Library News

New Look for the Stromsburg Public Library Catalog

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We will be making the switch to a new library system after 5:00 pm on Tuesday, April 28. This means that you may not have access to the library catalog during the evening of Tuesday. We will have a new look on Wednesday, April 29 when you go to our catalog. If you want to get a feel for what the new catalog will look like check out Seward’s online catalog that I’ve linked below.

For various reasons, this move had to happen very quickly so bear with us as we all learn a new system. Part of the reason for switching systems is the enhanced capabilities it gives our patrons in accessing the library and the more user friendly features of the catalog. We will have tutorials and pdf’s available for you on Wednesday teaching you the basics. One of the best things? You can tell at a glance if a book is in or out – green for in, red for out. 🙂

https://seward.biblionix.com/catalog/

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New Update on COVID-19 Procedures

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4-21-2020 UPDATE
For the time being we will close the library at 5 pm Tuesday evenings and will not be open Saturdays. We will go back to our regularly scheduled hours as soon as possible. Thank you!

Revised library hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm
Thursday – 10 am – noon
Friday 10 am – 3 pm

3-19-2020 UPDATE
Upon the recommendation of Four Corners Health Department to the City of Stromsburg we are now asking patrons to NOT ENTER the library. How this will work:

*Call ahead and the librarian on duty will prepare your “order” for take out! We will bag your books and other materials, place your name on them and set them in the vestibule for you to grab.

OR make your order online through the catalog and will get it ready

OR email us at stromsburgpl@gmail.com

OR Facebook message our page

*Please use the drop box for all returns

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Previously I discussed why you run into so many holds on items in OverDrive and some ways we are working to shorten the hold time for our patrons. Another one of the reasons that we don’t have enough copies of books to go around in due to publishing restrictions.

For some reason, publishers cannot embrace the idea of libraries allowing patrons to use ebooks and audiobooks in the same way as a physical book. Over the last two years we have had publishers increase prices on their books, changed from allowing us unlimited access to a purchased ebook or audiobook to making us buy a new one after 12 months, 24 months or 52 checkouts and even limited the number of books a Consortium can buy. These publishers include Penguin, Simon and Shuster,  and MacMillian who publish such popular authors as Nora Roberts, Lisa Gardner, Stephen King, John Grisham, Lee Child, Lisa Scottoline, Linda Castillo and Kristin Hannah to just name a few.

If you Google MacMillian you will see that they have libraries up in arms with their current policy changes. They are allowing Consortium’s to purchase titles at $30 for the first eight weeks of release. After that, if you want more copies you have to pay $52 or more for a book. Remember the policy I mentioned before of how many copies of a book we would own? Sometimes with books like “Where the Crawdads Sing” it takes time for the buzz to catch on and for the holds to stack up and by then we could be past that first weeks of publishing driving the cost up for purchasing more copies of the  book.

Also, did you catch those prices? How much do you pay for an audiobook or ebook on Amazon? On OverDrive audiobook prices can range from around $45 to over $100 for popular titles. Ebooks can be as low as $5.99 for less popular titles but the popular titles range from $55 – $109. Where book vendors give deep discounts to libraries and book stores for physical purchases, that’s not what’s happening in the electronic world.

OverDrive is a very popular service that we know our patrons appreciate. At the same time it can be very frustrating to see all the books that you want to read have a long wait on them. A suggestion from me is to make good use of the “wishlist” feature on OverDrive. If you want to read a book and it has a long wait, place the book on your wishlist. (There are no limits on the capacity of the wish list, but you are limited to 3 hold at a time.) When you are ready to read a book, go to your wish list, click “filter” and then click “available now.” The list will then show you all the books that you’ve been dying to read that are available at that time. This really eases your frustration of “finding nothing available.” Happy reading!

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OverDrive Holds

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Just a reminder that the library will be closed Thursday, November 28 through Sunday, December 1 next week.

Last week in my newspaper article I touched on some of the services the Nebraska Library Commission provides to libraries and patrons across the state. One of those services is being the curator and billing department for the OverDrive Libraries Consortium in Nebraska.

The Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Consortium has 173 participating member libraries sharing over 43,611 ebooks and audiobooks. This partially explains why you sometimes can’t get that hot book you want right now. (Another reason is publishers, we’ll get into that next.)

In an effort to make sure we have enough books to meet the demand of our members the Consortium has instituted a policy on holds.  Our policy is that we will try to keep our hold ratio at 5. Meaning that for every 5 people on hold for a book, the Consortium buys another copy. This ratio started at 8, then 6 and now 5. We say “try” because as licensing models from vendors change sometimes the cost is too prohibitive to continue to buy copies that will expire in 24 months or after 52 checkouts.

