Beginning May 12, the photographic work of Roy McDonald will be hanging in the gallery on the second floor bridge. Roy lives in Sun City and showed a few of his photos in the Sun City Photography Club’s exhibit during March. His work will be on display until June 6.

The library’s bridge and second-floor hallway galleries are available for displays of art by local artists. If you have artwork that you would like to hang in the library, contact Richard Groves, Adult Services Librarian, to discuss your work and to learn when space is available.

On Monday, May 5, at 11:00 a.m., the Christian Youth Symphony will present a concert in the Children’s Room. Everyone is invited to attend.

Taylor Weaver’s piano students will present a Celebration of Melodies at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, in the Children’s Room.

Interested in learning American Sign Language? On the fourth Tuesday morning of each month, at 10:30, Wendy Demarest provides instruction in sign language. Although her lessons are designed for children, they are a great way for anyone to learn some basic signs. She will be in the Children’s Room again on May 27.

In December 2007 I wrote about the important contributions the Friends have made since 2001 to the library’s technology resources. Without their financial help we would not have the public access to computers that we have today. While these contributions have been significant, they are not the only gifts that the Friends have given us. Since January 2007, when we moved into the new building, they have given us $42,400 for new furniture, equipment, library materials, and programming.

As everyone who has ever moved is well aware, a new place creates unexpected expenses. The new library has been no exception to that rule and the Friends stepped forward to help us as soon as the doors opened. They gave us $1,100 to pay for the entertainment at the grand opening and a few weeks later provided $2,900 for additional sections of the display units in which we keep our music CDs. Our rapidly increasing circulation during the first months in the new building made additional book carts necessary, so the Friends gave us $900 for four new carts.

By early summer 2007 the Friends’ bookstore was bringing in reliable income, so they were able to give us $4,500 for a digital camera, two new barcode scanners and two receipt printers for the circulation desk, additional tables and chairs for the coffee shop, a color printer for the staff, and the beginning of our art hanging system that has been installed in various places throughout the building. They also gave $2,500 for the summer reading program for young adults, a program that previously had been funded through grants and gifts.

In July, due to the generosity of a gift from Jane Waterman to the Friends, they passed through $6,000 which was designated for audio books. In the past the Friends have given only limited amounts of money for library materials, partly because they believe that responsibility lies with the City, but primarily because we have so many other needs. However, in November 2007 the director asked the Friends to finance some electronic reference databases and a large collection of music CDs—all of the Grammy Award nominees. He asked for these things because our regular budget for library materials would not cover these acquisitions. The Friends agreed to give us $4,000 for reference databases and $5,000 for the music CDs. The databases that we purchased are Texas Legal Forms and Books and Authors, both of which are available to you through the library’s website (library.georgetown.org) or with staff assistance at the library. The Grammy Awards music should be hitting the shelves very soon.

Other gifts approved in November included $2,000 for adult programming for 2008, for which we have no budget, and $4,000 for young adult programming. The Friends also funded the three display towers that we’re using in the lobby and on the second floor to advertise library events. The cost of the towers was $2,000.

That seems like plenty already, doesn’t it, but the list goes on! Early in 2008 the executive board approved the following requests from the director: area rugs for the newly decorated young adult area, a portable stage to use for summer reading program performers, a welcome desk for the lobby, and an early literacy computer for the children’s room. These items totaled nearly $7,500.

The generosity of the Georgetown community has made all of these gifts possible, through the donations of books that are sold in the Friends’ bookstore, Second-Hand Prose. While the bookstore could not operate without the donated books, much credit must be given to the volunteer managers and workers who have made the store such a success. Sorting the donations, preparing them for shelving, selling the books, culling the items that don’t sell, and getting rid of the culls (they are donated to a variety of places), involve dozens of people and countless hours. Actually, those hours are not countless; the managers of the bookstore keep records that any corporation would be happy to call theirs!

One of the recent gifts of the Friends was a subscription to the Books and Authors database, which you may get to from the library’s website (library.georgetown.org). Either click on the “hot” Books and Authors graphic that rotates through periodically in the upper right corner of the front page, or click on the tab located at the top of the front page that says “Catalog and Online Services” and then choose “Books and Authors.”

