Friday Focus
December 1, 2023, vol. 11, no. 16
Friday Focus is a quick digest of news and notes
for members of The Indianapolis Public Library Shared System.
Belonging in a Library: What Could It look Like?
The idea of belonging has lots of appeal, especially for anyone who's ever felt they didn't belong in a place or with a group. A conference co-sponsored by Library 2.0 and San Jose State University School of Information brought speakers and library workers together for an afternoon to reflect on Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in the library.
What if we didn't separate our books by language? In most school libraries, the books in English are everywhere while the books in Spanish are in one place. Tiffany Couson, the presenter, pointed out that interfiling them would give students for whom Spanish is their heritage language a greater sense of belonging. She added that having both languages shelved together includes all students in social browsing, an important part of creating a culture of reading regardless of language differences.
Especially in schools that are immersion schools, or that offer Spanish classes, there are educational benefits as well. Two students could check out the same book, one in Spanish, the other in English and read it together. Or a student working to improve either language could check out both, read the one he is weakest in, and look to the other for confirmation of comprehension or for vocabulary building. You might even suggest that a student check out both copies to read together with someone at home. There's not a catalog search that will tell you we have this book in two (or more) languages. Shelving them together might make good sense. If you try it out, let us know how it goes.
Source: Language as inclusion: Creating multi-lingual browsing spaces in libraries.: Tiffany Coulson, Mattawa Branch Librarian, NCW Libraries and Mattawa Elementary School
Making Sora Fly!
Winding Ridge, Warren Central HS, Harrison Hill, and Crestview are knocking it out of the park when you look at circulation and unique users of the Original Collection (the shared, non-IndyPL collection moved from Axis 360). It's a whole 'nother ball game over at Forest Glen where school library manager Tricia Wells has taught students how to Add a Library (i.e. the IndyPL OverDrive collection) leading to 200 more circs than anyone else. Please make sure you teach your students how to Add a Library.
Ebooks in Spanish seem to be in great demand. IndySchoolShare (that original collection) has 255 ebooks (many are simultaneous use, which is great!) and 34 audiobooks. IndyPL adds 2,324 ebooks and 758 audiobooks to the array of choices for your students. Please make sure you teach your students how to Add a Library.
Who should make assignments, create reports, select and purchase books at your location? Please let us know by filling out this Sora Admin Form.
Slammin' Rhymes Results - Three Shared System Students in Top Ten
Two students were chosen from Fall Creek Valley Middle School for the Slammin' Rhymes contest. One of them was in the top 10 and read his poem aloud. The students' names are Malcolm W. and Austin H. Two students from Decatur Central High School also made the top 10. Congrats to Sophia L and Dezyre W.!
And thanks to their school library managers Tricia Wells (LTFCV) and Deana Beecher (DHS) for spreading word about this annual poetry contest. We don't need to list all the reasons why writing poetry is good for students!
1. If you are placing a hold on an item for a patron or for use at your location and you encounter this message, please do not click continue. This is an item that is unavailable/not holdable (may be an ISCR (Indianapolis Special Collections Room) item, reference/storytelling collection item, a shared system item that is not being circulated, etc.). The hold will never be filled because it will not appear on anyone's picklist and will sit there until the hold times out after a year, or it is deleted to get it off of the selectors’ old holds/unfilled holds list.
2. It would be helpful if someone at each location could check their location’s room card once a month. Look at the holds tab and sort by the date the holds were placed. Please review any holds that are more than 6 weeks old to make sure it is still an active hold (i.e., not an item hold on a lost/withdrawn/local missing copy, or a hold on an item that is not requestable (see #1)). Cancel holds on items that you no longer need or that will not be filled for one of the reasons listed. If you still need the item, place a hold on a different copy or just a general bib hold.
Be sure to click on the link below to see the presentation Jess Marie Lawrence (teen selection librarian) and I made at the last Children's Services meeting!
Call-outs for the Catalog
Most schools have links to The Library catalog on Clever, Canvas, Google Classroom, or Schoology, and it's probably just a generic link with our logo on it. Our Communications department thought it would be a nice treat to jazz up those links a little bit so they have developed two buttons you can use in any of your school apps or on your websites. One is designed to be used with the link to the Main Catalog, while the other was designed to connect students directly to the Kids' Catalog.
We would also love to see the link most appropriate for your school on your website, in teacher newsletters, school newsletters - anywhere you think someone might click on it!
Elementary schools, you could explain to school families that your students use the Kids' Catalog so they see titles not "the boring grown-up stuff" as a now-retired school librarian used to call it!
You can download the buttons (in small or large sizes) from WeShare..
Help Test Out Spanish Language Streaming Video Service "The Shelf"
Could you ask your Spanish language and/or English as a New Language teachers to review this Spanish language resource? We have until Dec. 13th to evaluate it.
- The Shelf (Core): Movies, Shorts, Documentaries, Series, Soap Operas, Plays, and Operas.
- Kids: Streaming educational and entertainment for kids, including games.
- The Shelf Music: Downloadable music service partnered with the TREBEL music app. Patrons can download anything they want during the first 7 days of the month with TREBEL Max and use the standard TREBEL service the rest of the month.
- Live: Public Screenings and events. (Comes free with subscription)
Access The Shelf trial here:
Website: https://theshelf.tv/landing#
Trial barcode/Username: Aragorn_Demo_USA
Password: theshelf.tv
To access the trial, choose “Demo Public Library” under the Find and Select Your Library dropdown.
Your feedback is welcome here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/theshelf.
The Shelf does not come with public performance rights, but they will work with content providers to get a one time public screening rights.
A word of caution. The site will be difficult to navigate for non-Spanish speakers!
