Topic: Annual Adult Program Swap

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Location: O'Neal Library
Topic: Annual Adult Program Swap

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Ashley, Gardendale
Cara, Center Point
Holley, O'Neal
Rebecca, Trussville
Lora, Vestavia Hills
Leslie, Avondale
Laura, Springville Road

Began by discussing the upcoming 2025 ASRT planned schedule. In January, the Addiction Prevention Coalition will be at Hoover to provide Narcan training and to discuss possibly putting Narcan stations in and around our community. (You may have seen these stations in high traffic areas like at the beach.) This is very valuable training for all JCLC employees. The session will be in-person and livestreamed on Thursday, January 16th at 10 am. 

The only thing that I was unable to fit into the 2025 ASRT schedule that I really want to do is a session with the Alabama Career Coach, Courtney Monnette. She did a session at JCPLA Staff Day about how they utilize AI tools to help patrons create cover letters, resumes and other tools for obtaining jobs. I think this might be scheduled as a separate Zoom session during the year. I hope we find a time where everyone that was unable to attend Staff Day can participate.

I compiled a handout of adult programming brainstorming. It is included here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lora at VH had success doing a program on Geocaching. She set up two caches within and around the library. She took about 15 minutes to explain the basics of geocaching then they looked for the two caches. She utilized the 3-D printer to create something unique. There is an official geocache website that you register with in which to find things all over the globe. There is also a local organization, AL Geocachers Assn, that might be able to help if you are interested in the topic. This discussion led to a question of why don't the libraries invest in pressed penny dispensers! We also discussed how, if geared towards family, geocaching could utilize STEM for educating the young - mapping, historical references, etc.

Anyone have contacts to start a quilting class? Recommendation to call Bib & Tucker Sew-op, the program lead at the Sew-Op is Sonya Muhammad, sonya@bibandtuckersewop.org. They not only do quilting but other sewing-centered programs all around the state. Also, Homewood Senior Center has a great quilting class. Laura Gentry mentioned that there are quilting classes within the BPL system. For example the East Jefferson Quilting Society has a contact that might have recommendations. Five Pts West, Springville Road, and East Ensley all have quilting programs.

Hugely popular is the bi-monthly House Plant Swap at the Hoover Library. Just be cautious as to how you run them. There are people that will take advantage of the kindness of others and walk away with more than their share. We set up FREE tables and TRADE tables, meaning these people want to trade plants. I do most of the advertising for these swaps on the FB group "Birmingham Houseplant Community".

Book Scavenger Hunt for families such as "Find an Orange book on the shelf" or "Find a book that has 'magical' in the title". Something fun to keep people looking throughout the library. A passive engagement activity. Laura did one during summer reading for families and her advice was to have varying heights of where things are located so kids and adults can participate. Another passive engagement mentioned by Cara was that her coworker hid QR codes around the library that played various bird songs. The adults were very engaged with this activity.

This led to a discussion on Dr. Scot Duncan who has published a new book, Southern Rivers. He is also the executive director of AL Audubon. He has gotten permission to go around the state promoting the book and Audubon. He is a great speaker and really engages with the audience. He's already been to several libraries. O'Neal had AL Audubon come to the library for a bird walk. Everyone was encouraged to bring binoculars and identified birds in the area.

Has any library worked with Yelp before? Hoover Library was approached by Jasmine Shaw, Birmingham Community Manager, to help engage people at the library with Yelpers (social influencers kind of) at events created and put on by Yelp. So far, they helped with our Barbie celebration and a Murder Mystery event. Both were very well attended - they want to do events for kids and adults. I don't know if they will continue to work with our library or if they plan to expand the program but since they do all the work of planning and putting on each program, we welcome the help! Stay tuned for more on this!

