What makes a public library great?

[elinnea]

The most important thing for me is QUIET.  Unfortunately our library is anything but.  I spent 2 hours there the other night waiting for my younger ds and I was pretty appalled.  The only place with any seating is right next to the children's section.  I don't think kids need to be absolutely silent in the library but there has to be a happy medium between that and absolute bedlam.  I felt like I was at Chuck E Cheese but with books.  The young couple next to me let their 2 year old run around screaming.  A grandma dropped off her 3 grandkids and left.  Another mom was using the kids' computer to surf while her three kids and the other three kids threw cushions and pillows all over and jumped from shelves.  I kid you not.  There is no way anyone could study or read there.

 

What the library in the next town over has done is better.  Their library is in the city hall complex.  There is a coffee shop place in the atrium area right outside the entrance to the library and also a sort of play area for kids.  I think this is a better solution but our library building is too small for something like that.

 

I would also like to see a better selection of books.  More programs for pre-teens and teens.  Right now there are tons of things for pre-schoolers and elementary kids but not so much for older kids.  Our hold system is great and there is a generous limit on the amount of books one can check out.  I think it's around fifty per card.  I would love to have no fines!  Ours are pretty steep but one of the "prizes" in the summer reading program is a coupon for $5 off fines. 

[Rachel]

As a mom of young children, I like being able to reserve and renew books online.  I like being able to return books after hours (the library in my new town doesn't have that option).  I like the library being open in the evenings, even it if isn't every evening.  My old branch had a wonderful children's area, adults do not have to walk through it to get to the adult sections.  It has plenty of kid sized tables and chairs to make reading more comfortable, a family bathroom, shorter shelves with many books facing out.  I don't mind the play areas, it has saved my sanity on some rainy days.  I don't think they have to dominate the children's area though.

 

I understand that a library can't possibly have every single book I would ever want, so I like being able to request books that a branch doesn't have, the inter-library loan system should be well advertised.

 

I really like not having to walk past the adult computer terminals, especially if I have my children with me.  I love being able to check out digital books for my Kindle, but the selection isn't great at my library.  I think that's a bonus though, not required.

 

I like programs that our geared toward families, I think that whether this is needed in a community varies greatly.  Our library was given a large sum for art programs, they have used that to bring in the children's theater and professional puppeteers about once a quarter.  We live in a smallish town (8K) so there is not a lot of opportunities for that type of thing without having to drive.

 

We moved to this town about a year ago, one thing I see lacking at this library is knowledgeable staff.  There is plenty of staff (I'm not sure if they are all librarians or assistants, or what) but only a couple of really knowledgeable staff members.  

[redsquirrel]

I am find with lending information in other forms than books, and with circulating games, toys, artwork, whatever. I like the library as a community center concept, right up to the point that people are using it day after day as a substitute for their living room entertainment needs or a free conference room for their business. I'm uncomfortable with that. I'd like more patrons to be able to drop in and use the facilities, instead of a core group who hang out there 4 to 8 hours daily.  I just don't view a library as a replacement for a home or an office, even if part of the community wants to push those costs onto the taxpayer and use the library as such. I'm just not interested in funding their lives and I beleive if they weren't there, more patrons would be comfortable coming in and doing research or checking out material. I think many of the patrons are just dashing in to pick up their ILL list, since the workstations are clogged with hanger-outters and people conducting business. Those patrons will just disappear in real life once e-books become more available.

 

Our library has a time limit on computer usage. A patron may use the internet computer for 25 mins and then they have to relinquish the computer. If there is no line or waiting list then the patron may use it longer at the supervising librarian's discretion, but must relinquish immediately if the need arises . Once their 25 mins is up they are free to sign up at the bottom of the list. There might be a limit to the number of times in a day as well, but I am not sure. Those stations are always full and there is always a waiting list.

 

Are there people running a business from the library computers? Probably. it isn't the library's business to know what adults are doing. However you get 45 mins and then you have to give someone else a turn. If you want to sit there all day waiting for your turn that is your business. But, the library also provides free wi-fi (as does the city in many public spaces, as do the two universities in town) so if you have a laptop and are working quietly then you have many local options. I see lots of people there doing research or whatever on their own computers.

 

Same with the meeting spaces. You may sign up for a time (I think it is 60 mins) and then you have to relinquish it. That allows those people who are using it for meetings or whatever to what they need to do and then others get a chance. I know that the local literacy volunteers uses the library as their meeting space, as to many tutors to teens and pre-teens. Heck, I know of a couple local homeschooling families who haul their stuff to the library to their daily work.

[RootAnn]

I agree with almost everything everyone else said about online access, ILL, library staff, low fines (although that's how we fund our new book purchases), etc.

I loooove my library. :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:   It's pretty much perfect.

 

I love your library too! Sounds perfect.

 

At my library I appreciate the computer system where I can look up books from home, place them on hold, and have them waiting for me to pick up. 

