November 2008 Report

Library Director’s Report- November 2008 

 

We will be presenting an overview of our services to youth this month to our collaborative city partners—Parks, Recreation and Community Services and the Police Department.

 

Sarah Nunes, our Management Exchange Fellow from the City of San Jose, wrapped up her three month’s stay at the library. She helped tremendously in kick-starting a customer-service initiative; she also helped create a more effective organizational chart, and a myriad of other accomplishments. In her evaluation, Sarah thought this was a tremendous opportunity for her own professional growth and was time well-spent.

 

At the UC Santa Cruz Latino Literature / La Literature Latina II Conference, Maria Kramer presented, “Public Libraries and Latino Users and the perspectives of national organization REFORMA–The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.”

Maria Kramer was also part of a panel at the California Library Association Conference and shared her experience planning and implementing Dia de los Niños; Dia de los Libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) celebrations.

 

We have purchased a subscription to MyiLibrary, downloadable audio books that are ipod compatible. This should be live within the next few months. The biggest obstacle to our existing downloadable books was that ipod users were excluded. MyiLibrary does not require any third party software and Ingram’s existing publisher relationships make it a worthwhile and calculated risk. They have an agreement in place with Penguin and one with Random House is pending.

 

Thanks to Jenny Davis we have introduced our new online book recommendation service, Good Reads, which reviews hundreds of books as well as author biographies and title lists–all easily accessible online. Good Reads also offers email newsletters–new books in the subjects of your choosing are sent right to your inbox. This service is made possible by a generous donation from the Friends of the Library. To access Good Reads, visit our web site at www.rcpl.info or go direct to the Good Reads page.

 

Redwood Shores—Liz Meeks

• Sandpiper School students made a very generous donation of $400.00 in library materials to the Redwood Shores Branch Library this month. The school held its annual Scholastic Book Fair during the week of November 17 and students that purchased books at the fair donated the change from their purchases to the Library.  The Library extends a very heartfelt and gracious “thank you” to the students at Sandpiper School for their generosity.
• The number of library materials checked out continues to increase each month since the library opened.  This month, 46,975 library materials were checked out. In the first three months the library has circulated more items than Schaberg does in one year!
• 20,808 people visited the library. (Note: the gate counter malfunctioned at the end of the month.)
• Weekly storytime attendance is ranging from 30 to 80 per program. More sessions to meet demand are being planned.
• In collaboration with PRCS, we will have weekly teen programs after school. A staff member will be hired from revenues that are being generated from the PRCS classes held at the Shores Library.
• Lucy, Leticia and Ray attended the City’s New Employee Welcome orientation on November 6. The all-day session began with a breakfast with the Department Heads and continued with a fun-filled and active program which included an overview of the City; a tour of the City; lunch with the City Manager; a values discussion with the Department Heads; safety and policy information; and networking with colleagues from other departments.
• The Library Board held its monthly meeting at the library. After the meeting the Board received a tour of the facility by library staff.
• The Homework Center opened on Monday, November 3.  nu Sumabeena is the Homework Center Supervisor.
• The Library held an “Election Day” event on Tuesday, November 4. The Community Room was open and available all-day as community residents dropped in throughout the day to watch the election day results on the big 65” flat screen television, engage in conversation and enjoy light refreshments.
• A variety of different groups and organizations are reserving and utilizing the meeting rooms at the library.
• With the recent award of grants from Oracle and Electronic Arts, the Redwood Shores Library Interpretive Center has achieved the fundraising goal of $297,120! All of the funds for the project were raised from corporate and foundation grants as well as generous donations from members of the community. The Interpretive Center is scheduled for installation in mid-January and a public opening is being planned.
• Our November 15th birdwalk was led by Sonny Mencher of the Sequoia Audubon Society. Thirty people came to the Redwood Shores Library Community Room for a slideshow of birds seen in Redwood Shores the previous week. About 10 people then headed to Nob Hill Pond for a great showing of real birds!

 

Schaberg

·         181 students attended the Homework Center this month.

·         The various story time sessions at the Schaberg Branch Library are well received, with 284 attending this month.

·         5,224 visitors came to the Library this month.

·         13,300 items were checked out, 0% increase.

 

Fair Oaks—Maria Diaz

• Fair Oaks circulated 6,991 items in November, a 40% increase over November 2007!
• During November Cristina, Armando and Maria continue to work on planning for the Family Author Night programs in partnership with the four schools.