Swaps! O'Neal Library recently had a successful clothing swap done by Amanda Westfall - she goes all out and accepts clothing, jewelry, purses, shoes, etc. for men, women and others. It does take a lot of planning and space to provide these events but can be well worth the effort. Perhaps a swap for just professional clothing? Hoover had their annual arts/craft supply swap last month and it was also a great hit. I am also trying out a Holiday Ornament Swap this December to see what that might be like.

Puzzle Competitions! Trussville has held two successful competitions and Hoover has had one. We'd be glad to share how to plan one and how to purchase many copies of the same puzzle! I actually had a Zoom meeting with "SarahDoesPuzzles" who is a professional puzzler - she sent me all kinds of information on which puzzles to use and how to set them up. Here are two links:

List of puzzles used in other competitions ranked on how fast they were. This is helpful to see which puzzle images are easier to do. Info on rules and other helpful tips on hosting a competition. Also has a link to send in a form with info about your contest so they can promote it.

Here's a link to the puzzle Hoover used "Bookish Cats" https://shorturl.at/TWnY6 Puzzles are also a great passive engagement activity for adults!

Recommended by Holley: Consider hiring former librarian Molly McFarland (molliemc527@gmail.com) for some adult programs! She has done needle felting, story times, etc. If you have anything in mind, she can develop a program. Being a former librarian, she knows how to run a successful program. Also, Gareth Jones (utahgarethjones@gmail.com), film professor at UAB who also does Sleep In Cinema for Substrate Radio at Saturn. He can do most anything concerns film. He is very engaging and has his own following wherever he goes. He's also a part of the "No Longer Silent" film series, which scores silent films and shows them around the community with a live DJ. 

Hoover is having the Auburn Extension Service, Lynn Dickinson, do a program about bats in October. Lynn is bringing a bat experts PowerPoint and learning what she can because, guess what?, securing a bat expert in October is next to impossible!!! Here is her contact information because she can always help you come up with fun, educational programs:

Lynn Dickinson,Regional Extension Agent, Forestry, Wildlife & Natural Resources, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University,

