July 20, 2023
Topic: Displays
Attendance:

Shannon, Hoover
Brooke, Springville Road
Deidre, Bessemer
Rebecca, Trussville
Erica, Powderly
Holley, Mtn Brook
Tamara, Irondale
Ellen, BPL
Romellia, Wylam
Noelle, BPL

Looking for ideas for displays? Pinterest is a great resource but can be a brain drain/rabbit hole! Be careful of your time! There are also several Facebook groups that will post pictures or ideas for themes, etc. I found "Library Bulletin Boards & Displays," "Public Library Displays Youth & Teens," and "Great Library Displays." Those might help you if you are in a bind. There are also frequently articles in BookBub, Medium, BookRiot, HubPages articles on great library displays.

We are told to "Market like a Bookstore" so pay attention to how local bookstores display their books or label them for recommendations. I also found a fairly good PowerPoint presentation on displays at Gale Empower Learning.

We talked about challenges to displays. There was a great deal of uproar over a very small Pride display at North Shelby library but others, like Springville Road, actually had positive feedback to Pride displays. There are often comment cards about specific books on display with vague references to pornography. After one such comment, Holley at MB found a book hidden near her boss' office! Some libraries (not JCLC) have chosen to remove all book displays when patrons complain about one type of display or another - choosing to not highlight groups in order to prove a point.

Does your library have a written policy for book displays? Having one might prevent or help justify choices made by library personnel in the case of challenges. Also, it might be helpful to keep track of what displays you do and when in order not to duplicate or get too stale.

Has anyone had success with the "Blind Date with a Book" concept? Bessemer had fun with Mylar balloons for attracting attention to displays.  Maybe disco balls would work too? One library had fun with books that have had no circulations - they put them out and had patrons vote for whether to keep them or not - some ended up circulating!

What are your creative/successful ideas?

Next meeting: Annual Adult Program Swap on Sept 21st at 10 am.

Thursday, May 28, 2023
Topic: Transition to Adulthood

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Nicole, Tarrant
Bridget, Homewood
Gelenda Norman
Erika, Powderly
Tamara, Irondale
Maura, Trussville

We discussed that this was an illusive and hard-to-capture audience ranging from late teens to young couples beginning families - with lots of unique groups in-between (college kids, etc.) For a while, there was this genre called "New Adult" using a label for a type of book that was popular about 10 years ago - young romance with modern situations and settings. Those books have now just been consumed into the romance genre, at least here at Hoover!

In order to capture this audience, we need to rethink what this group does, who they interact with, and how best to serve them. For this reason, we have ample opportunities to create new and unique collections and programs, along with using ALL forms of social media (because no one person uses just one platform.)

To share some of my thoughts on words that describe this category, I've come up with: over-committed, lonely, broke, seeking validation, unskilled in life, self-sufficient, savvy in technology, world-wise, skeptical, and much much more. There are a lot of contradictions in this population too. As stated, they are aware of climate change and are willing to volunteer their time, but they also spend more time online playing games and escaping from reality. (Or is that just my view?)

I love Homewood's "Grownish" program series - that sounds like a great way to bring people in!

Some programming ideas were 

• Game Night
  
• Basic Sewing
  
• Library of Things for patrons to try new hobbies or cooking utensils
  
• Colleen Hoover read-alikes
• Basic Adulting classes
• Basic Bicycle Repair
  
• Anything to do with side hustles or making extra money
  
• Karaoke or Spoken Word performances
• Trivia
• Jam Sessions (play the same music, bring your instrument & join)
• Make kid events suitable for young adults (corn hole, giant jenga, mini-golf -- they want to be kids again!)
• Anything with cocktails or mocktails
• More events off site, at restaurant or coffee shop or bar
• Current events such as environmental issues
• Free Movies (make them interactive?)
• What else?

One of the keys to engagement is to make sure they keep coming back. So, do what you have to in order to get their contact information so that you can send out personalized emails or texts to participants as events roll out. I give door prizes out at events, requiring folks to enter their names (and contact if they want to stay in touch). This seems to amass a bunch of people willing to return to events.

