12-13-03 or 1287

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From: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
To: "PUBYAC: PUBlic librarians serving Young Adults and Children" <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2003 2:00 PM
Subject: PUBYAC digest 1287

    PUBYAC Digest 1287

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Donna exposes ballad of the bold librarian
by Terrill <trumpeter2@shaw.ca>
  2) carryin on with Mari-on
by Terrill <trumpeter2@shaw.ca>
  3) query: cataloging felt board sets, puppets
by aheide@crdl.org
  4) stumper
by Judy Looby <jrlooby@yahoo.com>
  5) Re: Max's chocloate movie?
by "Kim Dolce" <kdolce@co.volusia.fl.us>
  6) Stumper-house
by "Nancy Mobley" <NMobley@imcpl.org>
  7) Thanks for Max help
by "G Gallagher" <gglibrarian@hotmail.com>
  8) Stumper: problem-solving
by Ellen Heaney <eheaney@nwpl.ca>
  9) Electronic newsletter
by "Theresa Maturevich" <theresam@ocln.org>
 10) Stumper: 70's title, mentally challenged neighbor
by Joanna.Nigrelli@ci.austin.tx.us
 11) Series book program ideas
by "Melissa Depper" <mzdepper@ald.lib.co.us>
 12) Re: YA Nonfiction Substance Abuse Series
by nkoebel@birchard.lib.oh.us
 13) Re: Max's chocloate movie and a note about classic Weston Woods
by "Carol and Gary Levin" <cglevin@access4less.net>
 14) query: paging/tracking down patrons for callers - procedure/policy?
by aheide@crdl.org
 15) African American Romances
by "Brenda Evans" <evans@madison-jeffco.lib.in.us>
 16) Stumper - Short story - "Thankful straws" (?)
by "BALIS/PLS/SVLS System Reference Center, SF Branch"
 17) holiday poem
by "April Mazza" <AMazza@minlib.net>
 18) Loaning of Laptops - Long
by "Janet Coulas" <jcoulas@post.library.on.ca>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Terrill <trumpeter2@shaw.ca>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Donna exposes ballad of the bold librarian
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:54:14 CST

What a great night for mail ..... do I even ask where thou dost found this
wee ballad? The treasure found in the library! Thanx Donna!

Terrill


"Let us read and let us dance, two amusements that will never do any harm to
the world."     - Voltaire

------------------------------
From: Terrill <trumpeter2@shaw.ca>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: carryin on with Mari-on
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:54:35 CST

Its great to have this kinda fun .... what a great memory, Rob, right up
there with Marions 5 other Marions! There must be a book in here!

Thanx for the smiles,

Terrill


"Let us read and let us dance, two amusements that will never do any harm to
the world."     - Voltaire

------------------------------
From: aheide@crdl.org
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: query: cataloging felt board sets, puppets
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:54:58 CST

Hello! Please excuse cross-posting.

Do any of you catalog your puppets, felt-board sets, or any
other kiddie realia for circulation? If so and you'd be
willing to share how you've made records for these items, we
would be very interested.

Thanks!
Anne

Anne Heidemann, MLIS
Youth Services Coordinator Librarian
Chippewa River District Library System
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
aheide@crdl.org
989.773.3242 x14

------------------------------
From: Judy Looby <jrlooby@yahoo.com>
To: Pubyac pubyac <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: stumper
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:55:16 CST


I have another stumper that I hope someone can help with.  As usual, I don't
have much to go on.  Here is the description the patron gave:  People living
on an island--they outgrow it, start dredging, building canals, enlarging
the island.  The patron read it when he was 15 and thinks it was new in the
early 80s.  It's an oversize book with lots of pictures.  If anybody has any
ideas, reply to me offlist, and I will post the answer.  Thanks.

