Spring Break at the Library

Hi everyone!  We're on the cusp of Spring Break again, and we've got two great children's programs at the Library while the kids are off from school!

Week 1 (Tues, Mar. 13 -- Fri, Mar. 16):

Paper Mache Workshop

**Pre-Registration Required**

2pm

Sharon Bray will be leading children in a week-long paper mache project.  The kids will start with the basics -- a shape, newspaper, and Sharon's patented mix of flour, water, and glue.  By the end of the week, they'll have completed an artistic paper mache object!

Week 2 (Tues, Mar. 20 -- Fri, Mar. 23):

Origami Workshop

**Pre-Registration Required**

2pm

Jacob Fehr will be showing children how to turn common squares of paper into fun animals and other objects all week.  The kids will start with the basics -- squares, dogs, and penguins, and by the end of the week will be folding raptors and cranes!


I said it above in the workshop descriptions, but I'll reiterate it here:  pre-registration is required.  We've only got a limited amount of space available, so sign up now!

A Tale of Two Libraries

In March of this year, one public library existed in Tumbler Ridge.  It had a purple ceiling, very old green carpet, and a layout that made the library appear much smaller than it actually was.

 

By the end of October, a different library existed in Tumbler Ridge.  It had a bright ceiling, new flooring, and a much better layout.

 

So who made the changes from the first library to the second?

We did.

On her very first day of work with us last November, Paula told Sharon and me that the Library felt a little cramped and dark, and that three things needed to be changed:  the ceiling colour, the flooring (for safety reasons as well as to lighten the library), and the shelf layout.  I can't speak for Sharon, but I took a bit of offense to her comments, as I had rearranged a few things earlier in the year that opened up the library layout somewhat.  In any case, I was impressed by the scope of her thoughts about the library, but I wasn't sure if we'd even get that much done over the next two or three years.

...It took less than a year.

During our grant-in-aid application last year, Paula requested funds to replace the library's flooring.  The District of Tumbler Ridge granted us those funds, and they were held by the Community Centre until needed.  

In April, construction resumed on the exterior of the Community Centre, and the library was asked to move everything at least five feet away from the exterior walls.  With some help from Community Centre staff, we moved shelves, placed a great deal of furniture in storage, and prepared ourselves for cramped conditions for a few months.

Paula, Sharon, and I continued working away at the details of our flooring and rearranging project during this time.  The Library staff decided on a type of flooring and a colour for the walls, and I spent a few days making a detailed map of the library and its furniture to design a new layout with.  After a comment by Sharon, Paula asked the Community Centre maintenance staff to look into how easy it would be to remove the walls enclosing the reference room.  When we came in to open the library the next day, half of the walls enclosing the reference room had already been removed.

The remaining walls were removed over the next day.

In early September, Paula hired a contractor to paint the library's ceiling.  The library staff (and Sharon's husband, who helped out) spent a day tarping everything in the library, and we were forced to close for two days while the painting was in progress.

Once we reopened, we prepared for the real work on the library.  Paula had hired a contractor to paint the walls and install the flooring, and he began work in early October.  In a few short days, he had the library painted, and began installing the flooring.  Library staff members worked frantically to stay ahead of him by moving books and shelves away from where flooring still had to be laid, while putting as many shelves in their final locations as soon as possible.

    

By October 19th, we were finished.

 So what's great about the new layout?

1)  The library is much brighter

• open access to the windows
• shelves running parallel to the lights
• brighter flooring and ceiling paint

2)  More space for new books

• previous new book shelf now just holds new adult fiction
• low shelves just inside library now hold new non-fiction

3)  Notebook computer users have places to call home

• the study cubicle at front of library has a power bar mounted to it
• small tables with chairs and our red sectional chairs are available at each of the lamp posts
• the library's main tables are available even when events are taking place

4)  The children's area

• much bigger and brighter
• more room for strollers and parents during children's programs
• combining it with the presentation area freed up space elsewhere in the library

5)  Better shelf layout

• more attractive
• easier to find materials
• room for expansion
• less wasted space (one-sided shelves against walls instead of freestanding back-to-back, etc.)

So that's it folks.  A tale of two libraries.  On behalf of the library staff, I'd like to thank all our library clients who have complimented us on the work we've done.  It wasn't always fun, but I think the end result was certainly worth all the effort.

New World of Overdues

Effective September 1, 2011, the library's overdue system will be changing.

Changes to overdue fees
Books    -    $0.25/day
Magazines - $0.25/day
CDs     -      $0.25/day

Maximum overdue fee per item - $10.00

Patrons will now be billed and suspended once any of their borrowed items becomes six weeks overdue.

So what's the reason behind all of these changes?

Let me explain what it's *not*, first:

It's not that we hate our patrons.  We like them a lot!  Without patrons, we wouldn't get to work at the library!

