Chapter 18, Winter 2021
OPEN BOOK The Boulder Public Library Staff Newsletter
In This Issue 2 Message from Monnie 3 New Faces at BPL! 8 Carnegie Cache: Holiday Celebrations 10 Artists' Corner: Staff Showcase 11 Stats in the Stacks: YNGR + Staff Picks 12 Staff Day 2021 in Pictures 14 Volunteer Spotlight: Anne Burke 15 Tim Talks: Getting Back to "Yes" 16 Shine a Light on BoulderReads 17 2021 Training Takeaways 19 Service Milestones
All Open Book content is part of the public record.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tzu
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 A Message from Monnie Monnie Nilsson, Editor and Branch Manager - Meadows Goodbye 2021, hello 2022! A lot has happened this year, and lot is about to change at BPL. We’re close to roaring back to full service at all locations with a whole bunch of new staff. Hold on to your hats, team! There are a lot of new beginnings on the horizon: new hours, newly re-opened locations, new faces and new offerings. It's been a long time coming, and it's finally here. Let's take just a second to recognize and acknowledge the incredible amount of work that has gone into making all of these changes possible. Planning, pivoting, hiring, training, learning, and working, working, working! We are all feeling it! We’ve accomplished so much toward these upcoming changes. Congratulations on all of your wonderful work over the last 20 months. Here we come, 2022! Cheers!
Call for Contributors! The Open Book Team is looking for NEW members for ALL roles! Please email Monnie if you would like to participate!
Happy Holidays & Cheers to the New Year!
nilssonm@boulderlibrary.org
Open Book Team Katherine Bertone Christine Burke Nicole Docimo Julian Ingram Monnie Nilsson
2
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
New Faces: Welcome Our New Members to the BPL Family! Please welcome these new Boulder Public Library staff members to our team! These new colleagues work in various locations and bring a host of wonderful skills and talents to our midst.
Hannah Parris - Library Specialist at Main After growing up in North Carolina and moving around to 8 different states, I've been in Colorado for a little over 10 years now and love it! I live in Louisville with my husband Zach and our 5-year-old daughter Zelma. I've worked in lots of different types of libraries, most recently as a librarian in Denver Public Library's Western History & Genealogy Collection. I'm a historic preservation enthusiast, and enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, reading, sewing, and dance parties with my family. I'm excited to be part of BPL!
Jessica Villanueva Puentes - Materials Handler at Main Hi, I’m Jessica! You might recognize me as the materials handler with a fiery head of hair. I am so pleased to be a member of the amazing team at the Boulder Public Library! I graduated in May of 2021 with a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. Throughout the course of my undergrad, I focused heavily on nonprofit marketing. As the secretary of the UNCO Marketing Club, I had the amazing opportunity of working with varying nonprofits in Northern Colorado. Postgrad I decided to veer into the world of libraries because I value accessible information and resources for the community. When I’m not in the library steadily shelving or paging, I am most likely at a concert, watching a movie, reading nonfiction (memoirs or essays), or learning something new (most recent quest: learning how to code using Python.)
3
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Vladimir Flores-García - Materials Handler at Main Pienso cantinfleando. My philosophy is a complex system with a wacky glitch: first I try to dream in colors and then I draw while I'm thinking, or vice versa; I go through life collecting sounds to invent anthropological classifications to create audiovisual handicrafts. Mi planeta parece espejo humeante. I have almost religious devotion for acoustic communication and my passion is to remix the symbols of Latin American mythology with Astronomy and Science Fiction to produce a radio magazine. Since my first adolescence I have been building a literary pantheon where I confabulate with Cortázar, Atwood, Neruda, Le Guin, Bradbury, Asimov, Sábato, Murakami, Jodorowsky, Orwell, Borges and many writers of the global south diaspora. Amorcito corazón. My truthful gratefulness to all the public schools and college movie clubs and radio stations and public libraries and community cultural centers for modeling my hypermodern taste focused on decolonial aesthetics. Thanks to that today I can speak in two languages and read in three or four. I confess that I learned English listening to Rock & Roll, and I seriously believe you can learn Spanish listening to Tecnocumbia or reading Chicano poetry. Despierta, estas son las mañanitas. Every night before going to sleep I think that if white is the sum of all the colors, the future of human civilization is black as the night and brown as the color of the soil.
