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Arlington Public Library

Behind the Scenes

The Library Report: Two Weeks In

Open Book with the words "Stories from the Front Desk"

Stories from the Front Desk

Since June 15, Arlington Public Library cardholders have returned 36,000 books, placed 21,000 new holds, and checked out 3,000 items.  Proving, yet again, how much Arlingtonians love to read.

But what does this look like behind the scenes?

We admit it, June 15 was a hard reset.

Two weeks into providing a new holds pick-up service, many of our library staffers have shifted from telework to on-site work. In the previous month, they worked hard to prepare Central Library to receive holds from all eight library locations and to create a safe way for patrons to pick up those holds. Long before that, however, staff took up the challenge of learning and implementing a new operating system - a system that had to be replaced before our contract ran out in July, in a process that had started 18 months earlier when a pandemic was a story in the Fiction section or a lesson in the Nonfiction section...

Safety is part of our daily routine: Pre and post-COVID-19.

The safety of our patrons and staff always comes first! With that in mind, we built custom plexiglass barriers and created new work processes to safeguard everyone. And by shifting all our operations to Central Library, we have been able to create a safe and clean space where patrons can pick up holds and conduct essential Library business while maintaining safe social distancing. As with other industries, we acknowledge that waiting lines might be longer than usual during peak times, and looking ahead, we are working to communicate the status of pick-up conditions when possible.

The new now: Adapting and responding to change.

The full-service library branch model of eight locations open for business, as usual, isn’t possible right now based on how our work has changed and what is needed to ensure staff and patron safety.

A typical Monday morning now looks like this: Circulation staffer Charlotte, dressed in protective gloves and face covering, is checking in holds that will go on temporary shelves in the Auditorium. Later in the day, she will be joined by Branch staff after they finish processing the morning’s returns at their home branches.

Youth Services librarians Pat, Nico and Anne are getting ready to record a live story time video in the upstairs meeting room. Administrative staffer Charlie is waiting to make a materials-run and our Facility Manager Tony is climbing a ladder to install another temporary sign. Other staff are organizing books returned from patrons for their 72-hour quarantine. This is the new reality of daily operations.

Looking ahead: What happens next?

We don’t know, yet. What we do know is, we will continue to serve our community. Some of our buildings may remain closed for the duration of the pandemic, our virtual services and online programs will continue to expand, and our digital and physical catalog will remain accessible.

What will our future library system look like? What will happen with our popular programs such as story times, language conversation and author events? All good questions which we have been studying since the beginning of this crisis. Many scenarios are being considered as we move into the fall and winter.

Thank you for your support of Arlington Public Library.

We know the last three weeks have not been easy! Not on you, and not on our staff. We appreciate your patience, and we understand your frustration. We hope that every day gets a little easier, and when it doesn’t, please let us know using this form - we welcome your feedback.

For Library account or catalog questions, please call us, or contact us through use Live Chat and Text.

Stay safe and hopeful,
Your Arlington Public Library Team.

Reading for Running Inspiration

How “Running with a Police Escort” Got Me Moving Again!

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a love-hate relationship with running. I love that thing people call “runner’s high.” I HATE the process; the pounding of the pavement; the time it takes to find that “runner’s high.”

I’ve slogged my way up and down the Custis Trail; I’ve struggled with races including the Marine Corps 10K and the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

In an effort to find that elusive runner’s high, I’ve helped with or co-led the Library’s Reading and Running program in partnership with DC Road Runners.

Reading and Running aims to include helpful seminars and reading lists. The reading list usually includes things like “Running with Kenyans” or “Run! 26.2: Stories of Blisters and Bliss.”

But I wanted a book that spoke to runners like me. Runners who don’t always find it easy or fun; runners who aren’t competitive in the traditional sense; runners who just focus on one foot in front of the other. That’s when I found Jill Grunenwald’s “Running with a Police Escort: Tales from the Back of the Pack.” It was perfect!

Just one small problem… the last Reading and Running took place in May, 2016. Grunenwald’s book didn’t come out until January, 2017. I made a mental note, and have had it on my to-read list since then.