Office  334.270.4133

Cell  334.703.4877

Email  rhodela@auburn.edu   Trussville Library had Wood Manor Theatre & Events (https://www.facebook.com/WoodManorTheatre/) do a Murder Mystery dinner with an '80s prom theme. The Library has to provide food for "dinner" but the group does everything else. Very popular program and it might work elsewhere. As we all know, doing these with library staff gets very involved and is labor intensive.    Leslie at Avondale (also at West End) called Memory Cafe, which started out as a program for those with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer patients, etc. to gather and an outlet for the caregivers. They plan activities that engage their core memories. It has expanded to cognitive enrichment for all older adults. These activities and groups have been proven through research to help all older adults. Libraries sometimes theme their programs (such as WWII) or not. Avondale's program will have an adult story time, music and activities (they have about 15 participants). They have also hired Frannie James to do Chair Yoga (she also does chair yoga around the community and at the Hoover Library - very popular! Frannie James Yoga, franniejamesyoga@gmail.com, Chair Yoga for Every Body, https://franniejamesyoga.com/.  Leslie also offers a passive engagement/enrichment activity. Developed by Ellen Shade at Avondale, these are advertised as adult activity packages. One is on Agatha Christie and includes QR codes to different pieces of information such as "Inside the Mind of AC" or "Open University Free Course on AC", biographical information and much more. They also try to include a recipe, cute bookmarks for them to cut out and keep, crossword puzzles, a word search and a coloring sheet. They are packaged up very nicely and are becoming very popular. (I can't really include visuals for these but email Leslie and perhaps she'll send you an example via courier!!) Her current activity pack is on Ghost Stories! They used Canva to assemble the packets. Speaking of which... "How to Canva" is something every library could successfully do for patrons, either one-on-one or in a group setting. Free Canva is a very useful tool. Laura at Springville actually has a graphic designer that teaches Canva. Here's the contact info on that generous graphic designer: Graphic Designer Canva Karena Turner  205-756-0401 karenat222@gmail.com Mahjong, Bingo, Trivia, D & D, Bunco Clubs, Game Nights, Chess Clubs, what else?? SINGO!! You can invite ArchWell Health to your library to hold Bingo, but with music = Singo! You can ask for '80s music theme or Christmas and they will plan it all! ArchWell Health has two offices in Birmingham in Roebuck and Midfield and their employees go everywhere around the city. Here's the contact info for Archwell: Archwell Health Amber Russell  205-903-2398 amber.russell@archwellhealth.com Lora is going to start adult video gaming for those growing out of the teen activities with Mario Bros and others that are popular. Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong, anyone?? (I've seen a need for these not-quite-adults. We should all keep them in our planning for programs!) Challenges for the new year: Holley is going to try to incorporate Bingo. Cara is going to try an audio book challenge. Gain points for listening to audio books and 20-minutes of walking, points for coming to discussion sessions, all leading to a grand prize drawing. This led to Laura talking about something they did at Springville Road called "Walk & Tech" where patrons learn about a new app and how it benefits them (ex. Libby, a pedometer, health-related apps, etc.). They had quite a following after a month of doing this. November, Hoover is trying out Friends Speed Dating based off an event at Ontario libraries. Here's the article I'm basing it off of: https://ontarianlibrarian.com/2016/02/14/friend-speed-dating-library-program-for-2030s/. I will let you know how it goes - or you are welcome to come!!!! Here's our event description: https://events.hooverlibrary.org/event/11077161 Don't forget the email sent out by Catherine Oseas Champion, head of BPL Archives: the Alabama Historical Association has an inexpensive speakers bureau (https://www.alabamahistory.net/speakersbureau). Jim Baggett, now retired from BPL, can do programs too. BirminghamBaggett@gmail.com. If you don't have money for programming, there are free options or cheap options for programming. Mailboxes at Christmas, Holley said O'Neal had over 85 people come to a program on how to craft a Christmas bouquet for the top of mailboxes. People get intense in Mountain Brook about their mailboxes!! You never know! Flower arranging and wreath making (Marilyn Chiaramonte at ibreatheiwreathe@gmail.com) are equally popular.   Leslie from Avondale discussed her ongoing Memory Cafe program. Memory care is specialized care designed for older adults living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia.   Please post your ideas for programs. Include contacts if you have them. And I look forward to seeing you all at our last 2024 ASRT meeting which will be on TUESDAY, November 19th at 10 am via Zoom. Our topic will be collection browseability, wayfinding, organization tips, display tips for boosting circulation and creating a better user experience! Boy, that's a mouthful! I'm going to need some help on this one!!! The meeting will be via Zoom. More details closer to time!

July 18, 2024

Topic: Local Authors & book events

Attendees:

Shannon, Hoover
Samm, Hoover
Loretta, BPL
Cara, Ctr Pt
Bridget, Homewood
Connie, Wylam
Tamara, Irondale
Lora, VH
Laura, BPL
Weston, BPL
PJessie
Saundra
Tywanna
Timilcir

Who did I miss?

NEXT ASRT SESSION: IN PERSON at O'Neal Library on Sept 19th at 10 am: ADULT PROGRAM SWAP!

View the recording: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/JsQuwm-Abyt8iz1OiHJV5CHH6oKtlFoRTIvDv4svONq6z6IYr4O0UN0e604_OCdy.9gcmHAHryLLQi4uY

JCPLA Staff Day preparation for August 30: 2 sessions on book repair, discussion on adult summer reading and special collections Q & A, plus much more! ALLA will be there to talk about administrative code changes and how they will effect libraries.

Local Authors: In doing research, most of the "advice" out there is geared towards authors and how to get their books into the public library and how to get libraries to do book events.

Shannon: My experience at Hoover is that local authors don't attract that much of an audience, unless they come with a build-in support group. Hoover has developed an author submission page where people can submit their book for consideration. Here's a link to that page: https://www.hooverlibrary.org/author-submission.

