Holiday Grinchiness

Is that even a word?  Maybe it is the stress of the holiday season.  Maybe it is just me going through a time of seeing lots of negatives.  Lately, we at HPL have had a series of encounters of the negative variety.  Among them,  just last week we had to call our friends at the Hutchinson Police Department to deal with a disturbance in the building.  We have had a patron's automobile broken into while the patron was in using our services.  Now we have discovered some vandalism to the outside of the building.

So I wonder, is this a symptom of the times that will pass as the economy improves?  Or is this simply a lack of pride in ones community and lack of concern for others? 

As we move to the conclusion of 2009 though and look forward into 2010, I see lots of great things on the horizon for HPL.  We will start the year with a new coffee bar operation and kick off another One Book, One State program with our partner the Hutchinson/Reno Arts and Humanities Council.  In the Spring, we will be working with the Dillon Nature Center and the Rec Commission, participating in their program celebrating the outdoors.  Plus, the HPL 2010 Project will help usher in the new year with a better understanding of the online world and all the tools it has to offer.  Hmm...those will be fun!

Perhaps the key to staying upbeat is looking at the horizon while dealing as you go with the sometimes bumpy path that takes you there.  Stay safe, have fun and have Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!

The Elusive Que and Some Publishing Madness

I read a few new things about ebooks and readers this past week that started me thinking once again about where this is all going.  I provided a link in this post about a ereader called the "Que".  I mentioned it because it has been designed to address one of the concerns about ebook readers, that is how easily they break.  It appears now that the Que might actually become available for purchase.  It appears Barnes and Noble will sell the Que along side its Nook product.  Meanwhile, the oft-rumored Apple tablet device, a gadget that so far no one has ever seen may really be coming - at an Apple-like price (potentially) of $1,000.  Apple is apparently pitching the product to publishers in an effort to create a content base.

Which brings me to the "publishing madness" portion of my missive today.  I read this article and think that perhaps the publishing industry has collectively taken leave of its senses.  How can they possibly think it is a good idea to delay by FOUR MONTHS the release of a new book in ebook format?  I suppose they really think that people will be so excited about some books that they will buy the print version first and the ebook version later.  What is actually going to happen is that the publishers will cut themselves out of a source of revenue.  The Amazon response quoted in that article is correct, the hype and publicity surge for a new book will be lost four months down the road and sales will be lost.  Another stated concern from the publishers is that piracy of the "e" format will reduce sales.  That is a possibility, but this strategy will certainly reduce ebook sales and I would wager actually increase the instances of piracy.  Sigh...

Projects Shaping Up

Starting off the New Year with some new activities at the library would be nice.  One "new" thing is actually a re-start of an old thing.  I am excited about and hopeful for a partnership between the library and our new coffee and snack vendor.  The Bru Crue Coffee Bar will open for business on January 4th, filling a void left by our last vendor.  The BC folks have a delicious line-up of products ready for sale and will be adding to their offerings as business grows.

Another long-standing issue has been the building just to the north of the library known as the Women's Civic Center.  For many years the building sat largely unused and neglected.  After the most recent effort to raise funds to restore the house by the Hutchinson Reno Arts and Humanities Council, the building was returned to the Library.  With estimates running into the multiple 100's of thousands of dollars to bring the building into a useful state as public space and no takers for moving the building because of its size, the Library has contracted to have it demolished.  We had an 8-week period for citizens interested in salvage to remove useful, re-usable items from the building.  So next, week there will likely be large machines at the corner of 10th and Main completing the task.

However, the Library salvaged some beautiful woodwork to use as part of a plan for a new "quiet" reading room.  Our plan is to re-create a space originally called the "Rayl Reading Room" in the old section of the library.  This will be an area for those people who need quiet for concentration and study.  A group of staff members came up with the plan in response to concerns expressed by several regular library users.  I think it is a great idea and I can't wait to get it started!

As you prepare for the crush of the holiday season, don't forget that the Library can be a great place to stop in for a moment of relaxation.  Pick up a new book, download an audiobook to listen to while shopping, or use our free WiFi. 

Don't forget!  Ask us about the HPL 2010 Project!

One of my favorites...

While Halloween can be lots of fun and Christmas can fill you with good cheer (or not, depending on your stress level), I find Thanksgiving to be one of my favorite holidays.  I really resent the way it gets passed over in favor of Christmas shopping though.  In the past, you could at least count on a nod, but commercially this year everyone seems so desperate even Halloween got buried in red-and-green merchandising.  OK, enough grousing.

November at HPL was filled with great and fun activities.  December is starting off the same way.  Once again, our friend, Dave McKane, is coming to Hutchinson and HPL and leading digital photography workshops.  The first is on December 3rd from 6:30-8:30 PM and the second is December 7th from 9:15-11:15am.  Both workshops will be held in the Library's Auditorium on the second floor.  Find more information here at his site.

If you are looking for a way to support the Children's Department AND get some shopping done, we will be holding a Scholastic Book Fair from December 6th through the 12th.  Profits from this activity will go towards new materials for the Children's collection.

Time for a teaser - looking ahead to early next year, I can't wait for The 2010 Project.  This program is "...a ten-week, self-directed technology exploration program starting in early February that you can work on from home or here at the library."  The goal is to complete the ten-week, self-paced course and learn about new technology.  There are some great incentives for completion as well.  This program has been used in libraries across the country but rarely, if ever, for library patrons.  HPL's version will have a program for staff AND a program for patrons.  Read about it here and sign up for information as it becomes available here.

Good Stuff

Wow!  That's as succinctly as I can put it.  November 12th we hosted a program where participants from three mini-memoir writing workshops read some of their works to the public.  Sheila Lisman has done a fantastic job with these workshops and had a great idea organizing the public reading.  If you weren't there, you missed something really out-of-the-ordinary.  The folks who chose to share provided us with a wonderful mix of poignant and funny, serious and whimsical.  It actually made me a little mad at myself since I don't really have the guts to get out there and share like that.  I heard rumors though, that there might be enough interest to do it again.  So, who knows - maybe I'll have a chance and maybe you will too!

Our National Gaming Day afternoon of games on November 14th seemed to go over well too.  We had about 40 participants ranging from children to adults.  With 2 areas, a family game area in the Children's Department and a youth game area upstairs in the auditorium, there was plenty for everyone to do.

If you haven't seen the polio survivor's display at either the Reno County Museum or the Promise Regional Medical Center, you still have a chance to take in part of the display here at the library.  Through the middle of December, various artifacts and displays will be here for viewing.  The exhibit is in two areas, with the second floor display focusing more on local history and the first floor display focusing on the disease and how people have coped.

