The Laker/Lutz News

American Library Association

Show your local library some love

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Libraries provide so much more than a place to borrow a book, music and movies — they also provide a place to do research, a quiet space to study, exhibit art displays for local artists, provide hands-on activities and offer preservation services. These institutions are celebrated in February, designated as National Library Lover’s Month.

Libraries offer a variety of services. Check out a book, music or a movie, or take part in arts and crafts or virtual story times. Staff members of The Laker/Lutz News delve into some books and newspapers — just a small sampling of the types of materials that can be found at the local library. From left: Kelli Carmack, Diane Kortus, Mary Rathman and Katie Fernandez. (Kelli Carmack)

There are 9,225 public libraries across the United States, though may states have seen library closings, according to the American Library Association.

A struggling economy has cost libraries some funding, as some municipalities cannot afford to keep libraries open, while other establishments are taking steps to make libraries more popular in the digital age.

Many libraries have increased their offerings beyond traditional books to include free music and e-Book downloads, and free wireless internet connectivity. Services also can include hosting club meetings, increasing children’s programs, and offering DIY curbside-pickup crafts and virtual story times.

Here are several ways patrons can contribute to their local libraries:

  • Nominate your library as your community, school or corporate organization’s project for the year.
  • Buy your library a subscription to a popular magazine.
  • Honor a friend or relative’s birthday with a book for the library.
  • Donate a book (or a whole shelf of books) to the Friends of the Library book sale.
  • Remember your library in your estate planning.
  • Donate to your library’s foundation/friends group.
  • Give to the library through a company matching program for charitable giving.
  • Give the gift of a library card to a friend or loved one.
  • Volunteer to read stories to children or help with library visits, or to work at the library bookstore or book sale.
  • Attend local government meetings to urge city and county legislators to invest in libraries as a vital community resource and a necessary public service.

Pasco County libraries in The Laker coverage area include:

  • Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., Dade City. Call 352-567-3576.
  • Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway. Call 813-929-1214
  • New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Wesley Chapel (currently closed for renovations). Call 813-788-6375.
  • Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eight St. Call 813-780-0064.

In Hillsborough County, libraries in the newspaper’s coverage area are:

  • Austin Davis Public Library, 17808 Wayne Road, Odessa.
  • Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave.
  • Lutz Branch Library, 101 Lutz-Lake Fern Road (temporarily closed)
  • New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd.

Contact Hillsborough libraries by calling 813-273-3652.

It’s never too early to learn code

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Story time happens every week at New River Branch Library, but the program on Dec. 5 was particularly special because the library was one of 250 public libraries across the country to receive a grant from the American Library Association’s  ‘Libraries Ready to Code’ initiative.

After listening to Ms. Judy (Judy Curran) read two tech-inspired books during story time, 18-month-old Ava Edouard, of Wesley Chapel, sets her attention on the New River Branch Library’s newest piece of technology, a Fisher Price Code-A-Pillar. (Christine Holtzman)

The initiative, sponsored by Google, aims to help implement and plan coding activities during Computer Science Education Week.

The grant allowed the library to purchase a toy called a Code-A-Pillar by Fisher Price, which can be used to teach young children the basics of computer coding.

In recognition of Computer Science Week, the library, at 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, also set up coding stations, robots, crafts and cool projects throughout the week to teach toddlers to teens about computer science.

By Christine Holtzman

 

Judy Curran, the New River Branch Library’s Youth Services Provider, far right, adds another segment of code to the Code-A-Pillar’s body as children and parents watch to see what command the Code-A-Pillar performs next. Code-A-Pillar’s commands on each body segment are picture-based, providing an intuitive way for children to learn the basics of computer coding. The children, from left: 2-year-old Madison Kidd, of Zephyrhills; 1-year-old Astrid Banks, of Wesley Chapel; 3-year-old Austin Banks, of Wesley Chapel; 2-year-old Emma Maxwell, of Wesley Chapel; and, 2-year-old Penda Pavon, of Zephyrhills. The adults in the back, from left: Kathy Doss (Emma Maxwell’s grandmother) and Elisa Kidd (Madison Kidd’s mother).
Judy Curran, the Youth Services Provider at the New River Branch Library, gets a high-five from 2-year-old Emma Maxwell, of Wesley Chapel, at the beginning of Story Time with Ms. Judy, also known as Judy Curran, on Dec. 5.

 

Sign up for lifelong learning

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September is Library Card Signup Month, a time when the American Library Association and libraries nationwide remind parents, caregivers and students that signing up for a library card can be the first step toward academic achievement and lifelong learning.

