Create an ode to your library -- or a poem, or a rap, or a full-length feature film script, or a novella, or . . .

In celebration of Information Literacy Month in Oregon, library enthusiasts of all ages are invited to submit original pictures, poems, or short essays to Salem Public Library on the topic of “Why I Love My Library.” 

Entry forms are available at library service desks or at www.salemlibrary.org.

Participants may submit an unlimited number of creative entries expressing their love for Salem Public Library. However, each participant will have only one entry in a prize drawing for a new Kindle Fire. 

Submissions will be accepted until 5 p.m. Sunday, October 21.  For more details about the contest, contact the Information Desk at 503-588-6052.

Library Calendar Roundup

Always many great things happening at Salem Public Library, our sadly underfunded and neglected gem of a library.  It's a terrible shame that this gem isn't open at least 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  But take advantage of what there is now, while it's there -- the next round of cuts is just around the corner!

Have your say on Library Services

Salem's poor library -- an embattled treasure, constantly being cut back while the city squanders money on boondoggle fantasies of a third auto bridge and pouring money down the drain at the airport.

Speak up now! Tell the city you want more and better library services throughout Salem!

Salem Public Library is conducting a study to understand the needs of our community and our customers.

If you are also a Salem Public Library cardholder, you may have received a survey invitation from the Library recently. If you responded to it, we appreciate it. We are now conducting an online survey with community stakeholders to assess the direction of the library and better understand the needs for library services in our community. We invite you to participate in the survey by clicking on the link provided below.

On behalf of everyone at the Salem Public Library, we would like to thank you in advance for your willingness to share your thoughts and opinions with us to help make our Library better for the future.

Please click here to take the survey.

Note: The survey will close on Friday, September 7 at 11:59 PM.

Regards,

BJ Toewe
Library Administrator, Salem Public Library

Another Great Salem Public Library free offering, Weds 8/8 @ 7 pm

True-color picture of Saturn assembled from Voyager 2 images (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A free all-ages program,
Astronomy for Everyone:
Size & Scale of the Universe:

7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 8
Anderson Rooms at Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty Street SE.

Retired astrophysicist Kevin Manning, a former NASA consultant, will present an exciting, family-oriented exploration of the universe, the stars, and other celestial wonders. Following an indoor presentation which includes video footage and hands-on activities, participants will go outdoors (conditions permitting) to view celestial objects in the night sky, such as the rings of Saturn and the craters on the Moon, through a telescope.

Dianna Clark
Office Assistant /Administration
Salem Public Library
585 Liberty St. SE
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-588-6071
Fax: 503-589-2011

BURN. THE LIBRARIES. DOWN! Kidz can learned stuff on there oan.

Wow.  Well done.

TV Turn-off Week! Signups start today @ Salem Public Library

Image by herzogbr via FlickrTV TURNOFF WEEK!

Once again, Salem Public Library is challenging area youth to give up TV and other screens for a week in order to earn a berth at the annual Great Library Camp-In.

The Library’s “No TV/Screen Week” is scheduled for Saturday, January 21-Friday, January 27. Children ages birth -18 are encouraged to make and keep a pledge to turn off their TV and other non-homework screens, filling their time instead with other activities – including reading. Pledges can be made online or at either library location beginning January 3, 2012.

Those who succeed in keeping the pledge are then invited, accompanied by a favorite adult, to enjoy the
“Rock ‘n’ Rhythm” Great Library Camp-In, 6:30 p.m. Friday, January 27 through 8 a.m. Saturday, January 28 top two floors of the Central Library, 585 Liberty St. SE.

Youth Services staff and volunteers will entertain campers and their families with crafts and activities, such as musical chairs, “Name That Tune” Jeopardy, creating one-of-a-kind musical instruments, face painting, and more from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

At 8 p.m., everyone will gather in the Loucks Auditorium for a snack and special performance by Eric Ode, storyteller and musician.

Lights out is at 10 p.m. and campers are served a light breakfast snack in the morning.

Pledges must be returned to the Library by Saturday, January 21 in order to come to the Camp-In. Reservations for the Camp-In are accepted beginning Tuesday, January 24 at the Youth Services Reference Desk in person, online, or by phone at 503-588-6088.