E-Readers! (Yes, again with the ebooks...)

After reading stories here and there about Kindle disasters, I started thinking that surely someone, somewhere must be working on this problem.  After all, one of the big knocks against ebook readers, besides being powered devices, etc. is that they are susceptible to damage.

What is going on in the world of ebook readers to address this?  Bridgestone, the tire company, has been working on a flexible screen for devices.  Theirs is in development at the moment, but the product development path looks interesting, although it does not specifically list an ebook reader as a product.  A company called Plastic Logic has a flexible-screen ereader ready to go to market, called the Que.  This certainly addresses what I think is a major disadvantage for ereaders like the Kindle2 or the Sony products.

As I have said before, I love gadgets.  Part of me really wants an ebook reader simply because it would be a new toy.  The way in which I see an ebook reader being really useful to me is to collect in one small object a number of books and journals on a specific topic to use for a project.  It would certainly help me keep my desk tidier.  I have read in numerous places the idea that an ebook reader is perfect for a college student.  What a great way to haul around a semester's worth of textbooks! [EDIT - 11/12]  This article is a good read about the ebook economics libraries face.



Upcoming events worth noting - HPL is having a gaming day to celebrate National Gaming Day.  There will be a family game area as well as a teen gaming area.  We'll have a variety of board games and console games, so come join us!  Also, next week on November 17th we will have a Family Time to celebrate Kansas Reads to Preschoolers.  I can guarantee both events will be fun!

Borrow or Buy?

Halloween, 2009 marked the start of a new experiment at HPL.  You see, despite a good effort, we don't have everything every patron wants exactly when they want it.  We tend to borrow 3,000 to 4,000 items per year from other libraries on behalf of our patrons.  This is a very expensive process, both in monetary terms and in terms of staff time.  Don't get me wrong though.  I think that interlibrary loan (ILL, for short), is a fabulous service.  It expands an individual library's collection far beyond what it could ever be by itself.  The trade-off is that it is sometimes more expensive than simply purchasing an item and adding it to the local collection.

For quite a long time, HPL has struggled with how to decide when to purchase or when to borrow an item a patron requests.  In this time of tight budgets and great uncertainty, we have decided that it makes more sense than ever to try and solve the puzzle.  So, we are going to use a function of Google documents, Google forms, along with a slightly modified process to try a new way of getting what our patrons want.  Our new internal process inserts the collection development staff ahead of the ILL staff.  If the collection staff decides something requested would be of value in our collection, we will buy the item instead of getting it on loan.  If the item requested doesn't fit with our collection or collection policy, then we'll borrow it instead.  The ultimate goal is to shape HPL's collection in a way that more closely reflects our community.

Here's how the thinking goes:  I did a little bit of calculating and came up with a conservative figure of $16 as the average cost for HPL to borrow an item through ILL.  That represents an average of $12 for staff time, $3 postage, and $1 packing material.  Obviously then, if a patron requests an item in the $12-$15 range or lower, it is more cost effective to buy the item than get it on loan, even if we don't expect the book will get checked out more than that one time.  If we buy the item and it goes out several times, we've both saved money and improved the collection.  Even if we buy something that costs double that $16 threshold, the item would only need to get checked out one more time after the initial check out for us to break even.

I think we will finally be putting the horse out in front of the cart with this change.  We will test this process over the next few weeks, refining as we go.  With luck, the experiment will not disrupt normal service in any noticable way.  With a little more luck, we will improve the collection and maybe save some money in the process.

Patron prompt

A suggestion some nice person put in the box this past month got me to thinking.  The patron asked us, essentially, to "trade in" our books on tape collection for more books on CD.  Oh, were it so simple!    But the request is a fair one and, looking at the state of both our collection and "modern" technology, not surprising.  Or is it?  Many of the big box stores like Wal-Mart are shrinking their offerings of CDs and DVDs in favor of Blu-ray movies and downloadable music.  After all, sales of CD music albums are down drastically and number of users downloading music is up.  There are numerous tongue-in-cheek articles such as this one celebrating / mourning the passing of the CD medium.  There are compelling reasons to think that the CD is as dead as the 8-track, not least of which is the advent of the cheap mp3 player and the rise of iTunes and other music clearinghouses.  Even audiobooks, with which my patron is concerned, are becoming widely available in a downloadable form.

I have to stop and think, then, about where the library should put its resources.  Because the root of the problem for the library is that it takes a LONG time to build a substantial collection.  On one hand, I imagine millions of people own CD players and DVD players (I still have one of the latter).  On the other hand, according to wikipedia (an unimpeachable source, I know - wink, wink), 220,000,000 ipods alone have been sold worldwide.  That's just iPods.  Add tens or even hundreds of millions of other mp3 players to that and it is hard to imagine that we'll be using disk media much at all in the very near future.

The current state of affairs is that the library's collection money is split.  While we try to add a greater selection of titles to our downloadable audiobook collection, augment our CD audiobook collection, expand our DVD collection, AND contemplate adding more ebooks, we mustn't neglect, of course, our fairly diverse and deep print collection and our fledgling DVD collection.  Phew!  That is a lot of splitting!  Hmm...now I am getting a little depressed.

Perhaps the best way to move forward is through a collaborative effort.  If the patrons will let us know the specific titles they are interested in, in the specific format they prefer, then we will bear those things in mind as we expend our limited funds.  Until we arrive at another great plateau in formats for conveying information I think we all, but especially librarians, will have to gamble on investing in what seem to be the likeliest formats to succeed and last.

Hey! What did we do to you?

In the past few weeks I have noticed new vigor injected into what is NOT a new trend - suggesting that public libraries be closed, disbanded or replaced.  I know that hard economic times call for scrutiny of all spending.  I am in total agreement that all public spending should be judicious and planned to provide the greatest effect for the largest number of people possible.  I believe, in fact, those sorts of things should be going on in good times as well.  But this article appears to suggest throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Again, I am all for saving money.  I think, for example, the idea mentioned in that article of joint-use facilities can work very well.  In my experience, mostly these work as joint college/public facilities rather than public school/public library facilities.  There are many difficulties to solve with either scenario, but the issues surrounding inviting the general public into a public school facility are, in my opinion, much more daunting.  Still, it is a prudent thing to look at the possibilities if it could save money.

Here is another article from, of all places, the affluent Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, sent to me by a colleague of mine.  A fellow, Mr. Xinos, is apparently single-handedly responsible for the firing of public librarians from the Oak Brook PL.  Clearly, the city needs to scale back if they don't have the tax revenue, but to fire their Children's Librarian?  From a public library perspective, that's the same as shooting yourself in the foot.

