The Federal Budget has been in the news a lot recently, but you might have missed one of the possible cuts being proposed. This is funding to the IMLS - Institute of Museums and Library Services. Each year, funds are granted to individual states for library initiatives that will reach every resident. While there are many ways that these funds are distributed within states, New Hampshire chooses to retain the funds at the State Library and use them to provide state-wide services.
You may wonder how that impacts you, and how meaningful this is to you. These services are a bit behind the scenes, but very impactful. These IMLS funds underwrite the state-wide delivery system that moves books around the state to fill requests. Any book that comes to you that isn't part of the GMILCS system, arrives via this delivery. You have access to every book owned in every library in the state. This is particularly valuable for folks who live in very small, underserved communities in NH. Kelley lends a large number of books to a wide spectrum of libraries in the state, sending the items out via this delivery system.
In addition, the EBSCO databases, available to every library in the state, are also underwritten by the IMLS funds. These are a large range of esources with a particular focus on magazine articles. With these esources, you can access virtually any article in almost any magazine, journal, and periodical published in the US. From the comfort of your home. And finally, these funds offset some of the costs of the NH Downloadable Books Consortium. This provides ready access to ebooks and eaudios, accessible from all participating libraries in the state, and accessible from wherever you and your ebook ready device may be.
So if these services are valuable to you, I am sure your federal representatives will be delighted to hear your story. Take a moment to contact them. You will be helping yourself, your family, your neighbors, all of NH and every citizen in the US.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
What's Old is New Again
I was reading recently about the phenomenon with young people who 'discover' as new something that for us older folks is past history. My own daughter was mind-blown when we finally got her to understand that the episodes of The Brady Bunch that she avidly watched were some 25 years old. At the same time, as an older person, I am always caught surprised at what younger folks don't recognize or know - just because it seems so clear that everyone should remember stuff like The Who.
But back to the rediscover of popular things, people, and events of the past. I was reading Entertainment Weekly (available to check out at the library, of course) about the reboot of Twin Peaks. We were reminiscing about it here at work, and of course, were dumbstruck when younger workers were totally unaware of it. How was that possible when it was such a huge popular culture event?
And that is the challenge of our work here. We are expected to have a collection of materials of interest and value to the community, but we serve a wide range of ages, interests, backgrounds. What to we buy? What do we keep? How do we decide what might have legs in the future and what is a passing fad (The Osbournes, Paris Hilton and the Simple Life). Space is limited and we have to make these decisions all the time - sometimes we are right and sometimes, well. . .
At least we are on target with Twin Peaks. Whether it is a fond memory or something completely unknown to you, you can try it out with the DVD set here at the library. It can't fail to stir some strong reaction! And you are in luck with the Osbournes, but not so much with Paris.
We will keep doing our best to have what you need now, provide an opportunity to revisit favorites, and with some luck, have that 'new' discovery.
But back to the rediscover of popular things, people, and events of the past. I was reading Entertainment Weekly (available to check out at the library, of course) about the reboot of Twin Peaks. We were reminiscing about it here at work, and of course, were dumbstruck when younger workers were totally unaware of it. How was that possible when it was such a huge popular culture event?
And that is the challenge of our work here. We are expected to have a collection of materials of interest and value to the community, but we serve a wide range of ages, interests, backgrounds. What to we buy? What do we keep? How do we decide what might have legs in the future and what is a passing fad (The Osbournes, Paris Hilton and the Simple Life). Space is limited and we have to make these decisions all the time - sometimes we are right and sometimes, well. . .
At least we are on target with Twin Peaks. Whether it is a fond memory or something completely unknown to you, you can try it out with the DVD set here at the library. It can't fail to stir some strong reaction! And you are in luck with the Osbournes, but not so much with Paris.
We will keep doing our best to have what you need now, provide an opportunity to revisit favorites, and with some luck, have that 'new' discovery.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
The Challenges of Finding the Right Word
Some of our most interesting discussions have arisen during the NATLAC process here at the library when we try and decide the right term to use. On the surface, we all imagined that translating the Dewey numbers into a natural language term or phrase would be a snap. Were we ever wrong!
There are generally 3 to 4 of us on this project and there are times each of us perceives a different meaning in a single term. Coming to consensus, let alone consensus with the broad array of library users in mind, is definitely a process often fraught with disagreement and high emotion. Just at today's meeting, our still simmering disagreements about seafood and whether that includes fresh-water food fish, over baking and cooking being separate actions rather than baking being a subset of cooking was brought up fresh with passions still as high as ever.
Luckily we respect each other enough and have strong senses of humor as well, that continue to smooth over these disagreements and viewpoints, allow us to make a decision in the best interests of our users, and move on to the next subject to NATLAC. I am unfailing in my admiration for, and respect of the people who have participated in this process and their willingness to set aside personal opinion for the larger perspective of the topic.