I’ve been playing with this new database to learn how it might be useful to different types of readers. What I found was some frustration, because things didn’t work exactly as I’d expected them to work, but I also had a couple of “aha” moments when I realized that, yes, this could be useful.

First, you need to get into the database. And, to do that you need the password. I can’t just tell you what it is because it’s intended for patrons of our library to use. Giving our password to the world (what happens when the newsletter gets put on our website) would violate our contract with the provider of Books and Authors. Call 512-930-8461 and ask for the Books and Authors logon. It’s an easy one to remember, I promise.

The first thing I learned as I was bumbling about the website is that it works best if the first thing you do is set up your personal account. Then you’ll be all ready to create lists of books and authors and write reviews. Select “Go to My Reading Room” from the menu on the right side of the page, then choose “Create New Account.” It’s easy and you don’t have to give any private information. With that done, you’re ready to cruise around the website.

From the home page you may go many different directions, looking at lists of books compiled for various interests, browsing lists of titles and authors, or looking at books of different genres. Generally, when you find a title or author you’re interested in knowing more about, you click on another button that will take you deeper into the database. If you find an item (book or author) you want to remember, you click a little box that says to add the title or name to your list. You’ll have the opportunity to give different names to lists, or, if you’re like me, you’ll just have one big list of books and one big list of authors, foolishly certain that I’ll remember why every item is there.

Here is where I first said “aha!” Years ago, when I worked at the circulation desk, a frequent question was whether our computer keeps track of what everyone reads. Patrons wanted to be able to find out whether they’d read a certain book. Our answer has always been and always will be, no. There are two reasons we don’t keep track of your reading: for your privacy, should someone come snooping, and because our servers just don’t have that much space! But now you have Books and Authors, so you can keep track of what you read right there, along with comments about what you thought of each book, if you’re so inclined. And, you can print your lists, for those of you who prefer reading print on paper instead of electronic type, or if you want to share one of your lists.

The second “aha” came when I heard about a patron who recently had spoken at some length to a staff member about a book that he had found so interesting that he said he would write a review of it for our website. With Books and Authors you can write reviews and publish them for other database users to read. Think about those reviews you may read on Amazon.com to help you decide whether to buy a book. On Books and Authors, readers’ “published” reviews will appear with the book entry in the database.

So, whether you’re looking for inspiration for the next book you’re going to read, or interested in keeping track of what you’ve already read, check out Books and Authors.

Many people in our community use the services of the IRS-trained volunteers who each year, during the January through April tax season, help people prepare their income tax returns. One of these volunteers has agreed to be available on an as-needed basis throughout the year. He will help you file an amended or a late return or will answer your questions about those situations.

To preserve his privacy, I’m not going to give you his direct phone number, but if you will contact Kathleen Bowling (the library’s volunteer coordinator) at 930-3624, she will give the tax volunteer your contact information and he will call you back. Please understand that this kind man is a volunteer and may not be available at a moment’s notice.

The staff of the cafe will be enjoying a much deserved day off on Sunday, June 15.

Although the library’s book selectors (we have several now) try very hard to choose what they think our users will want to read, it’s impossible to anticipate everyone’s tastes and needs and we are happy to take your suggestions for books to add to our collection. Naturally, we have a form for you to fill out, on which you are asked to provide as much information as possible about the book, as well as your name, barcode and phone number. But, chances are good that you heard about the book on radio or TV and didn’t get the full details, so the staff is ready to help you find the information needed to complete the form.

Before you fill out the form, though, consider these things. If the book has just been published and the library already has other books by the same author, the chances are very good that we have already purchased the book through what is known in library-speak as a standing order. To save us having to keep up with the prolific and popular authors of fiction, our book vendor automatically sends us a certain number of copies of any new books these people write. There are hundreds of authors whose books we acquire in this way. In most cases, we will have these books within a week after they are published. So, just be patient. The book you want to read will soon be in the catalog and you may place a hold on it.