 

We can finally look up books, but can't check our account or put anything on hold (at the local library).

 

I go to 2 libraries.  My local library is quite lousy.  The other one I pay $75 a year to go to and it's worth every penny. 

 

:iagree: We also go to two libraries. Local = lousy. Big City one is about $75/year for us + drive. Best homeschooling $75 I spend every year.

 

I understand that a library can't possibly have every single book I would ever want, so I like being able to request books that a branch doesn't have, the inter-library loan system should be well advertised.

 

We moved to this town about a year ago, one thing I see lacking at this library is knowledgeable staff.  There is plenty of staff (I'm not sure if they are all librarians or assistants, or what) but only a couple of really knowledgeable staff members.  

 

ILL cost $$$$$ locally. I can frequently buy the book cheaper than get it ILL here. Big City libraries are interconnected, so they can share resources easier. When I lived in Illinois, libraries were connected regionally with a bus or something that drove around picking up & dropping off the books. I  :001_wub:  absolutely loved our Illinois libraries.

 

Our local staff has a high turnover of the non head-librarian staff. But even the director can't recommend books if you say, "I just read this one. Is there another I might enjoy?" 

 

And having a staff that doesn't get mad at you when you can't find a book on the shelves because it turns out it is Oh-So-Missing. Um, why is it MY fault that you didn't know it was missing?

 

One more thing -- having good children's picture books stuck in the non-fiction stacks so they hardly get any circulation (and then pulling them to toss because they haven't been checked out in a couple of years) is a Very Bad Policy. (We only find them by accident or if I've looked for them specifically online by name.)

[Rachel]

 

 

 

ILL cost $$$$$ locally. I can frequently buy the book cheaper than get it ILL here. Big City libraries are interconnected, so they can share resources easier. When I lived in Illinois, libraries were connected regionally with a bus or something that drove around picking up & dropping off the books. I  :001_wub:  absolutely loved our Illinois libraries.

 

Our town passed a special library tax in the last few years, which is probably why our library is really good for a small town.  Now I can better appreciate that extra tax, knowing that it's paying for my ILL.  I just did a quick google search and it looks like the average ILL costs a library $28, I had no idea. I've borrowed books from all over the country using it, all at no cost to me.  

[Catherine]

My city has an amazing public library. IMO what makes it great, #1, is its collection. They have such a comprehensive, deep collection that rarely do I look for something and discover they don't have it. Not via ILL either.

 

Next for me is available, helpful librarians, and generous limits (ours fails big time here), online catalogue (check). Our also has good computer availability and programming for the poor and homeless populations that our city unfortunately has in large numbers.

 

Our library is also generous to other libraries, which form what I know through the grapevine, is becoming rare in this era of low budgets. Our library actually cut hours in the past to avoid having to cut services. I like that.

[athomeontheprairie]

Libraries need money. Yes. Small town = small budget. to make the most of our library funds we worked with 4 other libraries in our system and developed a rotating DVD collection. at the start off the 4 month cycle we choose x number if DVDs and send then by courier to the next library. At the end of the month we take the DVDa that we received and send then on. Now we get 160 "new" DVDs every 4 months. There is also talk about doing this with our large print collection.

If you don't have money to add to your collection, find creative ways to solve the problem. Lack of money, doesn't have to mean lack of awesome service.

[Korrale]

I love my library. But there are pros and cons. I mainly know the Children's part of the library.

 

Pros

 

I love that our children's area is separate. In fact the second floor is completely dedicated to the children's and parents section.

I love that they have StoryTime several times a week with stories, songs and a cheap simple craft.

I love our librarians. They learn the kids names so fast!

I love that there is wiggle room for active/loud kids. Other than 1 McD playplace we don't have any indoor areas for young children to run or play. We live in a snowy climate, and the average house sizes are about 1000sq ft. The librarians know this and they don't mind that the little ones run a bit. They don't encourage it by any means. But they don't condone it. They understand the plight of a frustrated parent trying to calm their cooped up children. Yup. Been that one.

A small toy room with is perfect for little play dates. Perfect place for inclement weather. And it gives me a chance to browse books while my son is occupied.

A meeting room, for groups.

There is a teen area downstairs which is segregated a little. Which is ideal. I spent a lot of time in my library as a teen. I loved it there but I had a giggly groups of friends and got shushed a lot.

Online catalogue is great as I can reserve books

We can also borrow CDs and DVDs.

 

Cons

No secluded closed in cubby for work. There are desks for collaboration. But I would like a cozy cubby facing the wall for privacy and concentration would be nice. Keep the open desks too!

This is a weird one but I hate how the books are arranged in the children's section. In libraries that I grew up with the alphabetical order would go up and down. For example, there would be a 3-5ft section of bookcase that would be joined to a 20-30 ft section. And the books would be arranged so that if I were searching alphabetically or by call number that I would only have to scan rows of 3-5 ft sections going down the bookshelf. How mine is set up I have to walk back and forth a 30ft section looking for books.

