Slumber in the Stacks

It's surprising at the library to find stuffed animals sleeping, but this is just what happens a few nights of the year during our Stuffed Animal Sleepover program. 

 Introduced in March 2014, this program was a hit and has been repeated during Thanksgiving break. The event is kicked off with an evening storytime where children are encouraged to dress in pajamas and listen to stories with their favorite stuffed friends. Before they leave, children tuck their stuffed animals in and say goodnight. At night, the stuffed animals get into all sorts of trouble; they play on the computers, play games, and try to check out books. The following afternoon, children return to see all the fun their friends had by viewing a special slideshow. It is a program enjoyed by children, parents, staff, and even the stuffed animals!

Meeting the Demand for English Language Learning - Poco a Poco

Our English Language Learning program has been well attended over the last three years.  It is a tutoring program, most of the time on a one-to-one basis, helping adults from over 40 countries learn English so that they can take advantage of the opportunities available to them now that they are living in the U.S.

Our new ELL Lab

The demand for ESL classes in our area is high.  At this writing we have 35 people on our waiting list, and that doesn't include the stack of applications that were waiting for me this morning when I came into work after a few days off.  Our average waiting time for a learner to be placed with a tutor is 85 days.  Not surprisingly, that is close to the 75 day national average that was recently reported by ProLiteracy, one of the leading literacy organizations in the U.S.

We train new ESL tutors three to four times per year and have a wonderful and dedicated group of volunteers, but it has become clear that we will always be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to meeting the demand. So . . . what to do?

In addition to establishing a weekly drop-in conversation group we were able to open a small language lab with the generous support of our library's foundation, the Greater Largo Library Foundation.  Four laptops, 4 copies of Rosetta Stone English, and four study carrels later, we  commandeered a underused study room and opened for business.

The response from our learners, tutors, and especially those on the waiting list, has been very positive so far. The Rosetta Stone name is familiar to many language learners and the program is quite intuitive.  Even for those with little to no computer experience, a 10-15 minute introduction is enough for them to get started.  To make it as user-friendly as possible, we have set up a reservation system and are training the library staff to demonstrate the program to new users.  

Computer software will never be a substitute for a one-to-one class with a tutor, but as part of a suite of options for ESL learners, it is a valuable component.  The program's speech recognition feature and integration of reading, listening and writing in all lessons is a comprehensive approach and users of all levels will find themselves in the driver's seat, able to direct their learning. 

One of the biggest advantages is that learners quickly see that they can learn English, they can improve their pronunciation so that they can be understood, and they can help themselves.  This is a powerful lesson to learn in any language and sounds especially sweet in English.

Adventures in 3D Printing: creating a 3D logo for your library

If you've ever heard the expression "a picture's worth a thousand words" then you know the impact that a strong logo can have. As we work to get the ideaLAB ready to open, one of the tasks I've focused on has been creating a 3D printed object, with the ideaLAB's logo, that can be distributed to promote the lab. It's a simple thing that took a surprisingly long time to create so I am documenting the process to help others like me who are new to 3D printing and using CAD software.

SketchUp

There are two types of software you will use to create a 3D printed object: CAD software and slicing software. The CAD software is used to create a model, and the slicing software tells the 3D printer how to print the model by slicing it into layers. I began by using SketchUp to create our design and ReplicatorG to slice. To get our logo into SketchUp, it needed to be converted into a .svg (scalable vector graphics) file. You can do this using Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, or Gimp. 

Once you have imported your logo into SketchUp, you will need to give it dimension. You will probably also want to create a base for the logo (geometric shapes are available). This object will need to be made three-dimensional, and you'll need to add a face to the top and bottom or it will end up hollow when you try to print. You can add 3D text in SketchUp, and they have a decent selection of fonts. 

My problems with SketchUp were that you couldn't control the amount of dimension the text would have, and it seemed to stick out a lot in proportion to the rest of the object. It was also tricky to determine when faces needed to be added to create a seamless object. Before slicing, I used the netFabb 3D model repair service to correct errors in the 3D object. I can't say that it made a big difference, but it's free to use. Here is my first SketchUp prototype made with white ABS:

The results seemed kind of primitive for the effort involved so I decided to try Blender next.

Blender

Now SketchUp wasn't exactly intuitive to use, but Blender is incredibly complex. All of the tools I needed seemed to be buried under tabs and in other unlikely places. I watched many YouTube tutorials, and I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what Blender is capable of. My print using Blender:

Looks pretty good right? That's because it's 1.5 times larger than the first model and probably too big to use on a key chain. It's also missing a hole. My thoughts on Blender: so very complicated to use but good results. Moving along to...