What ideas do you have? What types of activities do you have planned? What are your opinions of this demographic??

March 16, 2023

Topic:  Community Engagement 

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Leslie, Avondale
Bridget, Homewood
Deidre, Bessemer
Nicole, Tarrant
Ellen, Avondale
Alisha, BPL
Cara, Center Point
Fontaine, Books-by-Mail
Pam, Hoover
Laura, Homewood
Lynn, West End
Erica, Powderly
Michele, Homewood

Fontaine mentioned that she is more than happy to come to your library to introduce the community to Books-by-Mail - there are a lot of folks that are not aware of this vital service.

Our compliments to Pam Bainter from Hoover for her outreach services to elder facilities with custom-tailored talks she takes on the road each month. Pam creates these talks and pulls out all stops to bring new & interesting topics to seniors - also promotes books-by-mail while she's at it!

Deidre is preparing for summer reading at Bessemer. Forgotten Alabama, Glenn Wills, booked for a free program there. http://forgotten-alabama.squarespace.com/

Shannon is doing Astronomy for All, a Community Art Swap, and Storytelling workshop and lastly self-defense classes -- all of these are for adults. Leslie is doing an adult craft and planned opening of their jigsaw puzzle exchange. They are also planning a Harry Potter Escape Room (printable). They are doing all this with a "puzzle/all together now" theme. Avondale is also doing several Pride-related crafts for adults and teens. 

Fontaine's sister works for the Nature Conservancy and can come to any library to speak about what they are doing in our area. That might be a contact for future programs. Any nature organization will probably come to your library for free.

Deidre reached out to Bessemer Police Dept - they did a program called "Safer Driving for Senior Citizens" - the speaker goes everywhere to share these safe skills. And from the County Courthouse she has had someone come and talk about Property Tax Exemptions for those over 65 - how to qualify and how to find the correct forms. Jefferson County Senior Division is coming to talk about free services along with memory testing (Free Memory Screening) - those might be beneficial to other branches too! Deidre also works with ACES (Alabama Cooperative Extension Service) to do their program "Live Well Alabama" - a walking program to introduce services available. Speaker for ACES is Desiree Bates - she also helps seniors fill out SNAP applications for those that don't have computer skills.

Lynn has partnered with Cahaba Medical Center to do programs - they are doing "Talk with a Doc" where one or two doctors walk over and answer questions and present new information to the neighbors. In April, they will be doing a 10-minute talk followed by a 20-minute walk - and it's called WE Walk or Walk with a Doc. The library reached out to the outreach director at the facility that is right next door. Great idea!!!

Cara at Center Point talked about going out once a month to senior center and does programs and they've started teaching crochet. They also participate in any community event like National Night Out (they had a booth); Mental Health Workshop in May where the library will provide resources; partner with a local coffee shop - they've installed a little free library in the shop. The shop also promotes library programs.

Keep your stay-at-home and work-from-home audiences by offering Zoom options for programs.

Laura at Homewood talked about working with the Chamber of Commerce for them to do a table at the Taste of Homewood event. Partnership with Trinity West - they have a remote campus that reaches a very diverse population that doesn't get to use the library as often. The church has a food pantry and a lot of outreach programs. Children's does storytime while the adults attend ESL classes.

Tarrant does a monthly outreach to retirement communities and offer delivery services for local patrons for whom visiting the library is difficult. Books by mail is utilized but this way they have access to more of the library's collection.

Cat at Homewood discovered the Extension Service for gardening programs like container gardens, etc. How to plant herbs, how to start a garden, etc. for kids and teens. Also creating comic books and leadership training from the 4H.

Speaking of gardening, you can contact Hope Long at the Botanical Gardens Library for a list of Master Gardeners that do outreach and programs. They are coming to the Hoover Library to do "Gardening with Nuisance Wildlife" for free.

Yiddish Book Center grant at the Hoover Library has been beneficial in offering partnerships with the faith community and civic organizations. Most interestingly is ALIRP, Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership - they are really helping me reach out to a diverse audience. They are also helping me with speakers that are refugees, etc. In the past, ALIRP  has done "Refugee Simulation Projects" with teens to learn empathy and understanding with others. That sounds like an interesting idea to bring to the library.

