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