Tinkercad

Tinkercad is hands down the easiest 3D design program I've used. They have tutorials on creating 3D objects that make the process seem downright fun. The drawback is that Tinkercad isn't software that you can download, it can only be accessed via their website. 

Tinkercad already has geometric shapes and letters to design with, but you aren't just limited to what is shown in the menu because you can import .stl (STereoLithography) files created in other programs. Holes and cutouts can be created from any shape. All of the dimensions of an object are displayed in millimeters, making scaling up or down very easy, and you can quickly group items by highlighting them. My first Tinkercad print:

Having all capital letters wasn't ideal so I created the text in Blender and imported the .stl file into Tinkercad. It was very easy to match the letter height to the logo height and stick them onto the 

circular base. Since everything was working so smoothly in Tinkercad, I decided to add another element: dual extrusion. You see our printer, the Flashforge Creator Pro, can print in two colors so why not have our logo be in one color and the base in another? To accomplish this, I made two separate .stl files in Tinkercad, one with a blank base and one with just the words. To slice a dual extrusion object I had to download the MakerBot MakerWare slicing software. From there it's easy enough to line up the two parts and assign them to different extruders.

  

Resulting in:

Yes, there is some bleeding on the right edge. I tried to mediate that by adding an additional border around the circle, but high contrast colors will always be tricky in dual extrusion prints.

Another nice thing about MakerWare is that they tell you the time it will take to print and the amount of material it will use before you export your object. Printer filament costs about $.05 per gram so printing 3 ideaLAB tokens would cost just under a dollar.

We decided to use industrial gray ABS with a pop of ideaLAB green PLA for the final version. Using a combination of ABS and PLA posed some interesting challenges. PLA (polylactide) and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) are both thermoplastics, however PLA is made from biodegradable matter like sugarcane or cornstarch and ABS is made from oil/petroleum. When our PLA extrudes, it has almost a spun sugar consistency, eliminating color bleeding and making it easier to brush off unwanted blobs that stick to the base. I have had to increase the extruder heat to 220 degrees Celsius to get the PLA to stick to the ABS, otherwise it has the tendency to pop right off. I  haven't had trouble with the ABS warping. Just using blue painter's tape on the heated print bed makes ABS stick incredibly well. Maybe too well because I've sometimes needed to use a screwdriver and a hammer to get the 3D prints to come off. No one else on the internet seems to have the problem of ABS sticking too much, so I've tried doing all the things you're not supposed to do: lowering the temperature of the print bed to 90 degrees and wiping my hands on the print bed (the oils on your skin supposedly prevent ABS from sticking).
Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the final result:

In conclusion: Based on my experience, Tinkercad gets my recommendation for 3D modeling and MakerWare for 3D slicing. They both combine essential functions with a clean, easy to use interface.

We received loads of help from other libraries as we developed our ideaLAB. They patiently answered all of our questions and gave us the confidence that we too could use a 3D printer without being a mechanical engineer. Please feel free to contact us if you are setting up a makerspace or 3D printer at your library, and we would be happy to share our experience.

Community Transformers

In the library's community conversations this year, we heard many people say we should be helping Largo's failing schools.  I wondered how to accomplish this for a while and finally asked the Recreation, Parks and Arts director where to begin.  The City of Largo has an established after care program at Ponce de Leon Elementary School and there is a newly appointed principal, so she felt it was the place to start.  First, we asked the other city directors if they would approve a plan to adopt Ponce.  Once given the blessing of city management and department directors, we had several informational sessions on how city employees could get involved.  From this, we had 24 people commit to being mentors, 12 volunteers for a beautification day at the school, 6 volunteers for English Language Learning for school parents, and 10 participants for general support in the school.

At the beautification day, November 1, not only did 12 city workers give up their Saturday morning to plant 20 trees and a huge bed of plants, we encouraged 25 parents, kids and faculty to come out and get involved too.  Everyone was so pleased with the results.

 The Ponce Initiative not only fulfills the direction residents asked us take, it also expands library services with no additional staff.  In the Harwood methodology, it's referred to as being a boundary spanning organization.  We have a shared mission and we were ready to partner.  We hope to assist with bringing the school's grade up!

 Thank you from our partner!

 Together we can move mountains--of mulch anyway.

Community Transformers 2014

ideaLab: Making a Space

We are planning on having a makerspace open here at Largo Public Library in the beginning of December. It's called the ideaLab. Makerspaces are becoming more popular in libraries, but popularity in the profession is not reason enough to run out and buy a 3D printer. When we started thinking about a makerspace, we also thought about whether it would work in our community and what our patrons actually want.

