Every now and then some of the staff and I chat about child rearing (aka parental survival). Several of the moms talk about creating a bubble around their kids. I always thought in terms of a fence, specifically a two rail post fence. You know, porous enough to let things like rabbits, squirrels, wolves in, but not so porous that big things like cows and kids could actually get out.
My thinking about having a porous fence instead of an impermeable bubble was that interesting stuff -objects, ideas, interactions- could still get to and influence my children, but at least I'd know where they where.
So I was was really intrested and pleased when this video came my way a little while ago. Now before getting to the video let's talk about its source.
TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. The videos (all free) are of scientist, technologists, economists, musicians and artists presenting at the annual TED conference which brings together interesting and imaginative people from all all over the globes. So visit the site, but be aware it is a real productivity killer. Many of the topics overlap and mesh with the materials available from iTunes U that I mentioned a few posts ago.
Anyway, about the video, Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do. Right away I started ticking off all the things the speaker listed and was pleased that I'd done all but one by age 10. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act didn't exist until I turned 50, so I'm not to blame for not getting it sooner. I did break that one the day after it was passed, just like everyone else who owned a personal computer.
The Tinkering School looks very interesting. It is nice to see de-constructing technology as play has evolved into a social event from the rather solitary backyard exploration of yore.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Board of Trustee Minutes for December 13, 2007
MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
DECEMBER 13, 2007
1. Call to Order
President Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Secretary Quinn called the roll.
Trustees Present: Sadiqua Ahmad; Estelle Cooperman, Treasurer; Arthur Goldstein; Dan Hoffman; Renée Miller, President; Jan Sykes; Agnes Quinn, Secretary
Others Present: Benjamin Schapiro, Director; Kevin Justie, Assistant Director/Coordinator of Automated & Technical; Blanche Miyamoto, Administrative Assistant
Visitors: Roz Bonar, ESC: Patsy Mellott, ESC
3. Minutes
Minutes of the regular meeting of November 8, 2007 were reviewed.
Motion by Trustee Cooperman to approve the minutes.
Seconded by Trustee Sykes.
Approved by voice vote.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Cooperman presented the November reports, including review of the cash statement, accounts payable, and income statement.
The Board accepted the Treasurer’s Report.
Finance Committee – December 11, 2007 meeting, Trustee Cooperman reporting.
The committee reviewed the November financial reports.
The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.
5. Committee Reports
Building and Grounds – no report
Director Schapiro will contact Sarah from BCA for her professional advice on the choice of furniture for the Board Room.
No meeting was scheduled.
Policy – Trustee Sykes reporting.
The committee met on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy. The changes were presented to the Board for approval.
Motion by Trustee Sykes to approve changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy as follows:
1. The reference librarian will allow reservation for only two computers at a time.
2. It is not acceptable for the reference librarian to enter patrons’personal data online.
Seconded by Trustee Hoffman.
Approved by voice vote.
Fund Development Planning – Trustee Hoffman reporting.
The committee met with the ESC committee on Tuesday, December 4, 2006 to finalize reports.
6. Librarian’s Report
Statistics
Year to date total circulation is 282,122. 6.2% greater than the same period in 2006.
Website hits from non-staff users were 177,800 for November. This is an average of 5,927 hits per day, a 9% increase over last year.
Patron registrations show a decrease of 44 from October at 8,746 active cards, with 61 new patrons and 100 renewals. New registrations decreased by 120 and renewals decreased by 149.
New Schoolbook Discussion Group
Liz Kaiz, Young Adult Librarian and Rosetta Metz, YS Informational Assistant developed a discussion group called “Famished 4 Fiction”.
A blog will be created for students from different schools within the community to discuss books online.
7. Unfinished Business
New Building
President Miller and Trustee Goldstein will get together to work on a letter to the Morton Grove Park District seeking to initiate a discussion on relocating the library adjacent to the Park District’s Prairie View Center.
8. New Business
Fund Development Planning Committee Final Report
Roz Bonar, ESC and Patsy Mellott, ESC reporting.
A recommendation from Roz and Patsy is for the Board to finalize the mission and vision statements.
Selection of 70th Anniversary Logos
The Board was asked to pick two logos. Samples were reviewed and the Board picked the top logo on the first page and the logo on the second page.
Enter executive session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss employment/appointment matters.
Exit executive session at 9:45 p.m.
There was no resolution on employment/appointment matters.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
DECEMBER 13, 2007
1. Call to Order
President Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Secretary Quinn called the roll.
Trustees Present: Sadiqua Ahmad; Estelle Cooperman, Treasurer; Arthur Goldstein; Dan Hoffman; Renée Miller, President; Jan Sykes; Agnes Quinn, Secretary
Others Present: Benjamin Schapiro, Director; Kevin Justie, Assistant Director/Coordinator of Automated & Technical; Blanche Miyamoto, Administrative Assistant
Visitors: Roz Bonar, ESC: Patsy Mellott, ESC
3. Minutes
Minutes of the regular meeting of November 8, 2007 were reviewed.
Motion by Trustee Cooperman to approve the minutes.
Seconded by Trustee Sykes.
Approved by voice vote.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Cooperman presented the November reports, including review of the cash statement, accounts payable, and income statement.