4
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Britt-Marie Varisco - Materials Handler at Main Hi, I'm Britt-Marie. I was a substitute Materials Handler for a little while and am so happy to be here more often! I have lived in Colorado for 4 years and Nebraska, California, and Maryland before this. I have a degree in Spanish & International Studies and have worked in many different areas. Some of my favorite work has been with immigrant communities, preschoolers, and learning cheese-making on a small farm. I dance Argentine tango, spend time with my partner and cat, and enjoy music, film, reading and gardening. I am trying to learn how to sew.
Ashley Pfeiffer – Branch Library Speciallist at GRB Hi, I'm Ashley! I'm a lifelong lover of libraries, and I still remember getting my first library card when I was five years old—I still have it! I'm thrilled to be joining the team as a Library Coordinator at GRB, fulfilling a lifelong dream of helping patrons in a library setting. In my free time, I love to quilt and bake, as well as hike and explore with my family.
Nicole Ball – Branch Library Specialist at GRB Hi BPL! As a native Coloradan, I've spent as much time as possible in BPL and nearby libraries as a patron, volunteer, and substitute. After earning my MLS in 2015, I worked as a patron services associate at the Golden Public Library, where I was known for celebrating Pi Day with math-y crafts and lots of pie. I love how libraries support lifelong learning, and I'm really happy to be part of BPL, which has so many programs I admire like BoulderReads, CSED, and the many discussion groups. I live here in Boulder with my husband, two teens, and two kitties. When I'm not at the library, I enjoy hiking and biking, cooking projects, and crafts.
5
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Cassie Hickman - Branch Librarian at Meadows Cassie Hickman is a Boulder native. She received her BS in Journalism & Mass Communication (Creative Advertising Concentration), and a Minor in Technology, Arts, and Media from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She moved to New York to attend Pratt Institute, where she received an MSLIS. and an MFA. in Digital Arts. Cassie worked as a librarian at Brooklyn Public Library for the past five years. She is excited to return home to Boulder and join the Meadows Branch team.
Rebecca Doyle – Branch Library Specialist at Meadows Hi everyone! I’m Rebecca and I’m so excited to be joining you all here at Boulder Public Library. I am originally from Loudoun County, Virginia, which is about 40 miles west of Washington, DC. Since earning my MLIS from Syracuse University in 2012, I’ve worked for Loudoun County Public Library as a circulation aide, teen librarian and adult librarian. Although I helped out in the children’s department often, I’m glad that I’ll be able to start doing regular storytimes here at the Meadows Branch since early literacy is so important—and fun! I moved to Broomfield this past August with my husband and three cats. We came to Colorado for the mountains and the craft beer scene. I love hiking and rock climbing, and I’ve already been able to do some incredibly beautiful hikes in the area. In my spare time I also enjoy cooking, painting and, of course, reading. My favorite genres are fantasy and science fiction, though I’m always ready to explore a new title with a good recommendation.
6
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Cosmo Wright – Materials Handler at Meadows Cosmo Wright is an alumnus of CU Boulder, where he majored in Jazz Studies on piano and completed a certificate in Music Technology, graduating with highest honors. While attending CU, Cosmo worked as a library student assistant at Norlin Library and as a stage manager and recording assistant for the CU Boulder College of Music, where he helped to put on and record student and faculty performances. In his free time Cosmo can be found playing the piano or looking for dogs to pet.
Leo Trevino-Martinez - Materials Handler at Meadows Hello everyone! I was born and raised in a small city in south Texas called McAllen, and moved to Monterrey, Mexico after I graduated high school. In Monterrey, I discovered a passion for the outdoors, and began hiking and backpacking through the rivers and peaks of the gorgeous Sierra Madre Oriental. I also played in a band and recorded some songs, which I recently released under the pseudonym Pink Mountain Sun. Music and outdoors are pretty much my only personality traits so if you see me at a concert, or on the mountain, come up and say hello! Looking forward to meeting and working with y’all!