It's also not a way for us to bring a lot of money into the library.  In the past year (July 2010 - June 2011) the library has collected around $100 per month on average from all overdue fees and replacement fees for lost books.  This represents a very small portion of the library's budget, and if our patrons all return their borrowed items on time, we won't even be collecting that much in the future.

So why are we increasing our overdue fees?

The main reason for increasing our overdue fees is simply to have patrons return their borrowed items on time.  The majority of the library's patrons always return things on time, and the changes to our overdue fees will not affect them at all.  However, we do have a small number of perpetually overdue patrons.  These patrons, while very nice in many other ways, seldom return their items on time, and perhaps increased overdue fees will provide some encouragement for them to do so.

There are a few other reasons though.

The library makes it reasonably easy for you not to have overdue items.

• If we have your current e-mail address in our system, you will automatically receive a courtesy e-mail three days before your items are due.
• We're centrally located, only a minute walk from the main parking lot in the shopping district.
• When you borrow items, you're given a date due slip.
• You may renew items in person, online, or by phone.

Finally, the library hasn't increased its overdue fees in years.  The cost of books and other library materials has been rising steadily for years, and our overdue fees do not reflect this.

We're not naive, folks.  We know some of our patrons will be unhappy with the changes to our overdue system.  But if it encourages all of our patrons to keep track of their library items and return them on time, it'll make things better for all of us.

Everyone a Reader

A few months back while preparing for our strategic plan process, I was told that the library should have a vision statement in addition to our mission statement.  I hadn't heard of a vision statement before, and did some reading.  It sounded to me like vision statements are supposed to be shorter and broader than mission statements, and written to be more of a goal than a process.

Because I wrote the library's mission statement, which was then approved by our library board, I started looking at our mission statement and thinking about how I could adapt it into a vision statement.

The Tumbler Ridge Public Library's mission is to improve and promote literacy, intellectual freedom, and free access to information for all residents of and visitors to Tumbler Ridge.

Even now, in my heavily biased opinion, it seems fairly concise and covers the important things we do around here.  But I had no idea how to condense it further or how to make it into a goal.

After some thinking, considering, and (most importantly) pondering, I came up with this for a possible vision statement:

Everyone a reader.

And that's what it's really all about.  We can define and limit things, but it ultimately comes down to that as a goal.

Everyone a reader.

People borrowing John Grisham's newest?  Readers.

Children looking at picture books?  Readers.

Teenagers browsing graphic novels?  Readers.

Men who only seem to like westerns?  Readers.

Audiobook affictionados?  Readers.

E-book enthusiasts?  Readers.

Everyone a reader.

As long as libraries exist, reading will continue to be a cheap, fun activity suitable for all ages.  There's no reason everyone can't be a reader.

That's the goal folks.  Now we just need to make it happen.

Midsummer Update

Hello good readers,

Today seemed like a good time to update you on things happening around the library now that we've left July (and hopefully all its rain) behind.


Summer Reading Club
Summer Reading Club is still ongoing at the library.  Programs take place at 3pm from Tuesday to Friday every week.  Make sure to register your children and have them return their reading records on time so they can receive a prize at the closing ceremonies!

Tuesday, August 16th:  Reading records due
Friday, August 19th:  Closing Ceremonies at 3pm


Evergreen Update
We've been using Evergreen as the library's ILS for seven weeks now, and it's working out pretty well so far.  I've spent some time fighting with it (and learning interesting things in the process), and on the whole I'm liking it much more than our old system.  We've got to spend more time getting e-mail addresses from patrons into our system so it can send out courtesy e-mails before items are overdue, but things are going very well other than that.


Renovations
Renovations to the Community Centre are continuing.  I know everyone is frustrated with the library's current layout, the lack of seating, and the lack of access to some books (especially the picture books), but we're doing the best we can folks.  Once the interior work is finished, we'll be looking at installing the new flooring we'd hoped to install this year, and then rearranging the library to make the best use of the space we've got.

The rearranging we did last summer and then built on last winter was fairly minor.  We opened up the left side of the library and made it more accessible in general.  But now we're looking at bigger ideas.  Can we move the children's area?  Do we need to look at one-sided shelves to place against walls?  Can we set things up better for patrons using their notebooks or tablets?  So far our answer to those questions is "Yes."

Since Paula arrived in November, she, Sharon, and I have been talking at length about the library's layout and how it could be arranged better.  With any luck, you'll see the results of all those discussions in a few months.


Brief Congratulations
I'd like to take a moment and offer my congratulations to Paula, whose term as Head Librarian recently exceeded the length of my tenure (8 1/2 months) as Interim Head Librarian.  ...I'd also like to congratulate Sharon and myself for behaving for this long and not scaring Paula off with our antics!

