Artwork and its affect

You may have noticed in this month's newsletter that we are offering the walls of the Beshara Room and the small Conference Room walls to budding and established artists. We invested in a nifty hanging system a few years ago, and realized that it isn't being used to its potential. Additionally, the rooms are looking a little uninviting between little or no artwork on the walls, or pictures that have been there for years. Time for some fresh options!

But why bother? The library's mission includes the goals of cultural enrichment, and the provision of a welcoming atmosphere. Many studies have shown that artwork in one's environment promotes creativity, a sense of peace and calmness, and a more welcoming space. Just as important as the colors we chose to surround ourselves in our homes, so too does the artwork matter.

Libraries also have long supported lifelong learning and exploration through the books and other materials selected for the library's collection. We have a wide variety of books and videos providing how-to and how to do it better guides for many hobbies and exploration of the arts. Certainly part of that is providing space to show the fruits of our community's labors.

Hopefully some of our local artists will take the personal risk of showing their handiwork to the community. We will keep you posted through the newsletter and Facebook, but be sure to take a peek in the meeting rooms when you come by the library - at least when there isn't a meeting going on! - and let us know what you think.

We really do listen. It is the expectation for all of us that serve here at the library, that we will listen and pay attention to what our users say. Of course we listen to what you have to say about your day, your family, the world around, but more importantly to what you are saying about the library: what you like, what you don't, what confuses you, what delights you. We seriously consider each bit of feedback, and when there are problems or issues, we do our best to reach a resolution.

So when we heard that kids weren't taking books because of parental concern about getting it finished in 2 weeks, we knew we had to take action. Circulation for kids (and teen) books, etc. will be 4 weeks starting on the 21st, with a renewal for another 4 weeks (and remember, you can renew online). The time between hearing about this growing issue, and the finalized plan was about 2 days. Who says library's can be nimble?

Other resolutions are tougher to achieve. Some years ago, we had to cut hours due to budgetary belt-tightening. It was tough on all our users, particularly the groups that booked rooms in the evenings. We have been working towards extending evening hours again ever since. But this kind of thing doesn't happen in 2 days, let alone 2 years. This year, we finally found a solution that increased hours without being too much of a financial burden to the community. If the budget passes next March (fingers crossed!) we will be moving to a 9-8:30 Mon through Friday schedule. More evening hours for clubs, organizations, and for our general library users.

So we do listen, and when it isn't something we can solve right away, we keep poking at it with the hopes of a great solution. So keep on giving us feedback, let us know what's good and what's not so good. Feel free to email me directly: abaker@kelleylibrary.org. I can't promise we can make everyone happy, but we definitely will give it serious consideration and our best shot.

Creativity

We have been talking here at the Library quite a bit about creativity and how best to encourage and support it. You would think that creativity is either there or not - it isn't something to be learned. Perhaps creativity on the Steve Jobs scale is something inborn, but it does have to be nurtured. If the tools, time, and encouragement isn't provided, it is like planting a seed and not watering it and keeping it in the dark.

The challenge is how to encourage original or creative thought without providing so much direction that creativity is smothered. Of course, the other end of the challenge is providing enough boundaries that will encourage yet contain the creative impulses of a child so that you don't end up with a painting in lipstick on the living room walls (I toured a house years ago while house-hunting where that had been done, and left on the wall . . . and trust me it wasn't a budding Michelangelo). But that child certainly was being encouraged in his/her creativity.

Stephen King's Danse Macabre is an interesting peek into the influences on King's creativity, and also a peek at what a master of horror finds scary. All creativity and originality inevitably builds on the creative and original thought of predecessors. And over time, what seemed life alteringly original now is thought to be ho-hum. I think of that whenever I see the opening sequence of the original Star Wars movie. I still remember sitting in the movie theater and being awestruck by the imagery. Yet I know my nephew doesn't see anything remarkable in it as his point of reference is far different. Thus the drive for ever more unimaginable imagining - and the importance of supporting creativity in yourself, your family, your community.

