Use Up In Jacksonville Too!

Down Economy Good For Library Business
Posted By: Ryan Duffy 18 days ago

Great tv news story featuring Director Barbara Gubbin!

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- This summer, the entire Jacksonville library system has seen more users in several areas compared to last year.

Overall, library use is up nine percent this year.

There has been a seven percent increase in people walking in and hits on the library website have increased 23%.

"The bottom line is we aren't seeing anything go down, we're doing more at the library and yes part of that is attributable to the economy and people having to make difficult decisions about what they can afford to do and can't and what we offer is free," says library director Barbara Gubbin. And it's not just books, but DVDs and music all for free.

Gubbin says people are also using the library to help with economy related problems.

Librarians have seen an 18% increase in the number of people with questions.
"People need help with updating their resumes, how do I apply for this job online, it says I have to apply online, I'm not quite sure where to go, can you help me," says Gubbin.

Gubbin says she hopes this might be a time when people rediscover their local library.

Visit the Jacksonville Library online at www.jpl.coj.net

First Coast News

E-Government at Florida Libraries: More Support, Coordination Needed

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 8/22/2008

- Residents asks librarians for help with tax forms, child welfare benefits
- Some librarians wary of liability, lack training
- Could increase support or chargebacks be a solution?

Librarians in the past few years have begun to recognize how much libraries contribute to e-government, given that federal and state agencies increasingly offer access to services only online, and for many citizens libraries are the only gateway to the Internet. (See "Drafted: I Want You To Deliver E-Government," published by LJ in August 2006.) Now the authors of that important initial research have looked more closely at e-government issues in Florida, concluding that greater coordination of and support for e-government services at libraries is crucial.

Amelia Gibson and Drs. John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure, with other Information Institute staff at Florida State University, recently completed a study, Florida Public Libraries and E–Government: Services, Issues, and Recommendations, which suggests that libraries have become more than simply access points to government information and forms but places where residents seek program assistance

Types of requests
Most requests by library users concerned the IRS, taxes, and upcoming stimulus payments. The next most frequent requests related to the Florida Department of Children and Families, food stamps and public assistance. Also, residents sought education information (school enrollments, voluntary pre-kindergarten, FAFSA/student loan); asked for legal advice, forms and information, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resources; conducted county-level property searches and searches into ownership information; and initiated government job searches.

The Florida Department of Children and Families, which handles child welfare issues and more, has closed most of its offices, the report notes, and in South Florida, a web-based appointment system is often required to make an appointment at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office.

Librarian anxiety
“This evolution of librarian as information provider to caseworker has multiple and profound implications,” the authors report. “Not only is this a substantial shift in librarian duties, but it also requires librarians to become facile with multiple agency programs.” Librarians expressed concern and anxiety about their lack of preparation. In some libraries, staffers have been instructed not to assist with e-government forms because of liability concerns.

The report points out that agencies that exchange face-to-face services for Internet based services may be shifting costs to locally funded organizations like libraries—creating “an unfunded mandate from state agencies.”

Recommendations
The report recommends that libraries reach a statewide consensus on how best to provide e-government services and resources; service levels could vary by library size, numbers of public access computers available. It suggests that libraries within the state form a consortium to maintain e-government resources and exchange best practices. It recommends that libraries and state agencies should collaborate on the design and implementation of e-government services and resources, which could lead to better support for librarians needing assistance.

It also recommends increased library staff training in e-government, with the help of local and state agencies. Finally, national, state and local governments should directly support libraries as providers of e-government services and resources. One possibility “is to implement an agency charge-back mechanism, similar to efforts in which government agencies routinely engage through outsourced services.”

City (Pensacola) Considers Building New Downtown Library

August 19, 2008
Pensacola News Journal
Jamie Page - jepage@pnj.com

The Pensacola City Council is considering spending $6 million on a new downtown library.

Library officials requested money for a new library during its budget presentation at the city's budget workshop Monday for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The Pensacola Public Library on West Gregory Street was built in 1956 and was expanded in the 1960s. Gene Fischer, West Florida Public Library director, said Monday the library needs major updates.

"It's just falling apart. It wasn't designed as a modern library," Fischer said. "It was built back when public libraries were essentially warehouses for books. Now people want computers and meeting spaces, and it just wasn't designed for that."

The West Florida Public Library board of directors recently voted unanimously in favor of building a new downtown library.

The five council members present for the presentation backed the request to move forward in hiring an architect next fiscal year to design a new library and agreed to weigh options for building it. Options include tearing down the existing building and constructing a new one in its place, refurbishing it, or tearing down the old city fire station on Spring Street and building it there to keep the existing library open.

