Public Library Perspective

my perspective...

previous life county libraries areas of work keeping current challenges in intellectual freedom

previous life

Biology/Botany/Ecology 17 years library school why I was hired a field to develop your abilities finally enough to read!

about county libraries

began as cooperatives in 1930s small rural libraries form a

medium-sized library books move from branch to branch

in exchanges 10-20 branches 1-3 librarians

rural libraries are changing 1990s - public computers, scanner, cd

burner, etc. wireless network since 1998 library computer department 24/7 innovations, pilot projects award-winning (eg 1999, 2003) community change since 2000? restructuring; organizational review

what I do

supervision and management special projects take part in the community de facto supervisor of tech services website collection development reference and reader’s advisory

supervision and management

management style supervise 7 (plus) training for system plan and implement changes in

methods, procedures and policies organize library and community

events

special projects

microfilming Ingersoll Tribune (1993-4) planning, building a new library facility

(1995-6) indexing local newspapers local history databases on website

(since 1999) low vision access workstation (2004)

library and community

2 (or 3) book clubs 2 writing groups annual poetry contest children’s programs partnerships with Ingersoll Cheese

Factory Museum and Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre

weekly newspaper column

mutation to de facto supervisor of tech services implementation of online circulation

system and online holds (1999) migrate to unicorn 2004 Still migrating 2005… supervising technicians who

catalogue upgrades, tech problems, glitches

www.ocl.net

since 1996 originally just advised re useful links for

reference service now oversee content for library coordinate content with webmaster future directions? integration into County of Oxford website web catalogue

collection development

2001 -- $200,000 2002 -- $207,000 2003 -- $221,000 2004 -- $227,000 2005 -- $161,000

~6500 books avg $30-35 ~125 books a week

shortcuts

buy prepublication – why? use library jobber - LSC standing order plans

go through catalogues 2 half-days a week children’s and YA

how collection is managed

SOLS guidelines for county libraries 60/40 nonfiction/fiction 70/30 adult/youth and juvenile online catalogue system location of items, circulation status,

exchanges, holds weeding

reference

linking agent information broker bridge

breadth not depth questions web site

our motto

Find out more. Use open questions.

“What type of thing are you looking for?” “Can you tell me about the kind of

information you would like?” “What aspect of [subject] concerns you?” “What sort of material do you have in

mind?”

reference questions

The exact latitude of Ingersoll Source of that quote about an infinite

number of monkeys typing Shakespeare (Urgent).

I want a list of damage and deaths caused by earthquakes in the last five years, worldwide.

How do you pronounce Ypres?

more questions

What is this bug? It was in a spider web in a horse barn. There were millions of them, but the others were alive.

A copy of the poem “The Sandpiper and I” that was in the third Ontario Reader

Who wrote the short story “Observing the niceties”?

more questions

What is plastic wrap made of? What makes it stick? (for science fair)

Pictures of roller coasters. My husband is building a roller coaster and I am going to landscape it.

I want a book on how to become an image consultant.

more questions

What is this weed and what herbicide will kill it?

Can I do anything to stop or slow down macular degeneration? Is it true that laser surgery for cataracts makes macular degeneration worse?

What do lesbians do?

clarification...

Can you think of another word for merging?

Could you recommend to me a book or two on behaviour for a boy who is 9?

Where are your books on animals? a picture of Picasso in his Pubis

period

reader’s advisory

helping people find a book they would like to read

reading for pleasure “Can you help me? I really like

Maeve Binchy but have read all her books.”

Typically fiction, but not always (eg true crime)

how we do it

we read! genre fiction lists custom book lists website: resources and links for reader’s

advisory book discussion groups promoting reading and books catalogue improvements (SHs for fiction) subscription to NoveList

reader’s advisory questions Can you find me something like Patricia

Cornwell’s novels? But not an “I-book”. My son [age 4] really likes dinosaurs, but we

want something with more of a story…but not those cute dinosaurs, not Barney

I am looking for an author who writes like Rosemary Sutcliff. My patron is an adult, but reads juvenile books as well.

I want a book like Trainspotting. I have read everything by Irvine Welsh.

The patron remembers - almost

I am looking for The Valley of Unrequited Love by Wayne Robinson

Do you have a copy of a book called Love’s Breasts? It is written by “Dr. Susan”.

I am looking for a mystery series with a bunch of birdwatchers in it. I can’t remember the author or detective name, but the book I read was called Watch out for the tufted duck.

can be a challenge...

I need poems by or about abused women.

We want a book in which a child has to wear an eyepatch. This is for a parent dealing with a 3-year old who has to wear a patch because of “lazy eye”.

