NOYS: 10,000 patrons served

As the year comes to a close and we wrap up our fall outreach efforts, we'd like to share with you the number of kids & teens we've connected with this fall.

Daycare Bookmobile 
We visited 47 different day care centers each month, totaling 206 storytimes and serving 4,356 kids between the ages of 3-5. We saw 730 adults too.

Smartest Card presentations
In this hybrid "library intro / booktalking" presentation, we visited all grades K-12, totaling 28 visits and seeing 4,521 school-aged youth.

Add to these numbers the various family literacy nights, weekend community events, and branch program support--and we've seen well over 10,000 people this fall! Looking forward to the spring, when we'll turn our efforts to Big Read outreach, summer reading program promotion, early literacy programs for children ages 0-5, parents and their caregivers, and the establishment of a Family Place library at the Gillis Branch.

NOYS: Our favorite books of the year

It seems in recent years that books for youth have just been getting better & better, and 2009 was no exception. Here are the Youth Services Staff picks for our favorite books this year.

Lisa E.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill

Howard
The Nobodyby Jeff Lemire
Touch by Francine Prose
Ghost Town by Richard W. Jennings

 
Jennifer
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Faythe
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Lisa D.
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Clash of the Demons by Joseph Delaney
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett*

  
Connie
Beautiful by Amy Lynn Reed
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
How it Ends by Laura Wiess
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


Kari
Mama Will it Snow Tonight? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Chicken Dance by Tammi Sauer
Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Jack and Jill the Miracle Dog with the Happy Tail to Tell by Jill Rappaport




What's your favorite book of the year?


*Lisa is still on the waiting list for Unseen Academicals but is fully expecting to enjoy it.

100 Years of Service

Karen Bosch Cobb, County Librarian



On the eve of our establishment as a County Library Service, I have been reflecting on our century of service. Thanks to Measure B, the last decade has been one of the strongest in our century as a County Library. Engaged and dedicated staff, doubled hours of service, strong Library collections, literacy services, valuable programs for our community, and larger buildings: these are our gifts each day of the year to the residents of our County. Their gift to us has been their support of the Library.

As I reflect on the ever-increasing use of our Library by the community during these very tough times and think back to the era of subscription libraries, I have come to realize that the greatest significance of county libraries is that they are free to all. Thank you each for putting People First! in our libraries and continuing to enlighten residents about the resources of this great free resource.

We do not know when the economy will turn around and what the next 10 years or 100 years will bring, but I am certain that libraries will remain a core institution. As we reflect on the past and think about the future, let us resolve to continue the innovation and change which have been the hallmark of our Library and that have helped our Library meet the needs of Fresno residents.

I wish you and your family and friends the best during the holidays. We all wait for a stronger economy that we hope will arrive soon in the New Year, and we look forward to our Centennial Celebration, our next decade of service, and our next century of service.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos here of Fresno library staff posing on the steps of the original Carnegie Library in 1923 with Sarah McCardle standing front center, and a more lighthearted photo of Fresno librarians "lunching in the woods" in 1929.

Phishing

Jill Potter, Headquarters

From Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia:

In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

I have noticed an increase in phishing emails and that has raised some concerns that I would like to pass along. The most recent email was so shocking in its blatant attempt to collect personal information it was unbelievable! This official looking email from the Internal Revenue Service informed me that I was due a refund of $650.00 and I could claim it as soon as I filled out an online form. Yay! There’s my holiday shopping money! My Techie Geek side won out over common sense and I just had to see what kind of scam they were pulling. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on the link (after making sure my anti-virus was current and running) and was directed to a page that looked like an official IRS web page. After all, an Internal Revenue Service logo means it’s legitimate, right? This page had several “required” fields for me to fill out. I was asked for my name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, social security number, credit card number, expiration date AND the security code from the back of the card! My $650.00 refund would be credited directly to my credit card within 48 hours. Wow! I sure am glad that the agents at the Internal Revenue Service are looking out for me! Needless to say, I got a good chuckle and closed the page without giving them any of my information.

