I will start by saying that the Downers Grove Public Library is in pretty good shape. Like most public libraries in Illinois, we are funded by property tax, a relatively stable revenue source. We did not experience the sudden dramatic loss of sales tax that resulted in massive cuts in most village and city budgets. (As has been the fate of a few a few libraries that reduced or eliminated their property tax levies in exchange for a share of their municipalities’ sales tax.) However, the State-funded network of multi-type library systems that provides the behind-the-scenes support for much that local public libraries do is hurting, and hurting bad!
According to the Illinois Library Systems Act, “Illinois multi-type Library Systems provide service in the following areas: Automation/Technology, Bibliographic Access, Consulting, Continuing Education, Delivery, Interlibrary Loan, Reciprocal Access, and Reference Services.”
What does this mean to your local public library? Downers Grove belongs to the Metropolitan Library System. MLS hosts the SWAN consortium – the on-line catalog that gives patrons access to the collections of 80 libraries. MLS provides the delivery service that moves over 3 million items between libraries each year. (MLS delivery interconnects with the other 8 Illinois library systems to move materials between libraries across the whole state.) All Systems provide member libraries with consulting, continuing education programs, and networking opportunities that help local library staff improve skills and share ideas in order to provide better service to their patrons.
Illinois Library Systems are funded by an annual grant appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly and distributed through the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. Systems have not had an increase in funding for about 20 years. The State budget adopted last August, included a 16% cut in funding for Systems. That cut hurt, but worse is that Library Systems have received only 58% of the funding that was approved in the State Budget. It is one thing to have to deal with a 16% budget cut, but it is much harder when the remaining funds that were allotted are never provided.
What is happening to the Library Systems? The leadership of our system (MLS) saw the writing on the wall and began cutting staff and services almost a year ago. Yesterday our neighboring North Suburban Library System announced cuts that will go into effect on May 30. NSLS hopes to retain its delivery service. “But most other services and programs will be dramatically reduced, eliminated, or spun off.”
Today I learned that Voices of Vision Talking Book Center soon may have to cease operations. VoV is one of 4 regional centers that provide talking books and Braille materials for the visually impaired. VOV serves residents of 12 counties, including DuPage. It has been hosted by the DuPage Library System (DLS) through a contract with the Illinois State Library (also funded by the Secretary of State). VOV has only received 3% of the funds allocated this fiscal year. It has only lasted this long because DLS used its own reserve funds to support the service. DLS reserves are running out and the System can no longer afford to support Voices of Vision.
Library Systems are not asking for more funding. They are not even protesting the 16% cut. If you want to help, urge your State legislator to work to release the System funding that was budgeted for this year and to continue the current level of System funding in the new budget year.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Not as easy as it looks!
From time to time someone looking for volunteer work will contact the Administrative Office and ask if they can shelve books for a few hours. They are always surprised when we explain that we do use volunteers for a variety tasks, but we only use trained, paid employees to shelve library materials.
The fact of the matter is that although they are on the first rung of the pay scale, shelvers are among the most important employees on a library’s staff. The ability to shelve materials accurately and quickly is critical to our mission of providing excellent library service. Most patrons know that we have been celebrating a circulation record – more than 1 million items were checked out of the Downers Grove Public Library in 2009! What most people don’t consider is that if over 1 million items are checked out, over 1 million items also have to be returned to the shelves – to exactly the right place on the shelves.
We work hard to organize our collection so that material can be found. The online catalog tells a patron that the call number for “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Childs is 641.5944/CHI and that there is a copy on the shelf. The patron expects to go to the shelf and find it there. If a staff member (or more likely, another patron intending to be helpful) places the book on the wrong shelf it is effectively lost. A miss-shelved item may not be found for some time, and the on-shelf status will drive patrons and staff crazy whenever someone else tries to find the book (or DVD or audio CD).
We use alphabetizing and decimal sorting tests to select shelvers. New shelvers receive a lot of training and supervisors audit their work thoroughly, particularly during a new shelver's first weeks on the job. In addition to accuracy, shelvers are monitored for productivity. They are expected to accurately sort and shelve a specified amount of material per hour. In addition to accuracy and speed, shelvers must be in good physical condition. They are constantly stretching up to the top shelves and crouching down to the low shelves for a four hour shift. Shelvers must have a reasonable amount of manual dexterity in order to manage several different types of locking security cases for DVD’s and CD’s. And shelvers must be strong! Loaded book carts are really heavy!
