RAILS Member Announcements

How to Deliver Great Library Customer Service

 Still time to register!

How to Deliver Great
Library Customer Service

90-minute workshop
with Laurie Brown

Thursday, June 20, 2013
2:30pm Eastern|1:30 Central
12:30 Mountain|11:30am Pacific

In this new workshop Brown will show you how to create a welcoming, friendly experience for library users. In addition to learning how to fulfill expectations, you will also gain listening and communication skills to help you converse with angry, chatty, or overly demanding patrons as gracefully as possible.

This workshop includes the following topics:

  • The top 3 customer service qualities for your library and how to achieve them
  • Ensuring that staff makes positive customer experience a priority
  • How to question library users effectively

Laurie Brown has more than 20 years' experience as a trainer, coach and speaker. In addition to customer service, she speaks on developing skills in leadership, presentation, and sales. Brown has worked with culturally diverse audiences at all organizational levels, and her clients have included Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and small family-owned businesses.

 

Also of interest

LinkedIn for Librarians 
2-part workshop with Kim Dority
Thursdays, July 11 and 18

Handy Tech Tools
for Library Outreach
- Still time to register!
90-minute workshop with Sarah Ludwig
TOMORROW June 19

 

Fall LTA courses at Joliet Junior College

Intro to Libraries                LTA 101 Q1 (80811)                 C 3.00 credits ($40.00 fee)                This BLENDED CLASS requires both weekly class attendance and access to a computer with an internet connection. For additional details regarding class meetings,online activities and mandatory orientation information, visit www.jjc.edu/icampus/start                                 Prokopeak, Susan                     A2002 Main CampusR                      06:00P - 08:50P                     08/29 - 12/20                                    8/20                    Register!                    Readers Adv/Lib Prog/Adults                LTA 202 300 (84031)                 C 3.00 credits ($5.00 fee)                                    A2002 Main CampusM                      06:00P - 08:50P                     08/26 - 12/20                                    7/20                    Register

Not-to-be-missed Booklist Events

Grab your calendar and start marking these
not-to-be-missed Booklist events!

Bleak New World: YA Authors Decode Dystopia. Cory Doctorow, Lois Lowry, Patrick Ness, and Veronica Roth make up the star-studded panel at the Booklist Books for Youth Forum on dystopian literature for teens. Friday, June 28, 8-10 p.m., Sheraton, Ballroom 5.
 

 

Award-winning author interviews. Booklist editors will interview the 2013 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence finalists along with winning and honor authors and audio readers of the 2013 Printz and Odyssey awards. Sunday, June 30 and Monday, July 1, Booklist booth #1817.

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence award ceremony. Join committee chair Nancy Pearl for the announcement of Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence 2013 winners and to hear from the finalists. Sunday, June 30, 8:00 p.m., Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Atlantic Ballroom.

Fantastic Voyage: Reference Service in an Ever-Shrinking Print Environment. The Booklist reference program will focus on measuring the use of print reference materials and reference service in a print-free environment. Monday, July 1, 10:30-11:30 a.m., McCormick Place, Room S102a.

And don't forget to stop by the booth to pick up your free copies of Booklist and Book Links, set up your online access, and subscribe to Booklist at the special conference price of $119.95 (20% off!) to enter to win a new Apple® iPad Mini!

Safe travels, and see you in Chicago!

Standard and Poors Register; Volumes 1 & 2

Available
Free

Volume 1: Corporations, Volume2: Directors and Executives Indices

Contact
Name: 
Karen Ellis
Email: 
kellis [at] helenplum [dot] org
Library: 
Helen M. Plum Library District
110 W, Maple Street
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: 630/627-0316

Scott 2012 Standard postage stamp catalogue (6 vols.)