I understand that as a librarian, my opinions may be a tad biased on this subject.  I realize too that as a great believer in the idea that education is the most important engine for societal improvement, my opinions might be further biased.  But I have to say that along with tremendous amounts of hard work, the United States would not be what it is without publicly-supported "free" access to ideas and information.  This goes for public libraries as well as free public education.  Ingenuity, creativity, study, and hard work literally propelled the United States to power.  Generations of Americans have striven for nothing more than a better life for their children and they achieved it with education.  How will we continue to be a place where people want to be?  Through hard work and education.

The crotchety old man in me wants to shake his fist in indignation and disgust at those who dismiss libraries as outdated, expensive, wastes of tax dollars.  But the student in me wants to learn why there seems to be a growing disdain for publicly supported institutions like libraries and what can be done to snap "us" out of our collective stupor.  Maybe it is up to libraries to, instead of championing the individual's growth and prosperity, find a way to champion, spur on, and propel their communities to new heights of growth and prosperity. 

Shelf Reading

Many people will probably think I am sick for saying this, but I love to shelf read.  For the uninitiated, "shelf reading" is a practice where you go into the stacks, pick a section, and make sure, among other things, everything is on the shelf in the proper order.  It may sound tedious, but it gives you an opportunity to examine the collection for condition, look for duplicate copies that might no longer be necessary, find misplaced items, and if you are like me, revel in the tremendous variety of interests people have.

For me, it is also a time to order my thinking.  Often, if I am stumped, stymied, or frustrated in some endeavor I will leave my office for 45 minutes or an hour and read shelves.  Somehow, helping to put the collection in order helps me put my thoughts in order.  Often, I will discover a solution I had not previously considered while pondering who would possibly be interested in reading something like the Classical influences on European culture, A.D. 1500-1700 : proceedings of an international conference held at King's College, Cambridge, April 1974. Often though I will look at an item's circulation statistics and find, as was the case with this title,  that not only has it been checked out many times, it actually went out in the current year.

These kinds of discoveries are refreshing.  It is good to know, for me at least, that there are people using the library interested in things I find uninteresting, or at least not at the top of my reading list.  The flip-side of shelf reading is occasionally finding the most embarrassing oversight sitting there on the shelf.  I'm talking about this book, or this one here, or how about this?  All of these examples come from a blog I find extremely entertaining, called Awful Library Books (it's also linked over there on the sidebar).  Unfortunately, I am sure the Hutchinson Public Library has a few of these types of "gems".

I suppose my point here is that libraries are unique creatures, seemingly always threatened with extinction (at least for the past 2 decades), but filled with an amazing array of information.  Despite my (some might say "unnatural") love for technology, I think the printed store of knowledge known as a library has one great advantage over the impersonal and intangible Web - the thrill of a discovery you found on your own two feet and can hold in your hand.  So, if you can't find me in my office, try roaming through the stacks and you'll probably find me out there, being amazed.

Now it gets interesting...

In the world of ebook readers, at least.  I have to say that I am rather skeptical that this will work out.  It is a device being created by the Taiwanese company ASUS, makers of netbooks, high-end notebooks, and virtually any computer component you can think of.  Their new device is an ebook reader with two color screens that opens in a fashion similar to a "real" book.  Pretty cool, huh?  The things I can not get past are:  How will it be powered?  (More precisely, how will it stay charged long enough to be useful?) And, how can they possibly price it (as the article above suggests) below the Sony and Amazon devices?

OK, maybe there are interesting things going on at HPL too. For a couple of years now, about twice each year, the Library has hosted a series of book discussions called "TALK about literature in Kansas".  Each series has presented books with a common theme - humor, western, and this Fall, British classics.  Described by one of the participants as "the best" discussion so far, the first discussion in the fall 2009 series took place on Sept. 10th.  If you are interested, the second discussion, of Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd", will happen on October 8th at 6:30pm.  I have to say that I was surprised at the enthusiasm for books many folks were undoubtedly "required" to read in high school or college.  I am glad though, since all 3 of the novels in this series (Emma, Far From the Madding Crowd, Jane Eyre) have exerted tremendous influence on literature and even on pop culture through repeated movie and television adaptions of the works.

Another exciting program coming up on October 2nd at 2:30pm is a visit from underwater photographer Michael Patrick O'Neill.  He will be in the library auditorium.  His program is geard toward school-age children, but I think people of all ages will find his demo of SCUBA equipment and cameras and his slideshow very interesting.

Again, for our younger crowd, but also their parents, we are offering a program aimed at teaching young people the value of saving money and the responsible way to deal with their income.  The program will be offered twice, October 1st and October 6th at 7pm both evenings.  The presenters are knowledgeable and will provide a free "Kid's Financial Kit" for parents which contains information on appropriate allowances and how to help kids deal with their "income".  I am really excited about this program and I hope that the gentlemen conducting it will repeat it for us periodically.

"Fraught" - You don't hear that word very often...

As in, "fraught with uncertainty".  I have found myself using the word and that phrase a lot lately despite fraught's general dust and neglect.  "Fraught" is a word straight out of the 14th century meaning, essentially, "load" or "loaded".  It works for the times though, I think.  The economic outlook, the flu season, and even less weighty subjects such as library services or the alarming rarity of posts to this blog seem to be fraught with uncertainty.

Since I normally confine my ramblings, an oxymoron I know, to library related topics, I thought I would once again write a bit about ebooks and readers.  It seems Sony is actively working the library angle by announcing a partnership with NYPL to circulate ebooks on Sony Readers.  Libraries subscribing to a service from a company called OverDrive will also be able to circulate ebooks for a 21 day "checkout" period to the Sony Reader Daily Edition over the 3G cell network.  What's so uncertain about this?  For me it is that I still can not see who has the upper hand in the ebook war.  Will Sony's open format defeat Amazon's DRM scheme?  In June, I spent some time wondering about Amazon vs. Apple in the ebook market.  Apple does not seem to be forthcoming with a reader device at the moment, but Sony's device and approach fills in the competitive spot.  I like Sony's approach to content, so I hope they do well.  HPL already offers downloadable audio books through Overdrive along with a few ebooks.  Still, there is a lot of uncertainty on this topic, though maybe this is the digital reader for us...

[UPDATE 10/31/2011]

Hard to believe it has been 2 years.  The Sony / Overdrive partnership is in full swing with Sony offering a reader with a "public library" button on the main screen, Amazon's Kindle down to $79, and Apple's iPad dominating the tablet market and doubling as an ebook reader.

