Roberta Barton, Headquarters
Task teams working on continuous updating of the library's Balanced Scorecard have prepared a handy summary of progress to date to provide staff with a snapshot overview of this important planning document. Please take a few minutes to read the summary now posted on our Intranet in the "Planning" section.
June 2, 2010
Chavez Commemoration
Ken Loders, Central
From mid March to early April, the Library’s Cesar Chavez Commemoration helped to inform and educate library patrons about Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement. With the help of dedicated staff, the commemoration offered a youth art contest, documentary showings, a lunch and learn event, branch displays, handouts, and a “widget” feature on the library website to advertise books and websites.
Jennifer Kish of Youth Services coordinated the Cesar Chavez Youth Art Contest., The contest encouraged students to learn about Cesar Chavez, tap into their imaginations and creativity, and create their own works of art. 58 students participated, and 88 people attended the art opening at Arte Americas. The room with the artwork was packed with students, families and their friends. It was also filled with camera flashes as students posed in front of their artwork for family photographs.
Cesar Chavez and Workers’ Rights: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow was the name of the Lunch & Learn event in the Fresno County Plaza Ballroom. The panel presentation featured two veterans of the Farm Worker Movement plus a member of SEIU Local 521 Latino Caucus. SEIU Local 521 provided free lunches. 68 people attended the event.
Speakers (left to right) Ernest Velazquez, Herminia Guitron, Venancio Gaona and moderator Ken Loders are pictured here. The speakers were well received by their attentive audience and responded to numerous audience questions following their presentations.
Displays are an important part of the commemoration, and Linda Aragon provided branches with materials for these displays. She also created a display at Central that included a PC that continuously played a documentary. Handouts were sent to all branches to enhance displays.
Thanks again to Linda Aragon and Jennifer Kish for all of their work. Thank you to Jeanne Johnson for her support. And a special thank you to Amy Johnson of Graphics and Michael Criado of Duplicating.
From mid March to early April, the Library’s Cesar Chavez Commemoration helped to inform and educate library patrons about Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement. With the help of dedicated staff, the commemoration offered a youth art contest, documentary showings, a lunch and learn event, branch displays, handouts, and a “widget” feature on the library website to advertise books and websites.
Jennifer Kish of Youth Services coordinated the Cesar Chavez Youth Art Contest., The contest encouraged students to learn about Cesar Chavez, tap into their imaginations and creativity, and create their own works of art. 58 students participated, and 88 people attended the art opening at Arte Americas. The room with the artwork was packed with students, families and their friends. It was also filled with camera flashes as students posed in front of their artwork for family photographs.
Cesar Chavez and Workers’ Rights: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow was the name of the Lunch & Learn event in the Fresno County Plaza Ballroom. The panel presentation featured two veterans of the Farm Worker Movement plus a member of SEIU Local 521 Latino Caucus. SEIU Local 521 provided free lunches. 68 people attended the event.
Speakers (left to right) Ernest Velazquez, Herminia Guitron, Venancio Gaona and moderator Ken Loders are pictured here. The speakers were well received by their attentive audience and responded to numerous audience questions following their presentations.Displays are an important part of the commemoration, and Linda Aragon provided branches with materials for these displays. She also created a display at Central that included a PC that continuously played a documentary. Handouts were sent to all branches to enhance displays.
Thanks again to Linda Aragon and Jennifer Kish for all of their work. Thank you to Jeanne Johnson for her support. And a special thank you to Amy Johnson of Graphics and Michael Criado of Duplicating.
Deferred Compensation Plan
Cindy Freeland, Headquarters
Employees interested in enrolling in the County's Deferred Compensation Plan administered by Great West may enroll online or by calling customer service at (877) 693-2457. The County's Great West representative, Sherri Panttaja, can be contacted at 303-8304 or sherri.panttaja@gwrs.com to schedule an appointment.
Employees interested in enrolling in the County's Deferred Compensation Plan administered by Great West may enroll online or by calling customer service at (877) 693-2457. The County's Great West representative, Sherri Panttaja, can be contacted at 303-8304 or sherri.panttaja@gwrs.com to schedule an appointment.