In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess that I started working in a public library as a shelver when I was in college. This means that I can testify that shelving is a great part-time job, with one significant hazard. Be warned that you will bring home almost as many books as you shelve, because shelving is a great opportunity to find books, movies, or music that you might never have discovered before.
Next time you see a shelver pushing a cart-load of books across the library, think about what it takes to get over 1,000,000 items back on the shelf.
The fact of the matter is that although they are on the first rung of the pay scale, shelvers are among the most important employees on a library’s staff. The ability to shelve materials accurately and quickly is critical to our mission of providing excellent library service. Most patrons know that we have been celebrating a circulation record – more than 1 million items were checked out of the Downers Grove Public Library in 2009! What most people don’t consider is that if over 1 million items are checked out, over 1 million items also have to be returned to the shelves – to exactly the right place on the shelves.
We work hard to organize our collection so that material can be found. The online catalog tells a patron that the call number for “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Childs is 641.5944/CHI and that there is a copy on the shelf. The patron expects to go to the shelf and find it there. If a staff member (or more likely, another patron intending to be helpful) places the book on the wrong shelf it is effectively lost. A miss-shelved item may not be found for some time, and the on-shelf status will drive patrons and staff crazy whenever someone else tries to find the book (or DVD or audio CD).
We use alphabetizing and decimal sorting tests to select shelvers. New shelvers receive a lot of training and supervisors audit their work thoroughly, particularly during a new shelver's first weeks on the job. In addition to accuracy, shelvers are monitored for productivity. They are expected to accurately sort and shelve a specified amount of material per hour. In addition to accuracy and speed, shelvers must be in good physical condition. They are constantly stretching up to the top shelves and crouching down to the low shelves for a four hour shift. Shelvers must have a reasonable amount of manual dexterity in order to manage several different types of locking security cases for DVD’s and CD’s. And shelvers must be strong! Loaded book carts are really heavy!
In the interest of full disclosure, I should confess that I started working in a public library as a shelver when I was in college. This means that I can testify that shelving is a great part-time job, with one significant hazard. Be warned that you will bring home almost as many books as you shelve, because shelving is a great opportunity to find books, movies, or music that you might never have discovered before.
Next time you see a shelver pushing a cart-load of books across the library, think about what it takes to get over 1,000,000 items back on the shelf.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Help Rebuild Haiti's Libraries!
Everyone is aware of the devastating disaster caused by the recent earthquake in Haiti. Libraries and archives are among the institutions that have been destroyed or badly damaged, and the historical record of this fascinating country is in peril.
Haiti became the first independent nation in the Western hemisphere and the first black-led nation in the world, after a slave rebellion in 1804 threw off French rule. The island’s historical archives contain the primary record of the Haitian experience.
Currently there is an urgent need for donations of money to rebuild libraries and preserve the historic documents in Haiti’s archives. The American Library Association is coordinating efforts for relief and rebuilding with the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Donations to assist Haiti’s libraries and archives can be made at www.ala.org/haiti Up-dates on the condition of libraries in Haiti are also posted at this site.
While many people have offered to donate books for Haitian libraries, Haiti is not able to receive book donations at this time. The library structures must be replaced or repaired, and existing historical collections must be salvaged, before resources can be devoted to restocking library collections. However, when donations of books and other materials are appropriate, ALA will coordinate those efforts, as well.
The library community has always been very generous in supporting efforts to rebuild after other natural disasters. I am confident that we will step up to help Haitian libraries recover from this disaster and preserve its' history.
Haiti became the first independent nation in the Western hemisphere and the first black-led nation in the world, after a slave rebellion in 1804 threw off French rule. The island’s historical archives contain the primary record of the Haitian experience.
Currently there is an urgent need for donations of money to rebuild libraries and preserve the historic documents in Haiti’s archives. The American Library Association is coordinating efforts for relief and rebuilding with the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Donations to assist Haiti’s libraries and archives can be made at www.ala.org/haiti Up-dates on the condition of libraries in Haiti are also posted at this site.
