Public Libraries and the Internet

The American Library Association (ALA) and Florida State University have just released a study on public libraries and internet usage. To quote from the ALA press release:

The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, found that more than 73 percent of libraries report they are the only source of free public access to computers and the Internet in their communities.

A growing number of U.S. employers are recruiting online. Nearly three-quarters (70 percent) of the top 100 U.S. retailers accept online applications for hourly positions, up from 41 percent in 2004, and 16 percent only accept online applications, according to a 2006 study from Taleo Research.

Nearly 100 percent of public libraries offer free public access to the Internet. However, despite increased patron demand for technology services, libraries have not seen a corresponding increase in their budgets. As a result, many libraries are challenged to provide enough computers or fast-enough connection speeds to meet community need. In fact, more than 58 percent of libraries reported that they have no plans to add computers in the coming year; less than half (46 percent) plan to replace computers. [Emphasis added.]

The Boston Globe ran an article on the ALA study on September 12.

Kellogg-Hubbard patron accesses the Internet:

Tips for Using the Kellogg Hubbard Website

http://www.kellogghubbard.org/

Our Catalog- did you like the book THE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN? Type the title into the search bar in the online catalog (or even the first part of the title), click Title, and then click on one of the subject headings. If you want to search by Author, type last name first, then first name (no comma necessary), then click Author. Want to browse a list of our DVDs? Type in DVD and click Call Number. (Watch out though- you'll get 700+ titles. You could refine your search by using Power Search; for instance, type "DVD" in the top search bar and "horses" in the second one.) Have a look at the Events tab too!

Site Index- can't remember where on the website you found the Internet Use Policy for Kellogg-Hubbard? At the bottom of every page on our site is a link to the Site Index, an alphabetical list of all the pages in our website.

Past Loves Day Celebration - Monday, Sept 17th!

On Monday, September 17 at 7pm meet the couple who originated National Past Loves Day and find out why they initiated this new holiday. Authors Kate Harper and Leon Marasco invite you to join them in the first public celebration of Past Loves Day. They will discuss where past loves and current intimacy meet in today's relationships. Reading of stories which won first and second place in the 1st Annual Past Loves Story Contest will be read. Kate and Leon will talk about their book, If Only I Could Tell You... Where Past Loves and Current Intimacy Meet.
This is what Vermont Author Tim Brookes had to say about this book:

Kate Harper and Leon Marasco have found an interesting and significant subject: not only the importance of past loves, but the nature of intimacy itself. The book would be worth reading for the interviews alone, which are both moving and profoundly thought-provoking. Denying the importance of one's past loves, it becomes clear, is not only one strike against any present love and the struggle for intimacy, it's also a strike against the unity of the self.

Join us at the library for a fun evening - complete with refreshments!

AmeriCorps*VISTA Opportunity Kellogg-Hubbard

Position re-opened:

Interested in an exciting service opportunity with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier? The library seeks a motivated and creative person to help expand the library's capacity to provide programs and outreach services to community members. For more information, contact Amanda White or Nicholas Nicolet at the Youth Service Bureau, 802-229-9151 or e-mail servevtyouth@comcast.net.

Library/Teen Center partnership

Rosa Keefe, Kellogg-Hubbard Library's AmeriCorps*VISTA member, prepared the following post:

Over the past 6 months an innovative relationship has budded between the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and the Basement Teen Center of Montpelier. The collaboration hopes to make teens more aware of the fun, safe activities available at the Basement, which is located on the side of the City Hall building at 39 Main Street in Montpelier.

The first step towards the partnership was taken in March 2007 with the creation of a teen bulletin board in the Young Adult section on the mezzanine in the Library. The bulletin board includes information about the Teen Center, a schedule of activities, and an interactive portion that encourages teens to add their own materials such as art and poetry.

Several months later, in May, a month long program called "Teen Movies in May" was initiated. Over the course of 5 weeks, movies were shown every Thursday afternoon and Teen Center staff were present to inform teens and encourage those attending to sign up for free membership with the Teen Center. In all, 42 teens attended the "Movies in May" program, and about 15 signed up for new membership with the Basement Teen Center.

Once teens heard from their peers that the library was showing big screen movies, and the Teen Center was providing tons of snacks, attendance at the programs really shot up.

An anime film that was shown one week during "Movies in May" turned out to be so popular that teens specifically requested that lots more anime be shown in the future. So, at this request, the Library and Teen Center once again partnered to provide a special anime presentation at the beginning of August, called "Teen Anime Fest." "Teen Anime Fest" featured two anime films shown back to back along with a display of Manga and Japanese comics available for teens to check out from the Library. One of the anime films featured a love story set in a library, which the teens thought was really cute and appropriate to show at the Kellogg-Hubbard.

Although no more of these special collaborative programs are planned at this time, the Library hopes that the Basement Teen Center will keep up its presence at the Library though the teen bulletin board and use of library meeting space for future teen programs.

"The collaboration between Kellogg-Hubbard Library and the Basement Teen Center has helped both organizations gain more acceptance with youth in the community. I am sure that there will be collaboration in the future, and hopefully youth in the community with take advantage of these opportunities," George Karpoff, Director of the Basement Teen Center

For more information on the Basement Teen Center visit: http://www.youthservicebureau.info/programs_services/prevention/basement_teen_center.htm

Or contact Teen Center Director George Karpoff at 229-9151.

Photo: "Inside the teen center there is a pool table, games, couches, TV, internet, snacks, and many activities all free to teens."