Ellen did a Tiny Art Show and worked with United Ability to participate in-person (the program was a grab-n-go originally). They sat down with UA's outreach person to develop some programs.  One of their people uses a voice device activated by eye movements and he wanted to read to kids. So, he does it and it was magical!

More about summer reading: everyone's kickoff is different but the aim is the same. Several library's have abandoned Beanstack for other methods of keeping track of reading. Homewood is using Jotform. BPL kickoff is May 13 with a big event at Avondale Park. Center Point is June 4 on a Satuday. Homewood is May 22nd. Hoover is Friday, May 26th. Hoover is trying to do more with adult summer reading during the kid's kickoff by having grab-n-go kits, a raffle, and our famous "Stump the Librarian" activity! Stump the Librarian is usually done during the month of July. What they do is have the cards from all kinds of games like Trivial Pursuit and patrons can ask any question they pull from a deck. The librarian must answer the question without researching it! If they get it wrong, the patron gets to put their name in the running for a gift certificate.  Keep in mind, some of these librarians have been doing this for over 20 years!!!

Update, if you need multiple books for a book group, please contact the Alabama Public Library Service because they have tons of book group kits. You can find them all online at https://apls.libguides.com/bookclub.

Maura emailed that Trussville just had a job fair with the Chamber of Commerce.

Lastly, if you don't know about JustServe https://www.justserve.org/ and find volunteer opportunities within the community. Your library can create an entry for an ongoing volunteer opportunity like your Friends group or a one-time project like rolling newspapers for the Humane Society. On Friday, April 14th, JustServe is having a networking event for nonprofits to share their experiences.

Thank you for all that attended!

January 19, 2023

Topic: Employment Search Support

Attendance:

Erica, Powderly

Alisha, BPL

Jacob, Gardendale

Lynn, West End

Rikki

Nicole, Tarrant

Maura, Trussville

Shannon, Hoover

This is a vital part of our service in helping patrons on an everyday basis! It includes resume writing, interview skills, and finding jobs online. Resources online differ and there is a lot of clickbait out there that can be a waste of time to those searching for jobs.

Jacob: Technology librarian for Gardendale. It's helpful to search on Google for local jobs, then go to company's webpage for more information. Facebook Community Groups often posts local jobs. Some success with Indeed - but you have to set up an Indeed resume through them. It does garble it up when you input data - so helping patrons is tougher. Better to use MS Word for resume - there are templates for resumes and they are FREE. We have to be careful to guide people away from websites that will offer to create resumes because patrons will spend hours crafting a resume only to find they have to pay for it. Some patrons use Alabama Works, a platform for making resumes, list experiences, job board - same as Alabama Career Center.

Lynn brought up AL Career Center for library jobs within BPL. For municipalities, you go to the city website for jobs & applying. Diane Blaylock has been helpful in getting people hired by the library.

Cherleen sent an email about Indeed and the amount of fraudulent claims for jobs which are actually just seeking personal information. America's Virtual One Stop https://www.americasvos.com/vosnet/Default.aspx might be one to consider.

Erica had a patron that was 18 or 19 and she was applying for the post office. She didn't understand how to apply for a job online. She didn't know she needed to know her previous supervisors name & number, her work dates, etc. Patrons need to understand what a basic job application will require before beginning. Easier if they know up front! (What do they cover in high school??? Probably don't have life skills class or a bad counselor!) Erica says one drawback is that we can tell a patron that a website is fraudulent but they want the job so bad they won't heed our advice.

Hoover received an email from the Alabama Department of Labor that does presentations on resume writing and interviewing skills, Alan Scott Hahn from the AL Dept of Labor has presentations at the ready - office number is 205-663-2542; email alan.hahn@alcc.alabama.gov

 

Middleman websites often have jobs listed that are already closed - so going to a company website to verify is essential. Look for applicable career associations that may have job boards, like our own American Library Assn, etc.

 

It is undoubtedly a very frustrating job helping those in need of jobs. The news will say there are jobs out there going unfilled but our job is connect people to these positions.

