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
Thursday, November 26, 2009
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
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
Bone vols. 1-9 by Jeff Smith
Sharon and I agreed that I'd place the first order because
- I already had a list of books to order (some requested by Michele) that had been accumulating.
- My order would be much smaller than hers and it would be easier to check her order against mine to avoid ordering duplicates.
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.
- I borrowed the first volume of Amulet through an ILL on a whim, and thought it was a fun, fantastical story.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Friday, November 20, 2009
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
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.
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
- The number of patron comptability problems is fairly low (I'm aware of less than one a week on average)
- The lack of compatibility doesn't cause any real problems for library staff
- There is a simple work-around for the people who create the files (File-->Save As-->Office 2003 format)
- An upgrade to Office 2007 (or Office 2010 depending on when our next upgrade cycle is) may be considered in the future
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.
Friday, November 13, 2009
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 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.
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