Go Green with Duplex Printing
Jill Potter, Support Services
Duplex Printing (the automatic printing on both sides of a sheet of paper) can be done at many branches. This saves paper and for some documents it makes the layout more appealing. See the attached document for instructions as well as a list of the branches and printers that have this capability.
Duplex Printing (the automatic printing on both sides of a sheet of paper) can be done at many branches. This saves paper and for some documents it makes the layout more appealing. See the attached document for instructions as well as a list of the branches and printers that have this capability.
Basketeers
Terrance McArthur, Politi
What better day than Earth Day to explore pine needle basketry, re-using natural materials? Politi Branch Library held a basketry workshop the evening of Thursday, April 22 that attracted 9 beginning basketeers: pre-teens and seniors, women and men. Children’s Librarian Terrance Mc Arthur showed a variety of examples and taught the basic stitches and techniques. The basketmakers had such a good time coiling and stitching their projects that they plan to come back on Thursdays to learn and practice new methods, share their progress, and have fun together!
What better day than Earth Day to explore pine needle basketry, re-using natural materials? Politi Branch Library held a basketry workshop the evening of Thursday, April 22 that attracted 9 beginning basketeers: pre-teens and seniors, women and men. Children’s Librarian Terrance Mc Arthur showed a variety of examples and taught the basic stitches and techniques. The basketmakers had such a good time coiling and stitching their projects that they plan to come back on Thursdays to learn and practice new methods, share their progress, and have fun together!
Career News
Bernice Kao, Headquarters
Bernice Kao, our own Career Coach received an autographed copy from Jane Jerrard, author of the ALA Edition, Special Reports: Crisis in Employment; A Librarian’s Guide to helping Job Seekers, 2009. In exchange, Bernice granted another telephone interview with Ms. Jerrard for her second book on the same subject but aims at “consumers” instead of librarians. Bernice’s work in our Library was rated one of the top three for best practice in outreach job services. In fact, her resume guideline, flyers for Resume Makeover Clinic, Interview Clinic, and other collaborative programs with Workforce-Connection and California EDD are all included. One can use Google and get all the contents of the book.
Bernice will be looking forward to get the second interview for the second book.
Bernice Kao, our own Career Coach received an autographed copy from Jane Jerrard, author of the ALA Edition, Special Reports: Crisis in Employment; A Librarian’s Guide to helping Job Seekers, 2009. In exchange, Bernice granted another telephone interview with Ms. Jerrard for her second book on the same subject but aims at “consumers” instead of librarians. Bernice’s work in our Library was rated one of the top three for best practice in outreach job services. In fact, her resume guideline, flyers for Resume Makeover Clinic, Interview Clinic, and other collaborative programs with Workforce-Connection and California EDD are all included. One can use Google and get all the contents of the book.
Bernice will be looking forward to get the second interview for the second book.
May 4, 2010
NOYS: Virtual Homework Center
Good news! The children's and teen homework pages have merged into one virtual homework center. It's a one-stop shop for student help in grades K-12. Because we wanted to keep the content browsable, it focuses heavily on our databases and gives users just the best of the best of web links. Check it out by clicking on any homework link from our website, or going straight to www.fresnohomework.org.
April 12, 2010
Big Read Fire Safety Program
Wendy Klemin, Bear Mountain
Kids and parents enjoyed a fun fire safety program at the Bear Mountain branch as part of The Big Read: Fahrenheit 451 in March. Activities included crafts, fire engine, firefighters reading stories, and a visit from Smokey the Bear!
Kids and parents enjoyed a fun fire safety program at the Bear Mountain branch as part of The Big Read: Fahrenheit 451 in March. Activities included crafts, fire engine, firefighters reading stories, and a visit from Smokey the Bear!
April 14 is National Bookmobile Day
Ron Martin, Community Bookmobile
National Bookmobile Day is April 14. This is a good time to become aware of the bookmobiles operated by the Fresno County Free Library. There are three. The Community Libraries Bookmobile is a full-service library branch with 43 stops per month. The Children’s Bookmobile serves daycare centers exclusively. The Aprendo Van serves low-income communities instructing parents in fostering literacy.
