Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best of the season.

I look forward to our conversations in 2010.

Happy New Year!

What makes a library a library?

What comes to mind when you think of a library?

This question came to mind after I read an article about a new Library Express outlet in Redmond Ridge, Washington. The King County Public Library in Washington State opened a Library Express in the master planned community of Redmond Ridge. The Express outlet is unstaffed, and library patrons can enter the building by scanning or typing in their library card number. Holds/Reserve pickup, a small collection of paperbacks, a library catalog computer and a dedicated phone line to staff at the nearby Regional Library are the services available.

I've heard of other libraries installing automated Library Kiosks in transit stations or having hold pickup outlets, taking some library services out where people are. But is the library just "commodity" distribution? What about all the other things we do? What about story time? What about the book clubs? What about the library staff?

So what goes into the library experience? Is it the books? Is it the programming? Is it the computers? Is it the people?
What is your library experience and what makes a library a library?

I'd love to hear what you think.

Netflix for Libraries?

The Hayward Public Library in Northern California is launching an interesting new service for library patrons. For a fee, library patrons can have a set number of books out indefinitely, without incurring additional fines and fees. Here is the article about the Hayward Library service. (I have to thank Kathy Gould of Palos Verdes Public Library - I saw this in her blog and I had to go see what Hayward was up to. Thanks Kathy!)

Hayward has chosen not to mail materials – so patrons come into the library, but they don’t have to worry about due dates or renewals.

I would love to hear what you think about this idea – Would you be willing to pay the library a monthly fee so you wouldn’t have to worry about due dates and fines? Would this work in Huntington Beach?

Reading at the Beach...

Here’s an interesting idea –

In the Netherlands, a number of public libraries set up Beach Branch Libraries. The Beach library was set up right on the sand, during the summer for 6 weeks. There were no fines, no fees, no library cards. To borrow something you just sign your name and address.

They have averaged 15,000 circulations during the 6 week period with only 1% of borrowed items not being returned. About 25,000 people visit the beach branches during the same period. The Beach libraries have circulated everything from books to IPods, audiobooks to Ebooks. The Beach libraries have also offered yoga classes and creative writing workshops for beachgoers.

Some preliminary research shows that the beach branches don’t bring new patrons to the regular library. But it is one way to take the library to the people.

I’d love to hear what people think about Libraries on the Sand…

Talking with people

As a leader, and as the Director of a large Library, I am regularly confronted with the challenge of communication.

What is the best way to communicate with my staff?
What is the best way to communicate with Library customers/patrons/clients?

How can I be sure that the community knows all the great things we do here at the Library and the services we provide?

Well, on Tuesday, September 15, at 2 PM, I’m having my first “coffee with the director” discussion. I will be here at the Central Library in our Balboa Room downstairs, with the door open. If you are interested in talking about the Huntington Beach Library, what you like about the library and what you’d like to see us do in the future, drop in and chat for awhile.

There will be coffee and there will be cookies to go along with the conversation.

I’d love to hear what you think about our Library.

I’m planning 2 other Coffee discussions – another one in the Balboa Room at Central Library at 2 PM on September 22 and then another session at our Main Street Library on September 23 at 2 PM.

I look forward to our conversation.

Summer Reading

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite summer activities is reading – and it appears that I am not alone -

Summer is winding down and I am thrilled to report that it has been a TERRIFIC summer for reading in Huntington Beach. Over 5,314 children and over 400 Teens all participated in our summer reading programs. Not to be left out, we had 580 adults reading through the summer.

We averaged 1,700 children’s books checked out EVERYDAY during summer reading. That’s pretty amazing.

Congratulations to all the participants – you are all winners because of your reading!

Get your Geek on!

What do you Geek?

I love the new Library Advocacy/Public Awareness campaign that was just launched this summer in Georgia and Iowa – the website is http://www.geekthelibrary.org/

People can log on and tell others what they “Geek” and find out how the Library can help them “Get their Geek on”.

Sponsored by OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center), the new Geek the Library campaign is partially supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help develop an effective public awareness campaign for all libraries.

Libraries are amazing places, where your Inner Geek can break free and shine – we just need to get the word out about the wonderful things @ your library.

So, what do you Geek? I'd love to hear...