was in the wrong field. So I expanded my fixing operations. I worked away at it until two days ago. I'm not done, but I became extremely tired of switching back and forth between programs fixing the same things on many records.

The whole time I was doing my "minor" fixes, I kept thinking about the larger picture of the library's catalogue. I saw a lot of poorly entered records and annoying cataloguing practices (many records are entered in all capital characters for instance). In addition, there are some records that are simply incomplete (they include little more than the title and author of a work). As a result, I took a break from my fixing operation and moved onto the overhaul.

Before I started, I had a series of talks with Sharon about what our catalogue should look like. Now, there is an official standard called AACR2 that outlines how things should be done. Unfortunately, AACR2 is often less than helpful for real world use. As a result, Sharon and I talked about a number of topics, all related to standardizing entries the library's catalogue. We also discussed updating our catalogue records (replacing an obsolete MARC tag with a newer one for instance.)

On Thursday evening, I started at the final item of an alphabetical list of the library's materials: a ZZ Top CD. I opened the cataloguing record, fixed the errors, standardized some fields, saved it, and moved onto the next record. I worked on it for maybe an hour and a half yesterday, and around two and a half hours today.

I'm going to be at this for a very long time folks. Our library has approximately 36000 items. The last record I finished today was 344th in the list. I'm less than 1% done. At the rate I'm going (rounded down a bit, it's approximately 60 records per hour), it'll take me nearly 600 hours to finish.

So if you see me staring intently at a list of library items on my monitor, clicking and typing intermittently, please take a moment and say a brief prayer to the deity of your choice on my behalf.

Canada Day Fireworks

I'd like to thank the firefighters of Tumbler Ridge for the show they put on last night. It seems kind of silly to thank them for a light show when their everyday job involves risking their lives and being heroes, but I have a particular reason.

As many of you know, I returned to Tumbler Ridge late last August after moving away in 1994. The town I lived in for fourteen years, Williams Lake, does not have fireworks on Canada Day. It's partly due to the timing of the Williams Lake Stampede (usally encompasses Canada Day), and the fear of spooking the horses and cattle.

So last night, for the first time since 1993, I got to see fireworks in my town on Canada Day. And they were fantastic.

Thanks!

Beyond Hope Conference

On June 8-9 I attended the Beyond Hope Conference in Prince George. It's a library conference that is held every two years, and seems to be meant (especially from the name) for northern library staff that may not be able to attend the big BCLA (BC Library Association) conference in Vancouver every year.

While there, I attended a variety of workshops which hopefully prepared me for upcoming changes in the library world and will help me to better provide services to library patrons. I'm going to limit this entry to three of the workshops I attended, and may write more about the others in the future.

RDA what's that?
This workshop focused on teaching library staff about RDA (Resource Description and Access), a new cataloguing standard.

Libraries currently adhere to AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition) for cataloguing. AACR2 tells library staff exactly how to record information about books and other library materials in a standardized manner. In short, it's the foundation that the library's catalogue is built on.

One of the shortcomings of AACR2 is that it was created to help librarians to catalogue books, and has been adapted to help catalogue other materials. As a result, AACR2's primary focus is the form of the format of an item. That means that the book and audiobook for a particular title (say, J.R.R Tolkien's Fellowship of the Rings) are treated differently.

RDA (Resource Description and Access), the successor to AACR2 focuses more on cataloguing the work (Fellowship of the Rings) and keeping it separate from the work's container (book/audiobook/video/etc.) The only real difference to library patrons is that RDA should help the same work be lumped together in catalogues and be presented as a single entity.

If you search most library catalogues for "Fellowship of the Rings", you'll get a list like this:
Angled brackets are notes I've written to explain the entries.

Fellowship of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) [audiobook]
Fellowship of the Rings (Peter Jackson) [video recording]
Fellowship of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) [video recording]
Fellowship of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) [text]
Fellowship of the Rings (Peter Jackson) [text]

In a RDA-based catalogue, a similar search will look more like this:
Fellowship of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
Fellowship of the Rings (Peter Jackson)

and users will click on the work they're searching for to see the specifics.

