Why Should I Donate to the Public Libraries of Jefferson County?

The JCLC was recently eliminated from the Jefferson County budget.

After 33 years of funding, the Jefferson County Library Cooperative was recently eliminated from the Jefferson County budget. Our library building, staff, and operations are funded by the City of Homewood. (Thank you Homewood!) But JCLC, a non-profit organization, provides all 40 Jefferson County public libraries—including Homewood Library—with essential services like Internet access, book and DVD delivery between libraries, one centralized catalog and one centralized library card. Learn more.

"Keep It Alive" the "One County-One Library Card" System

Donations can also be made by mail to:

Jefferson County Library Cooperative
2100 Park Place
Birmingham, AL 35203

Or donations can be made at:

Homewood Library or any Jefferson County library 
by making checks payable to JCLC.

Thank you for your help!

Successfully Using QR Codes in Libraries

View more presentations from Cheryl Burnette

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Christmas Book Reviews for December 17th and 18th

Here is Ms. Judith's pick for December 17th:



Duck & Goose: It’s Time For Christmas by Tad Hills

If you are fan of the Duck & Goose series by Tad Hill, then you will definitely want to check out this new holiday board book. Goose is too busy catching snowflakes, making a snowgoose, or skating. It is up to Duck to remind him what time it is!


and here is Ms. Heather's pick for December 18th:


Morris’s Disappearing Bag by Rosemary Wells

All of Morris’s brothers and sisters think he is too young to play with their Christmas presents on Christmas morning. That is until Morris gets the best gift of all, an invisible, disappearing bag! The whole family has a great time with the new gift until bedtime. Hopefully they can remember where they put it….

Success! The new Black Gum tree is in its new home at the library

Success! The new Black Gum tree is in its new home at the library
Originally uploaded by HomewoodPix

Ann Damsgard (Edgewood Garden Club), Debbie Fout (library Director), and the planting crew.

Edgewood Garden Club of Homewood, Alabama is pleased to plant their 2009-2010 Ida Burns Memorial Tree at the Homewood Public Library. Ida Burns was a long time Homewood resident and centenarian. Mrs. Burns, a selfless community naturalist and supporter of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens from its inception, has made it possible for the Edgewood Garden Club to grace our city with a tree each year. This tree and others that the club has planted in her memory and honor will help sustain the environment for years to come. Edgewood Garden Club is a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Alabama.

Homewood Public Library from 1941 to Now: Our History

When the Homewood Public Library was established on March 24, 1941, the city was fourteen years old and had a population of 7,397. That first library was located in a small room on the second floor of City Hall, and its opening day collection consisted of between 2,500 and 3,000 books. The library was run by Mrs. J. L. (Mary Katherine) Switzer, a former librarian at the Birmingham Public Library. The library was open Monday through Friday from 2:00-6:00 pm and on Saturday from 9:00 am-6:00 pm. Books could be checked out for seven to fourteen days, but there was a limit of three books per patron. (Only two books could be checked out on a child's card.) Overdue fines were two cents per day. 

Today, the population of the City of Homewood has increased to over 25,000, and the Homewood Public Library has grown with it. Now situated in a 50,000 square foot building on busy Oxmoor Road, the library's collection encompasses over 94,000 books as well as DVDs, videos, CDs, audiobooks, and electronic games. The library's hours have expanded from a mere 29 hours per week (in 1941) to a whopping 67 hours. There is currently no limit to the number of books any patron may check out, and they may keep them for three weeks. The library is a member of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative and serves over 48,000 patrons per month, both from the Homewood community and surrounding areas. No longer just a library, Homewood Public Library is a cultural center, offering programs for adults, teens, and children, Wi-Fi Internet access, computer classes, meeting rooms, and more.