Jump on this, no Jive

This was a show not to miss last time -- grab some tix, quicks, Nicks . . .

Midnight Serenaders

Jazz and Retro Swing
7 p.m. Friday, November 4
Loucks Auditorium
Tickets : $5 in advance/$7 at the door        On sale now at all Library Circulation desks

Doug Sammons and the Midnight Serenaders return to Salem Public Library for an evening recreating the Jazz Age. The swinging sextet presents a show combining old standards and their own original tunes that feel like they belong in the same bygone era.
 
For their Salem show the band will draw their repertoire from classics by the likes of Fatts Waller and Ethyl Waters as well as original songs from their new album, Hot Lovin’.  More information about this concert and the series can be found at www.salemlibrary.org or by calling 503-588-6052.

Amen -- Libraries strengthen communities in uncertain times. Join the Friends!

More than books: Libraries strengthen communities in uncertain times

. . . “What we’ve learned about libraries is that they fill a really important role in the community by providing an inviting space for people of all backgrounds,” says Molly Raphael, president of the American Library Association (ALA). “They’re important for creating understanding across different cultures and pulling elements of the community into the space.”






. . . Libraries are also dedicated to keeping teens involved in library programs and activities and provide a safe, third place to go with targeted activities and areas set aside for them.  “Teens really want to be separate from kids and adults,” says May. “It doesn’t have to be elaborate or costly, just something apart.”

A free remedy for social and creative isolation, libraries are good places to go to get work done, offering a way to tap into the group productivity dynamic that has made co-working so popular.
“Libraries are important spaces for communities to gather,” says May. “There’s an intellectual energy that comes from hundreds of people working.”


\

. . . With some library branches increasing their focus on e-materials, others prioritizing their community offerings, and many trying to strike a balance of the two, libraries have some big budget and information-delivery questions to work out. Far from going away, they are as relevant to communities as they have ever been; perhaps more so.

“The question of relevance is out of sync with reality,” says May. “We’ll always be consuming new kinds of media, and libraries will always try to keep up with that. Libraries are changing to keep up with the times.”

Little free libraries

(h/t to Treehugger via Sam Smith's Progressive Review)

Idea Mill: Little free libraries

 

Tree Hugger - Andrew Carnegie built an impressive 2,509 libraries around the turn of the 20th century. Now Rick Brooks and Todd Bol are on a mission to top his total with their two-foot by two-foot Little Free Libraries, reports Michael Kelley in Library Journal.

The diminutive, birdhouse-like libraries, which Brooks and Bol began installing in Hudson and Madison, Wisconsin, in 2009, are typically made of wood and Plexiglas and are designed to hold about 20 books for community members to borrow and enjoy. Each Little Free Library runs on the honor system, displaying a sign that asks patrons to Take a Book, Leave a Book. "Everybody asks, 'Aren't they going to steal the books?'" Brooks told Kelley. "But you can't steal a free book."

Fifty libraries have been built so far, with 30 more underway and plans to expand into Chicago, Long Island, and elsewhere. Brooks and Bol have a long way to go to reach their goal of 2,510 libraries, but they're digging the ride. "At a personal, human level, it's very thrilling how it excites people," Bol shared with Kelley. "But on a larger plane, it's such a nice spark for literacy, art, and community all at once."

Very Cool: Free "Rosetta Stone" type language program at Salem Public Library

LIBRARY DATABASE SPOTLIGHT
Learn a Language 24/7

The Salem Public Library has a great online resource for learning a new language.  Powerspeak is a language-learning program that provides numerous lessons and interactive activities.

Powerspeak includes instruction for ten languages

• French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish

• English for Spanish speakers

• English for Mandarin speakers.

You can use Powerspeak 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the Library’s website (www.salemlibrary.org) by clicking on the Books & Information link and then on “Learn a Language.”  The reference staff can help you with Powerspeak questions at 503-588-6052 or library@cityofsalem.net.

Donate your books now, get great bargains soon

The Friends of Salem Public Library Spring Book Sale is back, and better than ever, because every year there are more and more of us who have spent a year buying and enjoying good books that now need to go to a good home -- and provide itemizers with a tax deduction on the way, while raising money for an outstanding cause, the programs of the Salem Public Library.