Seriously, it’s sad that these scams work even a small percentage of the time. These crooks undoubtedly send out hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of these emails with expectations that there will be some responses from naive and trusting individuals who could use a few bucks.

This might seem like common sense to those of us that use computers, email and the internet on a daily basis. But I’m reminded just about every time I speak with my parents how uninformed much of the population is when it comes to computers and technology based scams. The latest riff between my mom and dad was about, “just how did all those links to porn sites get on the computer desktop, hmmm?” So I sat Mom and Dad down and told them that either one could be responsible for those nasty icons. They both admitted to accidently clicking on banners on web sites and opening attachments from individuals they did not know. Then, my mother also informed me every time they turned on the computer a message popped up stating that the subscription for their anti-virus software needed to be updated. She didn’t know what to do so she just closed the box and went about her business online. She told me she had done that for over a month. Oh my goodness! The various viruses that had infected their computer were so bad I had to completely wipe out their computer and start from scratch. I managed to save their photos and documents but that isn’t always the way it goes. Now they have a squeaky clean computer without the offensive icons on the desktop.

To wrap this up, please be cautious in your internet wanderings. Don’t open emails from individuals that you don’t know. Be cautious when opening attachments and clicking on links. Please make sure your computer has a good anti-virus program on it and keep it updated! Remind others in your life that may not be as experienced as you are about the dangers of the web.

We’re lucky here at the library. The Tech Department takes care of the security for us. But even so, we must be ever vigilant because I’m sure there is a nasty little cyber no-gooder out there somewhere that is developing a virus that can penetrate even the toughest of shields.

Shields up, Captain!

Politi Refurbishment

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

The Politi branch will be closed beginning December 22, 2009 for refurbishment. It is expected to reopen on January 25, 2010. Woodward and Pinedale may experience increased use during the closure since those are the nearest branches to Politi. If you have questions, contact Kelley Worman at 488-2288 or Pat Pondexter at 488-3185.

NOYS: Student Film Festival a success!

The Get Reel! Student Film Festival was Saturday, December 5 from 3-8 at the Tower theater. More than a hundred people came out to watch student films and cheer for the winners. It was so touching to see teens in our community being supported by their families and teachers. We met a father who drove in from Los Angeles and grandparents who came from the coast, plus aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings from all over the valley--all to see their loved one's film on the big screen. Most of the student filmmakers came dressed for an awards ceremony, with guys in ties and girls in dresses. It was really heartwarming.

Special thanks to Gina Becker, who chaired the committee and worked very hard to make sure every last detail was in place. Awesome job! Also to Faythe Arredondo, who spent hours upon hours prepping the films for the all-day screening and editing the films into tidy clip packages for the awards ceremony. Amazing! Other staffers who contributed to the event's success: Brian Guenther, Jonathan Waltmire, Lisa Eckman, Raelene Fleming, Les, Hiatt, and Jennifer Kish. Thanks!

Congratulations to all of the participants. Winner of the $500 Best of Show prize is:

Delivery Dash
Scott Callisch


See the other winning films!

-Connie Urquhart,
Teen Services Coordinator 

NOYS: Get Reel this Saturday!

Just a quick reminder that the FCPL Get Reel Student Film Festival is this Saturday at the Tower Theater. Special thanks to Gina Becker and Faythe Arredondo who are tirelessly putting together the finishing touches as we speak. See below for details and we hope to see you on Saturday!

3:00pm-5:30pm Screening of all films

• 
  
  Films will be shown by category, NOT age group, in this order: Animation, Commercial/psa, EECU commercial, Documentary, Feature Short, Music Video
  
  
  
• 
  
  Audience members will vote for their favorite for the $250 Audience Choice Award
  
  
  

5:30pm-7:00pm Reception in Lobby

• Meet other filmmakers, enjoy free food from Charlotte's Bakery, or take a walk in the famous Tower District

7:00pm-8:00pm Awards Ceremony

• 
  
  Clips of nominated films will be shown and prizes awarded
  
  
  
• 
  
  Door prizes will be given away between categories
  
  
  

Everything is FREE and open to the public!

