Community Information needs- Public library resources & programs

    Libraries provide information for people who live and work in the community.  So we need a variety of resources , and an understanding of the kinds of questions and resources that our patrons may need. A lot of people expect to find their answers at the library or the library 's website!
   
   Patrons may be seeking many different facets of information.  For example , product information, : before making a major purchase, many want to find out the quality and features of a product. This can be done at the library through journals or different website searches.,

   Health information is also a big need by  many.  Patrons want information on how to stay healthy, diet and exercise books and magazines, information on medical conditions and lifestyle choices,

 Patrons also need to learn about their communities, and their county's government and their representatives. They may need to contact then for help or to become part of the decision making process.

  How to do it- Patrons like to attain knowledge to do it themselves.  They can learn car repair, baking and cooking, fixing household items and building use items.   How to books and sources are one of the most attractive items to patrons using the library.

  Patrons also use the library for personal enrichment.  They want to read for pleasure , play online games, check favorite websites, enjoy special library programs and gather with like minded  groups of people.

Establishing Routines- Part 3 - Floor Time

 "Floor Time" is when I am Not in my office( that is Desk Time- see Establishing Routines- Desk Time).  Each day I try to spend as much time as possible  on 'Floor  Time". Why?  because I want to be viable to the patrons and the staff and I want to be available for help  when needed.

  This is a time when I am really 'being' a librarian by assisting patrons with reference and reading questions. During this time, I can help patrons locate books,  provide computer help, and discuss reading   suggestions and preferences.

   There are many other tasks and activities that I also do during floor time which helps me keep tabs on the physical site of the library building. This is a challenge  because we are in a 100 year old bank building so something is almost always is needing attention.

Professional Reading Journals for Public Librarians

  There are many great journals  for public librarians.   The two we receive and share with the librarians in our branches are : BookList , and Library Journal.  Both of these are excellent . I also find that the articles are great- especially the ones in Library Journal.

 I use these for mostly reading reviews of the latest books  and look  for their stared reviews and special sections on various genres.   Both also have great websites.

. Booklist is a book-review magazine that has been published by the American Library Association for more than 100 years. It  is widely viewed as offering the most reliable reviews to help libraries decide what to buy . It  also has an extensive website and database, e-newsletters, webinars, and other resources that support librarians in collection development and readers' advisory.


  Library Journal is another  trusted and respected publication for the library community. Built on more than a century of quality journalism and reviews, Library Journal  provides  features and analytical news reports covering technology, management, policy and other professional concerns to public, academic and institutional libraries. They have vast reviews and  evaluate 8000+ books, ebooks, audiobooks, videos/DVDs, databases, systems and websites.

Magazine management

   How do you manage your magazines?   How do you keep track of if anything is missing?  There are many ways to do this. One of the easiest is one described in The Organized Librarian ( See under tab for books for sale).

   Now that I am in a public library , my clerks do most of the keeping track and it is one thing I do not have to stress about.  When a title is missing , I just give a call to our magazine supplier and our friendly Allison takes care of it.

 But I do recommend   keeping a listing of what magazines you receive. Now I also like to track how times each title goes out so I can decide if I will reorder when the renewals come up. 

 We bar code each one as we get  a newer one each month. Which means the current month does not go out, but back issues can. 

 Our present magazine rack is not the greatest. But I am hoping that our Friends group will be able to purchase a regular one for us.

 We keep the magazines for a year and then we discard them. We have a "Free Box" where patrons can recycle their magazines. So at times we will place the outdated magazines in their.

Book Processing

 You still may be processing  your new books. And you may be getting tired of doing it and wish it were done.  Especially in a public library when you may get a shipment every month.  How can you get it done and still do something / anything else to have your library in good shape ?    In "The Organized Librarian" I give some ideas  on getting everything done or at least not feeling so very overwhelmed at all there is to do.

        But I still get the feeling that the books will Never  get all done and then a new shipment comes in with more books. Now I love love new books but I want them to be all ready for the staff and patrons, and not have them staring me in the face.   So what I do is this , depending on the number of other things I need to do , I set a daily goal of the number of books  to do each day.  

         The rest I 'hide"- no I really do not hide them , I just place them on a cart facing toward the wall or in a closet  so I do not see them 24/7.  Then I get the book goal done as soon as I can - coming in early, staying late, making sure that the other activities I need to have completed  are finished. If I am having a good day- I sneak out the next days goal and do them. 

        If there is a great day of only a few classes or a meeting that I do not have to attend then I sometimes do a marathon day of stamping, date due slips,  and  putting on genre stickers.  Then I really feel great about getting all the books ready.

    
    

File Cabinets

 Making your file cabinets easy to use!

     At my new position, there was stuff filed in the file cabinets but not in hanging file folders and not in any kind of order.  so it was very difficult to find things quickly. I also went through and got rid of many files and papers that I did not need. I had to make sure what to chuck and what to keep.

    At the public library level , you are required to keep many records at least 7 years.

    So this is what I did. First I took EVERYTHING out.  Then I got a stack of new file folders and new hanging file folders.  I made new folders for almost everything that looked dog eared and ratty.

   Then I  rehung the hanging folders and filed items in ABC order.   I also have a small cabinet in my desk.  I did the same thing.   I made files and got the hanging file folders  and put that in Alphabetical order.

   What a difference! Now I can actually find quickly what I need.  Now as per  The Organized Librarian , I want to make a listing of what is in each drawer so that when I need to find soemthing I can check the list to see where it is located.

  I still have the files downstairs to do but that is another days' job.

Establishing Routines- Part 2- Desk Time

  At my new position of library manager, I am still trying to figure out routines and schedules.  I still struggle with using my time wisely.  As a school librarian, I had one large room and multiple classes, and the regular library duties.

  As library manager, I have  regular library duties , and then I also am the manager of a three story building.  So this is a learning curve for me, and I am slowly figuring out the routines and changing them.

  So I am dividing my time into two parts : library duties and building duties.   The library duties are also  a little different in that I actually have a book budget in which I can purchase books each month and I can get the latest best sellers that patrons want.

  So in establishing my routines I am deciding  between ' desk time" and 'floor time'.  During my desk time, I  do the following activities at designated times: First thing in the Am ( before opening) check emails,  track wireless, check answering machine .

  Also I have Desk time  during coverage of lunches: Again I check emails, work on purchasing lists, reading reviews,  printing out calendars, flyer's,  making phone calls.

  At the end of the day, I also do a little desk time: again check emails, make phone calls,  file papers,  clean up my desk,  make plans for the rest of the day, and check my calendar and planning books.
I might also during  any of these times, write down questions I may need to ask my Director or Assistant Director.