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 President's Message
by Michele Vass
It is a pleasure to be back serving again as President of the Rocklin Friends of the Library. Our group is full of committed, dynamic, and hardworking volunteers; and, I am privileged to be able to advocate for our county libraries and lead outreach efforts in our community.
We have a busy year ahead, so I'd like to highlight our upcoming events and ongoing programs. We just completed our 3rd annual
"Love your Library" event on February 14th. Our members gave away 100 free book bags filled with chocolate, bookmarks, and a free book from our bookstore! This feel-good event is always popular in our community... I mean, who doesn't like free books and chocolate?
On March 18th we are partnering once again with the Rocklin Historical Society at Old St. Mary's Church to honor local women members of the Historical Society who will be presenting oral histories. Join us for our spotlight on
Rocklin Women's History by reserving your free ticket at
Eventbrite.com.
Our
Story Time at the Station, in partnership with the Rocklin Police Department, is going on its third year with continued community interest and participation. Friends member Rita Peterson coordinates these events on behalf of the Friends and picks out the books that are read at the Police Station. Rita makes sure that there is a special treat for the children in attendance, and she has been known to dress up for our Halloween and Santa Story Time events! Our Friends at the Police Department are to be commended for their enthusiastic reading and tours of the station when Story Time concludes.
In our quest to increase early literacy, the Friends have launched a
Baby's First Book initiative at the Rocklin Library. We have purchased brand new board books that are available at the downstairs information desk to parents of children aged 0-12 months. Parents can simply ask the library staff for their child's free book and choose among ten titles. We are hopeful that this interaction will foster conversations between patrons and staff about all of the great programs offered at our library that will aid in their child's development, as well as introduce them to resources available for all members of the family.
Our
Birthday Club turned 1 in January and currently has over 350 children enrolled! Children aged 2-10 can come to the library to pick up a free brand-new book and certificate for a free "Baby Bite cupcake" from our partners at
Icing on the Cupcake in Rocklin. Sign-ups are available online at
www.rocklinfriends.org.
The Friends will be hosting a series of
community forums beginning in March with Mayor Joe Patterson as our first special guest. Mayor Patterson will inform residents about upcoming projects and take feedback and questions from residents. These informal events will take place in the Library's community room with free tickets available on
Eventbrite.com. Coffee and snacks will be provided.
As you can see, we take our mission seriously: to promote and support the Rocklin Library and the Placer County library system, and to encourage community interest in libraries, reading, and lifelong learning. Not one of these things I have highlighted would be possible without your contributions and membership.
Thank you for your generosity and your pledge to support a vibrant community through a vibrant Rocklin library!
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Polaris is Here!
by Tony Carmack, Branch Manager
By the time you read this, the Placer County Library will have realized an entire new Integrated Library System (ILS) called Polaris!
What is an ILS? In practical terms, it is a computer program that oversees the library's collection. It also directs the purchase of materials, organization of titles, administration of library accounts, and probably a half dozen things that are invisible to mortals like me. Sometimes we refer to it as "the catalog"- shades of Dewey and the card catalog linger -but that's a simplification. Like the card catalog, you can look up titles by title, author, and subject, but you can also limit your search to the year of publication, character's name, whether the item is considered on the shelf at your local library, and many other search strategies.
A search in Polaris will show you not only physical items on the shelf but electronic books and audio. In Polaris, the display of information is much more seamless. Like Google, Polaris is more forgiving of spelling in searches, which is great for so-so spellers like me. With the new system, you can check into your online account with a username and password (rather than library card number and PIN). Also from home, you'll be able to move your requested holds to another pickup location, change your contact information, and renew items online even if they're overdue. You'll also have the option to keep a reading history of the books you've checked out in the past, a feature that library customers have long asked for.
We're so glad to have one of the premier state-of-the-art library catalogs available that gives us the power and flexibility to serve citizens of Placer County, whether in their local library or at home!