Editor’s note:
As you all know, there have been many staff additions in the last few months, and hiring has been ongoing. With that in mind, please note that there are inevitably a few new faces whose bios aren’t listed here in this edition due to Open Book’s inclusion deadlines and production requirements. We will welcome them in the next edition. Until then, welcome one and all!
7
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Carnegie Cache: Holiday Celebrations in Boulder Nicole Docimo, Archivist - Carnegie Library Pull out your holiday sweaters, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy this stroll down memory lane of holiday celebrations in Boulder.
Children at a Christmas party in an unidentified ballroom. Photo by Ed Tangen, believed to date circa 1927. From Carnegie Library for Local History (call# 622-1-1)
Hotel Boulderado 1929 New Year’s Eve menu, from Museum of Boulder collection at Carnegie Library (call# 254-4-6)
Children meeting Santa Claus, 1960. From Museum of Boulder collection at Carnegie Library (call# 222-2-43 photo 2) 8
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 History of Twelfth Night According to a 1977 Daily Camera article by Jane Barker, in 1939 the city of Boulder held its first Twelfth Night celebration. In early January, city trucks gathered up discarded Christmas trees and brought them to the bonfire site “near the railroad tracks on 9th Street between Walnut and Arapahoe.” On the night of January 6, Boulderites turned up to celebrate with music and the culmination of the evening: a huge bonfire. I have been unable to find information about the exact year of the last bonfire, but by 1977 the tradition had stopped due to city regulations, although Twelfth Night celebrations are said to have continued.
1938 Twelfth Night bonfire from Museum of Boulder collection at Carnegie Library (call# 222-2-6)
History of the Flagstaff Star
1950-1951 photograph of the Flagstaff Star by Clint O. Dumm. Photo from Museum of Boulder collection at Carnegie Library (call# 129-10-49)
The Flagstaff Star was lit for the first time on December 22, 1947. According to a 1996 Boulder Planet article by Silvia Pettem, “[The star was] originally erected by the Chamber of Commerce as a symbol of the birth of the Christ child.” The idea first came in 1933 when people from Boulder admired a similar star near the town of Palmer Lake north of Colorado Springs. At the time no electricity reached Flagstaff Mountain, and then World War II further delayed plans. After the war, Public Service employees ran power lines up Flagstaff Mountain, and the star became a reality. The star has survived controversy over religious symbolism and vandalism, but ultimately has continued as a Boulder tradition.
9
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Left: The Reeves-Morrison family at Thanksgiving dinner, circa 1960. Individuals are identified as (l-r) George Morrison Sr., Caleb Allen, Trudi Michelle Morrison-Saunders (young girl), Reona Allen (standing, middle), Cleora Reeves, Willa May Morrison (seated), George Morrison Jr., Vicki Jeanne Morrison-Sloan, Cleora's cousin - name not given, Marian May Morrison-Robinson, and a daughter of George and Willa May Morrison. From Charles Nilon collection at Carnegie Library (call# 756-2-30)
Artists' Corner: An Upcoming Showcase of Staff Talents Katherine Bertone, Materials Handling Supervisor Get out your paints, pencils, knitting needles. The staff art show is coming in 2022, and all creators—novice to master—are welcome! The driving force behind the show is Main Materials Handler and seasoned artist Linda Mohling who, like so many, struggles to find time for creating in this stage of life. While kids, house, parents, and patrons all demand attention, Linda’s studio waits patiently. And Linda can only wonder when she might once again spend a bit of time with her jewelry-making tools or her kiln. What a gift it is, then, that Linda has taken on this project for all of us. The show is, in some ways, the legacy of former staffer Dave Gonzalez who talked art frequently in the book drop and hosted Sunday “crafternoons” for anyone who wanted to get together, chew the fat, and make stuff. Dave had experience setting up a staff art show at his former library in Pennsylvania and found plenty of receptiveness to the idea here.