Eight months later and I just finished “Running with a Police Escort.” Grunenwald’s candid and laugh-out-loud chronicles of her adventures in running have re-inspired me to embark on another Couch to 5K training program. Every struggling runner should pick this book up.

Better yet, all those elite runners who breeze by the rest of us should pick it up. It might just give you a peek into the back of the pack.

Oh, and I did I mention that Jill Grunenwald is a librarian? Perfect for this running librarian!

 

What books are inspiring you?

 

 

Kindness Across the Branches

What’s It Like To Move To A New Work Space?

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

KSprofile

About a month ago I started a temporary stint at the Shirlington Branch Library.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous. Of course I was! Who wouldn’t be? It’s a larger branch than Cherrydale, which means a larger collection, a larger staff, and different patrons.

Luckily for me, the staff here are fantastic. They know their jobs well and do them well. Their knowledge and kindness have made my transition seamless. I’ve also had other colleagues stop by or call to see how I’m making out at the “big” branch. They’ve come or called from across the system – Westover, Central, Columbia Pike.

Patrons from Cherrydale have stopped in to say hello and patrons that I haven’t seen in quite some time recognized me from their days at Cherrydale. One mom stopped me and said “You used to do story time for my son when he was just 3 months old.” Her son is now 3 years old.

It is so nice to know that I have so much support. But what has made this transition so amazing is the kindness of the patrons that are new to me. Many of them have noticed a new face at the reference desk or roaming the stacks. They have gone out of their way to say hello and introduce themselves to me.

Each person here at Shirlington has shared his or her own drops of wisdom – letting me know where the best coffee place is (Peet’s) or the best lunch spot (Cheestique or Hula Girl) or which part of the collection is the best and why.

I hope to earn more of these drops of wisdom while here.

 

Library Director Receives Women of Vision Award

Women of Vision

On June 28, Library Director Diane Kresh was honored with the 2016 Women of Vision Award by the Commission on the Status of Women.

Each year, the Commission honors women from the fields of government, business and the nonprofit world who have shown extraordinary leadership and commitment to the community.

2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the awards.

This year’s Women of Vision Awards also include Rebecca Carpenter, the founder and CEO of organic urban agriculture company Sprout, and Susan Senn, a former Arlington Public Schools teacher who now serves on the Executive Board for the Arlington Branch of the American Association of University Women.

 

Diane’s remarks highlight her passion for mentoring women in the workplace and supporting young people in our community, as well as the power of stories to connect us:

Good evening. Thank you Ingrid, Caroline and the Commission on the Status of Women. I am honored to be here in the company of all of you, including many former winners of this prestigious award, and my County colleagues, friends and family.

Diane Kresh at Women of Vision awards

photo courtesy of AED BizLaunch

Perhaps it is no coincidence that 42 years ago this month, I began working in a library. Growing up in Arlington in the early 1960’s, becoming a librarian was perhaps the furthest thing from my mind, in spite of a penchant for alphabetizing my baseball trading cards. In those pre-Title IX days, I lived for sports – especially softball – and a career in physical education seemed more likely. However, within a few years of that first library job, I earned my Masters in Library Science and joined a profession known for its advocacy on behalf of the disenfranchised and marginalized.

A few years ago, I was writing a blog post to promote our outstanding summer reading program for children and teens when I remembered an event that, as much as anything, contributed to a lifelong commitment to empowering the disempowered.

It occurred in Mrs. Cheatham’s 8th grade English class and arrived in the form of a Scholastic magazine short story. “Sucker” by celebrated novelist Carson McCullers (“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and “Ballad of the Sad Café”), described a cruel hurt inflicted on an orphaned teen-child, so gullible and starved for affection and acceptance that his hurt, suffered at the hands of an insensitive older cousin Pete, the story’s narrator, still takes my breath away, close to 50 years later. We have each of us probably known a Sucker; or at times, maybe, been one: the nerdy kid who tags along, always at a distance, grateful to be allowed to do that. The kind of kid who will do anything to fit in, be wanted, the kind of kid who is prone to hero worship and typically chooses the wrong hero, a hero unworthy of such devotion, and who, ultimately, inevitably will disappoint.