I also would like the librarians to have must read booklists for parents and kids for recommendations and challenges. Things like the Mensa list, or one of the many highly recommended lists that are available online.

[Kalmia]

1. Books, books, books, and more books. I have "read out" several tiny local libraries and then have to wait for the new releases to trickle in.

 

2. Highlighting genre fiction that is mixed in with the regular literature with a sticker on the binding indicating it is a mystery, sci/fi, fantasy, romance etc. or grouping these together by genre.

 

3. Highlighting really great books in creative ways. Perhaps by pulling interesting quotes from literature every week, printing them out, and affixing them randomly through the stacks with the call # to lead patrons to the book (making sure you have several copies!). This could also be done with trivia questions for nonfiction. Anything that symbolically "opens up the book" to the patron and makes them not only aware of its existence, but also intrigued enough to find it. 

 

4. Separate quiet areas and conversational areas if there is room in the building. 

 

5. "If you liked this book, then you may like these others as well" displays. 

 

6. Drive-up book returns. 

 

7. Librarians who actually have time in their lives to read, and who can personally recommend books to patrons as they get to know their interests. Monthly book review written by the librarian and posted in the library or in the newsletter.

 

8. Children's "twaddle" character books, spine out on the shelves. Good children's books face out.

 

9. Many, many detailed booklists in the children's section in a binder or posted on the wall for parents to view, "Books for children who like cats," "Books for children who like space travel," "Books for children who like the Middle Ages," etc.

 

10. Book displays (especially nonfiction) in the children's section that include real examples from the subject. E.g. The Eyewitness book: Crystal and Gem surrounded by a dozen crystalline rock specimens that the kids can handle. (Again, just another way  increase patron awareness that a book exists.)

 

 

[MrsBasil]

A lot of the things our library system does have already been mentioned.   Free ILL, good collection, a genealogy research set up, online catalog, online check out/renewal/hold system, story times for babies, toddlers, preschooler, a music and movement class, a time for struggling readers to read to dogs, computer classes(including basics, social media, online focused), lunch time lectures on history and science, book clubs, knitting and quilting circles/classes, and lots more.

 

They also offer a "check out a librarian" feature, so you can schedule time at the library for a librarian to show you how to use the library, the technology, check out e-books, or anything you have questions about.  They offer a what to read next list where you can fill out a questionnaire and you'll get a personalized list based on likes and dislikes.  They do Facebook Q&A's with trivia and what to read next and open up for book recommendations. 

 

They hosted a Readcon too with panels on writing books, navigating the publishing world, hosting a book club, book recs, a meet and greet with local authors, a Steam Punk costume area with lit and clothing talk, a Minecraft contest to build a library, and more.

 

These may not be "great" for everyone, but I love how involved in the community and enthusiastic our library system is.  I live in a poorer area, not known for it's culture or arts scene.  We're kind of the butt of many jokes compared to other towns near me, but most of our county(including lots of small libraries) is one large system and it works very well.

 

 

[redsquirrel]

 My thought as a taxpayer is that I'm funding a library. Instead of a library, it appears I'm funding a community center (we already have one..it's five blocks away from the library), a second job placement center (we already have one, five blocks away), business spaces (the community has facilities available for rent not even two blocks away), and free wi-fi for all (not available except in fast food restaurants) in addition to providing day living quarters (we have temp housing for the homeless app a1/4 miles away).  I'd like the library funding currently allocated to doubling the town and state services that are available already in the community and underutilized to go towards books, dvds/media and programming.

 

As far as the privacy of the adults. Whatever the adults are doing has to be legal. Taxpayer dollars are not to be spent on illegal things. Those kids in the parking lot, dealing..can't turn a blind eye. Same to the gal turning a trick. The guy who is enlarging his profit by reducing his business overhead by having his clients park in the library p lot and use their faciliites as his office is not someone I want to encourage..we have business incubators that can help him grow his business.  All of these people turn away the true library patrons and I beleive are the reason that no one wants to increase library funding or bring their children into the area. It's a sham to say the money is going for a public library when its going for other gov't services and increasing the profits of private businesses.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

it sounds like you have a much bigger town or better funded than mine, at least. We don't have a community center where people can hang out, we do have a state unemployment office but that is very small and doesn't have resources like computers for job hunters. They specifically send people without computer access to the library. And I am not sure what a business incubator is, but my library offers meeting rooms specifically for business meetings. They also offer it to not for profit organizations who don't have their own meeting space or need a place for board meetings etc. That seems to be fine with the community and it is our library so what we say goes. They also allow people to offer classes about starting a business etc. As for parking, well the library doesn't have its own parking, only metered city parking so that isn't a problem.

