Friends Newsletter, July 2013

The Friends of the Library will hold its next book sale on Friday, October 4th to Sunday, October 6th. Also, Above: Adult and Teen Services’ Marion Jackson graciously accepts a prize from FOCPL President Janet Flowers at the staff appreciation breakfast.

there will be an invitationonly sneak peek held on Friends treat library staff to appreciation breakfast Thursday, October 3rd.

by Janet L. Flowers, FOCPL President

On April 26th, the Friends Board and members hosted a library staff appreciation breakfast.

There were people in attendance, almost evenly divided between staff and Friends. The members provided tasty homemade dishes and the camaraderie amongst all was evident.

This year, the Friends of the Orange County Public Janet Flowers, Friends President, opened with a few remarks of thanks for the staff and she noted how library statistics tell a very compelling story about workloads. The number of library programs has risen dramatically and 400,000 items circulated in the past year. The staff has also very Library are pleased to announce that their annual meeting will be held on Saturday, December 7th at 2:00 pm. Local author John Bemis will be the Doing it Yourself: Self-Checkout at the Library special guest at the event.

by Steve Lorenz, Circulation Department

Cool has arrived in Hillsborough, and Orange County Main Library (OCML) patrons have proven how adaptable and technologysavvy they are by embracing that cool in the form of the three new self-check kiosks.

Since the stations were installed in March, staff members have witnessed a wide array of delighted remarks from a range of patrons using self-checkout for the first, second, or even tenth time. From very young children to older folks, who have fondly shared memories of using the card catalog, OCML Continued on Page 2…

successfully implemented a new state-of-theart self-checkout system and they worked hard to bring online a new ILS. As if this were not enough, the library has also been engaged in a strategic planning process for the future.

Flowers also remarked that the Friends love to see the smiling faces and hear the helpful advice when we come to visit the library. She thanked staff for making this a very warm and welcoming place for the community. She also thanked staff for their support and encouragement of the Friends group as well as their direct help with aspects of the Friends work, such as fliers.

As part of the thank you to the staff, raffle items were distributed to several lucky winners. The Friends donated five Weaver Street Market gift cards, five candles, one book and one gift basket. Local merchants, including Bear Bottoms Consignment Shop, Saratoga Grill, Triangle SportsPlex, and Panciuto also Continued on Page 5…

patrons are checking out hundreds of items every day all on their own.

In some cases, the DIY signage piqued people’s interest; in others, the enticement of being eligible for a gift card drawing encouraged them to give it a go. For others, a little bit of encouragement from someone like longtime OCML staff member Kevin saying, “It’s easy—even I can do it. I’ll show you.” has been enough. Regardless of how they tried it or why, it is certain that people have adapted quickly and happily to this technology.

Library Strategic Plan Update by Lucinda Munger, OCPL Director Andrea Tullos, OCPL Assistant Director OCPL is nearing the end of the process to develop the library’s first-ever 3-year strategic plan!

The project began in October 2012 with full funding from a Library Services and Technology Act grant through the State Library of North Carolina. The grant provided OCPL with a consultant–Dr. Anthony Chow from UNC-Greensboro—who conducted a community needs assessment that included an online survey, interviews with community leaders, and public forums to clarify community priorities and identify unmet needs.

The information and perspectives collected in the needs assessment, along with input from library staff and various members of the public, were distilled to identify

potential:

DIY: SELF-CHECKOUT

Continued from front page “It’s so coooooool” “Star Trek has arrived at the library” “It’s much easier than the grocery store” and “That’s awesome!” are just some of the overwhelmingly positive comments the library has received about self-checkout t e c h n o l o g y .

A l t h o u g h t h e system has not been without some small glitches, for the most part patrons flock to the kio sks , w hi ch makes for shorter lines at the circulation desk, happier patrons, and staff members who are able to give more attention to those who might need it.

 Self-checkout is completely optional

 Circulation staff remain available for personal and friendly service

 Check out multiple library items at once

 Renew items from the kiosks even if you don’t have them with you

 Try self-checkout between now and the end of August, and enter the monthly drawing for a $25 VISA gift card

 Self-checkout kiosks are located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the main library in Hillsborough One reason this do-it-yourself venture has been so successful is that staff and organizational goals for implementing selfcheckout are aligned well with patron’s needs. The library chose to purchase two selfcheckout kiosks (with the third generously purchased by the Friends) in order to absorb growing circulation numbers and to make checking out more efficient. This has certainly

 vision and mission statements  organizational values and core competencies  goals and objectives These components of the strategic plan were then taken back out to the community for further evaluation via online surveys, focus groups, and paper surveys mailed to 1,000 randomly chosen county residents. The feedback garnered at this stage of the process led to the creation of the draft strategic plan.