So...

HPL will begin an experiment in the next couple of weeks by filling holds for high-demand (read "long hold list") items by downloading them onto a Kindle and then loaning the Kindle to the next patron on the list.

Signs? What signs?

We are embarking on another interesting experiment at HPL.  One of our staff teams has the task of making it easier to find one's way around the library.  They have a great plan lined up and we have started to implement it.  The first step is taking down as many signs as we can.  You may have already noticed a distinct lack of material hanging from the ceilings...or maybe you have not.  Part of what we are testing here is the suspicion that the existing signage is not serving its purpose in helping the library's patrons find what they need.  Another suspicion is that, while we think we are being helpful and informing people by taping up every notice we receive, we are really obscuring everything, like this:

 

OK, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but only because we don't have neon posters.  The hope is that during this first phase, patrons will ask us directions.  Then, we can thoughtfully put back the necessary signs, give visual clues where possible, and replace the ever-shifting collage of posters and handbills with hand-out kiosks containing flyers patrons can take with them regarding upcoming events, etc.

 
So help us make the library easier to navigate.  The next time you are in, take a moment to look around and ask yourself a few questions along these lines:  Do I know where to return my books?  Where do I go to ask a question?  Where do I find books/CDs/DVDs about "topic X"?  Is it easy to find X's location?  Then, when you have your answers, tell a staff member about your experience.  We will add your input and factor it in to our plan.  Afterall, the goal is to provide you, the user, with a better experience.


I am excited!  I think our sign team is on to something that will make a big difference in how easy it is to use the library.  (Plus I hate clutter!)

HomeworkKansas

A quick entry about one of those instances where "government" spends money wisely and does good.  Too frequently we read about government waste and ill-advised programs.  So what is this great government success?  A couple of years back the State Library of Kansas contracted with a company called Tutor.com to create a statewide service for school-age children called "HomeworkKansas".  This year, with all the funding cuts at the State level, HomeworkKansas appeared defunct.  However another state entity, Kan-Ed, picked up the project and it is going to continue.

I am very excited by this development.  Tutor.com is available to anyone individually to sign up and purchase expert tutoring for his or her children at a fairly handsome hourly rate.  However, this state-wide project provides for Kansas residents access to the very same tutoring through public libraries for FREE.  Any student, now from K-12 and college level, can log on through their local library's website and get expert help at no cost to the student.

Perhaps this reads like a sales pitch.  Perhaps that is what I intended.  If you have a student in your family and you find a need for assistance with schoolwork this coming year, navigate your way to Hutchinson Public Library's website and log on, either from home or at the library, to HomeworkKansas for some free help.

Budget Bite

As I have alluded to before, I find budget preparation time to be a particularly unpleasant exercise.  This year, like most everywhere in the world, HPL will be facing a poor budget outlook.  Despite what your particular tax statement might have said, property valuations are down overall.  Our budget is based primarily on property taxes collected within the city limits of Hutchinson.  As that base shrinks and the values lower, we have to cut back like everyone else.

This year too, we face unprecedented costs for a variety of things.  For example, last August we began a little experiment we hoped would save on our electric bill.  We began leaving the majority of the building's lights off until right before opening to the public, about 5 hours less light bulb use per week.  We were happily surprised to see a drop on average of 160 kilowatt hours per day.  At the same time, though, commercial electric rates rose enough to entirely offset any monetary savings.

Here's a link to wake you back up after that not-so-exciting example.  The link leads to our newly redesigned downloadable book site.  Please let me know what you think!

So, back to the budget.  Unfortunately for us, the timing of this budget shrinkage is about as poor as it could be.  We have been looking forward to some great changes in our space and some continued changes to our services.  Now, some projects will undoubtedly have to be shelved and others scaled back.  The question is, how do we keep our momentum and avoid lapsing into stagnation?  We will truly test our ability to perform as a staff team this year, pitching in and helping each other out.  Perhaps a gut-check is what we need to find out where we are on the cope-with-adversity scale, although honestly, I could probably get by without knowing that.  I am confident in the greatness of the people who work here and their creativity and flexibility.  I hope that they will trust me to help lead the library through some tough times and work with me to come up with ways to make some, at least, of our vision for the library come to into being regardless.

Midsummer Round-up

I know, it is not technically "midsummer", but in our library world we're just past half-way with our summer programming.  As an "evil administrator" type, I have mixed feelings about summer.  I look forward to it with a combination of excitement and dread with a little envy mixed in.  I always get very excited at the prospect of a new Summer Reading Program, and this year's theme was ready-made for fun.  So far, kids have painted a mural, decorated an art car, created "altered art", made puppets, made experimental films and of course, heard lots of stories and checked out books!  By the way, if you did not make it to the parade on the fourth of July, here's one of the great things you missed.

The "dread" part of summer for me is that it means budget time.  We prepare our next-year's budget the summer before, essentially making a guess as to what the world will be charging for things 12-18 months into the future.  The process this year is especially "dreadful" in that the future of the economy is so murky.  I will say though that HPL has an excellent staff and an excellent board and together we will make it work with whatever is available.

Envy...I did mention that one earlier, didn't I?  That is a simple one to explain.  I always loved summer break as a child.  It was a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day fun-fest complete with staying up late and sleeping late (the former I still sometimes do but the latter, sadly, is a thing of the past).  I also envy the staff of the Children's Department because they get to do all the fun stuff at this time of year! 

Finally, a pitch.  Please check out our newly-revamped "Downloadable Books" link at the top of our website.  A group of staff members, our "Promoting OverDrive" team, put a lot of time and effort into the new downloadable book site and are working to advertise the service through many methods.

I hope everyone finds some rest and relaxation this summer and I hope at least some relax using the services of the Hutchinson Public Library!

Rolling Art

It is nearly time for the 26th Annual Patriots Parade. This year, HPL will have an entry created for fun, whimsy, and to support our Summer Reading Program for children. I hope there is a great turn-out this year, and not just for selfish reasons. It is always nice to see folks from all walks of life participating in something. Here's a little sneak-peek of our entry.

The best part about this project is that children who came to the Summer Celebration added tons of fantastic art work to it; then members of our staff, all of whom are creative, but some of whom are especially talented, added their work.  It turned out to be quite a collaboration!

Where ARE we going?

It's funny how ideas seem to coalesce. A member of the reference department brought me an article today about the evolution of the book. Specifically, this article was about the upcoming fight some are predicting between Amazon and their Kindle book reader, Apple computers and a rumored "device" they may be planning, and the publishing industry, which seems to be caught in the middle.

