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Library Newsletter May 2012 May
Miscellaneous It’s a busier than normal spring for me. If you
haven’t heard, both Assistant Director Sandy Glover
and Senior Library Associate Michael Carver have decided to
retire on June 30. City Council has given the OK to hire a replacement for
Sandy (if that’s even possible!) and we are deep into the process of
reviewing job descriptions, reading applications, setting up interviews and
the like. City
Council will make a call on Michael’s position at a May meeting. Then
we’ll be scrambling to fill Michael’s boots as well. Watch for
more details on Sandy and Michael in next month’s
newsletter. I have
also finished up the 2011 Annual Report that goes to the
Washington State Library and the US National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES). You can see some of the highlights here.
I can say that 2011 was a mixed bag. Circulation and attendance were
both down. Volunteer hours were up. Budget was down. Use of online databases
was up significantly, in great part due to Ancestry. The number of summer
reading participants was up and online renewal of materials was way up. So,
some good with some bad. We’re hoping to turn some of those numbers up
in 2012. Last
month I also had the good fortune to attend two library conferences. The
Public Library Association Conference was held in Philadelphia. The biggest
thing I came away with is that nobody, not libraries, not library vendors,
knows what the heck is going on with ebooks. The perfect
platform doesn’t exist yet, but there are a lot of new choices about
to come into the marketplace to deliver digital content. At the
Washington Library Conference I brushed up on some Washington State library
law, and got some more ideas for some TLA50 programs (see below for
what’s being offered this month). The library is hoping to continue
this kind of adult programming throughout the next 18 months. Just finished
up another grant to help with that. Don’t forget the Library ELF. If you have
multiple library cards in your household and you want to keep track of the
books coming and going, you need the help of the ELF. Library members that
have tried it are cheering. Sign up
by following the link on the library’s webpage and get the
premium service. It’s FREE. By the
way, THE LIBRARY IS OPEN ON SATURDAYS!! ALL YEAR!! We were
recently hit with several questions about the library’s current hours,
which baffles us, since our hours are on the doors, online and everywhere
else. Pass the word. -- David
Zavortink, Library Director A
Tale of Two Cities -- On a Diet "Camas and Washougal On A
Diet" is a new program to raise awareness about obesity in America and
in our own cities and provide a practical, community-oriented response. Over
the next 12 months our goal is to lose over 10,000 lbs between the Camas and
Washougal communities. In cooperation with Fat 2 Fit
NW, we are launching a website - www.camasandwashougalonadiet.com
- to enable you to participate in this exciting program. Here you will find
calorie trackers, regular workout activities around the community, helpful
tips to stay motivated, as well as links to the sponsors of our program.
There will be prizes for reaching fitness and weight goals and we are even
planning a reality TV show involving people from our community."I invite you
to join us today. It’s good for you. It’s good for the
community. -- Scott Higgins, Mayor Of Camas From exotic African wildlife to a waterfall across
the Columbia, the beauty of nature is being set down on paper by two artists
from the Camas-Washougal area: Mary Anne Harkness and
Carolyn Gunderson. A Northwest native and 12-year
resident of Camas, Carolyn grew up on a Washington farm with milk cows and
so, she says, animals are a special interest for her paints, along with
“anything experimental.” “Watercolor is an amazing medium,
at times frustrating but always exciting” she explains. Trying to
control and achieve your vision is always challenging and when it works, you
have great satisfaction. However, my real passion is experimenting with
mixed media, being surprised and excited when I discover something new,
different and one-of-a-kind.” Mary Anne says she’s been
developing her approach to art for over 50 years, working in glass,
encaustic, pottery, acrylics and wood in addition to watercolor. She earned
a bachelor of fine arts from Arizona State University, and she notes the
greatest influence on her art occurred during college when she traveled
around the world with Chapman College World Campus Afloat. Since then, she
has been using photos taken during her travels as subject matter, but says
she has found new inspiration in the Columbia River and Mt. Hood since
moving to Washougal a year ago. Both artists plan to put the natural world
front and center in their two-woman show of water media, encaustic, and
batik. As Carolyn explains, she “collects” photos of exotic
beasts at zoos and wild animal parks throughout her travels because she
loves the design and shape of them and the wildness of their spirits.
