Not Again! Elevator Problems Continue.

While the fix from June last for several weeks, the intermittent problems have cropped up again. After finally making in in before the Library opened this morning, the technician was able to diagnose the problem: overwork!

Our elevator is not designed for the constant use it receives. With over 500,000 visits last year, that is a lot of trips up and down, especially since you cannot get a stroller into the Children's Department without it. Apparently, the constant use causes the oil to overheat which cause the shut-down. I guess that answers the "why does it always happen when we're busy?" question.

On to the next fix: retrofitting with a cooling system for the oil. Our biggest roadblock is that it would need to be vented outside the building. Let's hope they can find a clear (physically, as in no pipes in the wall, etc.) and simple means of doing so.

3/4 of a Million - Incredible!

With the Library's fiscal year ending on June 30, the statistics for the year are starting to come in. We knew it was a busy year for us, but the numbers are amazing! This year, the Library circulated 756,936 items.

This is absolutely astonishing, with only 131,550 items in the Library's collection. That means every item in the Library was checked out an average of nearly 6 times in the past year. Use of PCs in the Library rose almost 20%, with over 50,000 sessions for the year, averaging 46 minutes per session. That's over 38,000 hours of computer time for our community in the past year, not counting those who brought their own wireless devices and enjoyed the Library's wi-fi!

Gwendolyn B. Krahn Memorial Garden Dedication

Thank you to all of our friends and colleagues who came out on Saturday morning to honor the memory of Library Trustee Gwen Krahn. We dedicated the new memorial garden, in front of the Original Library.



A butterfly fluttered through during the proceedings and alighted on one of the bushes for the remainder of the ceremony. Outreach Assistant and Master Gardener Judi Deszcz noted that she designed the garden to attract butterflies. In the future, we may add a bench or seat wall to create a true reading garden in memory of Gwen Krahn, who served as a Trustee for 31 years and many of those as Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee.

I miss you, Gwen!

Unattended Children and Safety in the Library

Recently, we have had a rash of unattended children incidents at the Library. A small child was found wandering alone upstairs. Two children were left alone in a car running in the parking lot. Thankfully, all of the kids in these examples were returned to their parents care safely. Staff located the child's father downstairs. Two other patrons kept an eye on the running car until the parent returned.

But it brings up a good point:
While we all like to believe that the Library is a safe environment, the reality is that the Library is a public place, just like the mall, gas station or grocery store. It is busy, with lots of people in and out. While staff does their best to keep an eye on what's going on, it is impossible for them to watch every child as closely as a parent or caregiver should. Parents and caregivers must remember to watch their children closely, even at the Library. The Library does have several policies in place to help protect kids in the Library. No child under the age of 9 can be in the Library without a parent or caregiver. Any adult not accompanied by a child may not loiter in the Children's Department. Be these cannot assure the safety of your child. Only you can do that.

Be safe. Make good choices for you and your children.

Elevator, Windows and Summer Reading

The good news: Summer Reading registration is going phenomenally well, with over 1,000 more people signed up by the close of business Wednesday than the previous year.

The bad news: The elevator has been acting up intermittently for over two weeks. the repairman has been here multiple times, trying to figure out the issue. We've replaced relays, tracked down the original plans for the system (which had gone astray during a changeover in vendors) and tried a new overload assembly. Problems persists. At least when it stopped working, it was going to the lower level and parking there, usually with the door open. Finally, this morning, it failed again while the repairman was on site. Fingers crossed that this will lead to the full resolution of the problem. But the age of the building and its systems is an issue as costly repairs of aging systems become a regular budget item.

The hopeful news: The windows that were rotting (poorly sealed during installation 20 years ago) are being patched and mended. The company doing the work is having good success with the temporary fix that should last 3-5 years. At about one-tenth the cost of replacement windows, the temporary fix was determined to be the correct course of action for the short-term, since plans for future expansion would replace all of those windows.

Never a dull moment...

Summer Reading Begins June 7!

Summer fun is at your Library! "Scare Up a Good Book" registration begins Monday morning. Register online or in person.

Attend fabulous programs all summer long: magic shows, science wonders, drama clubs, crafts, movie marathons, storytellers, family game nights, music, puppets, and more! If you didn't find something that interests you, you didn't read the whole schedule of events :-)

Join us for the Grand Finale on August 7 when we celebrate with games, contests, sundaes and music from Grammy-nominated children's recording artist Dave Rudolph.

Prizes are provided through generous contributions from local business and the Illinois Public Library Per Capita Grant. Look for the Scare Up a Good Book banners for a full list of our contributors.

Fascinating stuff about the evolution of the web!

Web 3.0 from Kate Ray on Vimeo.

And the irony is that it all comes back to one of the basic questions of Western philosophy! So where do libraries fit in this? How can we help people deal with information overload?