The library owns a graphic novel called "My War with Brian," by Ted Rall. It wounds me every time I read it. It's about a boy who got brutally bullied by another boy, all through junior high school. Repeatedly, the victim appealed to his teachers, his principal, and his parents. Nothing worked. Instead, he was left to his own devices, day after day.
Between the end of junior high and the beginning of high school, the victim suddenly grew up, got a big surge of height and muscle. Back at school, when the bully taunted him for the first time that year, something snapped.
The bully was hauled away in an ambulance. That ended the bullying. I have heard stories from several people in the intelligence community about the former USSR's response to terrorists. Like the embassy of the United States, the Soviet embassy in Iran was captured by a violent mob. Unlike us, the Soviets ended it in days. How? By mailing to their captured embassy, in small packages, the severed body parts of terrorists' relatives.
The message was clear: your family has attacked my nation. My nation will now attack your family, and is prepared to match, and exceed, your every barbarism. Moreover, we have resources far greater than yours.
War offers terrible choices. Do you meet terrorism with terror? Will anything else suffice? Does this just breed more of the same? Or to put it another way, how many innocents must die?
Like most Americans, I am outraged by the soul-searing damage inflicted on my country. I am also very troubled by the potential for picking the wrong targets for our grief and rage.
Then, too, I've come to realize that I know very little about the people that may have been responsible for the September 11th attack. The media has declared that this is the work of "Islamic fundamentalists."
We don't know, just yet, if that's so.
But let's say it is. I find that I have a host of questions.
Just what DO Muslims believe?
How many "Islamic fundamentalists" are there? To put it another way, do the followers of Mohammed have as much diversity as the followers of Christ?
Let's be frank: both currently and historically, not only have Christians mounted wars against those of other faiths (the Crusades), they even have wars with members of, technically, the same faith (Catholics and Protestants). Some Christians have been known to commit terrorist acts. But that's not TYPICAL of Christians.
Is this parallel to the situation in the Islamic world? Surely, to be religious is not necessarily to be a fanatic, or a terrorist. By labeling our attackers, "Islamic fundamentalists," are we setting the stage for religious war, for the murder of people not because of what they do, but because of what we believe THEY believe?
Toward the goal of greater understanding, the library is offering an educational program on Sunday, October 7, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Philip S. Miller Library in Castle Rock. Our speaker is Ibrahim Kazerooni, the Amman (or spiritual leader) of Denver's Islamic Center of Ahl-Al-Beit.
He has told me that he views the events of September 11 as "an atrocity." I have asked him to come and speak about the beliefs of Islam. He has graciously agreed to do so.
I hope you can join us for this very interactive question and answer session. Our nation's response to this tragedy should begin with knowledge and insight.
Locally, this is a good place to start.
Ultimately, however, I don't believe that the terrorist attack has anything to do with religion. I believe that this is about something else: a very few people believe they have the right to be bullies.
They're wrong.
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
September 19, 2001-Disaster Relief Resources
Librarians have been assembling some resources to assist our patrons in trying to make sense of the senseless.
First, I understand that there have been some scams related to "relief" agencies that in fact do not exist. This one, from the Red Cross, is real:
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html.
The United Way of New York and the New York Community Trust have established a fund to help the victims of the attacks and their families. The September Eleventh Fund will provide immediate support to established emergency assistance agencies. Anyone wishing to contribute may send their donations in care of
United Way
2 Park Ave.
New York, New York 10016
or call (212) 251-4035.
Donations are also being accepted on United Way of New York City's website: uwnyc.org/.
Second, the American Library Association offers this series of Internet resources on the September 11, 2001 tragedy to help children and students. Remember that the library does have free Internet workstations, if you do not have access from home or work. You can find the complete list at cs.ala.org/faq/faq.cfm.
From the Federal government:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.fema.gov/kids/tch_aft.htm,
with a link to a bibliography of books for kids on a variety of mostly natural disasters at
www.fema.gov/kids/tch_bks.htm.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
"Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters". www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm#viol8
This has an extensive bibliography for practitioners.
From private organizations:
The National Association of School Psychologists has prepared "Children and Responding to National Disaster: Information for Teachers" www.nasponline.org/NEAT/terror_eds.html.
