Volunteering

Although my internship at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh officially ended at the end of July, I continue to volunteer at the library. I've been leading a book group at a local nursing home as part of the library's outreach efforts. I've been getting better at leading the group discussions. More people are participating in the discussion and less have been falling asleep. :) The participants really enjoy the monthly meetings, so I'm happy to help out.

I also wrote the Beach Reads section for August's featured collection, Make a Splash: Hit the Beach on the library website. I included quick reads by Jane Green, Andrew Gross, Elin Hilderbrand, Sophie Kinsella, James Patterson, and Anita Shreve.

First ALA conference = lots of books

I attended my first American Library Association conference last month in Washington, D.C. The annual conference is huge! Although it was very well organized, it was quite overwhelming. There was so much going on, it was difficult to decide what to attend. Unfortunately, the sessions I sat in were either not what I expected or not very engaging. I suspect that once I start working as a librarian and have a niche, I'll be able to get more out of the conference sessions.

The best event I attended during my time in DC was an information session on federal librarianship careers. It was at the Library of Congress, so I had to take the subway there, which was very confusing. I wish I had taken a tour of the Library of Congress, but at the time I thought attending the conference was more important.

I spent most of my time in the exhibit hall, attending author signings and collecting free books for children, teens and adults. Of the 50-some books I brought home - 15 are signed copies! Some of the books are not available to the public yet (advanced uncorrected proofs). I met most of the authors or illustrators, including Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, Vicki Myron, Jim Breuer, Adriana Trigiani, Julia Alvarez, Heidi W. Durrow, Jon Scieszka and David Small.

I also got a picture with Nancy Pearl and a signed copy of her latest "Book Lust" tome. I wish I had brought my Nancy Pearl librarian action figure with "amazing push-button shushing action" for her to sign, but it's still in the box and I didn't want to carry it around all day.

My friend Merritt had traveled from St. Croix for the conference and we had blast. She taught me the art of obtaining free books. She shipped 8 boxes of books back to the island - most to donate to an elementary school library - and took a suitcase full of books back with her on the plane. Pretty crazy but the kids will love it.

We stayed in Chinatown at a hotel with an Irish pub downstairs, which was awesome. Hard cider on tap! The walk to the convention center was only about 4 blocks, but it felt MUCH longer while lugging bags of books in the 105-degree heat.

Now I just need to get another bookshelf to store my new books AND find time to read them!

P.S. Check out this cool video for a peek at the ALA exhibit area: Penguin Goes to the American Library Association (ALA) 2010 Annual Conference, by Julie Schaeffer

Library funding crisis

It's that time of year again.

State and city library budgets are increasingly in jeopardy, and it's up to the public to lobby in their favor.

Last year the proposed cut for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system (which includes 29 libraries) was 65 percent, but after the public rallied, it was reduced to 35 percent.

Now that I am a library intern/volunteer there, I know firsthand how important the library is to people. It's sad that we have to beg for such a valuable public service. I am thankful to those who support funding, including these lawmakers. (Still, this is only to keep the libraries open until December 2010!)

House members scold Ravenstahl over funding for Carnegie Library

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eight state House members from the city of Pittsburgh have sent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a strongly worded letter complaining that he hasn't lived up to a commitment to provide Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with $1.2 million over two years.

City Council last year approved, and the mayor signed, a bill giving the library system $600,000.

But Mr. Ravenstahl returned unsigned a bill council passed June 1 allocating the system another $640,000 -- money the system says it needs to keep all branches open through December. The bill now becomes law without his signature.

"This is an issue that we have all worked collectively on as elected officials, and we hope we may rely on you to finalize your piece," said the June 8 letter signed by Democratic Reps. Dom Costa of Stanton Heights, Paul Costa of Wilkins, Dan Deasy of Westwood, Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill, Joe Preston of East Liberty, Harry Readshaw of Carrick, Chelsa Wagner of Beechview and Jake Wheatley of the Hill District.

By June 8, however, the mayor already had returned the bill unsigned, according to council records.

At the time the letter was written, the signers were all of the House members representing city neighborhoods. Mr. Ravenstahl's brother, Adam, of the North Side, was sworn in the next day to serve out the term of Don Walko, now an Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge.

Ms. Wagner, the chief author, acknowledged in an interview that the letter was unusual because of the signers' unanimity and the unusually stern language directed at the mayor.

The lawmakers said long-term and short-term financing plans for the library were ironed out at a Nov. 23 meeting of state, county, city and library officials at the Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown. The leaders convened as the library system was preparing to close a handful of city branches.

"At this meeting, which was attended by your chief of staff, Yarone Zober, we all came to an agreement that the city would provide $1.2 million in stop-gap funding for the libraries, and the state representatives would direct the city's share of the table-games revenue to (the library system).

"If you did not agree with this arrangement, then, as your representative, Mr. Zober should have voiced that opposition before the decision was made or could have alerted us within a reasonable time frame after that meeting."

The library system did not ask the lawmakers to send the letter, spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes said.

So far, the library system hasn't received any money from the city; the first $600,000, though approved by council and the mayor, has not yet arrived, Ms. Thinnes said.

In recent weeks, mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven has said another $640,000 would amount to a "blank check" for the library system and come at a time when the city has its own financial worries. Besides, she said, there's nothing to prevent the library from returning next year and demanding yet another grant to keep branches open.

CLP's Eleventh Stack

This is my first blog posting and bio for the library's blog, Eleventh Stack. The photo at right is of Turtle Beach on Buck Island near St. Croix.