Shortly after reading the article, I received an email from SCKLS announcing a new teen-oriented website being launched by a book publisher, Simon & Schuster called Pulse It.  It seems that this publisher, at least, is trying to build a rapport with younger readers by appealing to the familiarity social networking websites and offering a carrot of 2 new S&S books per month available to read free online.  Obviously, the goal is to have these readers share their impressions with their peers on other websites and help to increase sales of S&S titles.  This publisher seems to be trying new things (better late than never) to sell more books.  I can't imagine that other publishers will be far behind.

Getting back to the title of the post - what is happening here?  The bottom line is that publishing and the "printed" word is in the throes of a revolution.  There is little doubt about this fact.  Nevermind that "ebooks" and their various readers have yet to reach critical mass; the way we will get the latest novel or the newest "book" on gardening is changing.  I personally do not believe the paper book is on its way out though.  Publishers can move to print-on-demand systems for paper books.  Amazon does huge volume in printed material.  Apple does not, as the article above states, have a history of trying to usurp the role of publisher or control content like Amazon does.  Rather Apple is known for creating elegant "things" people want to buy.  Any clash of these titans will have some fall-out but I think that publishing companies, if they are shrewd, could come out in a better position in the aftermath.

What does this have to do with libraries?  As usual, I'm not exactly sure.  One thing is clear though, and that is HPL and all libraries will need to continue their awakening to the benefits of evolving technologically and otherwise.  After a thirty-odd year slumber, the past decade has seen libraries embracing new technologies as quickly as they arrive.  Some libraries are better at it than others, but none can afford not to try.  Will we be reduced to a kiosk holding a bank of Kindle-like devices?  I doubt it.  Will we circulate books on some sort of kindle-like devices?  Probably.  Will we still have paper books?  I imagine for a long time to come.  Should libraries be test-beds for new gadgets in the future?  I sure hope so!  Are you listening Jeff?  Where's my "beta" Kindle DX?

The Art of Playing Catch-up

My topic today is the Summer Celebration and the fun that was had by over 500 children and adults on June 5th.  This update is a week late, I know, but I have a good excuse - I was taking a bit of much-needed R&R.  Our Summer Reading theme this year is "Be Creative @ HPL" and there was some real creativity on display.  If you come in to the Children's Department, you can see the mural that was painted by the kids during the celebration.  The Art Car is very nicely decorated as well and you will see that if you come down town for the 4th of July parade.

Now storytimes are in full-swing, we have reading programs going for all ages, and everyone is busy with the Summer rush.  Tomorrow is staff day for adding their decorations to the art car too!  I finally cleared my inbox this afternoon, got the tree trimmer scheduled to remove the fallen tree in my backyard, but thankfully, the library sustained no damage from Monday evening's storm.  So all-in-all, life is good for me. And do you see what I did there?  With the title and the post topic?  "Art" - we're doing art.  I'm playing "catch-up" after a vacation...  OK,  I know, lame.

The Return of the Self -Check!

I know I have been using a lot of exclamation points lately, so I apologize for my reckless enthusiasm. In my defense, there has been an avalanche of things to be excited about. Not least is today's arrival of our new self-check machines. Here are a couple of pictures of the new machine over in the adult area:

We will install the second unit in the Children's Department after our big summer reading program kick-off celebration this Friday.

These machines are very easy to use with simple, touch-screen instructions. Besides checking out items, you can log in to view your account status using your PIN. Next time you are in, give them a try. Please do not hesitate to ask for help should you need it!

Be Creative! Summer Fun

School is out, the days are warm - Summer Reading and Summer Celebration at the library are upon us!  One of the biggest, most time-consuming, and most rewarding and fun activities that the library does is happening next Friday, June 5th.  Hutchinson Public Library's Summer Celebration happens from 9am to 11:30am on that day.  We use this big launch party each year to get kids excited about reading during the summer.  Our goal is to keep children interested in reading during summer vacation.  Our theme this year is "Be Creative" at  the Hutchinson Public Library.  We're going to feature a wide variety of arts at the Celebration and throughout the summer programming.  We are even creating an art car for the library to enter into the Hutchfest parade!

The Summer Reading programs are recommended for children ages 3-8.  In July we will also have Family Times twice each week with fun for the whole family.  Please check out what is available - and it is all free!

We also have a program set up for young adults - May 26th through July 30th.  Prizes and fun for tweens and teens when they come in and sign up.

Did you know that there is also a summer reading program for adults?  This summer we will be encouraging grown-ups to "Master the Art of Reading".  Adults can sign up to read and become eligible for fun prizes.

I feel tired just reading back over this list of activity!  But it is a good tired because I know that what we are trying to do here is emphasize the fun of reading, even if you might accidentally learn something new or improve your skills in the process!

Wowbrary is Live! (Plus a fascinating map)

The new Wowbrary service began yesterday with Hutchinson Public Library's initial email newsletter, which you can view here. This is a great new tool, I think. It features all the new items that come in to the library each week. It provides a view of the end-results of what many consider to be the very core of what a library is: civilization's longest-working knowledge accumulation machine. The Hutchinson Public Library might not be as large or have the same vast resources as some, but we do the same thing here and now that all libraries great and small have done for many centuries. We collect things in one spot, now both on paper and in electronic formats, for the purpose of providing people with a handy "set" of all human knowledge. Specifically, our purpose is of course to provide for the information needs of the citizens of Hutchinson and the surrounding areas. Though that might make it seem like I have a lofty view of what our little library means in the grand scheme of things, I believe it to be true.

Grandiose, lofty ideas aside, I encourage you to sign up for Wowbrary and receive a weekly snapshot of what we are collecting.

On to the "fascinating map" portion of this post. Some people probably know that I am something of a pirate aficionado. (Don't forget Talk Like A Pirate Day, September 19th this year!) Mostly I've read about and studied the 17th and 18th century variety of pirate, but I have been following the current rise in piracy off the Horn of Africa with interest. And one of the reasons I have included the Kansas Government Information blog over there on the right is for posts like their most recent one on maritime piracy. A link they included goes to this "live" map of pirate attacks, both successful and attempted around the world. You can click on a map marker and find out the full details of each incident.

So, thank you for visiting, have fun viewing piracy from the safety of your computer screen, and please consider signing up for Wowbrary, it's useful, I promise!

New Tools!

Several posts back I wrote a bit about learning and using new technology. I have also mentioned in more than one post that HPL is trying some new things, including opening a new technology training lab. Recently, some of our staff members have experimented with what are now practically passe social networking tools, Facebook and Twitter.