BPL doesn't have a form, but they do have a page that addresses the libraries policies: http://www.cobpl.org/resources/marketing.aspx 

Loretta: BPL Central has its own local author collection (read about it here: https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/birmingham-public-library-introduces.html ) Not sure how circulation is but it gets great exposure and is great for support.

Hoover (Samm) has a very active writers group (Write Club) that meets monthly and a temporary display of books that have been published by those members was up in the Fiction Dept. The group has author talks, a "Flash Fiction" event and more. Feel free to email her at samm.hamilton@hooverlibrary.org for more information if you are interested in starting your own local writers group.

From Samm's perspective, the reason they donated their books is because it's easier to distribute through Amazon or BookBaby than it is through Ingram. Ingram doesn't pay small players a fair share. Local books also might take more time to manually catalog because they don't appear with MARC records. Local authors may not have the money to devote to cover design (AI is changing that though.) and we all know how important cover design is for circulation!

Loretta: Famous authors have to start somewhere! Promote the local authors before they become famous! A local authors collection is great for the community and the library is concerned about them. The local authors expo is great for people to see the works, purchase the works, and they donate books to the collection. If you want more specific information about the Local Author Expo, contact Loretta at Loretta.Jones@cobpl.org. The space at BPL first floor lends itself well to about 50 authors in one place. That's been the cutoff point so far.

Bridget: Local authors that walk in off the streets don't understand the process and how much time it takes to get a book into the collection. They won't donate the books, but want us to purchase them online. It takes us educating them on how the process works. It's not just an automatic thing to schedule a book talk. We also have to be nonpartisan and not show favoritism if the book is at all controversial. How do you highlight the books but not show favoritism? Does anyone out there get criticism for particular books highlighted?

Do we deal with speakers fees? The local authors expo charges the authors a fee ranging from $25 to $50. Authors need to understand that we can only do so much for a small event. We can't guarantee an audience or that people will purchase books either. It's great when local officials come to an event to support the library and authors. Besides exposure, the local authors gain experience in public speaking and promotion. Also, we don't give a speakers fee but if they sell books, that is all for them.

Local authors that draw a crowd: Robert Bailey (legal thrillers), Katherine Clark, Patti Callahan Henry, Ginny Duncan (Romantafantasy), Rachel Hawkins, Bobby Matthews (mystery writer up for an Anthony Award), Lauren Denton, Charles Ghigna (children's author), Joi Miner ("America's next great author"), Vallean Jackson, Jay Owens (very popular & sold lots of books), Zelma Glover-Willis, Micki Janae (YA scifi), LaDarrion Williams (https://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2024/06/03/helena-native-becomes-new-york-times-bestselling-author/), Dr. R. Scot Duncan (Director at Alabama Audubon and published his 2nd book about AL rivers), Tina and James Braziel (Glass Cabin, poetry/essays), Vanessa Davis-Griggs and Joi Miner were "headliners" for the BPL Expo.

Loretta: 2023 BPL Local Author Expo author list: http://www.cobpl.org/programs/localauthors.aspx There is a committee that decides fees and more about the expo. The event goes from 10 am to 2 pm, with setup at 9 am. The authors invite their own audience and it is very well attended. Planning starts about 3 months in advance. There is a committee for attendance, food (light breakfast), gifts, name tags, greeters and table setup. Authors contact the library year round and authors work with EventBrite - they will send out information about attendance. "Local" for BPL means Alabama. Most authors are actually closer to Birmingham. Invitations are sent out in October; event is in November. PR Dept does publicity, including on Facebook a "local author spotlight". (Every library can do a local author spotlight on social media to promote local talent.)

Local author with a specific expertise, like Dr. R. Scot Duncan, do a program on that expertise and the author can sell the book there. I did his program on Alabama Rivers and had great attendance. AL Audubon is paying Dr. Duncan to do book talks around the state. Easy peasy! Academic books might fall into this category or may pose a unique challenge.