 

The people who are using the computers are people who don't have one. No one would willingly go through that rigamarole to use a lousy computer for 25 mins, lol. But the library does offer wireless as does the city in lots of public spaces. There are also a plethora of internet cafes and two large universities offering free wireless. So, if you are looking to run a business off free wireless there are plenty of places to go in town. That's not who is filling up my library. I don't know about yours.

 

Actually, my library is stuffed full of people I know, lol. I can't take two steps without running into someone from church or a neighbor or a former coworker or a fellow homeschooler. Sometimes it feels like a burden to go because I can't just pop in and out. It is always going to be a social event. But that means that our library is thriving, so I can't really complain

 

It is exactly the lack of those things that the local library points out when its funding is going to be cut. There isn't a place in town that offers those things.

[...................]

I loooove my library. :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:   It's pretty much perfect.

 

I'll second you on the children's section.  There are no computers in our children's section except the ones that only connect to the card catalog.  No video games, no videos at all, and very, very, very few character books.  Almost none.  (Children's videos are with the other videos in a separate section).

 

No fines.  Really, we don't have them.

 

Great, easy interlibrary loans that I can order from my home computer.  So if my library doesn't have it, I can get it easily.

 

Friendly, welcoming, helpful librarians.    One librarian told me that some librarians from other libraries jibe them that ours would give a patron the potted plants off the floor if they asked.  She laughed and said - yeah, we probably would!

 

ETA: We do also have the Teacher cards (also for homeschoolers) with longer check out times.

 

  And... this is only a nice-to-have, not a must-have, but we can now get coffee, tea and cocoa in the library from a Keurig for $1.   There are little cafe tables nearby that are also nice for studying.

Wow. Perfect is correct.

[...................]

I HATED HATED HATED that our old Florida library let kids play nothing but stupid twitchie video games on the computer.  The parents would come, drop their kids off in there after school and spend hours on the internet out in the adults section!  The librarians couldn't tell them not to do that, because technically they were still on premisis.  The result of this free babysitting and entertainment service was poorly behaved kids making noise, moving around, sometimes running around, bumping into us, etc. etc. They hardly ever even left with any reading material.  It was just annoying!  If we wanted to provide Internet for poor children then games should be NOT allowed!  Poor children should be able to go there and look up information, take typing lessons, take online technology lessons from Easy Tech, watch online Muzzy videos, and do things like Starfall.  

 

These kids would go on Disney.com and dream about Justin Beiber or whatever his name is.  One 10 year old girl would be there everyday singing Justin Bieber songs and replaying videos of him over and over and over- she sang quietly but really?  IS this what a library is for?  It was so distracting - especially since the computers were smack in the middle of everything- you could not move an inch without seeing them.

 

OK there's my rant.  Hope it helps! 

 

Our new library in CA is in a more affluent area and they don't seem to have as many kids dropped off to play video games.  We don't seem to have fines, which is very nice, and the librarians are very hands-on, and very helpful  They take a lot of requests for homeschool books- books on the Sonlight catalog for example.  

[...................]

Oh- and the LOUD CROWDED Story Times for toddlers and preschoolers should be held in a room with a closed door (there is one in our library, and I dont know why they don't use it) instead of in the main area.  We would love to take our homeschool books and do one or two subjects while there and the two times we tried, we could not because of the extreme amount of noise.  

[leeannpal]

We frequent three different libraries, and they all have good and bad points. To me, a great library has caring and knowledgeable staff, good classes or other events for children and a large, inviting children's section.

[kubiac]

Several libraries in our area have a dedicated booksale room that's open some/all hours as the library (depending on volunteers) as well as free/giveaway carts. Both are wonderful resources and/or the book room is a great fundraising opportunity.

 

The library near my in-laws in Vegas has enough room to have a full play area in the children's section--our crowded city branch libraries can't support that but it was so cool to see that some libraries can support shelves full of puzzles and art supplies!

 

I agree that a dedicated storytime area (and/or community room) can be a great blessing. It keeps the sound down, it can be used for other educational lectures and it's just a very nice plus.

 

Also (and this might related to some of the homeless/porn issues mentioned above), I've seen several local libraries that put out "RESERVED for children and teenagers from 2-8" signs on the tables in the children's area. At least that keeps the creeps out when most youngsters might be using the library to study or just as an after-school respite.

[...................]

 "Highlighting genre fiction that is mixed in with the regular literature with a sticker on the binding indicating it is a mystery, sci/fi, fantasy, romance etc. or grouping these together by genre."

 

Yes!! My new library has these stickers and is is so unbelievably useful.  I like to scan the jackets and the summaries of all the books to see if they are likely to be morally upstanding and proper for my children.  My kids and I have found that there are certain genres which are more likely to work for us.  THese stickers allow them to go down the shelves and just grab out 30 or 40 books very quickly and bring them to me.  I read the summaries, nix the ones that aren't going to work and put the rest in the pile to take home.  The stickers are awesome.