Connect for Kids has gathered a few resources for adults to help children with their fears and grief: www.connectforkids.org
Parenting Press has compiled resources for media and parents:
www.parentingpress.com/resp_issues.html
Third, here are some other useful links:
www.microtimes.com/resourcepages/aug11help.html
A great round-up of general "help" sites, whether to report possible conspirators, or to post that you were near the WTC, but are OK.
Helping Children Cope with Stress and Fear
www.PrepareRespondRecover.com/childrensneeds/
This page from PrepareRespondRecover.com site contains material on
children's needs and recognizing stress in children adapted by Dr. Karen DeBord, Child Development Specialist with North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. The material came from the Stress and Coping with Disaster manual from University Extension in Columbia, Missouri developed during the Flood of 1993.
The World Trade Center -- www.costargroup.com/wtc -- info about the building and tenants.
library.ppld.org/AboutYourLibrary/Events/Sept11/default.asp
Good Colorado donation, volunteer and information links.
ALA has also prepared a list of books for kids and their caregivers on the topic of terrorism:
Nonfiction titles:
Political Violence and Terrorism Ed. by Mary Hull.
A worldwide perspective on the problem of terrorism
Terrorism by Anne G. Gaines
The focus is on the Middle East with some insight on how the U.S. is affected.
Silent Death by Kathlyn Gay
This focuses on chemical and biological weapons and warfare and terrorism.
Why Do They Hate Me? by Laurel Holliday
Accounts of children caught in conflict in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.
Caught in the Crossfire by Maria Ousseimi
Words and pictures of children around the globe whose lives have been altered by civil war, terrorism and violence.
Fiction titles:
The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall
England in WWII is the setting for this novel, in which a group of youngsters find a machine gun and decide to use it to defend their city.
Flight of the Raven by Stephanie Tolan
A serious message about two young people who come together in the face of terrorist violence in the U.S.
After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Hijackers take a busload of children; the action unravels through the perspectives of the
terrorists, the children, and others involved.
Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi.
In the midst of violence in the Middle East, a young Arab boy from the West Bank becomes friends with a Jewish boy.
Finally, here is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, "If we are to achieve real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children."
First, I understand that there have been some scams related to "relief" agencies that in fact do not exist. This one, from the Red Cross, is real:
https://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html.
The United Way of New York and the New York Community Trust have established a fund to help the victims of the attacks and their families. The September Eleventh Fund will provide immediate support to established emergency assistance agencies. Anyone wishing to contribute may send their donations in care of
United Way
2 Park Ave.
New York, New York 10016
or call (212) 251-4035.
Donations are also being accepted on United Way of New York City's website: uwnyc.org/.
Second, the American Library Association offers this series of Internet resources on the September 11, 2001 tragedy to help children and students. Remember that the library does have free Internet workstations, if you do not have access from home or work. You can find the complete list at cs.ala.org/faq/faq.cfm.
From the Federal government:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.fema.gov/kids/tch_aft.htm,
with a link to a bibliography of books for kids on a variety of mostly natural disasters at
www.fema.gov/kids/tch_bks.htm.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
"Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters". www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm#viol8
This has an extensive bibliography for practitioners.
From private organizations:
The National Association of School Psychologists has prepared "Children and Responding to National Disaster: Information for Teachers" www.nasponline.org/NEAT/terror_eds.html.
Connect for Kids has gathered a few resources for adults to help children with their fears and grief: www.connectforkids.org
Parenting Press has compiled resources for media and parents:
www.parentingpress.com/resp_issues.html
Third, here are some other useful links:
www.microtimes.com/resourcepages/aug11help.html
A great round-up of general "help" sites, whether to report possible conspirators, or to post that you were near the WTC, but are OK.
Helping Children Cope with Stress and Fear
www.PrepareRespondRecover.com/childrensneeds/
This page from PrepareRespondRecover.com site contains material on
children's needs and recognizing stress in children adapted by Dr. Karen DeBord, Child Development Specialist with North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. The material came from the Stress and Coping with Disaster manual from University Extension in Columbia, Missouri developed during the Flood of 1993.
The World Trade Center -- www.costargroup.com/wtc -- info about the building and tenants.
library.ppld.org/AboutYourLibrary/Events/Sept11/default.asp
Good Colorado donation, volunteer and information links.