Bridget: Come on down!! July 23rd, Mildred J. Mills, at Homewood Public, will talk about her memoir about growing up in Alabama.

If you are curious about a comprehensive list of Alabama authors

Other information:

https://bhamnow.com/2023/12/19/6-local-authors-birmingham-book-world/

https://bhamnow.com/2022/03/02/new-releases-6-local-authors-with-page-turning-books-you-dont-want-to-miss/

https://bhamnow.com/2021/02/01/read-local-support-these-published-birmingham-authors/

https://birminghammomcollective.com/home-and-lifestyle/birmingham-authors-you-need-to-read/

Alabama Authors and their works:
http://www.lib.ua.edu/Alabama_Authors/

ALLA Authors Awards Committee: (pdf of AL award winners)
https://www.allanet.org/authors-awards

ASRT Meeting Minutes
Topic: "Extra" Services for Patrons & the Demise of the DVD/CD

Attendees:

(There were 32 total in attendance but I only captured the following names.)

Shannon, Hoover
Melanie, Hoover
Shanae, Hoover
Deidre, Bessemer
Daniel, Vestavia
Jennifer, BPL
Cara, Center Point
Kenyata, BPL
Tara, Clay
Lora, Vestavia
S Lewis, Smithfield
Thomas, O’Neal
Pam Jessie
Megan, Powderly
Saundra Ross
Noelle, Five Pts West
Tywanna, BPL FPW
Weston, BPL
Tamika, BPL FPW
Adrian Moultrie
Fontaine, Book by Mail
Joanne Brasseal
Erika, Southside
Katie, Five Pts West
Laura, BPL
Lynn, West End
User name: Timilcir
Tamara, Irondale
Bridget, Homewood
MJones, Books By Mail

RECORDING LINK: 1hr, 15m

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/Dl2fmcHyCrOmGk2afwjR-yLRkUNSofJQfs5CNyNh9RfrVLJVcyqaU5nvAf-vaPRf.Tlc4Tke1nXwdv02C

In the News: Quick mention to everyone to keep following the news, especially the news coming out of the Autuga-Prattville and Trussville areas. Those two library systems in particular are receiving lots of pushback from those wishing to ban books at the public libraries. In Prattville, if you've read the news, they have fired the library director and many staff members. As of 3/25/24, the news is that "Clean Up AL" is now "volunteering" to fill in for staff. In Trussville, the library board supported the librarians but did remove some books based on circulation. And, as many of you are aware, AL Public Library Service has pulled out of the ALA, sparking controversy. The upshot is that we all need to be aware of what is going on in the state and in our own libraries. Stay up-to-date on your policies and board actions. There is a statewide Facebook group called "Read Freely Alabama" that has posted news as it happens. There is also Read Freely Greater Birmingham, for a more focused view. You can also follow what the Birmingham Democratic Socialist of America have to say and follow them.

Quick Note: not everyone can jump on Facebook to use the JCPLA Adult Services Roundtable group - whether it is to read about what's going on or post questions/suggestions. Thanks to Reeshawna Caddell at Pinson, we now have an Adult Services group in our MS Outlook/Teams application.The aim is to create a platform where we can discuss things, ask questions, and hopefully, get responses the same day about anything from materials, patron records, etc. without using Facebook. Here is the invitation link if you'd like to join: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/adultserviceslibrarians@bham.lib.al.us/groupsubscription.ashx?action=join&source=MSExchange/LokiServer&guid=057f7fb9-8c8a-4cc0-b058-e81a596c9f05

Notary Duties: Homewood has 5 notaries. Center Point has one (they charge $5) and Bessemer has one (they charge depending on what is being notarized.) According to a statewide mandate, "State, county, and municipal employees are not permitted to charge a fee for performing notarial acts during their public service unless otherwise provided by law12." This may be something that some libraries need to revisit. You can view more about the law here: https://casetext.com/statute/code-of-alabama/title-36-public-officers-and-employees/chapter-20-notaries-public/article-4-employment-of-notaries-public/section-36-20-74-fees#:~:text=No%20fee%20may%20be%20charged,unless%20otherwise%20provided%20by%20law.