Water and books

We are all familiar with the old adage - oil and water don't mix. As a librarian, I would like to add books and water shouldn't mix. As proof, I took a picture of one we just got back recently:

I am the lucky staff person that does some of the repairs on our books, as well as evaluating whether we need to replace a damaged copy. Staff knows to stack the books on the corner of my desk, and quite honestly I devote about half an hour each day to the task. What has become startlingly clear is that 90% of the damage is water damage.

Armloads of books with stiff crinkled paper are finding their way to the discard shelves. There are so many we are taking to marveling how in the midst of a serious drought, we are seeing more and more water damage! Someone suggested that books are in bags with water bottles, leaks happen and damage happens.

Whatever the reason, I do encourage everyone to be more mindful of the risks of water around books. Modern paper seems much more easily damaged by water, so being more vigilant is helpful.

Of course, at least water is better than mysterious brownish stains we find in books - chocolate? coffee? something worse? We really don't want to know. And don't get me on when the pages are sticky . . .

Talismans

I know I have talked too frequently of my mother - but she had such an endless array of quirks, that she could provide fodder for blog topics for years!

As we are working here to honor our military service people past and present later this year, I am thinking about the power of talismans. There are lots of references to them in ancient epic literature, mythology, and so on. They often play a pivotal part in thrillers of a more mystic bent. And we all probably have treasured at least one during out life - rabbits feet anyone??

But my mother went a step further and imbued jewelry, in particular, with powers to control how a day would go. I can remember a bracelet my dad gave her that she treasured for the rare gift, but never wore because she was sure it caused bad luck. And as much as I fought against the concept, I too realize I have good luck and bad luck earrings. I think I can speak for a number of women that will say that certain outfits or articles of clothing are worn or avoided because of their good or bad luck.

Why do we do this? I certainly am no expert, but I would guess that by externalizing the good or bad luck we protect ourselves from responsibility for bad times, and the risk of hubris or the sin of pride in good times. It isn't you, it is that necklace, those shoes and aren't I lucky/unlucky to have it.

If you are ready to take on that responsibility, there are books to help you along. Try The Luck Factor, by Richard Wiseman, for instance. But if I were you, I would keep that rabbits foot just in case . . .

A Good Turn of Phrase

I grew up with a mom who was a big reader and a amateur actress. One of her 'things' was to quote books, poems, and plays at appropriate times, and a few have stuck with me for all these years. For instance, every time there was a thick fog while vacationing on the shore in Maine, she would pull out this ancient megaphone and call out "Ahoy the Pequod". We kids would die of embarrassment, but it never grew old for her. Her favorite joke had a punchline based on Keats' poem "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer". Trust me, you don't really want to hear the joke, but the punchline is the last line of the poem. If you really are interested, drop by my office, and I will share.

But like so many things, I seem to have inherited that tendency to use quotes in every day life, but somewhat changed from her tasteful sharing of the classics. I tend towards quotes from songs and popular culture, and can generally punctuate most interactions with a line (I am careful to do so in my head only). Just today, when preparing the monthly newsletter, I was reminded of a recent situation that just begged for a sharing of the classic Bert and I quote: You can't get there from here. (We were big Bert and I fans, as a family)

We like to imagine that we are clever enough to produce witty and entertaining conversation without a script, but sometimes using a well placed quote can immeasurably enrich an interaction. Not only does it immediately create a shared experience, it adds layers to the conversation - sure, saying "You can't get there from here" is a fitting comment, but if all involved are aware of the source, the story that the quote is from becomes part of the current experience making it funnier, more poignant, or more memorable.

Lucky that a library is just the place to come across a perfect quote - whether in books, movies, or music. And as much as I am dying to, I refuse to work in a quote from The Terminator here.

My husband and I run through Trivial Pursuit cards during dinner, both to have fresh topics of conversation and to keep our minds sharp (I won't comment on the success of that). I remember years ago, when Trivial Pursuit first came out, a friend and I played as a team against my parents. We were creamed. So many of the questions drew total blanks from my friend and I, and we couldn't even use the excuse of being young - we had both graduated from college by then. I can remember thinking that the questions were so skewed to a different generation, that my parents had an unfair advantage.

