National Library Week

I like to celebrate libraries, and books all year long.  I believe that the free and open exchange of ideas is crucial to our democracy.  The critical thinking involved in this exchange of ideas helps us all grow, learn, and make wise decisions for ourselves, our families, and our nation.

I do visit a lot of libraries.  Not because I have to, but because I enjoy them. 

I have a tab on the side of this page that will take you to the very loosely organized collection of images that I've posted on here.  You can also access it here. 

If you have any pictures of your own home library that you'd like to share, I invite you to submit them to me, and I'll share them.  (I won't post pictures of clearly identifiable faces.)  Please include the name of your library, the county and state system, and a link to their web page.  If there's anything that makes your library special or unique, please let me know so that I can share that, too.

The last image I want to share with you is from the Reading Room at the Library of Congress.  I've been here a few times, and it is always full of people.  None of my images come even close to capturing the beauty and majesty of this place, so I'm sharing an image from the Library of Congress.  If you are ever in Washington, DC, you really should make a point of visiting the LOC.  It's not that far off of the National Mall.

source: https://www.loc.gov/visit/wireless/

Frugal Friday

Somehow, at the end of National Library Week, it only seems appropriate to highlight how the library can help you keep within your budget - no matter what your age.  In keeping with this thought, I'd like to highlight the many, many services that are provided at your public library.  Keep in mind - your taxes pay for these services - USE THEM!!

The Top Ten Ways Your Library Can Help You Save Money:

1) Toys, Games, and Science Kits for Check Out. 
Seriously!  When my kids were little, we checked out toys every week.  Let me tell you, it saved us a bundle.  Little kids get bored with new toys easily.  We were able to bring home 3 new toys, played with them until they were no longer new and exciting to the kids, and then go back and check out 3 different toys.  Literally, that saved us thousands of dollars.

As they got older, I loved the fact that we had science kits available for check out.  Each kit was centered around a theme, and it had several books, a book of science experiments, and the equipment necessary to carry out the experiments included in the card.  We were heavy users of those kits up until the youngest was somewhere in middle school.

On the ALA's facebook page, I read an article about a library that has added telescopes to their collection for check out.  I don't care if I don't have little kids any more, I would definitely be checking out a telescope for my own home use!

2) Media 
Depending upon your library system, the type of media available varies greatly.  Most systems carry books on tape or CD.  Some carry Play-Aways.  (MP3 players that contain books.  Very cool way to listen to books - my daughter loved listening to these on the bus on the way to school in middle school.)  Most systems carry DVD's.  (Even better - those DVD's carry a one week free check out as opposed to the overnight check out from Red Box that's going to cost you a buck or two.

One of the library systems around us carries video games for check out.  Just the games, not the consoles.  Talk about saving money!  Not having to buy those games saves a lot of money! 

Note- Beware the steep fines on overdue media items.  Make certain you return them by their due dates!

3) Books
Lots and lots of books!  On every subject, and for every age.  Need I say more?

4) Internet 
Computers and Wi-Fi connections are available at most libraries.  Looking to save money on internet?  Sign up for free e-mail through one of the free sites out there (Google, Yahoo, etc.), and then use the library to check your messages and surf the net.  Probably not what you want to do on a daily basis, but if you are desperate to save money, this is an excellent option.  There's a bonus in some parts of the country, too.  Most libraries have high speed internet.  We were still on dial up - nothing else was available until 2012.  We got broadband in 2012.  Still no sign of Fiber Optic cable in our neighborhood, but our library is wired with fiber optic cable, so I go to the library when I need a high speed connection.

5) Job Search Tools
Looking for a job?  Start here.

6) Programming
Offering programs to people of all ages is one of the most important services a library offers.  Libraries are known for their programs for children and youth, but libraries also offer some fantastic programs for adults.  Book Clubs, Courses offered by the Master Gardeners, Literacy Classes, ESOL Classes for Adults, Arts and Crafts for Adults, to CPR, the list goes on and on. 

