Librarian on vacation

What does a librarian do on vacation? Well, this one visits libraries. Before you think I am a total nerd, that's not ALL I do. But on a recent trip to New England, I found myself in Boston. One stop on the trip included the amazing Boston Public Library. I really wanted to see the newly refurbished Children's area.  We are in the process of four (yes, four!) library projects, and so I wanted to get inspiration from the fabulous jewel of a library.

I entered through the front, and was led into an open courtyard. This was a PUBLIC library, not a mansion or a museum. Anyone can come in here. Anyone who wants can experience this lovely space. It was built as a "palace for the people". What a gift to Boston. Yes, I was amazed. But I had to head upstairs to the Children's area.

I was suitably impressed. The small shelf, with a space for kids to crawl under, was being used exactly for that. I saw a young boy happily crawling under several times. You know that child is going to have happy memories of this library.  See that lion on top of the shelf? It has changing LED lights inside. I saw another child standing next to the lion, naming the colours as they changed. How's that for early learning?

The colours in this library are so bright! You'd never know you were in an building from 1895. It feels fresh, modern, and has the child in mind in every way. There's a huge chair for story-sharing, and I saw a grandmother and her two grandkids doing just that-- sitting together reading. There's comfy seating everywhere, and even some that kids can move around and use where they want. The whole place was abuzz with kids and their adults, enjoying books and play, and fun!

There's an interactive wall, with built-in playscapes and this cool light feature. Adults like the play area as much as the kids do, and here's proof.

After soaking in the features of this room, I headed over to the Teen space. Since Margaret Atwood is helping us raise funds for the Kentville teen area, I thought I should get some ideas. The first thing I noticed was the room full of teens hanging out. They were playing games, sitting at a table working on a project, reading, and just hanging out. All libraries need this kind of space, where teens are welcome and know it.

Look at that retro READ sign. And the shelves are really nice, with a city-scape feel, appropriate in a downtown library. I was really impressed with this seating area, with decoration made from old card catalog boxes. Beyond you can see some of the adult fiction area, with the vibrant red colour scheme.

I didn't even see the rest of the library, as I was due to make an appearance at a graveyard. But that's another story for another day. Let's just say I was impressed, and I can't wait for our libraries to impress you. If you want to help make all our library dreams come true, just visit our "Support our New Library Projects" page!

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Used books, new money

A few times a year we hold used Book Sales. We get many donations from our patrons, and some of those books we actually add to the system; but many of them we already own enough copies of, and so we sell them at our Book Sales. Our donation policy can be found here, in case you would like to donate some of your books. We have to be slightly picky when it comes to donations, because if we can’t use or sell them,  we have to pay to recycle or cart them off to the garbage.  And when books are mouldy or dirty, they can actually infect other books, so they really do belong in the dumpster when they are in that condition. We also sell some of our discarded books: those that we no longer need in our collection. When the 15 copies of the latest best-seller are no longer hot, we often put those in our Book Sale. 

 

How do we deal with all these books? We have a great volunteer, Gerry MacDonald, who comes in weekly to sort, price, and work with the books. Gerry helps out at the sales, too. We couldn’t do it without him! 

Our Book Sales have amazing low prices. We want you to have these books. We know that having books in your home can be one of the indicators of how well children will do in school. Our children’s book prices range from .25 cents to $1. That makes it easy to bring home a stack of books for the kids to paw through. Our adult books are reasonably priced as well. Paperbacks are .25 cents each, and hard-cover books are between $1-$2. Trade paperbacks (those nice, big ones) are $2 each. We often have sets of books that we sell for $5. For those of you who ALWAYS need a book on hand, this is the place. 

We have lots of fiction, but we also have non-fiction. Cookbooks and gardening books always sell out quickly, and our Canadiana section is very popular. For the second year in a row, we are offering a Friday evening “early bird” Advance Sale. Pay $2 at the door, and get in early – get your hands on the choice books! The Advance Sale is Friday, April 17, from 6-8 PM. And don’t worry if you can’t make it Friday night—we have loads of books and we might even put more out for Saturday morning.  From 9 AM  to 12 noon there will be plenty to choose from, and you don’t have to pay to get in.

Our Book Sales generate income for the region, and we hold our Spring Book Sale to help fund our annual Summer Reading Club for kids & teens. We also have an annual sale during Ciderfest, and several other smaller sales  throughout the year. Many of our branches also hold small book sales, so keep an eye out.  See you at 26 Bay Road this weekend !

Save CAP

The Community Access Program (CAP) has been in our communities since 1995.  It provides access to the Internet and technology, as well as training.  Yes, there are more and more computers in our homes and mobile devices mean some people are connected wherever they go.  The question I have for you is what if you are new to computers, where do you go to learn how to use them? 

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Sure, you can take a Microsoft Word course in a variety of places, but what if you aren't comfortable enough with computers to do that?  Maybe you are comfortable with what you use now, but what if you wish to begin using a new piece of technology?  CAP sites have been providing this "comfort level" kind of training for years.   CAP sites have even more to offer, they also offer more advanced training workshops.  

All of our branch libraries are CAP sites.  The computers are a very busy service of these sites.  Those using these computers aren't just those without Internet at home. Those travelling use this service, some using the wireless Internet connection that is available to them 24/7.  We are seeing more users that have Internet at home, but there is only one computer, so they come to CAP sites for more access.  There has been a substantial increase in the number of one-on-one training sessions booked this year; the demand for these isn't going away.

Well, the demand isn't going away, but the Community Access Program as we have known it is.  The Federal Government announced on April 5^th that it will discontinue funding the program, effective immediately.  Sites may continue to operate for a while, but eventually you will see the effects of this decision.  Sites within libraries will be slower to replace equipment and it will be more difficult to provide the workshops and training that are needed.  You can help, but don't wait.  Contact your MPs and your MLAs to let them know the importance of the program.  Visit the website www.savecap.ca for more information. And if you still aren't convinced, hear from a user of the program what CAP means on this short video. 

If you are reading this blog you are fortunate to be able to navigate the Internet. Not everyone can do this, yet.

Charlotte Janes

Head of Systems and Administration