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| Cathy MacHold and Janet Thew hang the metal panels of the Hemingway photographs. |
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Hemingway Exhibit at Rocklin Library
by Janet Thew, Art Coordinator
The Rocklin Library and the Friends are fortunate to currently host an exhibit of Ernest Hemingway photographs that have been on tour around the world. Cathy MacHold, a Hemingway scholar, chose our library as the first venue in this region. The photos, along with descriptions of this anniversary exhibition, are on display in the library through March. We had a bit of a conundrum on how to hang the metal panels, as they all fell off the wall on the first attempt, but, Cathy finally worked out a solution using large plate hangers!
Be sure to check out this unique Hemingway Exhibit on both floors of our Rocklin Library!
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Thanks for Your Continued Support!
by Gloria Beverage
Local book lovers helped raise more than $12,400 in 2018 through purchases in our bookstore, on eBay, and during our surplus book sales. With a goal of raising $14,000 in 2019, we're off to a great start in 2019 with more than $865 in bookstore and eBay sales in January.
Our first surplus sale, which was held February 2, raised $207.25. We found homes for a lot of books! Our next surplus book sales will be held on May 11, August 10, and November 2 in the Community Room at the Rocklin Library. Members can fill a bag for $2 during the preview sale from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The public can fill a bag for $5 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Our bookstore is located on the right as you walk in the front entrance of the library. Books are $3 for hardcovers and $2 for paperbacks. CDs are $3 unless marked. Prices of children's books may vary. It's an honor system, so please leave the correct total payment for books and CDs in the slot on the wall inside the store.
Book donations, which help us keep the store stocked and fill the tables at our surplus sales, can be dropped in the large slot on the wall just inside the front entrance. To arrange for delivery of larger collections of books, send an email to
rocklinfriends.org. Unfortunately, we cannot accept textbooks, magazines, or records. We also welcome volunteers willing to work in the bookstore or at our sales.
Come check out our Friends of the Library Bookstore when you are next at the Library!
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Part III - A Profession for Women, Introduction
This article continues the story of the history of our Public Libraries from
Digital Public Libraries of America
Article Submitted by Getta Dolinsek
Men from New England's elite families were the predominant players in the early US library movement. These men viewed librarians like missionaries, bringing civilization and reform to the masses through educational opportunity. Many were well-connected graduates of New England's colleges and some had departed other careers in law and ministry to begin second careers as librarians. Along with these men, a number of women from the elite classes volunteered at libraries, particularly for work with children. It was not until after 1900 that women would dominate the operational work of libraries, and longer still until they would have full administrative power and responsibility.
This particular gendered history underpins the founding of the American Library Association (ALA)-the first and largest library professional organization in the world. In 1876, 103 librarians from across the country-ninety men and thirteen women-met and resolved that the mission of the new ALA would be "to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense." Despite the rapid growth of women in the library profession, the ALA would not elect its first woman president, Theresa Elmendorf, until 1911.
In 1904, librarian Mary Cutler Fairchild would note that participation by women in American Library Association meetings was disproportionate to their attendance. Her research indicated that in libraries, women greatly outnumbered men, holding a large proportion of administrative positions but with little administrative responsibility. In addition, women did not hold positions offering the highest salaries, but rather appeared to perform the same level of work for less compensation.
Brady, Hillary, and Franky Abbott. A History of US Public Libraries. Digital Public Library of America. September 2015. https://dp.la/exhibitions/history-us-public-libraries.
Four of the librarians from the Jacob Edwards Library and the black library cat, 1916. Courtesy of the Jacob Edwards Library via Digital Commonwealth
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2019 Upcoming Events
March and April
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Upcoming 2019 Board Meeting Dates
March 12 - 10 AM
April 9 - 10 AM
May 14 - 10 AM
June 11 - 10 AM
No Meetings in July and August
All meetings will be held at the Community Room at the Rocklin Library
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WE WANT YOUR GENTLY USED BOOKS
Non-fiction books, Children's Books
New fiction (hardback and paperback books)
DVDs and books on tape, and rare and antique books
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR DONATIONS IN THE BOOK DONATION SLOT
INSIDE THE LIBRARY TO THE RIGHT OF THE FRONT DOOR
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The mission of Rocklin Friends of the Library is to generate support for the Rocklin Library and Placer County library services and to promote community interest in libraries, reading, and lifelong learning.
Rocklin Library - 624-3133
4890 Granite Drive, Rocklin, CA
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