Pleasanton Lincoln Library

Believe it or not, you can’t find everything you need to know online. It’s getting close, but sometimes you just need to look for things in books, ask “local” questions, or talk with someone who has special knowledge. I’m not saying because we work in a library, we know the answer to every question anyone asks when they call us or walk in the door. But if we don’t know the answer, we might know where to look for it, or who to contact to find out. Sometimes, we even enlist the help of a patron sitting nearby at the computer.

For instance, none of us who currently work in the library attended school in Pleasanton. Perhaps someone calls looking for an old schoolmate, or needs information about an event that happened in the area in the 1980s. In these cases, it helps to have some contact information to point those folks in the direction they need to go. While we don’t get a lot of what would formally be known as reference questions, we answer many casual questions each day we’re on the job. Perhaps someone’s working online and forgot how to spell a word. They’ll generally turn around and ask how to spell it. If they want to know when the video store closed and why, they’ll ask us. If they want to know anything about history or genealogy, we have the numbers for the Linn County Historical Museum and Genealogy Library and The Trading Post at hand. We often get calls for the phone numbers to other locations. We keep three local phone books nearby and have yellow pages for Kansas City as well.

Of course, we also have thousands of books on hand and patrons can search for answers among the pages. I think moms are surprised how many books we have about horses, dogs and dinosaurs. After being in the book field a while, you often learn the name of the latest James Patterson book, or when a DVD will be released to the buying public. Since the library is small, we obviously can’t carry every title on the market. But if you have a title, author, or even just a subject you’re interested in, we’ll try to locate an item through our Interlibrary Loan system. We utilize a courier service that delivers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so sometimes we can receive those orders in a week’s time.

This is a great feature for students who need specialized materials for their studies. Some of those titles can be rather long and imposing. They’re so excited when they discover we can obtain a book they can borrow, rather than buy. The newest books and movies are more difficult to obtain, as lending libraries typically have waiting lists in their own locations. But for someone who remembers watching the earliest version of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” for example, the ILL system is a godsend. On the other hand, if it’s a popular book that numerous patrons want to read, we’ll generally order it for our library. Let us know if you have any requests for a favorite author, or want to find out when the next book in a series is due on the market. We may not know off the top of our heads, but we know where to search for it.

Of course, we have quite a few reference books, those large volumes that never leave the library. We even have a few newer editions of popular encyclopedias on our shelves for research purposes. Some teachers require more sources than what you can find readily online. Yes, it’s easy to Google a topic and “lift” all your information from Wikipedia. But remember, much of that comes from the average person who believes they know the most about a particular topic. Wikipedia is only one source and may not even be correct, though they work very hard at it.

So pop in for a visit the next time you have a need to know. We’ll do our best to find you some answers. Don’t forget, you can always call us at 352-8554 or contact us by e-mail at pleaslinlib@ckt.net, too.

August 26, Thursday at 4:30 p.m.- Story Time and craft for Toddlers and school-aged children.

August 31, Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.- Story Time and craft for Toddlers and school-aged children.

Come join us for an educational, fun time at the Library!

Well, it’s been a long, hot summer, but it’s nice and cool in the library. We’re finding that folks stay a little longer once they arrive. They’re enjoying the air-conditioning and squeezing in some Facebook time before school starts. Teachers have been coming in to grab the last great read of the summer before it’s back to lesson plans and grading. They all enjoy their time off catching up on the latest popular novels.

Vacation time is another great time to read, as long as you’re not doing the driving. That’s the experience I had last week when my husband and I traveled East to see the sights. After slogging through the manual for my new Ipod, I was able to finish “Breathe, Eyes, Memory” by Edwidge Danticat and then sink my teeth into an old history book from the library about women in the old West called “Gentle Tamers.” I also picked up a National Parks guide to the Underground Railroad in the Visitor’s Center near Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois.

I’d hoped to spend several days on the beach reading and relaxing, but our vacations tend to be “on the go” trips. It’s fun to visit museums and learn about history, transportation and technology. I took a bunch of photos and didn’t set foot in one library. I did visit a book store though, and couldn’t pass up some of the 75% off deals they had.

So this week it was back to work and I’ve been playing catch up. I missed seeing everyone while I was gone but I enjoyed my week on the road. I’d be hard-pressed to pick my favorite place or activity, but it might be eating at outdoor cafes, or rock collecting on the shores of Lake Michigan. You can do those things this time of year up north. It was a shock to return to Kansas, where everything is turning brown and you can fry an egg on the sidewalk.