In 2009, Homewood Public Library earned a national Four Star Rating for Library Service in the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. This system scrutinizes statistics that describe library service outputs, such as visits, circulation, public Internet computer usage, and program attendance. Out of 7,268 public libraries across the nation only 258 received star ratings. Homewood Public Library is one of only five libraries in Alabama to receive such an honor and one of only twelve in the Southeast. This Four Star rating followed the Three Star rating that was received in an earlier Library Journal survey.

In 2004, Homewood Public Library was awarded a Blue Ribbon Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Library Service. This is the highest distinction given to public libraries for excellence in library service. In order to receive this recognition, a library must meet or exceed more than seventy specifications based on the population of the city or county that established the library. To date, only nine libraries in Alabama have received this award. The award was presented by the Public Library Division of the Alabama Library Association. Gov. Bob Riley also presented Homewood Public Library with a letter and certificate of recognition from the governor’s office.

In 2002, the library was voted as Jefferson County's "Favorite Library". 

In 2001, Homewood Public Library earned Three Gold Stars for meeting so many of the established state standards for libraries as outlined by the Alabama Library Association and the Alabama Library Service. In previous years, the library was ranked seventh in the state and was awarded the Certificate of Achievement at the Two Star level.

Check us out on Bham Wiki.

snow Jan. 8, 2010 - round auditorium on the front of the library

snow Jan. 8, 2010 - round auditorium on the front of the library Originally uploaded by HomewoodPix

We know, we know, it may be silly to our northern friends, but here in the south, it's quite exciting! We don't normally see very much snow around here ;^P

One of the best video book ads (from the New Zealand Book Council)

May advertising awards and chocolate fish* rain down upon the clever people at Colenso BBDO for creating an ad for the New Zealand Book Council that manages to avoid the multitude of cliches available to do with books and reading, and just does something creative and original. ~from the Market Intelligence for Librarians website.

*the internationally recognised token of appreciation amongst librarians

We have SO many new Teen books on our shelves right now!

Here is just a sampling - come and get 'em!

Frontier Magic Book 1: The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede 18-year-old Eff must finally get over believing she is bad luck & accept that her special training in Aphrikan magic, & being the twin of the seventh son of a seventh son, give her extraordinary power to combat magical creatures that threaten settlements on the western frontier.

Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann In 1986, when 17-year-old Daniel's father arrives in Madison, Wisconsin, after five years of torture as a political prisoner in Chile, Daniel & his 18-year-old "gringa" girlfriend, Courtney, use different methods to help this bitter, self-destructive stranger who yearns to return home & continue his work.

Jack Tumor by Anthony McGowan 14-year-old Hector, suffering from severe headaches, is diagnosed with a brain tumor which speaks in his head, calling itself Jack Tumor & making an effort to improve Hector's home life, increase his popularity, & win him a girlfriend before the operation that will mean the end of one or both of them.

The Joy of Spooking Book 1: Fiendish Deeds by P.J. Bracegirdle As 11-year-old Joy Wells, proud resident of the nearly-abandoned town of Spooking, tries to stop construction of a water park in a bog she believes is home to a monster & the setting of her favorite horror story, a man with his own mysterious connection to Spooking will do anything to stop her.

Just One Wish by Janette Rallison 17-year-old Annika tries to cheer up her little brother Jeremy before his surgery to remove a cancerous tumor by bringing home his favorite television actor, Steve Raleigh, the star of "Teen Robin Hood."

NewSouth Books to publish the Alabama Big Read edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Montgomery, Alabama—It doesn't happen often, according to Molly Thomas-Hicks at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), that a regionally based publishing house is selected to publish a work for its Big Read program. So NewSouth Books was especially honored to learn that it had been named to publish an Alabama edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for the NEA’s 2010 Big Read. Thanks go to the NEA and to many folks in Alabama for identifying NewSouth as the publisher of choice, including Patty A. Pilkerton at UAB’s Mervyn H. Sterne Library; Jay Lamar, director of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities at Pebble Hill; and to all nine Alabama Big Read regional coordinators.

