Chinook News

Look who's live!

2010-10-14T11:54:00.000-06:00

It is so exciting to see our branches coming live on SILS - as of now, your patrons can choose from the following pickup locations that are live on SILS! Some of these branches are automating for the first time ever, so please give a big round of [virtual] applause to these pioneering staff!

HQ SILS training - a success

2010-09-10T17:01:00.000-06:00

Just a note to say that Headquarters staff had their SILS circulation trianing today and found it well done. They acted as the guinea pigs and had some good suggestions for improvement which will be incorporated in the training for the next group. We are very fortunate in having Yumi Hwang doing the training - her approach is clear and organized.

When branch staff leave the training, they will take with them four things:

- a SILS manual to use for reference and in training other branch staff
- branch business cards, for patrons receiving automated phone calls who then want to talk to a live person
- the new Chinook SILS patron cards (do not open until your branch goes live!)
- some generic SILS patron cards, for use when out-of-region patrons want to register

Meanwhile, Jesse is working hard to ensure new computers are rolled out around the region. I know there are many blips and hiccups to work out when doing this, but Jesse always seems to have a smile. Larry from HQ has been helping out, and this is also very much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing our branch librarians at HQ over the next six weeks!

mixed media - a video game made of paper

2010-09-10T16:45:00.000-06:00

This is such a neat concept - read more about it here

amish romances and NPR's top 100 thrillers

2010-08-12T23:46:00.000-06:00

Yes - the world is catching on to what Chinook patrons have been reading for years - inspirational fiction. This USA Today article talks about the growing interest and lists a few upcoming titles...

And, if your readers prefer perspirational literature to inspirational, there's NPR's list of the top 100 thrillers. Jaws is number 25 - can you guess which book ranked at number 1? Check out the article to find out...

Vancouver Public Library cites ebooks as a reason for upsurge in new cards

2010-08-12T23:00:00.000-06:00

Ebooks taking off at Vancouver Public Library...

All winter long, she borrowed quilting books...

2010-08-11T08:05:00.000-06:00

CRL Board Executive member Laurie Glenn popped by yesterday to let us know that, yes, something came from all those quilting books she borrowed over the winter. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but the quilt is quite lovely and soft. Great to see one of the many tangible products of library use!

ebooks and audiobooks - sneak preview starts on August 2

2010-07-30T18:06:00.003-06:00

For early adopters - those tech savvy patrons and staff who can cope with being the first to try a new service and help us work out the kinks, a sneak preview of our new downloading service will begin on August 2. This sneak preview is part of an array of new products and services we'll be launching as part of our regional revitalization over the next few months.

A province-wide collection of electronic books can be accessed at:
http://www.library2go.sk.ca - remember though, your Chinook card won't be working until the 2nd of August. Anyone who has technical questions can contact our support staff at chinook.overdrive [at] gmail.com

I had a great time selecting some items to supplement the existing provincial collection, and imagine my delight when I discovered that fourteen of the titles I chose were borrowed in less than 24 hours! Here's what was snapped up within hours:

1.	The Help	Kathryn Stockett
2.	A Kiss at Midnight	Eloisa James
3.	The Lion, the Witch and the...	C. S. Lewis
4.	Devil in Winter	Lisa Kleypas
5.	The Girl with the Dragon Ta...	Stieg Larsson
6.	A Dangerous Love	Sabrina Jeffries
7.	About That Man	Sherryl Woods
8.	Bad Luck and Trouble	Lee Child
9.	Blood Hunt	Ian Rankin
10.	Again the Magic	Lisa Kleypas
11.	The Girl Who Played with Fi...	Stieg Larsson
12.	The Hunger Games (unabridge...	Suzanne Collins
13.	One False Note (unabridged)	Gordon Korman
14.	Infamous	Suzanne Brockmann

I hope some of your patrons will get excited about this 'sneak preview' of a fantastic new service. A full launch with publicity will occur in conjunction with our migration to SILS.

Are comics the gateway to novels?

2010-07-13T14:51:00.006-06:00

The Chinook Regional Library has comics. The secret is out. Why? We want to serve all types of readers and that includes those patrons who enjoy comic books and graphic novels.