On a serious note, I'm still having fun back at my Head of Technical Services position, and am very grateful she's decided to stick around.  Thanks Paula!


History of the Library
I've spent some time over the last few months working on and off on a history of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library.  So I've been reading through the old Tumbler Ridge newspapers stored in the reference room, and transcribing library-related stories.  I'm only up to 1986 so far, but I've found a number of good stories about the early days of the library and Tumbler Ridge in general.

There's a lot happening in Tumbler Ridge right now between the attempt to re-open Quintette Coal, the development of an underground mine, new housing, and wind turbine construction, and I think it's a good time to take a look back.  Thirty years ago, there were some fairly lofty goals set for Tumbler Ridge, and I think now's the time to look at them, then see what we can do about exceeding them.


Online Stuff
Finally, if you're so inclined, please take a moment to read my Twitter feed and the Library's Facebook page.  My Twitter feed is full of random whining, occasional poetry, and nonsensical banter with my brother.  The Library's Facebook page is mostly being used for event announcements, but I've also started posting photos of my current whiteboard drawing of what the library really needs.


And with that folks, I'll bring this blog post to a close.  Take a minute to visit the library, borrow a book, and then enjoy the good weather while it lasts.

Making Preparations...

As you probably know by now, Tumbler Ridge will be experiencing a planned power outage on Thursday, July 28th from 7am to 7pm.  Since we learned of the outage yesterday, library staff members have been preparing for it, and have a few announcements to make.

First, the library will be open its normal hours (10am-8pm), and staff members will be able to check out library items manually.  As always, your library card will be required.

Second, some library services will be unavailable.  The library's computers will be shut down, so patrons will not be able to access the Internet.  In addition, we will be unable to create new patron accounts or accept payments for lost books or overdue fees.

Finally, the library's children's programs will continue as scheduled.  Lapsit will still be held at 11am, and our  Summer Reading Club program will still take place at 3pm.


We're in for an interesting day tomorrow, folks.  Please feel free to come to the library, but be aware that it won't be business as usual.

Know when to hold 'em (always)... Know when to fold 'em (never)...

One of the great things about our new library program, Evergreen, is that it will allow us to handle holds properly.  We're really excited about this at the library, because it'll give patrons better access to the books they want without requiring extra trips to the library.

If you'd like to borrow a book the library has, but you're not able to visit the library this very minute, you can place a hold on the book.  Have your library card ready, and either phone us or visit the library's online catalogue (http://tumblerridge.catalogue.bclibraries.ca) to place a hold on the item.

If the book is out on loan, Evergreen will add you to the queue for the book.  When the book is returned, staff members will be alerted by Evergreen, and the book will be made ready for the next patron in the queue.

If the book is on the library's shelves, Evergreen will add the book to a list of holds for staff members to gather.  At least once a day, library staff members will search the shelves and find the requested items.

If we've got your e-mail address in our system, Evergreen will automatically send you an e-mail telling you that your book is ready to be picked up.  Otherwise, you'll receive a friendly phone call from a staff member (usually Jacob) to tell you that your book is available.

That's it!


So, make sure we've got your current e-mail address and phone number, then try it out!   Place a hold, and then recommend it to your friends.



Now that I've described the former, some of you are probably wondering what the latter part of this post's title refers to.  It refers to the *horrible* practice of folding page corners over instead of using a bookmark.  This method of marking your page is second in vileness only to placing the book in the open, face down position known as the spinebreaker.  Please don't do either one of them folks.  ...while I'm at it, please don't use bacon as a bookmark either...

Adventures in Libraryland

Greetings good readers,

It's been an interesting week so far here in Libraryland.

Monday
The week started when I worked Monday for the first time since I started here over two and a half years ago.  Paula, Sharon and I were in to receive in-person training prior to our library going live on Sitka Evergreen on Tuesday.  Now, the library has been here over 25 years, our hours haven't changed since I started in 2008 (I'm not sure how long they were in place before that), and we've got our hours posted on the door.

...I lost count of how many patrons tried to come into the library.  Every time one of them rattled our locked doors, I hopped down from my perch on the circulation counter, unlocked the doors, and told them "We're closed Mondays -- the only reason the lights are on is because we're receiving training today."  Their response:  "You're closed on Monday?"

It's nice to know people like us to be open, but it would also be nice if people were aware of our hours and didn't insist on trying the doors when we're closed...

Tuesday
Yesterday was the library's official "go live" day with Sitka Evergreen.  We had all hands on deck (and crowding behind the circulation counter).  After going through more training, Paula and I worked with our trainer to try to set up our library's local administrative settings.  I chose one option, saved it, and then the program quit responding to any further changes.  We had lost access to our database.