First though, what's a makerspace? A makerpace is a place that allows people to come in and try new technologies, experiment, and...well...make things. Some spaces have things like 3D printers, sewing machines, vinyl cutters, tablets, power tools, art supplies, music studios and more. We had to decide what we were going to focus on, so that we didn't end up having a scattered approach that pleases no one.

We want to offer visitors here a chance to access things that they don't usually get to use. We also want to utilize the space that we have to work with wisely. Our space is upstairs in the reference area of the library so-- even if it were much bigger--power tools would not be an option. After a lot of research, we decided on a technology centered approach. we got a 3D printer: the FlashForge Creator PRO. We also got a Macbook pro, that we will use with the Adobe Creative Suite to give patrons an opportunity to do professional work on videos and photos.We have a LEGO Mindstorm kit to give people an introduction to robotics. We bought one Raspberry Pi, to try computer programming, If it looks like something that people are interested in, we can get more. Really, the idea is to ask patrons what they want and to adjust accordingly.

New Library marketing tool - radio!

Library staff are always thinking of new ways to reach the community to advertise library events and programs. Library Services Manager Jen Shaffer submitted two scripts to WMNF 88.5 radio station recently and they were both accepted. She accompanied me to the station on Friday so I could record our promotional blurbs. The first Public Service Announcement highlighted the library's request for Local History items:

"Largo Public Library is keeping the past alive as we celebrate the Library's 100 year anniversary and expand our online digitization project. Largo Public Library is located at 120 Central Park Drive, in Largo.

We are collecting vintage photos to scan and preserve in our Pinellas Memory database, as well as memorabilia from the Largo area to display at the Library."

This announcement can be heard on the following dates and times.


Monday 10/27  in the 5pm hour
Thursday 10/30in the 5pm hour
Saturday  11/1 in the 9am hour


 The second one advertises an exciting upcoming program:

"Largo Public Library will be hosting a Florida Humanities Council program, The Scent of Scandal: Inside the Wild World of Orchid Smuggling featuring author Craig Pittman on Thursday, November 6th at 6:30pm.

Largo Public Library is located at 120 Central Park Drive in Largo.

Attendees will be riveted as Pittman tells a story of black-market orchid sales, smugglers, and scientists.

It is one of the weirdest "weird Florida" stories ever, and it's all true. Space is limited."

This announcement will run on:

Saturday 11/1 in the 12pm hour
Saturday 11/1  in the 11pm hour
Wednesday 11/5 in the 8pm hour

Hour of Code: Anyone Can Learn

Kids and Computers! You think they know it all, right? Wrong. Kids may know a lot more than YOU about computers, tablets, and smartphones, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty details of computer programming, they still have something to learn.


The idea for a kids' computer coding class was brought to the attention of Largo Public Library by a teen volunteer. The volunteer was inspired by a nationwide initiative to get teens, especially girls, interested in technology careers. The class was scheduled and promoted through in-house posters, fliers, and by word of mouth. In the class, the volunteer taught introductory computer programming through games like Angry Birds using Code.org, a national organization promoting digital literacy that is supported by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and many others. The class was over-full with some children seated 2 to a computer. The kids were excited to learn something new and to be taught by a teenager. Each child enjoyed the class, requested more and were rewarded with a certificate of completion once they finished their hour of coding. This first successful endeavor will likely lead to more partnerships and kids' computer classes in the future.

Chili Cook-Off

 

 

 The Largo Fire Department held it's annual Open House and Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 11th and I am excited to announce that the team from the library won two awards! Our theme was "Hunka Hunka Burning Chili" and not only did team members decorate the table with Elvis memorabilia we even had Elvis himself!

Members made 11 gallons of Chief's Choice award winning chili and raised the most money for the Golden Boot Award. The $522 raised by our team and other proceeds from the day benefit The Children's Burn Foundation of Florida.

 

 

Congratulations to all

LTAP and the Asana App

Library staff facilitated four community conversations in April and May and found there was an interest in having a community read to help create a feeling of inclusiveness, welcome people to the library and promote literacy.  The librarians were tasked with not only choosing a title, but working as a team to create four months of programming and promotion of the book.  The community read was dubbed, Largo Turns a Page (LTAP), to indicate not only the sentiment expressed in the conversations, but to kick off the library's centennial to be celebrated from 2015-2016.

Earlier in the year, the Greater Largo Library Foundation agreed to fund a program called, "Ipads for Innovation," to purchase Ipads for staff to improve technology skills, increase productivity and provide a means to create exciting programs and promote them effectively.  The librarians are using an app called, Asana, to facilitate planning, communicating and executing LTAP.  So far, they have created a time line, publicity, and communication about the plans for programs.

