PaperCuts

Posted on January 13, 2008 by Anne at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted on December 07, 2007 by Lissa at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Metal shelves were moved from the previous location and reinstalled in the new arrangement for the reference collection.









Staff worked to move the Reference Collection, book by book, to the new location. The books are arranged in Dewey Decimal order, so that similar books are groups by subject.







The reference books were completely moved in just a few days. Imagine loading and unloading several thousand unabridged dictionary-sized books and you'll understand why this is such an amazing feat!







The phone books for all Kansas locations and select major Midwest cities and the consumer reference sources, like the past 10 years of Consumer Reports are now displayed very close to the Reference Desk. The Foundation Collection of resources for non-profit groups seeking grants is also shelved nearby. Patrons ask for these resources frequently, and staff will be just around the corner when assistance is needed.




Reference books with call numbers ranging from 300 and 600 are shelved in this alcove. A small table will be added to provide a convenient place to use this collection. Computers for research will be added to the wooden counters on the walls.

Posted on December 07, 2007 by Lissa at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Winter Music Festival is an annual library traditional. All groups perform in the library's rotunda. Performances are open to the public and many people who are entering or leaving the building stop to listen for a few minutes.











Upcoming groups through December 19th:
Monday           12/10/2007      11:30 AM        Topeka Collegiate Youth Choir
                        12/10/2007      12:00 PM         Cair Paravel Latin School Madrigals     
Wednesday      12/12/2007      11:30 AM        Williams Magnet School 45 Grade Show Choir            
                        12/12/2007      12:00 PM         Heritage Singers          
Thursday          12/13/2007      11:30 AM        Topeka West Singers  
                        12/13/2007      12:00 PM         Cornerstone Home School Choir         
                        12/13/2007      1:00 PM           State Street Singers     

Continue reading "2007 Winter Music Festival Schedule" »

Posted on December 07, 2007 by Lissa at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

World Aids Day was started on December 1st, 1988 to raise awareness, educate, and fight the prejudice associatied with AIDS and HIV.  This year's theme is Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise--Leadership.  To find out more about World Aids Day, check out this website from Avert, an international AIDS Charity, and also the official World AIDS Campaign site where you can take a "leadership pledge" to help fight AIDS.  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has also issued this news release, which lists some of the area events planned in recognition of the day.
Educate yourself!  The library has many books, videos, and DVD's about AIDS and HIV, including fiction and books for children.

Posted on December 01, 2007 by Deb at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visit the Magazine and Newspaper Reading Room and look at the Christmas magazine covers representing four decades of holiday merriment. Check each month to see the new display.

Bon Appétit – 12/1984
Martha Stewart Living – 12/2005
Woman’s Home Companion –12/1951
Better Homes and Gardens –12/1971

This month’s holiday display was created by Marta Miles.

To look at back issues of magazines, including older titles dating back to the early 1900’s, ask at the reference desk and the staff will retrieve them.

Posted on November 30, 2007 by Lissa at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

STEP 4: WALL UNDER WRAPS!

 What mysterious shapes and shadows move inside the plastic? Sometimes we hear strange loud noises, too!










Here is a sneak peek behind the plastic - but look quickly, because those metal studs won't be exposed for long!










Sheetrock is broken and supports are exposed, but at the end of the day all of the sheetrock dust will be swept up and carried away.

An orange metal cart carries away the sheetrock debris.


STEP 5: WHAT COMES NEXT?

The walls that separate the main Youth Services room from the room with the non-fiction collections are being removed. Columns will be constructed and then shelving will be installed around all four sides of columns.



As more metal studs are removed, the opening between the fiction and non-fiction collection room increases. Just a few days ago, these were solid walls!

 

 

Posted on November 29, 2007 by Lissa at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The picture books from these shelves are still accessible; they have been moved to nearby shelving. The preschool computers have been removed during construction.

Caution tape warns parents and children not to play in this area. The "cones of silence" that used to be on the ceiling have been taken down. In this photo, they are stacked in the corner, awaiting removal.





A hammer, a crowbar, and a scraper are useful for removing the built in shelves and opening up the space between these two rooms.








With counters and shelves removed, only the pillars remain between the two rooms.



Computers with software for preschool children are temporarily unavailable while a new space is prepared for them. Early Literacy Stations will be installed in the Elmer Room on the south wall of the Youth Services Area.

Each Early Literacy Station includes thirty-four top-rated educational software packages across seven curricular areas, targeted for toddlers through second graders. The Early Literacy Station has an imaginative interface that encourages exploration. It comes with a colorful keyboard and tiny mouse. The new Preschool Computer Room with seven Early Literacy Stations will reopen upon completion of the improvements in this area of the library.