 

Maura says staff time often limits the amount of help we can give. Frustrating for patrons applying for jobs that don't require computer skills but they have to apply online. Sometimes they want us to do it all for them because they don't have the time to learn the skill.

 

Sometimes these clearinghouse sites have multi-level marketing scams that we have to steer patrons away from. We don't have the time to teach those skills of discernment.

 

Probably the most frustrating is what Jacob mentioned at the end: patron wants a job that requires NO use of technology - no computer skills needed at all. How do we find those and how can we be sure!?

 

ASRT Meeting: Adult Program Swap
9/15/22

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Charlie, 5 Pts West
Maura, Trussville
Nicole, Tarrant
Weston, BPL
Deidre, Bessemer
Tamiko
Tara, VH
Laura, SR
Holly, VH

Fontaine Alison at BPL/Books By Mail, added her name to our program spreadsheet - she is available to come to any library to discuss the BBM program and work with patrons. It's a great service!

Dee opened up the session to share the success of Bessemer's Women's Suffrage program series. There are just two more sessions left. You can find more information about the series at the Bessemer Library homepage or check out https://www.eventbrite.com/x/lets-talk-about-it-womens-suffrage-tickets-300206334227 Bessemer is also promoting registration for the November election - every library should be doing this! Deadline for registration is October 24, 2022.  The Seasoned Performers are BACK! They are working out of the new Red Mtn Theater Company campus downtown. They do programs for as low as $75.

Holly described what I thought was a fabulous idea! She had a "Book Nerd Social" at VH to end adult summer reading activities. There were literary games, book themed prizes, emoji match-up (to book titles!), book bundle swaps, etc. The only issue was that no one quite knew what the event was - perhaps a better title? I thought it was unique and different! Holly also did a cyanotype workshop that proved popular. She used blue light paper and the sun to create nature-inspired photos. Here is a link to her handout explaining the procedure: https://jclcorg.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/LibraryintheForest/Eb6aBp-4HCRCsPh8-T4SwzoB5DIIPWUfEvX4neexnuEaSw  Thanks for sharing, Holly!!

 Laura mentioned Julie Hedgepeth Williams as a great speaker to have at any library. She can do one-woman shows about the Titanic and Wright Brothers, among other things. And she is affordable. Also mentioned was Jim Phillips, who has gotten back into doing programs. One of his best talks is on Antebellum Ghost Stories. He also has a "Lost Tales of Alabama" program he does. Laura also brought up the fact that th Alabama Historical Society has a Speakers Bureau anyone can use: https://www.alabamahistory.net/speakersbureau

Maura is doing an Hospice/End of Life series with Lindsay Rutland, Senior Hospice Specialist, Kindred Hospice & Curo Healthservices. Contact information: Lindsay Rutland works with Kindred Hospice; they use a program called Five Wishes (https://www.fivewishes.org/). Her email address is Lindsay.Rutland@kindredhospicecare.com. Perhaps have a notary on hand to handle advance directives and power of attorney forms?? Also, Bethany O'Rear is an Extension agent - she serves several counties in central Alabama, including Jefferson, Shelby, and St. Clair. Her info is here https://ssl.acesag.auburn.edu/directory-new/u/Bethany-O%27Rear-ezS8vooq/. She is doing a gardening program that will surely be popular. Maura also stated that Robert Bailey, popular Alabama author, is a great presenter, if you want to feature a local author.

Weston mentioned several contacts for programs such as Dr. Gregory Pence pence@uab.edu, who is doing a program on Henrietta Lacks. Edmund "Barry" Johnson has a West African Drummer group that is very entertaining and educational (205-639-7626  - afechief1959@gmail.com.) Tracy Williams (205-585-3901 mmbefit2911@gmail.com), personal trainer, can talk on many topics and is great with seniors. Elizabeth Vanderk Kamp (205-441-8462  elizabeth@summerreddesigns.org) also does a great job working on literacy skills with seniors.

