Gaming in the library workshop

Yesterday I attended a gaming in the library workshop. Eli Neiburger from Ann Arbor District Library was the presenter. This was my first time seeing him present and I have to say he did a fantastic job! One of the better speakers my library has brought in to talk to us. Then came the time for our Youth Services department to tell us how we are going to handle things. All my high hopes went right down the drain. It may work fine for J or Teen, but since in I work in the Adult department, I was hoping for something more. The average age of a gamer is 33. Last time I checked 33 years old qualifies as an adult. And adults are the ones that are allowed to vote. So instead of catering to them we are going to ignore that part of the population again and focus on kids. Another missed opportunity...

One way to pay off library fines

Here is one innovative idea for letting patrons pay off their library fines. I will have to suggest this for my library system. Of course I will not offer to be the one who has to compete...

Heard at the library...

This afternoon I was in the stacks looking for a book when I heard a group of young teenage boys talking at a table. The one boy told his friends that some girl just broke up with him. His friends asked why? He said it was because she said he was too shallow. He then said how can I be shallow? I had to keep from laughing in front of them. Priceless...

Public Libraries and new materials

I have mentioned previously how one of my goals for the year is to listen to more music. Not only my old collection, but new artists too. This has got me thinking about how soon new music should appear in a public library. You can expand that out to include any new materials such as books and movies. Should a public library have items available as close to their street release date as possible? I work in one of the busiest library systems in the country. We circulated over 10 million items last year throughout all of our branches. Dealing with such a large volume it is not surprising that a large number of new items arrive in our branches well after their release date. We list them in our catalog so customers can place requests. The downside is by the time we get the actual items and it starts to circulate the holds on it can pass the 4 digit mark. This forces us to buy large numbers of each popular title which is fine for the initial run of holds but after a year or so when the demand dies down they take up precious shelf space. We do get some of the most popular books and dvds out in circulation close to the release date. This does alleviate some of the issues. The bastard stepchild item though is music. For some reason we are so behind in getting out new artists and cds. It is embarrassing when customers come in looking for a new cd they heard on the radio or the internet and I have to tell them we do not even have a listing yet in the catalog. For some unknown reason we wait for the cds to chart in Billboard before we can list them. And then unless they are very popular they languish in our Processing department awaiting labeling. I can't tell you how many times I had the only request on a cd or one of the few requests and had to wait months for the cd to make its way through our Acquisitions and Processing departments. The whole ordering and processing system has been changing as they try to streamline the process as much as possible to expedite things. Still, music continues to take a back seat to books and movies. Yes, books and movies circulate at a higher overall rate, but music holds its own too. Hopefully the next wave of changes will rectify things. I can always dream...

Mission of Public Libraries

One of my favorite blogs to read is the Annoyed Librarian. She had a great post today about Public libraries and lifelong learning. Anyone who works in a library knows that collection development is continuous struggle. You work with a finite amount of shelf space and continuously have to weed out older materials to have room for new books. The hard part is finding the balance between a "popular" collection and a more research oriented one. My library system has made more of a change towards being a "popular" collection. We are a Public Library and I do support this for the most part. The majority of our patrons want the latest bestseller whether it is fiction or non-fiction. If that is what they are asking for then as a tax payer funded organization it is our responsibility to provide those types of materials. We do order materials through ILL for more obscure titles. We also are an active participant in OhioLink which links University libraries throughout Ohio. Unlike ILL if the item is available through OhioLink our patron will get the book within a week. I think that is a fair trade off for those who want more academic type materials. We also participate in SearchOhio which links public libraries throughout Northern Ohio which is another option in addition to traditional ILL. We do cater to DIY patrons which was mentioned in the comments on the AL post. Looking for new books on computers, software, Ipods, Ebay, etc. we can provide those directly. Also topics such resumes, home repair, gardening, studying for various exams, and learning a new language are some more lifelong learning books we provide. Isn't that what a Public Library should do?

Male librarian?

This caught my eye this afternoon. All I can say is about time. Some professions are dominated by one gender. That is a fact of life. I happen to work in one that is largely female. When I was hired at my present branch I was the only male employee. Now we do have one other, but he is just a page (pages shelve library materials for those that did not know). Being the only male or at best in the minority will always be the case for my profession. I can deal with it. Issues do pop up from time to time but nothing that really bothers me. I do get the occasional customer that seems shocked to see a male working the reference desk. Or worse they look at me and then walk past to ask my female colleague their question. It used to get me down when the happened but I am used to it by now. I can't change people's attitudes. All I can do is the best customer service I can and answer the questions I do get...

You better return that book...