The 2022 staff art show may give us a look at some of Linda M.’s ceramic creations, such as these totems. Photo credit: Linda Mohling.
10
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 But it was, ultimately, Linda who applied for a 2022 exhibition slot through Programs, Events, and Outreach and is making it happen. Of course, our love of collaboration means one must have partners in crime for an undertaking such as this. Luckily coworkers Tim Novak, Renate Marie, and Lara Hnizdo are similarly passionate about the arts and their fellow staff. They’re pooling their time and know-how to make this a smooth success. Linda’s particular—and very cool—vision for the show is that it will demonstrate to viewers how the library’s collections can fuel artistic creation. Alongside each entry will be a photo of the library item that somehow inspired the work, including a call number and short description of the connection between the work and item. Linda and Tim stress that they are hoping for a wide variety of submissions (a “smorgasbord” of both 2- and 3D works) from staff across all library workgroups. And please don’t be deterred if you’re a beginner! Works from creators at all stages of development will enrich the show. The show won’t go up along the south ramp at Main until after summer of 2022, so you have plenty of time to explore our collections, experiment, and have fun! Reach out to Linda if you have questions. And remember to use only personal time to work on your contributions, as the show is officially an outside endeavor. By the way, if you can’t wait so long to enjoy your colleagues’ creations, you’re in luck! The Continuous Line, featuring staff contributions transformed into black and white screen prints by Renate M., is coming to the library in March!
h t e S n i t a s t c a k t S Staff Picks & s Your Next Great Read
263
# of requests through Your Next Great Read on Instagram and Facebook, as of 12/9/21
# of requests submitted via Instagram
138
125
# of requests submitted via Facebook
# of personalized reading lists requested through Your Next Great Read webform
197
# of Staff Picks submitted in 2021 so far!
# of adults/teen books submitted as Staff Picks
57
93
140
# of children's books submitted as Staff Picks 22
f f a St
1 2 0 2 y Da
the e e s o t e Click her os t o h p f o ion t c e l l o c l l fu 21 0 2 y a D f of Staf
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Volunteer Spotlight: Anne Burke Christine Burke, Volunteer Services & BoulderReads Specialist
She enjoys picking out items for her patron who likes audiobook: “I usually pick out contemporary titles; he’s interested in politics, music, and contemporary affairs. He likes to read the 'New York Times Book Review' and sometimes gets ideas of titles from there.” When asked if anything has surprised her about volunteering with Home Delivery, she said, “Well, I never expected to get to know one of my patrons as well as I do. We’ve become good friends; we talk on the phone and take walks every so often. And I wouldn’t have gotten to know her if it weren’t for this program. It was also a surprise to me that there is a necessity for this sort of program.” Anne says it’s a pleasure to help with Home Delivery, and that it’s also easy to do. She says she knows her patrons “appreciate getting books on a regular basis, and especially now during the pandemic, some people have a lot of time to read,” so she knows it’s particularly important to provide this service.
Anne Burke has been a volunteer with the Home Delivery program at the library for nearly three years, providing delivery and service to two different patrons. She first learned of the program from an article in the Daily Camera about Home Delivery. Anne loves reading and visits the library a good bit, so when she read the article, and was wanting to do some volunteer work, this seemed like a good fit! One of her patrons is an “omnivorous reader,” Anne explained, and Anne delivers one to three books to her every week. Her second patron prefers audiobooks, and Anne selects 2-3 audiobooks to deliver every couple of weeks.