Another option became available a few years ago – we as a library could become Advantage members. Meaning, for a small one time additional fee, the library can purchase titles directly from OverDrive that are only available to our patrons. I try to go through the holds list weekly and see what titles patrons have on hold on OverDrive, what number they are in the queue, and then how much that book costs. If the book is reasonably priced (usually in the $20 range or below) I will happily purchase it and then that pushes our patron to the top of the list and they will receive a notification that their title is available. Last year, they offered an additional feature of being able to share those titles with the Consortium with our patrons always having first pick and we receive a small compensation from the Consortium for sharing titles that can be applied to our yearly OverDrive membership fee.

Next week I’ll discuss how publisher licensing rules are affecting purchasing titles from OverDrive.

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National Library Week

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It’s National Library Week and we have some special events happening!

April 8 – 22 is our first official book fair with the Children’s Bookstore online program.  Click here to shop our book fair. The books will be shipped directly to you and the library will earn 30% of every book sold. You can choose to shop from lists like “Best Books of 2018,” “Award Winning Books,” or “Awesome Middle Readers.” Your purchases will enable the library to buy more children’s books for the children’s section.

April 10 is  Library Giving Day. This one-day fundraising event will occur across the nation to encourage patrons and library lovers to make a gift to their individual library system. This campaign reminds us that libraries, small and large, serve as a cornerstone for our communities. Beyond well-loved books, many libraries offer innovative programs that promote lifelong learning, connect patrons to technology, and advance knowledge. As we are not set up for online giving, donations can be made out to the Stromsburg Library Foundation and dropped off at the library or Cornerstone Bank.

The Stromsburg Library Foundation helps the Stromsburg Library offer programs and build resources for patrons of all ages while helping us better serve the needs of our community. The Foundation does this by securing and managing donations from the community to support the Library beyond what public funding provides. Thank you for your support!

If you would be interested in being involved with either the Library Foundation or the Friends of the Library group, please let Monica know.

April 9 @ 6:30 pm David Haggedone will be sharing his vast knowledge of ukuleles from the history of the instrument to the art of playing it. David will teach participants simple chords and I’m sure there will be a singalong!

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Business Training at the Library

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Stromsburg Public Library and the Stromsburg Chamber of Commerce are joining with the Rural Enterprise Assistance Program (REAP) to bring training to Stromsburg. Three classes will be provided by REAP trainers in March, April, and May. Please bring your own laptop or device to get the most from these classes. Classes run from 5 pm – 8 pm and the Stromsburg Chamber of Commerce will be providing a light meal. The Rural Enterprise Assistance Project is committed to strengthening rural communities through small, self-employed business development. We offer four essential services: financing (micro loans), business training, technical assistance, and networking. To learn more go to https://www.cfra.org/reap

March 12 – Basic Quickbooks – will cover setting up a chart of accounts, making sure accounts are connected correctly, entering transactions, reconciliations, and simple reports. Specific questions from participants are welcomed and encouraged. To register, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/tf4W3KuFs80eOGlp1 or call the library.

April 2 – Advanced Quickbooks – will include sales tax transactions, more in-depth reporting, and more of a Q & A approach tailored to participants needs. To register, please go to  https://goo.gl/forms/qIDY90Gbi0KtqCEB3 or call the library.

May 14 – Online Marketing Strategies – Many small business owners get caught up trying to use social media but then forget the basic necessity of having a broader online presence.  81% of shoppers conduct online searches before buying. What will your potential clients find out about you?  During this session, we’ll discuss what, where and why of websites, email marketing, and social media. We’ve blocked out time to answer your business-specific questions. Want to know how your business could be using Facebook? Want to learn more about how to integrate email marketing? Just interested in learning more in general about online marketing? This interactive session is for you! To register, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/WEtfCYAxy4I8A2792 or call the library.

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Let’s Be Danish

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The winter months are slower publishing months so there may not be as many new books out as usual. That’s why we’ve come up with a Winter Book Bingo! Take the Book Bingo challenge and move beyond the new books to discover new books, new authors or stretch yourself outside of your reading comfort zone. Stop by to pick up a Bingo sheet and books!

I was recently looking up ways to enjoy winter more (anyone else struggle with this?) and stumbled upon the Danish Hygge (prounounced as hoo – go) mentality. One definition I found described hygge as “the art of building sactuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open hearted or alive: 2. To create well-being, connection and warmth: 3. A feeling of belonging to the moment and to each other: 4. Celebrating the everyday

Some concepts of hygge to incorporate into your winter lifestyle include using candles and other soft lighting in the dark winter months, lots of cozy furnishings and blankets,  warm drinks, thick cozy sweaters and socks, comfort food like soups and stews, planning game nights or meals with friends. Hygge is about connecting with others and not isolating yourself, being cozy and warm despite the temperatures and how to foster that feeling. One concept is to even turn off electronics and enjoys books and newspapers again! What will you try this winter?

We still have the Christmas novellas out if you haven’t had a chance to cozy up with one this season yet. They will probably go back to the basement next week.

 

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