Celebrate National Library Week!

In case you didn't know it, this week is National Library Week, which brings attention to libraries and all the helpful services they provide.  NLW has been going on for over 50 years, since the first one in 1958.  At that time, the American Library Association, taking note that people seemed to be spending more time with their "radios, televisions, and musical instruments," made an effort to bring people back into libraries.  The ALA created a campaign emphasizing that libraries offer items for leisure, finance, health, and enriching family life in general.  The first NLW was so successful that it became an annual event at libraries across the country.

It's interesting that various popular distractions were keeping people away from libraries in the 1950s just as they're doing today.  Not only do we have radios, televisions, and (maybe) musical instruments, we have computers and cell phones with all the Internet offerings like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Flickr, and whatever else.  Many are even questioning whether libraries continue to be relevant with all the information accessible through electronic media.

Speaking for my library (and I'm sure many others as well), there are things that happen here that just don't happen in Cyberspace.  Like kids and parents getting together for storytime, learning social skills and making crafts.  Or adults and teens gathering to knit, admiring each others' works in progress and picking up a new stitch or two.  And what about a real person showing you how to find information on the library's subscription databases, something trustworthy and reliable that you can't get for free on the Internet.

We perch librarians and our colleagues have different and exciting programs scheduled for the observation of NLW.  For instance, at my library we have a meeting of the knitting group, a book club discussion, an open-mike poetry night, storytime, and a baby lapsit.  So invite yourself to unplug from your day-to-day distractions and visit the library.  It will be a good investment of your time.  Trust me.

Humbly and honestly yours from the perch.

 

Baby Steps In the Library

I'm sure most of you know this, but in case you didn't, the library is a great community place that not only serves adults, teens, and kids, but also babies 24 months and under.  Yes, you read that right.  The library caters to it's littlest patrons, young readers-to-be.

Our library is following in the footsteps of many other libraries nowadays with a new offering called Baby Steps, a lapsit program.  Unlike children's storytime, which targets preschoolers who are learning their letters, numbers, and simple crafts, the lapsit is intended for infants and toddlers, introducing them to the library environment. 

By sitting in their parent's or guardian's lap and singing songs, the children develop social skills, learn how to behave for storytime, and discover that the library is a fun place.  Lapsit is beneficial not only for the children, but also for the adults who get to interact and spend some quality time with their kids.

Learning to love the library doesn't start once children begin to read.  It starts long before they know their ABCs, one baby step at a time.  Help your children build a relationship with the library that will be sure to last a lifetime that's full of learning and enrichment.  Pardoning the old cliche, you'll be glad you did.

Just my usual 2 cents from the perch.

Getting Carded

Sitting here on the perch, I naturally get asked a lot of questions.  Many questions are one-of-a-kind questions that keep me on my toes, and many are repetitive.  "Where is the bathroom?"  "What are your hours?"  "Do you send faxes?"  These are standard "EPQs" or "ever popular questions," as I like to call them, and I'm happy to assist my patrons with them no matter how many times I need to say the same things over again in a day.  One thing I do get tired of saying repeatedly is, "Can I see your library card, please?"

Unless you have never been to a lending library before, it should be a given that if you're borrowing items, you need to show your library card at the circulation desk so those items can be put on your account.  You might be surprised to know that the majority of patrons checking out items place their items on the desk and just stand there until I ask to see their library card.  Sometimes, patrons have their cards in their hands and will not relinquish them for dear life until I promise them that I will return it to them in a moment.

Maybe I'm just a crazy perch librarian, but to me, going to a library circulation desk and not automatically presenting your library card is like going to a store and not giving money to the cashier.  Imagine the following scenario--Cashier: "That will be $5.25. [The customer stands and does nothing.] Can I have the money, please?"  Seems a little ridiculous, doesn't it?

So, continuing our discussion on library etiquette, one thing you should bear in mind in the library when you're planning to check some items out is to "get carded"--present your library card at the circulation desk.  Your friendly, neighborhood perch librarian would really appreciate it and thank you kindly for remembering.

Ever politely yours from the perch.

Library Etiquette

Although many of us have been going to the library since we've been old enough to crawl, it has come to my attention on the perch that a number of patrons have forgotten some basic library etiquette.  To those of you who already practice good manners in the library, I extend a heartfelt thank you.  To those of you who need a refresher course, here it is:

• Shhh!  Talk quietly.  It's the golden rule of libraries.  People are reading, studying, or working and come to the library for some peace and quiet.  If you do need to talk, please use one of our study rooms.
• Don't use your cell phone.  People tend to speak loudly on cell phones, disturbing others.  If you need to take or make a call, please do so outside of the library or in areas designated for talking.
• Take screaming children outside.  We love kids, but if your little ones are screaming or throwing tantrums, please be considerate of others and take them outside the library to calm them.
• Push in your chair.  If you're working at the computer or at a table, please be kind and push in your chair when you leave.  Everyone likes to see the library neat and orderly.
• Don't run.  This probably applies more to kids than to adults (most of the time), but running makes noise not to mention puts people at risk of getting hurt.  Please save your running for the great outdoors.
• Don't eat or drink by the computers.  You may like that savory sandwich or that delectable drink, but electronics don't.  Please consume your food and drinks away from the computers.
• Use complete sentences.  I know that texting has made communicating more economical, but it's still nice to hear questions in full sentences rather than as one word barked.  Please avoid speaking like a Neanderthal.
• Say please and thank you.  You learned these terms at home and in school.  They may be old, but they're never old-fashioned.

I'm sure there are other points of library etiquette that I may have missed, and if this is the case, you can expect another post on etiquette to follow this one in the future.  For now, we'll just focus on the basic ones mentioned above.

So please remember to mind your manners in order to permit everyone to enjoy the library the way it was meant to be.

Prim and properly yours from the perch.