While many people have offered to donate books for Haitian libraries, Haiti is not able to receive book donations at this time. The library structures must be replaced or repaired, and existing historical collections must be salvaged, before resources can be devoted to restocking library collections. However, when donations of books and other materials are appropriate, ALA will coordinate those efforts, as well.
The library community has always been very generous in supporting efforts to rebuild after other natural disasters. I am confident that we will step up to help Haitian libraries recover from this disaster and preserve its' history.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
H1N1 Swine Flu and the Downers Grove Public Library
A few weeks ago as I worked on the Library’s plan for the H1N1 flu season I realized how lucky we are in this country to be safe from many of the ailments that effect much of the world.
I remember my mother yelling at me when I was very young, not to play in the water or I would catch polio. And I am a member of the original polio vaccine generation who lined up in my elementary school to get all four injections of the Salk vaccine, and then the full course of the Sabin oral vaccine.
As an adult I get a flu shoot every year, like most people who work with the public; but that has been the extent of my worries about public health – until H1N1 came into our lives. Now I am anticipating what might actually happen if there is an H1N1 pandemic in our area, and thinking hard about how to provide library services to the community and at the same time keep staff and patrons safe from infection?
If the flu season turns out to be no worse than a normal year, patrons won’t see much difference in the library, other than the hand sanitizers and wipes at every service desk and posters around the building reminding everyone of hand-washing and other safe practices. We do feature links to information about H1N1 on our website.
The good news for library users is that the flu virus appears to have a lifespan of 2 to 8 hours on a smooth surface, such as a book. It takes about 24 hours to process library material, from the time it is placed into the return, checked in, sorted, and returned to the shelves. This means that materials returned from a household with the flu will likely be perfectly safe, by the time the next patron takes it off the shelf. (Staff have masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer available in our work areas.)
Employees have been instructed to stay home if they get sick, so we don’t infect patrons or co-workers. This means there is a chance we may be a little short-handed at times. We can’t send sick patrons home, but library staff have been directed to protect ourselves and keep a safe distance from patrons who are exhibiting symptoms of illness. We will certainly help everyone as much as we can, but if you are coughing, we may talk you through a computer search rather than sit down and use the keyboard and mouse that you have just handled, for example. Please don’t be offended if you see us using disinfectant wipes on keyboards and mice. It is to protect other patrons as well as ourselves.
If the flu situation worsens, the authorities may advise citizens to increase “social distancing” (literally to keep more space between oneself and others). If this occurs the Library will cancel library programs and public meetings in the building until conditions improve. If the season gets very bad, we have contingency plans to limit some services and/or reduce hours, if the situation requires us to do so.
We all hope that the flu season passes with no major problems. If not, we will do our best to provide the community with accurate information and to modify library services as appropriate, until the situation returns to normal.
And this is one more thing to add to my list of stuff they didn't teach us in library school.
I remember my mother yelling at me when I was very young, not to play in the water or I would catch polio. And I am a member of the original polio vaccine generation who lined up in my elementary school to get all four injections of the Salk vaccine, and then the full course of the Sabin oral vaccine.
As an adult I get a flu shoot every year, like most people who work with the public; but that has been the extent of my worries about public health – until H1N1 came into our lives. Now I am anticipating what might actually happen if there is an H1N1 pandemic in our area, and thinking hard about how to provide library services to the community and at the same time keep staff and patrons safe from infection?
If the flu season turns out to be no worse than a normal year, patrons won’t see much difference in the library, other than the hand sanitizers and wipes at every service desk and posters around the building reminding everyone of hand-washing and other safe practices. We do feature links to information about H1N1 on our website.
The good news for library users is that the flu virus appears to have a lifespan of 2 to 8 hours on a smooth surface, such as a book. It takes about 24 hours to process library material, from the time it is placed into the return, checked in, sorted, and returned to the shelves. This means that materials returned from a household with the flu will likely be perfectly safe, by the time the next patron takes it off the shelf. (Staff have masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer available in our work areas.)
