Cool signage @ Cleveland Heights

Re-post from Ohio Library News which is a re-post from PLA Blog October 24th, 2008 by Anne Heidemann

http://oplin.org/ohiolibrarynews/?p=268

We have lots of cool signage and it was noted by Anne Heidemann from Canton Public Library in the Greater Detroit Area. She was visiting our library since she was in town for the PLA Results Boot Camp.

I'm so glad that someone else thinks our signage is pretty nifty. While we still get questions on where's the bathroom and the like, I think our signage is pretty informative and useful. I think when the library renovated in 2006, it gave them the opportunity to wipe the slate and start anew.
I think many libraries should do that. Sometimes there is way too much and the landscape is cluttered with signs. In some ways, I wish there were more.
Things like table tents and flyers just lying on tables to advertise activities and services. Little things can help in such a big way.

OPLIN list firestorm

There is a bit of a firestorm going on the OPLIN list-serv discussing one library's decision to disallow patrons to check out books if they have > $0 balance on their accounts.

Many people, including myself, find this less than desirable. While it is not necessarily a punishment, the plan leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.
In these tough economic times, we need to innovate to find new ways that we can raise funds. Yes, fines are a revenue source. But we should *never* rely on that and hold our books hostage. Fines are merely to deter the patron from keeping the books.
It would be fantastic if we were able to move to a model of "If you want to keep it, we'll bill you for it, no questions asked." That way, we can replace that book immediately. Should a book be irreplacable, we should scan those. The patron is still billed for keeping the book but the digital copy will be also available.
Irreplacable is typically out-of-print. Out-of-print does not necessarily mean out of copyright so that would be something to consider.

By no means have I figured out the perfect solution to the library fines dilemma. However, zero balance for checkout is not an option.

EBSCO Publishing and Marketing

EBSCO has launched a brand new promotional/marketing page on their site.
Public Library Marketing Materials

Also, there are two resources that are free that we should promote.
History is Happening

Reading Rave

I sometimes think that the databases are the ones that should be marketing themselves better. Why is the onus on libraries to do the marketing, get people excited about these resources, etc?

It's great when companies put out this stuff though. Don't get me wrong. I just wish that database companies, etc. would take into account that libraries themselves are not exactly masters of marketing. How can we change that?

I'm trying to market the library's website, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and other social media things. But what else can we do?

I ended up blogging here and there for PLA and neglected to post much to my blog while I was in Anaheim for ALA Annual.
Here are my PLA Blog entries:

• ALA-APA : A cause to support


• Digital Storytelling: Where Outreach, Local History & Technology Collide

I'm not sure if I could/will be writing more for the PLA blog. I'll keep you posted if it's a go.

I also need to write up a post about my new job. I really enjoy it. It is without a doubt, my dream job. I've been busy with a lot of things there:

• a new website launch that incorporates a brand new reader's advisory area.


• various web updates and getting others trained in how to update the website as well.


• getting things up and running for the Heights Library 23 Things.It started this week!


• handling database vendors and juggling any problems that occur.


• doing the reference thing here and there. I love working with such a diverse community!


• meetings...Ah, the joys of a coordinator/manager!


• many projects on the horizon that include digital storytelling, teen photography, text to chat application for our chat server, etc.

I have been wanting to do the 23 Things for a while. Now that it is a self learning project at the Heights Library, I'm totally in!

Pointing everyone to my 23 Things blog!

Blogging - ALA ...and Iowa

I have been meaning to write in my blog for a while. I don't know why I find myself blogging in spurts. Nonetheless, here I am....Amy Harmon: Occasional Blogger. :P

There are a number of entries that I've been meaning to make. I write them in my head but unfortunately I don't set them to digital format. However, I'll be writing a number of entries in the PLA Blog. So...maybe I'll get some of my other entries down now.

I just flew over the Mississippi River. I think I'm near Iowa. The river seems really swollen. I can't tell if this is anywhere near a city or if there are structures under water, etc. What is striking to me is that the Mississippi is swollen, beyond capacity. Part of my wishes to wax poetic about this new flood that our country has faced/still facing. Anthropomorphizing the river delta does not really help though. There are those that have lost everything. Since this is mainly a library blog, I'll focus on the libraries that have been affected.

Library Journal has written a great article and has a wealth of information there as well.
The State Library of Iowa is serving as an aggregate site for information here.
The Iowa Library Association has a number of first person accounts of the flood as well.

I'm half Slovak and learning that the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was affected by the flood struck a chord with me. While there may be some areas of the country that are less likely to be effected by hurricane versus earthquake versus typhoon, there will always be those that are effected by the loss of works of importance to one's heritage and culture.

The libraries that were heavily damaged by the floods are asking for donations of money, rather than books and materials. Unfortunately, they do not have anywhere to put donated materials. Funds to pay for the remediation process are much appreciated.

Donations to the Cedar Rapids Library should be sent to the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation at 500 1st St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.

Donations to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Flood Relief Fund may be made at the NCSML website, at any Wells Fargo Bank location in the U.S. or by mailing a check to: National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 Sixteenth Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.

Donations to the New Hartford Public Library should be sent to the Friends of New Hartford Public Library, PO Box 292, New Hartford, IA 50660.

Any other places that need help?

I'm in Anaheim and will post my schedule soon.

Book displays

I've rotated out three of the fiction displays and created two non-fiction displays. The displays are:
1. "I've Got the Music in Me!" - Musical fiction
2. "A Passage to India" - Indian fiction
3. "Step up to the Plate" - Baseball fiction
4. "Drinks are on me!" - non-fiction
5. "It's All About ME!!" - autobiographies.

Some musical fiction titles:
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
- The Gutbucket Quest by Piers Anthony
- A & R: a novel by Bill Flanagan
- An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
- The Year the Music Changed: The Letters of Achsa McEachern-Isaacs & Elvis Presley by Diane Coulter Thomas
- The Choir by Joanna Trollope
- We Interrupt This Broadcast by K.K. Beck
- And My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You: A Novel by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
- High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Some Indian fiction titles:
* The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories by Chitra Divakaruni
* The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
* The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
* Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
* Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
* The Tree Bride by Bharati Mukherjee
* Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey

Some baseball fiction titles:
- Strike Zone by Jim Bouton
- The Natural by Bernard Malamud
- Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos
- Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella
- Summerland by Michael Chabon
- The Sweetheart Season by Karen Joy Fowler
- Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris

I used LibraryThing for my links. This was because I had some difficulty linking entries to my catalog. I would create the link in my entry but, after a while, the links would not work. Each link would go to a screen that stated my catalog session had expired. It would have been great to link to the catalog. I need to investigate with CLEVNET to see if this is a possibility.

I suppose I really can't call myself a "blogger" if I post as infrequently as I do. That will soon change. Announcement will follow in this entry.

I went to PLA. I was floored by how well the conference was organized. Some rooms did not have the capacity for the number of enthusiastic participants though. But I think that happens at all conferences. I was very pleased with the quality of workshops and can't wait to attend again in Portland.

Starting May 19th, I'll be the Web Library Manager for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library. I'm really excited about this position. It is pretty much my dream job. It's half reference, half working on web content and training others on how to get things up, etc. I'll be getting social networking projects off the ground. It is in a bit of flux as well since this is a brand new position for them. It's all the things that I have wanted to implement. I'm jumping off of walls, vibrating at the speed of light, etc.

So...I guess I'll be blogging a bit more. I've been using Twitter and exploring other tools here and there. I'll keep posting more often since I think this is the path of libraries' future and well, mine.