NewSouth's edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is unabridged and annotated. It features a letter from Alabama Governor Bob Riley, foreword by local Twain scholar Dr. Alan Gribben, and includes the NEA Reader's Guide. The book will be available for purchase in trade cloth and paperback on September 1, 2009.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens.

According to Pat Ryan, Executive Director of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative and member of the Statewide Big Read Committee, this is Alabama’s first statewide Big Read.

Adds Jay Lamar, director of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities at Auburn University: “The Big Read in Alabama is a unique and wonderful opportunity for the state to be a model for the nation. The production of an Alabama edition of Tom Sawyer, complete with AUM professor and Twain expert Alan Gribben's contextualizing essay and the reader's guide materials, commemorates the project. NewSouth Books, an Alabama-based company that has long contributed significantly to our state's arts and letters, has done a great service to all the participants in Alabama's Big Read by producing this unique and beautiful volume and by making it available to all Big Read participants.”

NewSouth Books is a leading independent publisher based in Alabama. It publishes regional books of national merit. Recent award-winning titles include The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement by Bob Zellner, winner of the 2009 Lillian Smith Book Award, and A Yellow Watermelon by Ted Dunagan, winner of the Georgia Author of the Year Award for young adult fiction. Other recent noteworthy titles include Nobody But the People, an authorized biography of former Governor John Patterson by Warren Trest, and Spit, Scarey Ann and Sweat Bees: One Thing Leads to Another by celebrated storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham. Forthcoming shortly: a memoir called Teddy’s Child: Growing Up In the Anxious Southern Gentry Between the Great Wars, by Virginia Van Der Veer Hamilton.

For more information about the Alabama Big Read edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or NewSouth Books, call 334-834-3556 or go to the NewSouth website at www.newsouthbooks.com. Tom Sawyer will be available to libraries, schools, and by retail to the general public.

Shmoop wants to make you a better lover...

“Shmoop www.shmoop.com wants to make you a better lover (of literature, history, poetry and writing). See many sides to the argument. Find your writing groove. Understand how lit and history are relevant today. We want to show your brain a good time.” 

You gotta love a website that seeks to make literature relevant “for students in the digital age!” Shmoop, created by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities, provides study guides for topics and titles in literature, U.S. history, and poetry. The guides are cited and have all the information you need to write a paper or study a topic further. And several of the Assigned Summer Reading titles are on Shmoop!!

Here are a few of Ms. Heather's favorite things about Shmoop: 

•  Did you know? These are fun facts and information that your teacher may or may not bring up in class. Read ‘em, learn ‘em, and wow your teacher on your next essay!

•  Study Questions & Test Review: Shmoop doesn't stop at just giving you the information; they even help you prep for your test with in-depth reviews and questions that will help you ace that exam!

•  Book Club: This section takes a current book (Twilight was featured when I last looked) and does the breakdown on it just as Shmoop does on the classics and required books.

•  Opinions: I can't say it any better than Shmoop did: “Welcome to Shmoop Opinions! We created Shmoop Opinions for students, teachers, and others to explore ideas, debate perspectives, and learn from each other. Use Opinions to challenge yourself, see multiple sides of an argument, and fall in love (with history, literature, and poetry).”
 
~from Shmoop's website & Heather Miller, Teen Librarian

Library and information resources at AVL!

Need a reference for that research paper, or you'd like to leisurely read Sports Illustrated, Time or Newsweek? Considering the purchase of a new appliance and you're looking for Consumer Reports? Curious about a prescription drug, or your son needs to access the Encyclopedia Britannica or an Oxford reference book? You can find all this and other essential library and information resources at AVL! Download an AVL brochure for more information. Apply for your FREE AVL card at the Circulation Desk.

There is no fee charged for this service. AVL resources are provided to all Alabama citizens through funding from their tax dollars.

