Budget Season

As surely as the leaves start changing color, the annual Budget Season is upon us once again. The Budget Season you may ask? It is that 7 or 8 month process that the Town of Salem (and thus the library) works through to achieve an annual operating budget. This month is the most interesting of the process, with the budget being carefully scrutinized by the Budget Committee line by line. I know there are those that see this as a tedious process, or a nit-picky one, but as someone relatively new to the concept of a Budget Committee I find it fascinating.

I have had to produce budgets my whole career, and defend them as well. However, the process elsewhere was entirely different. There was no real philosophical discussion of the purpose, need, or use of the funds in a line. There was no lively repartee between committee members or between the committee and those of us defending the budget. It wasn't televised so that the meeting could be followed remotely, or followed at an individual's convenience. Generally it was done in quiet obscurity, nearly forgotten by the citizenry, who were confident that it was somehow being handled by someone.

Here in NH, we savor the process, watching the interplay of concerned citizens, elected committee members, and employees, learning the inner workings and needs of the various departments, coming to understand the complexities of funding town services just enough. What a wonderful way to see our government at work. If you have never taken the opportunity to experience the process, be sure to at least dip into a session or two. You can always drop in at the meetings, or more easily, watch it in the comfort of your home (but you really miss some of the nuances on TV). You can find the schedule here. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Buzzwords

Buzzwords are always cropping up. You know those terms or phrases that catch on with the public and swamp the press, but often aren't all that clear. There is a long list of puzzling, yet current ones here. Business, of course, is a hotbed of buzzwords.

Libraries are not immune to them, and one has caught on big: maker spaces. Libraries are now being encouraged to be maker spaces - offer equipment, space, supplies so that entrepreneurs and average folk can experiment and create. There have been some projects that are just mouth-dropping: libraries that have created space for metal and wood shops, foundries (well, small scale). At the other end of the scale are libraries that have carved out a corner and supplied it with a variety of basic office equipment and supplies for folks. The expectation has been huge for us libraries, but the nuts and bolts have been elusive. We all would like to offer a wood shop, but where do we find the space, the staff, the $$$?? And why libraries?

That really is an easy answer. We libraries are founded on the idea of providing access to materials that support lifelong learning, the exploration of ideas, concepts and activities. Access to materials that help you improve the quality of your life from spiritually to economically. Maker spaces are just another way to provide that access. Video brought visual access, online brought digital access, maker spaces provide physical access.

Libraries are learning that we don't have to build a blast furnace, but we can provide the tools. So libraries are circulating a wide variety of tools, tools that you might need to accomplish one thing, but you don't really want to invest in something you may only use once: post hole diggers, soldering irons, jewelry-making tools: the list goes on and on. Cake pans are a standard - several libraries in GMILCS circulate specialty shaped pans for that one time you want to make a Cookie Monster cake. So we are joining the buzz as well with our first of many tools for circulation: a sewing machine.

This machine was a generous donation. If you have a tool in great shape that you think might be of use to others via the library, please get in touch with me (abaker@kelleylibrary.org) and we will see what is possible. PLEASE don't bring it to the library before talking with me! Space and safety is critical, so let's just talk first to coordinate it all. but with your help, we can move maker space from buzz to accepted.

Freedom Shrine

Next time you come by the library, be sure to stop in the lobby and see the new location of the inspirational Freedom Shrine, donated by the Exchange Club. The shrine is made up of large scale copies of 32 important documents highlighting American history, ranging from the Mayflower Compact up through WWII. The group of documents have been on display for many years, but in an area of the library that didn't have a lot of traffic. We decided to bring them out into a more central location, near two other original documents that the library is honored to have. The new location is awesome (if I do say so myself!), bringing distinction to the documents and to the lobby itself. These are important documents, especially in a period of our history when we seem to be discussing the role of America. These documents reminds us of our past, providing guidance for our future.

The two additional documents, one the map of the Veterans Markers here is Salem, and the other a list of local soldiers from WWI remind us of the high price of our freedom as well as reminding us to remember all the sacrifices made by Americans throughout our history.

The display will be completed by August 10th, with all but 2 of the Freedom Shrine documents currently in place.

We all have opinions

We are doing a little, fun thing at the library this month. It is called You Choose, and it is a weekly squaring off between two books, two movies or a book and a movie. Anyone coming to the library gets to vote on which of the two is the better. We started this week with a challenge between Sherlock Holmes: do you prefer Robert Downey Jr.'s version or Benedict Cumberbatch's?