If parents are struggling to find something for their hard to reach teen readers suggest a comic book or graphic novel. Research shows reading leads to...more reading! There are a lot of words in comic books and every one of them counts as reading.

If you haven't ever read a comic book or graphic novel give it a try! Even Jodi Picoult has written for this format, check-out "Love and Murder".

Nobody Shares Better Than Us

2010-07-09T13:29:00.004-06:00

Nobody shares better than libraries. How we move books around to bring the library user what they want is our true genius. The Single Integrated Library System (SILS) project will mean that people in Saskatchewan who have a public library card can get more choice in books and get the books they want faster because the participating libraries have agreed to share.

Any parent can tell you that one of the hardest things to teach a child is sharing. Sharing involves risk; it means that we might have to give something up without knowing whether we’ll like what we get. Children often complain that sharing is not fair, for example that they gave more than their friend. It’s hard for them to see the benefits of what we get when we all contribute what we can.

Libraries in Saskatchewan know the potential and power of sharing. We want everyone regardless of where they live to be able to get the books they want to read. To achieve this reality involves hard work, negotiation and comprise. The biggest change for the Chinook Regional Library is the introduction of overdue charges. If an item is late patrons are charged a small fee for not returning it on time. It is meant as a deterrent so that library users don’t keep things longer than they’ve agreed to keep them.

Everyone who uses a public library in Saskatchewan will pay the same charges. It seems fair that everyone pays the same penalties when they don’t renew or return library items. Overdue charges are a normal part of library service in most places and library users in Regina or Saskatoon have been paying them for years. I know some patrons are already upset at the thought of having to pay charges but remember you don’t have to pay overdue charges, you can renew or return on time and avoid them entirely. When you’re sharing books with other people (which is what you’re doing when you use the library) it’s important to be considerate. When you’re late returning a book it means that someone else can’t read it and if that book came from Saskatoon it means someone else in Saskatoon can’t read it after their library shared it with your library.

In our new library system (SILS) overdue charges are attached to the type of material borrowed. An adult could borrow children’s materials and not have charges on that material when it becomes overdue. A teen could borrow adult material and have fines at the higher adult material rate. The basic charges are as follows:

Children’s materials (including DVDs) — no late charges
Teen materials (excluding DVDs) — $0.20/day with a cap of $4.20
Adult materials (excluding DVDs) — $0.30/day with a cap of $6.30
DVDs & Video Cassettes — 1/day with a cap of $7

If a book is lost or damaged a patron will be charged for the cost of the book and a processing charge of $5.00

Not only are we are going to have the same fines as everyone else but we’re also going to share the same loan rules and overdue notification schedule. Why? Because having everyone borrow books for the same length of time and sending them same overdue notices makes sharing our books more logical and effective.

The new loan periods are:

Books, multilingual resources – 21 days
DVDs and Videos – 7 days
CDs – 21 days
Spoken word/talking books – 21 days
Magazines – 7 days, no renewals

On high demand items where there are 5 holds or more the loan period will be automatically shortened to 14 days.

The new overdue notice schedule is:
1st notice – 3 days after the due date
2nd notice – 17 days after the due date
3rd and final billing notice – 31 days after the due date – this is a print notice only

We realize these new policies mean big changes for Chinook Patrons. These new rules will be implemented on September 29th when we go live on the new system.

We promise to do our best to help you learn these new policies. As well, after the Chinook SILS launch there will be a six week period where we will waive these overdue charges to give patrons a chance to get used to the new system.

We hope you don’t find these changes too overwhelming and that you keep using the library. The public service that is the library is truly unique, what other public institution lets you borrow valuable items with only your agreement that you’ll return them? To share is noble, it’s a risk worth taking so that everyone can benefit.

Summer at the Shaunavon Branch!

2010-07-06T04:42:00.002-06:00

Summer @ the Shaunavon Branch library

Summer Reading Program

Destination Jungle

Starting Wed. July 5th

@1:00 – 2:00

ages 6 – 12

Stories, games, crafts and prizes!

Jungle Safari Concert

Presented by Down By the Docks

and Leroy the Lobster

Concert, Puppets and More!