Posted on November 29, 2007 by Lissa at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Adventure awaits in the library's Travel Neighborhood, located in the east wing before the non-fiction 900's.

The north wall of the travel neighborhood features interesting art and maps, plus check out our cool collection of travel photos submitted by people who have already used great resources in the travel neighborhood.













We have the whole world on a bookcase.

Art from the library's permanent collection is on display.

"Trudy Sue” c. 1969
Robert (Bob) Keith
Topeka, KS
Medium: carved wood
Gift of Colette and Jeff Bangert

Posted on November 26, 2007 by Lissa at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Custom built shelving is installed into the alcoves around the room. The print Reference collection will move into this space once the shelving is completed.


New cabinetry and shelves are installed behind the new lower service desk, which is moved temporarily into place. Data and electrical line will be added this week, and staff will move into the desk soon!

Watch for more updates, or come visit the library to explore our improvements yourself.

Posted on November 20, 2007 by Lissa at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The standing computers in the New Books Area were removed earlier this week. Those computers will be integrated into the new big room over the next month. Reference shelves will be built later this week in these alcoves.





















Facilities and Reference staff worked together to move the New Books shelving into the new big room. This is the first of several moves for the New Books collection this month, as eventually new shelving will be installed for the New Books collection in this same general area.

















Before and after photos taken from above the New Books Area as the collection was relocated. The gorgeous mural by Stan Herd will remain along the ceiling in this room and provide depictions of Kansas in the springtime for patrons and staff in the new Reference Room.

















The New Books Area is browse-able and beautiful in the temporary location. The fiction and non-fiction are arranged in order, with the genre fiction, audiobooks and graphic novels prominently displayed. Weekly book displays created by library staff help promote books from the fiction and non-fiction collections. 

The New Books Area looks wide open -- for now. Reference shelving will be install later this week, and the print reference books, business reference, consumer reference, telephone book collections and foundation collection will arrive in this area.

The popular Bestseller Express collection is available in the atrium to help guide patrons towards the new location for the Reference Books. In the next month, Bestseller Express will be moved into the new big room near the New Books Collections. 
 

Posted on November 14, 2007 by Lissa at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Altering a book allows you to express your creativity and recycle at the same time. Paint, collage, cut, glue, rebind, rubber stamp, add to, take away… any artistic expression is encouraged.

Five cases of altered books are currently on display in the library's main hallway. The entries from library staff are so creative and everyone had a little bit different take on the project. In the fall of 2008, the project will be expanded to include and display altered books created by library patrons.

You can view photos of all of the altered books created by TSCPL staff on the library’s flickr page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/

For more information on altered books, check out these resources:

Watch an altered book how-to video on the TSCPL website:
http://www.tscpl.org/tscpllive.asp

Visit the website for the International Society of Altered Book Artists at:
http://www.alteredbookartists.com/

Continue reading "TSCPL Altered Book Project" »

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Lissa at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dr. Phillip and Betty Baker

Genealogy Center Dedication

Posted on November 01, 2007 by Lissa at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

              The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library will dedicate the Genealogy Center on Thursday, November 1, at 10 am.  The dedication honors a gift to The Library Foundation of $100,000 by the Bakers to ensure that the community has 21st century resources for genealogy and family history research.

            The Baker gift will enhance the library services by bringing in genealogical experts for programming, upgrade technology and provide enhancements to the print, electronic and microfilm collections. Private support strengthens the library’s long-standing commitment to genealogy research.

            Dr. Phillip Baker is an orthopedic surgeon, and Betty is a former home economics teacher.  The couple has two daughters and seven grandchildren, and has lived in Topeka since 1970. Dr. Baker’s hobbies include genealogy, and he has written and published three books of family history, with three more books in progress. Dr. Baker gives credit to his wife for their interest in reading and the library.

            “Betty has always been a reader and has always had a book she is reading,” said Dr. Baker. “She started bringing our daughters to the library as soon as they could read. They were restricted to checking out 10 books apiece—I think it was so we knew how many we needed to return!”

            The genealogy resources and services recently moved to its new location on the second floor of library, into the Topeka Room. Although genealogists and historians have different purposes in mind, they often use the same materials. Genealogical works in print or from the library’s databases include county and municipal histories, biographies, family histories, historic newspapers, migration histories, and city directories.