I need a nice poem to read at a family reunion -- tomorrow. Something that won’t offend anyone.

I am writing a book and want to know what genre it is. It is kind of like Life after Life or Talking to Heaven, except that I have changed some events and merged some characters.

English assignments from hell I need a book that deals with a problem. It’s

for school. I have to read a novel that uses irony or

satire. It is for my grade 11 English course. I don’t know what the teacher means by irony or satire.

We each need a book that has been made into a movie. Less than 200 pages.

A novel, a short story, and a poem that all have the same theme

Do you know of any good authors?

Keeping Current for Dummies

book info and publishing news library world workshops and training area of specialization reading books

intellectual freedom

1999 - The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book, pub 1998.

2004 – Dinorella: a prehistoric fairy tale by Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole

R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book

[by email] My 13 yr.old son went into Ingersoll Library recently and signed out “The R.Crumb coffe table book”. As a budding artist and avid reader of various types of comic books, he picked this book from the shelf assuming it was just another comic artist’s book he may find interesting.

When he brought it home and started to look through it, it was quite disturbing. This is not the type of publication Oxford County Public Library should be encouraging let alone making available to minors. This book has many explicit depictions of characters in various sexual acts, makes light of drug use and degrades women.

Just browsing through the book these pages are most disturbing: Page 33, 67, 101, 105, 120, 122, 123, 126, 127, 146, 194 and 236.

This is one truly sick person who we should not support. I find it hard to believe many adults would find this humerous.

What procedures do Oxford County have in place to ensure books of this nature are not on our Library shelves available to our children? What action can OCL take to prevent recurrence? Please respond as I believe it is an issue that deserves OCL’s full attention.

[signed]

Dinorella To Whom It May Concern:In Regards to the Story Book Dinorella.

If you have never read this story, I would encourage you to do so.

I Laid down one night and started to read this to my 4 yr old daughter. For the first time ever, in reading a book for my daughter, did I find myself having to adlib, and leave out sentences.

I try to teach my daughter that name calling is not nice and can hurt people’s feelings.

What is the first thing I come across in this book, 3rd page in “She’s a dingbat” She’s a dumbhead page 7 cuts Dinorella up; as being Dull and Dowdy Not bad words But still come’s across as being mean.

Pg13 “A Dastardly Deed”“I’ll digest you by daybreak”

Pg14 “You disgusting dummy”Pg 16 “A Devil”Pg 18 “The Devil Will Destroy me” Pg 20 “A Demon” “Dimwits”“Demons Don’t Throw Diamonds”I know this is to follow the Cinderella

theme. But I was not pleased at all when reading this to my child.

We all know what words and phrases children tend to pick up.

I am quite concerned, and am shocked that any company would dare to publish such a book for children.

I did not think the day would come where, as a parent you would have to read the books before you bring them home.

I do know right off the top I will not even open the cover of another book By Pamela Duncan Edwards – Henry Cole.

I am thankful that I read this to my daughter as opposed to her reading it herself.

The choice is obviously yours, but I would strongly suggest that this Book be taken out of circulation and not be made available to the children.

Sincerely, A Concerned parent,[signed][contact info]

What do you notice about these book challenges?

How would you proceed if you receive a challenge regarding a book?

Recommendation…have a policy!

Not books – computers!

over 40 challenges/incidents re public computer use and/or Internet use in libraries 1999-2000

April 2000: implemented policies re use of library computers and Internet

August 2001: Porn surfers use federal computers! (by Glen McGregor The Ottawa Citizen August 29, 2001)

What happened at OCL

pressure to put filters on public computers approx. same time as US “Children’s

Internet Protection Act” passed 2000, overturned May 31, 2002, declared constitutional June 23, 2003...

surveillance software that records every website visited -- supposedly cannot be used to terminate an employee

“tighten up” policies

Since then

fewer reported incidents just as many incidents?

supervision of centre by staff, volunteers, CAP youth

Current policies user must have library card - ie user

record created in our system user must sign Appropriate Use agreement if user under 16, user’s parent or guardian

must sign user must show library card each time card is scanned to create record of use in

circ system database software gives 1 hour on public computer

Acceptable Use of the Internet: ongoing issues in branches visiting websites that violate guidelines use of chat vs “real work” disruptive behaviour by computer users downloading music and videos downloading huge files copyright issues time limits/booking/whose turn is it? library charges for some types of use people ask “Why don’t you filter?”

Any comments? Issues arising from these

incidents? Is viewing something on the

internet different from reading it in a book? Why/why not?