 

Pros and Cons of Notary Services:  

Pros: Great for patrons after hours and weekends when city hall or wherever might be closed. And it's a great community service to have. It is a happy day to notarize marriages and adoptions. It might also be a happy occasion to sign divorce papers!

Cons: There are initial start-up costs including training, documentation, insurance (this is a yearly thing), etc. Very detailed documents might require witnesses (Hoover does not provide witnesses, nor does Bessemer.) 

These are LEGAL DOCUMENTS, therefore, very important to get it right! The patron very often will come in having already signed documents or not bringing all of the documentation needed. Or they are unclear as to what needs to be notarized. It is up to the discretion of the notary agent as to whether documents will be notarized. Bessemer's Deidre has some things she will not notarize depending on what the document is. Quick Claim Deeds are something Bessemer nor Homewood will notarize. If another agency refuses to notarize, I would probably not notarize it either!

Hoover strives to keep notary appointments but walk ins are handled on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes patrons' banks won't provide notary services unless it is a part of a bank transaction. THE MORE INFORMATION YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DOCUMENT TO BE NOTARIZED, THE BETTER! Save your patrons time and a trip by asking questions.

Here is a link to the JCLC Intranet Shared Resources, listing which libraries have notaries and passport services: http://www.jclc.org/aboutjclc/faqs/librarieswho.aspx (Last updated 2/22)

Hoover document: Notary Checklist

 

More links to know for notaries or those considering adding this service:

State of Alabama Notary Public Handbook

https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/notaries-public/notaryPublicHandbook.pdf

How to Prepare for Your First Notarization 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfRyg2AsKm4 

Authenticating IDs for Notarization 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL2x6l1a5CI 

5 Most Common Types of Notarizations 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp32b1cNiU8 

How to Complete an Acknowledgement 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1cVNLc9IW0 

How to Certify a Copy of a Document 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3BeWoV-aQ8&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=33 

How to Notarize a Power of Attorney 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4apu0ffrDQ&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=2 

The Difference between Acknowledgments and Signature Witnessing 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-9ZULjA6iA 

How to Notarize Out of State Documents 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efa9kMt61dU 

Can I Notarize Documents in Other States or Countries? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h89FceJipU&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=4 

How to Avoid Common Notary Certificate Mistakes 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXBR0ZHPnx8 

Notarizing on the Job: Don’s 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VarknxKmrsM&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&start_radio=1&rv=VarknxKmrsM&t=8 

How to Recognize a Fraudulent ID 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEI1EPZYoM 

The Importance of Requiring Personal Appearance 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2O6Lz-13Zs&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=28 

How to Notarize When a Signer Can’t Be Present 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c519np0VYI&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=34 

Completing High Risk Notarizations 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIhfX1Y-dfg&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=34 

3 Court Cases Every Notary Should Know - Workshop 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb9IwCa0kos 

How to Fix a Bad Notary Seal Impression 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahcHsqRHO0Y&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=33 

 How to Avoid Disqualifying Interest 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IVhDaNj6Fk&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=20 

 How to Notarize for Family Members 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCdOHyrJLok&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=27 

Professor Closen’s Notary Best Practices 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mV93XyDF30&list=RDCMUCOI0KM2NGffRZ6yLjPNS5kg&index=10

Passport Services: 

Actually a money maker for the library. Hoover is still working on the details to engage our passport services office. As with notaries, there is a great deal of training and details that go into the process of offering passport services. 

Daniel Tackett has been doing it since 2016/17 (best to have questions go to Daniel! sorry!) 

The Good News: Vestavia Hills will likely clear about $60,000/year just from passport services. That includes a $35 execution fee and $15 for photos. VH has several registered passport agents, each serving an hour rotation on the schedule. They book 1-hour for each passport appointment - it may take less but it also might run long depending (on average 25-30 minutes per appt). The downtown library has also got a long running passport service office. 