 

 

[DesertBlossom]

A couple years ago our city library moved all their children's non-fiction books and intermingled them in the upstairs (non-kid friendly) non-fiction area. It makes it impossible to browse for children's non-fiction and a child couldn't navigate it by themselves at all. I'm pretty irate over the whole thing. The library director told me it was to make room for the "literacy area" in the children's section, which I think is the area with the chairs and computers, because that's the only thing that's changed. It's so frustrating because my 7yo would rather read non-fiction over anything else.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I've been elected to the board of the local public library, and we have our first meeting Monday night. I know what kind of things I like to see in a public library.... a nice, quiet, inviting space, bright and colorful children's area, an emphasis on books as opposed to computers and videos, and a dynamic assortment of featured books. (to name just a few)

 

I would like to hear from others who have an opinion on the subject.... So what do you think? What makes a library great? Oh, and this is a very small town with a budget to match. :)

 

For me it is several things:

 

A place that I want to be. That means that it is safe. Books are easy to find (too many pull out sections instead of just using call numbers frustrates me. Childrens, juvenile, YA and adult sections frustrate me. Pulling out test prep books and then pulling out "new" test prep books frustrates me because I have to look so hard to find the book, even with the call number. FWIW, our system shelves all non-fiction together, which has the effect of putting both serious weighty texts and children's non-fiction on the same subject next to each other on the shelf. I initially thought this was odd, but I really like it now. It puts books into kids' hands that are slightly above their level and encourages them to stretch. It also lets English Language Learners have access to easier books without having to use a children's section.)

 

There should not only be a balance between books and AV media and internet access, but there should be a balance between ebooks and print and between books that are popular but ephemeral and books that have lower circulation but are great books. IMO, some books deserve being in the library, because they are good quality stories, even if few patrons check them out. It is not necessary for public dollars to only subsidize the light entertainment type books (Pokémon, Disney fairies, My Little Pony) to the exclusion of books like Freddy for President, Swiss Family Robinson, and Johnny Tremaine.

 

An active Friends of the Library group that holds book sales to raise funds for library programs. This can be a good way to get people invested in the library. Is a way to encourage readers through book ownership and can supplement tax dollars. Our area is high density and high education. We also lay on a heavy commuter route, so our drop box is often used by people who live in other parts of town. But we get a lot of donations of good quality books. The librarians get to accession good condition copies that suit the library collection and we sell the rest. All of the special children's programing at our branch is paid for by the Friends' group. They have also funded scout projects on the grounds (at least two landscaping projects, and two projects for different seating areas outside).

 

Orderly. (This is a subset of being safe and a place I want to spend time.) I love kids' being at a library. I don't love kids spending hours each day at the library in lieu of going home or to a sitter, if it means that they spend their time playing tag through the stacks, yelling at each other or otherwise making the library an unsafe or unusable place for other families. I had one branch where we had to time our visits for before school let out, because the three hours after school were a zoo. There was an extra security guard during those hours, but her actions made the situation worse, not better.

 

A couple other ideas I've been intrigued by: Library wish list on Amazon. Librarians have lists of books they want to add to the collection. People can donate books by buying them through Amazon. 

I've also seen a First loan program. The library has a wish list and the person who buys the book for the library has an automatic hold generated, so they can have the first loan of the book. 

Adult summer reading program. In addition to the kids' reading program there is a tracking card for adults. If you read 5 books over the summer, you get a $2 coupon for the next library friends' booksale. (BTW, I think the kids' reading programs should go for most of the summer, not just June and July. I've been around two different systems that ended their program with over a month of summer break left.)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

1. Books, books, books, and more books. I have "read out" several tiny local libraries and then have to wait for the new releases to trickle in.

 

 

5. "If you liked this book, then you may like these others as well" displays. 

 

 

 

8. Children's "twaddle" character books, spine out on the shelves. Good children's books face out.

 

9. Many, many detailed booklists in the children's section in a binder or posted on the wall for parents to view, "Books for children who like cats," "Books for children who like space travel," "Books for children who like the Middle Ages," etc.

 

 

 

Loved these ideas.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I've been elected to the board of the local public library, and we have our first meeting Monday night. I know what kind of things I like to see in a public library.... a nice, quiet, inviting space, bright and colorful children's area, an emphasis on books as opposed to computers and videos, and a dynamic assortment of featured books. (to name just a few)

 

I would like to hear from others who have an opinion on the subject.... So what do you think? What makes a library great? Oh, and this is a very small town with a budget to match. :)

 

There is the formal Interlibrary Loan program and then there are loan consortiums within a region that can cost a lot less.

 

Reciprocity agreements with other local library systems. (In other words, if I have a card at system X, I can also get a card at system Y in the next city.  In our area there is one big system for the county, but there are several independent cities within the county that have their own school system and their own library system.)