The design would be done next year, with construction coming later, said Dick Barker, city finance director.

The city has $6 million in local sales tax money set aside for a library project. That money would build an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of space. The existing building is 27,500 square feet.

Orlando library lets teens' voices be heard

By Chris Wellander | Special To The Sentinel
June 22, 2008

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/azaleapark/orl-orteens2208jun22,0,672947.story

Downtown Orlando on a Thursday evening. A band is tuning up to play a set; the crowd is seated and waiting; the refreshments are overflowing.

But when this band of teenagers performs, its music will ring out through the cavernous first floor of the Orlando Public Library -- not exactly what one would expect from a place known for telling folks to keep quiet.

Programs like open-mike night go on all the time at the library and would not exist without the library's teen programs, many created by the teens themselves.

The original Teen Voices council was made up of students from Howard Middle School. Since then the group has grown to include teens throughout Orange County.



"Teen Voices is our teen advisory group," said Heather Pippin, the teen-council coordinator. "We go to them to ask questions about programs; they come to us and ask us to hold programs that they think other teens would be interested in."

The program started about five years ago as a way to get more teenagers involved in the library. According to Pippin and Danielle King, the library system's first teen programming coordinator, these young people have a huge amount of input into what goes on at the libraries.

"None of the library's programs would have happened without Teen Voices," said King, now an assistant manager at the Alafaya branch. "Sometimes we think we have a great idea, and we go to them and they say, 'Uh, no, teens won't go to that.' "

"One girl I remember was really shy, and in three years she was president of Teen Voices and started the Animanga Club," said Danielle King. "It also gives the younger teens someone to look up to."

Teen Voices meets every month to decide on upcoming programs and to talk about related teen issues. Every club the library has developed, from the robotics club to the performing arts club, were originally developed by Teen Voices.

Douglas Rintoul, 16, is Teen Voices president and a University High School student.

"It's a lively discussion," Douglas said. "Everyone's bubbling over with ideas, most of the time, and we usually end up narrowing it down to three or four choices and then voting on them."

Events such as the video gaming competitions, teen movie nights, and even parties for the volunteers were all chosen and planned by the group. They have a hand in setting the summer reading list by picking the theme and even selecting some of the books. They even picked out the furniture in the lounge area, known as Club Central.

The students also find that Teen Voices has helped them develop skills that might have remained dormant if they hadn't gotten involved.

Vanessa Williams, vice president, said Teen Voices and the library's other programs help teens stay out of trouble.

"It gives teens something else to do," Vanessa said. "Like right now, I could be at a club or something, like some other people I know, instead of being at the library."

Vanessa is home-schooled and has been with the group for four years.

Modern libraries aren't just books anymore

by Etan Horowitz | User's Guide
June 28, 2008
Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-horowitz2808jun28,0,6419231.column?track=rss

Everybody knows that in a down economy, one easy way to save money is to check out books, CDs and DVDs from the library instead of buying or renting them.

But that's only the beginning. The Orange County Library System is one of the most innovative libraries in the country, and it offers lots of free ways to satisfy your technology, entertainment and information cravings.

Here's a sample:


Catch a flick -- on DVD or on your computer



Etan Horowitz E-mail | Recent columns

The library's DVD collection rivals any neighborhood video store and even Netflix. There are about 145,000 titles to rent and the library carries every one of the 100 most popular rentals on Netflix. There's also a ton of classics, independent and foreign films and even popular TV shows such as The Sopranos.

Like Netflix, you can have DVDs delivered to your door, but you have to return them yourself or pay the postage. New DVDs are shelved on Tuesday morning, so get there early if you want a jump on everyone else.

And if you can't wait for your DVDs to arrive in the mail, the library lets you download about 700 movies, TV shows and community programs to watch instantly on computer through a downloadable program called MyLibrarydv.

There aren't any new releases, but there are about 90 movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment, including quality flicks such as Donnie Brasco, Philadelphia, Taxi Driver and Jerry Maguire.

Once you download a movie, you can watch it without being connected to the Internet. So before you go on a trip, you could download a few movies to your laptop and then watch them on the plane.

For more on MyLibrarydv, including the system requirements, go to www.ocls.info, click on "Library Catalog" and then click on "MyLibrarydv."


Computer classes

Always wanted to learn how to create a Web page, use Photoshop or edit a video? Or do you need to brush up on PowerPoint, Excel or Outlook? The library offers about 1,000 computer classes a month in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. There are even classes you can take online.

Recently, the library added a Mac lab with nine new Apple iMacs. Classes are taught on topics including GarageBand, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovie and iWeb.