We all have strong opinions about the books and movies we read/view. And even stronger ones when we have loved a book and were horribly disappointed in the film version. I was thinking about why this is, and it really is all about the fundamental reason we continue to read, or watch movies. We love hearing stories. And if that story speaks to us, touches a nerve, brings back an experience, then we have strong feelings for or against that story. If you read a book at just the right moment in your life, when the book connects in a way that it may not at any other time, then it really becomes a part of your life and continues to have an impact throughout your life. I know one odd book that had that impact for me is The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende. I read it many years ago and the central themes of the book were reflected in my life at that time. As a result it has stayed in my mind as a favorite, although I have never revisited the book. I made the mistake of watching the movie - awful! Why? Well it didn't capture the underlying meaning well, so the movie didn't connect. Other movies based on books that I have read don't anger me when they are a poor translation of the story generally because the story didn't speak to me. The various Charlie and the Chocolate Factory versions (film and book) are examples for me. The book was just okay, so whatever was done to it in the movies didn't matter to me. I could watch the movie versions just for themselves. I know that other people have very strong feelings about all the versions. And of course, there are those book to movie translations that really stand alone. The Shining comes to me as an example. Loved the book, loved the movie in spite of it not keeping to the book.

So I hope you will stop by and cast your vote. And if you have some suggestions for inclusion in the You Choose challenge - send them along to me: abaker@kelleylibrary.org.

Old and New

I have talked a number of times of changes here at the library and as we created yet another new seating area at the back of the library, I was thinking of old and new. There are those of us that want only the old and comfortable, others want new all the time, and then there are the majority of us that want to keep our favorites and embrace some fresh things. One thing led to another in my mind, and an idea for a challenge was born.

Starting at the end of the month, we will be having a weekly vote-off between a new and old version (movie v remake, book v filmed version). When you come to the library - take a moment to cast your vote and check on the results of prior contests. This will all culminate at the end of August with the final face-off: classic TV Man From Uncle, or the new movie version due out in mid-August.

Watch for the first face-off the week of June 22nd.

Speed of Change

It's true, there have been a lot of changes at the library, and they continue to roll out. We do get some complaints about it all, and we get some appreciative comments as well. I agree, there have been a lot of changes - and each one I firmly believe has been an improvement, something that has made a great library even better.

There has been a great deal of change, and to be honest, there will be more. The world all around has been changing faster and faster, and the library didn't keep up as much as it might have. So we really had to do some catch-up before we could be responsive to current demands and expectations.

We work hard to offer solutions to today's challenges, provide the kind of access and support our community has come to expect from service providers, while preserving the personal service we have always been known for at Kelley.

I came across this bit from the BBC this week, and took the challenge. It was interesting to see what books they included and I blow by the 6, but only got up in the low 30's. Sadly, I only read that many due to being required to at school. So while the list has modern titles as well as 'classic', the books I have read fell mostly in the 'classic' side. There are those that would suggest that that is because of my age. I would guess that to be right - but not for the reason one might think. I am sure that the 'classics' I was required to read in High School are a far different mix than the ones high school students read now.

I was lucky as well that a number of Jane Austen/Bronte sisters books were included. One summer I set a challenge to myself to read all of Jane Austen and succeeded. Bronte sisters were out of necessity. I have to be reading at all times, and there were many times I was scraping the barrel for something to read. So depending on where we were at that time, I was either dipping into my mother's collection, the books left in our place in Maine from the time it was built in the early 1900's, or at the little library we visited regularly in Maine. Talk about scraping the barrel. This library was dark and probably saw 20 new books a year. I was reading 20 books easily a week, and inevitably over the course of my childhood, read nearly all the books in the library. These were mostly books printed prior to 1930. You know they were old when they were the books Shirley Temple movies were based on. So I picked up some credit on this BBC list from that library. I would like to say I read the Bible (also on the list) as a result of my years going to church each week, but I read that due to a course in college: Archaeology and the Bible. Yeah, I took a number of archaeology courses (a paper I wrote on coprolites was a huge hit with my professor, but that is a (funny) story for another day), but in this one we read the Bible from cover to cover.

So does it really matter why you read a great book or is just the fact that you read it enough? Hard to tell, but I do remember those books more vividly than others I tore through recreationally. No doubt because I had to remember enough to talk about it later.

Take the challenge and see where you fall. And remember, it is a list created by the BBC so it skews a bit British. You could also try this list of titles recommended by Amazon to read in a lifetime. I did a bit better with that group!