Judy Looby
Young People's Librarian
Charleston, IL
jrlooby@yahoo.com

------------------------------
From: "Kim Dolce" <kdolce@co.volusia.fl.us>
To: <gglibrarian@hotmail.com>,<pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: Max's chocloate movie?
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Disposition: inline
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:55:39 CST


>>> "G Gallagher" <gglibrarian@hotmail.com> 12/11/03 21:21 PM >>>
Does anyone know if Rosemary Wells' Max's Chocolate Chicken has been =
animated?=20

Yes, it was done by Weston Woods, and is available in our library system. =
Try this link for Scholastic. It seems that the film is still available.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/searchresult.asp



Kim E. Dolce
Children's Librarian
Port Orange Regional Library
Port Orange, FL  32129
kdolce@co.volusia.fl.us

------------------------------
From: "Nancy Mobley" <NMobley@imcpl.org>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Stumper-house
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:56:07 CST

Hello all,
=20
A patron remembers a book that she read several years ago.
A family wants to sell their house. Several potential buyers like the
house but they don't buy it because the house is lacking a feature.
The family add the feature. This keeps happening.  The family likes all
the improvements that they made and decide to keep the house.
Any suggestions what the title might be?
=20
Nancy Mobley
Interim  Central Library
Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
nmobley@imcpl.org

------------------------------
From: "G Gallagher" <gglibrarian@hotmail.com>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Thanks for Max help
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:56:27 CST

Thanks to everyone who let me know that Weston Woods had made Max's
Chocolate Chicken into a film. I should have known!

Happy holidays to all of you!

Genevieve



Genevieve Gallagher
Youth Services Librarian
Orange County Public Library
Orange, Virginia

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of slow downloads and busy signals?  Get a high-speed Internet
connection! Comparison-shop your local high-speed providers here.
https://broadband.msn.com

------------------------------
From: Ellen Heaney <eheaney@nwpl.ca>
To: PUBYAC <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: Stumper: problem-solving
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:56:48 CST

Help.  I've been looking for some time for a book for a patron.She works
with promising, but "difficult" children.  They have leadership potential
but do not know how to channel it.  She wants: wild animals working
together under a leader to solve a problem, suitable for 9 year olds (I
rather think boys), and I think it would be a combination of reading to
them and having them read themeselves.

With thanks
Lynne Close
New Westminster Public Library

------------------------------
From: "Theresa Maturevich" <theresam@ocln.org>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Electronic newsletter
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:57:12 CST

Hi all-
My library has been awarded some grant money to develop an
electronic newsletter highlighting library events that patrons could
access via our website. Does anyone out there have any
experience in creating pdfs for this purpose? Which application did
you use? Any links you can send me to your own library
newsletters would also be helpful.
Thanks so much,

Theresa Maturevich
Children's Librarian
Norwell Public Library
Norwell, MA 02061
(781) 659-2015

------------------------------
From: Joanna.Nigrelli@ci.austin.tx.us
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Stumper: 70's title, mentally challenged neighbor
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:57:36 CST

Hi, Everyone,

I would appreciate any help regarding this patron request for a book she
read as a kid shortly after the death of her grandmother in the mid-1970s.

Here is what she remembers:
---cover of the book is the picture of a neighborhood with a little girl
playing hopscotch on the sidewalk
---the girl's neighbor is a mentally challenged woman named Anna who lives
with her parents.  she is friends with the neighborhood kids and becomes ill
and dies at the end of the story
---the title may have something to do with neighbors, neighborhoods, or the
name of a street

I've looked through Best Books and WorldCat.

Thanks for helping us out!
Joanna Nigrelli
Wired for Youth Librarian
www.wiredforyouth.com
joanna.nigrelli@ci.austin.tx.us

------------------------------
From: "Melissa Depper" <mzdepper@ald.lib.co.us>
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: Series book program ideas
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:57:58 CST

Hi, PUBYAC--

Just as many of you have done already, my library has decided to put
together some programs
based on popular series books for this winter and spring. I have just
recently started
reading PUBYAC again and as a result my personal archives is still very
skinny! If anyone
has a saved idea compilation on any of the following series, and can send it
along to me, I
would greatly appreciate it. We are looking to do Captain Underpants, Lemony
Snicket, A to Z
Mysteries, and Frog and Toad. If there is not a compilation for one of these
floating
around, I would be happy to put one together.

Thanks for your help!
Melissa Depper
Youth Services Librarian
Koelbel Main Library
Arapahoe Library District
Centennial, CO
mzdepper@ald.lib.co.us

------------------------------
From: nkoebel@birchard.lib.oh.us
To: amom124@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: YA Nonfiction Substance Abuse Series
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-language: en
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
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Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:58:19 CST

We keep YA level nonfiction in our Adult collection.  Some of the publishers
and series that we like for middle school age students on this topic are:

Opposing Viewpoints - Gale/Greenhaven
Drug Abuse Prevention series - Rosen
Junior Drug Awareness series - Chelsea
Coping series - Rosen
Drug Library series - Enslow
Current Controversies series - Gale/Greenhaven
Drug Education series - Lucent
Just the Facts series - Heinemann
Twenty First Century books (no series title)
Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs - Chelsea
Impact Series - Watts

I also saw some we classify as J series by Children's Press and Watts, so
you might want to check the reading levels.