But as we run through the questions now (we do all the questions on each card), I am finding them pretty easy. Where and how did I come to have the answers for questions I was so sure were generational specific? It's not like I read a great deal of non-fiction, or for that matter, fiction based in historical times. I certainly don't watch movies and documentaries that would illuminate information from that era. So why am I able to answer the same questions now with relative ease?

I think part of the reason is being open and aware. I read a book some time ago talking about how if you think of something, you suddenly find it everywhere - has that happened to you? The book suggested thinking of a random object and promised you would see it within a week. I thought of a purple rocking chair, and within 2 days, I passed a truck with one painted on the side. Had I subconsciously seen that truck before and just didn't notice, or was I just more alert to seeing things? Anyway, as a result of that experience, I try to be open to paying attention to the world around me. Not in the 'I watch the news' kind of way, but more seeing what is going past as I travel, randomly browsing the internet following links within links, visiting webpages that gather random information from around the world.

It is always interesting what you find out by accident. But as was made clear in that series Connections, everything is interrelated somehow, its just a matter of staying open and following the threads. Rubbing elbows daily with books helps, of course - and as always, the Library is a great place to start.

A Path Less Traveled

I am borrowing a little something from Robert Frost. When I moved here, I was amazed at how strongly woven into the fabric of New Hampshire he is. But that is a topic for another day.

I was watching a TV show the other day and the characters were on an impromptu trip to the ocean. One character commented that he had not met someone in a long time that didn't have GPS in his car (the show was from the era not so long ago before smart phones). The driver said that the map they were using was a fine GPS for their purposes. I totally agreed with this - having at least 10 map books in my car at any given time. Don't get me wrong, I am a inveterate Waze user most of the time, but travel is totally different using Waze rather than a map. I've mentioned before, that I like to just travel around places I have never seen, thus the maps. But the magic of a map over a GPS is you can and do take the path less traveled, and as a result see some wonderful things you would have missed following the direct routes offered by GPS systems. For a while, I was accused of having a homing instinct for dirt roads (dirt roads in NH look just like any road on NH maps). Yes, we found a lot of the dirt roads in NH, but we also found beautiful nooks of NH we would have missed staying to the main roads.

I feel the same way about using our online PAC (public access catalog). It gets me right to what I want, just like a good GPS. But at the same time, nothing can beat just browsing through the stacks, happening upon a hidden gem to read. Finding something that sparks your interest when you didn't even know it would interest you, coming across that old favorite to revisit, or that title you meant to read and forgot when other titles came along.

Embracing change . . . or not

I had occasion to reflect on what the Kelley Library is today as compared to 10 years ago, and it is a different place (well, hopefully we kept what was good about the library!). I have an unending devotion to change, and I like it everywhere and anywhere. At the same time, I have come across a lot of people who would rather have nothing change ever. For many years, I have wondered what causes these extreme differences.

I think I came across some possible explanations. I grew up in a family where changes happened regularly, but not so often or terrible types that would disrupt our lives. My mom moved the furniture around regularly. The result was a constant freshening of our home while retaining the familiar. I learned from this and changed the furniture in my own room around often, loving the feeling of being in a new place. We moved a couple of times, but stayed in the same community, again achieving change without it being too difficult. I changed elementary schools every couple of years due to the community redistricting the schools to keep a balance of students. I met new friends, but enough familiar faces that again, it wasn't too terrible. I have kept the same patterns throughout my life - changing homes, jobs, and moving around furniture. I embrace change because of it being a familiar part of my life that has only been positive.

But people more reluctant to embrace change have grown up living in the same house for extended periods of their lives, went to one school with the same classmates, have worked in the same place for a long time, and live in homes where moving furniture around is impossible due to the size and shape of the room. Simply lack of positive experience with change, makes change scary.

So our changes at the library can either please the change-embracers, or offer positive opportunities to discover that change is a great addition to life. After all, part of our mission is to support life-long growth!

