Circulating Book Discussion Kits

“Can a public library proactively affect a community’s literary reading?”

Scrolling through an electronic newsletter from NoveList tonight, I came upon a reference to an interesting article about a public library that circulates book discussion kits for their patrons to use. It was a very interesting article, which I’m linking here. I’ll also post a few of my takeaways from the article.

WHAT: Johnson County (Kansas) Public Library has created 149 book discussion kits since 2004 that are available for check-out by library patrons. The kits, aptly named Book Club To Go Kits, consist of 10 paperback copies of a title that lends itself to group discussion. Kits are equipped with discussion guides and also must have alternative formats available through the library (ie. Large Print copies or audiobooks).

WHY: The kits are one aspect of JCPL’s strategic plan item that charges staff with providing convenient and personalized materials for patrons. Its an endeavor that originated in response to the Reading at Risk Report compiled by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004. One of the study findings is that individuals with a higher income are more inclined to literary reading. The Book Club To Go Kits offer convenience and, more importantly, attempt to remove the monetary barrier that sometimes may prevent individuals from participating in book clubs.

GOALS/RELATED RESEARCH: The article quotes Andrew Solomon of the New York Times regarding literary reading. According to Solomon, “literary reading is an entry into dialogue” and has marked differences and results compared with spending the same amount of time reading electronic formats. In its study, the NEA identifies a parallel between reading and civic participation. With its programs and services, JCPL embraces the research and findings of Solomon and the Reading at Risk study, and is attempting the lofty goals of making reading a social rather than solitary activity, encouraging people to want to read more, and increasing library and community involvement.

Getting Results with Google

I was flipping through my monthly planner this morning and I came across some old notes about a presentation I was interested in but unable to attend earlier this year. The presentation, entitled ‘Getting Results with Google’, was presented at the Columbus Metropolitan Library by Glen Horton, of SouthWest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries. You can view the presentation here. It includes some helpful tips on conducting efficient searches with Google.

Social networking & Web 2.0

Go With the Flow: Selling Social Networking

 

Do your peers run the other way when you mention blogs and wikis? These talking points can help turn the tide.

 

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6610498.html

Web site recommendations

I need to check out these web sites (mentioned in either the October SLJ or the Nov. 1 LJ – I forget!)

www.weebly.com

www.onemorestory.com

www.biguniverse.com

downloadable books

Since InfoLine receives a fair number of phone calls from customers regarding MOLDI, I try to occasionally scope it out and see what has changed. This afternoon, however, I delved a little deeper: viewed the tutorial, took some notes, logged in with my library card number, and browsed all of the formats. Here are a few of the things I learned from the tutorial:

• you need to download the OverDrive Media Console before you are able to download any material
• the quick search option offers ISBN searches
• the advanced search option lets you combine fields (ie. you can search by subject and date added to site)
• Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is a term that refers to technologies used to control access to software, music, movies, or other digital media. DRM prevents illegal file-sharing. Some parameters are set by publishers. By clicking on a title, you can view the digital rights associated with it. These rights will explain what you can and cannot do with the title once you have downloaded it.

And here are my discoveries after spending some time browsing:

• MOLDI offers study guides on various topics (like foreign languages) as well as Sparknotes
• there is an “always available” collection of movies – lots of comedy titles here, including the hilarious Jim Gaffigan show Beyond the Pale (“hot pocket!”)
• the audiobook collection seems pretty extensive; I found classics, early readers, chapter books, middle school and teen titles (John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines), and even graphic novels. I wonder what the statistics are for child and teen users.
• the music collection is comprised of mostly classical music – wonder if this has anything to do with music-downloading sites like limewire and iTunes…

My overall impression of MOLDI is a favorable one. If I had a portable player, I’m sure I would download titles frequently. There is the option of just downloading materials to my computer, but I’m not compelled to sit at my computer and read or listen to a book. I suppose I could see myself downloading an e-book that was some sort of study guide or reference material, but you’ll never find me sitting at my desk downloading a big fat novel.