 

Fines for overdue books should go into the library budget, not into the general fund.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Actually cataloging the titles of the books for kids.  So that they can actually be reserved.  I didn't realize that this was done - but where we live now it is just 'juvenile fiction book 234576' - no idea how to tell WHAT book this is.  So annoying.  What book of the 20 we have at home is the one that is overdue? - no idea, it does not tell me the title.  Want to reserve the next book in a young adult series? -  nope, not possible because that is not how the book is in the system.  Want to see if they have any other books by author ABC? sorry, they are a young adult author so the books are not that way in the computer system.

 

This makes no sense at all.

 

The cataloging that frustrates me is the tendency to create really specific subject headings. I've encountered many titles where the subject heading is so specific to that individual title, that there are no other books in the subject. Which means there is little way of cross referencing.

 

I do like that our computer system has a "search nearby items on shelf" button. So at least I can go up and down by call number. But back in the day of card catalogs with actual cards, there was a skill and talent to creating subject headings that enabled searching.

 

Just as an example:

Horse Soldiers: Cavalry in the Civil War has the following subject headings: United States. Army. Cavalry--History--Children's material. Confederate States of America. Army. Cavalry--History--Children's material. Civil War, 1861-1865--Cavalry operations--Children's material. (The first two have listings of Corporate Subject, which I think means they were assigned by the publisher, book jobber or as part of the Cataloging in Publication program.  The last one is listed as Local Subject, which I think means someone in our library system added the term.  This Local Subject listing is new to me, so maybe the comments on all the library surveys I fill out has gotten somewhere.)

Another book in the catalog is "Those damn horse soldiers" : true tales of the Civil War cavalry.  It's subjects are: United States. Army. Cavalry--History--1861-1865, Civil War--Anecdotes. Confederate States of America. Army. Cavalry--History--Anecdotes. Civil War, 1861-1865--Cavalry operations--Anecdotes.

 

Click on the subject headings in the listing and the only book brought up is the one you started from. No cross referencing. No taking you to a listing of subject headings so that you could see there are some other related subjects. It also wouldn't tell you that there was a book in the system titled Horse Equipment of the Civil War Era with subject listings of   Horses--Equipment and supplies--Catalogs--Pictorial works  , Horsemanship.  Saddlery--Catalogs.  And of course, this book is in the 600s with sports and activities, where the first two are in the 900s with history.

 

A key word search of "Civil War Horse" brings up all three books, but Civil War Cavalry only brings up the history book, not the technical horse equipment book.  I'm really not sure that students these days are good enough at searching to find the third book.  And of course, this contributes to lower circulation for the book and then eventual discarding of the book. But the question I have to ask about discarding books from the collection is if the book didn't circulate because no one wanted it or if it didn't circulate because the patrons didn't know it was there.  (If you were doing a Civil War Cavalry report, would you think to look in the horse section?) 

 

:rant:   Clearly, this post needed a warning label.

[tomandlorih]

I read and agreed with many of these posts and here is my $.02.

I live outside our library district and buy a library card for $115 per year.  It is a multiple library system and the closest branch to me is in the next little town down the road about 10 miles.  That particular very small branch has the kids section upstairs with only 1 way out (down the stairs and past the adult books and bank of computers).  I love it that I can hop on a computer to look for books or print and know my kids can use the library/play and not be able to get snatched.  I hate children's sections with multiple ins/outs.. It's very hard to browse and watch all the kids (who are short and disappear behind shelves).  I love that they can use our little library on their own and feel independent and I don't have to worry.

It's a small town and closed Sat/Sun but open until 8pm on Wednesday nights. <3

Other things about our library I love:

 

No late fees - on anything

Outside return bins for anytime returns 

Great online catalog that allows holds to be placed and the items sent to my branch for pickup

Can have up to 50 checkouts and 50 holds per card, everyone in the fam can get a card for that same $115/yr fee

Same great online catalog allows for the making and saving of lists of books to remember or to get in the future (GREAT feature for a homeschooler, Lists for every subject and every kid!)

10 free printed pages or copies per card per day! How many .pdf workbooks have I printed with library ink! =D

Free ILL.. 5 requests per library card at a time.  (I didn't realize it cost them quite so much as stated above! Now I'm even more grateful! I've gotten/previewed curriculum and books from all over)

Access to borrowing e-books (I haven't done much with this one.)

Reciprocal agreement with a neighboring library system that offers access to Mango languages

Great staff
 

Love, love, love my library!  Of course my library system is huge and has a large budget even though my branch is tiny.  Good luck to you. 
 

[xixstar]

Love this thread and bookmarking for future. I'm a library addict and love seeing what some other libraries are doing. I will now ask my library about the ILL we have (borrowed from neighboring counties) because I use it all the time and am curious about the cost to the library.

 

For our library...