DIY accessibility
We're all familiar with the idea of accesibility. It's easy to think of things that increase accessibility in the physical world: ramps, signs with internationally recognized signals, etc. In the digital world, what constitutes accessibility isn't quite so clear. Arguably, the biggest challenge is to blind users who cannot see what is displayed on computer monitors.

This workshop had two main purposes. First, the presenters showed us programs that are available to increase accessibility. Screen readers are one such program. These programs read the text on the screen out loud so blind or other visually impaired users can use computers. Second, the presenters taught us how to make documents that are compatible with accessibility programs.

Making a document attractive and readable to a visually impaired patron and a sighted patron are two different things. An accessible document uses the built-in heading levels available in word processing programs. Other ways of denoting headings (different fonts, or using italics) do not cooperate so well with screen reading programs. Accessible documents as a rule do not contain tables, because they also cause problems for screen readers.

At the moment, most of the documents I create at work are for internal use only. Accessibility isn't a large concern for those documents. But if I can get into the habit of making all my documents accessible, it should serve me well in the future.

Yoga
I had hoped this session would be about little things I could do during the work day to relieve stress. I was wrong, and I ended up in pain. The presenter (a certified fusion workout instructor) worked our butts off and proved one thing: I am completely out of shape.

Getting a library card

Getting a library card at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library is fairly easy. There's no charge. We just ask the patron to sign a statement of responsibility and show library staff two things:

• some kind of identification (we prefer photo ID like driver's licenses, etc)
  
• proof of the patron's mailing address in Tumbler Ridge

The library requires proof of mailing address for a simple reason. We need to be able to contact patrons. We send overdue notices and bills by mail on a regular basis, and other library notices sporadically.

At one point in the past someone registered a particular patron without a mailing address. A few months back that patron had an overdue book, her phone number was out of service, and I had no way of contacting her. The book was never returned and I've been unable to bill that patron. The library is simply out the money for the book with no way of recovering it.

For that reason, library staff members will not give a patron a library card without proof of their mailing address in Tumbler Ridge. Please don't ask.

There are three alternatives if a patron cannot provide a mailing address in Tumbler Ridge.


1) BC OneCard

If a patron has a valid card at a public library elsewhere in BC, we can issue that patron a BC OneCard. The OneCard serves as a limited membership at the library. At the Tumbler Ridge Public Library, OneCard patrons may only borrow five books at a time, may not request interlibrary loans, and may not borrow other library materials such as audiobooks and DVDs.

A OneCard membership also allows patrons to borrow books from the Tumbler Ridge Public Library and return those books to any other public library in BC.

*NOTE* BC OneCard policies vary from library to library. The policies described here apply to the Tumbler Ridge Public Library and may not be universal.


2) Temporary Card

If a patron does not have a mailing address in Tumbler Ridge and does not have a library card elsewhere in the province, a temporary library card is available. A temporary card costs $70, $40 of which is refundable upon return of the card if the patron is in good standing.


3) Go without a card

This sounds like a ridiculous option, but there are basically only two library services at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library that require a card: borrowing library materials and requesting books through an interlibrary loan. The following library services do not require a library card

• reading library materials in the library
  
• using the public Internet computers
• asking reference questions
• attending library programs (Itchy Feet, Storytime, Pageturners, etc.)
  
• photocopying/printing/faxing (we do charge for these services, but they do not require a library card)

To sum everything up, if you've got proof of your mailing address in Tumbler Ridge, we're happy to issue you a library card. If you don't, but you've got a library card from a different public library in the province, we're happy to issue you a OneCard. If you don't, but are willing to pay to access the library, we're happy to issue you a temporary card. If none of these apply to you, we encourage you to take advantage of all the library services that do not require a library card.

Summer Reading Club 2009 - Follow the Reader

We've all heard the old joke about how kids have ten months of the year to learn and two months of summer vacation to forget what they've learned. The sad part is that the joke has some truth to it. Two months away from school can have an impact on learning and literacy.

