Batavia Public Library Viva Batavia! Fare Thee Well

Iam proud to have served as only the eighth director since the Batavia Public Library was organized in April 1882. Yet it is now my bittersweet duty to wish you, my friends, neighbors and colleagues, a fond farewell as I plan to retire from my position as director, effective Thursday, June 1, after nearly 18½ years of service.

I am grateful to have worked with so many talented colleagues, who demonstrate, every day, their passion for and commitment to the hightech, high-touch culture of the incomparable Batavia Public Library and the community it serves. They are responsible for the Library’s outstanding success.

When Batavians visit their outstanding, worldclass public library, they receive friendly service in a welcoming place, encouraging them to widen their minds and kindle their spirits. Batavia Public Library is a key element of Batavia’s quality of life, one of Batavia’s premier cultural centers, and the heart of the community.

The depth and breadth of talent and energy throughout the Library’s organization, its affiliated groups, and the Batavia community proved even more impressive than I ever could have imagined, and operated as a source of support, comfort and inspiration throughout my tenure in Batavia.

I am grateful to actively participate in Batavia’s vibrant community outside the Library as a supporter of Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, a life member of the Batavia Historical Society, the founder of the Batavia Arts Council, and a past president of the Rotary Club of Batavia.

While you may, one day, remember me for my interest in Batavia’s history, I am delighted by the unprecedented success of three prominent, public initiatives affiliated with the Library.

• PechaKucha Night, which I brought to Batavia in 2015, and which is presented by Batavia Public Library and Batavia Park District.

• “The Year of Mark Twain in Batavia” (2019), a year-long, collaborative, community-wide celebration in honor of the sesquicentenary of Samuel L. Clemens’ 1869 visit to Batavia.

• Bulldogs Unleashed, which I proposed to the Batavia Public Library Foundation in 2010 as a community event and fundraising project.

I am particularly proud of fostering a culture of service and teamwork within the Library’s organization, strengthening the Library’s financial position, expanding the Library’s visibility in and engagement with the community we love, expanding its leadership role in community affairs, and encouraging community partnerships. I am grateful to the seven members of the current Board of Library Trustees, as well as the 18 other Trustees with whom I have worked, for giving me the glorious opportunity to advance the Library’s mission and contribute to the Library’s growth, development and success. I wish the Batavia Public Library a bright and triumphant future!

GEORGE H. SCHEETZ Director

Marianne E. Fasano, Secretary

Jennifer M. Culotta, Treasurer

Andrew R. Deitchman

Christy L. Ford

Kathryn L. Hubbard

Under the Cupola

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LIBRARY,” PART 2

This column concludes my survey of "The Five Laws of Library Science" (1931), a groundbreaking work, which outlined a set of principles that has become a guiding code among professional librarians.

THIRD LAW: EVERY BOOK ITS READER

The Third Law, which I introduced in my previous column, led to the groundbreaking idea that, if a book is not being used, it often needs exposure to readers who will find it useful. Well-considered publicity is necessary for a public library, so that the public may know of its existence and understand the varied services it offers. Yet the mechanical organization of a library must never culminate in dispensing with personal service. Finding “Every Book Its Reader” will always require the human element — in this case, reference librarians, whose business is to interpret books to readers and canvass readers, so to speak, for books. Has your book found you today?

FOURTH LAW: SAVE THE TIME OF THE READER

This law is responsible for many reforms in library administration. The Fourth Law is all about saving time and almost completely centers around library users. Saving time for users means providing efficient, thorough access to materials. There are two equally important ways to find materials in a library: Browse the collection, which requires open access to the bookstacks, or use the catalogue. Important details such as shelf arrangement, which should be inviting and reasonably obvious, and rangeend signs save valuable time, even though they may appear trivial to the casual observer. Other efforts to save patrons’ time include analytical cross-references in the online public-access catalog (OPAC) and indexes to magazines and newspapers.

Student Volunteers Needed

The Youth Services Department is accepting applications for a limited number of volunteers this summer. Batavia students who are entering grades 6-9 are invited to apply to be a weekly volunteer or Book Buddy volunteer. Weekly volunteers will be scheduled for one hour per week during one of two volunteer sessions. They may be asked to straighten shelves, make copies, prepare crafts or other projects, or help with a program.

Book Buddy volunteers will assist early readers in grades 1-3 practice their reading skills during a one-hour, scheduled reading session.

Students interested in volunteering may pick up an application at the Youth Services Desk or print a copy from the Library’s website. Application deadline is Thursday, May 18. A limited number of volunteer openings are available. Scheduling will be based on the date your application is returned to the Youth Services Department.

Technology has changed for the better how libraries charge and discharge materials. Adequate staffing, a good geographical location for the library, and plenty of free parking will “Save the Time of the Reader,” as will an easy-to-use website and convenient hours of operation. Every aspect of a library’s rules and regulations should be developed with the users’ needs in mind.

Let us help you save time today.

FIFTH LAW: A LIBRARY IS A GROWING ORGANISM

If you have lived in Batavia since the late 1970s, then you have witnessed your Library as a growing organism. As a direct consequence of Batavia’s growth over the past 40-plus years, Batavia Public Library has grown in terms of its collections, employees, and patrons — and outgrew two buildings in that time. A modern library is a trinity of these factors: materials, staff members and users. Any two without the third cannot constitute a library. Libraries grow and change, and always will do so. In the face of technological change, libraries continue to grow and change — and endure. The library captures an essential meaning that is timeless. The vital principle — the spirit — of the library is that it is an instrument of universal education, and assembles and freely distributes all the tools of education, disseminating knowledge with their aid.

Let us change your life today.

GEORGE H. SCHEETZ Director

• 2-4 p.m. Library Founders Room

FRIENDS’ BOOK SALES

The Friends of the Batavia Public Library will host its monthly Book Sale from 9:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, in the FriendSpace. The FriendSpace is located on the Library’s lower level. The Friends will not host a Book Sale in June.