Employees have been instructed to stay home if they get sick, so we don’t infect patrons or co-workers. This means there is a chance we may be a little short-handed at times. We can’t send sick patrons home, but library staff have been directed to protect ourselves and keep a safe distance from patrons who are exhibiting symptoms of illness. We will certainly help everyone as much as we can, but if you are coughing, we may talk you through a computer search rather than sit down and use the keyboard and mouse that you have just handled, for example. Please don’t be offended if you see us using disinfectant wipes on keyboards and mice. It is to protect other patrons as well as ourselves.
If the flu situation worsens, the authorities may advise citizens to increase “social distancing” (literally to keep more space between oneself and others). If this occurs the Library will cancel library programs and public meetings in the building until conditions improve. If the season gets very bad, we have contingency plans to limit some services and/or reduce hours, if the situation requires us to do so.
We all hope that the flu season passes with no major problems. If not, we will do our best to provide the community with accurate information and to modify library services as appropriate, until the situation returns to normal.
And this is one more thing to add to my list of stuff they didn't teach us in library school.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Best Beach Books Ever
Summer time for many, including my family, means going to the beach, so I had a great time browsing through NPR’s Audience Picks 100 Best Beach Books Ever . I have always been a discursive reader --at least since I discovered the word discursive when I was about 14 -- and apparently the NPR audience members are too. What an amazing variety of books have been suggested for the list! And I am pleased to report that I have read about half of them – so far.
The list includes classics like Treasure Island (ranked # 100) and Huckleberry Finn (#21) that I reread every few years, also Jane Austen (#5) and Emily Bronte (#76) that I don’t. There are classic mysteries like Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (#50), along with contemporary ones including Janet Evanovitch (#87) and Scott Turow (#91).
There are titles that seem to me to be perfect beach books, including Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities and Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary (#4) or titles by Ken Follett (#41) and Carl Hiaasen (#99). On the other hand, Bonfire of the Vanities tied with William Golding’s Lord of the Flies for number 74 on the list!?! And has anyone really ever seen a reader stretched out on a chaise lounge reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (#56)?
Two titles by Cormac McCarthy made the list -- All the Pretty Horses (#83) and The Road (#86). Both of these books worked for me as late night reading, but you definitely won’t find them in my beach bag. I did read Peter Benchley’s Jaws (#62) at the beach when it was first published, though I have to confess that I was pretty nervous about going into the ocean for the rest of that week.
It is fun to scan any list of recommended books and pick out the ones you have read and love, but it is even more fun to be reminded of books you haven’t read and maybe didn’t even realize you wanted to. On the 100 Best Beach Books list I just spotted Princess Bride by William Goldman (#28). My family fell in the love with the movie Princess Bride when it was released in 1987. Give a Bowen any excuse and we still chant “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” But I have never read the book! The SWAN catalog shows that a copy is on the shelf, so Princess Bride has moved to the top of my own list of books for the beach this summer!
The list includes classics like Treasure Island (ranked # 100) and Huckleberry Finn (#21) that I reread every few years, also Jane Austen (#5) and Emily Bronte (#76) that I don’t. There are classic mysteries like Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (#50), along with contemporary ones including Janet Evanovitch (#87) and Scott Turow (#91).
There are titles that seem to me to be perfect beach books, including Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities and Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary (#4) or titles by Ken Follett (#41) and Carl Hiaasen (#99). On the other hand, Bonfire of the Vanities tied with William Golding’s Lord of the Flies for number 74 on the list!?! And has anyone really ever seen a reader stretched out on a chaise lounge reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (#56)?
Two titles by Cormac McCarthy made the list -- All the Pretty Horses (#83) and The Road (#86). Both of these books worked for me as late night reading, but you definitely won’t find them in my beach bag. I did read Peter Benchley’s Jaws (#62) at the beach when it was first published, though I have to confess that I was pretty nervous about going into the ocean for the rest of that week.