Podcasting: Thing #21

I particularly like the idea of podcasts for news, social commentary, and interviews. I subscribed to a couple of podcasts with my Bloglines account. Starting out w/just a couple to see how I like them: The Mr. Nice Guy Show and The Amateur Traveler Podcast.

I had a hard time with the podcast directories. For example, when I looked at the “Storytelling” category on Podfeed, the podcasts were actually about legal matters (which is actually quite ironic!). However, I did better with PodcastAlley. I searched both “library” and “libraries” and found quite a few library systems who podcast in order to stay connected with their communities. One podcast that looks to have interesting info is the TeenLibrarian Podcast. I think I’ll subscribe to it also.

As far as suggestions for what CML could do with podcasting, I think it would be really cool to podcast our author visits. This seems like a great way to share conversations between authors, readers, and library staff. If podcasting is as easy as it appears, this extra feature could deliver something very unique to our customers without too much expended effort on our part.

Brooklyn Public Library Uses UPS to Transport Materials

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6608541.html                              

Interesting article. Brooklyn Public was able to cut their delivery time between branches down to 24 hours. They say this will help them reach their high circulation goals.

With the faster turnaround time, they have also increased the number of holds a customer can have, from 5…to 10!

You Tube

I did some exploring and searching on You Tube today and encountered a couple interesting videos that I can relate to work or libraries, or something other than the random wackiness that most of the vidoes fall under.

Since I was just scrolling around and not looking for anything in particular, I noticed some things I hadn’t before, like the links to “most viewed”, “most discussed”, and “top favorited”. If CML does eventually embrace more Web 2.0 technologies on our website, like tagging and sharing, I could see these also being fun to incorporate. Here are a couple examples:

• Looking for a good book? Log on to CML’s catalog and take a look at the top favorited books of CML customers and staff.
• Need a title for your book discussion group? Check out the most discussed books in CML’s catalog.

So, that’s my take on You Tube for libraries. (Aside from the obvious, and already ’standard’ practice of using You Tube to connect with teens, virtual library users, or those who have not yet discovered CML.)

And, I even took on libraryjoy’s challenge and embedded a video below! This video was the first result when I searched ‘Columbus library’, and I think it’s a cool video/pop-up book commercial for the Columbus Library (Columbus, NE, that is)!

Wikis

I’ve checked out a few library-related wikis so that I have something to compare to wikipedia (the only wiki I was already familiar with). I like them. SJCPL has a really useful wiki set up for staff that contains important info and links. For example, I clicked on “Cooking”. That took me to a page with staff tips, one of which recommended resources for looking up ingredient substitutions and equivalents. The page also listed the hours, location, and link to the local farmers’ markets.

It seems that wikis are laid out in a very simple fashion, and that you wouldn’t run into the problem of creating too many pages that are embedded within each other. The ones that I browsed seemed logical and organized and more intuitive than some web sites.

The InfoLine/Rover Team is creating a wiki to store all kinds of useful info that we may need either out in the branches or while answering the phones. This wiki is supposed to be revealed next week! I am looking forward to it seeing it and getting some further informal training on it.

Latino Library Users

This week’s Library Journal featured a brief article discussing a new study from WebJunction called Latinos and Public Library Perceptions, and it seems that CML is right on track in terms of our service to Latino customers in Central Ohio.

The study, which (forgive me) I just skimmed, discusses tactics that public libraries can employ to better serve Latinos in their community. According to the study, libraries should emphasize service, user confidentiality, and access to English-learning materials.

Latino library usage is 54%, with the top draws being library services (computer use and children’s programs) as well as access to music and movies. Surveyed library users also reported that they visit the library because it is a place to learn English. “The report also found that friendly staff service was a stronger predictor of library visits, even stronger than access to Spanish Language materials!”