Big Read – Alabama Participates as State Recipient

National Endowment for the Arts Announces More Than $3.7 Million in Grants

Washington, DC - The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) just may have to change the name of its literature program The Big Read to The Biggest Read. June 23rd the NEA announced that 269 nonprofits, including arts, culture, and science organizations; libraries; and municipalities will receive grants totaling $3,742,765 to host Big Read celebrations between September 2009 and June 2010. The Big Read brings communities together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 30 selections from U.S. and world literature. The 2009-2010 Big Read grantees represent 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since the 2006 pilot program with ten participating organizations, the NEA has given more than 800 grants to support local Big Read projects.

Nine regions in Alabama received grants to implement the state’s first Big Read project. The title selected for The Big Read: Alabama Reads is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Local communities should contact their local library for programs planned February – April 2010. This project coincides with the Alabama Year of the Small Town activities through the Alabama Bureau of Tourism. Other partners include the Alabama Public Library Service and the Alabama Center for the Book.

The selected organizations will receive Big Read grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 to promote and carry out community-based programs. Participating communities also receive high-quality, free-of-charge educational materials to supplement each title. Reader’s Guides include features such as author biographies, historical context for the book, and discussion questions. Teacher’s Guides are developed with National Council of Teachers of English and State Language Arts standards in mind and include lesson plans, essay topics, and classroom handouts. The Big Read Audio Guides feature readings from the novel along with commentary from renowned artists, educators, and public figures such as Sam Waterston and Aimee Mann, and Big Read authors such as Cynthia Ozick and Tobias Wolff.

To learn more about The Big Read, please visit the www.neabigread.org.

~Pat Ryan, Jefferson County Library Cooperative

Stay tuned for Homewood Public Library's plans to celebrate The Big Read with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. We will have activities for all ages!

Libraries lend a hand in tough times

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

From the Today Show: 73% of public libraries report they provide the only free access to the Internet in their communities. This rises to 83 percent for rural libraries http://tinyurl.com/mupmzd and www.ala.org/plinternetfunding. Also, 68 percent of Americans have a library card http://tinyurl.com/9ewpcc.

Three more AVL Summer Webinars - FREE! Mark your calendar!

College Research for College-Bound High School Students

Tuesday June 23rd 7:00 PM
or
Wednesday June 24th at 1:00 PM

Getting ready to start your college career in the fall, or are you starting research for all of those college applications? Learn how to use Gale Cengage Electronic Resources including eBooks and Databases to conduct college level research and apply your research to writing papers and essays. High School Students as well as Parents of High School Students will get a head start on an invaluable skill to be able to succeed at the College level.

Online Research for Elementary School Students

Monday June 22nd at 1:00 PM
or
Wednesday June 24th at 7:00 PM

Keep those brains sharp over the long summer months and help your little ones develop valuable online research and learning skills. Learn how to use Gale Cengage Electronic Resources including eBooks and Databases to answer homework questions and conduct summer projects that will keep everyone learning over the summer. 

Streamlining Electronic Research on the Reference Desk

Tuesday June 23rd 11:00 AM
or
Thursday June 25th 7:00 PM

Learn time saving tips and tricks for conducting reference research using the Gale Electronic Resources already available to you through the Alabama Virtual Reference Library. Tips on training patrons to use eResources from Gale will be discussed. Also, learn to use Web 2.0 technologies to help promote your eResources.

See login information.

~from AVL's website 

FREE! AVL Summer Webinars for Parents of PreK - 5th Graders

AVL / Early Childhood Resources for Parents, PreK to 2nd Grade

In this special webinar for Alabama parents, we will explore the Britannica Learning Zone, an online resource for Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade students, ages 3-7. The Learning Zone provides vocabulary builders, an interactive atlas, online art activities, interactive games, and audio and video that teach numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and sounds. During this 45 minute webinar, you will learn about how you can use The Learning Zone to help your student maintain early childhood basic skills and help with summer homework assignments. The Learning Zone also has many great “rainy day” activities for you and your students to use! This webinar is ideal for parents of children ages 3-7, as well as parents who home-school their young children. To participate, you will need a computer with internet access and speakers to hear the presentation.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