Convoy of Hope

Terry Sterling, Headquarters

The library was well represented at the Convoy of Hope on November 7. More than 10,000 attendees were expected. Job Service Outreach Librarian Bernice Kao was joined by Community Bookmobile staff members Ron Martin and Karen Maj. Youth Services staff member Howard Hamm also assisted.

NOYS: 'Tis the Season

Looking for holiday books to recommend to kids & teens? Try these:

Picture Books

Grumpy Badgers Christmas by Paul Bright

The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll

Hoppy Hanukkah! by Linda Glaser


I Love Christmas by Anne Walker

Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton

Tyrannoclaus by Janet Lawler

Who Would Like A Christmas Tree? By Ellen Bryan Obed







Inbetweens

Candlelight for Rebecca (an American Girl novel) by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

The True Gift: a Christmas Story by Patricia MacLachlan
 
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes by Peggy Gifford




Children's Nonfiction

Paper Crafts for Christmas by Randel McGee

Winter Lights: a Season in Poems & Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines





Children's Fiction

 
The Christmas Genie by Dan Gutman

Confessions of a Bitter Secret Santa by Lara Bergen

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay





Teens

Ex-Mas by Kate Brian

Jingle Boy by Kieran Scott

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Mistletoe: Four Holiday Stories by Hailey Abbott, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, and Nina Malkin

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka

Woman of the Year

Terry Sterling, Community Libraries - East

Sandi Kuykendall was honored by the Orange Cove Chamber of Commerce in October as the Woman of the Year for her years of service to the city through the library and her community involvement. Supervisor Judy Case presented Sandi with a statue noting her award as well as proclamations from the City of Orange Cove, Senator Diane Feinstein and State Representative Mike Villines. Congratulations, Sandi and thank you for your many years of dedication to Fresno County Library.

Annual Meeting Memories

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

Better late than never! Photos from the Annual Library Meeting (way back) in October are now posted on the P drive in the FHQ Public Relations folder in the ALM 09 subfolder. Relive the excitement of service awards, speakers, workshops, basket raffle and edible books!

You may recall that we did not take the time to announce New Hires and Promotions at this year's meeting. This very worthy group is noted here:

New Hires
Gabriela Calderon, LA I, Central - Circulation
Karen Coletti, Administrative Secretary - Confidential, Headquarters
Amirtee Gons, Librarian I, Orange Cove
Dwayne Howell, LA I, Fowler
Jamie Knudsen, LA II, Politi
Monica Lopez, Library Aide, Cedar-Clinton
Lee Martin, Maintenance Janitor, Maintenance
Emma Mejia, Librarian I, Mendota
Janet Murphy, LA II, Cedar-Clinton
Charlie Phanvong, Library Aide, Support Services - Mail/Delivery
William Paul Rayner, SLA, Adult Services - Corrections
Gwendolyn Roberts, Library Aide, Woodward Park
James Verdugo, LA I, Fig Garden

Promotions
Robyn Aguiar, Librarian II, Sunnyside
Faythe Arredondo, Librarian II, Kingsburg
Raman Bath, Librarian II, Caruthers
Laura Fleek, Librarian II, Fig Garden
Gary Jon Gibson, Support Tech II, Support Services
Brian Guenther, Librarian II, Adult Services
Howard Hamme, Librarian II, Youth Services
Kari Johnson, Librarian III, Youth Services
David Rodriguez, Network Systems Engineer IV, SJVLS - Computer Operations
Jonathan Waltmire, Librarian II, Selma

NOYS: Weeding YS collections...

...is a communal task.

I have inherited the opportunity to coordinate the weeding of our Library’s Children’s and YA collections, there are some changes being made to this process, and I want to give branch staff a heads-up about what the plans are:

1) To use a 3 year weeding schedule based on which branch has been weeded most recently. Basically this means that aside from Central (which gets weeded every year) the plan is to weed each branch once every three years in rotation.