Some of the other interesting classes offered include: "Basic Computer Maintenance and Security," " eBay Buying and Selling," "Podcasting Basics," and " Google Earth and Google Maps." For a full schedule of classes, go to www.ocls.info and click on "Classes & Programs" or get a copy of the library's monthly newsletter.


Audiobooks

Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time if you are traveling or if you prefer to do your reading with your ears.

The library has more than 40,000 audiobooks in nearly every form imaginable, including cassettes, CDs, MP3 CDs and downloadable files.

But perhaps the coolest type of audiobook that the library offers is one that doesn't require a separate player and fits in your pocket. It's called a "Playaway" and it's a pre-loaded digital audiobook that weighs about two ounces. All you need to listen to a book is a pair of headphones. You can also hook it up to external speakers or your car stereo. Each Playaway has all the controls you need to listen to your book and you can adjust the volume or speed. The device also remembers where you left off.


Video games

If your kid has been bugging you for an Xbox 360 or a Wii, send them over to the library. Each library location has an Xbox 360 that children under 17 can play. They also have Nintendo Wiis, which they occasionally bring out.

The branches also frequently hold gaming nights where teens compete on the Nintendo Wii and in games such as Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. There are even gaming nights for adults and seniors.

If you have a Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 2, the library has about 300 games that you can check out.

Libraries report record number of visitors

Libraries report record number of visitors
Record number of visitors use free resources for personal and professional reasons.

by Marcia Chercoles

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

August 14, 2008

Jairo Fuentes was tired of paying $60 a month for Internet service just to check his e-mail. So last year, the Hollywood resident canceled his service. Since then, he's been a regular at the Hollywood Branch Library, where he connects his laptop to the free Wi-Fi.

"With the money I save I can do so many other things, like go to the movies," said Fuentes, 37, who runs a transportation company.

A slow economy and tight budgets are driving more people to South Florida's public libraries, which are experiencing record numbers of visitors. Some go for free services they can't afford at home anymore, such as Internet access, newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Many unemployed also use libraries to update and print resumes, look for jobs, and learn computer skills to get a new job.

So far this year, the Broward County Library System has seen a 13 percent increase in the number of materials checked out compared to all those checked out last year. The Palm Beach County Library System reported a 16 percent increase for the same period.

"June was one of the highest circulations we've ever seen, due in part to the economy. You have more people coming to the libraries because the items are free," said Nemoure Ahmed, branch manager at the Boynton Beach Library.

When the doors of the Hagan Ranch Road Branch Library in Delray Beach open every morning, about 15 people rush to the DVD and audio book sections. The new facility at first resembles an electronics store; those looking for books must first walk through the extensive multimedia selection.

Marie Lawson, a Delray Beach hairdresser, checks out a couple of audio books and DVDs each week. "It is a free form of entertainment," she said.Walida Swaggard, 31, regularly takes her son Manuel, 7, to the Hollywood Branch Library and checks out DVDs and CDs.

"Not only it's a pastime, but now it's become more of an economical resource to fall back on now that prices have gone up, especially when you are trying to cut corners," said Swaggard, who is a science teacher in Hollywood.

Libraries also are seeing record numbers of people logging onto their Web sites for free access to the Wall Street Journal and other publications that would otherwise require a paid subscription. Broward's public libraries have had a 30 percent increase in Web site visitors so far this year. Palm Beach libraries saw a 28 percent increase.

Libraries have also become a resource center for the unemployed, who ask the reference desk for books on how to write resumes and cover letters, use the computers and local newspapers to look for jobs, or take computer skills classes.

Renee Lafleur, 27, lost her job as a sales person in a gift shop at the airport a month ago. She signed up for a beginner's computer class at the Hollywood Branch Library this week to refresh her computer skills. She hopes to find a job doing data entry or customer service.

"Now you are required to file applications online, file reports, do many more things. They also ask you how many words can you type per minute," Lafleur said.

Tara Connolly, computer center manager at the Hollywood library, marks a stroke on her calendar every time someone asks her a computer-related question. She answered 5,624 questions in June, up from 3,829 in June 2007.

The most common questions include how to create a resume, look and apply for online jobs, or navigate through the Web site myflorida.com to find government services such as food stamps. Waiting time to use the computers can reach an hour during peak hours.

"I've got a few coming back telling me 'I got a job,'" Connolly said. "Others have not been so successful."

Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dolly Parton imagination library opens

Dolly Parton imagination library opens
[St. Augustine Record, 08/17/08]
http://www.staugustine.com/stories/081708/off_the_record_081708_022.shtml

The St. Johns County Public Library System is partnering with the Early Learning Coalition of Putnam and St. Johns counties, St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, St. Johns County Education Foundation and other community organizations to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to St. Johns County. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library allows for children, born after May 1, 2008, to receive a free age-appropriate book every month until their fifth birthday at no charge to the parent.