Most of these series are continually revised to keep them current.  Our
copyrights for most are late 90s and 2000 and newer.

Nancy Koebel
Birchard Public Library of Sandusky County
nkoebel@birchard.lib.oh.us

----- Original Message -----
From: ann chapman <amom124@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2003 9:51 pm
Subject: YA Nonfiction Substance Abuse Series

> Dear Collective Brain:
>
> We had a suggestion from a middle school student that we should
> have more
> books on substance abuse/addiction for student reports.  Our reference
> librarian has been looking for a good YA series on the subject
> with no luck.
> Any ides out there?
>
> Thanks,
> Ann
>
>
>
> "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet
> serenity of
> books."
> Longfellow
> 'Morituri Salutamus', 1875
>
>
>
> Ann Chapman
> Marshall District Library
> Marshall, MI
>
>

------------------------------
From: "Carol and Gary Levin" <cglevin@access4less.net>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: Re: Max's chocloate movie and a note about classic Weston Woods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:58:46 CST

NOTE:    Pubyac readers may be interested to know that Scholastic has
recently released many of the WONDERFUL Weston Woods videos
on compilations for the home market (they can be found at Amazon.com under
"Scholastic Video Collections")   A/V selectors should be aware that the
video versions and the DVD versions of the titles differ.  Each DVD contains
2 or 3 "bonus" stories -- some of which I have used over and over in my
(public
performance versions) for storytime -- e.g. "Changes, Changes."
Videos list for $9.95; DVD's for 14.95, but Amazon is selling all 11 DVDs
for $92.40.  Baker and Taylor doesn't sell them but Newsound/Allegro does.
Any library that circulates home videos/DVDs and doesn't already have these
stories in the old "Children's Circle" collections should definitely think
about acquiring them -- they are gems!

Regarding "Max's Chocolate Chicken" -- I  looked at all the title details in
Amazon and it looks like it has not yet been released in this new series.
It was included on three  compilations from Weston Woods/Children's Circle
videos and is probably also available in a public performance version
directly from Weston Woods (I write this from home so can't check the
catalog on my desk).

Title More holiday stories [videorecording].
Pub info Weston, Conn. : Weston Woods ; c2001
Contents One zillion valentines -- Sam and the lucky money --
Max's chocolate chicken.

Title The Rosemary Wells library [videorecording] / Weston Woods.
Pub info Weston, Conn. : Weston Woods ; [New York] : Scholastic, c1998.
Noisy Nora narrated by Mary Beth Hurt ; Max's chocolate chicken
narrated by Clayelle Dalferes ; Max's Christmas: voice, Jenny Agutter & Rex
Robbins.

Title Max's chocolate chicken [videorecording] : and other stories for
young children / Children's Circle.
Pub info Weston, CT : Children's Circle Home Video ; Distributed by
Wood Knapp Video, 1993.
Contents Max's chocolate chicken / Rosemary Wells -- Each peach
pear plum / Janet and Allan Ahlberg -- Picnic / Emily Arnold McCully -- The
circus baby / Maud and Miska Petersham.

Hope this helps.

Carol Levin
Juv. A/V Librarian
Somerset County Library
Bridgewater, NJ
Enjoy Life! This is not a Dress Rehearsal!
----- Original Message -----
From: "G Gallagher" <gglibrarian@hotmail.com>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 9:22 PM
Subject: Max's chocloate movie?


> Does anyone know if Rosemary Wells' Max's Chocolate Chicken has been
> animated?  I checked on her website, but there wasn't any information
about
> animated films of her books.
> Thanks,
> Genevieve
>
>
>
> Genevieve Gallagher
> Youth Services Librarian
> Orange County Public Library
> Orange, Virginia
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Shop online for kids' toys by age group, price range, and toy category at
> MSN Shopping. No waiting for a clerk to help you! http://shopping.msn.com
>

------------------------------
From: aheide@crdl.org
To: pubyac@prairienet.org
Subject: query: paging/tracking down patrons for callers - procedure/policy?
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:59:08 CST

Hello! Please excuse cross-posting.