Wednesday, July 21

@7pm

Great Prize Packages!!

Sign out the mystery items – books, DVDs, or magazines - and enter your name to win a Saskatchewan Roughriders Prize Package!!

Junior / Young Adult Readers Too!!

Sign out the mystery items – books, DVDs, or magazines - from the Junior and Young Adult sections, and enter your name to win a

Fuji Av100 digital camera!!

Library Hot Dog Sale

Saturday July 17th

– after the Boomtown Days Parade.

Watch for the Library Tent around town this summer @ Canada Day and Boomtown Days.

Coming this fall - Book Launch

of Diane Greenlay’s new book, Quint Spinner

- a pirate adventure!

picture book display bin up for grabs

2010-06-06T12:24:00.000-06:00

If you could use this small bin for displaying children's books at your branch, please let us know, and we will send it out. First come first served.

new blue bins

2010-06-06T12:20:00.001-06:00

Our old black and green bins are starting to wear out, and soon you'll be seeing these glamorous new blue bins:

One important thing - please only fill to the bottom fill line (see below),as otherwise they become too heavy for the courier specifications and we will be charged a weight surcharge.

.

Herbert Branch - open house

2010-05-25T08:55:00.004-06:00

photo source

The Herbert Branch board and staff have been working hard at sprucing things up and the branch looks fantastic, not to mention the increased circulation they've been getting! Join them for an open house on Friday, May 28th, from 1-4.

Congratulations on a job well done, Herbert Branch!

Positive affirmation training for staff

2010-05-12T09:02:00.000-06:00

There are definitely some challenges ahead of us as a staff, with changes to policies coming in the fall, including the introduction of overdue charges (already the norm in most public libraries, but new to us), and the move to a three-week loan period. Throughout this process, it will be important that we take care of ourselves emotionally as staff. Positive affirmation, as demonstrated by this young lady, is one technique:

;)

Culture on the go - author readings - Shaunavon - May 19

2010-05-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Shaunavon is set to host four Saskatchewan authors on May 19th, also the date of the annual Museum day, with hot dogs, crafts and more. Full event details are here.

Google to enter the ebook market

2010-05-12T08:54:00.000-06:00

This summer, Google will launch Google Editions, a new ebook service that promises to be compatible with a wide array of devices and formats. Read more here.

the case for texting, facebook, YouTube, Podcasting and this blog

2010-05-11T10:03:00.000-06:00

interesting article on why libraries should embrace social media (with statistics!)

informal update on statistics - automated branches

2010-05-11T09:50:00.000-06:00

As a person who needs to track our statistics, I look forward to the day when everyone is automated and all of our statistics are tracked by the computer. For now, I can see tracked statistics for our automated branches only.

In the first quarter of 2010, we are just under 1% ahead on our tracked circulations (does not include uncatalogued materials).

Circulation by type
Within this, we are ahead by 2.5% on adult fiction, 2% on adult non-fiction, and 5% on adult paperbacks. DVD use has increased by about 400% (indicating the success of our popular DVD collection), while VHS tapes continue to dwindle in popularity. Circulation of talking books is up by around 4%. Circulation on items for children and youth are down somewhat, most likely reflecting an ordering lag that occurred due to staff shortages in 2009.

Well, that was an exciting interlude! Now back to working on the 2011 budget.

Crime and cookery - award-winning books available @ your library

2010-05-05T22:20:00.004-06:00

You may remember that it was only a week ago that we highlighted Canadian crime / mystery writers Louise Penny and Alan Bradley (see blog post here). Well, they've done it again, each winning one of this year's Agatha Awards (awards for mystery / crime novels that contain no graphic sex or violence). Congratulations to our Canadian authors!