At any branch of the St. Johns County Public Library System or by downloading an application online at www.sjcpls.org, parents may sign up their children to receive free hardcover books in the mail.

If a parent signs up a newborn for the program, they will receive a 60-volume library by age 5. The only eligibility requirements are that the child must be born after May 1, and must reside in St. Johns or Putnam counties.

Library director Debra Rhodes Gibson is excited about the program.

"The library system is happy to be part of the Dolly Party Imagination Library, as it is a wonderful program that promotes early literacy and lifelong learning," she said. "Our hope is for every child to have access to books, and certainly the Dolly Parton Imagination Library helps make that possible."

Developed by Parton
The program was developed by Dolly Parton in 1995 for her native Sevier County, Tenn. Parton wanted to foster a love of reading among her county's preschool children and their families, and she wanted children to be excited about books and the magic they can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family's income. Parton has since decided to offer her Imagination Library for replication in any community that would financially support it.

In Putnam and St. Johns counties, the DPIL program is a true partnership, with several groups working together to make it possible. The Early Learning Coalition and program donors pay for the books and mailing, while the Chamber of Commerce helps with the promotion.

The St. Johns County Education Foundation accepts all donations to the program, and the St. Johns County Public Library promotes the program and registers and maintains the database of donors and children.

From there, The Dollywood Foundation takes over and manages the system to deliver the books to the home.

Once enrolled, each child will receive classic titles each month such as "The Little Engine That Could," "Owl Moon," "Goodnight Gorilla" and more.

Each child will continue to receive one free hardcover book each month until he or she reaches the age of 5.

For information about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library or to register, go to any library branch or go to www.sjcpls.org.

'LEO' the bookmobile visits Players senior center

[St. Johns County Public Library]
'LEO' the bookmobile visits Players senior center
by Chuck Adams, Staff Writer

http://www.beachesleader.com/articles/2008/08/13/ponte_vedra_leader/news/doc48a2205a812e5465178689.txt

“LEO” can be seen pretty much all over St. Johns County.

LEO, or Library Express Outmobile, is the St. Johns County Library System vehicle that visits and takes books to a variety of facilities, including senior citizen centers, shopping complexes, daycare centers, churches and even the Vilano Pier.

LEO, better known as the bookmobile, visits The Players Community Senior Center every two weeks.

Betty Frederick, extension services manager for the county library system and formerly of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library, is the reason the bookmobile exists.

“I wrote the grant [in 2000] when I first came here,” Frederick said Wednesday while standing in the bookmobile at The Players.

“Actually they had submitted a grant before for a bookmobile, but it wasn’t competitive enough. I had to dust if off, clean it up.”

At the time the target market was primarily seniors, still a large part of the mix.

“But now it’s gone beyond,” said Frederick.

“This is primarily because we have this wonderful plan for siting libraries, where they ought to be built based on population.”

That plan, however, has run into roadblocks.

“We probably won’t see another branch built in my lifetime,” said Frederick.

Potential sites, she said, were the new communities of Nocatee and RiverTown, also World Golf Village and a stand-alone for the Hastings area, where the existing library is in an historic building.

“All that was in the plan. But we’ve got to put that plan on hold. We’re forced to because we don’t have the funding.

“The mobile library is the absolute, one of the best services the library system provides,” said Frederick, “because it essentially takes the library to where people live, work, congregate, who sometimes are unable to get to the library because of distance, don’t drive anymore, can’t see well enough.”

The Players Senior Community Senior Center and bookmobile have combined to identify 10-12 seniors living in Ponte Vedra Beach who are homebound.

Library materials are going to be sent to those seniors via Meals on Wheels on Tuesdays. The volunteers who deliver the meals will take library material, then pick it up when the seniors are done.

While the county library system has more than 475,000 volumes, the bookmobile can offer some 3,000 items, said Frederick.

“We have every format that the Ponte Vedra library has, except that we can’t hold as many.

“We go to daycare centers, child development centers,” she said.

“We’re all over the county.”

[Anastasia Island Branch] Library plans anniversary celebration

Library plans anniversary celebration
By Lorraine Thompson
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
(http://staugustine.com/stories/081208/community_081208_001.shtml)

There's more to living on this island than going to the beach. There's also the Anastasia Island Branch Library, which opened a year ago and has since served more than 130,000 patrons who checked out more than 150,000 items.

A one-year library birthday celebration begins at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 23. After brief remarks by St. Johns County Library director Debra Rhodes Gibson and branch manager Susan Flynn, Friends of the Anastasia Island Branch Library will provide cake, coffee and punch.