We're wondering if anyone out there has a policy for how to
handle callers who ask library staff to page or track down
patrons in the library. A potential cause for concern is the
case of an estranged parent who tries to locate a child by
calling around town - the library staffer would have no way
of knowing that this caller is bound by a restraining order
or etc. We also do not offer baby-sitting or in any other
way keep track of the patrons in the library and do not want
to further the impression that we do.

If anyone has a policy for this kind of thing, we would
appreciate your response!
Thank you!
Anne

Anne Heidemann, MLIS
Youth Services Coordinator Librarian
Chippewa River District Library System
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
aheide@crdl.org
989.773.3242 x14

------------------------------
From: "Brenda Evans" <evans@madison-jeffco.lib.in.us>
To: <pubyac@prairienet.org>
Subject: African American Romances
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:59:31 CST

Hi, I want to thank all of those who sent me information on African-American
Romances.  I am sorry that I have not had time to really organize these, but
here is the list:

Beverly Jenkins' Josephine & the Soldier.
Another way to dance" by Martha Southgate is only partially about romance
(a high school girl deals with a challenging summer session in the American
Ballet Theater as well as her parents' divorce), there is a very sweet boy
in it.

Since you're addressing middle school age, I'm not sure if these are
appropriate, but BET publications called Arabesque. They're more on the
adult level, but are more similar to Harlequins, so the degree of romance
can vary. What I like about them is that the females tend to be
career-types, so they would offer a more positive role model than the
typical YA stuff, which I agree is very negative.

I also found a religious teen series with an African-America female
character named Payton Skky, published by Moody. If your teens are inclined
that way, you might check them out. They're a lot about abstinence and that
kind of stuff. I don't believe she's a ghetto character, either.


These are more adult but Tracee Lydia Garner has Come What May, and a new
one due out in February. She has a website with links to other romance
writers, both black & white. Teegarner.com

I have a list of African American Romances on my website -- ATN Reading
Lists.
http://nancykeane.com/rl/524.htm

There is also a list of books with a positive portrayal of African American
girls.

http://nancykeane.com/rl/704.htm

Nancy

African American Romance


Belle and the Beau features an African-American couple. Jenkins, Beverly.
Born in Sin, by Evelyn Coleman
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
Come a Stranger" by Cynthia Voigt (This book involves characters from
Voigt's "Tillerman" books - "Dicey's Song," "The Homecoming," and "A
Solitary Blue-" but features Mina Smiths with a romantic African-American
storyline.)
Crystal, by Walter Dean Myers
Darkness Before Dawn, by Sharon Draper
Drive By written by Lynn Ewing
Forged by Fire, by Sharon Draper
If You Come Softly by J. Woodson. It deals with a bi-racial romance, she is
white and he is black.
Keesha's House by Helen Frost
Like Sisters on the Homefront, by Rita Williams-Garcia. Good for teens, not
recommended for under 13.
Making Waves by Applegate,
Money Hungry, The Skin I'm In, by Sharon G. Flake, excellent for middle
schoolers.
Othello: A Novel - Lester, Julius.
Romiette and Julio, by Sharon Draper
Spellbound, by Janet McDonald
Tears of a Tiger, by Sharon Draper
The Bluford Series. The books are printed by Townsend Press








Brenda Evans, Children's Librarian
Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
420 West Main Street
Madison, IN  47250
(812) 265-2744
evans@madison-jeffco.lib.in.us

------------------------------
From: "BALIS/PLS/SVLS System Reference Center, SF Branch"
To: "Pubyac" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: Stumper - Short story - "Thankful straws" (?)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 14:59:57 CST

A patron is looking for a story that they saw several years ago in some
Sunday School material, that may have been called "The thankful straws".
The story was about a modern shepherd family, headed by a grandfather, with
two parents and three or four children, who (possibly) lived in a trailer.
Grandfather had a special nativity scene he set up each year that he had
brought home for his wife years before.  They had a tradition of placing
straws in the manger every day before Christmas for things they were
thankful for.  There was a recurring phrase throughout the story;  something
like "...because grandfather was always patient and kind".

The Sunday School where this story was seen is Protestant, but not
necessarily a specific group such as Baptist, etc.  The patron still attends
the church and has asked about it there, but without success.  The story was
not in a book, but printed as a couple of pages in some old Christian
education materials.