So schedule your spring cleaning now -- go through all your shelves and find those great books that you enjoyed but won't read again, and send them on their way to someone else's shelves by bringing them to the Friends Bookstore inside the main library. You can get a tax receipt, and you'll be helping the Friends raise money to support key programs at the most important but underbudgeted resource in Salem -- our library.

Grate Phun Ahed in 2011

Image by pplflickr via Flickr

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Sonja Somerville
Salem Public Library Community Relations Coordinator
Phone: (503) 588-6083
E-mail: ssomerville@cityofsalem.net
Fax: (503) 589-2011


Adult Spelling Bee offers chance for redemption at Salem Public Library

Area adults have the chance to relive – or get over – a little piece of their childhood in January at a special adult spelling bee hosted by Salem Public Library.

“Your Word is R-E-D-E-M-P-T-I-O-N: A Spelling Bee for Adults with Sometime to Prove” will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 22 in Loucks Auditorium at Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE. It is the perfect opportunity for any grown-up to prove they still have what it or remove the sting of a brutal loss in the second-grade spelling bee. This slightly non-traditional bee includes some twists and turns to keep things interesting and add to the fun. Prizes and bragging rights will be liberally awarded.

There are chairs on the spelling stage for just 20 adults. Registration is essential for spellers and is now open through Sonja Somerville at 503-588-6083 or ssomerville@cityofsalem.net.

Supporters of the spellers are encouraged to attend this free event along with any interested members of the public.

The program is supported by the Friends of the Salem Public Library.

Good reminder: Library Card Sign Up Month -- don't be left out

Image via Wikipedia

The humble library, a valuable resource

When Ben Franklin founded the first public lending library in America in 1731, he probably had no idea what he would inspire. There is no better bargain than a library card, and what better time to sign up for one than September, library card sign-up month.

Studies show that children who use the library tend to perform better in school. They are also more likely to continue learning and exploring throughout their lives. . . . "Your library is an incredible source of business content," says Sam Richter, award-winning author and founder of the "Know More" business improvement program. "Even better, you can access most of these databases at no charge via your home or office computer, as long as you have a library card." . . .

And as you know, a library card is still great for checking out books! Haven't read any good books lately? There's no time like the present to start. I love the convenience of my Kindle, but the feel of a real book in my hands is unmatched. You can even check out an audio book for your commute.

Book-club guidance, computer classes, periodicals, story time for the kids -- all through the doors of your library. And one of the most amazing features I like best: live technical help when I need it. Your library card is your ticket to the past and to the future.

Mackay's Moral: The library is a truly amazing resource -- check it out.

Very sweet indeed -- Stolen Sweets!

Stolen Sweets

Three-part harmonies drawing from the crisp and saucy era
of 1920s and 1930s jazz

7 p.m. Friday, October 1, Loucks Auditorium
Tickets: $5 in advance/$7 at the door

On sale now at all library circulation desks

This group had a sold-out show in last year that was GREAT.
They do vocal jazz arrangements inspired by New Orleans
favorites, The Boswell Sisters, one of the hottest girl groups of the 1930s. Singers Jen Bernard, Lara Michell, and Erin Sutherland backed by Keith Brush, Pete Krebs, and David Langenes.

Excellent reminder from the Salem Public Library

If you live in or near Salem and are served by either of the big private utilities, you are already paying for Energy Trust services with your utility bills -- why not take advantage of them to make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and cheaper to live in?

This is in the current Salem Public Library newsletter's "Questions to the Reference Librarians" column:

Q. I would like to make my home more energy efficient. I have a long list of possible home improvements, but am having trouble deciding what to do first. In addition to doing my bit towards making our world a better place, I want to take advantage of the tax incentives that are currently available.

A. Salem Public Library has several new books that may help you prioritize [sic -- ugh] your projects. Green Sense for the Home: Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects by Eric Corey Freed and Toward a Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide to Energy Self-Sufficiency at Home by David Johnston are just a few.