These recent additions to our toolset, Wowbrary, Facebook, and Twitter have been undertaken in an attempt to better communicate with you, our patrons. On this blog, I created a group of "HPL Links" just below the subscription area at the upper right of the page to help me (and you too) keep track of these tools. You can go to these links, including the HPL website , and find all sorts of useful information about upcoming events, new items, and other news about your library.

Please help us by letting friends and relatives know about these ways of interacting with the library and try them yourself.

Technology Training Lab

As of May 12th the new lab has been officially opened!

What a great evening we had, and look at the crowd! OK, so it was a little warm, but the air conditioning problem turned out to be an easy fix and it is now cool and comfy in the new lab. Tuesday evening was our big kick-off for the new training lab space and we had 72 visitors come through. Kristine, our computer trainer, showcased the new series of classes she's designed. We all got to see the fruits of not only her labors, but the results of all the hard work put in by our great IT and maintenance departments.

I could not be happier with the results. It was a long, hard road to get to this point and many unexpected turns were taken, but we now have a facility dedicated to technology learning. What that means in practical terms is that the public computers will be open to the public all the time now - no more closings for training classes. This reduces headaches for staff and patrons alike. It means more flexibility for times when training can occur, including weekends. It offers the possibility for better hands-on training for staff as we add new tools to make the library better.

If you are interested in learning more about your computer, its software, the Internet, or free online tools check here to register for upcoming classes.

New Service - Wowbrary

The Hutchinson Public Library will offer a new service starting May 20th.  In partnership with the library service company "Wowbrary", patrons of HPL who have an email account can sign up for a weekly newsletter showing the new items added to the collection for the past week.  The Wowbrary service is provided by libraries all over the country, such as the San Antonio Public Library and the New York Public Library.  Samples of what the newsletter looks like can be found here (SAPL) and here (NYPL).

One of the best things about the service is that the newsletters directly link you to the HPL catalog.  You see something you want, click the title and you are sent to the library catalog to place a hold.  It even includes links to Amazon reviews if you want to see what other people have to say about the title.  Another great customization feature is that we will be able to provide links to upcoming library events as part of the newsletter.

If you are interested, you can read more about it here in Wowbrary's FAQ.  If you like what you see, please sign up.  I think this will be a great tool for HPL to showcase the many great new books, CDs, DVDs, etc. that we add to our collection all the time. 

Bicycles and Libraries

What do these two things have in common?  To be frank, I am not entirely sure.  However, in the upcoming 2 weeks, there will be 2 classes held at the Hutchinson Public Library on bicycle safety.  The safety classes will be held in the Library auditorium on the second floor May 4th and May 12th.  Both classes will begin at 6:30PM.  These events are part of a campaign to raise awareness of Hutchinson's "bikeability", to coin a terrible term, and to promote Hutchinson's May 15 "Bike to Work" day.

 

I do a modest amount of bicycling around Hutchinson, mostly to work and back and mostly during fair weather (I am no fanatic!)  I do this for a variety of reasons - I get some exercise and as a side benefit I save a little cash by not driving my car.  Mostly it is because Hutchinson is a nicely-sized town for biking.  Hutchinson is compact enough that by pedaling at a reasonable pace, very little in Hutchinson is farther than a 15-20 minute ride away.  Lots of others I know ride bikes for recreation.  While I rarely have the time to use it myself, Hutchinson has the great Martinez Sunflower hike/bike trail.  There are plans in the works to expand this 3+ mile trail into a loop around Hutchinson!  So, if you are looking for a way to make a health change, a budget change, or just want to change pace, come to DCI Park or Promise Hospital on May 15 between 6:30-8:30am and bike to work!

Crazy ... or Inspired?

One of the meetings I attended at the Kansas Library Association annual conference - probably the best of the bunch, IMO - was called "Impractical, Unfeasible, Unfundable Ideas for Libraries". The truly engaging guy who led the session, Joshua Neff, is a librarian who works for the Johnson County (KS) Library. He posted his list of ideas generated from the session here.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love brainstorming. This conference session, which was billed as a brainstorming session and attended by at least fifty "library people" did not disappoint. Some of the ideas were indeed dreams; for example, people-sized pneumatic tubes (a la bank drive-throughs) in the library to deliver librarians to the spot they are needed.  Sounds like a blast to me!

But the let-it-all-hang-out power of brainstorming twisted that idea around from the implausible to the possible.  Instead of tubes, why don't libraries have call stations scattered around the stacks for patrons to call for help like some big box stores? What about a catalog that shows you the shelf location in the building? Maybe a catalog system with a Staples-like "EASY" button that patrons could use to IM a librarian for help.  These last two ideas could be easily created by the companies that make catalog software.

How about this one: Item check-out like NetFlix. You could check out a certain number of library items and keep them, essentially, as long as you wanted. However, you can't check out more items until you bring the first bunch back.  Patrons might like it because the bludgeon of overdue fines would go away.  Staff might like that aspect too!

Here's one that seemed impractical to me at first, but is now growing on me:  Combining a library with something like a laundromat or a hair salon - some activity that causes people to have to sit and wait.  You could check out a book or download an audiobook and do some reading while you launder or get your hair done.  Sure, the library might have to get into the landlording business, but it seems like a win-win.  I remember going to a place called Duds-n-Suds to do my laundry because it was a laundromat that served beer.  Hey...there's an idea!

I think that the results of just this one hour of brainstorming show that when librarians, or anyone for that matter, think a little outside the box, great improvements can be discovered.  The real trick though, is figuring out how to implement the new ideas and then actually making them real.  Perhaps that is a good topic for next year's conference, "A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing Your Crazy Idea".

Librarian Fight!

OK, so maybe that title is a shameless and no doubt lame attempt to hook you into reading this, but hey everyone does it, right?  I'm looking at you, TV News.

I am fascinated by this sort of commentary on the social aspects and problems we all encounter as new information tools appear, practically on top of each other and clamor for our attention. This is an area where I think librarians get overlooked for their contribution. Librarians are often among the first to jump in and try out a new tool and look for ways to make it useful in the information business. But as Mr. Crawford points out in his blog entry above, it is easy for anyone to be discouraged when you are told that you are "doing it wrong".

I had a similar experience myself a few weeks ago while discussing library catalogs with a fellow librarian, of all people.  As my spouse and my friends will attest, I am a BIG proponent of all sorts of technological advances (read: I love new gadgets).  I spend lots of free time exploring new software, web tools, electronic gadgets, etc. because I find it fun.  As you might guess, I try my best to stay on top of library-related technology as well, since it combines two of my favorite pursuits.