We've been able to find descriptions of this tradition of placing straws in
a manger during the advent season (for good deeds done, or things to be
thankful for), but have not found this particular story.  Does anyone
recognize it?  Or have any suggestions as to where we might find it?

Please send any replies directly to us at srcsf@mindspring.com, as we are
not subscribers.  Thank you!

- Catherine Sylvia

BALIS/PLS/SVLS System Reference Center, SF Branch
c/o San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street, 3rd floor
San Francisco, CA  94102
tel:  (415) 552-5042     fax:  (415) 552-5067
email:  srcsf@mindspring.com

------------------------------
From: "April Mazza" <AMazza@minlib.net>
To: "PUBYAC" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: holiday poem
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:00:21 CST

Hope you all enjoy this holiday poem written by a colleague of mine. He
writes a brilliant one every year!
April Mazza (Wayland, MA)

Dear Gang:
     To herald the holiday season, I am sending you all my newly-penned,
hot-off-the-presses, freshly-minted poem that I hope will liven up your
library day.  (Although everyday is a holiday in the library world!)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas - The Sequel

'Twas the night before Christmas
To say more there's no needing
For not a creature was stirring
We were all in bed reading

But with three raps on the roof
To the tree we were scurryin'
When down through the chimney
There came.....a librarian

She brought a sack full of books
That she held strong and steady
And she announced to us all
To go and get our cards ready

She handed me "Dr. Seuss"
While full of laughter and zeal
She gave dad "Robert Parker"
And mom the new "Danielle Steel"

She said, "I'm waiving your fines
Now I must go, I can't stay"
Then she stamped all our items
And got back on her sleigh

And then I heard her exclaim
With her sled's skyward streaks
"Take good care of those books
They're due back in two weeks!"

Happy holidays:

Mark A. Malcolm
Maynard Public Library

------------------------------
From: "Janet Coulas" <jcoulas@post.library.on.ca>
To: "PUBYAC" <PUBYAC@prairienet.org>
Subject: Loaning of Laptops - Long
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:00:44 CST

Here is a compilation of replies regarding the loaning of laptops.
Thanks to everyone who replied.  This information will be a tremendous
help to us at the Petawawa Library.  This list is long.

 

Cons

 

From: Janet Graham [JGraham@city.barrie.on.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 5:51 PM
To: Janet Coulas
Subject: RE: Loaning of Laptops

We do not loan laptops.

Barrie Public Library

 

 

From: Barry Church [bchurch@town.grimsby.on.ca]
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 8:39 AM
To: Janet Coulas
Subject: RE: Loaning of Laptops

No.

1. they are way too expensive in my view. Are you prepared to take
people to small claims court to recover them?

2. we have enough problems trying to keep public pc's in the library
working. Laptops would have the software screwed up constantly.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Barry

 

 

From: anceo [anceo@on.aibn.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 9:33 PM
To: Janet Coulas
Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

We don't have any laptops or other computers to lend out.  I don't think
it is a good idea myself.  So many virus etc.  The cost of repairs... 

Rachel MacGillivray

CEO/Librarian

French River Public Library

 

 

From: Gogama Public Library [glibrary@onlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 2:09 AM
To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca
Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops



 


Hi Janet,

 

The Gogama Public Library does not have laptops at the moment.  The
library board talked about the loans of such items a few years back.  We
decided that it would be a very bad idea, the system would come back
(who knows how?)  it what kind of shape, only knows.  The system might
not even come back at some point.  It would be a very costly lost or
even infected with viruses and such. 

 

Hope this helps

 

Sue Primeau

Volunteer Head-Librarian

Gogama Public Library

P.O. Box 238

GOGAMA, Ontario

P0M 1W0

705.894.2448

glibrary

 

 

From: Amy Mans [aperrier@andrew.cmu.edu]

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 9:56 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

 

Hi Janet,

 

I know that the University of Pittsburgh loaned laptops a few years
back, then they stoped and now I think they're moving back to loaning
them out again.  I remember reading an article written by them
discussing the pros and cons of the service but I can't for the life of
me remember where it was I saw the article.  Your best bet would be to
contact them directly (412) 648-3330 (Hillman Ref Desk).  I probably
came across the article in one of thier online databases during one of
my visits to the library.  I did find another article in library lit
(which I have access to from home). I included the citation below.  I
bet there are alot of other articles out there as well about this sort
of service.  Hope the information helps. Take care,

 

Amy Mans

 

A Wireless Laptop-Lending Program: The University of Akron Experience.