Other sources for programs:

• Sloss Furnace (free programs available) 
• AARP (senior drivers)
• Desiree Hutcherson-Bates, JeffCo Extension Service, Nutrition
•  For eclipse resources, check out this newsletter/organization: https://community.starnetlibraries.org/solar-eclipse-activities-for-libraries-invites-you-to-register-for-eclipse-glasses/

Last, but not least, I did a deep dive to see if I could find some new and fun ideas for adult programming. The result is this handout. Please feel free to utilize/share/expand on! Have fun and be creative!

Feel free to add your own ideas and contacts to the existing spreadsheet or share here on the blog.

To view the entire meeting, our Zoom recording can be found:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/1xhG5VaJYO5gOBpUmua8ZH1aJvgRpVwGUBohGDggN0JOUM0hbkXPZlvfcQ3--jdr.6ylZvfesXuvGye1k

 

 Adult Services Roundtable, July 21

Topic: Bringing in Older Teens, Young Adults, and Young Families

Attendees:

Kelly, Homewood

Brooke, BPL

Tywanna, E. Ensley

Joi, Homewood

Laura, SR

Weston, BPL

Fontaine, Books-By-Mail

Maura, Trussville

Holly, VH

Tamara, IR

Cara, CP

Tara Gearhart

Shannon, HV

 

Two of the most compelling reasons this demographic doesn't come to the library is lack of interest (no interesting programming maybe?) and competition from other things (hectic life of a young adult!) For this and many other reasons, our libraries need to carve out time, money and resources to young adults, whether they are older teens transitioning to adulthood, college students, or young families.  Homewood Library, historically, has had a wonderful Teens Department - with its very active Teen Advisory Board and many ongoing activities. JOI, their teen (the oldest which falls into our group) librarian, spoke to why they have such success: 

• Treat them with respect
• Service projects needed for school or elsewhere
• Anime Club, Graphic Novel Club
• Food programs like Boba Tea Making,etc.
• Skills in marketing to young adults (NOT Facebook!)

The point is to condition them to love the library and they will follow with attendance as new adults.  WESTON also echoed this and emphasized that Bards & Brews is successful because it is conducted for the most part outside the library environment. Any effort to reach the demographic where they are in the community is appreciated. That could be in a local bookstore, coffee shop, community center or bar. He also talked about "gamifying" events, like earning points or earning badges to qualify for prizes - these things are common to this age group and might be a good way to move events along. Bards & Brews was coordinated with Pride Month, as were many events to hit another demographic.

We talked briefly about libraries also having a "Junior Board" in order to plan and focus activities for 19-29 age group - getting them to plan events for their own age group may have more success. And Junior Boards look great on anyone's resume! It's all about building relationships!

MAURA talked about the unmitigated success of their Bob's Burger Trivia Night - another pop culture phenomenon. They've also had Birmingham Sushi come to do a program to great success. Our discussion drifted to getting people to show up for costly programs. Most all libraries, if having registration for a program, conduct due diligence by sending emails or calling those registered. There are still no-shows however. I like the idea of including, "if you don't confirm, we will cancel," especially if there is a lengthy wait list. We all agreed that ideally a small registration fee does encourage attendance but it also keeps so many people from being able to attend - so it's not recommended. (Several people admitted that they have a list of those that no-show often in order to keep those people in check.)

TAMARA mentioned good attendance to adult Dungeons & Dragons, Role Playing Games and Magic the Gathering events. At Hoover, we have someone from in the community run the RPG's and it has kind of a cult following. This doesn't have to cost anything but can also be done by someone who is more qualified than library staff.

 

We talked a little about the best times to schedule these kinds of programs.  For the younger ages, we agreed anytime after 3:30 pm is great, but with working adults, ideally 6 pm is a good time.

FONTAINE and others hit us with some great ideas for programming for this particular demographic -

• Buying a home or financing for a home
• What to do to become a homeowner
• Home decorating trends (Home Depot?)
• Wedding planning (finances & trends)
• Date Night! or try speed dating...
• "Flipping for a profit" - includes houses, furniture, anything!
• How to have a successful Side Hustle without an MLM
• Adulting 101
• Basics of Good Nutrition (any kind of cooking instruction is also good)
• Organizing photos
• Taking care of your car
• Renters: what you should know (insurance, leasing in B'ham, etc.)
• Bike Repair 101 (Redemptive Cycles will help!)
• UAB scholarships, dorm living, application process
• Knife skills
•  Mixology, anything with alcohol!
• Trick or Trunt events for young families
• Young Professionals events or mixers for networking

Bring these ideas and more to our next ASRT meeting - it is our annual ADULT PROGRAM SWAP!!!!  September 15th at 10 am via Zoom. Bring your ideas and an open mind!

