Hosts
Key: IHLS Library
NUHS: Hi, I haven't participated in this previously. Are there issues to discuss? (Peggy @ NUHS)
Jim Stuller - Tri-Township: Hi, this is the wrong liink. Click the one in the invitation email and it will take you there. I'm leaving now. Jim
Darlene Barlow 2: Am I on the right link?
Shawn- Elwood Township: It's the one I used in the L2 confirmation email
Ellen Popit: Shawn and Darlene, you're in the right place!
Shawn- Elwood Township: Thank you :D Hello Ellen
Ellen Popit: We just have a few minutes to go before people get here!
Ellen Popit: Chris should be joining us in a few minutes. She's at the Galatia Library, which is going live on Polaris today.
Shawn- Elwood Township: Yay for Galatia, I wouldn't want to be without Polaris.
Ellen Popit: Chris is here, so she can give us a report from the front!
Chris Dawdy: Greetings from Galatia!
Shawn- Elwood Township: Hi Chris
Chris Dawdy: I'll blame the fact that I'm multitasking in Galatia for the fact that not only did I forget to send the times for the Chat on the original email, I forgot to send the link.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: I just followed the link in L2
Ellen Popit: What happened to the days when summer was a "slow" time?
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: Hahahaha! System staff decided that July 4th was the perfet time for a server update. ;)
Chris Dawdy: Well, everyone was closed that day...
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: Yeah, but we weren't the day after when we couldn't get our passwords reset, so it made for a crazy day. And it continues today, because I have staff that didn't work yesterday trying to play catch up today. Plus our elevator wasn't working because our power went out. So it was just a really "full moon" kinda day. But in the end everything worked out--just not slow. :)
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: Oh, and SAM quit working too. But IHLS staff did a GREAT job!!!!!
Chris Dawdy: It looks like the helpdesk is back in business, as well.
Ellen Popit: I don't think that our IT and SHARE folks ever got a minute to catch their breath yesterday. You know it's the "full moon" kind of day when Troy comes into your office to fix something wearing a headset and never cracking a smile!
Shawn- Elwood Township: I haven't checked today, but last evening Simply Reports was down. I assume because of the PW snafu.
Darlene Barlow 2: We are up and going again as had alittle trouble getting linked on to Polaris but Troy helped us get back on again. Thank You again Troy!
Chris Dawdy: True. But, even though all of that was going on, Auburn Public Library went live on Polaris yesterday!
Diana Donahoo: Troy said Polaris is working on Simply Reports
Shawn- Elwood Township: Awesome, welcome to Auburn!
Ellen Popit: As a follow-up on welcome to Auburn and Galatia going live today, when Chris and I run the numbers, I believe that currently 202 of our 227 public libraries are SHARE members. How cool is that????
Shawn- Elwood Township: That is wonderful!
Ellen Popit: What's going on in your libraries in July?
Shawn- Elwood Township: Wrapping up Summer Reading.....thank goodness. It's been so crazy here. I am swamped and afraid I will never float back to the top
Diana Donahoo: Juggling Jeff from StL was here yesterday for a SRP program. 60+ attendance which is good for us!
Penny Eilers: We have Mad Science of St. Louis coming for our final summer reading program. We have started an adult writing club that people are loving! A retired teacher is teaching it. We also have a retired art teacher doing a drawing club.
Diana Donahoo: We had Mad Science last week Kids loved it.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: Still in the middle of summer reading and adult coloring...the ladies asked if we could stay and color till 8, we usually end at 7:30 but their logic is it's not dark out yet!
Ellen Popit: I bet the teachers enjoy it as much as the students!
Ellen Popit: That's funny, Kathy! Same logic we used when we were kids!
Shawn- Elwood Township: lol Kathy, it sounds like a sound reasoning. And they are enjoying it, is the best part. Except for staying later as an employee :D
Penny Eilers: We also have a rocket program being brought to us by our local extension office. It is free. We also just finished IL JR Chef School which is another free program from the extension office. I love the extension office.
Ellen Popit: I think that Sparta has been pretty successful with the rocket program.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We've been coloring once a month since December and still drawing a good crowd, ages 18 through 80 and both men and women! Who knew coloring would be such a big hit! :)
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We have Susan Sloop from the Extension Office and she's currently doing a writing class, if you are in Perry, Randolph, Williamson and Jackson County you should contact her. She has other programs as well.
Dawn.Rutschke: How do you distribute coloring sheets? Do you buy a book?
Darlene Barlow 2: We had Douglas Hart Nature Center came last Week and did "The Tortoise & the Hare" for "Read For the Win". Wendel the tortoise and Daisy the Hare were there. They did an excellent program for $60.00! All their programs are always Great! They are out of Mattoon.
Darlene Barlow 2: We just get our color sheets online and print them off for choices.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: There are several free sites that you can download and print. https://www.adultcoloringpages.net/ is one we've used.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We have adult coloroing books, colored pencils and gel pens are the most popular but most of ours have started bringing their own books. I'm not sure anyone finishes a page here I think it's mostly a social thing but I participate with them and it is very relaxing and a great way to build relationships for future funding needs.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: https://www.freeprintable.net/ is the main page and they have a newsletter that you can sign up for. They have everything from genealogy forms, business forms to adult and kids coloring pages and certificates....
Darlene Barlow 2: This Thursday we have Rock Springs Nature Center from Decatur coming to do an hour program on "Native American Games". It is $60.00 too.
Ellen Popit: Anyone doing any movie programs through the library?
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We just got our movie license in the mail yesterday, so that's next for us!
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: We do a superhero saturday every summer. We show 3 movies and have a costume contest.