Source: Technical Services Quarterly v. 20 no2 (2002) p. 1-12 Journal
Code:

Tech Serv Q

Additional Info: United States

 

 

From: molly stcavish [mstcavish@yahoo.com]

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 3:46 PM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

 

we tried this. Damage was not the problem as we loaned

all in leather cases. The problem was people trying to

use them by installing software for various printers,

scanners. This made out limited hard drive space

screwed up and then some programs wouldn't run. I

suggest a firm firewall between the public and your innards.

 

=====

mstcavish@yahoo.com

 

 

From: Jan Leak [jmleak@niagarafalls.library.on.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 4:50 PM
To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca
Subject: Replying off list...

Hi Janet,

I'm replying off list as this is just of the top of my head and not much
thought given to it. Playing devil's advocate my arguments against would
be


1. Security not damage - is someone on staff going to throughly check
each laptop when it comes back for viruses, spyware and to make sure
that a patron hasn't left private files on laptop , then the library
will be liable for passing on someone's personal information ?

2. What if the patron uses it for something illegal e.g. child
pornography ? is the library liable ?

3. what if spyware is installed  by someone who later checks out the
laptop again and is able to retrieve personal information ?

4. Do you have a written policy or agreement in place that a user must
sign before borrowing, what's to stop someone from formattng the hard
drive and erasing all data,

5. Being used by many people could lead to a really messed up machine
and keep in mind that if parts are needed laptops generally go back to
manufacturer

6. Who in the library is going to be giving support if needed. My
assistant here and myself spend a lot of phone time giving support to
patrons who can't use the catalogue properly can't use our electronic
databases cos their cookies aren't set right or their machines are set
up wrong. My theory is that if it's something we provide then we will
also give the support for said object. But it's a lot of time and
expertise.

7. As you might be gathering I am not a fan of the idea. I am going to
be hopefully buying a laptop for a branch head here who works in 2
branches on a regular basis and even she is going to be asked to sign a
document laying out what can and cannot be done and laptop will be
returned to IT for checking  every 2 months.

8. Are you going to charge the patron the full amount if it's lost? I
have trouble getting $28 for a book sometimes I can't imagine trying to
get payment for a laptop. :-D

 Jan Leak, Systems Administrator
Niagara Falls Public Library

4848 Victoria Avenue
Niagara Falls ON L2E 4C5
Phone: 905-356-8080   Fax: 905-356-7004
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca"www.nfpl.library.on.ca
 
 
Pros
From: Angie Woodson [awoodson@mail.greenwood.lib.in.us]

Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 8:17 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

 

I know of an Indianapolis inner city branch who loans laptop computers
to kids.  The laptops have to stay in the building and to rent one, the
kids simply give the librarians one of their shoes!  I don't think
they've lost a laptop yet :)

 

 

From: Larry & Tania Guyer [theguyers@pacbell.net]

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 12:45 PM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

 

12-05-03

 

Hi. In a recent article by Walter Minkel in School

Library Journal, he writes about laptop loan programs.

A HS librarian is discussed in this article. She

barcodes the laptops, and lends them to students for a

24 hour period. The article was written between

September and November; check on Proquest, or whatever periodical
database you have access to.

 

Tatiana Guyer

Library Coordinator

Mayfield Junior School

Pasadena, CA

 

 

From: nkoebel@birchard.lib.oh.us

Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2003 9:52 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: Loaning of Laptops

 

We don't loan laptops, but when we started loaning e-book readers, we
had to institute strict policies in case all of the parts weren't
returned, so you might want to think about that as well.  We had to make
patrons sign a specific agreement when they were borrowed that assured
they were responsible for any damage to the readers, and since they were
worth about $300, that could be expensive.

 

Also, you may want to make sure a product like Deep Freeze is installed
so patrons can't change (add or delete) the programs you have on the
laptops.  Deep Freeze would be run probably when they are returned and
would restore the laptop to it's original settings.