The Flowers in the Planter

So many people enjoy the beautiful flowers at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. The list of the plants used in these photos was compiled by Georgia Valentine one of our Master Gardeners responsible for the gardens. Jane Lendway is the other Master Gardener who cares for the gardens and coordinates other volunteers to weed, water and mulch. These gardens are a gift of love from the Washington/Orange Master Gardeners!


Click on photo to enlarge.

ANNUALS IN THE PLANTER OUTSIDE THE HAYES ROOM – 2007
This year’s plants came from Arcana Gardens and Greenhouses in Jericho. They have an amazing selection of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables, all organic. Check their website by clicking on their name above or stop in at 175 Schillhammer Road, off Rte 117 N from I-89, Exit 11 (Richmond Exit).

In the back: Snapdragons – Royal Bride (white) and Double Azalea Apricot

In the front:
Diascia – Diamonte apricot (looks like a little sedum)
Petunia – Tidal Wave (Well named – it is about to submerge everything else)

Grasses:
Fiber Optic (guess which one!) (this little one is just barely holding its own)
Bunny Tail

That fuzzy plant: an ornamental sage– we lost the label so don’t know the exact name 

In the middle:
Flowering Maple – Bella Vanilla (we hope that the 15’ on the label is a typo…)
Oxypetalum Tweedia – supposedly the only annual with turquoise blue flowers…
Osteospermum – African Daisy
Lettuce – Black Simpson

This planter is Hot and Dry, so we try to water it frequently, and mix in plenty of compost and “Water Grabber” crystals to keep the soil moist.

Ben T. Matchstick Joins Library Staff

Welcome Ben!
The Kellogg-Hubbard Library is proud to announce the appointment of Ben T. Matchstick as the new children’s programming coordinator. Ben is well-known in the community as the founder of the “Cardboard Teck Instantute” and as a beloved children’s entertainer, known for his interactive puppet shows and art projects using recycled materials. In the past, Ben has been at the center of some very popular children’s events at the library, and has also volunteered his time to help with a number of library projects. We are delighted to have Ben as a member of the staff. Join him at story time which returns from its break beginning September 4th on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m.

In the photo, Ben is standing in front of his creation, "The Little Library That Could", which highlights the ongoing financial support for the Children's Library. The goal is for the engine to reach the top of the hill when we receive a total of $10,000!

Volunteers Needed

For two weeks in September we will be surveying library patrons to find out what town they live in. Currently, we only know someone's hometown if they check out a book or other material. If someone is coming to the library for a program, to use a computer, to read, or for a meeting we don't know their hometown. As we prepare for town meeting day next year, we would like to have a better sense of where our patrons live. (The survey will be anonymous; we won't ask anyone for their name.)

We will ask visitors three brief questions. During each of the times below we need three volunteers: two for the front door and one for the back.

Please e-mail me (mhahn@kellogghubbard.org) if you are able to volunteer for this important library project. (Note that I'm on vacation next week, starting August 20.)

Thank you!

Tuesday September 4th, 10:15am-12pm

Wednesday September 5th, 2pm-4pm

Thursday September 6th, 4pm-6pm

Friday September 7th, 10:15am-12pm

Saturday September 8th, 11am-1pm

Monday September 10th, 6pm-8pm

Tuesday September 11th, 4pm-6pm

Wednesday September 12th, 10:15am-12pm

Thursday September 13th, 2pm-4pm

Friday September 14th, 3pm-5pm

Saturday September 15th, 10:15am-12pm

Montpelier Downtown Community Association

At the MDCA web site you can sign up for a very useful listserve for weekly updates on what events are taking place in Montpelier. (You can also visit Kellogg-Hubbard's web site for links to activities in our service area.)

Current Book Displays in the Library

Have you ever noticed the books displays in the front lobby? This month's displays feature True Adventure, On The Water and Egyptology. The list of books that were on the display earlier today are listed below. Hilari organizes these displays each month.

TRUE ADVENTURE

--"Breaking the Limit: One Woman's Motorcycle Journey Through North America" by Karen Larsen
--"Escape from Lucania: An Epic Story of Survival" by David Roberts
--"Around the World in 80 Days: Outward Bound," a movie written and presented by Michael Palin
--"Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings" by Jonathan Raban
--"Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River" by Peter Heller
--"The Tragic History of the Sea: Shipwrecks from the Bible to the Titanic" edited by Anthony Brandt
--"Trawler: A Journey through the North Atlantic" by Redmond O'Hanlon
--"The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival among America's Great White Sharks" by Susan Casey

ON THE WATER

--"Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die: Fly-Fishing Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations" by Chris Santella
--"The Complete Book of Swimming" by Dr. Phillip Whitten
--"Inland Passage: On Boats and Boating in the Northeast" by David W. Shaw
--"Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide: The Best Whitewater Runs in New England and New York—Novice to Expert" by Bruce Lessels
--"The Connecticut River Boating Guide" by the Connecticut River Watershed Council
--"Fishing Vermont's Streams and Lakes: A Guide to the Green Mountain State's Best Trout and Bass Waters" by Peter F. Cammann
--"The Complete Angler: A Connecticut Yankee Follows in the Footsteps of Walton" by James Prosek

EGYPTOLOGY

--"The Egyptologist" by Arthur Phillips
--"The Last Camel Died at Noon" by Elizabeth Peters
--"Mystery of the Nile: The Epic Story of the First Descent of the World's Deadliest River" by Richard Bangs and Pasquale Scaturro
--"Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival" by Dean King
--"Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the Pharaohs" by Bridget McDermott
--"Guide to the Valley of the Kings" by Alberto Siliotti
--"Valley of the Golden Mummies" by Zahi Hawass