Here is an example of using Asana for a major initiative like LTAP:

Largo Women's Club

I attended a lovely luncheon meeting of the Largo Women's Club on Tuesday October 7th and spoke to the 30 members present about the shared history of the group with Largo Public Library. The group started out as the Ladies' Improvement Society in 1906 and reformed as the Largo Women's Club in 1914. This organization has a long history of philanthropic endeavors throughout the city and created the library in 1916 with the help of local citizens. As the library gears up to start the centennial celebrations in 1915 we are reaching out to other local organizations and residents for pictures, memorabilia and documents to enhance our Local History Collection. Please contact the library if you wish to donate any items or if you would like a staff member to speak to your group.

Hispanic Heritage Month -- Plan B

We are coming to the end of our Hispanic Heritage Month programs. We've had two CrAfterdark programs, a children's program that had over 100 attendees, and a special musical program from classical guitarist Ben Pila.

Ben was our performer for Courtyard Concert and Cuisine. Unfortunately, it rained that day. Luckily, we had a really great Plan B--we moved the concert into the 120 Gallery. We had several Latin dishes, and nonalcoholic sangria set up on long tables. Ben did a great job of explaining each musical selection before he played. He engaged not only the patrons that came specifically to hear him, but people who just happened to be in the library as well.

 It was really nice to have people come by and say how good the music was. One lady even said that she had been having a very bad day and then she came to the library and we turned it all around for her. That's where the innovation lies in this particular program: enriching the lives of our patrons in a way that is fresh and new to them. Courtyard, make that Gallery, Concert and Cuisine entertained and educated our patrons in a way that many were not expecting. 

Book Maniacs' Mini Golf -- Can You Do That In The Library?

The first year for the Book Maniacs' Mini Golf Teen Fundraiser.

The second hole was a mystery!

Toddlers tee off.

The family course had a surprise around every corner.

Hungry? Flag down the snack cart!

Come back next year!

Mini golf in the stacks is out of this world.

Library Innovators Initiative

Recent Community Conversations held at the library resulted in support for initiatives that improve our schools through youth literacy partnerships, serve the elderly, help the under-served and make library service more prominent in the city.

 

The Library Innovators initiative will take library service to the next level in and out of our physical building.  Staff will be encouraged to participate in the development of new programs.  Additional effort will be applied to publicizing library services too.  The possibility for being a boundary spanning organization will be explored.

We will lay the groundwork and provide a detailed plan for future outreach services.  The library has strong service areas for youth and the elderly, however both of those service populations have difficulty getting to the library. Ultimately, a bookmobile would allow library staff to have regular stops at local schools, mobile home parks and assisted living facilities. In addition to this, there would be opportunities to partner with local businesses as convenient access points and in doing so, promote the location of the business and their products. 

Library staff will continue the process of turning outward by making contacts and forming partnerships in the community. The working relationship can be as simple as sharing library service information to as complex as shared projects. There will be training on recognizing beneficial partnerships before this starts.  Areas to look for partnerships are:

 

Youth Literacy -- Schools, Daycare Facilities, Preschools

Service to Seniors -- Assisted Living Facilities, Mobile Home Parks

Local Businesses -- Work with the Foundation and Chamber of Commerce

Community and Recreation Centers -- City Facilities, YMCA, Community Centers

Clubs, Groups, Organizations -- Rotary, Largo Historical Society, Kiwanis, Lions Club

Largo Public Library and the Harwood Public Innovators Workshop

The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit that trains and coaches people and organizations to address community challenges, improve their own effectiveness, and align their work with community aspirations. While there are many ways to gather data, one of the most powerful ways to get citizen input is through the Harwood Community Conversations. This method is a great way to gain public knowledge to use alongside expert knowledge (statistics, trend data, analysis) and to build public trust.

In 2013, the American Library Association (ALA) began a partnership with the Harwood Institute because they felt libraries were well positioned to host and facilitate community conversations. This approach is a great way for libraries to engage with people in a different way, to find common ground for action, forge deeper relationships with the broader community and it allows staff to use the knowledge they collect to think more strategically about programs and services.

Largo Public Library staff attended the Harwood Institute Public Innovators Lab in Washington, DC in October, 2013 with support from the Greater Largo Library Foundation. We learned to prepare for, facilitate, take notes and find themes in community conversations. More importantly, we learned that in order to stay relevant to citizens, we must turn outward and embrace what they express as their aspirations for the community and the library.  Library staff conducted four "kitchen table" conversations with the public in April and May 2014.  Many other conversations took place with staff and supporters prior to that.

The action list we built from Largo Public Library's Community Conversations aligns with our strategic plan and will continue to be used in decision making.  This blog will showcase our efforts to continue turning outward, building our professional skills and transforming library service to meet the needs of our service population.