No More Snow?

I'm a gardener, so I always look forward to spring. This year I've got a lot of dead plants to remove. I am particularly sad to see that my bay laurel looks like a casualty of the long cold spell. I've had it for almost ten years now, and I enjoy picking my own fresh bay leaves. Winter's damage is also an opportunity to redesign my garden, and try some new (hopefully hardier) plants.

But people aren't done talking about our snowy winter yet--I noticed an article in today's Seattle Times revisiting the city's snow removal problems. The article quotes Cliff Mass, KUOW weather forecaster and UW professor of atmospheric sciences. On Sunday, April 5, you can hear Dr. Mass talk about his new book right here in Everett, The Weather of the Pacific Northwest. He'll be at the Main Library at 2 p.m.

We'll be hoping for a rainy day so people aren't tempted to work outside instead of coming to the library!

Babies and books

On Inauguration Day I became a grandmother. Henry lives in Boston, so I'm afraid I won't get to see him very often--but I gave him his first books before he was even born, and I am looking forward to being able to read to him whenever possible. I remember fondly all the wonderful books I used to read to Henry's father--but that was many years ago, and many equally wonderful books have been published since then.

I know Henry's mother and father will read to him, and take him to the library. That is such a great gift, and it will help him be ready to learn even more when he finally enters school. I hope his hometown library has baby storytimes and allows library cards for babies. I hope that library has children's librarians who will take the time to recommend books with beautiful illustrations and terrific stories and memorable characters. And I hope for a productive and happy life for Henry--and for all children.

Small museums and travel guidebooks

I spent part of the holidays with my brother's family, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. I knew I wanted to visit the Barnes Foundation, whose world-famous collection of Impressionist art used to be almost impossible to visit. Then my husband was perusing a guidebook to Pennsylvania, and came upon Fonthill, the home of Henry Mercer of Doylestown. After reading about Fonthill, I knew I had to visit.

Mercer began building his very eccentric home in 1908 from poured concrete, and decorated it with inlaid tile from his Moravian Pottery and Tileworks (the factory is on Fonthill's grounds). The Moravian Pottery was a major supplier of Arts & Crafts style tile, and it is still in operation. Mercer didn't believe in architects or levels, something that's pretty obvious when you tour the house. Although they don't let you take photos inside the house, I took some outside--and you can see them above. It was a fascinating place, and we would never have known about it if we hadn't looked in a travel guide.

The Barnes Foundation was interesting in a completely different way. There are more Renoirs at the Barnes than in all of France (if I'm remembering correctly). Dr. Barnes had his own ideas about art. The paintings are organized and labeled according to his own system (a bit like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, if you've ever been there), and the paintings have no titles or dates on their labels. There's been quite a bit of controversy over how Barnes set up his museum, how it was run, its finances, etc. It's too much to go into here, but you can read more about it online at the New York Times.

So be sure to check our guidebooks before you travel. You never know what you might miss!

Book Babies

I thought I would share a picture of some very cute babies whose parents are getting them off to a great start. These little ones attend the very popular Baby Storytimes at the Evergreen Branch (there's one at the Main Library, too), and they just signed up for their very first library cards. They all received a free book worm bookbag to help tote their books home.

This happy event was made possible by a recent change in library policy that allows children of any age to get a library card. Previously you couldn't get a card until you were 4 years old. The change was made in response to a patron request, and we hope to see many more baby cardholders in the future.

Count Your Blessings

For my monthly podcast I reviewed the library's accomplishments in 2008. I'm a project person, and sometimes prone to being impatient. If I have an idea, I'd like to see it happen sooner rather than later. So I think I have a tendency to focus on what hasn't happened yet rather than just how much has been done.

Writing the podcast proved to be a good exercise because it forced me to remember all the good things that the library has accomplished since January. I won't repeat them here--you can listen to the podcast if you're interested--but I do want to focus on an end-of-the-year highlight that didn't make the podcast. That's our library giving tree. Instead of traditional decorations, the staff has donated mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves--all of which will be donated to area shelters to help keep people warm this winter. If you'd like to contribute to this effort, drop off your donations of new items in our Circulation Office. We'll add them to our tree, for distribution just before Christmas.

I know I'm counting as a blessing the fact that I can give to others in this way, and that library staff members have embraced this project so enthusiastically.

Authors I don't read anymore...

I'm a big mystery fan, and like most genre readers I am always pleased when I find an author whose work I like because this means I have hours of enjoyable reading ahead of me. I just finished books by two long-time favorite authors, Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller. Grafton is now up to T in her alphabet series, and Muller's been publishing a book a year for a long time. But I was bored by both T is for Trespass and Burn Out. The characters don't feel fresh, and the plots dragged along.

I got to thinking about other authors whose work I no longer read. I loved Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series when it first came out, but Plum's inability to choose between bad boy Ranger and Joe the cop finally did me in. I enjoyed J.A.Jance, but haven't read one of hers in years. Ditto for Earl Emerson. I've also given up on Robert Parker. Spenser and Hawk are beginning to seem like cartoon characters, and I'm sick of Susan Silverman and her dainty eating habits.

Some of you undoubtedly still love these authors, or are discovering them for the first time--and I'm glad, because I loved them once, too. I haven't stopped reading mysteries, and next post I'll talk about some of the authors I still like or have just discovered.

A long time coming...

You may have noticed a new feature on our website--a tasteful gray box in the upper right hand corner that links to our brand-new strategic plan, adopted by the Library Board of Trustees on October 21.

We began working on the plan shortly after I became library director in 2007. We worked with Providence Associates to gather public comment that fall. Providence coordinated a telephone survey, held many focus groups with the public and with staff, and met with the Mayor and City department heads. We conducted online and in-house surveys. Providence also conducted a technology and children's services assessment, and benchmarked our library against similar libraries in other communities. Then, after all the data and opinions had been gathered and analyzed, we began working on the actual plan.

I hope you'll take the time to read it. And whether or not you had the opportunity to provide us with in-put during the planning process, we hope you'll see something in the plan that pleases you. I promise to provide you with updates on our progress as we begin implementation. And your comments are always welcome.