“Sucker” was my first brush with young adult fiction and the realization that those you most depend on are not always there for you. I read S.E. Hinton’s classic, “The Outsiders” later that same year, but didn’t pick up young adult fiction, again until shortly after I arrived at Arlington Public Library when I requested a reading list of core YA titles from our Youth Services staff. Be careful what you ask for. Although I got through only about half of the list, I was unnerved by the range of experiences these fictional heroes and heroines confronted in their still young lives: teen pregnancy, addiction, gender preference, bullying; teens facing moral dilemmas, teens facing death, teens facing the consequences of their own actions. Pretty heavy and mature stuff in stories that revealed how challenging and lonely it is for young people to come of age, now more than ever. Stories that reminded me of how important adults are in the lives of teens whether we are parents, mentors, neighbors, teachers, or librarians. How important it is to be that someone willing to listen at a time when a teen needs it most.

From the women I coach who are trying to lean in and have it all to the young people of our community who struggle to find their voices, the Library is a beacon, a safe haven, a clean, well-lighted place that says: we listen, you belong. I am grateful to Arlington County for granting me the opportunity to give back to a community that set me on my path with confidence and purpose. And I am grateful to the Advisory Commission on the Status of Women and their tireless advocacy for the social and economic interests of women.

I’ll close with a quotation from one of my heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt who knew something about public service and whose commitment to social justice and human rights and freedoms sets a bar that I aspire to reach. She also knew something about the power of women’s voices. Perhaps her words will resonate with some of you . . .

“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”

Thank you.

 

Women of Vision awards are presented each year by the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women as part of the celebration of Women’s History Month. The awards are given to individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to women’s issues and have, over time, developed and communicated their vision for women and engaged community members and other leaders in order to realize this vision.

 

Coffee and Community

Catch a Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

KSprofileOn one of the many cold, rainy mornings in May, a handful of library staff set up a table in front of Starbucks in Virginia Square. We do these 2-3 times a year and call it “Coffee Ambassadors.” The idea is to reach people where they are and to promote the library.

Some people stop by and chat for a while. Others pass by with a wary glance our way. And others, we rope into conversation with shouts of “do you have a library card?” This last one is what drew the attention of a mom and her young daughter.

“Actually, my daughter just signed up for a library card at school and is getting excited about summer reading!”

If there’s one thing that excites librarians, it’s knowing that a child has signed up for a library card! So it’s no surprise that we all started cheering and asking questions. What school? What’s your favorite book? What grade? Did you know that we offer a variety of programs for elementary kids? Who’s your teacher?

It turns out Ms. Powers is the little girl’s teacher. Many library staff know Ms. Powers and her sidekick, Humphrey. With the help of Ms. Powers, Humphrey brought Paws to Read to Arlington Public Library. It’s one of our most successful programs.

Seeing these connections in the real world remind library staff why we do what we do. It reminds us that…

We are community.

 

What are your library stories?

 

Financial Literacy For (All) the Ages

Catch a Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library Moments brought to you by Librarian K

KSprofileApril was Financial Literacy month. Our business librarian has been working hard to promote the month and spotlight the library’s many resources on finance.

I couldn’t help but think of the time one eight year old boy came in to pay his fines.

His father is often upstairs in the loft working and his older sister is a regular library user. She’s always looking for new books and talking to the librarians about the things she’s learning in school. Her little brother, however, is more reserved. He likes to come in, grab his books and be on his way.

One day his older sister marched him straight up to the desk and in her slightly accented English said, “My brother has something he’d like to say.” With his head hung low, he handed me some books and murmured that he wanted to pay his fines.

When I told him that he owed $2.40, his eyes opened wide. He glanced down at the $2.00 that he had very carefully stacked into four sets of 50 and taped together. I saw him nervously look at his sister as if to say “I don’t have enough.”