The Edgar awards were also announced recently announced, and some of the winners are avaiable for you to borrow right away:

John Hart - The Lost Child
“Hart once again produces a novel that is elegant, haunting, and memorable. His characters are given an emotional depth that genre characters seldom have, and the graceful, evocative prose lifts his stories right out of their genre and into the realm of capital-L literature. A must-read for every variety of fiction reader.” –Booklist (starred review)

Otto Penzler (ed.) - The Lineup
"A great recurring character in a series you love becomes an old friend. You learn about their strange quirks and their haunted pasts and root for them every time they face danger. But where do some of the most fascinating sleuths in the mystery and thriller world really come from?
What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a Vietnam vet tunnel rat? Why is Jack Reacher a drifter?... In THE LINEUP, some of the top mystery writers in the world tell about the genesis of their most beloved characters--or, in some cases, let their creations do the talking. " (publisher description)

...and for true crime fans
Dave Cullen - Columbine
"A remarkable book. It is painstakingly reported, well-organized and compellingly written . . . For any reader who wants to understand the complicated nature of evil, this book is a masterpiece." (The Seattle Times )

Also honoured as a grand master is Dorothy Gilman, a wonderful writer who deserves a wider audience. Gilman is most famous for her novels about Mrs. Pollifax, a grandmother who becomes a CIA agent.

Lastly, two sets of awards were announced for cookbooks, The International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards, and the James Barber Foundation Awards. One book named in both sets of awards is Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller.

"Thomas Keller shares family-style recipes that you can make any or every day. In the book every home cook has been waiting for, the revered Thomas Keller turns his imagination to the American comfort foods closest to his heart flaky biscuits, chicken pot pies, New England clam bakes, and cherry pies so delicious and redolent of childhood that they give Proust's madeleines a run for their money. Keller, whose restaurants The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York have revolutionized American haute cuisine, is equally adept at turning out simpler fare." (from publisher)

Saskatchewan Library Association Conference

2010-05-05T21:24:00.002-06:00

Hello, everyone.

This blog may be a little slow this week, as I'm away at the Saskatchewan Library Association Conference and a couple of all day meetings prior to it.

Picture me lost in the crowd in the big city, much like Waldo in this silly clip (maybe only I find it funny - ignore if you don't find impersonations of German film directors funny)

Now that the blog is a week old, we can see the first people trickling in to view it - we've had 117 people viewing it, from as far away as San Francisco and as close by as Shaunavon, Maple Creek and Gravelbourg. People this week spent an average of five minutes looking at it and viewed about 3 pages each.

Privacy week!

2010-05-03T14:54:00.002-06:00

It might not sound exciting, but privacy week is a great idea. Many of us have no idea what personal information we're giving out, and it is amazing how it all adds up.

Find out about the American Library Association campaign

Find out more about privacy for kids and teens

Michael Stephens on Facebook privacy settings

Book your beach reads now!

2010-04-30T16:41:00.004-06:00

Book your beach reads now!

July is just around the corner, Chinook readers, so why not book some prime beach reading now?

... Click here for a list of hot titles coming in July

Can't decide between reading and exercising?

2010-04-30T12:02:00.003-06:00

The solution is finally here:

This lovely bookshelf is by David Garcia , and I saw it first on Stephen Abram's wonderful blog

Why holds matter - getting ready for SILS

2010-04-30T10:56:00.003-06:00

When all of our branches are automated and everyone is on SILS, anyone in the province will be able to request our new books, and trust me, they will!

When Saskatoon came onto the system, they brought along over 33,000 holds! Saskatoon patrons love, love, love their library and they borrow an average of 19 books per capita, one of the highest circulation rates in the country. They are doing a great job up there, and we've already been learning a lot from partnering with them on SILS.

One of the things we've really got to start doing is training our patrons to place holds on books they want. Otherwise, those great new books are going to just walk out the door and go to another region and our browsers won't be seeing them until the provincial demand dies down.

So, over the next few months, you'll see some promotional materials aimed at getting them thinking ahead and placing holds. If every staff member could assist even three people per month to place holds on the Horizon catalogue for the first time, it would make a difference.

To place a hold, you search for the book on Horizon, and keep clicking on the title of the one you want until you get to a screen that looks like this:

From here, it's a snap - the person just clicks on the button marked "place a hold" (circled in green), and then it will ask them for their library card number and PIN number (the default is the last four digits of their phone number).

Et voila!

Tentative SILS dates

2010-04-30T09:01:00.000-06:00

As you all know, we will be moving onto the Single Integrated Library System this fall. The dates below are still tentative, as in a project of this magnitude a change to one detail can result in delays.