2) To run a circulation report on Children’s and YA collections. This will be sent directly to the branch to help get staff started on pulling older and low circ items.

3) To follow up 1 to 2 months later with a visit to the branch by YS staff to help finish the weeding for that year, and assist in better planning what items will be replaced.

This has to be a collaborative effort, so that we can assist branch staff with information and help, and branch staff can provide vital input on their particular collection, because nobody knows their collections better than they do.

Watch this spot for more general weeding news in the future, and keep an eye out for e-mails from me outlining specific info for your branch in the near future (especially Auberry, Clovis, Kingsburg, Easton, Mendota, Sanger, and of course, Central).

Feel free to contact me with any questions about weeding, or really, about anything else you need to know.

Your Branch Support Specialist – Nancy Wirt

NOYS: Teen Read Week Reviews

While Teen reviews are submitted regularly on ReadWatchListen, the number of book reviews that Teens turned in during the month of October even impressed us!

There were more than 135 book reviews, which can be accessed here.

One of the reasons for such an increase is that during Teen Read Week (Oct 18-24), each book review that a teen submitted resulted in $2.00 being removed from their fines.

Remember that Teens can still review books, movies, music, video games...(whatever they'd like) at any time, and they send those here.

These reviews will be for the pure joy of information exchange, rather than library fine waiving.

NOYS: Teen's Top Ten Books

The voting results are in, and over 11,000 teens voted for this year's top 10 books in YALSA's annual Teen Top Ten event.

Paper Towns by John Green

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Wake by Lisa McMann

Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

When you're trying to think of a good book to recommend to your patrons, suggest one of these since they are all “teen-tested and approved”.

NOYS: Tranquility FTW! (For The Win)

As you heard at the ALM, Tranquility led the way in boosting SRP participation this year with an 89% increase, from 44 participants in 2008 to 83 in 2009.
It was close this year - Ivy had an increase of 80%. Let’s hear it for the smaller branches!

Actually the total number of SRP participants dropped 16% from 12,415 in 2008 to 10,377 in 2009. These numbers are probably not accurate though since we only collected statistics online through Summer Reader, and if patrons did not return their registration slips, they were not counted.

Statistics are important, and not just because we'll have to do some guessing when calculating prize numbers next year. From the input we received from branch staff (and everyone involved) we know the SRP had more participants than our statistics show, but it will be more difficult to plan accurately for next year. Due to this issue and through popular demand, we will return to using the more accurate paper registration for next year and we will do our best to calculate how many logs/prizes/etc. we will truly need.

Thank you for your contributions and involvement in this popular program, and Congratulations again to Tranquility!

Have fun at your kick-off party in 2010!

NOYS: Teen Read Week 2009

Teen Read Week starts Sunday, October 18th and goes through Saturday, October 24th. To celebrate teens reading, ReadWatchListen (our teen website) is offering a special deal. Any Fresno County teen who reads a book and writes a review for it during Teen Read Week can get $2 deducted from their fines. Each review is good for $2.

Details can be found on our website here.

Youth Services will take care of posting all reviews and removing fines from library accounts.

What this means for you:

• Please spread the word to teens at your branch and help direct them to the review forms (online and paper—you can print this PDF if necessary).
• You should receive paper review forms in shipment in the next few days. Usually we require review submissions to be in online form but for this week only, we’ll accept the paper forms. Just make sure to send them to us in Youth Services as soon as possible.

Questions? Email or call Connie Urquhart at 488.3205. Thanks, and Happy Teen Read Week!

Fresno State Interns

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

The Public Information Office is fortunate to have two new interns this semester. Thalia Garcia and Alisha Vargas are public relations students helping the library with a variety of projects to earn community service hours and some hands-on promotion experience. Please join me in welcoming these two hard-working young ladies:

At 17 years of age and attending Fresno State University as freshman, there are very few opportunities granted to intern in a field such as PR (Public Relations) however, the Fresno County Library has allowed me the gateway to gain experience for my major in Mass Communications and Journalism, and for this I am utterly grateful. My name is Thalia Garcia and from an early age I have always known that my calling, my passion was writing. I am currently working on my own short novel with high hopes of having it published in the near future. I aspire to pursue a career as a journalist and in due time, become a prominent magazine editor and complete my goal to touch someone’s life with my creations. Although education is the most important priority in my life, I also have many hobbies outside of school which I absolutely enjoy.

