The newsletter of the Sarasota County Library System

 ~ December 2009 ~ Volume 4, Issue 8

School Libraries Shifting to Digital Collections Stimulates Media Interest

CHICAGO – Recently, the Cushing Academy, a private boarding school in Massachusetts, attracted attention with its decision to discard all 20,000 books in the school’s library in favor of an entirely digital collection.

The issue stimulated media interest, and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Information Office (PIO) responded by recently coordinating two interviews addressing the future of school libraries with USA Today and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” ALA president Camila Alire and American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) president Cassandra Barnett participated in these interviews.

Alire appeared on a Nov. 9 segment on NPR. The segment and corresponding Web article, “Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind,” can be found at: http://bit.ly/6EXhGd.

USA Today, the newspaper with the second highest circulation in the country, with nearly 2 million daily readers, also ran an article on this issue entitled “School chooses Kindle; are libraries for the history ‘books’?” In the Oct. 27 article, both Alire and Barnett say that the Cushing Academy’s move to get rid of all print books “is not necessarily a model for other school libraries.” The article can be found at: http://bit.ly/757OO6.

The Public Information Offices manages the public awareness efforts of the Association through the Campaign for America's Libraries, delivering key messages to external audiences about the value of libraries and librarians.

The Happening

Picture this: You’re at the library sitting at a table with a book, trying to catch up on some much needed reading. There is a continual ebb and flow of activity in the background as people are talking, mostly in hushed tones, but every once in a while there is a loud person off in the distance. Feet shift under the tables, and heeled shoes thud on the carpeted floor with each determined step. There is the occasional cry of a baby in the children’s department or the soft snore of an old man asleep in the newspaper section. Suddenly, you hear loud music coming from somewhere in the library. You turn your head and scramble to figure out what is going on. Then you see it. It’s the lady from the reference desk, some shelvers and other people dancing in a line – all smiles. Their arms are flailing in sync and their bodies are twisting and bending to the sounds of Peaches and Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing. Then the song is over and the dancers calmly walk back to their posts and resume work. Not a word was spoken.

On Saturday October 24th at 12:00 noon staff and volunteers at all of the Sarasota County Libraries performed a happening. “What is a happening?” you may ask. It can be described as a performance, event or situation in which a group of people dance, sing or engage in some other type of activity which is rehearsed and enacted for the benefit of an audience, however small.

Our local happening was a choreographed dance to the song “Shake Your Groove Thing.” Florida Studio Theater did the choreography and taught the staff all the movements at their theater in downtown Sarasota. Staff then went back to their respective libraries and taught staff and volunteers. At the North Port Library, even the local YMCA was involved by way of preschoolers and teachers. Staff at the North Port Library went to the YMCA to teach the children the dance, in addition to offering practice sessions at the library. The day of the event, over 20 preschoolers and their parents came to join in; it was quite a scene!

Call to Order

Board Meetings have gotten a little louder and livelier at North Port Library. At least that is the case when the new teen advisory board meets twice a month. With the approval of bylaws and the election of officers, the North Port Teen League of Libraries (LOL) is official.

A call went out to all interested teens, ages 12 to 18, to come to an organizational meeting on October 28th. Staff wanted to make it a win-win opportunity for the library and for teens. Realizing that young adults have a demanding schedule, we made the commitment doable by asking for only an hour a month. In turn, teens could build up their resume for college and job applications as well as earn community service hours. The real key was personally inviting current or new teen volunteers and then asking them to bring a friend.

Another factor to the group’s success was letting the young adults take the lead in the formation and organization. It was important to “guide” the teens and not “direct” them. Staff needed to understand group dynamics and be comfortable with organized chaos. Familiar with basic advisory board meeting procedures, staff helped mentor the teen leadership.

NPL’s Teen LOL chose their name, drafted and approved each article in the bylaws and then created their own nomination and campaign process for electing officers. Thadeus Wander is currently serving as President, Sean Kopfhamer as Vice-President, Gabriela Landivar as Secretary and Gabriel Perez as Special Assistant to the Executive Council.

The twelve board members meet the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. (The group decided that they liked meeting more than just once a month.) The Executive Council meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. If your library would like to have a teen advisory board, just take the leap and do it! It provides opportunities for leadership and social development, confidence and skill building as well as service.

Questions about the new NPL Teen LOL? Contact Holly Anderson, Teen LOL Advisor, at 941-861-1311 or handerso@scgov.net.

Need Ideas or Suggestions for Reading?
Try our “What do I Read Next?” Database

Has your favorite author not written a new book lately and you are looking for something similar? Or you just want to try something new and don’t know where to start? Try “What do I Read Next?” available through the library’s website. There are several different ways to search, including by author, title, series or genre. You can even customize your own personal search. The site also provides lists of award winners and books recommended by others.

Go to our library system's website (sclibs.net), and click on the link to “Electronic Information Resources.” Scroll to the bottom of the screen or click the “W” near the top of the screen, then click “What Do I Read Next?” to log in and start searching.

A Sarasota County Library card is required to access subscription databases from computers outside the library.

Local North Port textile artist Louise Hall has honored North Port Library in a special way by donating two exceptional machine-stitched art quilts to the library. “Word and Image”, a thoughtful work about the impact of reading on our lives has hung in the North Port Library since 2004. “Roots of Racism” explores the many ways that racism has been a constant setback to progress in our culture. This powerful piece has been displayed in several galleries and shows throughout the U.S. and in the U.S. Embassies in Pakistan and in Istanbul.

Ms. Hall studied dress designing from 1948 to 1951 and received a great deal of exposure to other art forms, including millinery, dyeing of fabric, quilting, beading, jewelry making, surface designing, photography, charcoal drawing, and painting on canvas. She has created wearable art, original clothing and art quilts since 1984 and has recently added photography and watercolor /acrylic painting to her artistic skills.

Among her many honors are:

• Costumer for Historic Spanish Point, in Osprey, FL in 2001
• Fabulous Fabrics, Etc. - A One Woman Show, November 18, 2005 to January 17, 2006, at the Women's Resource Center of Sarasota County, in Venice, Florida and 2008 at the North Port Art Center
• Arts and Culture Alliance Muses Award in 2007 for Community Arts Education
• Arts and Culture Alliance Muses Award in 2009 for Media Champion

Ms. Hall reports, “My 'heart' sings with joy at a creative challenge! Fabric, texture and color have always intrigued and inspired me. I love to share what I have learned with adults and children. It gives me pleasure to inspire, encourage and promote others.”

Thadeus Wander

Thadeus Wander is North Port Library’s Volunteer of the Month. A senior at North Port High School, Thadeus has truly been an asset. An expert shelver, he puts in numerous hours at the library each week. Recently Thadeus was elected as President of NPL’s new teen advisory board. As president, he leads the Board meetings and the Executive Council. Way to go, Thadeus!

Your Sarasota County Libraries are now on Facebook and Twitter.