Guest post from Joan Van Note

 “Another fresh new year is here…

       Another year to live!

  To banish worry, doubt, and fear,

    To love and laugh and give!

  This bright new year is given me

    To live each day with zest…

    To daily grow and try to be

       My highest and my best!

     I have the opportunity

   Once more to right some wrongs,

  To pray for peace, to plant a tree,

    And sing more joyful songs!”

            –Author Unknown  

I like to showcase new ways to connect with community from time to time. 

Jon Corzine, Govenor of New Jersey, now has a channel on YouTube.  It will be interesting to see how he utilizes the media channel.  The Govenor hasn’t solicited my personal opinion on his videos to date, though I think this particular one should make the Jersey Fresh folks proud.

Giving time may be the best gift of all.  
Local volunteer opportunites can be easily located at The Volunteer Center of Gloucester County.

http://videos.nj.com/south-jersey/

What a great way to reach out to loved ones during the holiday season! 

I know the Gloucester County Times newspaper is still on the hunt for a few bloggers, however this effort demonstrates a wonderful alternative way to make the most of web 2.0. 

Surprisingly, I found the link while “old school” scanning my hard copy of the Gloucester County Times at my kitchen table.

Karen Boucher, WDFPL Information Specialist, is one special person.  During this holiday season she has developed a wonderful alternative to in house gift exchange for the WDFPL library staff members.

This year Karen suggested staff members donate gifts to the troops who cannot be home to celebrate with family and friends in southern New Jersey this holiday season.

Here’s a short project overview in Karen’s words.

Staff agreed at our staff meeting in August, that we’d like to do this kind of project for the troops as an alternative to exchanging among staff.  I contacted local recruiting centers and the National Guard Armory, but found out the best way to do this was through an individual who is stationed overseas.  We got our 2 contacts and asked if it was possible to collect needed items and what it is they wanted.  So we started.

I think it best continue to detail the project from Karen’s email account.

Hi Everyone,
 
I received this from the wife of our Marine contact Chris Grasso.
 
Karen
 
—–Original Message—–
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 7:41 PM
To: Karen Boucher
Subject: Re: Gift boxes
 
Karen,
 
Thank you so much for thinking of our troops away from home this holiday season.  I can’t tell you how much it means to them that people still support them and take the time to put together care packages for them.  I know that this will make their Christmas so much brighter.
 
Thank you again, Hillary

On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 3:59 PM, Karen Boucher <kboucher@westdeptford.lib.nj.us> wrote:

Hi again Hillary!
 Well our boxes are on their way!  The postmaster picked up 8 boxes for Chris and his Marines this afternoon.  We gathered together quite a bit including a little Christmas tree with ornaments and lots of snacks, quick foods, toiletries, candy, gum, baseballs and gloves, cd’s, & paperbacks. We hope we made their Christmas a little brighter but we especially hope & prayer that next Christmas they will be back at home with their loved ones. We are so grateful for their and your sacrifice. It is a blessing for us to be able to add a little cheer to their holidays.  We take so much for granted and it helped us realize how really lucky we are.
The very best to you and your family!

 Karen Boucher’s email to staff on project progress is found below:
Hi Everyone!
 
Well the postmaster came and picked up 17 boxes for our troops this afternoon!  We have 9 boxes going to Army Sgt. Jason Snyder and 8 boxes to Marine Captain Chris Grasso, both stationed in Iraq.
They will distribute all the goodies we gathered to the men and women in their immediate units. We sent a ton of goodies including snacks, candies, cookies, crackers, gum, playing cards, baseballs & gloves, microwavable foods, tuna, slim jims, beef jerky, toiletries of all kinds….and  Christmas trees with all the ornaments too! We really came together to make a difference and it is so appreciated. I’ve spoken to both families and they were so excited.  They were especially appreciative that their family members have not been forgotten.
 
Thanks so much for all your suggestions, generosity and help in pulling this together and making it such a success. You helped make the world a happier and more hopeful place. God bless you all.
 
One more note….it cost $10.95 to ship each box and there is a shortfall of $87.00.  If anyone is interested in helping out with this, please see Dottie or Marie.
 
Thanks and Happy Holidays!
Karen

I asked Karen for an update, as I was out of the library …

We sent out 17 boxes today.  The postmaster picked them up this afternoon and I’ve been in touch with both families and they are as excited as we are! Helene took pictures. It has been a wonderful Christmas blessing to be a part of this project.  I just hope next Christmas they’re home, safe & sound!

 Just wanted to give you an update.
Karen

During this holiday season it is important to remember those who make the season brighter for us all. 

I am honored to work with Karen Boucher @ WDFPL.  Many times she smiles my way and says “this is not brain surgery” or something similar to lighten up busy days in WDFPL. 

Library work may not be brain surgery, but I see miracles happen in the library .  

BTW - WDFPL staff amassed the funds to cover all shipping costs! 