Sports have dominated my life from a very young age and to this day I continue to practice them vigorously. From the age of 7 I have played soccer and upon reaching high school, nothing could please me more than to be recognized for my talent by being enlisted on the Varsity soccer team as a freshman. I continued that sport with fervor until my junior year, upon which I received 4 concussions and was forced to terminate my soccer career. Nevertheless, this tragedy allowed me to seek activity in other sports and so I have been enrolled in kickboxing as well as yoga and ballet, for the past two years.

Yet, I can honestly say that books are the most essential “beings” in my life. One can always find a book in my car, my purse, and hundreds in my room. I have created a personal library in my room, as a matter of fact, with many books ranging from different genres such as mysteries, westerns, suspense, and my personal favorites, romances. It is from these novels where I draw my motivation and interning in a library filled with thousands of wonderful adventures brings me sheer enjoyment. I look forward to learning a great deal in my time here at the Library and meeting new wonderful people who could further teach me and most importantly, inspire me to achieve my goals and reach my dreams.

My name is Alisha Vargas and I am an intern from CSU-Fresno. I am majoring in mass communications, with an option in public relations and may add a minor or certificate. I transferred from Fresno City as a business major and found a great home in public relations, which has offered a lot of much-needed career guidance.

Two of my passions are music and books. I learned to read at an early age and have been soaking up any book I can get my hands on ever since. I also love to attend live shows and my dream is to be a personal band manager (and/or promoter) in the music business.

This semester is proving to be a busy one, including being a full-time student, volunteering at the Fresno County library, as well as working as an intern with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and stepping on-board as a member of a student-run public relations firm on campus. It has been a whirlwind experience and I have been enjoying every moment of it.

I would like to thank the library and Roberta Barton for making me feel welcome and giving me the opportunity to gain some wonderful work experience.

Promotional Calendar Ideas

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

The library promotional calendar has been reformatted and will be reposted to the Intranet. In the meantime, here are some suggested promotional opportunities for the remainder of 2009:

National Authors' Day - November 1
Grand Opening of New Orange Cove Library - November 7
TBLB Open House - November 7
Opening of Berlin Wall - November 9
Veterans' Day - November 11
America Recycles Day - November 15

November is also Diabetes Month and American Indian Heritage Month

Hmong New Year - December 26 through January 2, 2010

December is also a great time to highlight our annual Gingerbread House programs and all the winter holiday celebrations plus topics like stress management and cooking/party planning.

Professional Library Collection Has Moved

Camille Turner, Woodward Park

The Professional Library collection that has been located on the second floor of Central is being integrated into the regular collection.

Today library staff has access to professional issues, trends, discussions, etc., through a variety of internet resources. We have library blogs and online training, full text periodicals and more.

When the Fresno County Library Professional Library was created it was the main source of professional development resources.

The majority of the Professional collection has been available to the general public through Valley cat, besides library staff, but it has had low circulation. These materials will be incorporated into the Central collection and therefore also be browsed and perhaps enjoy greater use.

The Professional library currently spends much of its budget on professional periodicals that are routed. Many of these are now online in full text with very developed websites. I include a few of the links below. Accessing them is much faster than being on a list for routed print copy. If you want to remove yourself from a routing list please email Gaoneng Lee at Central who handles the routing of Central magazines.

In the next months we will be evaluating all the titles purchased by Professional Library funds to see if we can reduce the purchase of paper subscriptions and spend more resources on electronic sources.

Read the current issue of Library Journal, School Library Journal and Booklist on their websites:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

http://www.libraryjournal.com/

http://www.booklistonline.com/

SJVLS Logo Contest

Jeff Crosby, SJVLS

It's not too late!