I’m grateful to employees Trudy and Hannah for covering for me while I was gone. I couldn’t have done it without them! It’s been busy in the library, computers keyboards are clicking and children have been piling in for Story Time. It’s a great time to be in the library with all the activity. Come in soon to see us!

Tuesday morning, July 27 and Thursday afternoon, July 29, we celebrated the completion of our Make a Splash – Read! Summer Program. We held two different parties for the children who participated by reading and keeping track of their books. Although it was a warm morning Tuesday, 30 kids and 13 adults gathered at Don Stegge Lake under the pavilion. Former sailor Bill Peterson showed interested kids how to tie some knots that might be used while sailing. Each child received a print out of knots to practice at home and a coloring book compliments of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, for which Bill works. Next, Miss Hannah read “Edward and the Pirates” to a rapt audience of children and their parents, and then the kids were ready for games.

With four to choose from, they had no problem staying entertained as local teen volunteers guided them through Feed the Shark (fish bean bags), Crab Walk races, Walk the Plank and water balloon toss. After working up an appetite playing, the kids gathered back under the pavilion for a feast of grilled hot dogs, chips, lemonade and a special dessert of Rice Krispies “sushi.” Each child also posed behind photo props as either a mermaid or pirate, and all received bags of treats related to our theme.

A big thank you to all our helpers: Emily Catron, Jennifer and Rosa Ewing, Savannah Reynolds and her friend Kylee, Lacey Sowards, Zach and Angel Wills, and of course, all the moms and a granddad. Thanks also to Paul Myers of Linn County Insurance for donating Cookee’s ice cream coupons for the treat bags.

Thursday afternoon, the weather drove us inside the library, but the kids had just as much fun as they participated in all the games but the water balloon toss (gee, wonder why?). This party was the younger children, who were pretty fearless on the Walk the Plank game and really got into the Feed the Shark. Thanks to Thursday’s helpers, Maxine and Richard Goucher who staffed the grill from the alley behind the library.

Children who’d read the most books this summer were awarded special prizes in our Make a Splash theme. In the Read to Me category, winners were Carter and Holley Coffman, aged 2-1/2 years. The Independent Reader category winners were Annaka Coursen, age 9, and Dalton McGinnis, aged 8. Congratulations to these children who really love reading!

Of course, none of this could have been done with out the help of summer employee Hannah Hargrove, who took on the planning and preparation of the parties and made them a big success. We’ll miss Hannah when she returns to school this fall and wish her the very best in her studies and student teaching assignment!

I’m grateful to those of you who read this column, whether on a regular basis or once in a while. I appreciate the positive comments I receive and am occasionally asked how I come up with ideas for the column. Sometimes the topics just pop into my head, but often they have to do with concerns or activities that take place in the library. They are meant to inform, entertain and encourage interest in the library.

More amazing than my weekly columns are those that have been written by longtime contributors like Alice Widner of Trading Post. History and its remembrance is a favorite topic of Pleasanton inhabitants and former residents, as well as those interested in the lives of their ancestors from this area. As Alice interacts with local residents and out-of-towners, she shares stories filled with caring and thoughtfulness. Local ministers who write weekly columns are also to be admired for their messages. I’m sure many of them feel writing is a labor of love as well as an official duty. They can inspire, console and encourage through their words. My father read to the congregation in our hometown church for many years and spent considerable time searching and researching to obtain the right words to share with them. He took this task seriously and many never knew the love he put into the effort.

Occasionally my columns require some research, but often the words come directly from my head. I’m interested in the people who enter the library, the lives of those who live in this area as well as what’s going on in the world beyond. Library staff must accomplish daily tasks, but we also try to visit with those who come in or call and we learn the names and interests of those we see regularly. If you like watching people, it’s the perfect job. We have patrons of all ages, backgrounds and futures. Moms and grandmothers bring in babies and toddlers for Story Time, husbands and wives visit to help each other access information online, teens and young adults search Facebook for messages from friends and children borrow books and movies to fill their summer hours.

Some visitors want to be left alone and barely say hello before moving directly to their task. Others stop and chat a while, checking on the latest books by their favorite writer, asking opinions on movies we may have seen, or just letting us know what they’ve been up to, or where they’re planning to go. It’s fun keeping up with everyone and we miss them when they don’t visit for a while.

While we offer many services, we can’t be everything to everyone, but we try to keep materials up-to-date and offer Interlibrary Loan services to patrons. We’re researching new software that allows cardholders Web access to materials available in the Southeast Kansas Library System. They could place a hold on books at other libraries, renew their books and movies and check to see what they have checked out and when they’re due. While there is a cost for this service, library board members feel online access would be a big advantage to patrons and they will soon decide whether to move forward with its purchase.