After additional refining by library administration, Dr. Anthony Chow presented the final draft of the strategic plan to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in May. The plan was left open for comment by that group and other elected officials through June 3. To see Dr. Chow’s presentation and the draft version of the strategic plan, please visit: http://www.orangecountync.gov/library/ deeproots.asp.

Continued on Page 5…

been the case; busy times are more manageable for staff and patrons alike.

It is extremely important to note that there will not come a day when OCML patrons are not greeted by two people at the front desk. Those who choose to do so will always be welcome to check out with a circulation staff member. Selfc h e c k o u t i s completely optional.

Perhaps the biggest concern expressed by the wonderful customers of OCML has been whether self-checkout kiosks would mean that staff members would lose their jobs. This is not the case, nor is it the point of selfc h e c k o u t .

W e recognize that many of our patrons have busy lives and are often on the go. Selfcheckout allows them a quick and convenient option for borrowing their library materials.

Above: Two of the three self-checkout machines located on the first floor. The third is on the second by the public computers.

Circulation staff and all staff are all still here, are more ready to help patrons than ever, and hope to do so for a very long time. If you haven’t already, try self-checkout the next time you’re at the library. And if you’re afraid, we promise to help you and make it as painless—and fun—as possible.

Adult & Teen Services Events and Programming Update by Jess Arnold, Teen & Adult Programming

Coordinator It has been a very busy few months at the library! In addition to the new self-check kiosks, the upgrade to a new catalog system, and our strategic planning process, we’ve kept up a full schedule of ongoing programs and special events.

County Solid Waste M a n a g e m e n t ) , a n d geocaching (complete with a fieldtrip to a local cache!)

The teens made “Crafts that Rock” b y stampin g messages in concrete to make garden stones, and we got a taste of your favorite “edible books” with our potluck book talk.

I n A p r i l w e successfully launched Last Fridays at the Library with a reading and author visit by Jill McCorkle, and followed it up in June with author Deborah Mello.

Both events were co-sponsored by the Friends, so thank you for making these a u t h o r a p p e a r a n c e s possible!

Of course, the fun continues throughout the summer with some great July programs for all ages.

Friends member and local author A.J. Mayhew will help us wrap up Summer Reading with an author appearance on July 31 at 6pm. A.J.’s book, The Dry Grass of August, is this summer’s Reading Together title. Reading Together is a summer-long program that encourages families to read and discuss important issues raised by a single book, and then come together at the end to discuss the experience and the text with the author.

Summer Reading kicked off in June with a month full of exciting programs for teens and adults, including hands-on events designed to help participants “dig in” and explore gardening (with the Hillsborough Garden Club), composting (with Orange Author Event: Brenda Chambers McKean, Blood and War at My Doorstep Main Library Monday, Jul. 29, 6:00 pm Come join us for an evening’s trip to the past as local author Brenda Chambers McKean talks about the experiences of women and civilians in North Carolina during the Civil War.

Brenda’s two-volume book, Blood and War at My Doorstep, contains fascinating historical accounts including newspaper articles and many previously unpublished letters describing life for those on the homefront.

Copies of her book will be available for purchase.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Orange County Public Library.

News from Youth Services by Debbie, Mary, Louise and Kim, Youth Services The library is abuzz with activity this summer as “Dig Into Reading,” the summer reading program, is underway!

participants. It’s amazing how much joy and inspiration a rubber duck or princess note pad can provide to young readers!

The kick-off event on June 1st featured Piedmont Laureate John Claude Bemis leading a conversation with local children’s authors Clay Carmi c hael , Fra nc e s O’Roark Dowell, Kelly Starling Lyons and Cate Tiernan. Patrons of all ages attended to hear these local authors share stories about why they became writers, what books inspire them, and offer suggestions for aspiring young writers.

W e a r e a l s o c o n t i n u i n g o u r collaborations with Orange Congregations in Mission

(OCIM)

and Ronald McDonald House again this summer, through our “Read to Give” initiative. In lieu of receiving a prize, some children choose to receive book bucks which are used to “purchase” a book to be donated to one of these organizations. In addition to choosing a book to pass along to OCIM or Ronald McDonald House, kids also write their name on a “Book Buck” that is displayed on a special scroll in the library.

Last year, 290 books were donated with “Book Bucks” and we’re hoping to beat that record this year!

Other events this summer

include:

puppet s h o w s , a t h e a t e r performance of Little Red Riding Hood, an informative afternoon with live owls from Piedmont Wildlife, creating with LEGOs, many story times, and more.

One final note, we would like to welcome our new youth services supervisor, Debbie Shreve, who joined us at the end of April. Debbie brings more than 10 years of library e x p e r i e n c e t o o u r department, so please stop by and say hello.

T h e S u m m e r Reading program offers a fun reading experience for children through staff encouragement, special programs and small incentive prizes. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends, we’ve been able to offer books and other reading incentives to our We look forward to seeing you at the library!