• The Hoover School program is set for January 12, 2009 at 6 p.m. with Elizabeth Gomez and Yuyi Morales has agreed to do 1 or 2 programs at Fair Oaks and maybe Taft.
• Cristina and Maria met with the director of the Child Development Centers to talk about possible outreach opportunities and need for Traveling Story Time volunteers. Cristina will work with the Parent Advocate on outreach at future parent meetings. The Director will contact her staff and let Jan know what the need is for Traveling Story Time volunteers.
• While at Taft Maria and Cristina also met the staff from the Family Center to reconnect and explore future outreach opportunities. Cristina will work with Carlin Politzer the Community Schools Coordinator to plan outreach to the Taft parent community.
• This month we also have been working with Leslie Kanno. Leslie is a San Jose State Library School student who is writing an application for the 2009 Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Visit Award. The application is for Pam Muñoz Ryan, a Pura Belpré Medal recipient to do an author visit to Garfield Charter School. 
• Angelica and Karla have started training in Technical Services. They each help process materials one morning per week to help eliminate the backlog of materials and help to get them out into and available for our customers.
• This month we have two programs in partnership with El Concilio of San Mateo County. Tuesdays at 5 p.m. we have the Plaza Comunitaria and students are working on continuing their education with specific goals like getting a GED.
• On Thursdays at 4:00 p.m the Nutrition workshops took place. Adults learn how to prevent illness and how to help your family be healthy by eating healthy foods. 
• This month we had three high school students volunteer 20 hours and help us with story time and page duties.
• Maria Diaz attended the PLS Multicultural Committee Meeting and made a presentation on Bi-Lingual Storytime with Armando. 
• Maria has been working with Magda on changing the message on our check-out receipts. We want the message to be bilingual and to encourage our customers to avoid paying fines by calling or going on line to renew their materials.
• Maria continues to work on CBET class visits and the Posada event.

 

Downtown Library

• 63,358 in circulation, a 1.5% increase.
• Staff is dealing with the amount of processing with the increase in new materials this year. More staff is being directed to getting new materials to the customer faster.
• The 2^nd floor remodel still has issues with the new HVAC units on the roof. Do not know when it will officially go out to bid. Plans are being made to move the Adult Fiction collection downstairs—and have all adult English books together—when the project begins. The Fiction collection will stay downstairs.
• 71 folks attended our adult programs this month.
• Four ESL classes visited and got a tour of the library. 

 

Youth Services—Chuck Ashton

Outreach

• Cristina got to visit this year’s version of Familias Unidas Para Aprender, a wonderful parent education program at Hoover School. Organized and run by 3rd grade teacher extraordinaire Ninfa Zuno, Familias Unidas aims to teach parents about their child’s schooling. They are taught how report cards and the grading system works, what a book report consists of, and other arcana of public education. The library has been a big component of Familias Unidas for several years. Cristina explains the importance of reading aloud to children and offers an overview of the library’s programs and services, and hands out library cards — thirty-seven new ones on this occasion. She will also attend the graduation ceremony at the end of the school year.
• Cristina was the surprise visitor at two Hoover classes in which all of the students reached their reading goals for the month. She told stories (scary, of course), and handed out treats and kudos to the proud students. Hoover has a thriving Reading Program. Kids who bring their Reader certificates downtown or to Fair Oaks get a new book of their choice to keep.
• Chuck was guest lecturer at Cañada College’s Early Childhood Education class where he taught budding preschool teachers techniques of oral storytelling and other pre-literacy skill activities to use with preschoolers.
• Chuck took his storytelling/puppet/music program on the road to entertain an audience of 100 at the Portola Valley Library. The new library building there is nicely crafted in unfinished wood and is very attractive.

Programs 

• Jacky worked with the Peninsula Humane Society to schedule Paws for Reading events Downtown and in Redwood Shores for 2009. Volunteers were scheduled and trained for both locations. Jacky assisted PHS in scheduling a Sports Illustrated photo shoot in December which will feature Jonny Justice, a pit bull terrier rescued from the Michael Vick compound. Now a spokesdog for Pit Bulls, Jonny is a happy volunteer with Paws for Reading and other programs.
• The monthly Dad and Me @ the Library program featured puppeteer extraordinaire Art Gruenberger (a.k.a. Puppet Art Theater) who amazed an audience of nearly 100 with his handmade puppets and original puppet show.
• November’s Family Night program featured the music of Zun Zun, a two person music group playing the music of Mexico, Central and South America. Their infectious music had the audience playing along on rhythm instruments and dancing throughout the Community Room.