Two new original mosaic works by local artist Manila Clough -- "Beach Birds" and "Pelicans" -- will be presented by the artist to the library.

Since its opening on Aug. 11, 2007, the library has increased its daily circulation from 400 to more than 800 and has expanded its offerings to include events for children, teens and adults. It also offers meeting rooms and space to the community, computer workstations for the public, wireless Internet access throughout the building and access to the entire collection of the St. Johns County Public Library System.

Adults are invited to stick around after the celebration (or come back later) to play Bingo for Books for Adults starting at 2 p.m. in the large meeting room. Adult popular fiction books will be offered as bingo prizes. Participants are guaranteed at least one free book.

The island library is at 124 Sea Grove Main St., in the Sea Grove community off A1A South. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The library is closed Sunday and Monday. For information, call 209-3730.

Jacksonville Ask a Librarian Story & News Clip

First Coast Librarians Give Human Answers to Online Searches
- July 18, 2008


JACKSONVILLE, FL -- When you search the internet, do you ever wish you could have a human being jump in and answer the question? You can -- for free -- and the answers may come from right here on the First Coast.

Let me tell you a story.

It's about learning things in the days before Google.

Instead of typing a question -- get this -- you would speak it out loud.
And while Google comes back with 112,000 potential answers to a question like: "What was the weather like the day Disneyland opened?"

The old way to learn gives you just one answer.

It's the right one.

"110 degrees," Jacksonville librarian Karen Hardin said with a smile as she looked at her computer screen.

She read further into the article.

"Asphalt was still steaming because it had been laid the night before, literally trapping high-heeled shoes," she said.

You see, back before there was Google, there was Karen Hardin. She's a librarian. And the old way to learn involves asking a real person.

In a back office at Jacksonville's Main Library, she's on patrol.

"What we do right now is basically just wait for someone to come up," she said.
Moments later, her computer's speakers let out a "ding!"

"There we go," she said.

Someone just went to a library website somewhere in Florida, clicked the "Ask a Librarian" link, and asked her a question.

She launches into answer mode: surfing the web with the customer, asking follow-up questions, digging through databases you've never heard of, and delivering a reliable answer.

It's like Google -- but with a trained researcher leading the way.
Different libraries all over the state take shifts answering questions.
You may get someone in Tampa today, or Orlando tomorrow.

So take your question that's got Google stumped to Karen Hardin and her colleagues.

They'll help you learn just like folks did in the days before the first search bar showed up on any computer screen.

Want to try it yourself?

Click here to link to the Jacksonville Public Library's "Ask a Librarian" service.©2008 First Coast News. All rights reserved.

Lisa Black, Author of Takeover

The Lake County Library System announces Authors @ The Library, a new initiative to encourage the love of reading! Starting this September, one of our 13 libraries will present an author on tour with a new book each month.

The Lake County Library System presents the first in the Authors @ The Library series, HarperCollins author Lisa Black with her debut novel Takeover a tight, riveting thriller. In the tradition of Kathy Reichs and Jeffery Deaver, this talented novelist introduces a gutsy forensic investigator caught inthe middle of an explosive crisis. Lisa will appear on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 2 p.m. at the W.T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora Florida and at 7 p.m. at the Leesburg Public Library in Leesburg, Florida.

Ms. Black spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. Strange, perhaps, but true. In her job as a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office, she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now she works as a latent print examiner for the city of Cape Coral, Florida, police department, working mostly with fingerprints, photography and crime scenes.

Jacksonville - Bookworms may have less to check out at the library

Bookworms may have less to check out at the library

The Florida Times-Union
August 8, 2008 By DAVID HUNT, The Times-Union

Rising book prices, combined with a decreasing materials budget, might shrink selection at Jacksonville's public libraries next year.

In the past four years, the number of card-carrying library users has jumped by 185,000, or roughly 46 percent. In the same time, the amount of money for books and audiovisual items such as CDs and DVDs has increased only 12.6 percent.

The library system's proposed materials budget for next year would be a 13.4 percent decrease compared to the same line item in 2004, the first year Mayor John Peyton oversaw library budget planning.

City officials say Jacksonville spends $45 on its library system for each resident - a per-capita figure that tops the list of public library funding statewide. But the combined effect of more users and a shrinking budget has some worried that quality could soon drop.

"It's kind of like putting off maintenance. It's a mistake because it does come back," said Harry Reagan, president of Friends of the Library.

Although city officials say the money will be replaced by state funds, Bill Scheu, a library trustee, said the amount still would be hundreds of thousands of dollars less than what the library got in 2006-07.

"This is supposed to be a first-class library, but it's gradually being whittled down to a second-class system at best," Scheu said.