We have enjoyed the Summer Reading Program and have had a record number of children sign up this year. We’re celebrating the last week of the program with lake parties complete with a program, games and treats. You’ll hear more about them in an upcoming column. In the meantime, be sure to swing by to wish Miss Hannah well before she returns to school in early August. She’s had a lot of fun meeting many of you while working in the library and has really enjoyed working with the children. Since she hopes to go in to teaching, this has been a wonderful opportunity to practice some of her acquired skills. We wish her all the best in her endeavors beginning her student teaching this fall. We’ll miss you, Hannah!

It seems everywhere I go now, I visit bookstores, hear about books and run into other women who work in libraries. Maybe this happened all along and I wasn’t aware of it. I don’t know. This past Thursday evening I spent several hours wandering around Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Springfield, Missouri. I was amazed at the number of books they had. Not only was there a wide variety, but there were a considerable number in each genre. They carried all the latest books by everyone’s favorite authors and many lesser known books as well. They had gifts and a café and the place was so packed you couldn’t even find a seat in the reading area.

I spent Friday running errands, picking up a water cooler for the library and discovered some cool fold-up chairs for the young adult room. Friday night, I watched Winter’s Bone, a new movie adapted from a book by Missouri writer Daniel Woodrell. The film by the same name was shown in one of Springfield’s major theaters and interest was high since Woodrell lives in nearby West Plains, east of Springfield. The movie was based on characters in Christian and Taney counties, where poverty is prevalent and cooking meth is a survival tactic. Some local talent was utilized in the movie and it was filmed on location. After doing some online research about the writer, I discovered he’d graduated from University of Kansas and had also written Woe to Live On, from which the locally filmed movie, Ride with the Devil, was adapted. We have Ride with the Devil in the library, and I will order Winter’s Bone soon. It’s a fascinating, realistic look at the desperate lives of people who can’t seem to find a way out of their troubles.

On our way out of the theater we ran into a mutual friend’s son and his girlfriend. She works at a library in own, too. What were the odds!?

Saturday morning I visited the art museum in Springfield and spoke with the front desk attendant. I recognized her face but couldn’t remember where I’d met her. I asked where she worked and she said a library. “Which one?” I asked. “All of them,” she replied. She fills in wherever needed to cover for someone on vacation or who needs to take off a day or two. We talked about how many different skills we utilize working in the library.

Later I visited a new flea market and the clerk told me she worked as a school librarian. She loved libraries, she said, and I agreed. I couldn’t help but seek out old books in the various booths and picked up a few for my collection. Someday, I’d like to have room for a display case at the library to show off the collection. I began buying only old books in poor condition for craft projects. I figured I wouldn’t mind tearing them apart, but I haven’t been able to do that. So they’re piling up in a box awaiting their fate, and may never be ripped apart.

Finally, on the way out of town Sunday morning, I stopped in Panera Bread for an iced coffee. It’s connected to the Library Station, a northside library with a railroad theme. The library was about to open and one of the employees came in to say goodbye to the help. She was being transferred to the downtown library, being promoted from reference to youth services. I spoke briefly to her and wished her the best at her new task.

Maybe it was just coincidence, but it was fun to run across so many librarians in one weekend. It feels like a big family of women who love their jobs, their patrons and the materials they have to offer them. I couldn’t have a better job and appreciate the chance to serve the citizens of Pleasanton and the surrounding area. Thank you!

The library now has wifi access. We have four computers available for patron use, as well as a new laptop. Please remember that our computer use policy limits the time for patrons to 30 minutes, with a maximum of one hour. If you have a library card, you may be asked to show it so we can check for overdue materials. Computers shut down 10 minutes before closing.

The Board of Directors meetings are typically held on the third Wednesday of every month at 5:00 p.m. The next board meeting will be held Wednesday, August 18. The next meeting is the annual budget meeting, and is also posted in the Linn County News.

Lately, I’ve thought a lot about who uses the library and why. I hope to learn more through a short survey that will be distributed to area residents. The surveys will also be available in the library for those willing to take a couple of minutes to share their thoughts. While taxpayers in the Potosi township keep the doors to your library open, not all of them use the library. There are many reasons behind this. Perhaps they work during the hours we’re open, or they may be homebound due to their health or responsibilities. Whatever the reason, we hope to learn what we can do to encourage increased use of the library, expanding library offerings so more residents can visit or access materials. It would be difficult to feature a drive-up window, perhaps we could deliver items to your vehicle if called in advance.

