My answer, of course, would be a resounding YES!!!   There is a website done by the Maine State Library that has a formula into which you put the number of books, dvds, audio books, etc. your family borrowed in one month, along with the number of programs you might have attended.  The website then uses nationally-accepted standard $ assessments for each type of material.  I plugged in the materials I checked out in one month and came up with the answer that if I had to purchase all of those materials, I’d have had to spend well over $1400! 

Public libraries face interesting challenges in this ever-changing technological world.  Not only must we provide you with traditional and beloved materials like books, but also audiovisual materials as well.  We provide computer access, computer classes, computers for use by preschoolers, ones specifically for grade school children, ones dedicated for young teen use, and wireless access on the top floor.  Thanks to our participation in the Suffolk Cooperative Library System we are able to provide you with access to credible information from vetted databases that we could never afford to purchase on our own.  Google is great, but one must be careful to check the sites you access very carefully - when were they updated?  Who is the author?  What sites do they link to?  Is the information biased?

Of course reference services are traditional library services as well.  The only change is that we can provide answers via a plethora of sources and technologies.  Pretty soon, some libraries in Suffolk will allow you to look up materials in the library’s catalog whilst walking through the stacks; you will use your cellphone to do this.  It constantly amazes me that new technology arises as such a rapid pace.

We do our best at John Jermain to provide you with both traditional and non-traditional services.  Despite the limitations of the building, I think that the staff here do a fantastic job.  They know most of your names, provide you with polite service, endeavor to find the materials you want, and go the extra mile in finding answers to your reference questions.

So, I’d like to say WELL DONE to the staff here at the library.

On Friday November 17, a number of Sag Harbor residents joined me on a bus trip to visit five different East End libraries. We went with open minds, to see what services are offered by these libraries, what building expansions or projects they had gone through, and to receive advice. We learned some wonderful things.

At Rogers Memorial in Southampton, we saw the memorial rose garden, the brick walkway where people had inscriptions made, and the beautifully restored Cooper Hall which is used for meetings and the Friends of the Library booksale.

Hampton Bays has an amazing new teen area. It has multiple computers, study areas, space for collections, display space for teen artwork, a program space and a beautiful mural that one of their very talented librarians is painting. It is truly a young adult section to which we can aspire.

One of the North Fork libraries we visited has a beautiful donor wall called “The Giving Tree”. There is a tree with brass leaves which have donors’ names inscribed on them.

We saw a library that went through multiple additions in the last 15 years, with another one scheduled for next year. The goal in planning a library project is to build something that will suffice for the next 20-30 years.

One of our trustees was on the trip and took photos of some of the things I have mentioned. We’ll try to get them online so that you may see them too!

Blogging is all the rage here at the John Jermain Memorial Library…and everywhere else, too. Find out what all the buzz is about at our three-session course, All About Blogging, which begins on Thursday, August 3rd from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., and continues on the following two Thursdays at the same time. (There was a mistake in our newsletter, which indicated that this was a five-week course.) In this class will discuss what Blogs are, who writes them, where to find blogs of interest to you, how to subscribe, how to write comments on blogs, and even how to create your own blog. By the end of this class you’ll be ready to become part of the blogosphere. Call 725-0049, ext. 0 to register, or ext. 37 for more information.

In addition, we’re reprising our popular one-session class called Protecting Your Computer. With threats to your computer and your identity multiplying daily, taking appropriate steps to protect your computer is not longer optional. In this class you’ll learn about all types of threats including viruses, hackers, spyware, phishing, spam and more. In addition will arm you with the information you need to set up appropriate protections against all these threats. This lecture with visual aids is presented in our third-floor rotunda, and can accommodate up to 25 students. Pre-registration is required. Call 725-0049 ext. 0 to register, or ext. 37 for more information.

Summer is the perfect time to try something different, and your library is just the place to do it.  How about a new recipe from one of our large selection of magazines, or from a cookbook that looks interesting but you’re not sure that you want to buy. Why not check out our gardening books — maybe you have a green thumb. We have wonderful language tapes, too. Is this the summer you learn a new language?
Looking forward to seeing you at your library!

Due to the ever rising cost of paper, ink and printer maintenance we are raising the price of color printing from our public access computers to $.50 per page effective immediately. The cost of monochrome printing (black and white) remains unchanged at $.10 per page.

By the way, as long as we're talking about printing; JJML's color printer is really amazing. Even at the higher price per page, the results are well worth it. We have a Xerox Phaser 8500, which employs a wax-based ink technology that results in high-resolution, printed pages with vibrant colors and a smooth wax-like (who'd a thunk it?) sheen over the entire page. The pages this printer turns out are really something to behold. Check it out next time you have something in color that you need to print, and are looking high-quality output.

   I am very grateful to the library user who pointed out that it was difficult to find the proper link to renew materials when using our library website.  Accordingly, we have made it much easier.  Now, when you go on the webpage, you will see the link front & center.  You can not only renew materials via this link, but you can pay fines, reserve materials, check what items you currently have checked out and make a donation to the library.  If you have any difficulty setting up your patron login and password, please call the library (725-0049) and we will talk you through it.

Allison