What's more, stocking the library is getting pricier.

According to library figures, the average book cost was $13.96 in 2006-07, compared to $16.20 this year. Nonprint items, such as CDs and DVDs, cost an average $25.46. That rose to $27.48.
Between the same two years, the number of cardholders increased by nearly 48,000 and circulation jumped by more than 400,000.

Reagan is heading a petition drive to get more funding. While Peyton said he respects Reagan's effort, he argues that the library budget is nearly double what it was when he took office.
Scheu is quick to counter that the library's bigger budget is a product of former Mayor John Delaney's Better Jacksonville Plan, which added six branches.

Before those additions, the library's annual materials budget was more than $4 million. Next year, the city would be pledging $3.6 million.

That's if the City Council approves Peyton's overall city budget proposal, which would boost public safety spending to put more police on the city's streets.

Scheu said he thinks Peyton "virtually abandoned" social programs, such as libraries, that might help prevent crime by providing structure for at-risk youths.

Peyton, who has prioritized literacy throughout his time in office, defended his budget proposal. He said city officials were able to hold library spending comparable to the current year's figure even at a time when property tax reform, combined with general economic woes, forced all city departments to stretch dollars.

"Everyone has had to make concessions. The library has been treated fairly," Peyton said. "We give them a sizeable amount of money and rely on their expertise to determine how to use it."
Council Vice President Richard Clark said he's unsure how much debate will focus on library spending this year. Last year, the council shot down a proposal to save money by cutting library hours. So far, that idea has not been revisited.

"Any core service is going to be up for discussion," Clark said. "That goes for libraries, parks, fire or anything else."

david.hunt@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4025
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080808/met_315604377.shtml.

Santa Rosa Reconsiders Saturday Closing

Libraries may heed calls for more hours Santa Rosa considers opening on Saturdays
July 16, 2008
Pensacola News Journal
Louis Cooper lcooper@pnj.com

In Santa Rosa County, if you want to check out a book or use a library computer, you can only do it on a weekday.

For nearly a year, Santa Rosa's five libraries have been open Monday through Friday to save money.

However, some county commissioners say they've heard from constituents who want the libraries to open Saturdays.

"I've heard from a considerable number of people who went to the libraries on Saturday to use the computers for research but didn't check out books," said Commissioner Tom Stewart. "In this age, when we're trying to decide how to provide services with reduced budgets, everything is open to suggestion."
Library director Linda Hendrix said she will be meeting with her superiors this week to discuss possible changes.

"We're going to be looking at all the possibilities," she said. "You could do the schedule in 20 different ways, but we know when the most people come to the libraries."

Hendrix said closing on Saturdays came after four library positions were cut. Currently, four employees work at the Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Milton and Pace libraries each, and two work at the Jay Library. Some work also is done by student employees and volunteers.

"The bottom line is when you're running the libraries with very few staff, we have to look at the schedules we can maintain," she said.

Nearly 90 percent of library business takes place Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. She said Saturday was the most logical place to cut hours.

"The people who work in the libraries know the people who come in on Saturdays, and for a large part, the people who come on Saturdays come every other day of the week as well," Hendrix said. "There is a great belief among the people who run the libraries that cutting the Saturday hours did not diminish services to most people."

Gulf Breeze resident Pat Rose, who retired after 28 years as the librarian at the Gulf Breeze Library in 2002, said the library was usually open on Saturday when she worked there. Sometimes, however, lean budgets closed the facility on Monday.

She believes the lack of Saturday hours, along with the earlier 7 p.m. closing during the week, has kept some people from using the library as much.
"Some people don't get home from work until 7 o'clock," Rose said. "Families where both parents worked would bring their children on Saturdays."
Rose suggested splitting the difference between Friday — which is the second slowest day of the week for Santa Rosa libraries — and Saturday, opening half a day for each.

Kathy Ocobock, who has used the Gulf Breeze Library since she moved to the area in 1989, works weekdays. She said her library use has plummeted since the Saturday hours were cut.

"The only time I have to go to the library is on my lunch break, and that's just to pick up a book or something," Ocobock said. "I can't spend any time there because of the hours."

Santa Rosa libraries left the West Florida Regional Library System in 2006, creating the countywide system. Since then, library usage has skyrocketed, Hendrix said.

Santa Rosa's five libraries are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Before Oct. 1, they were open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Ocala - New Libraries Stimulating Interest

OUR OPINION
New libraries stimulating new interest
Ocala.com
Published: Monday, August 4, 2008 at 6:30 a.m.

We have found plenty to gripe about as Amendment 1 property tax reforms take their toll on local government budgets and services.

