New Things to Learn!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

February 4, 2012

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Rope by Nevada Barr

Taken by Robert Crais

Raylan by Elmore Leonard

Lunatics by Dave Barry

Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card

All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley

Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, Feb.13, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Wednesdays, Feb. 8 & Feb.22—Preschool Story Times for 3-4 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Thursdays, Feb.9, & Feb. 23—Preschool Story Times for 4-5 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Thursday, Feb.9 from 3:30 – 5 pm Art Program for Grades K-2nd
• Saturday Feb. 11—Cass Co. Conservation Backyard Bird Count from 1:30-3 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 16 from 3:30- 5 pm Art Program for Grades 3-6th
• Wednesday, Mar. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Library meeting/program room All Cass County Reads Program by author Rosanne Bachman for her book Driving to Clarinda!

Did You Know…the Atlantic Public Library website has now added a Weather Channel “widget” to the home page? You can find out the forecast and current weather conditions for Atlantic and other places around the world!

Behind My Desk… I was supposed to mention this in my last column and, well, I forgot. The Genealogy Society is looking for some past issues of the Atlantic High School Javelin. They need the following years: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007-2011. They would appreciate any of these donations!

A couple weeks ago I attended an all-day online conference for librarians. It was geared for the small to medium library. I guess I was at the “teachable” moment because I felt it was one of the best of workshops I’ve attended! This is the fifth year for this conference. It is online, so we do not have to worry about getting out on bad January days and can still receive training. This was started by our District Library Consultant and a group of small public librarians. They have an Opening Keynote Speaker and multiple learning sessions with a break for lunch and supper. There is an online exhibit hall and at night there is Evening Keynote Speaker for trustees.

To organize something like this takes a great amount of knowledge and patience. It’s a new process for a lot of people. The Library Services Agency has made available online classrooms where a person can log in and listen to a presentation and watch on their computer monitors a slide presentation. There is the opportunity to chat with the presenter, so it’s an interesting new way to learn! I still enjoy going to workshops, but our weather is too “ify” in the winter to plan to attend something like this.

I should mention that this was a statewide project. Several hundred librarians from across the state logged in and participated. That’s impressive!

I mentioned in the “Did you know…” portion of this column about adding The Weather Channel to our homepage. That came from a session on how to use “widgets” in our webpages. Another session was on how to make your website more efficient and usable for everyone. That’s why the Atlantic Public Library website looks a little different. My next project has to do with signage. Shabby signage is not good. It sends a message to our patrons, friends, and users that we don’t care about our library. I need to clean up some of our signs here…starting with the Automatic Door sign at the front door!

Happy Valentine’s Day coming up and …Keep Thinking Libraries!

January Happenings @ the Library!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

January 21, 2012

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Vigilante by Stephen Cannell

Locked On by Tom Clancy

77 Shadow Street by Dean R. Koontz

Death Benefit by Robin Cook

Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag

Leopard by Jo Nesbo

D C Dead by Stuart Woods

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, Feb.13, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Wednesdays, Jan.25, Feb. 8 & Feb.22—Preschool Story Times for 3-4 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Thursdays, Jan.26, Feb.9, & Feb. 23—Preschool Story Times for 4-5 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 25 –Grades 1-3 , 3:00-4:00 pm. “Jungle Journey”
• Wednesday, Mar. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Library meeting/program room All Cass County Reads Program by author Rosanne Bachman for her book Driving to Clarinda!

Did You Know…the Atlantic Public Library has a public fax service? The fax fee is a dollar per page either sent or received. Our fax # is 712-243-5011.

Behind My Desk…

New things are happening in the Genealogy Department. As I’ve mentioned before, they now have a phone extension. That has helped us to not have so many messages over the intercom system to interrupt our patrons who are working or reading.

They should have by the time this article is printed in the paper a new microfilm reader scanner. Our old one has gone to that recycle bin in the sky. It was a good friend, but it’s time had come. The new one will work with a computer and regular desk printer. Thanks to the Friends of the Library, the department will have a new computer, printer, and monitor. We appreciate their donation for those items. This was not as easy a transfer of equipment as I had hoped for. I think the wait will be worth it.

Staffing is always an important duty for the library director. Janie is slowly working her way back to full time after taking eight weeks for foot surgery and other crises. Last Friday was Kelsey’s last day with us. She plans to further her education, and we wish her well. Yes, we do have an opening for a part-time page at the library. Stop by the library for an application and more information.

At the last board meeting it was decided to change to a cleaning service for the library, so I’m looking into contract bids for that.

This week I went with some of the other Cass County librarians to visit the Cyber Library on the Council Bluffs campus of Iowa Western Community College. My, oh, my!

I should also mention that yes, the library does have copies of the three main Federal tax forms (1040EZ, 1040A, and the 1040). Unfortunately, we do not have instructions for the 1040 yet. We have ordered them and the reproducible tax forms, but the government has notified us that it will be at least the end of January before we see them. I know. Irritating, isn’t it?

One last thing…I’ve been doing one of my favorite tasks again. Take a look at the library webpage at www.atlantic.lib.ia.us. I added a weather “widget” to the page, so you can see what the weather people think is happening in Atlantic with radar, road conditions, weather alerts and forecasts. Stay warm and safe, and …Keep Thinking Libraries!

Time to Renew our Magazines!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

January 7, 2012

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Micro by Michael Crichton

Lost December by Richard Evans

Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Garner Files by James Garner

Mr. CSI by Anthony Zuiker

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell

Soft Target by Stephen Hunter

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, Jan. 9, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Wednesdays, Jan.11, Jan.25, Feb. 8 & Feb.22—Preschool Story Times for 3-4 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Thursdays, Jan. 12, Jan.26, Feb.9, & Feb. 22—Preschool Story Times for 4-5 year olds from 10-11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Mar. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Library meeting/program room All Cass County Reads Program by author Rosanne Bachman for her book Driving to Clarinda!

Did You Know…the Atlantic Public Library has a computer downstairs exclusively for filing your taxes online? The library employees are not tax preparers, but they can show you the IRS site and the Iowa Revenue site for you!

Behind My Desk… The holidays are officially over and decorations are coming down and now we are seeing Valentine’s Day things. Doesn’t it seem to you that we are being rushed into every holiday whether we are ready or not?

Please take note about the Preschool Story Times for January and February. Wednesdays are for 3 & 4 year olds and Thursdays are for 4 & 5 year olds.

About this time every year we renew, and sometimes add and subtract our magazine subscriptions. Every community is different. We check to see what titles are circulating and of interest to our patrons. Some magazines go out of business, so we try to find similar titles to fill in; and sometimes our patrons give us suggestions. In March Diane goes through our collection and weeds out our older issues, so you may want to watch our “Book Sale Cart” for any bargains.

I should mention that the library is through with holidays now until Memorial Day. So, unless the weather gets very nasty, the library should be open normal hours.

Next week we should be getting our new microfilm reader/scanner for the Genealogy/Local History Room. Our old machine was a true “work horse” for us, but we were very close to no longer finding replacement parts for it. It was time to see what we could find that would help us for future research as well as using older materials. It was an expensive purchase, but I think it will be a good one.

Enjoy our New Year and …Keep Thinking Libraries