Ellen Popit: Kathy, where will you show them? Esther, do you do yours at the library?
Penny Eilers: I want to. We can afford the license. It's the equipment that we need. Also our library is one room, which makes it a challenge.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: We do it at the library--in our meeting room.
Darlene Barlow 2: We do a "Family Movie Night" once in awile as do a Family event each month if possible.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We are going to try at the library, we close early on Friday afternoons so going to try that time and see how it goes. I've had some older patrons ask about movies as well as kids. The difficult thing for us is finding a compfortable place for them to watch. We will also try some in the evenings that we close early.
Elaine - MTL: We've had good success using the Timesless Trivia DVD's and hosting a trivia night
Ellen Popit: @Elaine! That sound like lots of fun!
Penny Eilers: Kathy, what type of equipment did you buy? Smart TV, screen, etc...
Elaine - MTL: People seem to really like it and it's a relatively easy program to run
Chris Dawdy: Penny, St. Peters Hardware in Alton will rent the equipment--projector and screen that can be used outside.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: We got a projector and screen with funds we got from the state for the legal aid participation and I can play the movie on my laptop.
Ellen Popit: The reason I'm asking is that I had a conversation with with a library director who had questions about the license being site specific. If that was the case, could the films only be shown in her library. We have so many locations with some real space constraints.
Penny Eilers: Thank you Chris and Kathy. Ellen when I talked to them they told me site specific. Also it is an indoor license. To show outside you must get a specific license for that movie.
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: I'm not sure if ours is site specific--I do know that we can't advertise the title of the movies. Patrons have to call the library or see the signs we post in the library.
Penny Eilers: Are there any classes offered through the system? For example library recordkeeping. A few of us are interested.
Kathy @ Pinckneyville PL: I will have to look at ours more closely to make sure in case we think about doing one off site. We really can't do one while we are open because we are just one big room!
Esther Curry--C.E. Brehm Memorial PLD: Kathy--we have a monthly family movie night and it is on Friday night after we are closed.
Ellen Popit: @Kathy, I know that several libraries in Williamson County have cooperated to get a movie and show it at a larger venue, but I don't know how that happens.
Penny Eilers: Ellen, that is interesting.
Chris Dawdy: The only classes we can offer, as a system, are related to resource sharing, since that is one of the priorities set for us by the Illinois State Library a couple of years ago. However, you might check WebJunction to see if there are any online classes that might be useful to you.
Penny Eilers: Chris thanks.
Ellen Popit: I would add that if you haven't been to SPLMI, as soon as the state library is able to offer it again, run---don't walk to register.
Ellen Popit: And, if there is something specific you'd like to know about recordkeeping, ask for advice from this network of library directors. I'm sure you'll get some "best practices" advice. And, there's nothing wrong with picking up a bookkeeping class as a local community college, if that's a need.
Penny Eilers: I have! I loved it. The problem is I had this job 2 weeks when I went. I would love to go again. Some of us that operate with one person have been talking and it would be great to find simple ways to make recordkeeping a little easier. I will check out webjunction.
Elaine - MTL: Sometimes RAILS offers classes that are listed in L2 and will allow IHLS members to attend their classes.
Penny Eilers: I have seen the RAILS classes. It is good to know we can go. Thanks
Elaine - MTL: I've emailed the contact person listed and sometimes it works.
Darlene Barlow 2: We are doing a Matchbox Race Night on the last Friday Night of this Month for our Family Night. It aways goes over really well. We have a 2 car track and we make a bracket for young ones and one for the older ones and we have oreo cookies(Tire cookies) for snack and usually a craft also. It is really fun and the adults have as much fun as we do! Everyone will get a Gold Metal for Racing this year!
Ellen Popit: Penny, the other thing that might help is look at the ALA publications: http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=118 See if there's anything helpful and then see if you can get it through interlibrary loan.
Ellen Popit: Another good publisher for things like that is Linworth.
Ellen Popit: @Darlene---Good for "REad for the Win"
Penny Eilers: Thank you
Penny Eilers: Darlene that sounds fun!
Penny Eilers: I love getting delivery more than once a week.
Ellen Popit: Good, Penny! Delivery will be thrilled to hear that! @Darlene, these aren't matchbox cars, but look at this duck, chick and bunny: http://www.chinaberry.com/products/wooden-animal-racer-duck
Ellen Popit: In the interest of full disclosure, this did go in my 18 month old grandson's Easter Basket!
Ellen Popit: What's coming up fun for people during the rest of the summer---hope we all get a bit of R & R!
Darlene Barlow 2: Thanks for the source!
Elaine - MTL: does anyone have a policy or procedures for paying bills online that they'd be willing to share?
Ellen Popit: Elaine, I might be imagining things, but it seems that I've seen some PayPal buttons on some library websites.
Shawn- Elwood Township: I am playing catch up on the chat reading. I have to second the SPLMI comment. It's definitely worth going to.
Elaine - MTL: I'm talking about paying library vendors, not patrons paying libraries.
Ellen Popit: Oh, sorry!
Elaine - MTL: No, that's another piece for me to work on. Lol
Darlene Barlow 2: Oh, I agree Shawn on the SPLMI as I learned SO MUCH! Also, the email resource contact that is so helpful that I have used many times is Wonderful too!
Ellen Popit: And I believe that the State LIbrary has opened up the SPLMI listserv to all Illinois Library Directors.
Ellen Popit: My clock says 2:00 p.m., so we can sign off until our next chat on August 3rd. Stay cool, everyone!
Chris Dawdy: Bye!
Elaine - MTL: Thanks. Bye
Darlene Barlow 2: Thanks Everyone for the great ideas and resources!