On one level, all of these voter-mandated cuts have affected the quality of life for Floridians statewide. But one area we have taken special note of lately is the plight of public libraries.

In many parts of Florida libraries, and the communities they serve, are suffering.
For instance, Broward County faces an unenviable dilemma regarding a new, $19 million library branch. The facility cannot be opened because the county, due to Amendment 1, cannot afford to hire new employees. In fact, the county has axed 139 library-related positions to satisfy budget needs.

Polk County has proposed closing its Historical and Genealogical Library, considered one of the finest in the Southeast, as part of eliminating cultural programs to save almost $600,000.

Brevard County is considering slashing its fund to purchase library materials by two-thirds and gutting 17 positions. Duval County proposes cutting its acquisition fund by $1 million.

Marion County has not been immune. Library Director Julie Sieg recently said the amount she has to spend on buying materials will drop from $903,000 this year to $856,000 next year.

The curious thing, though, is that the library remains a popular destination. As the Star-Banner reported last week, attendance and circulation at the two newest library branches in Dunnellon and Belleview have skyrocketed since those facilities opened about two months ago.

Comparing June's numbers with those from June 2007, materials circulated in Belleview at a rate 57 percent above last year's figures, while the number of registered borrowers rose 227 percent; in Dunnellon, circulation was up 61 percent, registered borrowers up 237 percent.

The heightened traffic at these new facilities reflects what happened at the main library branch when it moved from its cramped quarters downtown to its spacious new location further east on Silver Springs Boulevard: Provide the public a roomy, modernized, aesthetically pleasing library, and the public will swarm to it.

There is a question of whether the economy has made public libraries more popular by draining families of disposable income they might spend on books and other goods. It's a fair point. After all, Miami-Dade County's public libraries have witnessed an attendance surge of some 200,000 over this time last year - an increase of 4 percent - that was attributed to the economic slump.

Yet we cannot see how that phenomenon accounts for all the increased activity in Dunnellon and Belleview. We tend to think those communities are still reveling in the thrill of a nice, new facility.

Whatever the cause, though, we're pleased to learn of all the traffic at the county library system's new branches. Libraries are special places, and while we do not begrudge fed-up taxpayers for demanding that government cut its costs, we can only wonder, when you consider the impact Amendment 1 is having on this valuable service, if the anticipated $240-per-tax-bill average savings is worth it.

Circulation and usage increases in St. Johns County Libraries

Two recent items from the St. Augustine Record:

Libraries haven't missed a beat [editorial]
http://www.staugustine.com/stories/080208/opinions_080208_059.shtml
Saturday, August 2, 2008

When the St. Johns County Public Libraries went on a new schedule because of cutbacks in county revenue, officials worried about public reaction to changes in hours and days.

Debra Rhodes Gibson, library system director, says the traffic is steady. So far so good. In June Sunday hours were eliminated and at least an hour a day was cut from libraries' schedules.

But that hasn't deterred traffic. Gibson believes the economy is playing a big role. Patrons are taking out more books at a time to perhaps cut down on trips. They're also taking out more movie videos; probably instead of spending more money at theaters.

Give those library patrons an "A." They haven't missed a beat. They still love their libraries.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Summer attracts more to libraries [article]
By Ileana Morales
http://staugustine.com/stories/072408/news_072408_011.shtml
Thursday, July 24, 2008

Some days finding a parking spot at the public library is like trying to find one downtown: hard.

More people are spending time at St. Johns County libraries than last summer, despite that fact that all six county libraries cut their hours starting in May. All locations are now closed on Sundays.

"The hours we're open we are hopping," said Valerie Peischel, manager at the main library where she has worked for 12 years.

On long days at the main library on U.S. 1 -- 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. -- she said more than 1,200 people come in.

Peischel said she suspects high gas prices are keeping more people in town and enjoying free activities like those at the library.

People took out 128,811 books and videos in May for all locations, up by more than 11,000 from last year. This year's numbers for June were up by almost 2,000 from the previous year.

People are cutting back on other expenses, eating out less and freeing up more time to check out books and movies, Peischel believes.

"That's just my guess. That's my gut," Peischel said. "That's what's happening in my household."

The libraries are attractive to many because new movies on DVD are released at the same time as they are at major private video chains such as Blockbuster.

Library records show circulation is up for both movies and books, but books are beating movies.

"That's what we're in business for," said Peischel, smiling.

Carrie Klein, who hugged a few books on Wednesday afternoon while she browsed shelves, said she has been visiting the library more often this summer, about a couple times a month to pick up three books at a time.

"The books are newer, more available," Klein said. "And with the economy the way it is, it's just a lot cheaper."

