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!