The New York Times ran an article not long ago about whether a library fine should appear on a person's credit report. A Queens man sued after a $295 library fine showed up on his credit report. He won on a technicality that did not distinguish whether a library debt is a legitimate debt that can show up on a person's credit report. So the question is still whether a person who runs up a bill with their local library should be further penalized on their credit. I say yes. If you check out materials you have no desire or intention to return there should be a penalty. I know my library system will send the bill to a collection agency if it is not paid. (I will say I don't know what the fine threshold is before this happens or the time frame involved.) There has to be a penalty involved. Libraries are such an important resource that to let people think they can check out materials and never have to return them hurts all the people who follow the rules. Since no precedent was set in this case since it was a technicality that overturned the credit report, I am curious to see how it plays out in the next case brought to trial. That is if there is a next case.

Theft or just obscene...

Why can't people just keep their opinions to themselves? You don't like a book for whatever reason and your solution is to steal it so others cannot read it? As a firm believer in no censorship her solution is obscene to me. I am glad the library returned her check and is pressing theft charges against her. I hope this sets a precedence to discourage others from trying the same type of thing...

Anime vs. Libraries...

Yesterday I was browsing the library catalog looking for anime movies. It was very disappointing to see how little there is in our library system. I just don't get it. For some reason my system has been self-censoring in regards to anime. Is it a bias towards cartoons? We have plenty of Disney, Pixar, etc. so that can't be it. Lack of demand? I know that is not it from the number of requests I hear. No, I think it speaks to a larger issue.

We have a unique view on sex and violence in this country. Not just in general, but how it is depicted. It is ok to make movies like Saw and Hostel which are very graphic in their depictions. But make a animated movie that depict the same things? No thank you. Especially when the characters are drawn in an exaggerated childlike way. Which is common in Japanese anime. Are we afraid that since it is animated it will only appeal to children? Or create sexual or violent fantasies towards children? In my library system we have a no censorship policy. That means anyone with a valid library card can check out any material we own. No questions asked. So any 5 year old can walk up to the circulation desk and check out Saw, Hostel, or any other R-rated movie and we will let them. In fact we are not allowed to say a word against it. So why can't we have anime on the shelf for them to check out. More important what about adults who would like to check them out?

To make it even worse we have most of these anime movies as graphic novels. On the shelf for anyone to check out. So it is ok to look at these images as long as they are in print form? What is the difference between print and visual media? One form is acceptable and the other is not? As part of our policy we tell parents who question items on our shelves that it is the parents responsibility to monitor what their children check out. We provide materials to anyone who walks in the door regardless of age, race, religion, etc. without exception.

Now we do limit what is in the library. We do not offer X-rated or NC-17 movies. Nor do we offer Playboy, Hustler or other similar magazines. So we have always self-censored. Which again amazes me in a way. It seems to be a print vs. visual media thing. Has anyone checked out what we have in book form? Next time in the library browse the romance section. Or better yet the Urban Fiction section if your library has one. Talk about graphic sexual depictions. Those books leave nothing to the imagination. Yet, they are acceptable. And any teen or younger can check them out without question. Why? For one thing there is a strong demand for those books. And for movies such as Saw and Hostel. Demand from customers who vote. Working in a public library I know how important voters are for funding. We don't want to alienate these people! Maybe if we could generate more interest in anime among voters? Obviously these are my opinions and that is fine be me...

Another trend...

How long before this moves to public libraries? Some of our branches in my system already have coffee machines. I guess this is the next logical step. I don't mind people drinking coffee in a library. What worries me is the library turning into a meeting place for people who are just there to drink coffee and socialize. The noise levels today are much higher in libraries then when I was a kid. People no longer feel the need to have any decorum. Mothers bring their kids in to play and ignore them while they run around screaming. Even worse they often are louder than their children as they try and talk over them. And when you politely remind them they are in a library and their are people trying to work they get act all indignant and just go on as before. The reality though is we are competing for patronage and have to accommodate people. The question then becomes how to do this without offending the backbone of our clientele--those that vote for our levies...

My Library...

Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries (Curious Expeditions)

Ok, I just wish one of these was my library. I would be like a kid in a candy store if I could work at one of these! Hey, I can always dream...

Librarian 2.0...

I came across the Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto on another blog. The list is from last year, but it still is relevant. Especially in some library systems that have been slow to adapt to change. It should be printed out and handed to all floor staff of every library. The goal of libraries is to connect people to the information they need. How we do that is the issue some librarians have problems with. People get used to doing it one way. In the past that may have been the best way, but technology is always changing and what was best in the past may not be now. As a profession we need to understand that and be willing to adapt and use the tools available to us...