Traveling Storytime

• In November Jan trained five new volunteers, including one that will begin a new Spanish storytime at Redwood Shores in January.  Work has begun on a new Traveling Storytime web page, under the direction of one of Jan’s volunteers.  Jan continued the tradition of writing Thanksgiving letters to all of her volunteers thanking them for the fantastic work that they do all year. The holiday book distribution is well underway with over 650 books distributed to the volunteers to give to “their kids” at Christmas. 

Teen Services 

• Sarah is planning a Fishbowl where teens could talk about the results of the 2008 election.
• In the month of November, Sarah worked with 39 volunteers who worked a total of 103 ½ hours.  During the monthly art activity (led solely by the teens) children made Fall Cards, Scarecrows, and Turkeys.  A total of 40 children attended.
• Sarah hosted an Open Mic Night in November.  The teens decided they wanted to allow everyone to attend.  There were about 25 people both young and old that came to enjoy food and the entertainment provided by the teens.  Teens brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and homemade lasagna. Sarah provided a veggie tray, pumpkin bread and tangerines.  The evening was a big hit with teens staying for 2 ½ hours.  Many of the teens would like to do this event on a regular basis.
• Sarah met with a freshman from Menlo Atherton who would like to start a teen book club.  Their first meeting will be in January.
• Sarah attended two meetings of the Youth Development Learning Network.  In these sessions they talked about building relationships with teens and youth participation.  Sarah networked with many local community agencies.

 

 

 

Two great articles about the benefits of computer use: 

 

Time online teaches kids important skills, study finds

By Sharon Noguchi
Mercury News

Posted: 11/20/2008 12:01:00 AM PST

Hear that that clicking sound?

It’s the wired generation forwarding a new study to their peers and parents that suggests always-online digital kids aren’t wasting time and deadening brain cells — they’re actually engaged in important work.

By socializing, tinkering with technology and intensely delving into media, teens and children on the Internet “are picking up basic social and technical skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society,” according to a three-year national study released today. That may give kids like David Portales ammunition for a few more minutes of computer time tonight.

“I’m going to tell my mom!” the excited sixth-grader at Foothill Adventist school in Milpitas said when he heard about the study, the largest of its kind in the U.S.

Researchers, including participants from University of California-Berkeley and San Jose State University, conducted interviews, studied diaries, convened focus groups and collected nearly 10,500 profiles on sites such as Facebook and Neopets. The $3.3 million study, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, found that youths use online networks to extend friendships, acquire technical skills, learn from each other, explore interests and develop expertise. This all takes “ongoing maintenance and negotiation.”

In what researchers call “hypersocial” behavior, media at the fingertips enable teens to always be connected. And instant messaging,

 

text messages and Facebook have changed dating as well: Couples “telecocoon,” creating a full-time intimate community even while physically apart.

As for mere socializing, “It is not a waste of time for teens to hang out online,” said Mizuko Ito, a professor at the University of California-Irvine and lead researcher for the study “Living and Learning with New Media.” Kids online, the study said, are learning to be “competent citizens in the digital age.”

But what about learning quadratic equations, drying the dishes and talking to parents?

Ito conceded that teens aren’t learning the causes of the Civil War via instant messaging, but they are using new media to learn from their peers. The subject is more likely to be how to spiff up a YouTube video or design a more fashionable avatar.

Yes, researchers noted, they suspended value judgments in their study.

For parents wondering where they fit into this picture, the researchers aren’t very encouraging. First of all, MySpace is not Your Space.

Teens view adults lurking online as awkward, creepy and violating trust, researchers found. The exceptions are when kids are “geeking out” — that’s slang for really getting into tech mode — and welcome adult participation, for instance in an interactive game like the “World of Warcraft.”

But researchers have bad news for parents who believe that your kids shouldn’t be anywhere where you’re not.

The study found that youths perceive erecting barriers — like limiting computer time — “as raw and ill-informed exercises of power.” And teens, being teens, develop “workarounds,” ways to subvert those barriers thrown up by parents and schools.