I realize not every librarian is lucky enough to work with Karen, though her creative idea shifting in house gift giving to an outreach project can be easily replicated.  It may also scale well for use in larger library systems. 

Take time to pause and reflect during this season, there may be someone working in your library who is just waiting to share a creative new idea.

Karen, Dottie and Marie check out donations for the troops.

Holliday packing is underway in the library.

Holiday troop transport with a smile.

Contact: Jenni Terry
Press Officer, ALA Washington
(202) 628-8410
jterry@alawash.org
 
NEWS
For Immediate Release 
December 4, 2008ALA: Obama’s concern over closures demonstrates understanding of libraries’ role in economy
WASHINGTON – The American Library Association (ALA) today applauds President-elect Barack Obama for recognizing the effect library closings have on communities during a meeting with the National Governors Association.Obama, discussing potential budget shortfalls for the 41 states represented during the meeting, cited library closures as one of the drastic measures already being taken to balance state budgets.

Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director of the ALA Washington Office, said it is critical for governors and members of Congress to understand how public libraries can help get the economy back on its feet, and President-elect Obama’s comments today served as a reminder of the importance of keeping libraries open during this time of economic hardship. “Public libraries stand ready to help communities recover from this economic tailspin,” Sheketoff said. “Governors and mayors need to make sure that the funding for these multi-purpose economic engines is in place.”

Currently, 73 percent of all libraries nationwide report that they are they are the only provider of free Internet access in their communities. In rural areas, the role of the public library is even more critical, as 83 percent of libraries are the only free Internet provider.

Sheketoff said libraries also help Americans get jobs by providing services such as skills assessment, resume preparation, information technology training, small-business development classes and much more.

I hear over and over these days, tell the stories from your library.  

I want to note that there are many individuals using library services who do not want to tell their stories.   They are all completing tasks more complex that surfing the Internet.

 Here are a few I have encountered recently -

A unemployed man retired from the theatre  building a resume with very limited computer skills and faded memory of exactly where he worked when.  He has been in the library for the last seven days for the majority of hours the library is open.

Many individuals from other government programs where they have recieved some assistance however are still at a loss on how to use computers to fill out online job applications and create or use an email account.

Individuals seeking study guidance for various government positions from teaching to policework and everything in between.

An auto repair store owner who can no longer afford online resource subscriptions and regulary stops by the library to use Ebsco’s Auto Repair Reference Center.

Consumer Report readers who cannot afford subscriptions but want to make sure they are selecting the correct “whatever” to purchase.  During tough economic times, making the wrong choice is more perilous in the minds of many.

A middle-aged man with environmental questions on local landfills who does not want to his share name or phone number yet is willing to work with a librarian in the library on reference work.

Parents and caregivers working with students (or for students) to complete written assignments and or email teachers.

Caregivers and the disabled stopping in to learn what the library has to offer and practice socialization skills.

Husbands taking a break from life’s hectic pace.

Wives taking a break from life’s hectic pace.

A retired lady trying to make ends meet by selling large quantities of her belongings on Craigslist.

Nursing students with children in tow studying for exams.

An eighty-some year old gentleman requesting proofreading for a letter to his insurance company cancelling coverage as he can no longer afford the premium.

Senior citizens looking for home repair help.

A man who regulary visits to read the Spanish to English dictionary.

Homeless seeking shelter.

A woman seeking reading material in Guariti and English as she cannot read English yet understands the spoken language.  She needs to learn English “to get a job.”

Many folks asking for a paying job at the library.

Terminally ill seeking compassion and books on alternative treatments.

Gravely ill seeking emotional support and/or medical information.

Uninsured seeking healthcare resources.

Avid readers seeking discussion on economic issues.

These are just a few of my personal encounters of late.  WDFPL and other libraries offer many programs from resume workshop sessions to programs on strategies for anger management and coping with stress during tough economic times.

How do we increase awareness about the stories that cannot be told?  How can we do it on shoestring budgets?  How can we do it with limited staffing? 

How can we not????

I have many favorite library users, though tonight I share this special one.  She is a mother, in her late 30s,  who comes to visit WDFPL on the bus from Camden.  She brings her children with her to use materials and the Little Tikes computer learning stations while she works on her studies. 

She shares that she wants to make something out of her life.  She wants more for her children.  Her life has not been easy.  She is beautiful, with soulful wide-eyes and a great smile.

I remember trying not to flinch when she brushed her hair back uncovering her healing bullet wound last time she stopped in the library.  I cannot put this library user on video her story is too private, too painful, to share on film.

It is also too inspiring for me to think of serving my community anywhere but the library.  This library user and I have shared statistic problems, world views and hugs inside the walls of my local library. 

Things happen in the library that cannot be shared with the same intimacy on film or in the digital realm online. 

Every story is not a story to be told, though it is important to know they exist.