The Board accepted the Treasurer’s Report.
Finance Committee – December 11, 2007 meeting, Trustee Cooperman reporting.
The committee reviewed the November financial reports.
The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.
5. Committee Reports
Building and Grounds – no report
Director Schapiro will contact Sarah from BCA for her professional advice on the choice of furniture for the Board Room.
No meeting was scheduled.
Policy – Trustee Sykes reporting.
The committee met on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy. The changes were presented to the Board for approval.
Motion by Trustee Sykes to approve changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy as follows:
1. The reference librarian will allow reservation for only two computers at a time.
2. It is not acceptable for the reference librarian to enter patrons’personal data online.
Seconded by Trustee Hoffman.
Approved by voice vote.
Fund Development Planning – Trustee Hoffman reporting.
The committee met with the ESC committee on Tuesday, December 4, 2006 to finalize reports.
6. Librarian’s Report
Statistics
Year to date total circulation is 282,122. 6.2% greater than the same period in 2006.
Website hits from non-staff users were 177,800 for November. This is an average of 5,927 hits per day, a 9% increase over last year.
Patron registrations show a decrease of 44 from October at 8,746 active cards, with 61 new patrons and 100 renewals. New registrations decreased by 120 and renewals decreased by 149.
New Schoolbook Discussion Group
Liz Kaiz, Young Adult Librarian and Rosetta Metz, YS Informational Assistant developed a discussion group called “Famished 4 Fiction”.
A blog will be created for students from different schools within the community to discuss books online.
7. Unfinished Business
New Building
President Miller and Trustee Goldstein will get together to work on a letter to the Morton Grove Park District seeking to initiate a discussion on relocating the library adjacent to the Park District’s Prairie View Center.
8. New Business
Fund Development Planning Committee Final Report
Roz Bonar, ESC and Patsy Mellott, ESC reporting.
A recommendation from Roz and Patsy is for the Board to finalize the mission and vision statements.
Selection of 70th Anniversary Logos
The Board was asked to pick two logos. Samples were reviewed and the Board picked the top logo on the first page and the logo on the second page.
Enter executive session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss employment/appointment matters.
Exit executive session at 9:45 p.m.
There was no resolution on employment/appointment matters.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
It's Easy to Change the World...
...or at least play with the Google page ranking system.
The last time I checked, the number of hits for googling "Died in a blogging accident" had gone from 2 to 13,000.
I'll admit I like this as it plays on all sorts of Geek/Librarian issues with indexing, rating information relevance by user actions and using many small actions to have a big (if narrow) impact on the people around us.
XKCD.com owns the cartoon and is worth checking out.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Myra Aggen, First MGPL Full-time Director
Myra J. Aggen
June 6, 1918 – December 19, 2007
Myra J. Aggen, 89, formerly of Melrose Meadows, died Wednesday, December 19, 2007, at Crestview Nursing and Rehab Center in West Branch, Iowa.
Myra was born June 6, 1918, the daughter of Ferdinand and Esther Beer Stecker. On June 28, 1941, she married Chester C. Aggen in Calumet County, Wisconsin.
Myra was the first fulltime director of the Morton Grove Public Library, serving from 1955-1971. The children’s room was named in her honor. While a resident of Morton Grove she was a member of the American Library Association, the Illinois Library Associations, and Toastmistresses, and was an avid bridge player.
Following retirement, Myra and her husband moved to Colorado and then to Lake Havasu, Arizona. In 2004, Myra moved to Iowa City.
Myra is survived by her daughter, Mary New; her granddaughter, Jennifer New and her husband, Andrew Epstein, and their children, Isabella and Tobias, all of Iowa City; and her brother, Glen Stecker of Johnson County, Tennessee.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her son-in-law, Michael New, and her sister, Mildred.
Graveside services will be held this spring at Hillside Cemetery in Chilton, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Iowa City Public Library Foundation, 123 S. Linn Street, Iowa City, IA, 52240 (319-356-5200). Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service.
Online condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com
June 6, 1918 – December 19, 2007
Myra J. Aggen, 89, formerly of Melrose Meadows, died Wednesday, December 19, 2007, at Crestview Nursing and Rehab Center in West Branch, Iowa.
Myra was born June 6, 1918, the daughter of Ferdinand and Esther Beer Stecker. On June 28, 1941, she married Chester C. Aggen in Calumet County, Wisconsin.
Myra was the first fulltime director of the Morton Grove Public Library, serving from 1955-1971. The children’s room was named in her honor. While a resident of Morton Grove she was a member of the American Library Association, the Illinois Library Associations, and Toastmistresses, and was an avid bridge player.
Following retirement, Myra and her husband moved to Colorado and then to Lake Havasu, Arizona. In 2004, Myra moved to Iowa City.
Myra is survived by her daughter, Mary New; her granddaughter, Jennifer New and her husband, Andrew Epstein, and their children, Isabella and Tobias, all of Iowa City; and her brother, Glen Stecker of Johnson County, Tennessee.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her son-in-law, Michael New, and her sister, Mildred.
Graveside services will be held this spring at Hillside Cemetery in Chilton, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Iowa City Public Library Foundation, 123 S. Linn Street, Iowa City, IA, 52240 (319-356-5200). Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service.
Online condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com
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