LibWorm.com provides a librarian RSS filtering service. Data from over 1500 librarian RSS feeds is collected and output via different categories. This feed contains the latest headlines from the user generated query: maplewood Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:30:11 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/07/#000896 montclairpatch.com As the Montclair Town Council seeks to make budget cuts, on the chopping block is at least some funding for the Montclair Public Library. By Shelley Emling This past week's article on the future of Montclair's public libraries (reprinted below) prompted a lot of responses. Obviously people have very strong opinions when it comes to their local library. For example, Montclair resident John Skillin wrote eloquently of how a public library is the very heart of any civilized community. "The Bellevue Avenue Branch library of Upper Montclair has served the citizens of the 'north end' since 1914," he said. "This population includes the isabled, the elderly, and hundreds of children at three nearby schools: Mt. Hebron, St. Cassian's, and Lacordaire Academy. These are patrons who do not drive. To suggest they can just as easily use the main library or the academic library at Montclair State University is a vallacious argument." Skillin and others pointed out that the building itself is one of the most beautiful and distinctive in all of Montclair and that it's undergone signfiicant renovation in recent years, including a new copper roof, and has been inclued in the national registry of historic landmarks. "Adapting the building to some other use would be costly and impractical," he said. "If the library were closed, the building woudl undoubtedly languish and deteriorate, as has happened to Carnegie libraries in other parts of the country - a tragic loss." Skillin pointed out that the library branch has been threated with closing before. "During the Great Depression of the 1930s, volunteers augmented the regular staff and helped keep the library open until the economy recovered," he said. Attempts to close the brand in 1977 and 1989 were successfully challenged by community leaders with a shared vision of a better future for Montclair." Here's the original article below. ... Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0100 861864 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/07/#000888 July 8, 2010 localtalknews.com NEWARK – As the result of a $2.45 million cut by Mayor Cory A. Booker and council, the state's largest municipal library will see more severe service cuts this summer including layoffs, additional furlough days, the permanent closing of two branches and the Main Library's opening three to four days a week. "This cut is the most severe in the library's history," said Library Director Wilma J. Grey. "We're talking about the library's survival." About 40 people attended a community meeting June 30 at the North End Branch Library located at 722 Summer Ave. Grey made a presentation on how the 11-branch system intends to cope with the cuts. Grey prefaced her remarks by saying that the cuts came from Newark's government and not the state. Newark and other public municipal, county and college libraries have had to weather Gov. Christopher Christie's proposed a $10.4 million - or 74 percent - cut in state aid and a bill that would have eliminated a minimum library funding level. A New Jersey Library Association-organized grassroots campaign got the Christie administration and state legislators to restore $6 million for the 2010/11 fiscal year. Grey noted, however, that the City of Newark supplies 90 percent of NPL's overall budget. Grey further explained that NPL had coped with a 10 percent reduction - amounting to $10 to $15 million - that the city had imposed on all departments in January. The Roseville Branch Library, at 99 Fifth St., was to have been closed Jan. 6. "We got the bad news from the city May 17 and the Library Board of Trustees went into triage at their May 26 meeting," said Grey. "The $2.45 million loss, while coming at the start of the city's fiscal year (which started July 1), comes in the middle of our budget's calendar year." Booker and the council announced last month that the city is facing a $180 million budget deficit. ... Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:00:00 +0100 860120 http://blogs.ala.org/glbtrt.php?title=the_haunted_heart_and_other_tales&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/news/newsletters/10Summer.pdf Currier, Jameson. The Haunted Heart and Other Tales. Maplewood, NJ: Lethe Press, 2009. paperback. 206p. $15.00. ISBN: 978-1-59021-203-5. Aptly dedicated "to the living and the lost," these 12 stories deal with ghosts—both terrifying ghosts of ill omen and those offering guidance and protection to the men they choose to haunt. In his introduction, James Currier writes of forming the desire a number of years ago to move beyond his reputation as an AIDS writer. In reinventing himself, he remained concerned as ever with issues relevant to the lives of contemporary gay men. Setting down a list of topics to address, he include "substance abuse, gay marriage, serving in the military, domestic abuse in gay relationships, hate crimes, homophobia, and living outside of urban areas"—all represented here. At the same time, Currier began a study of classic ghost stories, a genre that had fascinated him since boyhood. (Favorites mentioned are the works of M. R. James, Henry James, E. F. Benson, Edith Wharton, and Ambrose Bierce.) The best of the resulting collection draws upon the past in observing the present, and in doing so never fails to disturb and entertain. Six of the stories were previously published, three of them in anthologies of "best" gay fiction. Recommended for libraries with an interest in gay-themed fiction, genre fiction, or both. Reviewed by Joyce Meggett Division Chief for Humanities Chicago Public Library (Source: ALA Weblog Service) Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:40:22 +0100 858229 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/05/#000789 May 4, 2010 http://maplewoodblogs.nytimes.com By PAMELA ERENS Pamela Erens is a Maplewood resident, a novelist and a member of Maplewood Library Champions. In this opinion article, she takes aim at Governor Christie’s proposed cuts to the library budget. A portion of Gov. Christopher J. Christie’s proposed state budget that most New Jersey residents seem unaware of involves drastic cuts to our state library system. In my hometown of Maplewood, even many of the longtime and enthusiastic library users I speak to don’t know that these cuts are on the horizon and what they could mean. Governor Christie wants to decrease state library funding by 74 percent. What would be the impact on, say, Maplewood’s libraries? Well, just for a start, Maplewood Library could lose its Web site. That means, among other things, that patrons will no longer be able to search the catalog at home. For elderly and housebound residents, this is not just an inconvenience but an impediment to using the library at all. No longer will patrons be able to use many of Maplewood Library’s online research databases. If the library chooses to start paying for the absolutely essential ones, other important library services may have to be be cut or, alternatively, local taxes will eventually go up to cover these costs. No longer will patrons be able to get books via Inter-library Loan (ILL). I am a writer who depends heavily on ILL when doing research for my books and articles. Many of the materials ILL makes available are prohibitively expensive for individuals to purchase and/or very hard to obtain. ILL also offsets the unavoidable limitations on the holdings of any one local library. What are libraries for if not to provide access to the printed word? No longer will blind and handicapped patrons be able to obtain Talking Books and books in Braille. The New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center will cease operations. ... Wed, 05 May 2010 04:00:00 +0100 841944 http://www.sulphurdailynews.com/news/x1520941682/Sulphurs-Esther-Pennington-attends-Public-Library-Association-National-Conference Sulphur Regional/Maplewood Library Manager, Esther Pennington, along with 14 other colleagues from the Calcasieu Parish Public Library system, attended the Public Library Associations National Conference held in Portland, Oregon on March 23 to March 28. (Source: Yahoo! News Search Results for librarianship) Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:53:44 +0100 837898 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/03/#000695 By Richard Khavkine/For The Star-Ledger March 18, 2010, 5:58AM A proposal to merge the South Orange and Maplewood libraries as a cost-savings measure received little support from their respective boards of trustees at a joint, informal meeting Tuesday night. “Neither board would like to see a joint or merged library. We would like to maintain the libraries as they are,” the president of the Maplewood library trustees, Katherine Hilaire, said yesterday. “The whole point of any library is to serve a community, and we feel this is the best way to serve the community.” The suggestion to merge the two systems was among several proposals forwarded by Maplewood’s deputy mayor, Fred R. Profeta Jr., during a public budget brainstorming session in January. Mayor Victor DeLuca, who as mayor sits on the library board, then suggested the joint board meeting take up Profeta’s idea. The library trustees did discuss how they might bolster some of the joint initiatives already in place and perhaps even start up new ones, which DeLuca called encouraging. “This is a process of conversation with opportunities to look for savings and for shared services,” he said, adding that he would try to keep the two boards talking. “These things are going to be accomplished over time. Opportunities are going to come,” he said. Given the financial constrains both locally and at the state level, DeLuca said, it is imperative to discover cost savings where possible. “We have to figure out how to do things differently,” he said, adding that the two towns are well on the way to exploring other avenues for shared services, including those provided by the towns’ recreation departments and municipal courts. South Orange and Maplewood are also talking about merging their fire departments. The president of the South Orange Library Board, Thomas Henry, could not be reached for comment yesterday. ... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0100 827526 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/01/#000660 By Richard Khavkine/For The Star-Ledger January 13, 2010, MAPLEWOOD -- Officials in Maplewood and South Orange are encouraging their respective library boards to explore a possible merger of the two systems as a cost-cutting measure. At a budget meeting last weekend, Maplewood Deputy Mayor Fred R. Profeta Jr. suggested that as part of a merger Maplewood’s main branch be shuttered. Profeta said his research shows that Maplewood is the only New Jersey town of its size with two branches. The move, which would presumably include layoffs, could trim as much as $1 million from the township’s budget, which faces a $3 million gap this year. The Maplewood Memorial Library’s director, though, said closing the main branch on Baker Street would be shortsighted, given the expanding role the main branch plays in the community. The director, Jane E. Kennedy, said the Hilton branch, on Springfield Avenue, would be hard-pressed to meet current demand, particularly in a building about one-third the size of the main branch. “It’s vibrant and thriving,” Kennedy said of the Baker branch. “This one has always been a busy library.” Maplewood Mayor Victor DeLuca, though, praised Profeta for going public with a potentially controversial idea. “The proper course for us is to ask the two library boards to meet and discuss the topic,” DeLuca said. “I don’t think there’s any harm in raising these issues.” But Kennedy, in her seventh year as director, disputed the contention that library services are at an ebb. “Their use is booming, especially in a recession,” she said. “Circulation is up. Our computers are being used all the time,” she said. Kennedy noted that the library already suffered a 10 percent budget reduction last year. The library also lost three full time staffers, including two to layoffs. ... Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 810283 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2010/01/#000654 By Philip Read/The Star-Ledger January 09, 2010, 10:00PM The furloughs are business-as-usual in Maplewood, so much so that they wind up listed under "Events" on the suburb’s official website. There will be 12 more of the monthly unpaid days off this year. There’ll be rolling summer library closings, too. Add those to the 22 staffers laid off — 10 percent of the municipal work force — and its pedestal on Money magazine’s list of "one of the best places to live in America" looks frayed. Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerChristopher Langfield, 13, takes time to do research after school while visiting the Bellevue Avenue branch of the Montclair Library. He says it would be inconvenient for him if they closed the branch because he lives nearby and doesn't drive yet. The crash diet in this Essex County Township isn’t likely to end anytime soon after Gov.-elect Christopher Christie on Wednesday warned New Jersey’s already cash-strapped municipalities that state aid would be reduced in the coming fiscal year. The sobering reason: The state could run out of money as early as March. The cuts -- coupled with the fallout from as much as a 25 percent rollback in state spending -- are likely to force towns to reconsider what services they can provide. "We have been living far beyond our means — living a lifestyle of municipal and educational services beyond our economic capacity," said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. "There is no painless silver bullet to get back on track. The question is not, ‘When will things get back to normal?’ but rather, ‘What will the new normal be?’ "There may have to be significant service downsizing in adjusting to this new normal," Hughes said. That is likely to translate into a debate about what a municipality considers a "core" service versus a "discretionary" one. ... Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 808136 http://blog.njla.org/archives/2009/03/#000454 New York Times, March 15,2009 New Jersey Section SHIRA WEISS, a 34-year-old publicist, showed up one day with her two children at the Teaneck Public Library for the first time in years after her husband had gently inquired why she needed to spend so much on books. She applied for a new library card and — after taking out two chick-lit novels, an illustrated “Star Wars” book for her 5-year-old, Jake, and two animal books for her 2-year-old, Ben — she instinctively pulled out her wallet to pay. “I guess it will take an adjustment period until I realize that some of the best things in life are indeed free,” she said. Ms. Weiss’s cheerfully erratic return to her local library illustrates a surprising upside to the economic downturn: Libraries are booming. Indeed, the bad news on the economy is good news for libraries across the New York region, so long as they can escape the budget ax that is falling on many municipal services as cities and towns struggle with declining revenue. People are flocking to libraries after forsaking Barnes & Noble or ditching their HBO service and subscriptions to Netflix, library officials said, because libraries’ books, DVDs and CDs have a significant advantage: They are free. Some people are showing up at libraries for the first time for free entertainment — movies, lectures, concerts and puppet shows, library officials said. Still others are capitalizing on their newspaper racks, books and free Internet service for job searches and investment advice or advice on a topic that the title of a much-thumbed book makes obvious: “Surviving a Layoff: A Week-by-Week Guide to Getting your Life Back Together.” There is an incongruity in libraries’ providing such a wealth of free services because libraries themselves are vulnerable to the economy. Towns and school districts have started to make cuts, and library hours and employees are frequent targets. ... Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 715033 http://lisnews.org/hoboken_tot_denied_library_card_because_illegible_signature A mad Dad reports his unhappiness with the Hoboken NJ Public Library due to his four-year old son being denied a library card. Here's the story from Hoboken 411. Letter-writer Dave Dessel goes on to say: "My wife called several libraries in the area, including Millburn, Maplewood, Summit and Ridgewood, to find out what their policies are. Every librarian she spoke with was appalled by HPL’s policy. One went so far as to say that the story was heartbreaking, and the policy archaic, the kind of thing that was done away with forty years ago. I wonder if the library administration has changed much since On the Waterfront?" (Source: LISNews.org) Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:05:38 +0100 694484 http://www.lisnews.org/hoboken_tot_denied_library_card_because_illegible_signature A mad Dad reports his unhappiness with the Hoboken NJ Public Library due to his four-year old son being denied a library card. Here's the story from Hoboken 411. Letter-writer Dave Dessel goes on to say: "My wife called several libraries in the area, including Millburn, Maplewood, Summit and Ridgewood, to find out what their policies are. Every librarian she spoke with was appalled by HPL’s policy. One went so far as to say that the story was heartbreaking, and the policy archaic, the kind of thing that was done away with forty years ago. I wonder if the library administration has changed much since On the Waterfront?" (Source: LISNews - Librarian And Information Science News) Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:05:38 +0100 695173 http://blogs.ala.org/lamaleads.php?title=lama_and_iida_announce_best_of_competiti&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 The Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) are pleased to announce that Arabian Public Library in Scottsdale, Ariz., designed by richärd + bauer, was selected as Best of Competition in the Library Interior Design Competition. The biennial awards honor excellence in library interior design, incorporating aesthetics, design creativity, function and satisfaction of the client's objectives. The Best of Competition was selected from among nine winners and two honorable mentions awarded from 100 projects submitted from throughout North America. Winners were honored at the ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards Reception during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Contract magazine, the publishing partner for the competition. “The Library Interiors Awards honor tremendous public design that truly impacts families and communities,” stated Cheryl Durst, Hon. IIDA, LEED AP, executive vice president and CEO of IIDA. “IIDA is proud to partner with the American Library Association on this important competition.” Category awards were presented in the following areas: Academic Libraries: 30,000 sq. ft. and smaller Project: Brown University Susan P. and Richard A. Friedman Study Center – Providence, R.I. Firm: Architecture Research Office (ARO) – New York Academic Libraries: Over 30,000 sq. ft. Project: University of California, Hastings College of Law Library – San Francisco Firm: SmithGroup – San Francisco Public Libraries: 30,000 sq. ft. and smaller Project: Arabian Public Library – Scottsdale, Ariz. Firm: richard + bauer – Phoenix, Ariz. Honorable Mention awarded to: Project: Durham County Regional Library, North Branch – Durham, N.C. ... Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:50:52 +0100 628758 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TameTheWeb/~3/253944665/ Via the South Bend Tribune and a bunch of folks who emailed me: You can no longer use MySpace, Facebook or other “social networking sites” at Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library. Fights, lewd language and cars being blocked in the parking lot by teenagers are among the problems Director Dave Eisen said have plagued the downtown library lately. He told library board members that adults have complained about not feeling safe at the library. Eisen and his staff believe the teenagers are there to use MySpace, Facebook and other social sites. Oh boy. This is my hometown library. It saddens me that the space between “social networking sites” to “not feeling safe” seems so short. The article notes the ban is probably working: It might have worked, as there were few teenagers going to the computer room by 3:30 p.m. Friday, a half hour after it normally begins to fill up. There were few teenagers even coming in to the computer room at the library. I wonder where the teens will go? Maybe to SJCPL, which has wifi and computers at all locations.  I wonder how the library will be perceived in a few years as these young people grow up, graduate Mishawaka High and begin the next chapter of their lives. Will they remember the library later? Will they care about it? If you remember, this is where I got my first library card. Will they bring their kids? Will they rather go to the Panera, Starbucks, Martins Supermarkets (which has free wifi), the Info Commons at IUSB, etc. Shouldn’t the library be participating in offering access to these spaces while actively intervening and educating these digital citizens? I reminded of Maplewood. It’s a similar thing really: locking the doors of the library or blocking access to sites. Are there alternatives? I think there are but it depends so much on the library. I’d take a long look at services to teens at the library. ... Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:22:30 +0100 571971 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/st-louis-kick-off-brunch/ Join LISGSA St. Louis for a Spring Semester Kick Off Brunch! When: Sunday, January 20th at 12 pm Where: Schlafly Bottleworks (Map) 7260 Southwest Ave. (at Manchester) Maplewood, MO 63143 314.241.BEER Please RSVP to Christina Pryor by Thursday, January 17th. Schlafly will be donating 10% of sales to Fair Shares which is a non-profit organization dedicated to making fresh, local food available to St. Louisans regardless of income. The brunch menu is available on the Bottleworks’ website. Don’t hesitate to contact the St. Louis LISGSA Student Coordinators: Christina Pryor (cnpryor@gmail.com) Anna Kwiatkowski (avkfh7@mizzou.edu) Britne Rockwell (britnerockwell@gmail.com) (Source: lisstlouis) Sat, 12 Jan 2008 04:49:46 +0100 540052 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/lisgsa-st-louis-spring-2008-events/ Spring Semester Kick-Off Brunch 1/20 at 12 pm: Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood (10% of sales goes to Fair Shares) LIS Trends Discussion Meetings 1/24 at 5:30 pm: Digital Identity 2/28 at 5:30 pm: RFID and Biometrics 4/24 at 5:30 pm: RSS and Blogs First Friday Happy Hours 2/1 at 6 pm: Llywelyn’s CWE 3/7 at 6 pm: Boat House in Forest Park 4/4 at 6 pm: Vito’s on Lindell 5/2 at 6 pm: Boogaloo’s in Maplewood St. Louis Saturdays 2/16: Topic to be announced 3/15: Library tour to be announced 4/19: Topic to be announced Practicum Chat 3/27: Time and location to be determined SISLT Mid-Semester Wine and Cheese Party 3/29 at 6 pm: Chris and Steven Pryor’s house March for Babies Event 4/26: More information to come about the SISLT team! End of Semester Bowling Night 5/16: Time and location to be determined *More details to come for all events. Events are subject to change. Don’t hesitate to contact the St. Louis LISGSA Student Coordinators: Christina Pryor (cnpryor@gmail.com) Anna Kwiatkowski (avkfh7@mizzou.edu) Britne Rockwell (britnerockwell@gmail.com) (Source: lisstlouis) Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:43:01 +0100 539290 http://community.livejournal.com/libraries/807927.html This librarian's life isn't by the book at 'All' By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAYNEW YORK — At first, Don Borchert wanted to title his quirky memoir about the unlikely drama found in a public library Ten Years, Good Behavior.After all, it deals with the bureaucracy of civil service which rewards rule-following more than creativity or imagination.But his publisher feared readers would think it's about prison. (Borchert does report on how the police busted drug dealers working out of the library's men's room.)