Gearing Up

"Turbulence is life force.  It is opportunity.  Let's love turbulence and use it for change."  Ramsey Clark (U.S. Attorney General 1967-1969).  When I worked at the University of Texas at Austin, Ramsey Clark came to speak at his alma mater.  He is a long, lanky man with a rugged face and a slow, Texas drawl.  Clark tells stories in the best backwoods tradition of tall tales with a wit as dry as the Texas Hill Country.  He said that life is rocky and change is not always smooth, but well worth the effort.  He was truly inspiring because he has lived his values. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Ramsey Clark is a model for believing that we can change the world and maybe make it a little better.

Change is coming to Dubuque County Library.  We are going to open a new branch.  The branch will be located in the new health sciences and library wing of Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta.  This is a partnership between a community college and a public library that has been years in the making.  The new facility will be dedicated on September 13th at 4:30 p.m.

What is this new branch?  NICC/Peosta Community Library will be a welcoming place for all ages.  Students and community members will be sharing a lovely space with all kinds of resources.  Dubuque County Library will be providing popular books, DVDs, books on CD, and magazines.  NICC will be providing public access computers and access to their existing collection.  In addition there will be story times in the specially-designed story space.  Community members may use the library all the hours it is open and check out books and other materials.

We will be moving into the new location the week of September 6th.  All library locations will be closed on Thursday, September 8th so that we can have all hands on deck to move materials.  The Peosta branch may not have all the materials available right away, but we will be adding more materials continuously and exchanging materials with other branches in our system.  Remember libraries are like trees, they grow.

Dubuque County Library is not closing any of its other branches.  If you are a regular user of Farley, Epworth, Holy Cross or Asbury, we will continue to be there for you. 

Preschool and family story times will begin again in mid-September for an 8-week series.  The times and locations will be posted on our website.  Please call or stop by to register.  There will also be movie nights twice a month at various locations.

Just a reminder of another change that's coming.  Beginning September 1st, DVDs will check out for one week and books will be checked out for 21 days instead of 2 weeks.  All materials checked out after September 1st, will be subject to overdue fines.  A list of fines and fees is available on our website.  There will be a 48-hour grace period so that fines won't start adding up until two days after the item is due.  You can renew materials online, in person or by phone. 

I'll end with a Dylan song taken from the Bible, "oh the times, they are a changing."  Change can be messy, but change is the only way to achieve progress.  Let us know how we are doing.

Have a great weekend. 

Dawn

Onward and Upward

I have always said, "Computers are great when they work."  That was our experience this week at Dubuque County Library.  Last Thursday, August 11th, we worked with our circulation vendor to upgrade our system.  We worked out bumps on Friday at Asbury to get us up and running, but unfortunately we had more serious errors at our other locations.  With much perseverance and assistance from great staff both here and from our vendor, we had everybody up and running by Tuesday noon.  I apologize for the inconvenience.  If that weren't enough, a hub went out at Epworth yesterday so that there was no Internet service at all.  Fortunately our intrepid IT guy, Alan Grant, knew what was wrong, found us the part, and Terrie was able to install the new hub and get Internet service back before the end of the day. 

It's amazing how dependent we have become on this new technology.  We are "dead in the water" when our systems won't let us connect to the outside world.  But this is all part of the process we are undergoing here at Dubuque County Library.  We are upgrading equipment all over our system so that we will be more reliable for our customers.  We want you to know that we will be there for you when you want to look up a book, print a photo, or send an email.  So please excuse our "mess" while we get these upgrades in place.  By mid-September we should have this work done and be opening our community library at NICC Peosta.

Wasn't that exciting that the President was at NICC?  Amy Esterhuizen, Provost for NICC/Peosta, said that the President's cabinet used the new library space for their meetings.  What an auspicious beginning.  We should all be very proud that Washington chose Dubuque County for gathering information and listening to the people.

This is really the last weekend of summer for a lot of us.  Local schools will begin next Monday.  It's an end to sleeping late, lazy afternoons, pool splashes, car trips, and catching fireflies.  I remember I was always torn between wanting to get back to school and see school chums and wanting summer to never end.  As a parent, I loved the beginning of school.  We shopped for new markers and notebooks plus just the right outfit for the first day back.  That was fun!  Now I'm excited because my grandson can't wait for his first day of preschool in a few days.  Life is good when you can watch the passage of time with fond memories and new hopes.