She said it's a quiet place to escape the summer heat when "gas prices are ridiculous" and she stays close to her downtown home.

Peischel said lots of kids come in to check off their school summer reading lists so parents don't have to buy those books.

At 1 p.m., with an impending storm, the 18 computers for adults are taken and a couple of laptop computers are out.

Karen Pan, spokeswoman for St. Johns County, said it's amazing that libraries are filling up more while open fewer hours.

"We're glad the public is making use of it," Pan said.

Kids compete in summer reading competition

Four teams join Battle of Books, remember trivia
By Maria Herrera South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 3, 2008

Olivia Lowrey consulted each of her teammates, scribbled the answer on a marker board and flipped it over for the judges to see.

Books Busters — consisting of Lowrey, 12, Khallid Carter, 11, and Vitnelson Saintfleur, 14 — had just scored another point.

The team was one of four to participate in the first Palm Beach County Library Battle of the Books on Saturday at the Main Library west of West Palm Beach.

The program was part of an effort to keep children reading during the summer months, Palm Beach County Library Outreach Services Manager Wendy Rosenfeld said.

"They didn't know each other when the program began," she said. "So it's also a way to create new friends."

More than 35 children participated in the program at library branches throughout the county. In the end, four teams — Book Busters, Purple Pen People, Insert Name Here and Team Southwest County — battled each other in three rounds, answering questions about three books they read in the past eight weeks.

The books were Running Out of Time, The View from Saturday and Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key."

From the titles, you wouldn't think they were interesting books," said Lowrey, of Lake Worth. "But they taught me not to judge a book by its cover."

Lowrey, whose team went on to win the competition, said she and her teammates already have plans to read more books."

Bigger books," added Carter, "with pages in the thousands."

While the children competed, parents watched with T-shirts and banners matching those of the teams. Carter's mother, Debra, watched and rooted for her son.

"They were readers already. You almost have to be a reader to enjoy something like this," Debra Carter said. "But it showed them there are other kids who are readers, too."

Maria Herrera can be reached at meherrera@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6544.

Importance of Libraries in Rural Communities

This has not been posted through the media but might be of interest to many of you. Students from the University of Florida came to the Archer Branch Library here in Alachua County because they wanted to do a brief documentary about the importance of a public library in that town and to the town residents. This was completely unsolicited, a bit unpolished, but to the point. It could be used as an advocacy tool to support funding for rural libraries and to highlight the importance of e-government services.

I have permission from the students to use and distribute this video. Let me know what you think.

Sol
Sol M. Hirsch, Director
Alachua County Library District
352 334 3910 shirsch@aclib.us
http://projects.jou.ufl.edu/mmc6936f07/johnson/archer/library.html

Libraries Shine In Tough Economic Times

National Public Radio - All Things Considered, July 29, 2008 · With the economy slowing, many Americans are doing research in the public library. Boyd County, Ky., Library Director Debbie Cosper says public-use computers are always full and people are checking out books rather than buying them.

Miami-Dade proves libraries serve more when times get tough!

For the last few weeks ALA has been working with the national media about how the public relies on libraries more during challenging economic times. The article below and associated CBS4 news clip about Miami-Dade’s experience provides the proof! Be sure to check out the video clip! http://cbs4.com/local/library.westchester.books.2.784750.html

Charlie Parker -

Economic Slump, A Gain For South Florida Libraries
Poor economic times has led to an increase in attendance from the public who would rather borrow than buy
WESTCHESTER (CBS4) ―

Attendance is up at Miami-Dade's 44 public libraries, which has had five-million visitors so far this year. That's 200,000 more than the same time last year. Library officials would like to take all the credit, however, they're the first to admit the bad economy has a lot to do with it.

"Internet for instance. We offer free Internet service to people who can't afford it anymore, or could never afford it; they could come to us," according to Raymond Santiago, a library director.

Juan Navarrete is one of those people. He's a regular at the computer terminals, searching for everything from news to jobs."I'm a counselor, so recently I've been getting emails from faith-based organizations that are hiring," Navarrete said."

Maria Rafet and her son, Simon, visit the West-Dade regional library twice a month. He loves Japanese cartoons, DVDs, which he says he can't find anywhere else, and that they're free. "That's the best part," smiled Simon. "My parents don't have to pay for it." His mother is also saving on the Mediterranean diet book she's been looking for.

"If you buy it in the store, it's $30. But here, it's free and one can find many other books and pick the best of them," Maria added.

Attendance in the children's summer programs have also jumped thirty percent, which is another inexpensive way for parents to keep children busy without spending money.

While budget cuts have cut hours at Broward libraries, Miami-Dade opened a new library in June with two more scheduled to open in September in Westchester.