...EXCERPT: Read a passage from 'Free for All' Next, he considered calling the book A Librarian Raises His Voice, but that was considered "too dry."Then, the oldest of Borchert's three daughters — a "real librarian," he says, who unlike her father actually studied library science — thought of a title with "a perfect double meaning." Shhhh: The library can be the "dullest place in the world — 91% of the time," Don Borchert says. Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library (Virgin, $21.95) aims to do for libraries what Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase did for urban schools in 1965 or what Bill Buford's Heat did for professional cooks in 2006.Borchert, in New York to promote his book, says Buford's account of working for the celebrated chef Mario Batali shows that "any profession, given a distinct voice, can be interesting."Borchert, 58, an assistant in a library in a middle-class neighborhood in Torrance, Calif., acknowledges that a library can be the "dullest place in the world — 91% of the time."He deals with the other 9%, especially when the junior high school across the street ends its day, and the library is flooded with latchkey kids with no other place to go for several hours.As Borchert puts it: "The four library employees don't have a chance. ... Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:08:00 +0100 515949 http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/enb/?p=3781 The ENERGY STAR Change a Light Bus Tour will kick off on October 3, 2007, ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, and will travel from coast to coast, stopping in 10 cities in 20 days. The tour is part of ENERGY STAR’s Change a Light, Change the World Campaign, designed to bring individuals and organizations together in a nationwide effort to save energy and help fight global warming, starting by encouraging a switch to lighting that has earned the government’s ENERGY STAR label for energy efficiency. Stops will be in Los Angeles, the California Bay Area, Denver, Des Moines, Chicago, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Maplewood, New Jersey, Boston, and New York City. Local event sponsors in each of the 10 cities will help rally support to save energy at home and help prevent global warming. In addition, EPA will facilitate media events with local schools in Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, and Boston, featuring students and teachers, campaign spokespeople, and local leaders. Events will discuss the importance of energy efficiency and encourage individuals to take the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge, a commitment to change at least one light at home to an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb. State and local governments across the country can join the campaign and promote energy efficiency in their community. For a full list of cities, dates, and event sponsors, see http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=join_change_light.busTour For more information on joining the ENERGY STAR Change A Light, Change the World Campaign, see http://www.energystar.gov/JoinCAL (Source: Environmental News Bits) Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:35:21 +0100 490843 http://library.med.utah.edu/blogs/BHIC/archives/cat_articles.html#002398 Telephone Interpreting in Health Care Settings This succinct article answers commonly asked questions regarding the appropriate use of telephone interpreting in health care settings. http://newroutes.org/node/4475 Minnesota Hospital Adapts to Hmong Immigrants "St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, Minn., is working to... (Source: BHIC) Wed, 11 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 449796 http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70716FE38540C778DDDA80894DF404482&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Librarians have a responsibility to do almost anything to welcome students to their facilities. (Source: NYT) Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:50:02 +0100 406294 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2007/04/14/happy-monday-happy-hour/ Who wants to join me in celebrating the end of comps? I’ll drink alone if I have to, but it would be better if YOU were there too. When:  This coming Monday, 4-6 pm (or whatever part of that you can make it!) What:  Happy hour/Adult Beverages Where:  Schlafly Bottleworks, Maplewood All are invited!  Hope to see some of y’all there. (Source: lisstlouis) Sat, 14 Apr 2007 23:43:40 +0100 397967 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/local-sla-event-featuring-sla-president-rebecca-vargha/ Students are invited - see info about RSVP-ing (deadline is Feb. 19) below. $20 is a great deal for a meal at Monarch! These local SLA events are great networking opportunities, so take advantage of them! —————————– Library Staff of the Future: Through A Crystal Ball What does the future hold for information professionals and librarians? Will the MLS continue to be required? In academic libraries on campus, what does the future look like? With increased outsourcing of cataloging and virtual reference what will campus librarians do? Will academic libraries simply operate out of a gigantic warehouse in a place like Dublin, Ohio? What is the future of corporate information centers and government libraries? The profession is literally evolving and the only constant is change. Join us for a look ahead, twenty years into the future. Let’s imagine the year is 2026…an SLA Odyssey as we look ahead. When:   Tuesday, February 27, 2007 Where:  Monarch Restaurant in Maplewood 7401 Manchester (directions at: http://www.monarchrestaurant.com/) 314-644-3995 Time:  5:30-6:15 Networking and cash bar 6:15-7:00 Dinner (menu: Caesar salad, Pan Seared Salmon, Choc Grand Marnier Crème Carmel – Vegetarian option available, please indicate when you RSVP ) 7:00-8:00 Presentation by Rebecca Vargha followed by a short business meeting Cost:   Members: $25 students & SLA retiree members: $20 Non-Members: $32 Reservations: Must be received by Monday, February 19, 2007 to Renee Gorrell at lrg8696@bjc.org Questions: Contact Geri Short at 314-335-6803 or ags@greensfelder. ... Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:59:04 +0100 360417 http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6407832.html Reversing a decision made December 20 "with great reluctance," the Maplewood Memorial Library Board of Trustees, NJ agreed in a special meeting January 13 not to close the main and Hilton branch libraries on weekdays from 2:45 to 5:00 p.m. (Source: Library Journal News) Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:14:01 +0100 339168 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ahniwa/~3/86782465/ The Maplewood Library, who I previously mentioned were planning on closing their doors immediately after school to cut back on “teen rowdiness”, has now decided to remain open, after a unanimous decision by the board of trustees just one day before the first closure was to take place. Teens are a valuable part of a community, and of the library that serves it. Granted, they can be rowdy and tough to manage. I personally once had to break up a fight between two teenage girls right in front of the library, so I know how it can go, but I think the answer, rather than to lock them out, is to bring them in and to give them some outlet for their energies. The Lester Public Library in Wisconsin created a Teen Advisory Board whose job it is to do just that: arrange events for teens, by teens. I understand that not every library is going to have a librarian interested in playing DDR, or even having video games inside the library (feelings definately remained mixed on that one among professionals), but that doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be something available, inside the library, to engage teens on a level they’re interested in. (Source: ahniwa de montréal) Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:51:04 +0100 356331 http://blog.librarylaw.com/librarylaw/2007/01/unattended_chil.html Themonitor.com has an article today about "child overload" at libraries in the McAllen TX area.  I'm quoted as saying that unattended children at libraries is a huge issue around the country...I see it wherever I travel. You may have read the NYT article Jan 2d about Maplewood Memorial Library (NJ) plans to close two buildings from 2:45 to 5 pm due to unruly behavior (urination, graffiti, threats).  Here's the update which got less press: the library trustees rescinded that decision and report that the township is working with the community and the schools to come up with alternative places for middle school children to go to after school. That sounds like the right approach.  It's a community-based problem, and the best solutions come from working proactively with community programs, schools, police, recreation centers etc.  San Marino (CA) and Virginia Beach (VA) took community-wide approaches, ultimately resulting in city ordinances to address the issue.14.08.04: RESTRICTIONS ON UNATTENDED MINORS AT PUBLIC LIBRARY:A. Purpose And Intent: This section is intended to implement section 625.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, which authorizes the governing body of a city, by ordinance, to prohibit minors from remaining in or upon public places unsupervised after hours. The purpose of this section is to encourage parents and legal guardians to exercise reasonable care, supervision, and control over their minor children in order to prevent juvenile victimization and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of children.B. Unattended Minors At The Public Library: Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 14.08. ... Wed, 24 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 347155 http://twil.lisnews.