You might also want to contact to Energy Trust of Oregon for a free home energy review. They will send a trained Energy Trust advisor to your home to assess your energy consumption and will provide you with a prioritized [ack!] list of improvements you can make. To schedule an evaluation, call the Energy Trust at 1-866-368-7878 or go their website at energytrust.org. Another good place to find information about energy-related tax incentives is the U.S. Department of Energy’s website at www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm.

Libraries are services, not places

The tireless and wondrous Salem historian Virginia Green brings us another great piece of Salem history today with this article on the traveling library in Oregon -- something that's going to have to come back into vogue in years to come (bringing books to the readers instead of expecting readers to travel to the building where the books live).

In years to come, as fuel prices make easy transport more and more a thing of the past --- and the costs of heating, cooling, lighting, and securing libraries continues to skyrocket --- we're going to have to re-think the whole idea of libraries as places where people find books. We're going to need to develop more of a community-based system, where the books don't live in conditions suitable for people in between readings. Instead, the books are housed in an environment good for books and people call for them and then the books travel, rather than the people.

There's still an essential role for librarians in this future -- less so for massive, expensive buildings though.

Digital bookmobile @ Lancaster Sprawl, 4/14, 12-6 p.m.

Image via WikipediaDigital Bookmobile National Tour event

One of the interesting things about the event below is the realization that it's being funded by the makers of these digital toys, because they have to create some demand to get our little cash-strapped library to spend money on their ephemera instead of honest-to-God books, which endure much better and don't require the user to have spent hundreds of dollars to use. Still, if you like that sort of thing, you might want to know about this:

Hosted by Salem Public Library
12 noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 14
at Lancaster Mall, 831 Lancaster Dr. NE

Salem Public Library is hosting an April visit from the Digital Bookmobile, an interactive download experience inside a 74-foot, high-tech tractor-trailer. The Digital Bookmobile offers interactive learning stations where visitors have an opportunity to search the library’s digital media collection, use supported mobile devices, and sample eBooks, audiobooks, and video, all available locally through the Library2Go digital download service, which is available at Salem Public Library and all area libraries in the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library System.

Readers of all ages are invited to stop by and learn about digital downloads, visit the Salem Public Library resource table, and even sign up for a library card on site.

The Digital Bookmobile is a service of Salem Public Library and is operated by OverDrive, Inc. Information about all aspects of the Library2Go download service is available from the Salem Public Library Information/Reference Desk at 503-588-6052 or www.salemlibrary.org.

Sonja Somerville
Community Relations Coordinator
Salem Public Library

Phone: 503-588-6083
E-mail: ssomerville@cityofsalem.net

Free tour: the parts of the Library you normally don't get to see

Image by Jason McHuff via Flickr

Libraries are one of the most, if not the most, important civic offerings there are. Salem's impoverished library system is still a gem, albeit a very tiny one that's hard for most people to access and that offers very scant and limited hours. With all the vacant commercial space in Salem, every single one of Salem's 19 neighborhoods should have a library or library outpost where people can access library materials and offerings at least 84 hours a week. Alas, we're nowhere near that yet. But part of the reason is that not enough people know what libraries do or how they work. You can rectify that next month:

Public invited for Behind-the-Scenes tours at Salem Public Library

There’s more going on than meets the eye at Salem Public Library. Curious visitors have the chance to find out exactly what this is during National Library Week when Salem Public Library staff offers three Behind-the-Scenes tours at the Central Library.

Guided tours will begin at the Information/Reference Desk at:

10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 15
4 p.m. Friday, April 16
2 p.m. Saturday, April 17

The one-hour tours are designed to give visitors a look at how books and other materials are handled from purchase to preparation, the processes behind holds, check out, check in, and reshelving, and to share insights about library services, programs, and the facility. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers along the way.

Space is limited, so interested members of the public are asked to pre-register at the Information/Reference Desk in person or by phone at 503-588-6052.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Sonja Somerville, Salem Public Library Community Relations Coordinator, (503) 588-6083, ssomerville@cityofsalem.net

Speaking of the library: Got overdue fines?

Sunday, March 28-Saturday, April 3 only, both Salem Public Library locations will forgive fines for customers who bring in donations of non-perishable food items and other household necessities for donation to Marion-Polk Food Share.

Food donations are accepted during all open hours at the Central Library, 585 Liberty St. SE, and at the West Salem Branch, 395 Glen Creek Rd. NW. Hours and information are available at www.salemlibrary.org.