Summer school isn't a popular option, but there is a middle ground: the Summer Reading Club at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. This seven week program is free, designed for toddlers to teens, and is intended to help keep their minds active over the summer.

Summer Reading Club Schedule

Wednesday, June 17th at 3pm -- Opening Ceremonies
Registration
Face painting
Musical entertainment
Craft
Door prizes

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm -- storytime and a craft

Every Wednesday and Friday at 3pm -- storytime

Tuesday, August 18th -- Reading Records due

Thursday, August 20th at 3pm -- Closing Ceremonies

Weekly Themes

Week 1: July 7-10: Readers are Leaders
Week 2: July 14-17: Ring Around the World
Week 3: July 21-24: On the Sunny Side
Week 4: July 28-31: Read for the Top!
Week 5: Aug. 4-7: Bring it on!
Week 6: Aug. 11-14: Readers Unite!
Week 7: Aug. 18-20: Step Out, Into Books

Parents who are reading this, please sign your children up for the Summer Reading Club. They will

• have some fun at the library four days a week
• get to make a neat craft twice a week
  
• be exposed to some wonderful books
• have endless reading material for (similarly) endless car rides during vacations
• win prizes at the end of the summer for completing their reading record
  

End of the Itchy Feet Season

When the projector screen is raised later tonight, it will signal the end of the 16th season of Itchy Feet at the library. This season we started in the schools of Nicaragua and ended on the other side of the world -- Kruger National Park in South Africa. In between, we covered nearly a dozen countries spread across six continents and visited with authors and artists from our own part of the world.

Highlights included wild animals, beautiful landscapes, exotic temples and peace memorials.

Everyone at the library (and I'm sure all the people who've enjoyed Itchy Feet this season) would like to give thanks to:

Captain Eric Blackburn (Nicaragua)
Ben Gadd (author)
Don Pettit (author)
Kevin Sharman & family (Belize, Wild Flowers in Macro)
Larry and Crys White (USA)
Charles and Daniel Helm (USA)
Peter von Tiesenhausen (artist)
Jeanette Johnson (Ecuador)
Vickie Davis (Thailand)
Sarah Gamble (archaeology update/ice climbing)
Craig Waters (archaeology update/ice climbing)
Jacob Fehr [me] (Japan)
Jim Way (Ice Roads)
Joe Cramp (Peru)
Moire Jones (Cuba)
Mike Nash (author)
Betsy Trumpener (author, CBC radio personality)
Vicky Bye (Elephants)
Jean Pawlucki (Australia/New Zealand)
Charissa Tonnensen (Australia/New Zealand)
Larry Jacobsen (author)
Bert Schalekamp (South Africa - Kruger National Park)

We couldn't have done anything without you folks!

Peace Region Palaeontology Symposium

On May 23rd the Peace Region Palaeontology Symposium will be taking place in the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre as well as the Public Library. The symposium will include a number of different activities throughout the day:

Rich McCrea, Lisa Buckley, Charles Helm, Sean Robson, Paul McNiel, and Bruce Archibald will all be giving lectures.

From 12:30pm-1:30pm, the 4th Annual Fossil Road Show will be taking place. I encourage people to bring in small fossils they've found for identification.

Finally, the Library will have four sessions of children's activities during the day (10-10:45, 11-11:45, 2-2:45, 3-3:45). Children are limited to participating in one session (all the sessions will contain the same activities), and pre-registration is required.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Community Centre for the Palaeontology Symposium.

Itchy Feet South Africa: Kruger National Park

On Tuesday, May 26th, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library will play host to the final Itchy Feet presentation of the season. Bert Schalekamp will present Itchy Feet South Africa: Kruger National Park. It starts at 7pm, May 26th at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library.

Author Visit: Larry Jacobsen

On Tuesday, May 19th at 7pm, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library will play host to author Larry Jacobsen. Larry came to Canada as a baby in 1929, the third in a family that eventually numbered 12 childen and retired for the final time at age 78. Larry will be talking about his third book, Jewel of the Kootenays.