AUTOMATED BRANCHES
The tentative go-live date for the automated branches is September 27, so mark that date in your calendars, folks. Training will happen in advance of that date, and we're asking that people try not to schedule holidays during the two weeks prior.

NON-AUTOMATED BRANCHES
We are still finalizing plans for training staff in non-automated branches. Once you are trained, your branch will be able to go live on the system and become an automated branch. As soon as we have the details confirmed, we will be contacting each of you. In general, we hope to bring as many branches as possible up on the system in October and early November.

Internet Access in Libraries - new study shows 1 in 3 Americans uses public library internet

2010-04-29T12:48:00.003-06:00

Not surprising to those of us who work in libraries! But still - good to see the research happening. Across the US services in multiple sectors are being slashed as the country deals with the fallout from its economic crisis, and public libraries are not immune. And yet libraries are one of the first places people turn for help finding jobs, upgrading skills, or applying for government services. The T-shirt below gives the executive summary ;) As Canadians, our thoughts and support go out to our colleagues south of the border as they deal with this disastrous situation.

Prizes, prizes - Crozier wins for Swift Current Memoir, Eggers wins LA Times Book Prize

2010-04-29T12:32:00.002-06:00

Former Swift Current resident, Lorna Crozier has won the BC Book Prize for non-fiction for her account of growing up in Swift Current. Fans and friends of Crozier were enchanted as she read from the memoir, Small Beneath the Sky, this winter at the Lyric Theatre. If she comes by again, get your tickets early!

Sticking with our theme of West Coast literary prizes, we have this year's big winner at the LA Times Book Prizes, Dave Eggers. Eggers' new non-fiction title Zeitoun captured the prizes for both innovation and current interest. “Zeitoun is a riveting, intimate, wide-scanning, disturbing, inspiring nonfiction account of a New Orleans married couple named Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun who were dragged through their own special branch of Kafkaesque (for once the adjective is unavoidable) hell after Hurricane Katrina. . ..” —James Wolcott, Vanity Fair

A new category added this year was for graphic novel, and the winner, David Mazzucchelli has been receiving accolades across North America for his all grown up graphic novel Asterios Polyp. “Mazzucchelli's funny, harrowing and thought-provoking graphic novel is a remarkable portrait of an architect who is forced to build a new life for himself.” – San Francisco Chronicle Best Books of the Year

Canadian Louise Penny tops list of best crime novels of the year

2010-04-29T11:50:00.003-06:00

Louise Penny does it again, as Booklist names ner novel The Brutal Telling one of the top crime novels of the year. Reviewer Bill Ott describes Penny's novels as "village cozy mixed with procedural". Place your holds, mystery lovers.

The complete list of the Year's Best Crime Novels also includes some debut authors, notably another Canadian, Alan Bradley. Bradley's 11 year old detective Flavia has captured hearts around the world in his debut novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and its sequel, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.

Two great Canadian mystery writers to watch out for!

Tell us your stories

2010-04-29T10:55:00.001-06:00

One of the best things about being part of a regional library is that you're not alone.

Staff and board members have told me again and again that they love to hear about what's going on in other branches. So if you have a great idea, a great program or event, or a wonderful story about what library service can do, please take the time to share it with your colleagues around the region.

Just e-mail me at chinook.director[at]gmail.com, and I'll make sure it gets posted. Pictures help, too!

First words

2010-04-29T10:22:00.002-06:00

Hello and welcome!

Big changes are coming to Chinook and this blog is aimed at keeping boards and staff up to date on what's happening. Other readers are welcome, too, if they would like to discover more about the inside workings of Chinook.

Why a blog?

With 105 staff, and even more local and regional board members, there are a whole lot of different information consumption preferences to contend with. Some people want it all - every last scrap of information I can send out. Some want only the vital bits. And some don't want e-mails - ever. So the blog is just an easy, free mechanism for pushing news out.

As always, feedback is welcome! We are all working towards the same goals - supporting literacy, intellectual freedom and the love of literature in all the big and small communities of Southwestern Saskatchewan - and the best way to get where we're going is by working together.

Read on!

Stephanie Hall
Director,
Chinook Regional Library