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/22/1753244&from=rss This Week in LibraryBlogLand (Sort-of-Double Edition week ending January 21 (plus a lot from January 1-14) .......... Libraries as Lyceum? More about too much politeness, from David Rothman (TeleRead); Walt Crawford (Walt at Random); and Heidi Dolamore (quiddle). Iris Jastram (Pegasus Librarian) has argument against library greeters. More about weeding uproar, from Chadwick (InfoSciPhi). More comments about the Maplewood library's plan to close after school from: Carleen Huxley (Library Shrine); Miss Martini (Martinis and Vinyl); Lazygal (Killin' time being lazy). RELATED: Amy (All Things Amy) notes that the Madison (Wisc.) Public Library is proposing a new behavior policy for minors. More from Barbara (Librarians at the Gate). Are there book lists on your library's website? Tell Rick Roche (ricklibrarian), so he can add them to his Librarian's Booklist Search. Richard Akerman (Science Library Pad) wonders about the numbers cited re audience and participation in online services. T. Scott says that What do we need to do to get people to come in? is entirely the wrong approach. Deb (Real Public Librarian) speculates on the reasons for the downward trend in library circ stats. Laura Cohen (Library 2.0) writes about academic libraries and captive audiences. Speaking of audiences: don't forget to also plan library orientations for homeschoolers. T. Scott notes that librarians worry about the library becoming less relevant. Joshua Neff (the goblin in the library) gives a personal example of the library being important and relevant and good. Laura Solomon (Library Geek Woes) asks, is stagnation driving your staff away? Adrienne Furness (What Adrienne Thinks About That) felt reenergized after her sabbatical week. Diane Zabel (RUSQ) has a lot of advice for prospective authors. Helene Blowers (LibraryBytes) explains how "a library is like a good recipe for spaghetti sauce. Dorothea Salo (Caveat Lector) has very good advice for dealing with e-mail bullies. ... Mon, 22 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 343940 http://tametheweb.com/2007/01/ttw_mailbox_an_aussie_libraria.html An Aussie Librarian writes: I was dismayed to read your post 'Lock the Doors' regarding the library who have decided to close for part of the day, due to youth violence and inappropriate behaviour. I am glad that the community is taking a role to keep the library open. These types of problems with youth are by no means limited to the USA and we have experienced very similar here in Australia. We have a success story You may want to share with readers of TTW. One of our public libraries, West Torrens Library Service, recently won an award for Innovation in Libraries with their Youth Strategy program. It's taken them 2 years to implement and see real change. I hope that even a quick glance over their paper (link below) highlights some interesting and useful ideas. I don't want to offer this as a 'solution' to Maplewood's problems (or other troubled libraries!) especially as I have only seen their situation based on what I have read. I just thought this might be of interest to library staff who want to find out how other libraries are handling these situations, and want to consider and discuss lots of alternatives, including quite radical ones. You can read their submission paper here (1698 kb): http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Jim_Crawford_Award_Nomination_2006_-_West_Torrens_-_From_Seige_to_Soujourn.pdf And incase you are interested, the full list of nominations for the Library Innovation Awards are available here: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=1152 so you can see they were up against some strong competition. Thanks Aussie for the link. The report outlines what the folks did to work with the young people, establish ground rules and move forward. There are some wonderful illustrations of the signage developed with the librarians and teens as well. It reminds me of the rules of the Library Loft at PLCMC. ... Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:26:18 +0100 341649 http://fasterthanlight.livejournal.com/428639.html It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you're going to lead a book discussion, you should probably read the book. If fate is kind, the book you waited until the night before to start will turn out to be a book you have read before, and completely forgot you read. How does one forget reading a whole book? Especially when it's not a bad book? The difference, I imagine, is the difference between reading the book at 23, and then reading it again at 33. Not sure if that's what happened, but can see how everything in this book would've rolled right off my back in the tendresse of my twenties. For the record, it's Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth. And yes, have finished it in time.wiseophelia, best of luck on your interview!Short takes:From danharms, A crackerjack of a letter. Like that childhood confection--and James Joyce's "The Dead"-- you have to go through the whole thing to get the prize. But it's a nice one. The impatient can skip to the last paragraph right away, but then you'll miss all the governmental fun (and harrumphy rhetoric). See also our friends at the NYT.Google has started a librarian central blog. Hm. Must keep an eye on this, am thinking.More on the Maplewood library kerfuffle. Methinks Karen Pettis needs a reality check, but am perfectly willing to admit I could be wrong.*dubious glance in the general direction of New Jersey*From the folks at LII, More than you ever wanted to know about procrastination. Dang.heathersy, thanks for your two cents on the laser pointer. O brave new world!And with that, it's showtime. Yesterday was perfectly lovely, and have no reason not to believe today will be likewise. Of course, when you walk into your office to find:a) a package from a journal for which you review, andb) a disco ball,the bar gets set awfully high.*twinkle twinkle*That is peppily all. (Source: subversive librarian) Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:07:29 +0100 341559 http://www.web2learning.net/archives/799 Just a quick update the Maplewood Libraries in NJ have reversed their decision to close due to rowdy teens. Trustees of the Maplewood (N.J.) Memorial Library met with Mayor Fred Profeta in an emergency meeting January 14 to reexamine their December decision to close the library weekday afternoons because of disruptive middle-school students—a policy that would have gone into effect two days later. Library Director Jane Kennedy told American Libraries that the “the board voted to rescind its decision about changing library hours” and the township offered some “funding for the library to develop new after-school programs.” The board’s unanimous vote will keep the main and Hilton branch libraries open between 2:45 and 5:00 p.m. Learn more. (Source: What I Learned Today...) Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:54:30 +0100 343703 http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php?title=students_welcome_at_maplewood_library&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1168839832171350.xml?starledger?nnj&coll=1&thispage=1by Philip Read, The Star Ledger, 1/15/07 "After some 90 minutes of discourse and debate in the Maplewood Memorial Library, the library trustees yesterday voted to rescind a decision to close at 2:45 p.m. weekdays . . ." posted by Kelly Czarnecki (Source: ALA Weblog Service) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:23:31 +0100 339801 http://www.librarystuff.net/2007/01/library-decides-not-to-close-to-thwart.html So, it turns out that that the Maplewood Library Board's decision to close the library was successfull. Not that they will close (they won't), but the initial decision got the attention of the community members and efforts were taken in an attempt to solve the problem. Win, Win! I applaud the library for making their unpopular decision. Here's to ruffling feathers and getting the job done. Bravo. (Source: Library Stuff) Mon, 15 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 338289 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Davidrothmannet/~3/75452468/ Update: Steven Cohen has the scoop, the library WON’T close in the afternoons because local government officials (rightly) came up with solutions. The NYT has now published an editorial (registration required) on the Maplewood issue. Some highlights and why they annoyed me: From the NYT Editorial: In the meantime, there are things the library can do on its own to accommodate the students. Leslie Burger, the director of the Princeton, N.J. library and the president of the American Library Association, points out that youngsters started frequenting her library’s new facility shortly after it opened a couple of years ago. She then hired three retired persons with skills in handling young people to work part-time with the youngsters in a positive rather than just a disciplinary way. What the writer of the NYT Editorial failed to note is that the library already hired additional staff: We have hired after-school monitors to help with crowd control and behavior issues. We have reached out to students through TAG, our Teen Advisory Group. We have notified parents of the problem through Home and School Association publications. We have made public officials aware of the on-going issue. And we have worked closely with school officials and law enforcement. In spite of these efforts, the problem persists. (my italics) You’d think that the NYT editorial author might’ve…y’know…done a little research and reviewed the library’s statements on the issue. Back to the NYT editorial: At a time when student reading scores are declining and young people are spending more and more time tethered to all manner of electronic screens — everything from text-messaging cell phones to video iPods to computers and, yes, TV’s — librarians have a responsibility to do almost anything to welcome students to their facilities. The author of the editorial must not have been to a public library in some time. ... Mon, 15 Jan 2007 05:51:07 +0100 338169 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/opinion/nyregionopinions/NJlibrary.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss (Source: NYT) Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0100 337714 http://fasterthanlight.livejournal.com/426777.html Today, the journal quietly turns four. Life is very different now. Vivent les differences.Extremely short takes:First of all, tiki31980 has made more Chuckspiration posters. You should visit her journal and look at them. Truly.Netflix for books? Quelle horreur!Today's poem is a repeat. Your heroine knows this 'cos she reads the poem every day. Still, it's a good one.An update on the Maplewood, NJ library situation. Guards! Who knew?*dies*No, really. Am happy the community is working together for a solution.From LII, the third Sunday in January is World Religion Day.Word of the day = urticaria, meaning, simply, hives.The forgotten word of the day is tres amusant, because it sounds so much more genteel than it actually is. According to Barrere and Leland's Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant (1889), star-gazers are "Ladies of the pavement who walk by night, not so much, however, to study the heavenly bodies as to dispose of their own."*blinks*Well. That certainly puts a spin on that Sara Jeter Naslund novel have been meaning to read...*g*There's more, but must go. The kitties ate up an inordinate amount of time this morning with romping. That's not a complaint. Just a reason.*kittyluffs*That is cheerfully all. (Source: subversive librarian) Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:07:27 +0100 336465 http://hedgehoglibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/01/maplewood-update-and-gwinnet.html Greetings to those of you joining me from David Rothman's recent post. I'm not sure I can manage five separate links back to him but I'll toss in one or two for good measure so I snake into his Google Reader an extra time or two. If you haven't read that post--about managing your RSS feeds, you might take a review. David mentions a few good ideas and I've started with one--putting all of the job feeds in one folder. I'm not supposed to be job hunting anymore but I don't think it's a bad idea to still see what is out there at my leisure. Not seeing so many feeds on the side of the reader is already starting to help. I saw an interesting follow up to the Maplewood NJ story from the NYT that started so many listservs going last week. The town is now trying to find options that the library will deem acceptable to staying open. That story is here: Town Considers Guards for Library Disrupted by Students. This was of cynical interest to me in two fashions. Part One of Cynicism: I'd seen a number of librarians scoff at the library and tell them they should have hired security guards. This was met with fervent "Don't you think they tried that already?" from other librarians in similar or even very different situations. Some also pointed to the response from the Board of Trustees.Interestingly...if you Google Maplewood public, you get a place in Missouri. I bet their site count has gone up considerably in the past two weeks.Part Two of the Cynicism: In the library board's message they note that the problem has been increasing for the past decade. Amazingly--two DAYS after they announced the possibility of closing after school the town stepped in with ideas to help alleviate the problem. Two days....after a battle of ten years. There's something sad when it takes publicity ---very negative publicity ---to get a town into action. At least they are trying now and perhaps something good will come of it. ... Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:26:00 +0100 340406 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Davidrothmannet/~3/72448946/ It is good to know that some things really are universal. As previously noted (see the bottom of this post), I set up an RSS feed from LibWorm to let me know when any of the 1500 feeds indexed by LibWorm mentioned Maplewood. A post came up in my aggregator this morning via that feed and although I don’t read Portuguese, I got a huge kick out of the title of the post: “Que parte do Sssshhhhhiu é que não entendem?” I know just enough Spanish (and Spanish is just similar enough) to figure out what this says without looking it up: What part of “Shhhhh” don’t they understand? It made me chuckle. Here’s the whole post awkwardly machine-translated into English via Google. (Source: davidrothman.net) Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:14:32 +0100 334383 http://bibliotequices.blogspot.com/2007/01/que-parte-do-sssshhhhhiu-que-no.html Uma questão que tem vindo a correr nos blogues de alguns técnicos de bibliotecas prende-se com a existência de jovens nas bibliotecas sem qualquer interesse em estarem lá. As bibliotecas têm vindo a ser transformadas, pelos pais, em centros de acolhimento de jovens, um local considerado seguro para os deixar enquanto vão às compras ou para aguardarem, depois das aulas, que os pais os possam levar para casa.Afinal de contas é um local ideial para o efeito: as bibliotecas possuem recursos pedagogicamente interessantes, são ambientes agradáveis e controlados, têm adultos a vigiarem os espaços e muitas vezes segurança acrescida: diminui assim o medo de terem os filhos a andarem pelas ruas depois das aulas. Os bibliotecários até os gostam de ter por lá, tornam as bibliotecas mais vivas e alegres e permitem trabalhar hábitos de leitura.O problema está quando esses mesmos jovens não apreciam tudo o que têm ao seu dispor. O espaço de cultura começou por se transformar num espaço de recreio e rapidamente acabou num espaço de confronto. Confusões entre grupos, falta de higiene, destruição de recursos e espaços, desrespeito para com os trabalhadores da biblioteca e para com os outros utilizadores, criaram situações de choque entre os utilizadores da biblioteca.O mesmo já aconteceu com crianças (e para não se dizer que isso são coisas dos EUA veja-se este artigo do Brunei onde crianças com dois anos são deixadas pelos pais na biblioteca, sendo depois os bibliotecários que os têm de levar à casa de banho, medicar ou alimentar).Os protestos dos bibliotecários perante as hierarquias caíram em saco roto, sendo que os pais inverteram o problema reclamando sobre a falta de acompanhamento adequado às crianças e da má vontade ou falta de sensibilidade dos bibliotecários para com as necessidades dos jovens. ... Mon, 08 Jan 2007 13:47:02 +0100 333713 http://marklindner.info/blog/2007/01/07/carnival-of-the-infosciences-62/ Wow! It’s been a month since the last Carnival and I am afraid it shows. People seem to have forgotten about this struggling little venture. It also looks like we need hosts for the future. We have one more scheduled after this one, pulling into LIS - Michael Habib in two weeks, but after that there are no hosts scheduled. Please volunteer. Now, onward to the spectacle that is the 62nd Carnival of the Infosciences Photo is courtesy of my friend, bluebike, and is, I believe, from the Champaign County Fair last year. Thanks for permission. All rights reserved by bluebike. Our first, and only, submission this week comes from Christina Pikas of Christina’s LIS Rant. Christina wrote “a mini essay on weeding in response to the biblioblogosphere kerfluffle.” She is referring to the assorted responses to one or more articles written about the weeding going on at the Fairfax County Public Library system. So, without further ado, “On Weeding…” Public libraries, on the other hand, especially branch collections, usually will weed more aggressively. First, the books are handled much more roughly and so can be in much poorer shape. Second, the mission of the library is for the local citizen’s person information needs like health information (should be rigorously and continuously weeded), legal information (should be rigorously and continuously weeded), self-help, hobby related, entertainment, and educational materials for both children and adult learners. Libraries that fail to weed will have out of date and possibly harmful materials. Sections like travel books where there are new copies every year should also be weeded — who wants a restaurant guide from 1999? Ringmaster’s Picks Seeing as the only submission is above this line, we will now move into the Ringmaster’s picks. ... Sun, 07 Jan 2007 23:37:20 +0100 333432 http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php?title=town_considers_guards_for_library_disrup&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/nyregion/04library.htmlby Tina Kelley, New York Times, 1/4/07 "The Maplewood Township Committee is asking the public library’s board of trustees not to follow through with a plan to close its two buildings during after-school hours and is considering providing security guards to help quell disruptive behavior. . ." Also, short article from a few months ago, on Brooklyn Library Branch to reopen because of safety concerns with teens. Posted by Kelly Czarnecki (Source: YALSA) Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:29:43 +0100 333003 http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2007/01/maplewood-library-closure.html The Star Ledger weighed in yesterday on the issue of closing the library because of unruly teenagers. The Star Ledger can be found on NJ.Com, but only today's news and the last two weeks are available from the site. If you need information from the paper before that time, call the library, because the BHPL subscribes to the entire Star Ledger database online dating back to 1989.Here is the description of the database librarians can access: "Contents: The Ledger archive contains the full-text of stories from all sections and editions dating back to January 1996. A less than complete set of stories (no page numbers, sections, some missing stories) dates back to May 1989. Often-requested stories, prior to 1990 are being added manually. Since 1998, graphics and chart images have been appended as hypertext links to the stories they accompanied. The archive does not include materials from the real-estate sections, special advertising sections, or agate listings appearing in the sports pages. PHOTOGRAPHS are NOT included. Updated daily, usually by noon of publication day (Sundays and Thursdays excepted)."The database also includes other New Jersey papers: The Times of Trenton, the Jersey Journal, the Hunterdon County Democrat, the Express Times and NJN Publishing's small local papers like the Independent Press. (Source: Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog and Buzz) Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:41:03 +0100 332158 http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2007/01/more-on-maplewood-library-closure.html The Barista of Bloomfield Avenue blog has a huge response to her post about the Maplewood Library situation. To review, Maplewood Public Library, Maplewood, New Jersey, has decided to close during after school hours because local middle-schoolers have been loud and disruptive as reported in the New York Times. Yesterday's Star Ledger also covered the closing and today's Star Ledger's editorial page addresses the problem too. More on this topic later. (Source: Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog and Buzz) Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:41:03 +0100 332159 http://www.walkingpaper.org/394 I’m guessing this might have been spurred on by the events in Maplewood, NJ. Curious to see what a bunch of people (including just a few librarians) are saying about the noise levels in libraries? Here’s a question that appear on AskMetafilter today: Did libraries (public and university) stop requiring people to be quiet in the last few years, or is it just me? There’s plenty of good fodder about cellphones, signage, people’s expectations, and the differences between academic and public libraries. A few interesting responses include: Anything that makes libraries more inviting to the kids today is fine by me. Libraries are becoming community centers with some bookshelves. …in my experience group projects have become more and more the norm in both education and industry. This alone necessitates more group work areas in the library; group work somewhat naturally bounces between staying on-topic and becoming (loudly) social. The physical limitations of Your Local Library affect its ability to effectively offer both low-talk and quiet zones. Jessamyn gives her summary of the situation, and there’s a link to a recent article titled “Quiet libraries morphing into busy community hubs” from the Seattle Times. (Source: walking paper) Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:37:43 +0100 341429 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Davidrothmannet/~3/70754488/ I have to comment on the story about how the Maplewood Memorial Library is closing its doors in the afternoon after school lets out because they are over-run with misbehaving students they are not staffed to serve. Too few bibliobloggers are posting the link to the announcement from the library’s Board of Trustees explaining the decision. Please, don’t leave any comments here or elsewhere without reading it. Here’s an excerpt: Over the years, an increasing number of families have been sending their children, primarily of middle-school age, to the main and branch libraries after school and using the facilities as a substitute for childcare. Most of these students are not using library resources but are congregating in the building to socialize with friends. Having as many as fifty young people with nothing to do creates an untenable situation. It interferes with patrons of all ages who want to use the library and with the staff members who are there to serve them. The library can no longer deal with large numbers of students who come after school and wait, sometimes into the late evening, to be picked up. We do not have the staff or resources to address the needs of these students. We have struggled with this problem for over ten years. We have worked with legal counsel to study our options as a public institution and to develop a behavior policy. We have hired after-school monitors to help with crowd control and behavior issues. We have reached out to students through TAG, our Teen Advisory Group. We have notified parents of the problem through Home and School Association publications. We have made public officials aware of the on-going issue. And we have worked closely with school officials and law enforcement. In spite of these efforts, the problem persists. ... Thu, 04 Jan 2007 21:36:41 +0100 331919 http://www.librarycrunch.com/2007/01/maplewood_continues.html Following yesterday's news about the Maplewood Memorial library, a follow-up article in today's Times says that the Maplewood Township Committee has asked the library board not to close the library during the afternoon hours. According to the mayor, the township, which is looking into hiring security guards, will even pay for the security required to keep the library open. But according to a board member who represents the township committee, the addition of security guards is not enough to keep the library open. Various accommodations with the local United Methodist Church and YMCA are also being considered. What happened in Maplewood? Why did the township committee either not find out or not act until the news story broke? And, perhaps most importantly, where was the library administration in all of this? The newspaper articles indicate that there is a great deal of community support to keep the library open and find solutions within the local community itself. A multipronged solution of security guards, local church involvement, and social and civic organization assistance all appear to be readily at hand. Yet, the library board appears to see closure as the only option. What did the library leadership tell the board that sold them on closure? Why was community involvement never seen as the first and only solution? Lots of questions remain in Maplewood, but it appears that a solution is at hand if only the board and the library can be sold on the idea. How ironic that the best solution appears not to be coming from within the library itself but from the community that is fighting to keep its library open. (Source: LibraryCrunch) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 14:52:48 +0100 331509 http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2007/01/maplewood-library-closes-during-after.html The Maplewood Public Library in Maplewood, New Jersey, has decided to close its doors during the after school hours. The library board made this controversial decision after years of trying to handle the large crowd of often unruly middle school students.The New York Times headline read, "Lock the Library! Rowdy Students Are Taking Over." The article went on to state, " Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly. Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day.As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice."It will be interesting to see what happens next, but this should be a wake-up call to everyone in Maplewood, and possibly everywhere, that something needs to be done about latch key children. Predictions: there will be much bemoaning of teens' worsening behaviour these days, and discussion of the rights of the teens and other patrons to use the library; further prediction - the problem will remain unless the parents and the town step in. Teens with nothing to do after school and no one to supervise them is the contributing factor here that will not go away. Is babysitting an appropriate use of library and librarians' time? (Source: Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog and Buzz) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:14:02 +0100 331384 http://www.popgoesthelibrary.com/2007/01/what-does-library-mean.html The New Year started with a bang with two very different types of stories about libraries:The Washington Post article, Hello, Grisham -- So Long, Hemingway? With Shelf Space Prized, Fairfax Libraries Cull Collections about a library system weeding classics. My favorite quote: "More computers and growing demand in branches for meeting space, story hours and other gatherings have left less room for books."The New York Times article, Lock the Library! Rowdy Students are Taking Over! about a library in Maplewood, NJ, that is shutting down during afternoon hours because the disturbances going on during that time period. My favorite passage: "Librarians and other experts say the growing conflicts are the result of an increase in the number of latchkey children, a decrease in civility among young people and a dearth of “third places” — neither home nor school — where kids can be kids."There's been a lot being said in blogs and over coffee about these two articles, but together, they raise an important question: What is the primary function of a library in a community?Let's avoid armchair quarterbacking (Fairfax should display classics! Don't lock out the teens, have programs!) and take what is being said at face value.In Fairfax, it's about changing to be, well, a community center: meeting space. story hours. other gatherings. Giving people only what they want; with no questions about what people need, or whether a library is different from Barnes and Noble.In Maplewood, it's saying, no, we are not and should not be the community center; we're a library, and if the town wants a community center for teens, build one.And, surprisingly enough to those who know I delight in pop culture being in libraries, I'm finding myself siding with Maplewood. I think libraries are part of the community, absolutely; but our primary role is library. ... Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:02:02 +0100 331346 http://www.waterborolibrary.org/2007/01/or-whats-library-for.htm Liz at Pop Goes the Library muses on the meaning of library, taking as her two texts the news of the culling of books at Fairfax (VA) libraries and the shutting out of teens at Maplewood (NJ) Library ("Librarians and other experts say the growing conflicts are the result of an increase in the number of latchkey children, a decrease in civility among young people and a dearth of 'third places' -- neither home nor school -- where kids can be kids."): "There's been a lot being said in blogs and over coffee about these two articles, but together, they raise an important question: What is the primary function of a library in a community? "Let's avoid armchair quarterbacking (Fairfax should display classics! Don't lock out the teens, have programs!) and take what is being said at face value. "In Fairfax, it's about changing to be, well, a community center: meeting space. story hours. other gatherings. Giving people only what they want; with no questions about what people need, or whether a library is different from Barnes and Noble. "In Maplewood, it's saying, no, we are not and should not be the community center; we're a library, and if the town wants a community center for teens, build one. "And, surprisingly enough to those who know I delight in pop culture being in libraries, I'm finding myself siding with Maplewood. I think libraries are part of the community, absolutely; but our primary role is library." (Source: h20boro lib blog) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 331454 http://www.librarystuff.net/2007/01/town-considers-guards-for-library.html The NYT is all over the Maplewood library story. The town is getting involved in the conversation (good) by saying that they will hire security guards. But:"David Huemer, who represents the Maplewood Township Committee on the library board, said the library had already indicated that a plan for guards was not enough to rescind its vote on the closing."Again, I don't know exactly what the situation is in the library, but one would think that the library board would know more than the town, which, according to reports, has been somewhat absent from the day to day activities of the library. I hope they sort this out before it gets really ugly. The fact that the town is getting involved is a good sign. (Source: Library Stuff) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 332105 http://evanming.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog-post_04.html   &nbsp今天看到一篇紐約時報的新聞，是由Tina Kelley所撰寫的，文章名稱是Lock the Library! Rowdy Students Are Taking Over，報導說道美國紐澤西州的楓木中學(Maplewood Middle School)很多學生們放學後，就衝到對街的公共圖書館裡面去，去做什麼事會上報紙呢?館員說除了少部分人是安靜的讀書外，其餘的同學不是在打架就是在牆上亂塗鴉，不然就是在洗手間的地版上便溺，或是跟館員頂嘴，有的學生還威脅說要放火燒了某一間分館，更扯的是有的還會打館員，導致警察有時一天還得跑來兩次，也因此，該館(Maplewood Memorial Library )自這個月16號起要調整開放時間，以避開那段學生的下課潮，紐時評論說很多公共圖書館其實花很多心思讓年輕讀者盡量利用圖書館，但這裡的學生卻被要求要離開圖書館，實在是很突兀， (Source: 西文電子資源的視界 E-Resources) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 340289 http://librarygarden.blogspot.com/2007/01/from-todays-new-yorktimes.html From today's New YorkTimes...Town Considers Guards for Library Disrupted by StudentsBy TINA KELLEY, Published: January 4, 2007NYTIMES, MAPLEWOOD, N.J., Jan. 3The Maplewood Township Committee is asking the public library’s board of trustees not to follow through with a plan to close its two buildings during after-school hours and is considering providing security guards to help quell disruptive behavior, Mayor Fred R. Profeta Jr. said Wednesday.The committee discussed a plan late Tuesday night to provide the library with security guards. "The township will pay for that, because it’s a public safety issue, though it may go through the library budget," Mr. Profeta said in an interview.The mayor said he would petition the library board to rescind its initial decision before the planned closing on Jan. 16. “I think the closure’s a very bad idea,” the mayor said. “I think that it was not warranted, because a lot of the programs we have in the works are designed — and well designed — to alleviate the situation. We just have to put those in place.”But David Huemer, who represents the Maplewood Township Committee on the library board, said the library had already indicated that a plan for guards was not enough to rescind its vote on the closing.More at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/nyregion/04library.htmlTechnorati Tags: Maplewood Library, Youth Services, YA, LibraryGarden, Libraries (Source: Library Garden) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 349184 http://joycevalenza.edublogs.org/2007/01/03/a-day-of-interesting-stories/ The lists and the blogs were rampant with stories for us to digest relating to libraries and books and schools. The New York Times printed Lock the Library! Rowdy Students are Taking Over. Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly. The Baker Street library in Maplewood, N.J., near a middle school, will soon close from 2:45 to 5 p.m. Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day. As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice. As a former public librarian I read this piece with conflicting feelings. We work so hard to bring young people into our libraries. We want to grow adult citizens who value libraries. But not all latchkey kids belong in our libraries for the three long hours between school and dinnertime. In our schools we may have a little more influence over the teens we meet and how they behave in our environments. I hope the Maplewood community can work together to find a solution that doesn’t involve closing doors on all young users. Forbes asks the question: Are books in danger? Encouraging and surprising answers come from the likes of Barbara Tuchman, Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury Vint Cerf Roger Ebert Neil Gaiman Peter Gethers Daniel Goleman Sebastian Junger Chip Kidd Stan Lee Amy Sedaris Tavis Smiley Lemony Snicket and others! There’s lots of cool stuff here about: current-day book burning; trends relating to copyright and downloading; technology and publishing; and the Internet and reading. ... Thu, 04 Jan 2007 06:28:03 +0100 331258 http://fusenumber8.blogspot.com/2007/01/rowdy-rowdy-rowdy.html You might get the impression that as a New York Public librarian I face tough gangs of hard-bitten teens every day in the dirty aisles of my midtown workplace. Yet due to my cushy job (and the fact that teens only come to my floor to use the bathroom) nothing could be further from the truth. The cities have their problems, sure, but nothing too terrible. If, however, I am sent to librarian purgatory due to some unspeakable crime of an illicit nature (probably involving this blog), that purgatory would take the form of Maplewood, New Jersey. As the New York Times reports (and if this article disappears the author was Tina Kelley and it published on 1/2/07), in Lock the Library! Rowdy Students Are Taking Over, Memorial Library is closing weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m. because the teens and middle schoolers. It looks as if the kids who come in are too gross and violent. Here's the kicker: They're delightfully overprivileged.This comfortable Essex County suburb of 23,000 residents, still proud of its 2002 mention in Money magazine on a list of “Best Places to Live,” is no seedy outpost of urban violence. But its library officials, like many across the country, have grown frustrated by middle schoolers’ mix of pent-up energy, hormones and nascent independence.Three points for use of the word "nascent".Obviously closing isn't the best solution. Still, it makes me love my NYC teens all the more. (Source: A Fuse #8 Production) Thu, 04 Jan 2007 05:52:03 +0100 331246 http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/2007/01/04/teenagers-wanted/ Life’s choices are hard. The New York Times article about the Maplewood, NJ public library choosing to lock it’s doors and be accessible to NONE of it’s patrons instead of finding solutions for teenagers out of control is maddening. I do understand how terrible out of control people can be. I live with 4 teenagers. Yet, they are patrons. They are people. They have needs. They are seeking something. Is the problem every teenager? The library is providing a space, but the parents and community haven’t provided the needed support for the library staff to maintain order. Will the closing of this library force the community to change? Will the ill-will towards the library board for choosing to close go away? Will the teenagers stand together and self-monitor to regain their rights? Recently I searched youtube for videos of libraries. Some of the worst examples of teenagers manipulating adults were evident. You could see some teens hiding in the stacks to use their camera phones to capture other teens deliberately provoking library staff by setting off loud ring tones. What would you do? How much would you take? What has gone wrong? If those were my boys, I’d want someone to let me know so I could march in there and remind them of wedgy wars! I know my children are not angels. I wish they were. Whenever I hear they have been disrespectful, I deal with them. We talk about the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child”. That attitude only works if everyone agrees about the end results. We want to raise civilized people. We want citizens who love libraries. We want the community to value and support us. We want an atmosphere that appeals to everyone. We do not want discrimination against many because of one. I have to wonder what is happening in their school libraries?! As for the youtube videos, let’s get out there and start adding GOOD VIDEOS and good messages. ... Thu, 04 Jan 2007 05:48:08 +0100 332717 http://coollibrarianblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/talk-back-to-librarian.html According to this article in the New York Times, The Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood, NJ, will be closing during after school hours because of the "rowdiness" of middle-school children. Apparently they "fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library."Of course, closing the library is not the answer to the problem - but what is? I like this suggestion:"David Huemer, who represents the Maplewood Township Committee on the library board, said he would like to see the current police station, which is being retired in favor of a new one, converted to a youth center. “What we have to do now is build some long-overdue facilities and fund some programs so kids can have alternatives to hanging out,” he said."Unfortunately, this type of problem is not unusual; I know of at least three libraries in the small state of Rhode Island that have private security details during the after-school hours. And, as evidenced by the article, this type of behavior by children can no longer be termed a "class" or "race" or "urban" problem - this kind of thing is happening in suburbia with increasing frequency.I fully admit that I have been ultra-lucky at my job in this respect. The only time I have had any real issues with teen behavior problems was when a particular group of kids discovered that they could hack the filter and get on MySpace. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, we get few teens in on a regular basis - my job is quiet. But that one group of kids was unbelieveable to me. The girls narrowed their eyes and ignored what I said. They called me "bitch" under their breath, and at times simply refused to get off of the computer. They would go down to the kids room and disrupt that area if they were told to get off of the computers in the adult/YA area. ... Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:59:02 +0100 330769 http://lisstlouis.wordpress.com/2007/01/03/lock-the-library/ Here are a few thoughts sent by email from Jenny P. Great stuff! Link: Alternative Teen Services blog It seems that a library in Maplewood, New Jersey has decided to close its doors for the after-school hours, due to disciplinary problems caused by several young people. According to a New York Times article, some students “fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day.” With all the talk of libraries reaching out to young people, could this be a possible negative result– that adults see the library as a child care center? Or are conflicts like these symptomatic of the library’s changing role? How will the library’s shutdown policy change its perception among the community? Other bloggers on the subject: Library Stuff Tame the Web (Source: lisstlouis) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:17:25 +0100 330790 http://www.librarycrunch.com/2007/01/responding_to_teens_1.html The New York Times article about the Maplewood Memorial library depicts a problem that many libraries face – large numbers of teens congregating after school hours. Maplewood is not unique in having this “problem”. One of the lines that struck me was this one, “Having as many as 50 young people with nothing to do creates an untenable situation”. I do not know the size of the Maplewood library, but I do know that our own Dacula branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library, which is 20,000 square feet in size, routinely has many teens in the building every afternoon between 3PM and 5:30PM. Door counts of over 1,000 between those hours are not uncommon.The Dacula library is situated within 500 yards of a middle and high school and about 1/2 mile from an elementary school. Shortly after opening the library began getting between 200 and 500 teens every afternoon. The library soon had a very real problem on their hands with disruptive behavior, noise, gang problems, you name it. The fact that it was a 20,000 square foot building open seven days a week and running on 14 full-time staff only served to complicate the picture. Management and administration worked very hard over the past few months to remedy the problem. Lots of community outreach took place with the schools and parents. The system's first security guard was hired and arrangements were made with the local police force for off-duty officers to patrol the parking lot area where numerous gang-related problems were developing. And staff began holding more and more teen programs to try to direct and mold their behavior. It's not over yet and there are still things to work out, but it is working. And all of this was done without closing the library – a tactic which I find amazing. . The Dacula branch staff has responded admirably to the problems and in doing so they have made great strides in reaching more and more local teens. ... Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:09:02 +0100 330544 http://www.librarycrunch.com/2007/01/article_lock_the_library_rowdy.html Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly. Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day. As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice. An institution that, like many nationwide, strives to attract young people, even offering beading and cartooning classes, will soon be shutting them out, along with the rest of the public, at one of the busiest parts of its day. Full article. (Source: LibraryCrunch) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:09:02 +0100 330545 http://bibliotecarioanarquista.blogspot.com/2007/01/riot-na-biblioteca.html Gangs de delinquentes têm aterrorizado ultimamente a biblioteca da escola secundária de Maplewood em Nova Jérsia. Ao que parece estes jovens já fizeram de tudo. Desde urinar no chão da casa de banho, pintar graffitis nas paredes, ameaçar bibliotecários, recusar sair da biblioteca e até ameaçar pegar fogo ao edifício. Os bibliotecários vivem em permanente sobressalto e em média têm efectuado duas chamadas por dia à polícia.Solidário com esta crise que já atingiu dimensões internacionais o governo e a ministra da cultura prontificaram-se a ajudar disponibilizando uma Unidade de Elite de Bibliotecários Portugueses habituados a lidar com situações bem piores, designadamente, no Vale de Chelas e Cova da Moura. Alguns dos bibliotecários destacados já classificaram este episódio como “um pequeno incidente e que vão apenas participar num simpático pic-nic ao Novo Mundo" [sic].Força rapazes!Fonte: www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/nyregion/02library.html?_r=1&oref=slogin (Source: O bibliotecario anarquista) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 331169 http://www.librarystuff.net/2007/01/more-on-maplewood-library-closings.html Lots of interesting quotes from this article from the Star Ledger."Patricia Tumulty, the longtime director of the New Jersey Library Association, said she's never heard of a library going to this extreme."It just cries out for a community dialogue ... on latchkey children," she said of Maplewood's plight."..."Karen Pettis, the library board's vice president: "They need to be able to blow off steam, to talk to their friends," she said. "Unfortunately, the library is not a place where they can do that on a regular basis."..."Gavin Black, another eighth grader, didn't like the idea, either. "At least give them some place to talk," he said. "A lot of kids don't even have computers." Again, I don't pretend to know what goes on in this or any other public library across the country (I'm a weekly visitor to my local library (sometimes with Hallie, other times alone and I rarely see what can be described as misbehavior). It's not my place to judge. I'm not there.While it's clear that this is a horrible situation for everyone involved, I can't help to think that, unless you have seen the actions of the teens firsthand, it's going to be very hard to decry the decision of the trustees. As two commenters from my initial post mentioned, until someone pulls a gun or wields a knife on you, it's going to be tough to judge the actions as deplorable. (Source: Library Stuff) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 331341 http://rambleonsylvie.blogspot.com/2007/01/teens-are-too-much-library-closes-oh.html OK, this is probably one of my many posts on this topic. Like Michael Stephens said:"I think we'll see this one RIPPLE across the Biblioblogosphere like crazy in the next few days." I (as always) also agree so much with Michael Casey's post that this article:"...depicts a problem that many libraries face; large numbers of teens congregating after school hours. Maplewood is not unique in having this "problem"."I just can't help but suspect that they are going tot his extreme as a means to an end that is not clearly stated right now. Maybe they have been denied funding for a security guard and this can get the community to react and help them get one? In staff training I constantly remind them of this: 1-Being in public service, you will have to deal with a certain amount of rudeness everyday, from a variety of customers. You have to respond to rudeness with kindness. Be nice to people having a bad day (or bad manners) and you may just turn them around.2-There is a clear line between rudeness and threat, vandalism, etc..Those should not be tolerated. You have to respond to abuse with solid determination. Protect yourself, your customers and the space we share. Excluding abusers thru privilege suspension or law enforcement involvement will result in a better environment for everyone. I have said it before, some of it has to do with our expectations, and our willingness to explore ALL our options when faced with SUCCESS issues like this. At MPOW we have had to review policies, provide staff with additional training, and we have had much success with addressing SPACE to create an environment where diverse users can see divers needs met without too much interference. Yea, I'm really proud of that because it HAS WORKED for us. You'd be surprised to hear how many older patrons have appreciated just seeing and HEARING US SAY we value and want to preserve some quiet space for them. ... Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 351191 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheCoolLibrarian/~3/69852601/talk-back-to-librarian.html According to this article in the New York Times, The Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood, NJ, will be closing during after school hours because of the "rowdiness" of middle-school children. Apparently they "fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library."Of course, closing the library is not the answer to the problem - but what is? I like this suggestion:"David Huemer, who represents the Maplewood Township Committee on the library board, said he would like to see the current police station, which is being retired in favor of a new one, converted to a youth center. “What we have to do now is build some long-overdue facilities and fund some programs so kids can have alternatives to hanging out,” he said."Unfortunately, this type of problem is not unusual; I know of at least three libraries in the small state of Rhode Island that have private security details during the after-school hours. And, as evidenced by the article, this type of behavior by children can no longer be termed a "class" or "race" or "urban" problem - this kind of thing is happening in suburbia with increasing frequency.I fully admit that I have been ultra-lucky at my job in this respect. The only time I have had any real issues with teen behavior problems was when a particular group of kids discovered that they could hack the filter and get on MySpace. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, we get few teens in on a regular basis - my job is quiet. But that one group of kids was unbelieveable to me. The girls narrowed their eyes and ignored what I said. They called me "bitch" under their breath, and at times simply refused to get off of the computer. They would go down to the kids room and disrupt that area if they were told to get off of the computers in the adult/YA area. ... Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:14:06 +0100 330425 http://librarian.lishost.org/?p=635 The NYTimes reports: MAPLEWOOD, N.J., Jan. 1 — Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly.Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day. As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice. === The article implies that there is nothing for youth in the town. It’s time to create community partnerships and there is so much help to do so: The After School Alliance provides strategies if no program exists. ========== The National AfterSchool Association is a professional association that includes more than 7,000 practitioners, policy makers, and administrators representing all public, private, and community-based sectors of after-school and out-of-school time programs, as well as school-age and after-school programs on military bases, both domestic and international. It is dedicated to the development, education,and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. Afterschool.gov is a one-stop website connecting the public, and particularly afterschool providers, to federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school time. A great range of resources is included on Afterschool.gov, including issues that face America’s youth, and information about starting and operating an afterschool program. Afterschool.gov includes resources from a variety of federal agencies, including a searchable database of federal funding sources. ... Tue, 02 Jan 2007 21:21:03 +0100 330451 http://librarian.lishost.org/?p=635 The NYTimes reports: MAPLEWOOD, N.J., Jan. 1 — Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly.Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day. As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice. === The article implies that there is nothing for youth in the town. It’s time to create community partnerships and there is so much help to do so: The After School Alliance provides strategies if no program exists. ========== The National AfterSchool Association is a professional association that includes more than 7,000 practitioners, policy makers, and administrators representing all public, private, and community-based sectors of after-school and out-of-school time programs, as well as school-age and after-school programs on military bases, both domestic and international. It is dedicated to the development, education,and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. Afterschool.gov is a one-stop website connecting the public, and particularly afterschool providers, to federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school time. A great range of resources is included on Afterschool.gov, including issues that face America’s youth, and information about starting and operating an afterschool program. Afterschool.gov includes resources from a variety of federal agencies, including a searchable database of federal funding sources. ... Tue, 02 Jan 2007 21:17:33 +0100 333331 http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php?title=maplewood_library_follow_up&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 In today's New York Times there is an article titled Lock the Library! Rowdy Students Are Taking Over about the closing of the Maplewood, NJ Public Library in the afternoons in order to handle/eliminate the problem they are having with middle school students. (Last week I blogged about the Maplewood hour changes.) The article talks about the bad things teens did/do in the library. The article talks about how the adults feel, what I'll call, harassed by the teens. The article talks about how there isn't any place for teens to go after school. The article talks about how the library tried to work with the teens via programming. But, ultimately it seemed to me that by the end of the article the message was - Teens are bad. I didn't read anything about the positive things libraries and teens around the country are doing together. I did read however about other libraries that took measures similar to Maplewood in order to control problem teen behaviors. I'm sure there is a lot to this story which I don't know. The teens, the town, the librarians, the parents all made decisions before this point in order to lead to the action of closing after school. I do still think there must have been other options that the library had in order to rectify this situation. (Source: YALSA) Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:01:26 +0100 330049 http://ntrls.blogspot.com/2007/01/new-jersey-library-locks-doors-after.html I read about this article on Michael Stephen's Tame the Web. It states that the Maplewood Public Library has decided to lock its doors between 2:45 pm and 5 pm to keep rowdy teens out of the library. These teens apparently descend upon the library and cause chaos. In consultation with a lawyer, the library board came up with behavior guidelines in May 2005 that prohibited activities like (Source: North Texas Regional Library System) Tue, 02 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 330497 http://www.librarystuff.net/2007/01/lock-library.html Take a look at this piece from the NYT: "Every afternoon at Maplewood Middle School’s final bell, dozens of students pour across Baker Street to the public library. Some study quietly."Others, library officials say, fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library. Librarians call the police, sometimes twice a day.As a result, starting on Jan. 16, the Maplewood Memorial Library will be closing its two buildings on weekdays from 2:45 to 5 p.m., until further notice."I don't work in a public library, nor do I live in this area, and I haven't seen the teens behavior first hand. I'm sure that the library weighed their options before making this very important decision. I also think that there are many sides to this story, so I'm not going to judge the administrators. However you look at it, however, closing the library during peak hours. benefits nobody.Here's one thing I do know. "[O]ffering beading and cartooning classes" is not the best way to attract teens to the library. I see many happy, non-aggressive teens on Flickr playing DDR, etc. Again, I don't know much about these libraries either. For every content teen dancing his heart out could be one who causes problems for everyone in the libraryUpdate - The very helpful David Rothman sent in a link to the Maplewood library board statement regarding the closures. (Source: Library Stuff) Tue, 02 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 330548 http://zbdigitaal.blogspot.com/2007/01/te-veel-jongeren-in-de-bibliotheek-dan.html De openbare bibliotheek van Maplewood, New Jersey heeft al lange tijd problemen met groepen jongeren die naar de bibliotheek komen omdat het een prettige plek is. De jongeren veroorzaken echter ook overlast ("Increasingly, librarians are asking: What part of “Shh!” don’t you understand?") en omdat het bestuur geen andere oplossing meer weet sluiten ze de deuren maar, buiten schooltijd. Onze (Source: Digitaal Inlichtingenwerk Zeeuwse Bibliotheek) Tue, 02 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0100 330635 http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0817FF3C540C718CDDA80894DF404482&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Library in Maplewood, NJ, decides to close for several hours every weekday afternoon, citing rowdy behavior by middle-school students; library officials say they have been calling police, sometimes twice daily, as students have fights, scrawl graffiti on walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked; say one threatened to burn down library; Maplewood's library officials, like many across country, have grown frustrated by middle schoolers' mix of pent-up energy, hormones and nascent independence; libraries in other parts of country have banned children under 14 unless accompanied by adult, suspended library privileges for repeat offenders and many libraries are adding security guards specifically for after-school hours; librarians and other experts say growing conflicts are result of increase in number of latchkey children, decrease in civility among young people and dearth of 'third places'--neither home nor school--where kids can be kids; photo (M)... (Source: NYT) Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0100 334407 http://blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php?title=one_way_to_send_a_message&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 The Board of the Maplewood, NJ Public Library recently decided to close the library's doors from 2:45 to 5:00 PM every weekday. Why? Because parents were sending their middle school children to the library after school and the teens were not behaving in a way the library feels is appropriate. (Socializing instead of working on homework, etc.) The letter from the library Board of Trustees on the library web site states that this has been a problem for about ten years. Other than reading the letter I don't really know anything about the situation but I have been thinking about: The message sent to teens with the library being closed when they are most available to be there. The message parents send to teens about the library as a child care service. The messages the library sends to teens if socializing isn't as well accepted as research. What the teens will think of the library once this is over. The messages sent to teens by adults all around them on a regular basis. Messages about how teens are and are not accepted by those within their community. As I said, my only knowledge of this is what I read on the web site. But, are the teens ultimately being punished for a situation the adults around them created? Just wondering.... (Source: YALSA) Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:14:04 +0100 327359