 

 - I love the drive up window that was installed -- when children were babes and toddlers and library trips became taxing, I loved being able to place holds even for items on the shelf and just drive up and pick them up.

 

 - Our library has offered electronic resource for check out like ipads, kindle, nook so people can see what they're like. At first is was just for 3 hours in-library but now you can borrow the ipad for a week (with 1 renewal allowed).

 

- I actually like that our library has video games available to check out. We don't use ours enough to justify buying games and I like trying ones out to see if we even like them. This seems such a silly thing to like since we're not big on screen time, but I do like it.

 

- Another library we use has children toys and puzzles you can check out -- I love this for the little preschool/toddler puzzles that are so simple but the variety and ability to change them out without buying several is wonderful.

 

- I like some of the online resources, like Tumble Book and access to online databases.

 

- Managing my account online is essential - placing holds, renewing, ILL requests, paying fines, etc.

  -- also love managing my holds: putting a hold on hold, changing the activation time of the hold request (awesome for planned out unit studies), etc.

 

- I like the playaways now available, both the audio ones and the video ones.

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I read and agreed with many of these posts and here is my $.02.

 

I live outside our library district and buy a library card for $115 per year.  It is a multiple library system and the closest branch to me is in the next little town down the road about 10 miles.  That particular very small branch has the kids section upstairs with only 1 way out (down the stairs and past the adult books and bank of computers).  I love it that I can hop on a computer to look for books or print and know my kids can use the library/play and not be able to get snatched.  I hate children's sections with multiple ins/outs.. It's very hard to browse and watch all the kids (who are short and disappear behind shelves).  I love that they can use our little library on their own and feel independent and I don't have to worry.

 

It's a small town and closed Sat/Sun but open until 8pm on Wednesday nights. <3

 

Other things about our library I love:

 

No late fees - on anything

Outside return bins for anytime returns 

Great online catalog that allows holds to be placed and the items sent to my branch for pickup

Can have up to 50 checkouts and 50 holds per card, everyone in the fam can get a card for that same $115/yr fee

Same great online catalog allows for the making and saving of lists of books to remember or to get in the future (GREAT feature for a homeschooler, Lists for every subject and every kid!)

10 free printed pages or copies per card per day! How many .pdf workbooks have I printed with library ink! =D

Free ILL.. 5 requests per library card at a time.  (I didn't realize it cost them quite so much as stated above! Now I'm even more grateful! I've gotten/previewed curriculum and books from all over)

Access to borrowing e-books (I haven't done much with this one.)

Reciprocal agreement with a neighboring library system that offers access to Mango languages

Great staff

 

Love, love, love my library!  Of course my library system is huge and has a large budget even though my branch is tiny.  Good luck to you. 

 

 

I forgot how helpful the list making function was at the library that had it. Especially for the history cycle books, I was able to make long lists of books in the collection I wanted to preview and then request them in a batch when that topic approached.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Email notification of impending due dates and overdue books, with a link to renew them.

[silver]

I just discovered a feature with my library that is wonderful. After placing a book on hold, I can "suspend" the hold. I tell the system when to end the suspension and then it will treat it like a normal hold after that. So I can go months ahead in our curriculum, request the library books we need, set the suspension to end the week before we need the book, and it will be waiting for me at our weekly library trip to pick up when I need it.

[Rachel]

I just discovered a feature with my library that is wonderful. After placing a book on hold, I can "suspend" the hold. I tell the system when to end the suspension and then it will treat it like a normal hold after that. So I can go months ahead in our curriculum, request the library books we need, set the suspension to end the week before we need the book, and it will be waiting for me at our weekly library trip to pick up when I need it.

 

Yes, I wish our library had this capability.  Although I do think the children's librarians will do this for me if I give them the list in person.  It would be nice to do it online though.

Love this thread and bookmarking for future. I'm a library addict and love seeing what some other libraries are doing. I will now ask my library about the ILL we have (borrowed from neighboring counties) because I use it all the time and am curious about the cost to the library.

 

For our library...

 

 - I love the drive up window that was installed -- when children were babes and toddlers and library trips became taxing, I loved being able to place holds even for items on the shelf and just drive up and pick them up.

 

 

 

 

 

A drive up window for holds would be awesome! 

[LaughingCat]

Our library makes it easy to ILL online, but I have no idea how to ask for a book to be bought other than asking someone in person.

[Matryoshka]

I just discovered a feature with my library that is wonderful. After placing a book on hold, I can "suspend" the hold. I tell the system when to end the suspension and then it will treat it like a normal hold after that. So I can go months ahead in our curriculum, request the library books we need, set the suspension to end the week before we need the book, and it will be waiting for me at our weekly library trip to pick up when I need it.

 

Now that is brilliant!!

[xixstar]

I just discovered a feature with my library that is wonderful. After placing a book on hold, I can "suspend" the hold. I tell the system when to end the suspension and then it will treat it like a normal hold after that. So I can go months ahead in our curriculum, request the library books we need, set the suspension to end the week before we need the book, and it will be waiting for me at our weekly library trip to pick up when I need it.