The Aprendo van gives away books for parents to read to children and is funded through the tobacco tax increase that Californians voted in several years ago. It is based in Firebaugh and reaches out to families of agricultural workers.
The Community Libraries Bookmobile was housed in a new 33-foot vehicle in October 2007. It has a hydraulic wheelchair lift, and approximately 13 book cases with 63 shelves holding 3,000 items to lend in the same categories as the “stationary branches:” novels, nonfiction, magazines, children’s books, early-reader books, music CDs, books on CD, DVDs, videogames, and more. Borrowers have access to the entire collection listed in Valley Cat through hold requests; borrowers make around 70 hold requests each month.
Children patronizing the Bookmobile can participate in the Summer Reading Program, with presentations at two of the stops. Every visitor is given a schedule of stops printed with the days and times of their stop that they can write on their calendar to be ready to get their items returned at the next visit, which is their due date. The one-month stop cycle results in longer borrowing periods from the Bookmobile. If borrowers miss their stop, they can return items at any branch of the library consortium, in Fresno or from California City to Livingston. If borrowers misplace their schedule copies, they can access it at the library website, through the links to library branch hours.
The Bookmobile stops at a dozen senior residences and two convalescent care centers, near eight schools of the Central Unified School District and four of Fresno Unified and two other districts, and at two daycare centers near Auberry. It is in Auberry two days per month, and stops in Friant and and Cantua Creek. It visits four community centers, the Fulton Mall, and two southeast Fresno apartment developments. Schedule modifications are made near the beginnings and ends of school years.
When the Bookmobile workers are not on the road, during business hours they are in the Bookmobile office at the Sunnyside Regional Library. Just give them a call at 458-7323.
National Bookmobile Day is April 14. This is a good time to become aware of the bookmobiles operated by the Fresno County Free Library. There are three. The Community Libraries Bookmobile is a full-service library branch with 43 stops per month. The Children’s Bookmobile serves daycare centers exclusively. The Aprendo Van serves low-income communities instructing parents in fostering literacy.
The Aprendo van gives away books for parents to read to children and is funded through the tobacco tax increase that Californians voted in several years ago. It is based in Firebaugh and reaches out to families of agricultural workers.
The Community Libraries Bookmobile was housed in a new 33-foot vehicle in October 2007. It has a hydraulic wheelchair lift, and approximately 13 book cases with 63 shelves holding 3,000 items to lend in the same categories as the “stationary branches:” novels, nonfiction, magazines, children’s books, early-reader books, music CDs, books on CD, DVDs, videogames, and more. Borrowers have access to the entire collection listed in Valley Cat through hold requests; borrowers make around 70 hold requests each month.
Children patronizing the Bookmobile can participate in the Summer Reading Program, with presentations at two of the stops. Every visitor is given a schedule of stops printed with the days and times of their stop that they can write on their calendar to be ready to get their items returned at the next visit, which is their due date. The one-month stop cycle results in longer borrowing periods from the Bookmobile. If borrowers miss their stop, they can return items at any branch of the library consortium, in Fresno or from California City to Livingston. If borrowers misplace their schedule copies, they can access it at the library website, through the links to library branch hours.
The Bookmobile stops at a dozen senior residences and two convalescent care centers, near eight schools of the Central Unified School District and four of Fresno Unified and two other districts, and at two daycare centers near Auberry. It is in Auberry two days per month, and stops in Friant and and Cantua Creek. It visits four community centers, the Fulton Mall, and two southeast Fresno apartment developments. Schedule modifications are made near the beginnings and ends of school years.
When the Bookmobile workers are not on the road, during business hours they are in the Bookmobile office at the Sunnyside Regional Library. Just give them a call at 458-7323.
Politi Egg Wall
Terrance McArthur
From March 29 to April 3, Politi Branch patrons were invited to color eggs (paper ovals), which were stapled to the wall of our Children's Area. 88 eggs were colored by children, teens, and a few adults, and displayed among the shamrocks (formerly known as St. Patrick's decorations). It was a colorful, interactive activity that brought joy to the Politi community.