Enjoy what's left of summer.  Let us know what comments or questions you have about Dubuque County Library.   Dawn

I Love Libraries

The economic news is dismal.  We seem to have avoided defaulting on the nation's debt, but the stock market is anything but confident.  All the indicators show we are in for a long, slow recovery.  What keeps me sane in this crazy time?  Libraries.  I know that sounds naive, but libraries are a bright light in a very dark tunnel.  The shear fact that we have publicly funded libraries is a unique statement about our American values.  We believe that everyone in a democracy has a right to information.  And we put our tax dollars to work in a place that offers information that is not tied to commercial or political interests.  The library.   The library offers a wide range of information that helps you understand your world.  We provide books, magazines, and Internet access that is available to everyone regardless of economic status.  Libraries are part and parcel of that level playing field people always talk about.

I love working in a library.  Not only do I help continue the long tradition started by Benjamin Franklin for public libraries, but I get to spend my days figuring out how to offer the best service possible to our customers.  Public libraries began, in many ways, as the people's university.  Thousands of immigrants flocked to public library reading rooms to learn how to become American citizens.  Those immigrants went on to work hard in their new country and create a special American way of life.  Today the public library is still the place where working moms and dads can bring their children to story time, select books, learn a craft, search for a job, improve their computer skills, and use library resources to improve their quality of life.  That's a pretty good institution to be a part of and I'm proud of it everyday.

This past week at Dubuque County Library we were busy as bees.  We upgraded our circulation system to keep up with the improvements provided by our vendor.  It will look the same to our customers, but behind the scenes it will be a smoother process for library operations.  We are receiving and processing new books, and selecting ones from our existing collection all in preparation for the opening of our new branch at NICC/Peosta in early September.  We are also working on getting catalog terminals operational at all of the branches and fixing some software glitches and printing issues.  Computers are great when they work.  Please be patient as we try to bring everything up to snuff.  Staff is also planning for a series of fall story times, special programs, and events.  More on that soon.

Don't forget to attend the last in our multicultural series this Saturday.  Members of our community will share the culture of India at 2:30 at the Asbury Eagles Club.  They have lots of activities planned for the whole family.

The Holy Cross Library will be closed this Saturday so that we can participate in the parade and festivities.  And all library locations will close at 4:30 on Thursday, August 18th so that staff can attend a new director reception hosted by the Friends of Dubuque County Library.  The reception will be from 5:00-8:00 at Park Farm Winery.

And remember as a partner in the grand tradition of public libraries, the Dubuque County Library wants to provide quality library service that meets your needs.  Let us know how we can help.  Thanks for your support.  Dawn

Free Online Courses from the Library

Starting today, the Dubuque County Library is offering free online courses from Universal Class.  Universal Class offers over 500 non-credit continuing education courses.  Here are the facts: 

• You are welcome to enroll in up to 5 courses.
• You have up to 6 months to finish each course.
• You have access to your course 24/7 via the Internet.
• Attend class and do assignments on your schedule. Each course has a real instructor who you may communicate with using email.

  These are non-credit courses and are provided for your personal enrichment.

All of this is free and available with your Dubuque County Library card.  Just go to the library's website www.library.dubcolib.lib.ia.us and click on "Universal Class."  Type in your library card number and complete a one-time registration form.  Universal Class will confirm your email address and then you are ready to enroll.

They have classes in a wide range of subjects ranging from basic math and writing to finance skills, starting your own business, parenting, counseling, learning HTML, and fun skills like gardening, photography, and natural remedies.  You can learn everything from dog training to Buddhism. 

No tutition fees, no books to buy, and you can learn at your own pace with the guidance of a real instructor and classmates.  You really should give it a try! 

Saturday, August 6th is your last chance to turn in your reading calendars and enter for the grand prize drawing.  The drawing is Monday, August 8th at all branch locations.

This weekend is Town and Country Funfest in Epworth.  To celebrate, the library will close at 10:00 so staff can join the parade at 10:30. 

Remember to mark your calendars for our last big program of the summer.  We will learn about the culture of India on Saturday, August 13th at 2:30.  The program will be held at the Asbury Eagles Club.

I welcome your comments and suggestions for the library.  So, let me hear from you.  Have a great week.

Dawn