About ten minutes later, our trainer started hearing about Sitka Evergreen being down across the province.  As a result, we worked on some other things.  Later in the afternoon after Evergreen was back up, our trainer was talking to the tech support team.  I could only hear her side of the conversation, and it went like this:

"So it was us?  The setting Jacob changed did it?"

So it's official folks.  On day one, I crashed the Evergreen server.

To be perfectly honest, I'm kind of proud of the achievement.  I did a bit of a victory lap afterward and was bragging to the other staff about it.

Wednesday
When I was getting ready for work this morning, I decided to bring back a stack of my borrowed interlibrary loans.  I haven't had a chance to process the returns since I got back from the Beyond Hope conference last Thursday, so they've been piling up.  I had just carried over a stack of 20+ interlibrary loan books to my desk when Paula caught me and said "Oh Jacob, did you hear that Canada Post has locked out their employees?"

...So I put back my stack of books.  I'm hoping the situation gets resolved soon because my basket for books belonging to other libraries has a very finite space limit, and we're rapidly approaching it.


So that's what's been happening so far this week folks.  Stay tuned, because we'll be keeping busy over the next week in particular as we continue to learn how to use Evergreen and prepare for the Summer Reading Club opening ceremonies next Wednesday.

Summer Reading Club 2011 -- Savour Each Word

It's that time of the year again.  School is winding down, and everyone is wondering what there is around town for kids to do this summer...

As always, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library will be having Summer Reading Club all summer long!  Once your children are registered, they'll enjoy fun activities at the library four days a week, keep their minds active, and receive a prize at the end of the summer for the reading they've done.

This year, Summer Reading Club runs from July 5th to August 19th.

Summer Reading Club Schedule

Wednesday, June 22nd at 3pm -- Opening Ceremonies
      Registration
      Stories
      Music
      Facepainting
      Popcorn
      Door prizes

Weekly Schedule (starting July 5th)
      Tuesday at 3pm -- Storytime and a craft
      Wednesday at 3pm -- Storytime
      Thursday at 3pm -- Storytime and a craft
      Friday at 3pm -- Storytime

Friday, August 19th at 3pm -- Closing Ceremonies
      Prizes
      Medals
      Fun!

So sign your children up, and have them spend their summer at the library!



Before I wrap this up, I'd like to thank all the sponsors who have donated to Summer Reading Club so far:

Spectra Energy
Walter Energy Western Coal
Peace River Coal
Capital Power
Lion's Club of Tumbler Ridge
Lakeview Credit Union
Encana
Avalanche Trucking
Dr. Mark Sevier
Uniglobe 
Chetwynd Dental Clinic

Thanks folks!  This program wouldn't be possible without all your help!

Incoming!

Later this afternoon, Mandarin, the program responsible for the library's catalogue and circulation, will be shut down for the last time.  This weekend, technicians will be uploading the library's data, and the library will officially start using Sitka Evergreen starting Monday.

Instead of writing a lengthy essay about what Sitka Evergreen is, and what it'll do for the library, I've decided to just post a list of questions and answers I wrote for staff members so they could talk to patrons about Evergreen.

So what is Sitka Evergreen?

Evergreen is an open source integrated library system (ILS) -- the program that handles the library's cataloguing and circulation.  Sitka Evergreen is the name for the group of BC libraries that are installing Evergreen.

Why is the Tumbler Ridge Public Library switching to Evergreen?

• Using the same program as other libraries in BC will allow us to
• Share our catalogue listings
• Make it easier for patrons to find books to request through interlibrary loans
• Reduce duplication of effort between libraries
• Lower cataloguing costs
• Give our library a say in how our ILS will be developed and improved going forward
• Evergreen will also allow us to
• Properly track youth accounts
• Distribute overdue and hold notices by e-mail

How will Evergreen change things for me?

• Patrons will be required to show their library cards to borrow or renew items
• The Library's grace period will be reduced to one day
• The Library's online catalogue will look different and offer a number of extra functions, including
• the ability to search the catalogue of every BC library using Evergreen
• a shelf browser, which will show you items shelved near the title you've searched for

Why do I need to carry my library card to borrow items?

Evergreen works differently from Mandarin, our current system.  As a side benefit, requiring library cards to borrow or renew items will increase individual user security, as patrons will no longer be able to borrow books based on their knowledge of another patron's name and/or phone number.

Why is the grace period only one day?

The grace period is programmed into Evergreen, and may not be changed by individual libraries at this time.

Will the library's loan lengths or fines change?

No.  Items will still be loaned for the same length of time, and overdue fines will be unchanged.

The staff members at the library have had training and access to a test server to practice with, but we're still learning exactly what Evergreen can do.  It'll be a few weeks before we're completely comfortable with it.  In the meantime, please bear with us, and always remember your library card.