 

Nancy Koebel

Birchard Public Library of Sandusky County nkoebel@birchard.lib.oh.us

 

 

From: stai [stai@vineland.lib.nj.us]

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 3:36 PM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: RE: Loaning of Laptops

 

Dear Janet,

 

We received an ACE grant with the local school district and used the
money towards purchasing 50 i-book laptops.  Twenty-five were used in
the library and 25 were allowed to be taken home.  All you needed was a
library card. Children were allowed to take out the computers because
they were purchased by the schools.  However, lending wasn't limited to
just children. Computers had internet access and word processing
capibilities.  Patrons who took home the computers could plug them into
their phones to access the school's internet network.  Patrons were able
to take the i-books home for a week.

 

Patrons would have to save projects to the hard drive.  We had
detachable floppy disk drives that we would use to save their projects
on computer disks, but we didn't give them to the patrons or let the
patrons use them. All the computers were hooked up to print to the
reference desk, but they'd have to bring the computers back to the
library in order to print.

 

The program began in late 2000 and was very popular.  Because of high
usage of computers, inevitably some were damaged.  Right now we have
about 11 in working condition and they are only able to be used in the
library by students in grades 3-12.

 

We received another ACE+ grant where the schools will purchase 11
laptops

(IBM) but these will only be allowed to be used a select group of
students who use KidBidz.  This is a new grant so we are still working
on it.

 

There is an article about our i-book laptop program at the following

address: http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1004188.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know and I can refer you to our
Head Reference Librarian.  Hope this helps.

 

Sincerely,

 

Samantha Tai

Children's Outreach Librarian

 

Vineland Public Library

1058 East Landis Avenue

Vineland, NJ 08360

 

stai@vineland.lib.nj.us

 

 

From: Stephanie Borgman [sborgman@hcpl.net]

Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2003 9:55 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: RE: More on Loaning Laptops

 

Harris County Public Library (suburban Houston and the provinces) has
wireless connectivity in all of our branches.  In addition to allowing
any user with their own laptop free access in our buildings we also
supplement our fleet of desktop pcs with laptops that can be checked out
for in library use.  I believe the loan period is two hours, but I'd
have to check on that.

 

I can tell by reading the October 2003 System Report that there were
more than 1100 laptop checkouts across our 26 branch system.  All of our
public computers, laptop or desktop, are equipped with the complete
Microsoft Office Suite.  As you might expect the laptops are most
popular in our less affluent communities where home computer and
internet access is not the norm.

 

We initially began using wireless laptops in some of our most crowded
facilities where we literally could not squeeze in any more desktops.
They were so well received that we pursued grant funds in order to be
able to offer wireless access and in library loans of laptops in all of
our branches.  Comparing usage patterns on our laptops with public
sessions initiated from patron owned laptops makes interesting reading,
but no solid patterns yet.

 

Good luck,

Stephanie Borgman

 

Stephanie Robinson Borgman

Juvenile Specialist

Harris County Public Library

Houston, Texas

(713) 749-9000

sborgman@hcpl.net

 

 

From: Tasha@greenlakelibrary.org

Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2003 8:16 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: RE: More on Loaning Laptops

 

We have a group of 5 laptops for use in the library.  We have had them
for almost a year now and the program is a great success with no damage
to any of the laptops.  We also run a program that erases any changes
when the laptop is shutdown and have had no problems at all with people
monkeying with them.

 

We have them connected via wireless, so they all have word processing,
Internet and printing capabilities.  We also reserve them for groups to
use in our meeting room as a lab.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

Tasha Saecker

Caestecker Public Library

Green Lake, WI

 

 

From: EWillRead@aol.com

Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2003 6:32 AM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: More on Loaning Laptops

How wonderful.

I'm in an elementary school here in Northern Virginia.  Some of our
students are severly limited  by their family's income level.  Often
near project time we stay open to give students additional time on
computers. Do you have information from Microsoft and Sherif to share.
We might be able to get grant monies to help with this project.

Thanks

Emma Williams

 

From: OdonLibrarian@aol.com

Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 7:02 PM

To: jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

Subject: Re: More on Loaning Laptops

 

In a message dated 12/6/2003 1:17:43 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
pubyac@prairienet.org writes:

  One more question - Does anyone currently loan laptops for in library

  use? We just started recently.  The laptops are actually owned by our
local school corporation.  They received a grant to purchase them and
put them in the public library.  (It's part of "No Child Left Behind".)
We have a wireless internet connection for them and they print on the
library printer.  It's actually very wonderful.  We're a very small
library and generally only offer internet access on two of our three
public desktop computers (reserving the other one for young children).
The five laptops are often all checked out.