 

 

 

For anyone not able to attend, here is a copy of the video. We started the video after we had already begun the meeting so I hope not much was missed!

 

 

  

Outreach: From Storytimes to Library Pop-ups

5/19/22

Attendees:

Pamela, North Birmingham
Shannon, Hoover
Noelle G
Laura, Homewood
Deidre, Bessemer
Olivia, Avondale
Bridget, Homewood
Terri, Vestavia Hills
Cara, Center Point
Weston, Five Pts West
Ellen, Avondale
Jacqueline W.
Erika, Powderly
Cristina C.
Fontaine, BPL Books By Mail
Maura, Trussville
Nicole, Tarrant

Reminders: Bessemer received a grant for a series on Women's Right to Vote. Please check out their website in order to join the remaining books. Let's Talk About It: Women's Suffrage.

Anyone going to ALLA in Montgomery? I will be doing a program on planning and executing a successful nonprofit volunteer fair on Monday, August 1st at 4 pm - come on by!

Several libraries, including Hoover, are gearing up for Adult Summer Reading. Bessemer has invited Jim Phillips (Trussville has had him talk too.) If you'd like to know more, he is "old-school" and only has a home phone (205-919-2925) he's known for doing "Antebellum Ghost Stories" and the like.

Video of our meeting:

https://jclcorg.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/FictionDepartment/ETnRsOdClvxBhO_dmAw3WKUBNLgenRYd--T2f4relwWX6g?e=nAOMIv

If you haven't the time to view the video, here are the highlights:

• Covid restrictions have made it difficult to make good on some of our promises for outreach. However, content is still being created and shared with senior centers, retirement facilities and the like. Pam Bainter from Hoover creates at least 5 "Books to You" programs a month to share with about 9 facilities - they range from "Fair World: A look at World's Fairs" and "It's All a Game: The History of Board Games." A lot of research and preparation go into these programs and whether they are done in person or sent to activity coordinators for showing - they are very popular.
• During the pandemic, Pam also started up 5 little free libraries within facilities with sheltered residents. These are composed of large print discards and are extremely popular. She is now adding between 10-15 books a month. She also prepared packets for her facilities that had magazine articles, puzzles and other items they might enjoy.
• In addition, Pam leads a wonderfully active book group at our senior center that has been going on for 14 years! These are now back to meeting in public, but Zoom became popular for a time.
• Fontaine is very eager to come to your library and your senior groups to talk about the Books-by-Mail program at BPL. At the very least, make sure your library has the updated forms for patrons in case the need arises to recommend someone for books by mail. This service is amazing and invaluable! Thank you Fontaine!
• Weston also mentioned that they contract with Elizabeth Vandercamp for doing literacy programs with their senior groups. She is doing a tour with the BPL Bookmobile - getting out into the neighborhoods. Her email is summerred63@yahoo.com.
• Maura mentioned that Susan Matlock now holds an outreach/special project coordinator position with Trussville. This is a dedicated person that can plan and execute outreach and special events. Congrats Susan!
• We discussed a variety of outreach "swag" - pens, selfie sticks, chip clips, magnets, can coozies, etc. Trussville has fun with a spin wheel where the patrons spins for a prize on the wheel - fun! Got any more ideas? Share them!!
  
• If you'd like to just view the slides from Shannon's Outreach presentation, here is the link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFBAJFuudw/E_Jm4_SZSmEL1iWKxZ3pPg/view?utm_content=DAFBAJFuudw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&fbclid=IwAR2DFEJ6l59kOQybljAMKb5WIxwhoWeTLoXlSg_VQQgCi-wtdh-UTXego9A