PVLD Director's Blog

It's about the people

A couple of weeks ago I was at a meeting of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District's Community Arts Committee, a group of arts teachers, school administrators, and community partners that meets periodically to discuss how to improve arts education in the school district.

One of the teachers said something that really struck a chord with me.  I don't remember his exact words, but they were something along the lines of "It's not the art project you made in 6th grade that you remember years later, it's the teacher whose skill and passion turned you on to art."  In short, it's about the people not the art.

Ever since I've been thinking about how that might just as well be said of school librarians.  Forty years ago when I was a shy kid in elementary school my elementary school librarian, Charlotte DeFirmian, was my hero.

 Mrs. DeFirmian introduced me to authors who became lifelong favorites, challenged me to read beyond my comfort zone, and by appointing me an unoffical library assistant made the library a refuge from tormenting peers and a troubling family situation.  In fact, Mrs. DeFirmian is probably the reason I am a librarian today.

We live in an era when California ranks near the bottom of the nation in funding for school libraries, when at the elementary and middle school levels most libraries are staffed by low-paid clerical employees who may or may not have the knowledge of children's literature and talent and skill for connecting kids with books that Mrs. DeFirmian had, and when many school are closing their school libraries or relying on volunteers to keep them open.  

It seems to me that we are at at the bottom of a downward spiral that started when we downgraded the school librarian from someone with the skill and training  to really engage kids with reading to a clerical or volunteer position focused on checking the books in and out...and that what the schools have saved in staffing costs has been more than offset in the loss to students.   It's not about the books, it's about the people...and I hope our schools will come to realize this.

Happy Thanksgiving

A family situation has meant more time away from the office this week than I had planned, which is also reflected in less time to think about blogging.  I'll be back to a more normal schedule next week, so expect more frequent posts.

In the meantime I am heading off to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and I'll be counting my many blessings.

It has been a tough year in many respects, both personally and for PVLD, but there is still much to be grateful for -  not the least of which is that I have a terrific job that allows me to work and interact with so many amazing people.  With so many people, including some of my own family, unemployed or stuck in jobs that they don't enjoy I feel very lucky.  I also see the cuts many other libraries are suffering, and appreciate how relatively fortunate we are here at PVLD. 

My best wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

E-books in the classroom

Yesterday I received an email from my friend and Palos Verdes Peninsula School District (PVPUSD) Board member Malcolm Sharp outlining a dilemma that our local high schools are facing.

The high schools have developed a "core reading list" of books that students at each grade level are expected to read by the end of the appropriate school year. 

Here at the public library we are very familiar with the core reading lists because of the demand from students (and their parents) to check the books out from the library, or to buy them from our Friends of the Library book sales.  We never have enough copies of these items to meet the demand, and the problem is compounded by the fact that many can now only be purchased in paperback so wear and tear is also an issue.  Our librarians regularly search the book sale rooms for these items as a way of stocking the library collection, but of course that means fewer are available for students to purchase.

The schools are facing a similar dilemma as these are not considered "textbooks" and so have to be funded from discretionary monies.  Many of the copies at the schools are years old and in bad condition, but at a time when budget cuts have meant teacher layoffs there just isn't the money to provide new copies of these books in the schools.

Malcolm's idea, expressed in his email to me and a number of PVPUSD administrators, was that the School District consider the use of e-books. 

I've been mulling over the advantages and disadvantages of e-books for personal use for somee time.  I'm also well aware, as this story about a Boston private school that eliminated it's traditional school library in favor of e-books highlights, that PVPUSD is not the first school to think about moving down this path for more than textbooks...and I confess that I still have not made up my mind about whether this is a good thing or not.

On the one hand, the core reading list is made up of "classics", most of which are available for free online.  It seems foolish to spend scarce money on hard copies when the content is available for free in electronic form.