It is fun to scan any list of recommended books and pick out the ones you have read and love, but it is even more fun to be reminded of books you haven’t read and maybe didn’t even realize you wanted to. On the 100 Best Beach Books list I just spotted Princess Bride by William Goldman (#28). My family fell in the love with the movie Princess Bride when it was released in 1987. Give a Bowen any excuse and we still chant “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” But I have never read the book! The SWAN catalog shows that a copy is on the shelf, so Princess Bride has moved to the top of my own list of books for the beach this summer!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Library Garden Walk
The Downers Grove Public Library Foundation recently hosted a reception honoring donors who have contributed bricks to the new section of the Library Garden Walk. Invitations were sent to donors to the original walk that opened as part of our building renovation and expansion project, as well as to recent donors. Also honored was the Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club who donated two benches for the Walk, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the club.
When I looked at the crowd that came to hear a brief welcoming speech from Kathy DiCola, president of the Foundation, listen to the steel drummer, eat ice cream, and most importantly to share the fun of seeing one’s brick in the Garden Walk, I couldn’t help but think back to the planning of the original Garden Walk in 1999.
At that time we loved the idea of a walk with donor bricks that would give residents a chance to literally become part of the library building project. We hoped to raise about $17,000 to fund the decorations for the entrance to the new Junior Room, and maybe allow us to build the Mouse House that our architect had designed as a possible feature for the picture book area. At the same time, we also wondered if anybody in Downers Grove would really pay money to put their name on a library brick.
Downers Grove folks love their community and are strong supporters of the library. But they are also tend to be self-effacing types, who are more interested in getting things done than in putting their name on stuff. Turns out residents mostly didn’t put their own names on the bricks. However they did take to the project with great enthusiasm! Bricks were donated to honor a favorite teacher, to recognize a favorite book, or to memorialize a deceased relative. We even have at least one brick in memory of a beloved pet.
We have been delighted to find that Garden Walk bricks have become a tradition in some families, who continue to donate bricks to mark family milestones. This winter a proud grandparent ordered a brick to honor a new grandchild, then called back a few days later to ask us to hold the order. Another grandchild was due in the spring and they wanted to add that child’s name to the brick when he or she was born.
I mentioned that our original goal was for decorations for the new Junior Room. When they heard about the campaign, the Junior Woman’s Club stepped in and donated the full cost of decorating the Mouse House, so we thought there really was a chance that we might raise the rest of the money for the mural at the entrance to the children’s department. In fact, bricks were donated like crazy over the first winter and we raised enough to decorate the Junior Room, and also purchase the hanging sculpture in the Curtiss Street atrium as well as other artwork for the library.
During the first ten years of the Garden Walk, well over $100,000 has been donated, with the money earmarked for art work for the library. The art collection has continued to grow and we now have an interesting variety of art displayed around the building. We look forward to the opportunities for expanding our art collection that will be provided by the donations to the expanded Garden Walk.
When I looked at the crowd that came to hear a brief welcoming speech from Kathy DiCola, president of the Foundation, listen to the steel drummer, eat ice cream, and most importantly to share the fun of seeing one’s brick in the Garden Walk, I couldn’t help but think back to the planning of the original Garden Walk in 1999.
At that time we loved the idea of a walk with donor bricks that would give residents a chance to literally become part of the library building project. We hoped to raise about $17,000 to fund the decorations for the entrance to the new Junior Room, and maybe allow us to build the Mouse House that our architect had designed as a possible feature for the picture book area. At the same time, we also wondered if anybody in Downers Grove would really pay money to put their name on a library brick.
Downers Grove folks love their community and are strong supporters of the library. But they are also tend to be self-effacing types, who are more interested in getting things done than in putting their name on stuff. Turns out residents mostly didn’t put their own names on the bricks. However they did take to the project with great enthusiasm! Bricks were donated to honor a favorite teacher, to recognize a favorite book, or to memorialize a deceased relative. We even have at least one brick in memory of a beloved pet.
We have been delighted to find that Garden Walk bricks have become a tradition in some families, who continue to donate bricks to mark family milestones. This winter a proud grandparent ordered a brick to honor a new grandchild, then called back a few days later to ask us to hold the order. Another grandchild was due in the spring and they wanted to add that child’s name to the brick when he or she was born.
I mentioned that our original goal was for decorations for the new Junior Room. When they heard about the campaign, the Junior Woman’s Club stepped in and donated the full cost of decorating the Mouse House, so we thought there really was a chance that we might raise the rest of the money for the mural at the entrance to the children’s department. In fact, bricks were donated like crazy over the first winter and we raised enough to decorate the Junior Room, and also purchase the hanging sculpture in the Curtiss Street atrium as well as other artwork for the library.