The staff of all SJVLS member libraries are invited to participate in a contest to design the new system logo. The current logo is a colorized version of a line graphic adopted 22 years ago. The SJVLS Administrative Council is interested in developing a new logo that can be used for brochures, posters, a new library card design, and the system web site.

Designs can be submitted electroncially or on paper. Electronic submissions should be made to jeffrey.crosby@sjvls.org. Please type System Logo in the Subject line. Hand-drawn submissions on paper should be sent to Jeff Crosby at SJVLS through the system delivery. If you submit on paper, please write your name and library on the back side of the submission—not the front. All submissions must be received in the system office by 5:00 on Friday, October 16. The designs will be submitted to a review committee who will submit the three best designs to the Administrative Council at its November meeting. If a design is selected, the winner will be acknowledged in the next issue of News & Clues. Below are the rules/guidelines for this contest:

• Each staff member can submit a maximum of two designs for the new logo.

• The design can be computer generated or hand drawn.

• The graphic must be able to incorporate well in a variety of uses, including brochures, posters, business cards, ValleyCat and the web page.

• The graphic should employ a maximum of three colors.

• The logo should still be distinguishable when photocopied or FAXed.

• The winning logo becomes the property of SJVLS.

If you have any questions, contact me through e-mail.

TBLB Goes Digital

Wendy Eisenberg, Talking Book Library

Here are longtime patron Michael and his wife Susan receiving a hands-on introduction from Senior Library Assistant Ivy L. Bennett to one of TBLB's new digital machines. Michael, 86, is a military veteran and an active member of our monthly Book Discussion Group. He has been using Talking Books for many decades, and has had 6,115 cassette books to date along with uncounted thousands of books on records and in Braille. He is a lover of military fiction, Westerns, mysteries, and many other kinds of books. We were pleased to include Michael among our first 25 digital machine recipients.

NOYS: Hello, Howard

Everyone please welcome Howard, the newest member of our team here in Youth Services. His arrival gives me the chance to revive an old feature here at NOYS: "I'll make you famous!"

Name - Howard A. Hamme
Title - Youth Services Librarian
Location - Central Library located in sunny, downtown Fresno!

What does a Youth Services Librarian do?
As a YS Librarian I get to go out to the schools and talk about how great the library is. Games, movies, BOOKS, homework help…all can be yours with the smartest card you will ever get a chance to get. I also go out on the daycare bookmobile reading stories to young kids. One thing I’ve learned thus far…Cosby was right, kids do say the darndest things. Other fun things include working on content for the children’s website and ordering children’s graphic novels and children’s video games.

What is your favorite thing about your job?
Co-workers, variety of tasks, talking to the kids about goofy and silly things.

What is something that people wouldn’t generally know about you?
I moved here from the east coast… grew up in south central PA, and lived in upstate NY for the past ten years. I graduated from Syracuse University with my Masters in Library and Information Science, having focused on archiving at various internship experiences. I’ve been married for 11 years. Two cats, Hal and Charlie, run our household as they see fit. I study aikido (still terrible at it), and I’ve been trying to create my own sitcom (called Stacks) about a busy urban library. Anyway, I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, I’m not much into health food, but I am into champagne. My father and Bugs Bunny are the major influences in my life. Strange, but true. That’s all, folks!

So...if you see Howard out and about (or here at Central!), say "Hi!"

In the future, you (yes, YOU!) could be the next person NOYS makes famous. Keep an eye out for a remarkably nosey email from me, asking you to tell us about yourself...

Plant Give and Take at the 2009 Annual Library Meeting

Hi Everyone,


As part of the Annual Meeting we are hosting a Plant Give and Take. The idea is you bring cuttings, seeds, bulbs, plants that you have harvested from your garden or want to share and take what you need.

We will conduct this on the Terrace of the Woodward Park Library. There is an area that stays shady all day where you can leave fragile plants till the end of the Annual Meeting so they don’t have to sit in a hot car.

The Plant Give and Take will be at 12 noon right after the Master Gardener workshop “Recessionary Veggie Gardening Tactics for Survival”.