Island Dreaming
Looking for a great vacation location? I lived on the beautiful island of St. Croix, and highly recommend the U.S. Virgin Islands. No passport is needed since it is a U.S. territory. I’ve identified some library materials to get you in the mood for a trip, or just to immerse yourself in island dreaming.

Travel guidebooks include Frommer’s Virgin Islands, Fodor’s the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Moon Handbooks’ Virgin Islands. While these are great resources to start your research, the best way to learn about the islands and get the inside scoop is to hear from people who live there or have visited there, which you can do before or during your trip.

In the fiction book Don’t Stop the Carnival, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk draws on his own experience managing a hotel on an island near St. Thomas in the 1960s. The comedy about living out your fantasies on an exotic Caribbean island gives a pretty realistic account of the ups and downs of island life.

Wouk’s novel was turned into a short-lived musical by Jimmy Buffet in 1997 and an interactive multimedia CD, Don’t Stop the Carnival, words and music by Jimmy Buffett, can be found at the Library.

Other music and film recordings offer a glimpse of island life:

Zoop Zoop Zoop: Traditional Music and Folklore of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John features folk music field recordings from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Various artists perform the pieces, including “Sly mongoose,” “Me mother had tell me,” and “Cigar win the race.”

Caribbean Dreaming: U.S. Virgin Islands. This DVD brings the island atmosphere to life, with sumptuous visual images and music. From sunrise to sunset, go “behind the scenes” of the islands, visiting the most serene beaches, and observe breathtaking landscapes and ocean views.

Hollywood has shot several films in the USVI. The final scene in The Shawshank Redemption was filmed at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St. Croix. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire Caribbean and is only open to the public seasonally during specific times in order to protect sea turtle nests and hatchlings.

Movies with scenes shot on St. Thomas include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Weekend at Bernie’s II, and Trading Places.

-Apryl

Apryl is an intern on the First Floor of the Main Library. She loves the redesigned bookstore/café-style space — a library trend that influenced her decision to pursue librarianship as a new career rather than open a bookstore. A magazine junkie, she is excited to help with the First Floor’s amazing magazine collection, among other projects. Having worked in continuing and graduate education for many years, she’s taken the plunge herself as a master’s student in the University of Pittsburgh’s library and information science program. When not working on her online courses, she indulges in popular fiction and is currently obsessed with audio books.

Summer Internship and Travel Plans

This summer I am interning with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's First Floor: New & Featured department. I love it! This is a quite a relief since I am halfway through the graduate program at Pitt. Now I'm even more excited to earn my MLIS. (It would be a very expensive venture if I didn't want to pursue it as a career, after all.)

I completed spring semester's courses with A's. This summer I'm taking the internship for credit. Later this month I'm traveling to Baltimore to visit friends and family and to DC to attend the ALA annual conference at the end of the month. It is a huge conference with big name authors! I'll be rooming with my friend Merritt from St. Croix, who also earned her MLIS though Pitt's program (which is how I learned about the program).

Semester Nears End and In-Laws Visit

Spring semester is nearly over and I have tons of school work to do. I don't expect to get much done the next few days since my in-laws will be visiting, so next week is going to be crazy busy.

We're planning to do some Pittsburgh sightseeing this weekend, so it should be a good time. I've never been to Phipps Conservatory, so that is at the top of my list. We'll get to see the Spring Flower Show. I also want to take them to Station Square for lunch and to ride the inclines.

Finally, I enjoyed this quote in an e-mail today:
"Books are the quietist and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." - Charles W. Eliot

SOLD! To the Highest Bidder...

From Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Blog, "Eleventh Stack"

(Side note: This is where I'm interning this summer! More on that later. Assignments are calling...)

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh announces that as of today, Thursday, April 1, 2010, the Library’s name has been changed to Three Rivers at the Point Casino Carnegie Library. The Library is pleased to partner with Three Rivers at the Point Casino and will continue to provide the same great services you have come to know, love, and expect.

The decision to change the Library’s name is based on many factors, but the most important is money. The Library needs more money to operate at current service levels. Three Rivers at the Point Casino will provide revenue in exchange for a few small concessions, the first being a name change. Selling naming rights is commonplace. Everybody’s doing it, so why shouldn’t we? Pittsburgh has PNC Park, Heinz Field, Consol Energy Center, and the First Niagara Pavilion, which used to be the Post Gazette Pavilion and before that Coca-Cola Starlake Amphitheatre. People are even selling naming rights to themselves. Remember the woman who sold her forehead for $10,000?

Another new Library practice, inspired our partnership with the Casino, is the Book Hold Roulette. When you add your name to the waiting list for a book, you’ll never know when you’re going to get it. Each morning, Library staff will spin the wheel and luck will determine who gets the book! Makes the book hold process a lot more exciting, doesn’t it?

Also beginning today, when you sign on to use the Library’s computers, you’ll pull a slot machine handle on the side of the computer to enter your barcode number, and if you get 3 cherries, you’ll be allowed to use the computer! If not, you’ll have to keep trying until you come up with a winning combination.

Now when you find the book you are looking for on our shelves, as your reward you’ll hear the tinkling sound of change falling into a slot machine tray. You won! You found the book! Congratulations!

I hope you realized by now that today is April Fool’s Day, and this scenario is fiction, not fact. But, dear reader, potentially reprehensible circumstances could become real if the Library does not find sources of consistent, sustainable revenue. The state budget promises once again to reduce Library funding levels. Financial support from the RAD is always tied to income generated by the extra 1% sales tax in Allegheny County, and therefore cannot be guaranteed to increase or even remain the same from year to year. The Library needs your assistance. Please visit CLP’s web page to find out how you can help.

Happy April Fool’s Day! -Melissa