 

When our software was upgraded it added this feature and also now when you place holds you can set the activation dates for the holds. I did our entire prek semester* scheduling out all the books I would (make sure to factor in if the book is already checked out, so couple weeks before needed). And it's also nice when doing seasonal stuff, like xmas, because I can schedule holds to kick in before thanksgiving when fewer people are thinking about christmas books and movies. :) Usually able to get them in and picked up in time to have them for the holiday.

 

Love this feature.

 

*of course, this assumes you stay on track and don't get behind, ha! as if that actually happened. :)

[tomandlorih]

Email notification of impending due dates and overdue books, with a link to renew them.

I knew there was a feature of my library I forgot to mention. =D  Love, love the feature of emailing impending due dates!

[tomandlorih]

 

For our library...

 

 - I love the drive up window that was installed -- when children were babes and toddlers and library trips became taxing, I loved being able to place holds even for items on the shelf and just drive up and pick them up.

 

 - Our library has offered electronic resource for check out like ipads, kindle, nook so people can see what they're like. At first is was just for 3 hours in-library but now you can borrow the ipad for a week (with 1 renewal allowed).

 

- Another library we use has children toys and puzzles you can check out -- I love this for the little preschool/toddler puzzles that are so simple but the variety and ability to change them out without buying several is wonderful.

 

 

Drive up window is G-E-N-I-U-S  I am suggesting that to my library!  I might just link them to this thread.. lol

[ocelotmom]

Our library lets you schedule reserves (including ILL). If I wanted to, I could go through today and reserve every single book I wanted between now and high school graduation. Not that I've ever done more than a year in advance :) It's so helpful for homeschooling - not only do books just magically show up when I need them, but having them magically show up at a specific time helps keep me on track.

 

Being able to place holds from home is so awesome, but I've been doing it for long enough that it never even crossed my mind that some libraries might not have that capability. It's been a long time since I've been able to browse outside the kid's section effectively - placing holds from home is the only way I can easily get books for myself.

 

I love libraries that have an used bookstore (donations and library discards) attached, and that brings in money.

 

While I appreciate emphasizing books over videos/computer games, having a wide variety of *educational* media available is helpful. My old library had lots of Bill Nye, Schlessinger videos, and similar that I would never buy on my own but are totally helpful for homeschooling. 

 

Our library keeps a check-out history only as an opt-in feature to get around the whole Patriot Act thing.

[ocelotmom]

A couple years ago our city library moved all their children's non-fiction books and intermingled them in the upstairs (non-kid friendly) non-fiction area. It makes it impossible to browse for children's non-fiction and a child couldn't navigate it by themselves at all. I'm pretty irate over the whole thing. The library director told me it was to make room for the "literacy area" in the children's section, which I think is the area with the chairs and computers, because that's the only thing that's changed. It's so frustrating because my 7yo would rather read non-fiction over anything else.

 

Similarly, our library has all the middle grade and YA books lumped in together, making it hard for me to feel comfortable allowing the kids to browse freely, as there is some pretty mature stuff mixed in with the books aimed at younger kids. And I'm not particularly conservative.

 

That, and the fact that (poorly controlled) public-use computers are located bordering the children's section, are the ONLY two things I'd change about our local library.

[minuway]

Some of the things I love about our library:

 

- No limit on books checked out

 

- reasonable fines - children's materials fines are lower than adults which helps us - I wish there were none like another poster said! But I       think of it as a donation when I pay them

 

- excellent curated collection - just about every time I look for a book suggested from a recommended reading list, they have it. We use the Story of the World Activity for the booklists and when I check to see what coordinating literature and history resources our library has, they always have anywhere from 50%-100% of the titles suggested

 

- great online system - super easy to reserve online books and have them ready for me to pick them up without me having to find everything with kids running around

 

- ease of suggesting new titles - whenever I look for a title and my library doesn't have it, I submit a request for it via their online system, and they purchase it and put a hold on it for me - it usually comes in within a month or so. When I made a comment to a librarian about how impressed I am by this, she was super excited by how much I was using it and said, "keep those suggestions coming! And if you notice even a general area that you're studying that we don't have much on, let me know and I will try to beef up that area!" I just love her for that!

 

I posted something to this affect on my library's facebook page around Thanksgiving, and they were very appreciative. :)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Minuway's comment about posting kudos on the library Facebook reminded me that I used to regularly complement our base library through the base online comments site.

From what I could see most comments received were negative. So it meant a lot to library staff to get a pat on the back, especially when it went through the same official channels as the complaints. I know it sometimes was also the basis for sustained funding for programs.

 

So your library is doing something well, especially if they've invested in good library software with online holds and notifications, it's worth letting the city or county know you appreciate it.