| Author |
Message |
    
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1617
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 11:42 am: | 
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I'm a big supporter of our library, but I'm feeling let down.
School just ended, and my little one is very eager to get started on summer reading club (thanks for the presentation at school). It is raining, and I had Daddy all set to take her on a big library excursion, when I looked at the brochure sent home from school...
No Saturday hours all summer is bad enough, but no Sunday hours either, on the first weekend of summer begs for explanation. Without the school libraries, this is when we need you!
Why should it be so hard for working parents to take their kids to the library? Three hours per weekend is pretty thin, and two late evenings a week don't help much with dinner and bedtime to manage. I want my kid to have the relationship with the public library that I did as a child, but these hours aren't making it easy.
If there is a good reason for these hours, I'm happy to hear it, but I'm definitely feeling underserved this weekend.
(But I hope our librarians are enjoying their lovely weekend off!) |
FlyingSpaghettiMonst
Citizen
Username: Noodlyappendage
Post Number: 188
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 12:17 pm: |
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Maplewood has no weekend hours at all over the summer,except for 3 measly hours on Satudays in July for 4 weeks of rso. Closed today.. Nothing in August at all. Not so good for people who observice Shabbos.. |
The Man
Citizen
Username: Bumboklaat
Post Number: 182
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 12:48 pm: |
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http://www.moviewavs.com/php/sounds/?id=gog&media=WAVS&type=Movies&movie=Big_Leb owski"e=jewish.txt&file=jewish.wav |
Mayor McCheese
Supporter
Username: Mayor_mccheese
Post Number: 1696
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 1:18 pm: |
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Two wrongs don't make a right. If the Maplewood librarians jumped off a bridge should the South Orange ones follow.
FlyingSpaghettiMonst, are you involved with the library? An awful lot of your posts seem to be dealing this the south orange library in particular. |
knak
Citizen
Username: Knak
Post Number: 171
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 1:21 pm: |
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The Maplewood library is open today, from 10 AM - 5 PM. The kick-off for the summer reading program, African drumming/dancing, is at 2 PM.
http://www.maplewoodlibrary.org/calendar.jpg |
Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 1294
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 4:03 pm: |
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Librarians are also working parents. During the summer they like to spend time with their children on weekends, just as you like to spend time with yours. Libraries are usually open for one to three evenings a week, which is when working parents can take their children in the summer--don't forget the longer hours of daylight. Let your kid stay up a little later, and go to the library. |
Camnol
Citizen
Username: Camnol
Post Number: 389
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 4:44 pm: |
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I just came back from the Maplewood Library. The children's room was packed with parents and kids. |
Elizabeth
Citizen
Username: Momof4peepers
Post Number: 101
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 7:04 pm: |
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Maybe S.O. has closed the library during the summer to avoid the rainstorms that for whatever reason seem to only hit during the weekend. You know, don't let anyone see how bad the leaks in the roof REALLY are..... |
Paper Bag Bandit
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 1256
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 9:28 pm: |
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Where is Nancy (LibraryLady)!? |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1619
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 24, 2006 - 9:44 pm: |
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Lizziecat, agreed that librarians are working parents. However, I think that they should be hired with schedules that are geared to meeting the needs of the entire community. Not all jobs are 9-5 M-F, and I would argue that community librarian in a community such as ours is not a fully 9-5 job.
The library is open roughly 40 hours a week that meet the needs of people who are at home during the day, and roughly 9 hours a week that meet the needs of working parents (3 hours on Sundays, starting July 9th, and two late nights). To the extent that I subsidize the library, I just don't find that sufficient. If you've read my postings on the library before, you know that I'm a strong supporter -- now I just need them to support me back.
As an aside, I would think that for anyone not tied to an absolute M-F 9-5 job, having weekends free would matter more during }the schoool year than during the summer, when kids are not in school. |
Hamandeggs
Citizen
Username: Hamandeggs
Post Number: 322
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 6:08 am: |
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Hours aside, I had a great time today at the library. Maybe the schedule you had was misleading; it was open and packed!
My kids and I use both SO and M libes often, so that gives us 3 choices. Usually at least one is open. It's also a lot of fun to explore other libraries in the area. The big WO library is open often and non-residents can even borrow videos.
I would love to have more and longer hours, but even when I lived in NYC, Sundays were constantly threatened, closings a potential, etc. So while this sorts itself out, you may want to use the SO libe and the Hilton branch, as well as the main Map lib.
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susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1622
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 2:29 pm: |
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I think that Maplewood was open, S.O. not yesterday (unless the website and publications are very misleading). Given we have things to return and my daughter is eager to join the S.O. summer reading club, we weren't just looking for any open library this time.
I understand Sunday hours being threatened, but not in the context of Saturday hours being non-existent, which is the S.O. library in the summer. A quick look online shows that most NY Public Library branches have Saturday hours of 10-5, and no Sunday hours in the summer, compared to our 3 weekend hours on Sundays, with complete closure this weekend.
The Maplewood site shows that they too cut weekend hours back to 3 per weekend starting in July, and nothing in August, if I'm reading correctly (no Hilton weekend hours in the summer).
I don't mean to make too big a case of it, but the librarian came to school, got my child very excited about summer reading club, and now I feel like I'm having to run an obstacle course to actually get her there to enjoy it. I just don't understand the logic of choosing to be completely closed right after kicking off the big summer reading program. |
C Bataille
Citizen
Username: Nakaille
Post Number: 2686
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 3:29 pm: |
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I agree, Susan. Weird timing for SOL. Do the two town libraries do the same summer theme? It would be cool if they got together and worked out schedules so that at least one of the 3 sites is open. And publish the schedules on websites and around (N-R). I think Maplewood could do it more easily because they have (I'd think) more staff between the two sites than SO does at one. It's certainly not a matter of staff having to work every weekend of the summer. One in 3 or 4? A supervisor or asst plus one other staff? I'm sure some of their staff are college kids from SH but there are local college students home for the summer who'd be happy to have a part-time job in an air conditioned, relaxed sort of place. |
Nancy - LibraryLady
Supporter
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 3601
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 7:47 pm: |
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Sorry for the delay in responding. I forwarded this thread to the Head of Children's Services at SOPL, Christine Crawford. I hope and expect that she will respond shortly (tho it's gonna be nuts tomorrow at the Library  .
It might also be good to email her at librarian at sop dot .org with specific questions or suggestions as MOL , although it seems to be, is NOT an offical bb. |
Suzanne Ng
Citizen
Username: Suzanneng
Post Number: 814
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 9:19 pm: |
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Nancy -- I think it is sopl dot org <g>
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Nancy - LibraryLady
Supporter
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 3603
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 25, 2006 - 11:37 pm: |
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oops, the L in SOPL got erased when I went back to change the email address to avoid the email being harvested by spammers.
It's librarian at sopl dot org.
Thanks Suzanne. |
Suzanne Ng
Citizen
Username: Suzanneng
Post Number: 816
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 8:17 am: |
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Any time, <g> Us Librarians (or is it we librarians?) need to stick together. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3558
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 10:41 pm: |
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I like C Bataille's idea for the two towns' libraries to coordinate schedules and have a commong summer program. It would seem like a win-win for all, and a way to meet some of the budget cutting needs while still serving the families in the two towns and doing so on a more consistent basis.
I know that the two towns are working on shared services in other areas and I'm not suggesting a formal sharing of library services at this time if it isn't already "on the list", but it seems like this could be done more informally if the librarians got together and worked it out.
Something to shoot for next summer, perhaps? |
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