Anyone can participate in the Plant Give and Take – not just workshop participants.


J

Guidelines for Annual Library meeting Attendance

Hello Everyone,
Attendance requirements for attending the Annual Library Meeting in the past has been unclear. As a result, staff have taken vacation, illness days, etc. during the ALM. This year, the guidelines for the Annual Library Meeting is now clarified, so please review.

"The Annual Library Meeting is the one time during the year when all library staff gather for renewal, training and recognition of our collective contributions to Fresno County communities. In recent years, some staff have not attended the meeting due to vacation, a regularly scheduled day off, illness or other reason. Please review the following attendance guidelines that will be enforced for the 2009 Annual Library Meeting.

-The Annual Meeting is a work day and all permanent library employees (with few exceptions) are required to attend
-The meeting day is considered part of the regular work week. Supervisors will schedule another day off for employees who are normally off on Monday
-Full-time staff are required to attend the full day. Please check the ALM Blog on the Intranet for the schedule
-Permanent, part-time employees who work public service may attend the full day if authorized by their supervisor
-Permanent, part-time Library Aides and Maintenance staff are expected to attend the morning session only.
-Extra-help is not authorized to attend the 2009 Annual Meeting due to budget shortfalls
-Supervisors are required to monitor their employees' attendance during the meeting

Annual leave will not be approved (unless authorized by your Manager prior to the meeting)
Employees who call in sick may be asked by their supervisor to provide a doctors' statement upon returning to work if abuse of sick leave is suspected


Employees will be docked and subject to disciplinary action if they fail to attend and do not have an excused absence."

have a great day everyone and I'll see you at the ALM

J

Fit for Life Veggies

Sara Gibbs, Fowler


Peas, corn, red cabbage, and carrots were the craft materials of the preschool children at the Fowler Library on September 8th, after our “Fit for Life” Vegetable Story Time! We started off the story time with a magical tale about a girl who grows giant onions, carrots, and other vegetables that are so BIG they have to be cut down with a forklift in Scarlette Beane by Karen Wallace. Then we stretched, rhymed, sang and stirred some “Stone Soup” with our flannel board. Next, we cautiously went into the Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements, where a little boy squirms, wiggles, and curls his toes until he turns into a horrible vegetable monster when he eats a…gulp…PEA! But he discovers after actually eating one that maybe they aren’t SO bad. Next, we danced “In My Garden,” a fun song where we all dug, hoed, planted, picked, and ate peas along with Raffi from his album, “One Light, One Sun.” Finally, we ate the ENTIRE alphabet when we read Eating the Alphabet: Fruits& Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert. All of these vegetables made us so hungry that we decided to play with our food and make silly faces, flowers, and designs together! As you can see from Keizo Fleuridor’s amazing vegetable face! At the end, we passed out “Fit for Life” fun, educational learning kits with balls, colorings books, puzzles, and nutritional information for parents.

“Fit for Life is a new countywide bilingual initiative focusing on brain health for kids and teens which highlights nutrition, physical activity, socialization, mental stimulation – complexity, and mental stimulation – novelty.” Check out Fresno County Public Library’s event calendar for more “Fit for Life” activities at www.fresnolibrary.org!

SJVLS Public Awareness Campaign

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

A campaign raising the visibility of SJVLS launched in late September. The goal of the campaign is to remind the public that even in these tough times, their local libraries are open 24/7 to meet their entertain, information and research needs. The announcements are broadcasting on Valley Public Radio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday around the morning news and evening public affairs programs through January 2010. Tune into KVPR, FM 89.3!

Library LIVE!

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

Attention California librarians! Catch the Orange County Department of Education's monthly live, interactive broadcast of Library LIVE! The show launched in August and runs on the last Thursday of each month throughout the 2009-2010 school year.

You can connect TWO ways: through live web streaming AND through a video conferencing unit (e.g., Polycom or Tandberg). Each broadcast will have its own unique URL link (for web streaming) and IP address (for videoconferencing).