During the first ten years of the Garden Walk, well over $100,000 has been donated, with the money earmarked for art work for the library. The art collection has continued to grow and we now have an interesting variety of art displayed around the building. We look forward to the opportunities for expanding our art collection that will be provided by the donations to the expanded Garden Walk.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Summer Time and the Reading is Easy!
Summer officially begins later this week, but the Library’s Summer Reading Clubs are already under way. Readers of all ages are reading like crazy and have begun turning in their reading lists and collecting the first prizes in this year’s Read on the Wild Side Summer Reading Club.
Public libraries have sponsored summer reading clubs for children for many years. Children’s summer reading clubs were intended to encourage children to develop a love of reading and libraries – and it works! It is pretty common to hear parents who bring their children to reading club programs reminiscing about coming to reading club programs when they were children. But some years ago adults started asking why do the kids get to have all the fun? Why isn’t there a summer reading club for adults too? Library staff agreed, and we added the teen and adult clubs.
TAB, our Teen Advisory Board, helps library staff come up with ideas for programming for teens. The TAB members suggested that movie tickets plus the chance to win the grand prize of a Wii video game console would be great lures to interest teens in participating in this summer’s club. Judging by the crowd in Teen Central these days, TAB was right!
When we first started the adult reading club we were surprised at the enthusiasm of many of our regular readers. They were already readers, but many adults like the sense of community that comes from participating in the reading clubs. We ask readers to indicate which books on their reading lists are their favorites and many of our readers like to stop and chat with staff about the books they are reading. Our “regulars” pay attention to our lists of patron’s favorite books and they like to try titles that have been popular with other readers.
It is fun to see people carrying book bags or water bottles that were the prizes for reading clubs in past years. I suspect you will see the waterproof paperback book cover that is one of this year’s prizes on books at area pools and beaches this summer, and in summers to come.
I should mention that library staff are not competing with you for the prizes. It wouldn’t be fair since we have such easy access to books and some of us are actually expected to read as part of our jobs. We do have our own summer reading club though, and the box in the staff lunch room with the raffle tickets for the staff prize is beginning to fill up.
Summer time and the reading is easy! Follow the links on the our web site and you can print your adult or teen reading folders on line and start your list now. Join your neighbors and participate in this summer’s Read on the Wild Side Summer Reading Club!
Public libraries have sponsored summer reading clubs for children for many years. Children’s summer reading clubs were intended to encourage children to develop a love of reading and libraries – and it works! It is pretty common to hear parents who bring their children to reading club programs reminiscing about coming to reading club programs when they were children. But some years ago adults started asking why do the kids get to have all the fun? Why isn’t there a summer reading club for adults too? Library staff agreed, and we added the teen and adult clubs.
TAB, our Teen Advisory Board, helps library staff come up with ideas for programming for teens. The TAB members suggested that movie tickets plus the chance to win the grand prize of a Wii video game console would be great lures to interest teens in participating in this summer’s club. Judging by the crowd in Teen Central these days, TAB was right!
When we first started the adult reading club we were surprised at the enthusiasm of many of our regular readers. They were already readers, but many adults like the sense of community that comes from participating in the reading clubs. We ask readers to indicate which books on their reading lists are their favorites and many of our readers like to stop and chat with staff about the books they are reading. Our “regulars” pay attention to our lists of patron’s favorite books and they like to try titles that have been popular with other readers.
It is fun to see people carrying book bags or water bottles that were the prizes for reading clubs in past years. I suspect you will see the waterproof paperback book cover that is one of this year’s prizes on books at area pools and beaches this summer, and in summers to come.
I should mention that library staff are not competing with you for the prizes. It wouldn’t be fair since we have such easy access to books and some of us are actually expected to read as part of our jobs. We do have our own summer reading club though, and the box in the staff lunch room with the raffle tickets for the staff prize is beginning to fill up.
Summer time and the reading is easy! Follow the links on the our web site and you can print your adult or teen reading folders on line and start your list now. Join your neighbors and participate in this summer’s Read on the Wild Side Summer Reading Club!
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