This is where the whole idea of "Ur doin' it wrong" came to me firsthand.  Essentially, I was "doin' it wrong" by contracting with a big company for HPL's catalog system rather than jumping on the open-source bandwagon.  But here is the rub:  Sometimes it is simply impractical, if not monumentally difficult to adopt a new tool, let alone try to learn every one that comes down the pike.  This was the case for HPL and our catalog system.  We have fantastic IT people - two of them - who work very hard keeping our electronic ship afloat.  However, neither of them are software engineer or web developer types, so we opted to trade the flexibility of open source for the support of outside help in the form of a company with its own software developers.  So not only did we choose to NOT try a new thing, we fell back on an "old" model tool that ... wait for it ... works for us.

So, while I urge everyone to find out about Twitter, join Facebook, or try an open source operating system, I urge you with equal fervor to keep the tools that work for you even if they are old and do not be discouraged if you've found a use for a tool for which it was never intended.

Family Time

As part of our activities during the Week of the Young Child, our Children's Department will present a family story hour April 21st beginning at 7pm.  The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) focuses attention on the needs of children age 0-8, especially related to early childhood education.  In fact, the whole point of their week-long effort is to remind us all that it is our responsibility as adults to make sure our children have the as many opportunities for learning as early as possible at home, at child care, at school, and in the community.

So please come and enjoy some books and stories, a craft, and a preview of the Hutchinson Public Library's Summer Reading Program for 2009.

Library Conference - Hurray!

Sounds like a blast, huh?  This week the Kansas Library Association held its annual conference.  This year hundreds of librarians, library workers, library friends, and board trustees converged on Wichita to exchange ideas and learn new things.

You might think it would be dry and boring - lots of sessions on collecting fines and chasing unruly teens out of the library.  But it's quite the contrary.  Librarians might be a quirky bunch, but they are also passionate, radical, and sometimes subversive.  And librarians can be quite the partiers.  One of my favorite quotes about librarians is from a Chicago hotelier about why he liked hosting a national library conference:

"You honor your reservations; you go to your meetings so we can clean the rooms; you're relatively quiet; and you drink more than the American Legion."  

Maybe that says too much, I don't know.  What I do know is that there are 700+ library workers and enthusiasts going back to their libraries with new ideas, renewed energy, and a common desire to help the people they serve have a great library experience.

Return of the Self-Check

It seems like it has been forever, but it has only been a bit more than 12 weeks since the self-check machines nearly simultaneously gave up the ghost. When you are looking for a tool that costs anywhere from $10-18,000 per unit, you want to take your time. The main thing we wanted to do when it came to replacing them was to find reliable machines for a good price. I know that we have done the latter, since we are getting two machines for the price of one of many other brands. However, for the time being we will have to wait and see on the former. All indications point to a good solid machine with good support and repair turn-around time. Here's a drawing of what they'll look like:

They are much smaller than the old self-checks, and use a touchscreen for input. They will have a small printer attached for receipts, but beyond that they are barely larger than a 19" LCD monitor. One of the best features is that they connect directly to our new Polaris catalog system so that you can access your patron account directly from the self-check.

We will have the machines set up in the next few weeks, in time for the upcoming summer reading programs.

Visit by Nancy Pickard

Wow! We had a great turnout for the programs put on by mystery author Nancy Pickard this past weekend. Her writer's workshop was attended by 18 local authors. Monday night's author talk was attended by about 28 people. It is heartening to me that Hutchinson is such a supportive place for the arts. We have a fantastic Art Center, the Fox Theater, and many music and live performance options. I would like to continue to build the reputation of HPL as the place to go to learn about the writers and the written word - it seems like a natural fit!

I know that the Friends of the Hutchinson Public Library, who sponsored Ms. Pickard's visit, like to bring authors to Hutchinson. I hope the Friends will continue to do so. Are there any authors you would like to hear? Perhaps a Kansas-based author or someone with ties to Kansas? Maybe an author of children's books, or westerns, or science fiction for a change of pace? Please leave a comment below if you have an idea or opinion. No matter what, we will continue to cultivate relationoships with authors we meet and try to have as many as we can afford visit Hutchinson to share their perspectives.

Friends Book Sale - Bargains Galore!

Once again the Friends of the Hutchinson Public Library will be holding a big book sale in the library basement. This semi-annual event offers some great bargains to book lovers from all around, April 2-4.

If you purchase a membership in the Friends organization, you can come for the special "Friends Night" and be among the first to have a crack at the items for sale the evening of April 2nd, 5:30-8pm. Friday, April 3rd the sale is open to the general public 9am-5pm. The final day of the sale is Saturday, April 4th from 9am-4pm. This last day is traditionally "sack day" where each sack you fill costs only $1!

There are few opportunities that I know of where you can get such bargains on books as you will find at this sale. Please come by and browse, I am positive you will not be disappointed!

Coffee, Tea, or Milk?

The library is set once again for a period of change. Last October we ventured into new territory by offering beverages and snacks in the library. We did a lot of research and talked to other libraries offering this service, but you never really know about something until you try it for yourself. This was new territory for our contractor too and, unfortunately for us, she has decided that the coffee business might not be for her.

I have to say that I am disappointed, especially since we are moving the kiosk to a new, more prominent spot in the library. But we have advertised for a new contractor and I am hopeful that we will have a coffee bar in the Library on a permanent basis.

One of the difficulties we have run into is knowing when to have refreshments available and what type of refreshments those should be. So, what do you think? If you are a user of the library, tell us what you would like. If you aren't a user of the library, tell us what you treat yourself to at the bookstore. Maybe we can offer something similar and save you some money on books too!

Do you like a good mystery?

HPL is participating in the state-wide reading project for 2009, "Kansas Reads: The Virgin of Small Plains" by Nancy Pickard [read about the project here]. The Friends of the Hutchinson Public Library have graciously agreed to sponsor a visit by the author here at the library on March 22nd and 23rd. Ms. Pickard is the author of sixteen popular novels, many critically acclaimed. You can read more about her here.

Ms. Pickard will lend her expertise from 2pm to 4pm on the 22nd in a writer's workshop. If you are a writer, published or not, and wish to participate, call Annette at (620)663-5441 ext. 132 to reserve a spot for this great opportunity.

The 7pm March 23rd event is a more traditional "author talk" where Ms. Pickard will discuss her books and interact with the audience. Both the writer's workshop and the author talk will take place in the library's auditorium on the 2nd floor.

I hope you will take advantage of this visit, whether you are an author or a fan of mysteries or simply enjoy reading and want to meet someone who makes that possible.

Polaris - A Guiding Star?