Electronic Resources Librarian
Exploring Indy Authors
Recognize these names? Meredith Nicholson, Kurt Vonnegut, Darryl Pinckney and Booth Tarkington are all authors from Indiana. Jyoti Verderame, Assistant Managing Editor of the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, and I will be on Indy Now next Wednesday, December 6th to highlight them and showcase our websites.
With as many Indianapolis authors as there are, narrowing it down to four was a challenge. We also considered Alan Nolan, Dan Wakefield, Joseph Hayes, Eunice White Bullard Beecher, Mary Mackey, and John Green.
Some tidbits that didn’t make it into our segment: Did you know Dan Wakefield has a park named after him in Broad Ripple? Did you know that Eunice White Bulllard Beecher wrote a scathing semiautobiographical novel about her time in Lawrenceburg and Indianapolis (1837-1847), which Indianapolis residents resented and refused to have on library shelves for decades? A 1971 article in The Daily Echo, from Shortridge High School, highlighted seven former Echo staff members (graduated between 1940 and 1956) who had become successful writers. Can you name them without looking? (Hint three of them have been mentioned in this article.)
Today the Indiana Authors Awards recognizes Indiana authors every other year and is currently accepting nominations through January 12th. If you know of an author you think should be nominated. check it out. Meanwhile, if your students are reading a book by an Indianapolis author, visit the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis and Digital Indy to see what you can find. I recommend the yearbook pictures because maybe seeing these successful authors as high school students will inspire the next generation of writers!
Natasha Hollenbach
Digital Projects Manager
If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words, a QR Code Could Yield a Thousand Books
At Arsenal Tech High School, Charles Swink, school library manager, is making extra efforts to connect with his English Language Arts teachers. He recently sent them a QR code directing them to poetry in Sora.
Although we can't make lists in Sora that include titles owned by The Library, you can link, as Charles did, to searches. You may have to experiment to make sure it works. Search for the word poetry, then copy the URL in the address bar. Sign out of Sora, then paste the link in the address bar so you know when talking with students whether they can use the link directly or whether they need to be logged in first. It may depend on how students login at your school.
Your Patrons (and Ours) Deserve Good Books in Good Shape
As you know, public library staff is more particular than the rest of us about how books look when checking them out to the public. An anonymous library staff person went to the trouble of taking EIGHT photos of a book sent to fill a request.
I have to agree – this book looks bad enough that it should be withdrawn. If you buy a replacement copy from Follett, get the FollettBound one. It has a lifetime guarantee on the binding so they’ll replace ratty copies for free!
No one should feel scolded when books in poor condition are returned! It's a gentle reminder that your patrons deserve good books in good shape. Use a few examples of the books in poor condition to start a conversation with your administrators about your library budget.
But then there's patrons like my brother. He told me he always picked the well-worn books to check out because that meant lots of other kids had read the book! We can always make well-worn (but not torn up and falling apart) books requestable only at your library if you have a lot of patrons like my brother. Just let us know the barcode number!
When creating or updating a library card, please remember the following data entry best practices:
- Barcodes – should be 14 digits, please be careful when typing the numbers and watch for double scans when using scanners. If a card is expired, double check that you did not scan an item in the barcode box before renewing or saving.
- Names & addresses should be in Mixed Case…first letter capitalized, and the rest NOT capitalized. Do not use ALL CAPS. Jr., Sr., III, etc. should be in the Suffix Field, not part of the last name.
- Do NOT use the “Name on Identification” fields.
- Stat Classes – There are only THREE stat classes you should be using: SS Primary (Elementary), SS Secondary (Middle & High School), SS Staff (Adults). The stat class that says Staff is for The Library staff, not Shared System Staff.
- Email addresses – are NOT required, please do not make up an email address. Also, don't put the same email address in BOTH email fields…use the second one only if you have two emails that need to receive notices.
- Phone number should be in the 000-000-0000 format. Please use dashes, include area code. Do not use parentheses, periods, or extra spaces before/after the number.
- Preferences – Do NOT make changes in the preferences box. If you have questions about any of these, please let us know.
Book Not on File? Help is On the Way!
Pam Swaidner, manager of cataloging and metadata, asked that everyone use a new form to report items not on file. The form can be found under Help on the main WeShare page. You'll also find it below in case you have need of it now. This form is to be used both when you receive a new shipment and the records might not have been uploaded and when you find a random book on the shelf and it's not in the catalog. Use of this form will help expedite finding the Marc records for your books.
If you receive an email from a vendor that your Marc records are ready to be downloaded, Pam would like you to send it to this address: marc-sharedsystem@indypl.org. You'll also find this under HELP on the main WeShare page.
Save this email address in your Contacts. Maybe in more than one way - Marc Records, New and New, Marc Records.
Please use marc-sharedsystem@indypl.org. ONLY when you have new Marc records to be uploaded. All other questions can be sent to us at sharedsystem@indypl.org.
Q & A: URLS for HB1447
A: Sure!
- From the main catalog, do an advanced search.
- In the search form, click on Held at and choose your location.
- Click on the search button.
- Filter the results so it does not include any online records (i.e. ebook, streaming video, downloadable audio, etc.) Unless you own book club kits, deselect that check box, too. Depending on the location you may have to unclick only one or two boxes.
- Copy the URL for items you own from your address bar.
Note: If someone requests a print or online list, we will charge $10 to create a report for you. You should pass that charge along to the person requesting the list
Stop by a Library and Pick up a . . . Vaccination !
That's right! College, Eagle, Garfield Park, and Martindale Brightwood are hosting vaccination clinics in partnership with the Marion County Public Health Department and the Indiana Department of Health. You can find the vaccination clinic schedule on The Library website. If there's a line, you can always find a book to read while you wait!
About Us
Email: sharedsystem@indypl.org
Website: www.indypl.org/about/shared
Location: Library Service Center, North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: (317) 275-4707