From March 29 to April 3, Politi Branch patrons were invited to color eggs (paper ovals), which were stapled to the wall of our Children's Area. 88 eggs were colored by children, teens, and a few adults, and displayed among the shamrocks (formerly known as St. Patrick's decorations). It was a colorful, interactive activity that brought joy to the Politi community.
Politi National Poetry Month
Terrance McArthur, Politi
How do you celebrate National Poetry Month? The Leo Politi Library is using several methods. Stacks o' Poems has printed poems hanging from the library shelves. Each one is tied to the Dewey Decimal Number of that area: "The Grave" by Robert Blair is found in 133 (Ghosts); Henry Fielding's "Roast Beef of Old England is next to 641.5 (Cooking), and where else would you find "Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?)" but 822.33 (Shakespeare)?
Pick a Peck of Poems is a display of poetry books that can be checked out by patrons, along with more printed-out poems and the third part of the Poetry Month activities: Write Your Own Poems!
The first week of WYOP featured Haiku poems. An instructional sheet by the main display and in the YA area contained samples and the format for writing haiku. Twelve patron-written and staff-written haiku poems were pinned onto the display! The second week's poetic form is the cinquain, a five-line poem featuring nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Clerihews (4-line, semi-biographical, non-rhythmic, irregular-line-length poems) are scheduled after that. Concrete poems (shaped poems that resemble the outline of the subject) will wind up the month.
It's interactive, fun, and patrons are exploring the stacks, finding more than poems on the shelves!
How do you celebrate National Poetry Month? The Leo Politi Library is using several methods. Stacks o' Poems has printed poems hanging from the library shelves. Each one is tied to the Dewey Decimal Number of that area: "The Grave" by Robert Blair is found in 133 (Ghosts); Henry Fielding's "Roast Beef of Old England is next to 641.5 (Cooking), and where else would you find "Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?)" but 822.33 (Shakespeare)?
Pick a Peck of Poems is a display of poetry books that can be checked out by patrons, along with more printed-out poems and the third part of the Poetry Month activities: Write Your Own Poems!
The first week of WYOP featured Haiku poems. An instructional sheet by the main display and in the YA area contained samples and the format for writing haiku. Twelve patron-written and staff-written haiku poems were pinned onto the display! The second week's poetic form is the cinquain, a five-line poem featuring nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Clerihews (4-line, semi-biographical, non-rhythmic, irregular-line-length poems) are scheduled after that. Concrete poems (shaped poems that resemble the outline of the subject) will wind up the month.It's interactive, fun, and patrons are exploring the stacks, finding more than poems on the shelves!
April 2, 2010
NOYS: Spine Poetry
It's National Poetry Month! Have you encouraged your library's teens to submit a poem to our contest yet? Sitting down and writing out poetry can be difficult for some, but here's something anyone can do and it's a super easy on-the-spot program idea. Have teens go to the bookshelves and skim the titles on the spines. Which can go together to form a poem? Here is an example of spine poetry.
Every Girl Tells a Story
Just listen,
Word after word after word
My sisters' voices,
Nothing but the truth.
Wild girl
Outspoken
Tender
The courage to be yourself
Things left unsaid
I hadn't meant to tell you this
Nevermind
Her stories
Try it! It doesn't even have to be a program--you could do it yourself as a great 3-D display. Have fun, and take pictures--we can post them here and on the wiki. If you need help posting the photos you can always email them to anyone in Youth Services.
Happy National Poetry Month!
Every Girl Tells a Story
Just listen,Word after word after word
My sisters' voices,
Nothing but the truth.
Wild girl
Outspoken
Tender
The courage to be yourself
Things left unsaid
I hadn't meant to tell you this
Nevermind
Her stories
Try it! It doesn't even have to be a program--you could do it yourself as a great 3-D display. Have fun, and take pictures--we can post them here and on the wiki. If you need help posting the photos you can always email them to anyone in Youth Services.
Happy National Poetry Month!
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