Each show targets school librarians, media specialists and technologists across the country, featuring news about the triumphs and challenges facing the 21st century community. However, this show is NOT just for teacher librarians. Segments will explore four "spheres of influence," including community (educational partners), curriculum (resources and best practices), legislation (state and national) and technology (trends and innovations). Each show will feature at least one interview with Q&A time.

To be a part of Library LIVE! experience and receive up-to-date program information, sign up at the Orange County Department of Education website. If you have questions or programming ideas, contact Glen Warren at gwarren@ocde.us.

Best of Story Writing Contest

Roberta Barton, Headquarters

The William Saryoan Society is proud to publish Best of the Best, a collection of winning stories from their annual story writing contest for students in grades one through college. The book is the final element in the Saroyan Centennial celebration.

The 23 stories cover 26 years of contest winners. Stories were selected by Rod Janzen, Ph.D., professor and resident scholar at Fresno Pacific University; Paul Kaser, retired professor of English at Reedley College; and Norma Kaser, a teacher of reading and English at Madera College Center. Copies were distributed to those included in the book, schools and libraries in the areas represented by the winners. Copies were not printed for sale, but the Saroyan board will consider making the book available for sale if there is demand.

The Society thanks member George Ollikkala whose support made publication of the book possible.

Annual Library Meeting Blood Drive

Hello Everyone,
The Central California Blood Center will have a mobile unit at the ALM for attendees that would like to donate blood. The process takes approximately a 1/2 hour and you can donate whenever you want, whether it is at lunch or during a workshop. Sign up with Camille Turner by emailing her here or you can decide to donate on the day of the ALM and check available space.

For more info on the Central California Blood Center can be found here.

J

Big Read: School Grant Applications

It's October 1st, which means the application period is now open for schools to participate in the Big Read. Teachers, school librarians, and book club advisors can request to participate in several different ways, all by filling out this quick application form.

January - March, Youth/Adult Services staff plan to visit middle and high schools. Here are the choices we offer:

Book Discussion: a discussion of the themes & ideas in Fahrenheit 451 and how they relate to our current society

Booktalk: a presentation of contemporary teen novels that are similar in theme to Fahrenheit 451.

The Inflammatory Institution: a presentation on the history of book banning, censorship, and libraries as targets of destruction

Meet Ray Bradbury: a presentation about Ray Bradbury, including an overview of his life, works and accomplishments

-OR-

Just the books: 3 copies of Fahrenheit 451 and 1 copy of Tim Hamilton’s graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 for your school library

We will also provide all schools with Fahrenheit 451 lesson plans, reader's guides, and audio guides. Any school library can ask for the books; 25 classrooms or book clubs who submit the form will be awarded the books and visit from our staff.  Schools will be notified by November 2nd, 2009.

Please spread the word. Any questions can be directed to Youth Services Division at 488.3205. Thanks!

NOYS: Mendota Cultural Arts Festival on Saturday

On Saturday, October 3rd, from 11am to 3pm, there will be a Cultural Arts Festival at the Mendota Library.

Remind your patrons to come enjoy the always impressive Folklorico Dancers, musician Stanley Luceros as well as arts and crafts opportunities, storytelling, and artists at work at this year's cultural arts fair!

Helpful tips for this year's ALM

Hello Everyone,
Here are some helpful tips for those attending the 2009 ALM Oct. 12, 2009 at the Woodward Park Branch Library.

Parking: Parking at Woodward itself is limited so if the library parking lot is full, there is additional parking across the street in the Save Mart shopping center.

Hats: In previous years, there has been contests for crazy hats. This year, there is no contest but it is advised to bring some protection for your dome since we will be sitting outside in the morning. Additionally, wearing hats to the ALM has a long history. It was started in 1913 when Sarah McCardle was County Librarian and the ALM was known as Library Day.

Carpooling: Carpooling is a great alternative to driving yourself to the ALM. It saves on gas, relieves stress about finding parking and it's good for the environment. So if you can carpool, go for it.

So thats it for general tips. If you have any additional tips you want to share with others, leave them in the comments area and I'll add them ASAP.

Have a good day

J