It was obvious that he had taken great care to bring in the appropriate amount to clear his fines so I told him I would waive the remaining 40 cents. His face lit up in an instant.

His sister helped him learn a very valuable lesson about financial responsibility and saving: he paid that fine over a year ago, and has been in good standing ever since.

I can’t say our administrative finance person was very happy when I forgot to remove the tape from all of those pennies!

 

What are your library stories?

 

Technology: No Age Restrictions!

Catch A Glimpse From Inside the Library…

Library moments brought to you by Librarian K

KSprofile
Every librarian has heard those dreadful words: “Libraries are dying” or “What’s the point of a library? Everything is online.”

Well, guess what? I am a librarian. I see the value of a library in our world of emerging technology:

As I work at the circulation desk assisting patrons, I welcome one of our regular patrons. She is a well-known face, and for the last 30 years has been checking out books – the good old fashioned kind made of paper. This nonagenarian* has also ventured into the audiobook realm.

Tonight, though, she is braving something new. She sits down with our tech tutor to learn about her new tablet, a gift from her granddaughter. She claims she is helpless and will have to set up a standing tech help session. But guess what?  She’s coming back and she wants to learn. This isn’t helplessness; this is determination and the love of learning.

There’s an echo of laughter as she embraces the intricacies of her device. I hear the joy in her voice when she discovers that, even though these devices are new, she can figure them out. Thanks to a “dying” library, she is on her way to being tech-savvy.

 

*nonagenarian (n) – A person between ninety and ninety-nine years (inclusive); a person aged ninety.
Courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary.

 

What are your library stories?

 

Celebrating 170 Years of Service

It’s not every day that we get to celebrate our own…

2015 service honorees 2

On Thursday, Nov. 5, Arlington County celebrated six Library employees for extraordinary terms of service. These are some of the remarkable people who have made and kept Arlington Public Library a renowned community institution.

From left to right: David Beach (30 years), Frances Coles (25 years), Anne Brooks (30 Years), Susan McCarthy (30 years), M. Ann Morgan (30 years) and Sally Dewey (25 years).

We thank these MVPs for their dedication to our team and if you see them at work in the libraries, feel free to do the same. We couldn’t do what we do without them.

 

 

Does That Recipe Look Wrong To You?

Cookbook Errata: If Something Looks Odd, It May Be

cook in kitchen

In today’s fast-paced publishing world, editorial mistakes are not unheard of. We’ve all rolled our eyes at a spelling or grammatical error in an otherwise wonderful novel. Some of us have even torn out (or “frogged”) hours of knitting to fix a mistake caused by a misprint in a pattern.

And while mistakes in a knitting pattern can be frustrating and time consuming, cookbook mistakes can also be hazardous to your health.

So if your recipe seems wrong, the following tips should increase your odds of having a happy and healthy cooking experience:

 

Recomended books:

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
edited by Judy Kingry and Aluren Devine

Recommended by the National Center for Home Food Preservation, this book includes 400 recipes, plus comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods plus lists of required equipment and utensils.

 

 

Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet

Volume 1 of this six volume set includes chapters on Microbiology for Cooks and Food Safety. You can read volumes 1-6 at the Central Library, and check out the easier-to-carry version, Modernist Cuisine at Home.

 

 

And if you’re still skeptical about a recipe, search online using the term “cookbook errata” or “cookbook errors” (or use the word “recipe” instead of cookbook), plus the title of the cookbook or recipe.  If the error you see has been found by other people, it may show up online.

 

We wish you happy – and safe – cooking this holiday season!

 

What Did Arlington Check Out in 2012?

Presenting our most popular titles from last year!

Did you read or watch these?  What was on your Top 10?
Click on each graph to enlarge the image.

 

 

 

 

Visit the Library’s Facebook Page for more Graphs of 2012, including the top 25 Books on CD, and the YA reviews favorite books of 2012.

 

Behind the Scenes is our periodic look at how the Library works, brought to you by acting chief of the Library’s Materials Management Division, Rachel Wood.

 

 

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