Library Book Purchases

I just thought I'd write a bit about the book purchasing process at the library. I've already written about one part of it in the post about expanding our graphic novel/manga collection, but there's more to it than that.

The process Sharon and I followed when expanding our graphic novel/manga collection was what we do in general if a particular area in the library is lacking. We identify the gaps, try to find a selection of good books that will fill the gaps, and purchase some of them. Previously library staff have done this with computer books (shortly before I began last August) and law books (a few months ago).

If we aren't trying to fill a particular gap in the library's collection, Sharon and I look for books that are informative, interesting, or entertaining. For every book we're interested in, we consider a few factors:


1) What the library currently has in its collection

If the library already has a number of books in a particular area, a book in that area has to be very good or unique for us to consider purchasing it.

An example of this happened when I was looking for a new book about programming websites (the books that were in our collection were around ten years old). I came across a book called The Baby owner's manual that looked pretty interesting. Sharon reminded me that we already had many books in that area. We took a closer look at our collection, and realized that the tone and audience of this particular book are quite different from the other books about babies in the library's collection, so I ordered it after all.


2) The price of the book

Nomatter how wonderful a particular book is, there are limits on how much we're willing to pay for it. While researching graphic novels for the library, I found that we could purchase a hardcover edition of the complete Death and Life of Superman for around $70. That was one of the biggest comic book storylines of the last two decades, but that price was (sadly) too much for a comic book. When Sharon and I discussed expanding our graphic novel collection, we agreed to spend around $100, so spending $70 on one book was not a practical choice.


3) The expected popularity of the book at our library

The library has already pre-ordered Dan Brown's newest book based on the overwhelming popularity of his previous book The Da Vinci Code. We also recently purchased The Dark River, because it was the sequel to The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks, which had circulated a relatively high number of times for a library of this size.


4) Reviews of the book

We often check the reviews for a particular book on amazon.ca before purchasing it. We're well aware that the reviews there do not represent everyone, but they give Sharon and I something to consider.


5) Patron suggestions

Sharon and I both welcome purchase suggestions from library patrons. If possible, give us the title and author (the ISBN is also welcome), and we'll take a look (at the items listed above) and consider our options.

A word of warning: if the book is overly esoteric or expensive, we probably will not purchase it unless there is sizable and continuing demand for it. If that demand never materializes, we'll likely suggest you wait and then request the book through an interlibrary loan.


If you think you've found a book the library should purchase, consider the things I've typed above, then suggest it to Sharon or me. You can do it in person or by leaving a comment after this post (a Google account is required)

Itchy Feet: How to Eat Kangaroo Pizza

On Tuesday, May 12th, Jean Pawlucki and Charissa Tonnensen will be at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library for Itchy Feet: How to Eat Kangaroo Pizza. They recently visited Australia and New Zealand and (presumably) sampled some native cuisine.

Did this cuisine really include kangaroo pizza? You'll have to come down to the library at 7pm on Tuesday to find out.

The Overdue System at the Library

I take care of overdues at the library. Lately I've noticed that many people aren't aware of how the overdue system works, so I thought I'd write a post detailing the system from front to end.

Every Wednesday, I process the overdues. One of the components of the library's ILS (integrated library system) is a report program. On Wednesdays, I use the program and one of its report files to print a report of books that have been overdue 7-90 days, sorted by patron. I compare this list to the previous week's list and note a few things. Any new items are starred, and any previous contact between me and the overdue patrons is noted.

I search the shelves for any new items on the list. Sadly, mistakes do happen (everyone who works here is human, after all), and this search allows me to catch most of them. If I happen to find a book, I check it in and remove the accompanying fine from the patron's account. After my search, I continue with the paperwork portion of overdues.

I produce two different kinds of print notices for patrons. The first is called an overdue notice, and is created when the patron has items that are 14-21 days overdue. It is accompanied by a short letter that outlines the library's overdue policy. The second is called an overdue letter (for items that are 28-35 days overdue), and is the final print correspondence between the library and a patron before the patron is billed. I print out and stuff envelopes to the patrons, then mail them out.