Non-fiction is a bit trickier because we don’t have standing orders for most of these authors. However, the book selectors have access to reviews in many different places and may have ordered the book before publication. Often, though, books of non-fiction hit the bestseller lists out of the blue and libraries have to compete with bookstores to make purchases. Book vendors are likely to fill an order from a bookstore for one hundred copies of a book before they fill an order from a library for one or two copies. So, if what you want to read is non-fiction, you may learn after submitting your request that the book is already on the way to the library.

Let’s assume the book you’re looking for falls outside of the bestseller category and is a new release from a small press. The book selector who takes care of whatever genre it may be will consider your request, read some reviews, and decide whether it’s something of general interest to our patrons. If it is, he’ll order it. If not, she’ll call you to let you know that you have the option of trying to borrow the book through interlibrary loan. In general, if the book you ask us to acquire is not newly published, and particularly if it is five or more years old, we probably will suggest interlibrary loan to you.

At the bottom of the request form you filled out you were asked whether you were willing to borrow the book through interlibrary loan. This is a service that we are happy to provide for our patrons because it’s a good way to keep you happy and preserve our resources. We have access to libraries all over the world, although it is extremely rare that we would go outside the U.S. to borrow anything. When you tell us that you’d like to borrow the book this way, we send out a request to several libraries that have the book and wait for someone to respond with an offer to lend. This is all done electronically, so we usually know within a few days whether the book is available for lending. There may be a time lapse of several weeks, though, before the book actually reaches us because most are shipped by U.S. mail.

When you agreed to use interlibrary loan you said you were willing to pay a certain amount for postage (less than $5). The loan system that exists now—but which may change soon if shipping costs continue to rise—is that the lending library pays for the postage one way and the borrower pays for the return postage. You may grumble about having to pay at all, but isn’t three or four dollars better than having to purchase the book yourself–especially if you read it and find it’s not as great as you’d anticipated!

Most interlibrary loans are made for three or four weeks, with no renewal privileges. We do hear complaints about not being able to renew these books, but please remember that this is a system, just like the public library system in general, that is based on trust and good will. If our library gets a reputation for being one that doesn’t return interlibrary loans on time, other libraries will stop offering to lend their books to us. Help us preserve our good reputation.

Items that you may not have thought of ordering through interlibrary loan are microfilm and other genealogical materials. If you’re working on genealogy, this can be a great way to get information that otherwise you’d have to travel across the country to find. Many libraries are willing to lend microfilm of local newspapers and census records and we have a microfilm reader and printer that you may use. Libraries also will make photocopies of materials that they are unwilling to lend, so if you know the exact pages of a book that you need, consider this type of interlibrary loan.

Finally, TexShare is one more way to borrow a book that the Georgetown Library doesn’t have. After you’ve been a patron of our library for a month, you are eligible to get a TexShare card. This is a program sponsored by the State Library that allows you to borrow books in person from most public and academic libraries in the state. Each library has its own policies and procedures for TexShare borrowing, but the restrictions are usually not onerous. So, if you don’t mind driving to Round Rock or Austin to pick up a book—and return it—you may be able to get the book you want immediately. This option is also something to consider if you’re traveling within the state and plan to be in one place for a week or two. With a TexShare card you probably will be able to borrow materials from the local libraries quite easily.

The annual children’s tea party, which was held this year on March 18, is one of the most popular library events. The tea party began in 2000 as one of Ms. Rosa’s brainstorms and by 2005 and 2006 so many people wanted to attend that it had to be held away from the library. We breathed a sign of relief when we moved into the new building in 2007 and once again could hold the tea party at the library. Estimated attendance this year was more than 200 children and adults.

In spite of its huge success, the tea party is still free and still put on by library staff and volunteers. Ms. Rosa wants to thank the following volunteers for their contributions to the success of the 2008 tea party:

• Taylor Weaver, who provided music throughout the entire event.
• Angie Wright, who single-handedly made 250 cupcakes, 250 sandwiches, and 600 cookies. She also donated all of the ingredients!
• Debbie, Caroline, Elizabeth, and Stephanie Abe, Marla Brown, Cassidy Carpenter, Berkeley Lashley, Martha Paul, Noreen Rafique, Lynn and Lana Roff, Barbara and Rebecca Sheridan, and Dianne and Allison Young, all of whom helped with setting up, serving, and cleaning up.