A $1 credit will be applied for canned items 12 ounces or larger. This applies to fines due only and does not include lost book charges, rental fees, video/DVD fees, collection fees, or fee cards. Donors are particularly encouraged to consider these high-need items:

· Soup (canned or dry)
· Chili
· Cereal
· Tuna
· Beans (canned or dry)
· Juice (canned or bottled)
· Canned fruit
· Canned vegetables
· Pasta sauce
· Pasta products (20+ ounces)
· Rice (20+ ounces)
·
A greater credit of $3-5 will be given for these larger high-need items:

· Laundry detergent
· Laundry softener
· Cooking oil
· Peanut butter (8+ ounces)

To be used, items must be factory-sealed, commercially processed, dent and rust free, and bear a future expiration date. Top Ramen products cannot be accepted.

The need at Marion-Polk Food Share is particularly high this year. Community members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Food donations will also be gratefully accepted from those not owing fines, but simply wanting to help build needed supplies at Marion-Polk Food Share.

More information is available from the Library’s Circulation Division at 503-588-6090.

Important: Corporadoes trying to steal your ownership rights in the stuff you buy

Yikes. Anyone who has an opportunity to boycott AutoCAD should grab it with both hands.

Beware of Gifts Bearing Strings

Image via Wikipedia

Well, here we go, the "gift" that bankrupts you. The Salem City Council is getting set to decide whether to accept a "gift" to create a "Teen Library" in the old CCTV studio space.

Salem City Council also will:

-Consider accepting a $121,338 gift from the Salem Public Library Foundation to pay for renovations to an area that would house the teen library.

It's not just that a "Teen Library" is a truly terrible idea, offering little but a way to further isolate and segregate young people from the adults that they need more exposure to, not less.

It's also that the library budget is in dire straits, and we're whittling away at core library services. And that this "Teen Library" will require new staff to supervise the place, which means removing staff from elsewhere, which will further the deterioration of our already-shrinking library.

Essentially, the goal of the "Teen Library" crowd appears to be creating something like an Ike Box within the dank interior of a windowless basement (because if there's anything our teens need today, it's MORE time spent inside with gadgets and "hanging out" with other teens). (SEE CORRECTION BELOW.)

For teens actually interested in what the library has to offer, the whole library is the teen library. And what's really needed in Salem is a lot more libraries in a lot more segments of the city -- not a wasteful boutique for teens in the basement that comes out of the services that should be made available to everyone of all ages.

Want a far better use for $120k invested to help teens? Forget the renovation and hire a bunch of teens to bring seven-day-a-week library book pickup and delivery services to every neighborhood center across the city so that every Salem resident is within walking distance of a neighborhood book drop/pickup point.

Also: the library is without a librarian right now. Salem should not be embarking on a "Teen Library" project before a new librarian is hired--instead, the candidates for the job should all be asked to prepare a brief analysis of the Salem Public Library's needs and the means it should use to meet them. There's no way that a professional librarian could look at Salem's declining services and conclude that it makes sense to spend any money on a boutique library hangout for teens within the main library.

The Council should refuse this burdensome gift and direct the City Manager to get a librarian hired before anything else. If there's any value to a "Teen Library" then it will wait.

CORRECTION: A library friend sends:

I wanted to send you a link to the full staff report so you can see how the project has evolved. Probably the biggest change is that the proposal no longer put the Teen Library in the CCTV area. Instead, we're looking at relocating the collection and services into the area currently occupied by Technical Services. It's much brighter and more accessible. We've also developed a plan to ensure that the collection is available and accessible to anyone who wants to use young adult materials during all open library hours. Here's the link:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/CouncilMeetingAgenda/Documents/169/4.3d.pdf

Well, thank goodness for that --- although whomever gets shoved into the CCTV space will probably regret the change . . . it's quite the dungeon down there.

However, the central issue is not about the ambiance of the "Teen Library." The problem is the whole notion of a "Teen Library" separate and apart from the library for everyone. What teens most need is an opportunity to interact with and learn about being an adult, not more segregation into ghettos of teendom, where everything is provided for them and nothing is expected of them.