7) Digital Content
Audio streaming and e-books.  It's a quickly growing field in the library world.  You can check out digital materials the same as you can a book.  After your check out period is over, your material just disappears off of your device.

8) E-Readers
This is a very new service.  Some libraries have e-Readers available for check out.  Each reader is pre-loaded with books of a similar genre.  I've only seen a handful of library systems that are actively using this service, and I'm really curious to see how this works out.

9) Summer Reading Programs
Not just for little kids anymore, everyone gets to participate!  The little kids participate in the game with incentives along the way.  Here in Maryland, you write a summary of the book you most recently read and then enter a drawing.  Five years ago, I won a pretty snazzy basket filled with new books and some swag from the New York Times!  It made my day!

10) Databases 
When we were kids, we'd go to the library and hit up the reference collection.  Nowadays, that reference collection has moved online.  You can access thousands of electronic records in the comfort of your own home - and in your jammies - if you have a library card.  These databases are copyright protected, and a large portion of the libraries' annual budget goes to database subscriptions.  Not sure how this works, or even where to find it?  Head over to your library and ask a librarian!  They'll be happy to show you all that is available for you. 

Having fun isn't hard, when you have a library card.  -Marc Brown

Miller Library

There is a gorgeous piece of architecture in Howard County, MD known as the Miller Library.  Years ago, the Miller Library was housed in a 1970's era building.  They quickly outgrew the space, but the librarians boldly mustered on, squeezing every last inch of space out of that building before the new building was built adjacent to the old building.  This new building opened in 2011.  It's a gorgeous, state of the art facility that ties together books and modern technology in one seamless building.

I was looking through old pictures today, and I realized I had never posted the pictures that I took when that branch opened.  (You know I was there within the first week after they opened their doors, right?)  These pictures are from that first week in 2011.  I'm going to stop by either sometime this weekend to get updated pictures of the front of their building.  It is gorgeous at night.

Of course, you could always just stop by their website, and look at the pictures the Howard County Library system has posted of their building.  I especially love the picture on the page I'm linking to... Taken at night with the light shining through the windows like a beacon to the community the picture perfectly captures the promise of the treasure held within.
 
The Miller Library is a two story building.  Downstairs, you will find the media collection (DVD's, Books on Tape/CD, and Play Aways), computers, quiet study areas, meeting rooms, and not so quiet study areas. You'll also find the Children's and Young Adult collections.  Due to the large volume of people, I only had a couple of pictures of the downstairs that don't show faces...  It's a very heavily used library!

This picture below is my favorite part of the children's section.  It's a window, overlooking the Enchanted Garden.  The window has a large seat where children can sit and read, as well as look outside.

The picture below is from the inside, looking out at the Enchanted Garden.  I've taken a couple of classes in the Enchanted Garden.  It's a community garden tended by the Master Gardeners, and it has a little bit of everything.  Since this picture was taken in the first week after they opened, there wasn't much there.

The grand staircase from the first floor up to the second floor.   The second floor houses the library for the Howard County Historical Society, more study areas, study rooms, and the adult fiction and non-fiction collection.  The area along the back wall is all window, and looks out over the green roof below. 

Entrance from the grand stair case into the reading room.

I love that stone wall!  Do you see that glass wall in the back?  With the double doors?  That's the exit out onto the roof top for a portion of the first floor.  This is a green roof.  There are box gardens on the roof.  The purpose of the gardens is to pick up water when it rains and lessen the impact of storm water run off.

Look at all of those books!

 Look at that beautiful sight!  Books ready to be checked out - shelves that are only half full - meaning that books have been checked out and are in the hands of the community - right where they belong.

National Book Mobile Day

Have you ever been inside of a bookmobile?  A little library on wheels?  Many years ago, I worked on a bookmobile.  The challenges of working in a library on wheels are phenomenal, but the rewards are amazing.  Taking books out to people who have no easy access to little libraries is a great honor.  Ideas and thoughts that would otherwise be inaccessible available at their finger tips.