Instead, researchers suggested, parents need to appreciate kids’ social interactions with their peers and recognize their children’s expertise. Then “new media practices can be sites of shared focus rather than anxiety and tension.”

A dinner conversation about “Halo 3,”, anyone?

Still, Ito says that families need to discuss the tug-of-war over kids’ media use. “It’s not just about stranger danger and predators. We need to have conversations about concrete strategies and practices” so kids can set priorities and use the Internet safely. “Simply banning them (from the computer) is not going to help.”

David’s mom, Sarah Portales, knows the struggle. She limits David’s online time to two hours. When he’s on, “I want him to do something more productive, and when I ask him to get off, he says, “Five more minutes, Mom!’ “

For parents who despair at the findings, the researchers did have one undeniable bright spot: They found no evidence that kids are engaging in behavior online any riskier than what they do offline.

Portales concedes that playing games has taught David some lessons. She’s refused his requests to get a family dog. But on Club Penguin, a popular site for children, he “bought” two dog-like “Puffles.” He “fed” them gum, and while caring for one, the other ran away.

“See?” his mother said she told him. “That’s what would happen if we had a dog.”

 

Internet searching stimulates brain, study says

Heidi Benson, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, November 30, 2008

 

Can Googling delay the onset of dementia?

A new UCLA study, part of the growing research into the effects of technology on the brain, shows that searching the Internet may keep older brains agile – it’s like taking your brain for a walk.

It’s too early to conclude that technology will help vanquish Alzheimer’s disease, but “our study shows that when your brain is on Google, your neural circuitry changes extensively,” said psychiatrist Gary Small, director of UCLA’s Memory & Aging Research Center.

The new study, which will be published next month in the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, comes at a time when medical experts are forecasting that Alzheimer’s cases will quadruple by 2050. In response to such projections, “brain-gyms” and memory-building computer programs have proliferated.

The subjects in Small’s nine-month study were 24 neurologically normal volunteers ages 55 to 76, with similar education levels. They were assigned two tasks: to read book-like text on computer screens and to perform Internet searches.

While doing so, their brains were scanned inside a specially equipped magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. Half the group was familiar with Internet searching; the other half was not.

Subjects viewed simulated Web pages through goggles, then, using a finger pad to approximate an online search, pressed one of three response buttons to control the cursor. For the book reading task, they pressed a button to advance text pages.

To increase their motivation, subjects were told in advance that they would be assessed for their knowledge of the topics they researched. Topics included the benefits of eating chocolate, planning a trip to the Galapagos and how to choose a car.

The MRI results showed that both text reading and Internet searching stimulated the regions of the brain controlling language, reading, memory and vision. But the Internet search lit up more areas of the brain, additionally activating the regions controlling complex reasoning and decision making. The increased brain activity, which is probably due to the many rapid choices such searches involve, suggests that subjects had a richer sensory experience and heightened attention.

By focusing on older users, Small said, he aimed to fill a gap in brain research. Few studies have looked at the effects of technology on these “digital immigrants,” who began using computers later in life than their younger counterparts, the “digital natives.” Small’s study was started as part of the research for his latest book, “iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.”

“Our findings point to an association between routine Internet searching and neural circuitry activation in middle-aged and older adults,” the study said. “Further study will elucidate both the potential positive and negative influences of these technologies on the aging brain.”

The implications are provocative, particularly because it is well known that developments in technology affect human behavior.

“People who are more adept with the technology will be more successful in society, and their offspring will be more likely to excel,” Small told The Chronicle.

Some researchers, including Kevin Lee, deputy executive director of the Ellison Medical Foundation, which funds research on aging, say such statements go too far.

“The printed book and typewriters may change our brains, individually, over a lifetime,” Lee said. “But whether using computers would change our genetic makeup is something that would only happen over thousands of years.”

Small acknowledges that our increasing dependence on technology is controversial.

“It’s not all good,” he said. “We know that a teenager does not have the empathy skills of a middle-ager. What will happen if they play video games endlessly?”

The study, he hopes, will be a steppingstone.

“The brain is complicated, and the technology is complicated – it’s not all good, it’s not all bad, but it definitely has an impact on our lives,” Small said.

“We need to acknowledge that and be thoughtful about our relationship with technology so it enhances our lives and our relationships with other people.”