The Hutchinson Public Library is in the midst of quite a big transition. You wouldn't know it necessarily, unless you tried to put a book on hold in the past few days, or tried to renew an item on line.

What we are doing is changing what has become the very foundation for every modern library, our "automation system" or from the user's perspective I suppose, the "computer catalog". This is the computerized system that allows us to do everything from keeping track of our new book orders to cataloging, finding, and checking them out to you, our users.

Our trusty old system called "Horizon" had fallen prey to the same situation as Microsoft's Windows XP - it was no longer slated for improvement, rather it was slated for replacement. The new system we have chosen is called Polaris. Polaris offers many searching improvements and a strong staff-use component and is backed by a company committed to serving public libraries specifically.

We hope that you will like the new Polaris system. I hope you will bear with us while we switch over. After March 5th, please ask any of our staff members for a "tour" of the new system or just give it a try, Polaris is quite user friendly!

Libraries in The News

A very good article about library use in hard economic times appeared in the Hutchinson News on Monday. Kathy Hanks spoke to several librarians, myself included, about what they were seeing on the “front lines”. While HPL was only briefly mentioned, we are seeing some of the same effects here in Hutchinson.

Instead of dwelling on the bad times and worrying about the future in this post, I am going to share some of the current goings-on at HPL. These are things that we do all the time.

Kids can come to the library and “Read to Rover” once a month. (March 12 from 6-7 will be the next opportunity). Your child can select a favorite book and share it with a canine friend from the Hutchinson Kennel Club’s group of therapy dogs.

Teens and young adults can game in the library, everything from board games to Wii and PS3, at our next gaming day on March 7 from 12-4 pm.

Right now, the Hutchinson Public Library is at the start of its spring adult reading program, details here. This is something we do every year to promote reading, good economy or bad!

We also participate in a cool program put on by the Kansas Humanities Council. With the TALK About Literature in Kansas program, participating libraries pick a genre and then hold book discussions led by Kansans with some expertise either in the genre or the particular title for which they lead the book talk. This spring we have “The Best of the West”. The details are on our website.

One of our favorite things to do at HPL is to have authors visit and talk about writing, getting published, or simply tell us about what their latest project might be. In March – the 22nd and 23rd – the author Nancy Pickard will be at HPL to give both a writer’s workshop AND an author talk.

If you are trying to save money or simply looking for something relaxing and different to do, stop by, get a cup of tea or coffee at our coffee bar, “The Reader’s Cup”, and browse the stacks, view the art on display in the auditorium, or attend one of our many programs. Find info about everything I’ve mentioned on our website, or give us a call.

Maybe I am biased, but public libraries are great uses of public money. And librarians, because they often have to work with tight budgets, try to make that money really work for you.

The Government Works...

...in strange but not so mysterious ways. Our Board chairperson and I spent the day today in Topeka talking with as many of our local legislators as possible. In fact, librarians from all over the state were there for the same purpose at the Kansas Library Association's annual legislative day. I traveled there knowing full well that large cuts to state funding for libraries are in the works. Times are truly dire and cuts are in the offing for just about everything the State does this year and, unfortunately, in 2010.

Nevertheless, I tried to impress on our government representatives the importance of libraries in hard economic times. When the economy is bad, people turn to their public library to help fill the gap. Yet ironically, libraries are often among the first places to receive reductions in funding. The Hutchinson Public Library has seen some of this increased use in the past few months. I shared with our elected officials some of our data showing increased circulation of books and DVDs and anecdotes from staff regarding increases in computer use for things like job hunting, resume writing, and applying for assistance.

I also reminded them that while funding cuts might be unavoidable now, they should not forget libraries when the economy, as it hopefully will, turns around. Another part of the information I shared with them was a return on investment summary for the Hutchinson Public Library. The calculator I used to create the summary takes average costs of library materials, factors in cost for equivalent services like research or computers and printing, and facilities like meeting room space. When you add in the tax dollar amounts to support these things, the calculator gives you a dollar amount for the value of all this to the library's users. In the case of the Hutchinson Public Library, the return our community receives for every $1 it invests in the library is $5.67. In my view, that's a good investment any time, but especially when money is tight.

We will see what happens to the state budget in the next few weeks. The library, like most everyone else, will tighten its belt in anticipation of lean times. All of us at the library will also continue to provide the best service we can. Speaker O'Neal, Senator Bruce, and Representative Seiwert were very generous with their time on Thursday, and for that I am very grateful and say, "Thank you!" I do not envy them their task trying to balance the state budget. After my visit though, I was heartened by seeing first hand that those folks we have sent to do this work are looking at the big picture. It is up to us to make sure that they do not forget that institutions like public libraries help keep communities going while we all wait for that big picture to be realized.

It's a start...

Libraries are curious places. Often, they are at the forefront of technological change. Librarians are, as a group, surprisingly adventurous when it comes to discovering and using new tools to communicate information. The Hutchinson Public Library has had an electronic catalog since the 1980’s and has had the ability to answer research questions through chat, email and online databases for years, here. Heck, you can even play games at the library on our periodic gaming days.

Paradoxically, libraries are also sometimes slow to make institutional change. Take this blog for example. It represents a years-old method to communicate with ones constituents and yet the Hutchinson Public Library directors, past and up to this point, have not used one. Administrators sit in an office and have people and doors and walls between them and their customers, right?

We are interested in useful change here at HPL. There are many exciting new things going on at the library that, I hope, will be embraced by you, the people we serve. My intent for this blog is to post information about new things we are trying and provide a way to start a dialog.

In this first post, I want to present to you a few things we have begun over the past year or so. A major addition to HPL has been our new Children’s Outreach Coordinator. This wonderful person has taken our little idea of reaching out to daycares through rotating book collections and occasional storytimes and turned it into a fantastic program that has DOUBLED the number of children HPL reaches with books and stories.

We have also reorganized two departments in order to provide improved in-house storytime and children’s programming.

We have a coffee shop now, The Reader’s Cup – come in and try it out.

For several months, we have been working to create a computer training lab separate from our public computer area. This new lab will allow us to expand our free class offerings, provide a place for qualified groups from the community to come and do their own training, and provide greater access to our public computers.

Finally, to tie back in to the paradox I mentioned at the beginning, we are changing our catalog system at the beginning of March. HPL has used the Dynix/Horizon system for many years, but that company rested on its laurels, didn’t recognize the need to innovate and has now fallen into disarray. Our new system has some great features which I will delve into in the upcoming days and weeks.

For now, I would like to hear from you, the users of the library. Tell me what you think and tell me what you would like to know about libraries in general and the Hutchinson Public Library specifically.

-gregg