             The local history collection houses yearbooks, birth, marriage, and death records, obituaries, census records, marriage and cemetery indexes, military records, property, tax, and probate records, plat and insurance maps, passenger lists, and naturalization records. Computers, microfilm reader-printers, and a photocopier are all available in the Topeka Room. To ensure full access to the second floor collection, librarians provide professional service 78 hours a week. 

            “The lovely Topeka Room gets a lot of use, and it is the best area to do research,” observes Dr. Baker. “It’s wonderful because it is quiet, and it has the history and resources right there.”

Posted on November 01, 2007 by Lissa at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Insured with Blue Cross Blue Shield? Insurance will be filed on your behalf if you bring your proof of insurance card at the time of the shot.  If you do not have your insurance card at the time of service then you will be required to pay for the immunization and be responsible for filing your own medical claim. 
Insured through another carrier? Please check with your provider for coverage.
No insurance or your provider does not cover the immunization?  You will be required to pay at the time of service. Cash, checks, Visa & MasterCard are acceptable forms of payment.
Further questions about Flu Shots?  Please contact the Shawnee County Health Agency’s Flu Shot Line at 368-2025.

Posted on October 31, 2007 by Lissa at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our computer technicians worked to relocate the public computers and bring them back online the same day.

Patrons are enjoying the new computer counters lining the Magazine Reading Room.














Computers were relocated to the north wall along the counters. Some are temporarily labeled "out of order" until the Reference shelving can be moved into its new location.









By taking apart the old reference desk and moving the computer carrels, a big open space was created in the center of the room. (Not for long though - DVDs and New Books are coming soon!)

Posted on October 30, 2007 by Lissa at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Over the weekend, the foreign film section at the library got a little more colorful.

New stickers were applied to the edges of the foreign film DVDs and VHS tapes to identify the most common languages represented in our collection.  

With almost 300 films in French, and over 100 each in Spanish, Hindi and Japanese, our foreign film collection represents an outstanding cultural resource in our community. Much like the rest of the movie collection, the foreign films include award winners, films of historical importance and popular cinema. The new stickers label the French, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, German, Russian and Swedish films. These stickers make it easier to browse many of the common languages available. Most foreign films have subtitles available in English and DVDs sometimes have subtitles and audio tracks available in other languages.

Browse the foreign film section and check out a DVD today!

Posted on October 29, 2007 by Lissa at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The new service desk is open for business! In just about an hour, electricians, computer technicians, and librarians moved the various computers, telephones and reference books from the old desk to the new desk. Our customers were largely unfazed by the transition and continued to ask questions at both desks throughout the morning.

The new desk has a smaller footprint and will allow for a third staff computer (to be installed next week on the lower half of the desk.) The desk is designed to be more approachable and will allow staff to leave the desk to help patrons at their computers or walk them to the stacks more easily.



Our facilities staff were busy dismantling the old reference desk. The new service desk is about 20 feet closer to the entrance to the room, and the open space created by the removal of the old desk will allow space for the films and New Books during the next phase of the move.

Posted on October 25, 2007 by Lissa at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

In these photos, electrical and data lines are run for the new service desk and also the computers along the perimeter of the room. Once the electrical and data outlets are installed, the public computers will be moved to the counters along the perimeter, freeing up space in the center of the room for the next phase of the move.

Posted on October 25, 2007 by Lissa at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

  












 

A traveling exhibit "Behind Barbed Wire: Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany" visited the library last Friday afternoon.
























The exhibit, contained entirely on a Thomas school bus, is presented by the TRACES Museum of St. Paul, Minnesota.  It is currently on a tour of the Midwest including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Continue reading "Behind Barbed Wire" »

Posted on October 22, 2007 by Lissa at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW!!
The checkout limit for Bestseller Express is now FIVE (5) books.

 “Demand has been so great from the public for these books that the limit was raised to encourage use of this growing and popular collection,” announced Technical Services Supervisor Thad Hartman.




This week the library also launched the Bestseller Express expansion into large print titles. The new collection (pictured right) is displayed in the Red Carpet area of the library, across from the Check-Out Desk. Other Express collections in the library include DVD Express and Express X-Box 360 games.

Watch for new titles coming soon to Express collections throughout the library as we continue to provide what matters most to our community.

Posted on October 21, 2007 by Lissa at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The library parking lot is undergoing routine maintenance on the concrete due to dips in the parking stalls from the weight of cars. After the dips are leveled and the cracks that have occured due to weather are fixed, parts of the parking lot will be resurfaced. The project will take up to a week, and was scheduled so that the repairs would be finished before the winter inclement weather arrives.