Family Fun Day | Main Library Saturdays, July 13 & August 10, 9:30—10:30 am The Library partners with The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough to celebrate Family Fun Days in June, July, August & September! Come to the Library to make a craft 9:30-10:30 am. Then, visit the Children’s Services desk to get a “Passport to Historic Hillsborough” and go to special sites throughout the day to get your passport stamped. More Family Fun Days info at www.visithillsborough.org or 919-732-7741. ALL AGES! Sponsored by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough.

Friends Board of Directors achieving goals toward mission by Janet L. Flowers, FOCPL President The Friends Board of Directors has been busy this spring with a variety of activities related to our mission.

who write and s u b m i t b o o k reviews will have the opportunity to win two Kindle Fire tablets purchased by the Friends.

Children will receive s t i c k e r s , bookmarks, gift certificates, and small toys, also furnished by the Friends.

In January, the Friends donated $11,650 for the purchase of a selfcheckout system for the second floor of the library.

County funds were available for the purchase of the two units downstairs but there was not funding for one upstairs. We hope that this enhancement of services will be convenient and useful for library patrons.

Also, in March, we participated in the library strategic planning process by providing feedback and advice regarding the proposed directions for the library.

The Friends also contributed $757 to the library by purchasing summer reading program prizes. Adults and teens In early April, we held our semi-annual book sale (see article below).

Book Sale Report: More Money Raised for our Library by Chris Holaday, Coordinator, Spring and Fall Book Sales Thanks to a terrific t u r n o u t f r o m b o t h volunteers and book shoppers, this year’s first book sale was a success.

The Friends’ Spring 2013 Book Sale raised $1652, money that will help the Friends support the projects of our library.

big role by arranging for tables and the removal of books after the sale.

All in all, everyone did a splendid job and everything went smoothly.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped. Even if you came and bought only one book, you still contributed to the cause.

T h e B o a r d members, led by sale coordinators Bill Barrows and Chris Holaday, all contributed their time, doing everything from moving boxes to collecting money. We also had 26 members of the Friends who worked at the sale.

Assistant Library Director Andrea Tullos also played a As a community service, leftover books were sent to the local prison (two boxes), New Hope and Central Elementary Schools (eight boxes), Brookshire Nursing Home (three boxes), and The Peachtree After-School Program (one box). Board members were pleased that the books will be used by these worthy organizations.

The Friends’ Spring It’s not too early to start thinking about the Fall Sale! If you’re moving or 2013 Book Sale raised $1652!

This event, which is enjoyed by many in the community, brings together many of the Friends as volunteers to set up and staff the sale. In addition to raising funds for the library, we are pleased to provide r e s o u r c e s f o r disadvantaged members of our community.

outreach and programming.

We do, however, cosponsor events with the library. On April 26th, the first Last Friday of 2013, we co-sponsored a very wellattended talk by local author Jill McCorkle. On June 1st, we co-sponsored the kick-off program for summer reading with a children’s authors talk led by John Bemis. And on June 28th, the Friends sponsored a talk by Deborah Fletcher Mello, an African-American romance novelist from Hillsborough.

In addition to raising funds for the library, we are pleased to provide resources for disadvantaged members of our community.

In late April, we sponsored a library staff appreciation breakfast that was well attended (see article on page 1) and enjoyed by all.

We welcome ideas from our membership as we seek to meet our primary goal of financial support for the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough.

The Friends no longer develop programs of our own because the library has become so active in its Books needed for Ongoing Book Sale Everyone knows about our twice-yearly book sale but did you know we also sell books year-round to help support our library? When you enter the library, turn right and go to the far section of shelves. There you’ll find a nice selection of mostly current books. These are not worn out paperbacks, but recent popular selection that can be be purchased for a fraction of what they would cost new. This ongoing book sale is one of the four* ways we raise funds, and right now, books are needed to keep it going. If you have books to donate that were published in the last five years and are in good condition, please bring them to the Library Circulation Desk. Both adult fiction and nonfiction are appreciated. Thanks for supporting this Friends activity that provides inexpensive current reading materials for our community.

just tidying up, why not donate some of those books that are starting to gather dust so some other reader can enjoy them?

The Friends will sell them to raise funds for the library and, of course, you’ll have room on your shelf to buy new books!

Mentioning the Fall Sale, look for a few changes when it rolls around in October. The Board has a p p r o v e d t h e recommendation that a “By Invitation Only Friends’ Night” be held on the Thursday evening before the sale. This will be for Friends whose memberships are in good standing, and with the stipulation that no scanners will be allowed.

This should be a fun little party for book-lovers! Stay tuned for more details.

*Memberships, spring and fall book sales, and profits from cosponsored programs are the other three ways we raise money for the library.