To register for this webinar, please click here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/728254472

AVL / Britannica Online Resources for Parents, Grades 3-5

In this special webinar for Alabama parents, we will explore the Britannica Online School Edition for Elementary Students, an online resource for students grades 3-5, ages 7-10. Britannica Online provides vocabulary builders, an interactive atlas, online activities, interactive games, and videos. During this 45 minute webinar, you will learn about how you can use Britannica Online to help your student maintain their basic skills in reading and math, and help with summer homework assignments. Britannica Online also has many great “rainy day” activities for you and your students to use! This webinar is ideal for parents of children ages 7-10, as well as parents who home-school their children. To participate in the webinar, you will need a computer with internet access and speakers to hear the presentation.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

To register for this webinar, please click here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/525268008

 ~from AVL's website

Kate Taylor @ HPL's Teen Summer Kickoff 2009

The Homewood Public Library Teen Department and WTTO TV brought singer/songwriter and Homewood High graduate Kate Taylor to our Summer Kickoff celebration May 29th at Homewood Park. It was a great success! To check out Kates music, visit her MySpace page: www.myspace.com/thisiskate

Free downloadable audiobooks work with iPods & iPhones!

New! You can now use your iPod®, iPhone™ and iPod Shuffle to download audiobooks. Click here for a list of supported devices. Enjoy the spoken word anytime, anywhere!

Also, with OverDrive Media Console for Mac, audiobooks can now be downloaded and enjoyed on Macs. The built-in Burn Wizard can be used to burn MP3 audiobooks to CD, and the Transfer Wizard allows quick and easy transfer to Apple® devices. 

Go to the downloadable collection.

For more information on OverDrive Media Console for Mac, click here.

To view a list of OverDrive MP3 audiobooks compatible with Mac, click here.

Click here to see the Quick Start Guide or maybe you want to view the help section?

Enjoy!

What is your library worth to you?

How much would you pay out-of-pocket for your library services?

Ever wondered what the estimated retail value of each service would be?

Take a look at our Library Use Calculator.

After you total the value of your library use, send us your total by clicking the link at the bottom of the form.

Thanks, we appreciate you! We didn't earn our three stars without you!

Teen Summer Kickoff Celebration @ HPL 2009

The Lady With All The Answers (pssst...Dolores is coming May 15 & 16!)

The Lady With All The Answers
A one-woman play by David Rambo

 
Starring Dolores Hydock as Ann Landers
Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16
Homewood Public Library Auditorium
1721 Oxmoor Road
Tickets: $20, includes hors d’oeuvres buffet and performance
Buffet begins at 6:30 pm - Show starts at 7:30 pm
Phone 205-332-6625 for more info.

Actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock brings Ann Landers to the Homewood Public Library stage on May 15th and 16th in the one-woman play The Lady With All The Answers.

Reprising a role that earned a 4-star review from Alec Harvey in The Birmingham News, Hydock portrays the world-renowned advice columnist on the night in 1975 when she struggles to write what will become her most famous column. Along the way, she tells the funny and fascinating story of her life and her work, including excerpts from her most memorable letters. No topic was off-limits for Ann Landers, and, since many of these topics are discussed, this play is not recommended for persons under 16.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Homewood Public Library, includes a delicious buffet of heavy hors d’oeuvres from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The performance is from 7:30 to 9 pm. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Adult Services Desk of the Homewood Public Library.

Come spend an evening with the woman who seemed like family to millions of readers who had breakfast with her – or at least her advice – every morning.

"The Lady With All The Answers meets the lady with all the talent. Hydock...has an uncanny connection with her audience. From the top of her well-known and now dated bouffant to the bottom of her oh-so-ladylike shoes, she is every inch Ann Landers." 4 stars ... Alec Harvey, The Birmingham News, July 2007 (photo courtesy Birmingham News)