Posted on October 19, 2007 by Lissa at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted on October 18, 2007 by Lissa at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These artistic renderings are on display in the Periodicals area in order to illustrate how the planned changes will look once we are finished. The pictures are not meant to be exact- they illustrate the changes in general terms. In particular, some shelves are shown with inaccurate tops and the service desk design is altered. These changes have already begun and will be completed during November.

An artistic rendering of the new books area from the southwest corner looking toward the magazine reading room.

A view of the new service desk, with the shelving for DVDs visible to the right and new books shelving to the left.

Posted on October 12, 2007 by Lissa at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Journey of Tea: Teapots, Teabowls, Tea Vessels

FACT: Tea is the second most popular drink in the world after water, and the sixth most popular drink in the United States.


The Journey of Tea is a look at the development of the teapot from its traditional role in the tea ceremony to its expressive form in art, while following the evolution of tea. This exhibition highlights the diverse ceramic collection at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. Many of the pieces included in the exhibition have never been on display. Come see your library’s amazing ceramic collection while learning about the history, customs and expressions of tea.
-- Zan Popp, curator


FACT: Pound for pound tea has more caffeine than coffee, but cup for cup tea only has half the amount of caffeine as coffee.


Read more about this exhibit on the Sabatini Gallery's website.










FACT: While 65% of tea in the United States is brewed in a tea bag, most of the world drinks loose leaf tea.

Posted on October 08, 2007 by Lissa at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

 Library programs are designed to educate, enlighten and entertain the community. Check out upcoming October or November events to find something you might enjoy!

On a weekday morning in October 2007, Kyler reads a book to a group of children at Preschool Storytime. Preschool storytime provides stories, songs and activities that help children get ready for school and encourage a love of reading at an early age. Preschool Storytime is offered Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30-10 am at the Youth Services Windows. Call 785-580-4565 for more information.

Over 200 people enjoyed the Friday night Trivia Night at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in September 2007. Teams of 5-8 friends, co-workers or family work together to answer 100 questions from 10 categories. The next Trivia Night at the library will be Friday November 30th, from 6:30-9pm. This event will be a holiday edition with winter-holiday-themed questions. Teams must call 785-580-4540 to register for a table.

Posted on October 06, 2007 by Lissa at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Preview our new Research Room... 
A customer suggested that we share the layout diagrams for the changes we are planning over the next few months.

If you click on the images, they will open in a new browser window.

As soon as the artist's renderings are available for these rooms, we will post them on Papercuts and in the library.

Posted on October 05, 2007 by Lissa at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

New electrical and data is wired along the wall outside the Magazine Reading Room, and then contractors install custom built counters. The public computers will move to these counters soon!

Public Services Manager Marie Pyko demonstrates how the new computer counters will seat customers comfortably using the existing wooden chairs.

New electrical outlets and data connections are added on the walls in the future Reference Room (former New Books Area). This new space will feature the Reference and Business Reference collections, tables for research and group study, and the new Reference Desk.

The design is marked out on the floor in tape. In the former Reference/Periodicals room, the new and improved service point will be moved forward in the space. The new desk will provide three service points instead of two, and have one standing/high side and one sitting/low side to meet customer needs.

Watch for more changes coming soon!

Posted on October 04, 2007 by Lissa at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Changes continue this week in the Periodicals room.
Contractors are removing the door to the Copy Center and extending the wall in two spots on the north Periodicals wall.

The first walk thru between Periodicals and the west wing is being walled off as the first step in our plans to design a Health Neighborhood in the west wing.





















The other extension of that wall is designed to create a separate “creative” room in the spot where the Business Reference computers were located. The door from the Copy Center will be relocated here. In the future, the Creative Station room will provide greater access to customers who are interested in scanning, downloading audio files and working with photo-editing software. 


You may also notice electricians working throughout Adult Services and Youth Services in order to prepare the rooms for the next phase of the move.
Watch for more changes soon!

Posted on September 26, 2007 by Lissa at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted on September 24, 2007 by Lissa at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Web Site is becoming a digital branch library in 2008, and we would like to have your help to learn more about what services and features are needed to serve you better. Please join us on Wednesday, September 26, to meet Digital Branch Manager David King, and participate in a digital branch focus group at the library.

Posted on September 20, 2007 by Deb at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Share your vision of the future!  That is the focus of a campaign being run by the National Library of New Zealand.  They are asking their users to share with them what they think libraries will be like by the year 2017--just 10 years from now.  You can see the responses the have gotten here.  Check it out and then let us know your ideas for what the future of libraries should be in the comments below.



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Posted on September 15, 2007 by Deb at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)