On the other hand, I am still having a lot of personal difficulty separating the content from the package when it comes to books. It is hard for me to imagine that the experience of reading the words on a computer screen is the same as reading them on the pages of a book, or that making the books available online will foster the kind of classroom discussion that I remember from my long-ago high school days when we all were able to look at the same page as we discussed it. 

I think this is especially true since the free online e-books are accessed via an "old-fashioned" computer, rather than a personal reading device like the Kindle or Sony Reader which is designed to try to mimic many of the features of a real book.

But maybe I am just exhibiting previously hidden Luddite tendancies!

PVPUSD is only thinking about making students and parents aware of the e-books as an option given that the number of copies available via the school or the public library is limited, and not making them the default so it will be interesting to see whether students gravitate to them.

And as always I'd love to know what you think, so post a comment or two!

Aloha from the Malaga Cove Library

The islands came to Malaga Cove Library today. A great crowd enjoyed slack key guitar, hula lessons, lei making, Hawaiian BBQ, shave ice, and hawasian culture and stories. Thank you Mitch Chang, Jennifer Addington, and Jennifer Chaffey for organizing the event - hope we can do it again next year!

Congratulations to our new State Librarian Stacey Aldrich!

I just heard that my friend and colleague Stacey Aldrich has been appointed the new State Librarian of California.  Stacey has been in the acting State Librarian since her predecessor, Susan Hildreth, left to become the Director of the Seattle Public Library last spring.  I'm thrilled!

Stacey, at the relatively young age of 39, has nearly 20 years of library experience as well as training and experience as a professional Futurist. 

I've had the pleasure of getting to know Stacey as a fellow mentor on the Eureka Leadership program and through working together on several taskforces.  She is energetic, smart, politically astute, and a lot of fun.

Her passion for exploring the further horizons of the future and trying to understand what it means for libraries, her commitment to nurturing the next generation of library leaders, and her commitment to finding ways to unite libraries across this large and diverse state are just what California needs right now and I am looking forward to working with her as she takes on this challenging task.

Congratulations Stacey!

""Netflix"-style library fees

Some of the staff members at PVLD have been tossing around the idea of a Netflix-style book delivery service for some time, but have found it is more complicated than it seems both in terms of the back-end software, the staffing required, and the logistics of a large-scale mailing operation.

This article about the Hayward Public Library tells of a somewhat different approach - adopting the Netflix pre-payment financial model, but not the mail delivery service.  Essentially the Hayward Library plans to offer people the option of paying a flat monthly fee for the ability to have a fixed number of items checked out at one time for as long as they want to keep them without further overdue fees.  The Hayward Library Director indicates that they think this service will significantly increase their fee revenue while offering a convenience to customers.

Interesting!

I think Hayward uses the same back-end Integrated Library System that we do, so if they can make it work we could too.

If we offered an option like this would you use it?

Germany's Open Air Library - A model for the future?

Made out of beer cans, open 24 hours, integrated with a reading cafe and open air stage, no library card required, books taken and returned on the honor system...this article from Fast Company describes the new library in Magdeburg, Germany.  A somewhat more detailed description can be found in this article.

Community generated and operated, it offers a low-cost model of what many of us believe the 21st century library is about - open access, a focus on books and reading, community engagement, and a gathering space.

Reading between the lines it also seems to be missing many of the things we librarians hold dear -professional collection development, a catalog, a website, reference services, library cards and circulation systems...

It is also not clear what, if any, involvement there has been by professional librarians. 

It's a fascinating model of what a community library could be...exciting and energizing, but also a bit scary!

I'd love to know what you think.

Gene Roeder - Volunteer Extraordinaire

Peninsula Friends of the Library Vice- President Gene Roeder was today honored by the California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners for "Outstanding Volunteer Service to a Library".

Gene is Book Sale Chair, Past President of the Friends, and originator of the Books for Troops. Since he started volunteering at the library in 2002 he has contributed 14,000 hours of his time.

Congratulations Gene....and thank you!