“Almost 100 percent of my paintings are from these references,”
she notes, “and I hope to live a hundred years to use them
all.” The Faces of Nature will continue through May 26th. Both artists
will unveil their work at a reception on Friday, May 4th, from 5 to 8 p.m.,
as part of the Camas merchants’ “First Friday”
celebration. The gallery is located upstairs in the Camas Public
Library. Library Position
Open! There is a Library
Page position open at the library right now! The library is a
department of the City of Camas, so you need to apply through the City's Human Resources
Department. This opportunity doesn't come along very often, so if you
are interested in working 19 hours a week in a permanent position, fill out
a job application (available on the Human Resources page, or as a paper
packet from City Hall), and turn it in to the Human Resources Department
by 5pm on May 7th. Library Elf The Camas Public Library is a subscriber
of Library ELF. It is a service that helps you manage your library loans
and holds. It’s a great tool for families to track items borrowed on
multiple cards or items from multiple libraries! We provide free premium
service to all Camas Library card holders. If you want to try
it out, go to http://www.libraryelf.com. You can ask
at the service desk and library staff will be able to help you out as
well. Best Small
City How do you use your
library? Do you use e-readers? The Pew Research Center Internet & American Life
Project is conducting an online survey of library patrons. We ask that you
take the survey to help us out. All responses will be confidential. The
survey should take about 15 minutes, and will close on Friday, May
18th. To take the survey, visit the survey
website. The Pew Internet Project will also be doing other general
surveys of library patrons, as well as non-library-users who own e-readers
or tablet computers. If you would like to participate future surveys, sign
up here to be notified.To learn more about the Pew Internet Project’s
research on e-reading and libraries, which is entirely free and available to
the public, visit libraries.pewinternet.org. STORYTIME
INFO: Baby Storytime: for ages
infant-3. Songs, stories, and movement! Thursdays at 10:30 or
11:30 Family Storytime: for ages
3-5. Songs, stories, and movement! Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30
or 11:30. Craft days are May 8th and 11th. Chinese Storytime: for ages infant-5. Song, stories,
and movement in traditional Chinese! Mondays at
10:30. Spanish Storytime: for ages
infant-5. Song, stories, and movement in Spanish! Wednesdays at
11:30. UPCOMING LIBRARY
EVENTS IN MAY: NEW! See a full
month's view of ALL the library's events on the City of Camas' official
calendar. Adult Craft-o-Rama: Bird Nest
Pendants. Saturday, May
5th 10am-1pm. Sorry, this group is full for this month, but
there are still a couple of spots on the waiting list. No 2 Readers Read the Same Book:
a book discussion for adults! Borrow a
special copy of the book from the library, read it, and come to the
discussion. The next book
is Empire
of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne, on
Thursday, May 10th @ 7pm. Mystery and Mayhem
Book Discussion Group: a mystery book discussion for adults!
Borrow a special copy of the book from the
library, read it, and come to the discussion. The next book is Caught by
Harlan Coben, on Thursday, May 17th @
7pm. eReader Zoo: This is
an opportunity to learn about several popular eReaders and an opportunity
for you to ask questions about your own eReader. You will also learn how to
download eBooks from the library. Tuesday May 8th at 7 p.m and
Wednesday May 9th at 2:30pm. Downsize Now! Learn how to downsize
your possessions at this workshop presented by sustainable organizing
solutionsprofessional Darci Lee. This program for seniors and baby boomers
that want to slim down their belongings, organize, and possibly move is
another in the Transforming Lives After 50 series and is
funded by the Washington State Library and the Institute of Museum and
Library Services. This presentation will help attendees: Figure
out a plan and where to start, Decide what to do with all the stuff, Deal
with the physical and emotional aspects of the process, Working with the
Mover, Moving Day, and Settling in. Call the library at 360.834.4692 or stop
by the Service Desk to register for this program that will take
place Saturday, May 19 at 10:30am. What's Next?
Tools for Life Transitions: This class will explore life transitions and the change
process, provide a framework for personal change, help you identify at least
one change you want to make, identify the steps to make that change and
provide resources for future use. Funded by the Washington State
Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Call the
library at 360.834.4692 or stop by the Service Desk to register for
this program that will take place Wednesday, May 23rd at
7pm. Library Board of
Trustees Meeting: Thursday, May 3rd @ 6:30pm in
Meeting Room A. Open to the public. SNEAK
PEEK: UPCOMING LIBRARY EVENTS IN JUNE The Summer
Reading Program begins June 16th! Earn prizes for reading -- all ages can
participate. Stay tuned for a special Summer Reading Program
email that explains it all! Summer Reading Program Events in
June: The Reptile Man - for all ages - Saturday June 16th @
2:30 and 4:30 Rhys Thomas' Juggling Show - for kids - Monday June 25th
@ 2:30 Beading 101 - for teens - Tuesday June 26th @
2:30 We will also have Summer Movies every Wednesday at 2:30 during the
Summer Reading Program!
Programs and events are sponsored in part by the Friends and Foundation of the Camas Library.
625 NE 4th Avenue, Camas, WA 98607 360-834-4692 Monday - Thursday 10:00 am - 9:00 pm Friday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday Closed Want to get special alerts for kids and parents, or teens? Go here to sign up! You are receiving this email because you participated in
a library program and gave us your email address, authorized us to email
you when you applied for a library card, or signed up on our website.
The Camas Public Library will not use your email
address for any non-library reason, nor will it give it to any one else for
a non-library purpose.
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Camas is now in a contest to be
the best small city in America and we need you to help us win! Rand
McNally and USA Today are holding this competition and Camas is one of the
choices. Go to 
Teen Read
Cafe: 
Mastering the Art of
Photosharing: Sharing and Caring for Your Photograph: 