When Anne isn’t volunteering with Home Delivery, she loves filling her time with lots of reading (of course!), needlework, and practicing yoga multiple times a week. She’s also part of a book club which she enjoys. She is retired from a rewarding career in academia, working in Student Affairs at a university. Anne loves Boulder and has loved the opportunity through the Home Delivery program to build connections with members of the community whom she might not have known otherwise. Of course, that’s the goal of the program—to increase access to the public library and to foster stronger connections across our community. Thank, you Anne! 14
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Tim Talks: Getting Back to "Yes" Tim McClelland - Patron Services Manager 2022 is fast approaching and with it will come a few welcome changes. Beginning on Monday, January 3rd, BPL will extend operating hours at Main, Meadows, Reynolds, and NoBo! This includes opening again at 10am on Fridays (at Main, MDWS, & GRB) and Saturdays (all branches), which has been the most common request from the community for expanded hours. While still not at the operating hours from 2019, we expect patrons will welcome these additional hours to access our services. The other exciting addition is the return of the Flatirons Library Consortium to Prospector! Beth Gallinger will flip the switch to allow Prospector requests from our patrons on the morning of January 3rd. FLC items were never removed from the Prospector catalog, so we do not foresee any major obstacles, but to be safe, you can tell patrons they should be able to resume Prospector requests sometime during the first week of January. Most of you know that patrons (and staff!) have been clamoring for the return of this service, so we will likely have some eager early adopters.
Customer Service Philosophy says that “we strive to consistently exceed every customer’s expectations” and constantly having to tell patrons “No, sorry, you can’t get that book” or “No, the library doesn’t open until noon on Saturdays” is tiring and trying and we recognize the burden that placed on staff over the past two years. Librarians traditionally have acted in a gatekeeper role, protecting the collection and information, but in the modern library, we have quickly adapted to something like a tour guide along for an unpredictable ride. Staff may not have all the answers, but we can usually get the patron to the information destination (sometimes with a few detours). Unfortunately, COVID health restrictions and the related budget shortages forced us back into our traditional gatekeeper masks (literally and figuratively). While our role in enforcing health guidelines, specifically masks, are likely to be with us until at least the springtime, we hope the return of Prospector and the expanded hours are a step in the right direction as we continue to inch back to our pre-pandemic service levels. We are excited to again empower staff to fulfill the Customer Service Philosophy by finding creative ways to say “Yes.” We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity!
The PS Managers hope these changes put staff in a position to fulfill patron requests more frequently and increase positive interactions with our users. Formally, our BPL
15
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Shine a Light on BoulderReads Karen Bowen, BoulderReads Coordinator, and Christine Burke, BoulderReads & Volunteer Services Specialist One of our learners once famously (and publicly) referred to BoulderReads as “where you go when your stuff is all fouled up” (edited for language). We are the adult language & literacy program of BPL, serving the community since 1987. Our core services are one-on-one tutoring, Conversations in English groups, the Career Online High School, and Reading Buddies (currently under construction). We recruit volunteer tutors, train them, and place them with adult learners, supporting them as they go with curriculum and professional development. Annually, we serve 50-80 adult learners with tutoring, assisting with everything from basic literacy skills to college placement exams. The Career Online High School provides adult learners the chance to go back to school and earn a high school diploma. Our Conversations in English groups have 10 sessions across 6 days a week on Zoom, and offer a casual, friendly environment for English language learners to practice together. Our learners have started businesses, gone on to college, bought their first homes, and passed GED tests. We document their stories in our annual magazine, Discoveries, which can be found on our website. We’re also collaborating with the Maria Rogers Oral History Program at Carnegie to
document the history of this extraordinary program. BoulderReads staff are happy to help with questions about resources for high school equivalency, English as a second language and citizenship help, and various other ways to get your stuff unfouled. You can find us, our computer lab, print literacy collection, and two private tutoring rooms upstairs in the North building. Exciting announcements: we will launch a new GED partnership in January and hold evening classes four nights a week!
Karen Bowen at the 2018 BoulderReads Learner Celebration.