During June we tallied 1,800 visitors to the library. Some of those counted entered more than once a day, but it means the library is a busy place. It helps that we have free public computers with Wi-Fi, the temperatures outside are pretty uncomfortable and the pool doesn’t open until noon. We’re glad the young people of Pleasanton have a place to gather and we know the first names of those who visit on a regular basis. I’m particularly proud of three young patrons, featured in this paper three weeks ago, who recently won the Cowboy Poetry Contest in Ft. Scott. I asked each of them to read their winning prose and was surprised at the complexity of their work. Local school librarian Paula Dickins encouraged students to enter the contest and admitted she didn’t give them long to complete the task.

So, why were those 1,800 visitors in the library last month? Well, 167 of them came for Story Time and crafts conducted by summer employee Hannah Smith. Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons are lively times in the library and we like seeing the smiling faces of so many little ones enjoying their summer. Our Summer Reading Program began June 1 and since then a record number of children’s books have been checked out. Young readers’ charts are filling with stamps indicating completed books. Summer reading will allow them to quickly pick up where they finished the previous school year.

Visitors of all ages drop in, newborn babies, students from elementary, middle and high school students, young adults, mothers and dads, grandmoms and granddads and a number of senior citizens. We enjoy seeing everyone who visits and try to provide answers to questions as well as materials they seek.

We provided 1,680 books, magazines and DVDs to our visitors last month. There were also 56 items ordered through Interlibrary Loan and delivered by courier. Items included newer materials, hard-to-find books and old movies. We also lend a selection of books that rotate from the district library in Iola and are replaced every other month. Among them is a great selection of fiction, large print, westerns as well as non-fiction and children’s books.

Our regular culling process puts different books on our sale rack on a monthly basis, and in June we sold over $115 of those to “shoppers” excited about the bargains. We offer a popular fax service for only $1.00 per page that allows patrons to quickly send or receive important documents. In addition, we offer copy service for 10 cents per page. The minimal charges help defray the cost of maintaining the equipment, and pay for ink cartridges and phone charges.

Why do you visit the library? Come in and tell us. We look forward to seeing you!

It may be too hot to do much outside this time of year, but inside the library there’s no shortage of activity. We’re halfway into our summer reading program, Make a Splash – Read! The children have been having a blast hearing Miss Hannah “Rose” Mermaid read stories of the sea and making water-related crafts. Why, somehow, we’ve even tied in laundry as a way to tell kids about water’s uses and they’ve colored paper clothes and clothespins to hang from a clothes line. We’ve recited water rhymes and even added song to the mix.

Things were hoppin’ just outside the library Friday night as Pleasanton High School celebrated their five-year reunion and the street was filled with happy faces greeting each other, and kids danced to the sounds of the live DJ. The library had a booth to sell soda, offer Fourth of July postcards to honor veterans and show off the architect’s drawing of the proposed renovation. We have plenty of cards left, so stop by the library to sign a few for veterans you know, or to anonymous veterans who would be very pleased to receive a message from a grateful citizen. We’ll package them up and send a bundle to Operation Gratitude, who distributes them to soldiers. You can read more about the organization at www.opgratitude.com.

Donations collected Friday night and in the future will go into a Capital Improvement Fund to be used one day to improve the library. In the meantime, changes are being made to enjoy the library as it is. The old paneled walls are being painted a sunny yellow and shelves are being relocated to open up the space as much as possible. A teen space is being developed where kids can gather, use their laptops, sit and visit, select a book or even listen to music. More changes are scheduled for that space, so watch for additions.

The children’s area has also seen some changes, with new paint and rugs. The older Story Time children visited one afternoon recently to create a seaside mural that features a mermaid reading a book. The mural will remain all summer, so come in and take a peek at the colorful painting.

You may have already read that the former book sale space was repurposed as a Quiet Zone for adults to use to sit and read newspapers and other publications, or use their laptops with the library’s public Wi-Fi connection. That room will see some additional changes as well, with new paint and carpet over the next month or two.

We continue to order new books and movies and are always open to suggestions from our patrons. We want to make the library your destination for information and entertainment, so let us know what you’d like to see in your library. Would you like a Wii, a game night, or a book club? Would you like to have a movie night, or a monthly craft gathering? We’re open to ideas, whether they have to do with activities or the use of the space.

We may be small but we’re packed with great books, magazines and movies. Best of all, we have some great visitors to our library and consider it a terrific resource in Pleasanton. Visit us soon to watch the changes, get excited and join Friends of the Library, or let us know what you’d like to see next.