That being said, at the moment we are a bit stuck on a good term for the 'characters' both divine and human in the Bible. Let me know if you have any suggestions to throw into the fray. abaker@kelleylibrary.org
There are generally 3 to 4 of us on this project and there are times each of us perceives a different meaning in a single term. Coming to consensus, let alone consensus with the broad array of library users in mind, is definitely a process often fraught with disagreement and high emotion. Just at today's meeting, our still simmering disagreements about seafood and whether that includes fresh-water food fish, over baking and cooking being separate actions rather than baking being a subset of cooking was brought up fresh with passions still as high as ever.
Luckily we respect each other enough and have strong senses of humor as well, that continue to smooth over these disagreements and viewpoints, allow us to make a decision in the best interests of our users, and move on to the next subject to NATLAC. I am unfailing in my admiration for, and respect of the people who have participated in this process and their willingness to set aside personal opinion for the larger perspective of the topic.
That being said, at the moment we are a bit stuck on a good term for the 'characters' both divine and human in the Bible. Let me know if you have any suggestions to throw into the fray. abaker@kelleylibrary.org
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Predicting the Future
On the eve of Groundhog's Day, our country's greatest celebration of prognostication, I got to thinking about the art, science, and randomness of predicting the future. I am not sure how often Punxatawney Phil is right, as it seems like he nearly always predicts a winter the full length of winter, but there is that annual stirring of interest about what he will predict.
I find the Phil thing is like folks around me that refer to the Farmer's Almanac predictions of weather for the year. It always seems spot on when you are in the moment and someone says well the Farmer's Almanac did predict a lot of snow this year. But do we ever say the opposite, like being amazed that it is such a snowy winter when the FA predicted little snow.
A team of us have been working for several months to analyze the future of libraries in general, and the Kelley in specifics, and while we have gotten a great handle on a lot of useful things, we are still shying away from making predictions. Just a few years ago, when the digital book craze took off, there were constant predictions of the death of print books, libraries, and reading in general. Several years in, digital books sales are sagging, print is in a resurge, and libraries are still here and busy. Like so many formats before - audiobooks, large print to name a few - we have weathered the panic that these new formats spelled the end of print books as we know it, and they have comfortably settled into being a portion of the array of materials we provide. The key has always been to be careful to offer access to books and film in a variety of ways so we can support the widest range of users. Digital books are just another way for our community to access the wide variety of ideas, interpretations, creativity, wisdom, insights offered by authors and directors from all over the world. Broadening our minds, inspiring us to new ways of thinking, and keeping us open to the changing world.
I find the Phil thing is like folks around me that refer to the Farmer's Almanac predictions of weather for the year. It always seems spot on when you are in the moment and someone says well the Farmer's Almanac did predict a lot of snow this year. But do we ever say the opposite, like being amazed that it is such a snowy winter when the FA predicted little snow.
A team of us have been working for several months to analyze the future of libraries in general, and the Kelley in specifics, and while we have gotten a great handle on a lot of useful things, we are still shying away from making predictions. Just a few years ago, when the digital book craze took off, there were constant predictions of the death of print books, libraries, and reading in general. Several years in, digital books sales are sagging, print is in a resurge, and libraries are still here and busy. Like so many formats before - audiobooks, large print to name a few - we have weathered the panic that these new formats spelled the end of print books as we know it, and they have comfortably settled into being a portion of the array of materials we provide. The key has always been to be careful to offer access to books and film in a variety of ways so we can support the widest range of users. Digital books are just another way for our community to access the wide variety of ideas, interpretations, creativity, wisdom, insights offered by authors and directors from all over the world. Broadening our minds, inspiring us to new ways of thinking, and keeping us open to the changing world.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
A New Year
We have entered a new year, after saying goodbye to a year that many people are only too ready to forget. It is a time when we all look back at accomplishments and what happened over the past year, and it isn't any different here at the library as we put together annual reports.
As much as I know it is important to remember and evaluate the past in order to plan for the future better, I am one to be more interested in the future unknown than spending too much time in the past. There is a quote by Heraclitus on my office wall that reads: "You could not step twice into the same river". It is a favorite of mine for a number of reasons, but most importantly to remind me the importance of the moment, and to remember nothing ever stays the same.
As always, we have lots of plans for making the library even more welcoming. We are most excited about being able to reopen some evening hours that we lost with a budget cut some years ago. If the 2017 budget passes, we will be open 5 nights a week until 8:30 - for people who are commuters, are involved in clubs and activities on our late nights, and to offer more evening hours for the meeting rooms.
But it is the surprises that are what I look forward to each year. It is easy to plan, it is more fun to roll with events.
As much as I know it is important to remember and evaluate the past in order to plan for the future better, I am one to be more interested in the future unknown than spending too much time in the past. There is a quote by Heraclitus on my office wall that reads: "You could not step twice into the same river". It is a favorite of mine for a number of reasons, but most importantly to remind me the importance of the moment, and to remember nothing ever stays the same.
As always, we have lots of plans for making the library even more welcoming. We are most excited about being able to reopen some evening hours that we lost with a budget cut some years ago. If the 2017 budget passes, we will be open 5 nights a week until 8:30 - for people who are commuters, are involved in clubs and activities on our late nights, and to offer more evening hours for the meeting rooms.
But it is the surprises that are what I look forward to each year. It is easy to plan, it is more fun to roll with events.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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.
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.
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