16
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
2021 Training Takeaways Compiled by Christine Burke, Library Specialist Volunteer Services & BoulderReads Each Boulder Public Library staff member has opportunities to pursue professional development throughout the year. We asked you what you learned in different trainings recently. Here’s what we shared:
ler w o F Stella d CLEL e d n ce. e n t e r at e nf o C ou l Y a : s u i n ay An w e r a ' e u k o a y "My t d even if nal io ea t l i d n a a c tr ." a n o i n i t i not ship pos r leade Kate Dire Kelsch c Agen tors of attended conf cies (DO Volunte the ers e VIA) prac rence. Colo in In a ticin ra good g empat session do hy, re impo it wa on rtan minder ce o with of t s a f he o u c r vo gett lunte onnectin ing g e to k work now rs, real ing ly t t from o solve hem, an d c ha th pers e volunt llenges pect ive. eer
Terzah Be cker has re viewed the online train in The Homele g materials from ss Library Ac "The Home less Library ademy. Ac Core Train ing has alr ademy's ea a differenc e in how I in dy made te these patr ons. I so ap ract with preciate it !"
Amanda Bender recently completed a professional development course on the Fundamentals of Cataloging. "One of the messages that resonated with me is this quote from Charles Cutter: 'The convenience of the public is always to be set before the ease of the cataloger.' Although Cutter is referring specifically to cataloging, I think his message reflects the spirit of our library’s mission: to strengthen our community by serving our patrons, even when it isn’t easy for us." 17
Chapter 18, Winter 2021 Monnie Nilsson attended: Resilient Together: School and Public Library Partnerships: "I learned that there are many, many scenarios for partnerships between public schools and libraries – they can be simple or wide-ranging. I also learned that the success of partnerships is often dependent on a variety of factors: the commitment of the people involved; the quality of relationship that is built; the difference in organizational size between the partner entities (closer to equal makes partnering easier); the geographical overlap of the partner entities; how well-conceived the partnership details are, and how well they are communicated to all participants; the experience and expertise of the partners (and partnership planners) involved; and the budgets of the partnering organizations (among other factors). I left with the understanding that there are many avenues of opportunity, and many library systems and colleagues willing to share their experience, but that there are also many factors that should be considered and defined prior to entering into partnership agreements to ensure successful outcomes." omen W e h t ded from the n e t t a e berg onferenc ociation. m l o C H s g Lisa hnology ology As inspirin c n d n in Te ado Tech citing an ing i o d e r Colo s very ex omen ar Having w a . "It w all work chnology he e t te to se field of ttended with the the lready a raining o t a ing t t n s o e i r s te a res oagg ound it in aining in s r c i m wa If r tr city, d simila nment. I are e atten nt enviro ow peopl d e an e r h r a e h f h t f s i di w o ssed willing t ject." e r p im more this sub g n i grow learn on
Christine Burke atte nded the Directors of Volunteers in Agenci es (DOVIA) Colorado conference. In a sess ion called "Finding th e Fit," the facilitator talked about the importance of screen ing volunteers. "My takeaway is that ha ving an application an d screening process, al though more timeconsuming, can be hu gely beneficial to th e library program in the long run. If you are working with ongoin g, long-term volunteers, it’s wor th taking time to ge t to learn more abou t them upfront and making a good prog ram match."
18
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Alyssa Setia Programs, Events, and Outreach | Graphic Designer
Brett Keniston Collection Development | Librarian
Celia Seaton Library Admin | Specialist
Jaime Kopke Programs, Events, and Outreach | Manager 19
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Kate Kelsch (with son) Volunteer Services Manager
Nicole Docimo (with Boulder's first librarian, Clara Savory!) Carnegie Library for Local History | Archivist
Mandy Vink Arts and Culture | Arts Program Manager
Tim McClelland (and family) Patron Services Manager 20
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Lisa Holmberg - 10 years eServices | Webmaster
Leanne Slater - 15 years Youth Services | Teen Librarian
Katherine Bertone (and kids) - 15 years Materials Handling Supervisor
Alice Eccles (and fur baby) - 15 years Youth Services Specialist 21
Chapter 18, Winter 2021
Gina Scioscia Collection Development Librarian
Neel Welandagoda (and daughter) Patron Services | Library Specialist
Call for Contributors! The Open Book Team is looking for NEW members for all positions! Please email Monnie if you would like to participate! nilssonm@boulderlibrary.org (And a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to the current Open Book Team!)
22
THANK YOU FOR READING.
Share your feedback: nilssonm@boulderlibrary.org