Thinking outside of the US

About 15 years ago, I started watching foreign films. I really can't remember why I tried one, but I was immediately hooked. I'm a bit of a purist, meaning that I can't want dubbed films, only subtitled ones. I just have to hear the original actor's voice, inflections, and emotions.

But that's just a side matter. It's the foreign-ness of the film, or TV show, that is key. I just like seeing how people live in other countries. In reality we all face the same issues - family, love, survival - so it is endlessly fascinating how these common events and relationships are handled. How people live, what their homes look like, what their traditions are, what they eat, how they eat.

Libraries are the basis for life-long learning, of expanding out minds, of learning about the world around us so that we can understand everything better. Foreign films are an important element of this as they bring the world around us into our own homes vividly. We realize how alike we really are, while embracing the rich variety that exists in the world.

Give one a try - we have a nice variety at the library.

Early Spring?

Punxatawney Phil has "spoken" and claimed that we will be having an early Spring this year. Considering the kind of winter we have been having so far, it doesn't seem much of a stretch, but then, New England weather always keeps us on our toes.

I was told that Phil's record is very poor in terms of guessing right, so why does this tradition continue? I think we all get a measure of comfort, of a change of season on the horizon, a sense of possibility with this yearly ritual. Phil may not be right, but we know that he is marking the mid point of the winter and so no matter what, we are on the downhill slide to warmer weather, the reappearance of flowers and birds, and the knowledge that another season will then be on the horizon. It reminds us to start looking around for signs of Spring. It could be a that the days are clearly longer already, that the pussy willows are budding, that Monty the Groundhog is back making a mess of the library lawn, or whatever says Spring to you.

What Phil brings is possibilities, hope, and a renewal of spirit. Does he get the date just right? Does that really matter? His gift is that he gets us all thinking of the future. Oh and an added bonus gift of the reminder to watch the movie Groundhog Day of course!

Reading Lists

A librarian friend and fellow Gilmore Girls fan directed me to the Rory Gilmore Book of the Month Club just announced. Now over 300 books were referenced during the course of the series, and it will be interesting what 12 will be selected for our reading pleasure. The title for January is 1984, by George Orwell. Mercifully I have read it already and feel no desire/need to read it again.

And that was my immediate concern about the Rory Gilmore book club. Like many of the recommended book lists that we are encouraged to finish in a year, in our lifetime, before we die, the books mentioned on The Gilmore Girls were usually classic, quality books that will transform your thinking, your outlook, perhaps even the course of your life. Perhaps as a librarian, I shouldn't admit that I have spent a lot of time and effort avoiding these kinds of books. Sure, I read them as assigned in school and college. And this is when I read 1984. But it was a grind, and I love to read! To this day, I remember having to read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, 500+ pages, aloud to myself because I couldn't stay focused on it otherwise. I have read my share of classics on my own, but they have been specific authors and titles that interested me: Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Far From the Madding Crowd, Louisa May Alcott, Last of the Mohicans. Are you seeing the theme?

But reading fills a variety of purposes for me: supporting my work, discovering new insights as a parent or as an individual, and most importantly, an opportunity to relax, enjoy, and escape a bit. Most recently I have been re-reading my way through the complete works of Georgette Heyer, an author my mother introduced to me ages ago, an author who brought the era of Jane Austen into the 20th century, creating the modern Regency Romance. It has been a delight rediscovering these wonderful books. Before that I was re-reading my way through the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman. I was surprised at how well I remembered them, and how much I continue to enjoy them. Maybe I will try revisiting Robert Parker's Spenser series - that should take some time! Or Dick Francis - gosh, what great books those all are.

My point? Reading doesn't have to be about exceptional quality or deep meaning. You can learn a bit of something from most books. The ones I mentioned about are filled with references to things I didn't know and have to look up - like all the odd fabrics and styles of dress in the Regency era (thank goodness for the Internet - now I can see what these clothes actually looked like). These books provide a bit of escape from the world around us, from the demands of daily life, home, family and work. They make me want to read more, and other authors, and other genres, each book expanding my life no matter how light and entertaining them may be.

After all, all those classic, high quality, and improving books Rory read didn't keep her from going off the rails for quite a while.