libraries

2024 in Libraries

a foot in a sock that is yellow with thin black stripes and it meant to evoke a checkiout card in a book. It's standing on a tiled floor with black and white colored hexagons.

Totally a homebody this year; seventy library visits and most of them within a half mile of my house. I liked working at my library. I didn’t feel the need to go to other libraries with my free time. Amusing side note, I use Daytum to track my library visits and I have a display that show’s “this year’s” visits. However, I didn’t change the display over LAST year and somehow didn’t really notice (I mostly just add visits, don’t look at the pie chart). All fixed now!

Kimball (67) – I worked here nearly every week and did a few sub shifts.
Rochester (1) – I did one drop-in shift here just like last time.
Kilton/Lebanon NH (1) – Parked here and took a hike out behind it, there are some neat trails.
Hartness/Randolph (1) – I continue to think that I should go by this place more often, it’s such a nice library.

Previous years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and some reviews from 2003.

2023 in Libraries

Posted on 05Jan24 by jessamyn

A banned books display showing the many different books which were banned last year and the reason for their banning

Not a big year for libraries. I didn’t go to any new ones! This was partly because I had a regular shift at my own, and am also sticking to my mostly-no-travel policy.

Kimball (79) – Most weeks I worked here one day and I stopped by a lot of other times, for sub shifts or just to get a book.
Rochester (1) – I did one drop-in shift here.
Kilton/Lebanon NH (1) – Jim and I stopped by when we were in NH. It’s a neat place, has a cool garden and place to hang out behind it that I had never been to.
St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (1) – Should have stopped by her more often since my dentist is across the street but I rarely felt like it before or after and now the friend I had there doesn’t work there anymore..
Hartness/Randolph (1) – I got some books out. I should go by this place more often, it’s such a nice library.

Previous years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and some reviews from 2003.

2022 in Libraries

Posted on 02Jan2309Jan23 by jessamyn

looking up into the wooden dome of my home public library

Not a big year for libraries though I did get to one new one in Fairlee.

Kimball (56) – Once the library opened, it stayed open. This includes Drop-In Time shifts as well as work shifts and regular library visits
Chelsea (1) – Worked one fill-in shift here.
Fairlee (1) – I was in town for a conference and stopped by.
Hartness/Randolph (1) – Stopped by when I was on a walk I miss this place.

Previous years: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and some reviews from 2003.

Ask A Librarian: Getting News to Our Patrons

Posted on 19Sep2221Sep22 by jessamyn

From our local librarian mailing list: Is it possible for library patrons to have free access to newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and those other big, famous ones? Or even little, non-famous ones?

I took this as a bit of a question about paywalls, though our State Library did chime in to say that there is some access available through Gale OneFile, specifically “the New York Times is available, while the Washington Post is not. USA Today looks to have a 3-day delay, and the Guardian has a 1-day delay.”

Paywall stuff is complicated! There are two basic answers to your question: an ethical one and a technical one. The answer to “Can I do this technical thing?” is quite often “Yes but you have to know how, and it might not be ethical.”
Continue reading “Ask A Librarian: Getting News to Our Patrons”

Oral testimony for the Working Group On the Status of Vermont Libraries

Posted on 20May2220May22 by jessamyn

fred rogers testifying before a senate subcommittee

After submitting written testimony to the Working Group On the Status of Vermont Libraries, I was asked to come to the meeting to give oral testimony. I decided that instead of summarizing my written testimony, since there was only ten minutes, I’d do a bullet point style summary. This is that. I should note that while I do refer to the State Library, technically is is the Department of Libraries under the Agency of Administration. Below are my four points. Continue reading “Oral testimony for the Working Group On the Status of Vermont Libraries”