The Bad News: staff time: do you dedicate staff? can you utilize part-timers? (not recommended) Daniel strongly suggests not dealing with walk ins. VH works with appointments only and are booked at least one month in advance. Central used to do appointments but that wasn't effective, so now they do walk ins only on a first come, first serve basis. Training is also time-consuming and can take more than a week per person. (Some training can just take a few hours but the initial outlay of training may take longer.) Note: Bessemer does not do passport photos! Patrons have to bring the passport photos with them.

YOU NEED STAFF MEMBERS THAT ARE DETAIL-ORIENTED!

It is very bad form to have library generated passports returned from the US Dept of State. VH in one year only had 9 returned (one of the best in JeffCo!)

Another consideration: Space considerations. Need space that is more private and quiet so that both staff and patron can get it right.

Lastly, once you invest time and space and staff to this, you can't really stop doing it. Think long and hard, weigh the pros and cons.

ALA's Running a passport service at your library.

US State Department, Become a passport agency.

Vestavia Hills webpage on passport services.

BPL webpage on their passport services.

Feel free to email daniel.tackett@vestavialibrary.org for specific questions not covered here.

Bessemer's webpage, scroll down to see how they do passports!

OTHER SERVICES:

Center Point has "subscription boxes" for those that sign up for it. It may include books, movies, and special surprises. It's just begun but should be great for a small library encouraging patron participation! These boxes are curated by staff members.

Operation Hope: City of Birmingham "America's Financial Wellbeing Coach HUD Certified Housing Counselors.These services are free to libraries and they will come to your facility to give financial literacy workshops, etc.

Bestsellers Clubs, who has them? 

Alabama Symphony Tickets are also available at several branches.

DEMISE OF THE DVD/CDs:

PLEASE NOTE: Books by Mail (Fontaine Alison at BPL) still utilizes books on CD and would like patrons to know if you are weeding your collections, please send her a list of those IN GOOD CONDITION that could be added to BPL's Books by Mail collection. DO NOT SEND anything unless Fontaine or her staff have looked over what you have on offer. Most often, they have cozy, inspirational books because that demographic wants that. Disabled patrons cannot always afford streaming services or are able to utilize e-digital services and that is what Books by Mail is all about. Her patrons also still like playaways.Your "list" for Fontaine might just be a screenshot from Sierra of what you are weeding. Be kind and contact her first - fontaine.alison@cobpl.org.

Most libraries are re-focusing their budgets, moving monies from books on CD and DVD/Blu-Ray to e-services or streaming services.Circulation is going down for DVDs and it is so costly for books on CD that these services have to be reconsidered.

After speaking with Samuel Rumore at SR, he told me that they are trying to focus on purchasing things not necessarily offered by streaming services, such as series. 

Shanae King at Hoover spoke about how things have changed over her 15 years of doing Movie/Series collection development. In the last 5 years, many-multiple-copies of popular movies circulations have declined. She has changed what she keeps and what she grows. Constant weeding is necessary so that the collection stays relevant and in good enough condition. Good core users of series are those that cannot afford streaming services. MidWest services does a good job of keeping up with trends and re-evaluating the way you package DVDs, etc. (Movie bundles,etc.)

Homewood has a wonderful core movie collection and they do specific things to keep people interested in their DVD collection by encouraging circulation.

LaunchPads are still very popular in the branches. Also good circulation for music CDs. They have a reward program that gives out free passes to local sites and events such as Barber Motorsports, etc. Use creative ideas to get your circulation stats up!

Keep in mind it might be worth it to invest in some CD players, DVD players to be checked out by patrons, perhaps in your "library of things" for those that might need them.

Center Point, opened since 2020, has no CD music collection at all, but DVDs are still circulating well.

Thank you for everyone that had the time to attend!!!