I live in a rural county, and bookmobile services are needed for the more remote parts of our county.  Believe it or not, even in Central Maryland, the people who live in very rural areas can live an hour or more away from their closest county libraries.  Our bookmobiles make the rounds of day care centers, senior centers, nursing homes, retirement facilities and makes stops in front of a couple of churches in the more remote corners of the county.

I loved my bookmobile days- out on the road, with the sun shining down on me and a truck full of books behind me, life was good.  I was able to get out and meet people, pet the dogs, and usually picked up lunch from somebody somewhere who would come out and take my order when I pulled up, and then when I finished, I'd run in and pay and get my lunch.  I don't know if you realize how wonderful people in this world there really are.

Having said that, the challenges of driving a bookmobile are numerous.  You're driving basically an RV or delivery truck, and you are fully loaded with A LOT of books.  Books are heavy.  Bookmobiles can't pick up speed quickly, and they need a lot of space to stop.  Cars behind will get antsy because you can't move fast  (there's a particular hill I despised) and you don't go fast going up hills.  They also will pull out in front of you unexpectedly.  Remember what I was saying about stopping distance?  Nothing worse than slamming on the brakes, hoping everything will stop in time, and hearing hundreds of books behind you fly off the shelves and hit the wall behind you.

I had a lot of memorable drives in my book mobile days:

1) The day I was driving out to one of the farthest reaches of the county when there suddenly was a "pop, BANG!" under the hood, followed by the issuance of a large quantity of white smoke as the engine cut out.  I managed to pull the van off the road and landed amongst the trees in an apple orchard.  I didn't have a cell phone with me, so I waited for over 20 minutes until a state trooper drove by, and stopped to help me.  He stayed with me until the tow truck driver from the county came by to pick up the book mobile, and I was driven back to the library in the back of a squad car.  Let me tell you, being escorted into the library by a state trooper was a never to be forgotten moment!

2) I drove into work one day, and the roads around our house were icy, icy, icy,  However, my boss insisted that since schools were in session, I had to hit the road with the van.  My scheduled run was back down to my neighborhood.  As I hit the major intersection closest to my house - I attempted to stop the van as the light turned to red.  I gently tapped the brakes, and the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of the intersection facing the direction from which I had come.  As I gently extricated the van from the intersection and drove to my first stop, I was cursing under my breath.  I arrived at my first stop to a stack of messages from my boss, who had realized 10 minutes after I left that the roads were too dangerous and she was attempting to call me back.  The fact that I'd taken an extra 20 minutes to get to the first stop had given her the "flop sweats".  Since I was already there, I finished out my first stop and then took almost an hour to make the 12 mile trip back to the office.

3) Our county purchased a brand new bookmobile, and I was one of the first ones to drive it.  We were out on the northern stretches of roads in the county, where there are more cows than cars, learning to navigate the larger vehicle on our windy, curvy roads when all of a sudden, there was a "CRASH, BOOM", and the vehicle stopped working.  The person driving (Not me!) pulled the vehicle off into an apple orchard on the side of the road.  (Not the same one.)  Fortunately, one of the whiz, bang features of the new book mobile was a two way radio that allowed us to call back to our boss in case if something went wrong.  One little problem here.  Our boss was with us.  She was the one driving.  Eventually, a state trooper came along, radioed county maintenance for help and then drove us all back to the library.  Yep, he and one of his buddies put us into the back of two separate squad cars.  Once again, we were escorted back into the library by a state trooper....

No matter what mishaps may have befallen while I was driving the van, getting to my stop made everything worthwhile.  The seniors who couldn't drive were always thrilled to get out, mingle with their friends, and pick up their books.  At the day care centers, the little ones would always get on with the biggest of eyes, the brightest of smiles, and the most joyous of expressions as they picked out new books.  At the community stops, people of all ages would climb into the book mobile with smiles, handshakes, and hellos.  Book Mobile day was a big day in town, and people would make a day of the event, running errands and stopping for books.

The link to the salute to the mobile library branches that the American Library Association posted this morning to their Facebook page: Rolling Library Thunder

The Only Thing You Need

Source: Facebook

Rare Books

Source: The American Library Association