And, now is an especially good time to get a Pasco County library card as the library launches new services for residents.

The Pasco County Library System now has four new offerings, including two streaming media services, as well as wireless printing and Wi-Fi hotspots.

“We’re excited to continue to offer our patrons these premier streaming media services,” Bob Harrison, public communications specialist for the libraries, said in a news release.

New services include:

  • Freegal: free music service offering access to more than 15 million songs. Users can download up to three songs per week, free of charge, and stream up to three hours of music per day.
  • Kanopy: streaming movie service offering more than 30,000 feature films, independent films, foreign cinema, documentaries and kids’ movies. Movies also can be streamed at no cost.
  • Wireless printing and print-from-anywhere: Print from smartphones and tablets, or from a home computer or laptop. The cost is 10 cents per page for black-and-white, or 25 cents per page for color.
  • Internet-on-the-Go: Borrow a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to three weeks. The 4G LTE device is easy to set up, and can connect multiple devices, including laptops, gaming consoles and more.

All library services are available at no cost with a Pasco County library card, free at any branch.

Published September 5, 2018

Innovation yields national award for Saint Leo University

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Two librarians at the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library at Saint Leo University have received national recognition for an innovative program they created.

Jackie Bryan and Elana Karshmer recently returned from the American Library Association’s national conference in Las Vegas where they received the inaugural award for innovation in instructional programming.

Jackie Bryan, left, and Elana Karshmer recently received a national award for their innovative approach for teaching university students how to use the resources available at the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library at Saint Leo University. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Jackie Bryan, left, and Elana Karshmer recently received a national award for their innovative approach for teaching university students how to use the resources available at the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library at Saint Leo University.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The award stems from a program the pair put together to help students effectively navigate the university’s library, learn about its resources, and meet its staff. They based it on the 1960s television series “Mission Impossible,” Karshmer said.

They called their project, “Mission Impossible: Free Fritz.”

“The whole point of this mission in the library was to go to different stations that we set up where they would actually practice information literacy skills, and then if they successfully completed those skills, they would get a letter,” Karshmer explained.

When they obtained enough letters to spell a particular word, it would free Fritz, Saint Leo’s mascot.

As students made their way through the stations, they completed challenges and had a chance to have fun, intended to reinforce the lesson they learned. In the upstairs stacks, for instance, students had to find a book. Once they found it, they hula-hooped, to reinforce the idea that the volume came from the library’s circulating collection.

The librarians conducted research and borrowed ideas from other places when they were creating their program, said Bryan, who is a reference and instructional services librarian as well as an associate professor.

“Gamification is a trend now in higher ed,” she said.

“A lot of these things are out of (kindergarten through 12th grade). They’ve been doing it forever,” said Karshmer, an instruction program and information literary librarian, as well as an associate professor.

It took several weeks to design the program, which included a number of games and a pair of videos. One video explained what the students would be doing in the library. The other covered the research process.

After watching the video about research, students visited the library and used the catalog, the databases and the library website.

The project reflects the university’s desire to help students get the best use of the university’s resources, Bryan said. Learning how to use the library when they start college helps give them a solid footing.

“It really sets the foundation for the rest of their academic career,” she said. “They may think they know how to find information, but there are so many skills that we can teach them to help find the correct information they need and how to evaluate it, as well.”

It can also help transfer skills to other subjects. Students who learn how to use a database for English, for instance, can apply those same skills for research in other disciplines.

Those skills are valuable beyond college, Bryan added.

“Say you’re doing a project for some company you’re working for, and you have access to the public library. These are still skills you can use,” Karshmer said. “And, you’ll want to use them because people are going to expect you to be able to find high-quality information no matter what you’re doing.”

Many students know how to conduct Internet searches, but haven’t learned how to do scholarly research, Bryan said.

“They’ll take the first results when they do a search, instead of drilling down,” Bryan said. It’s also important to know how to refine a search to obtain the information you need, instead of getting thousands of irrelevant results.

“You need to find credible resources,” Bryan said.

Brent Short, Saint Leo’s director of library services, said he knew Bryan and Karshmer were doing good work, but it was nice to see their efforts receive broader recognition.

“What we’re really trying to facilitate and encourage is the ability to read deeply and write deeply,” Short said. “One of the temptations for students now is they think they can get an instant answer.”

The library staff wants students to feel welcome, encouraged and supported, Short said.

“We do have some expertise to offer,” he said. “We can help guide them where they need to go, and really save them a lot of headache and wasted time.”

Published August 20, 2014

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