 

I put a 2-hour circulation time on them but no "overdue" fee.  They're
to remain in the library at all times.  Right now the kids can access
their school e-mail at the library but the school tech guy is still
working on getting them set up so that they can access the files they've
saved at school and do more work on them at the library.  We're not
technically monitoring how they're being used, but one popular activity
is to grab one of our few DVDs and pop it into the laptop to watch.  We
have a couple of sets of headphones to help with the noise level when
several get to watching at once.

 

This goes beyond your question, but the school also has laptops that
they send home with 4th- and 6th-grade students.  I'm not sure how
that's working out.  Because of the library involvement in the grant for
the laptops, I was at the school board meeting where this was first
discussed.  I found it ironic that another agenda item that same evening
proposed that the school get out of the business of loaning out
calculators because so many of them had been lost or broken.  No one
else seemed to notice any connection between those two topics.

 

Marsha

 

Marsha Lynn

Odon Winkelpleck Public Library

Odon, Indiana

 

 

Magazine Articles

 

Articles courtesy of

Tatiana Guyer

Library Coordinator

Mayfield Junior School

Pasadena, CA

 

 

Loaning laptops

School Library Journal

New York

Jul 2002

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Authors:                  Walter Minkel

Volume:                   48

Issue:                    7

Pagination:               30

ISSN:                     03628930

Subject Terms:            Portable computers

                          Libraries

                          Education

 

 

Abstract:

 

The 26 laptops assigned to the heavily Hispanic and African-American
Wakefield High School, which has 1,600 students, have circulated more
than 1,200 times over the past school year, largely to students without
home computers. Although the school libraries have an overnight checkout
policy in order to give everyone an opportunity to borrow the laptops,
the librarians have an option to be flexible. Copyright Cahners Business
Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. Jul 2002.

 

 

 

The wireless student & the library

School Library Journal

New York

Summer 2002

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors:                  Bill Drew

Supplement:               Net Connect

Pagination:               16-17

ISSN:                     03628930

Subject Terms:            College students

                          Wireless networks

                          Portable computers

                          Library science

Companies:               

                          Company Name: State University of New York at

                          Morrisville

                          NAIC: 611310

 

 

Abstract:

 

To participate in the laptop program, faculty must demonstrate how the
laptop would improve the learning process of the students involved. All
participants receive an IBM laptop and Raytheon wireless card. The
student laptop for fall 2001 was a ThinkPad A22m with a 800 MHz Pentium
III processor, 192 MB of memory, 20 GB hard drive, 56K internal modem,
4MB ATI Rage video card, 24X CD-ROM, 12.1 " LCD, and a 3'/2" floppy
drive.

Copyright Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier,
Inc. Summer 2002

 

 

 

Product pipeline

School Library Journal

New York

Fall 2002

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Authors:                  Jenny Levine

Supplement:               Net Connect

Pagination:               10-11

ISSN:                     03628930

Subject Terms:            Library science

                          Product introduction

                          Personal digital assistants

 

Abstract:

 

For Librarians? As wireless connectivity becomes more pervasive and
storage capacity increases, patrons who access our services will be able
to take more and more information away with them. Assuming, of course,
we're prepared to send digital files to their devices, whether they are
cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, or laptops. Librarians need to start
talking to vendors and publishers now in order to prepare to serve
patrons who will carry their entertainment in their pockets. Copyright
Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. Fall
2002

 

 

 

Tablet rasa for schools

School Library Journal

New York

Feb 2003

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors:                  Walter Minkel

Volume:                   49

Issue:                    2

Pagination:               30-32

ISSN:                     03628930

Subject Terms:            Portable computers

                          Personal digital assistants

 

Abstract:

 

The tablet looks like a laptop screen without the keyboard, which means
it's about half the weight of a typical seven-- pound laptop. The 13
companies that currently market tablet computers-including Fujitsu,
Acer, Toshiba, and Hewlett-Packard-offer ways to attach a keyboard and
CD-ROM/DVD drive to the device, and a few, such as Acer's model, come
with a permanently attached keyboard. Copyright Cahners Business
Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. Feb 2003

 

 

 

Janet Coulas

Children's Librarian

jcoulas@post.library.on.ca

 

Petawawa Public Library

16 Civic Centre Rd.

Petawawa, ON  K8H 3H5

ph: 613-687-2227  fax: 613-687-2527

 

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End of PUBYAC Digest 1287
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