FRIENDS BREAKFAST

Continued from front page donated items that were distributed to the muchdeserving staff.

In addition, each member of the staff, whether present or not, received a goody bag containing a gift card, candle, and candy as a token of appreciation from the Friends.

The library staff works very hard to provide the best service possible to our community, so please stop by and thank them for their hard work and dedication!

Above: Members of the Friends and staff of the library mingle over the delicious meal served. Below: The staff of the Orange County Public Library take a group photograph. implementation, and determining budgets for each tactic as appropriate.

STRATEGIC PLAN

Continued from Page 2 Based upon the feedback received from the elected officials, library administration and staff will s p e n d t h e s u mm er d e v e l o p i n g s pe c i f i c , actionable tactics to fulfill the draft plan’s goals and objectives. This includes prioritizing the tactics, creating a timeline for Since projects of this scope are truly collaborative efforts, library administration will share the fleshed-out strategic plan with various county department directors and managers in August, prior to submitting it to the BOCC once more for final review.

The library anticipates

receiving BOCC approval on the strategic plan in mid- October.

customer service, providing access to technology, improving the library’s collections and program offerings, offering library services throughout the county, and building community connections, we are excited to create a strategic plan that will allow the library to meet and exceed the needs of Orange County now through 2016.

Thank you, Friends, for your support and participation during this process. Libraries of the 21st century are dynamic, evolving institutions in this age of technology, changing expectations and progress.

With emphases on overall organizational excellence, delivering outstanding

Orange County Public Library Book Club Update by Sara Levinson, FOCPL Newsletter Chair The Orange County Public Library Book Club meets the second Tuesday of every month. The books that will be read and discussed are chosen every six months or so, and the whole membership gets to both propose the books and to vote for them. Everyone is welcome. The meetings are held in the meeting room in the Orange County Public Library at 6:30 and generally last until 7:30 or 7:45.

I’m a writer and home cook and

live in Berlin, Germany. I used to live in New York City, where I edited cookbooks and blogged and ran around gaping at the wonders of the world around me. But in the fall of 2009, I moved back to Berlin, where I was born, to live with my husband Max and write fulltime. … In September 2012, Viking published my first book, a food memoir called M y B e r l i n Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes). In the book, I write all about my childhood in Berlin, the constant homesickness I’ve spent my life battling in the kitchen, and how I finally came full- These are the books that the club will be

reading in the near future:

On July 9, the club will read and discuss My Berlin Kitchen: a Love Story (with Recipes) by Luisa Weiss.

The author’s blog explains:

“The Wednesday Chef is written by me, Luisa Weiss.

A letter to the friends from Tori Reid, Ph.D.

To Friends of the Library,

Thank you for all that you do to support the Orange County Public Library. I have been a lifelong library user. I admittedly don’t get in as often as I’d like but a public library much like ours here in Hillsborough provided a tremendous foundation for a child growing up in rural Person County. Over the years, libraries have continued to be special places for me.

Libraries are great places to make memories. I remember having my own library card; playing with blocks in the kids section and going to storytime in the summer. At the time the appeal of the summer events may have been mostly about the air conditioning but I know that I learned something. Having two small children now, I understand that you never know what information little ears pickup on the periphery. Being in the space and presence of learning is the important part. The Orange County Public Library provides a safe place for children to listen, explore and learn.

I also love public libraries because they are great tools for making knowledge accessible regardless of social standing or economic ability. With a strong foundation in reading, any subject can be learned and much can be accomplished. Perhaps as important, books afford an opportunity to free one’s mind to wander into places unknown; to explore new ideas and to take a break.

Finally, as we continue to move at lightning speed in digital world, the library has been an outstanding place to access on-line material including searchable databases that are useful for home, school and business. I see these as opportunities to continue to expand the reach of the library and touch more lives.

Supporters and advocates of the library facilitate all the magic and we patrons are appreciative.

Thank you,

Tori Williams Reid, Ph.D.

circle by moving back home and marrying my husband.

I’ve filled the book with my favorite recipes from New York, Italy and Berlin.” book as “a collection of related stories by Tim O’Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, originally published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin in 1990.

The Things They Carried employs heavy use of Metafiction, as O’Brien has stated his belief that truth can be more effectively communicated that way.

T h e f o l l o w i n g meeting, on August 13, will be readers’ choice. We have two reader’s choice meetings a year. This is when members share what they have been reading with each other, and where we get the list of books we will vote on to be our selections for the following six months. It also provides a list of books that many members use to help choose their personal reading aside from those we have chosen to read as a club.

The selection for the meeting on September 10 is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

Wikipedia describes the Many of the characters are semi-autobiographical … O’Brien dedicated The Things They Carried to the men of the Alpha Company with whom he fought during the war.” We hope to see you there!

(Book cover images come from the Orange County Public Library online catalog)