Later in the day (usually after I've finished my supper break), I start calling patrons about their overdues, and make brief notations on my list for what kind of contact was made on a particular date:

-C ("called" -- talked to person listed)
-LM ("left message" -- either with another person in the household or on an answering machine)
-NIS ("not in service" -- phone number gave me a "not in service" message)
-MN ("mailed notice" -- the first written notice)
-ML ("mailed letter" -- the second written notice)

If a patron insists that the item was returned, I search again for the item (on some occasions, it has been returned after I printed the list for the week, but before I started calling).

And the next week the process continues.

The final aspect of the overdue process is billing. Until now it's been done sporadically (I held onto the belief that nobody could have items overdue for three months until just recently), but now that I've started, it will be done every week for items that are 91-97 days overdue.

When items are three months overdue, I search for the items again. If I find an overdue item, I check it in, and adjust the patron's fines. If I cannot find the patron's items, I suspend the patron's account and bill the patron as follows:

• the replacement cost of the item
  
• the full amount of fines accumulated to date on that item
• a five dollar processing fee for each item(to cover the time and materials required to process a replacement copy)

If the patron can find the missing items, the processing fee and replacement costs will be removed, just leaving the original overdue fine.

Overdue Schedule Summary
0-7 days: nothing
7-14 days: phone call
14-21 days: mailed notice, phone call
21-28 days: phone call
28-35 days: mailed letter, phone call
90+ days: suspension, bill

That's the unpleasant side of things. Here's the more pleasant side.

First, the library allows patrons to renew items. As long as the item doesn't have any holds or reserves on it, we're happy to renew items up to two times by phone or e-mail, even if the item is already overdue (though the fines up to that point will remain). After those two renewals, we require patrons to bring the item into the library for subsequent renewals. This is to prevent patrons from renewing a lost item over and over again instead of telling us it has been lost.

Renewals on Interlibrary loan items (ILLs) are a little trickier because I have to contact the lending library. But if a patron requests a renewal before the item is due, I'm more than happy to do it.

Second, all the money collected from overdue fines goes into the library's budget, which allows us to spend more money on new books and other materials for the library.

Third, I'm not a mean person. I don't enjoy calling people about their overdues, but I'm never rude or angry on the phone. So don't worry if you answer the phone and I'm calling about overdues. I won't start yelling unless you do first.

Weeding the stacks

I spent a few hours weeding on Saturday. For the uninitiated, weeding (in a library) refers to removing books from our collection based on a number of criteria including age, circulation, relevance, and obsoletion. I started with a list of books that had not been circulated in 500 days. This seems arbitrary, but it was a nice round number, and gave me a good-size list of books to work with.

The resulting list of books was simply a place to start from -- not the list of books to be weeded. I went through the list of adult non-fiction, and checked the list to see if the books were duplicates (there are times when the library ends up with two copies of a particular book), outdated (science and health books in particular), obsolete (if we had a newer edition of the same book, or a newer book on the same subject), or just not used (a few of the books on the list had never been circulated).

If a book hadn't circulated in 500 days and failed another criteria for keeping the book, I pulled it from the shelves, and put it into a stack near my desk for further review with Sharon. We ultimately kept five of the books (there were around sixty in the stack) because of high overall circulation (one or two of the books had been signed out 9-10 times overall) or relevance (a book about the history of the Peace region that we had two copies of). The rest were deleted from our catalogue and will be sold.

Some of the books I weeded include
extremely dated medical books (AIDS, the medical mystery [1983])
old financial books (Chand's top 50 mutual funds [2002])
general out of date books (The Complete guide to Canadian universities [1992])

There are quite a few benefits of weeding, and most of them apply here. First, weeding removed out of date books that could contain incorrect, if not dangerous, information. Second, weeding allowed Sharon and I to identify some gaps in our collection. Finally, our shelves are extremely crowded at the moment, and weeding helped to give library staff a little more space to work with.

