No. 06-45                                                                                                                  November 10, 2006

• MARISA IACOBUCCI, Adult Services Coordinator

Reminder:  Please share the Weekly Bulletins with your staff
 

 

• JAN AGUIRRE, Specialist & Training Coordinator

 Polaris “Tip of the Week”

If you plan on using Polaris in the offline mode during the upcoming upgrade on 11/15, I have posted instructions to the FLLS website.

 

§    Please be aware that you will only be able to check items out to patrons who have their library card with them while in the offline mode.  

§    You will NOT be able to search the database for them by name.

§    When you are notified that Polaris is available, you MUST upload the offline transaction files BEFORE using Polaris normally.  

§    These instructions are available on the FLLS website at: http://www.flls.org/cns/polaris.htm. That’s www.flls.org, then click on Librarian Resources, Computer Network Services, Polaris. The instructions are entitled: Using Polaris Off-line and is a pdf file which opens with Adobe Reader.

 

•  ANNETTE BIRDSALL, Youth Services Coordinator

Save the Date! 

Kids BookFest November 11^th

 Your library is invited to participate –sign-up to be librarian, Molly McGrew (FRP will provide her jacket for you to wear for an hour or two on the day of the fest.) Please send a photo board featuring your library staff & highlights so your library can be present for the 2,000 kids who attend.  Don’t miss this fest that promotes libraries & reading!  Your library can borrow Molly’s jacket before the fest too!  Call me to make arrangements. 

See you there! Join the fun!

Saturday, November 11

10am - 4 pm

Boynton Middle School, Ithaca, NY

 

•  LINDA BEINS, ILL/Reference Coordinator

Recycled Reference Books

There are still these previously owned reference books available for the taking; contact Linda Beins, Reference/ILL Librarian, by Nov. 22, 2006.

1. Acronyms, Initialisms & Abbreviations Dictionary (36^th ed., 2006) (4 v.)

2. Bowker Annual (2003) & (2004)

 

 Databases

The most recent NewsBank Current Events Hot Topic, Special Elections 2006 Issues includes suggested search terms for articles about this past election.

  

Websites - Countries of the World 

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/  Background Notes are produced by the US State Department. “part of the U.S. Department of State’s website, this site provides up-to-date, factual information on the countries of the world, including links to U.S. embassies, press releases, and other information useful for students and travelers” [Flavors of Reference: Best of Reference 2006, NYPL]

http://www.infoplease.com/countries.html  infoplease Country Facts offers in-depth profiles that include information on each country’s geography, maps, flags, history, government, languages, religions, economy, etc. Each profile links to an additional encyclopedic entry organized into sections on Land and People, Economy, Government, History, and a bibliography. Other features of the website include summaries of world capitals, religions, currency, and population.

 

Last Week’s Question of the Week  What hours are the polls open on Election Day in New York State?  [Responses will be rewarded.] Both Jen Schlossberg and Julia Schult answered 6 am -9 pm; Julia identified the NYS Board of Elections website http://www.elections.state.ny.us/  as a source; it also has links to each NYS County Board of Elections.

 

This Week’s Question of the Week  President Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Please find some online sites with the full text of this remarkable speech.

  

• REX HELWIG, Computer Network Manager

We are scheduled for an upgrade to the Polaris Server on Wednesday November 15^th, 2006 which will also cause PowerPac to be unavailable.  We are upgrading the underlying database software and the Polaris software.  Please don’t try and log into the “On-line Polaris” on Wednesday until we notify you.  “Off-line Polaris” will be available to you and instructions for that are covered by Jan in this bulletin.  Once we are done with the upgrade I will need to update the PowerPac with the style changes that we have already incorporated, so you may see some formatting issues until I am done with that.

   

• MELANIE HEMINGWAY, Outreach Services

For Libraries and Senior citizens, an inspirational event!

There will be a free public presentation on Dynamic Aging: Partnerships for Engagement on

December 4^th, 2006, in the auditorium at Kendal-at-Ithaca (2230 N. Triphammer Road, Ithaca) from 10:30am-12 noon.

Library people from all our five counties are welcome to attend!

James Welbourne, Director, 50+ Transition Center, and City Librarian, New Haven Public Library System, will speak about Dynamic Aging and libraries as partners, conveners and centers for cultural and civic literacy, social interactions, professional development, and lifelong learning. 

For more information, go to:

http://www.grantmakers.org/gfny/documents/CNYAGE120406flyer.pdf

This event is hosted by the Grantmakers Forum of New York with assistance from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and the United Way of Tompkins County, and with funding from Grantmakers In Aging.

Contact Lisa Dahl to register, at programs@grantmakers.org  or call 585-232-2380 with questions.

  

• JULIA SCHULT, Groton Public Library Director

 As a follow-up to the bulletin last week when Marisa mentioned a source to get rid of books, I recently ran across Operation Paperback and also Books for Soldiers. I think I may join Operation Paperback (www.operationpaperback.org) since we have so many paperbacks left over after our book sale, and FOL for TCPL was overrun with paperbacks this year.

Also, I am collecting Children's books to send to the Walton Public Library, which lost its children's section in the flooding this summer. They need good children's books, or in-demand adult non-fiction - those were the two collections hardest hit.  If any libraries would like to send a few books for me to forward on, you can send them through the delivery – in the delivery bags, not in a box - to Groton if you have less than 10 books.  Please clearly mark the items "Attn: Julia - books for Walton".

If you have more than 10 books, please email groton@twcny.rr.com to discuss whether to mail a box directly to Walton or to make other arrangements for delivery.

We also had set aside a box of books, mostly adult fiction, to send to New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) or other victims of Katrina. However, we learned that NOPL was inundated with book donations, many useless, and so they are requesting people send book donations to Better World Books (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Programs/Library.aspx), addressed Attn: Rebuild NOPL. They sell the books online and give the money to New Orleans. We found out that none of the libraries in this area lost their adult fiction sections, so we sent a box of good donated fiction books, mostly hardcover, to that address. Better World Books will also sell books for your local public library and give you the profits!

 

• DIRECTORS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL (DAC) MEMBERS:

If you have any questions or concerns regarding FLLS library service, you are welcome to contact a DAC member from the list below. 

Janet Steiner, TCPL, Ithaca
Judy Barkee, Ulysses Philomathic Library, Trumansburg
Lois Maki, Newfield Public Library
Kay Zaharis, Cortland Free Library
Mary Frank, Peck Memorial Library, Marathon
Sally Otis, Hazard Library, Poplar Ridge
Stephen Erskine, Seymour Library, Auburn
Beverly Dann, Waverly Free Library.