Taken - No Longer Available
Free
Contact
Name: 
Suzanne Bleskin
Email: 
bleskins [at] crestwoodlibrry [dot] org
Library: 
Crestwood Public Library District
4955 W. 135th Street
Crestwood, IL 60445
Phone: 708 371-4090
Fax: 708 371-4127

Ray Bradbury book collection going to Waukegan library

Printed in Daily Herald, 6/18/13: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130617/news/706179846/

A year after author Ray Bradbury's death, the Waukegan Public Library is preparing to inherit a collection of books from the famed science-fiction master.

Best known for creating a book-burning, dystopian future in "Fahrenheit 451," Bradbury was born in Waukegan and spent much of his childhood there.

He died in June 2012 at the age of 91.

Bradbury moved to Los Angeles in 1934 and spent the rest of his life on the West Coast, but his fondness for Waukegan never dissipated.

After his death, library officials learned Bradbury had bequeathed his personal book collection to the County Street facility.

It's no small gift.

"Every room had a bookshelf overflowing," said Rena Morrow, the library's marketing, programming, and exhibits manager.

The collection contains some books that could be valuable, such as first editions of noted works or autographed books, Morrow said.

The library also stands to receive copies of books Bradbury wrote, including some in foreign languages.

The collection's value is being appraised.

The library may receive some of Bradbury's personal belongings, too.

"We'd like to get one of his typewriters," library Executive Director Richard Lee said. "He had four."

Officials also may organize a trade with the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University, which also is a beneficiary of Bradbury's generosity.

The center is interested in getting some of the books, Lee said, and a trade could broaden the library's collection.

A trade has the blessing of Bradbury's daughters, Lee said.

Library staffers hope to build a permanent exhibit around the collection to honor Bradbury. Viewing Bradbury's personal possessions could make his life resonate a little more for people, Lee said.

Despite moving away at 13, Bradbury was greatly inspired by Waukegan. He turned it into the fictitious Green Town in the book "Dandelion Wine" and in other stories, and local landmarks appear in those tales.

Bradbury also remained a supporter of the Waukegan library. He met occasionally with Lee, and the library has recordings of interviews with the author.

The city has a park named after Bradbury. The library holds a Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival every Halloween, too.

Book a Librarian at Waukegan Public Library

Do you ever wish you could have your own personal librarian? Well now you can, for at least 30 minutes. Starting June 17, you can contact the library to book a knowledgeable staff member for a free one-on-one help session about library services, eBooks, research topics, genealogy questions, and even for recommendations on what books to read.

Scheduling an appointment is easy with the online form on our website. Appointments are available weekdays in the morning and afternoon for both English and Spanish speakers. After the form is received, library staff will contact you within two days to schedule a meeting at a time that is convenient.

Patrons may also drop by the reference desk, call, e-mail, or chat with a librarian from the website. Please note that while librarians cannot offer legal, medical, or investment advice, they can assist in finding the information needed to make informed decisions. Librarians will also not handle credit card transactions, type documents, or translate documents.

For anyone who is feeling discouraged or has been searching everywhere and can’t find the information needed for a project, the Book a Librarian service can be very helpful. Call the reference desk at (847) 623-2041, ext. 238 for more information.

Geneva Library To Launch New Website and Address

The Geneva Public Library District is excited to announce our new website and a new URL on July 1, www.gpld.org.  The format for staff emails will also change to: first initial, last name [at] gpld [dot] org  (example: pcarlson [at] gpld [dot] org). Visitors will be automatically directed from the old site and emails will be forwarded, but please make this update in any contact information you have for us.

Roselle Public Library Trustees Says Goodbye To Devitt & Swears in New Members

For Immediate Release – June 13, 2013

Contact regarding event: Amy Cawley, Executive Director

acawley [at] roselle [dot] lib [dot] il [dot] us, (630) 529-1641 ext. 311

ROSELLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD SWEARS IN NEW TRUSTEES

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 the Roselle Public Library District Board of Trustees bid farewell to Patrick Devitt, formerly Secretary of this Board, who completed his final term as a Library Trustee.  The Library Staff of the Roselle Public Library and the Board of Trustees are grateful for Mr. Devitt’s five years of service to the Library District as a Library Trustee, including serving as Vice President of the Board and as Secretary during his tenure on the Board.