Graphic novel/manga collection

For the past few months, Sharon and I have discussed expanding our graphic novel/manga collection. We had some very good graphic novels such as Watchmen, Sandman, and various DC superhero stories, but we really didn't have that many of them and they were stuck in a poor location in the library. Since the graphic novels were moved to the very end of the adult fiction section, I'm not sure how many people have even looked at them. So Sharon and I discussed the situation and agreed on a four part plan.

First, I made a (fair sized) order of new graphic novels and manga. We agreed on an amount of money to spend, and I did the research. I picked a mix of graphic novels (mostly superhero stuff) and manga (continuing one series we already have, and starting a new one), and talked about my suggestions with Sharon. She agreed that they sounded good, and I ordered them.

Second, we talked about making a new home for the graphic novel/manga collection. The library manager had commented that we could probably box up much of our foreign language collection, because the books were either out of date or were written during communist regimes and were propaganda. I had a page box up many of the foreign language books, and I shifted books around until we had a vertical section (4 shelves) that could be dedicated to graphic novels and manga.

To make life easier for the pages, I relabelled all of the graphic novels with the prefix GN. This labelling replaces the hodgepodge of AF, APB, JF, JPB labels that were previously on the graphic novels/manga. It also helps set apart this collection from the rest of the library. Previously, they were books that belonged to different sections of the library but just happened to be shelved together.

Finally, Sharon and I agreed that we'd continue to develop our graphic novel/manga collection gradually, by adding another title or two to every book order we make. Sharon just completed a very large book order, and included another four titles (three manga, one graphic novel) in it.

As it currently stands, the titles I ordered have been backordered (Sharon's order is still being processed), but here is what will be coming to the Tumbler Ridge Public Library:

Graphic novels
Batman Year One
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Infinite Crisis
Serenity: Better Days
Serenity: Those Left Behind
Superman: Birthright

Manga
Bleach volumes 3-6
Death Note volumes 1-5

Itchy Feet: The Elephant School

On Tuesday, May 5th, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library will play host to Vicky Bye and her Itchy Feet presentation. During her travels in Thailand, Vicky saw many elephants, and elected to make them the focus of her presentation.

I urge everyone with a hidden (or not-so-hidden) fondness for elephants to come down to the library at 7 pm on Tuesday to see these photos.

Barbara Adler cancellation

Library staff have learned that Barbara Adler has come down with pneumonia, and will be unable to perform tomorrow night.

Betsy Trumpener, CBC Radio personality, reporter, documentary producer, and writer (author of The Butcher of Penetang) will still appear, but library staff have changed the schedule to the following:

Book signing: 7:00 pm
Performance: 7:30 pm

CBC personalities do not visit Tumbler Ridge often, so we encourage everyone to come down to the library and meet Betsy Trumpener tomorrow night.

Betsy Trumpener and Barbara Adler tomorrow night

Tomorrow night (April 28th) at 7pm, Betsy Trumpener and Barbara Adler will be visiting the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. Betsy Trumpener is a CBC reporter and is the author of The Butcher of Penetang, and Barbara Adler is a noted performance poet.

More information is available on the library's website.

CBC Radio mentions TRPL

CBC Radio One mentioned our library this morning in reference to Betsy Trumpener's upcoming visit. They even mentioned our website and gave the URL, which was pretty spiffy. In fact, the only downside was that as of this morning, the poster for Mike Nash (tonight's Itchy Feet author visit) was occupying the main page of the library's website, and the Betsy Trumpener stuff was off to the side in the Events bar.

I updated the main page to feature the poster for Betsy Trumpener and Barbara Adler (after all, if CBC is going to give us publicity, we should try to coordinate matters), and removed Mike Nash's poster. I felt a little bad, but later rationalized it. I have the next four days off, so it was a choice between cheating Mike Nash out of a few hours of website advertising and cheating Betsy Trumpener and Barbara Adler out of four days worth.

Library 2.1

This is the first of (what could be) many posts from the staff and board of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. Of course, the blog is waiting for library manager+board approval, but I'm sure they won't mind me getting a head start on it. (especially after the library's Wikipedia page was marked for speedy deletion, then deleted).