Also on June 12, returning Library Trustees, Sue Ellen Eichholz and Elaine Pizzicaro, and newly elected Library Trustee Sue Harold took their oaths of office.  The new Board of the Roselle Public Library District was formed with the seated Trustees electing Sue Ellen Eichholz as President, Elaine Pizzicaro as Vice President, Kimberlei Matson as Treasurer, and Sharon Hitzemann as Secretary of the Board.  Officers of the Board of Trustees of the Roselle Public Library District serve in this capacity for two years, until after the next Trustee election in 2015.  Other Trustees of the Roselle Public Library District are: Gary Oprenchak, Priscilla Spencer and Sue Harold. 

Regular meetings of the Roselle Public Library District Board of Trustees are held the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference room of the Roselle Public Library, 40 S. Park Street, Roselle, Illinois.  Public are invited to attend.  For more information about programs and services offered by the Roselle Public Library, call 630-529-1641 or visit the Library online at, www.roselle.lib.il.us to Read, Play, Learn, and Discover.

Marketer's mantra: repetition, repetition, repetition

Thomas Smith, who in 1885 wrote a guide called “Successful Advertising,” said people must see an advertisement 20 times before they actually will purchase the touted product.

In between the first and 20th viewings, he said, a person’s reaction to an ad ranges from not even seeing it, to getting irritated with it, to asking friends and neighbors if they have tried the advertised product,  to finally making the purchase.

So I understand the concept that it takes a lot of repetition for people to start to notice a product, and even more to buy into it.

Of course, the big product I am now “advertising” is the new Main Aurora Public Library, which I think I can now say is “under construction,” because we had a hugely successful and well-attended groundbreaking May 1.

So I had to laugh last week when I read a comment on the Aurora Public Library Facebook page under a photo showing a piece of heavy equipment on the library site. Someone wrote, “What is this for?”

Makes me wonder if I’m really doing my job! Even though there are dozens more ways to get the word out now than when I started my career in newspapers some 30 years ago, it’s still tough to reach everyone. Or, should I say, “anyone.”

And then there are those who have waited, dreamed and planned for this new library for so long that they can hardly believe it is happening. I have been watching the proceedings for just three years, but I must say I am thrilled to be a part of the process and to be able to watch the building go up from start to finish.

There was plenty of excitement in the air at the groundbreaking, and even before. Members of the construction management team were whistling while they worked to clean up the library site, pound a new sign into the ground and help me figure out exactly how to lay out the event the morning of the groundbreaking.

And whether it was luck, a good omen, or the library gods shining down on us, the weather could not have been any more enticing to call people out from their offices, schools and homes to witness the first shovels being thrust into the ground to begin this momentous project.

And for those now scratching their heads and saying, “What in the world is she talking about?” I will give you the lowdown:

The Aurora Public Library is building a $28 million Main Library on a parcel of land at the corner of River and Benton streets that was purchased by the library in 2009. The site formerly was the home of The Beacon-News, from April 1953 until March 2008.

Completion date is late 2014 or early 2015.

The firm of Cordogan Clark & Associates is the architectural firm for the project. Joining that firm are R.C. Wegman Construction Company as the construction management team, Schoppe Design Associates as the landscape architect, Outsource Solutions Group, Inc. as the technology design consultant and KDI Design Interiors as the interior design firm. Owner’s representative on the project is Barbara Kattermann.

There are no plans at this time concerning the current building at 1 E. Benton St., on Stolp Island, which opened in 1904 and was built with a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

And thank goodness for Mr. Carnegie. Because of his repetition in giving money to build libraries, cities all over the world were able to offer books to their residents. Because of the countless individuals who believed—and still believe—in the power of reading, my job as a marketer for a library is relatively easy. But don’t make me say it 20 times.

Amy Roth is the Public Information Manager at the Aurora Public Library