ALA has also prepared a list of books for kids and their caregivers on the topic of terrorism:
Nonfiction titles:
Political Violence and Terrorism Ed. by Mary Hull.
A worldwide perspective on the problem of terrorism
Terrorism by Anne G. Gaines
The focus is on the Middle East with some insight on how the U.S. is affected.
Silent Death by Kathlyn Gay
This focuses on chemical and biological weapons and warfare and terrorism.
Why Do They Hate Me? by Laurel Holliday
Accounts of children caught in conflict in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.
Caught in the Crossfire by Maria Ousseimi
Words and pictures of children around the globe whose lives have been altered by civil war, terrorism and violence.
Fiction titles:
The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall
England in WWII is the setting for this novel, in which a group of youngsters find a machine gun and decide to use it to defend their city.
Flight of the Raven by Stephanie Tolan
A serious message about two young people who come together in the face of terrorist violence in the U.S.
After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Hijackers take a busload of children; the action unravels through the perspectives of the
terrorists, the children, and others involved.
Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi.
In the midst of violence in the Middle East, a young Arab boy from the West Bank becomes friends with a Jewish boy.
Finally, here is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, "If we are to achieve real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children."
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
September 12, 2001 - Reference Help? Just Ask
This week's column is courtesy of Naioma Walberg, a reference librarian at our Parker Library. It captures wonderfully well just what happens at this vital service desk.
Librarian…Reference Desk… nouns that bring up shuddering images of long forgotten term papers, dusty boring books and trying to find magazine articles in the endless shelves of the fungi green volumes of Readers Guide to Periodicals.
We hear many of the same reasons over and over on why people do not want to stop at a reference desk or ask a librarian. I am here today to address those reasons and tell you something about our work, place and responsibilities within your library system.
"I don't need to stop at the Reference Desk ? I'm not doing research." Our job is to get the right information to the right person at the right time. If the information you need is what is the next book in the Hornblower series, that is just fine with us! We can find out what it is, if it is on our shelves or where to get it ? be it another branch or the Maryland State Library.
But if you are doing research that is where we shine, show off and gurgle happily. We have a world of information at our fingertips and our job is to research, locate and retrieve the information that you need. I think that people doing family history research were one of the first groups to realize the extent of the information available to them from their local library. We can provide you information from a copy of the May 23, 1841 Altoona Penn. Daily News, a copy of a family history in which only 50 copies were published in 1923, magazine and journal articles, internet sights as well as recommend other avenues for their research such as the U.S. Census, marriage records, passenger lists and a wonderful list of web sites.
"I know how to use a library so why stop at the reference desk?"
One of our jobs is to find and accumulate information in a variety of formats. So a stop at the reference desk may help save you time. If you need Title 10-4-11 of the Colorado Revised Statues, I can quickly go into the computer, pull up the proper web site and print the Title for you. However if you need to look at all of the civil penalties in regards to insurance my text version with a user friendly index is the way to go. Through a process called the reference interview librarians seek to find exactly what you are looking for and the best way the information can be presented.
"Anybody can find a book."
Well, especially in a library. But if all you are looking to find out is if the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a real dog breed or if someone is pulling your leg you could waste a lot of time in the section about dogs. A quick chat with a librarian will get you "The Complete Dog Book," a publication of the American Kennel Club which provides information on all recognized breeds. A part of our job is reviewing and updating materials. By testing materials when we receive them, with questions from patrons and evaluations from colleagues a reference librarian can create sources that can be tapped into quickly.
"There is nothing here on my subject."
Sometimes a librarian's job is a lot like a detective's. We pry into encyclopedias, snoop through magazine indexes, dig into worldwide databases and case websites. All of our training is geared toward finding the information you want - be it obscure or down right impossible. The universal war cry of librarians is " there is always something on the subject!"
"The librarian looks at me like I'm stupid."
Shame on us! Our job is to assist anyone regardless of race, gender, age, IQ or if you are from Alpha Centauri. Our job is to assist everyone no matter what their question without bias or judgment. We provide you with the basic American right to information and the privacy to pursue that information.
"The librarian looks too busy to help me."
Never, never, never. We are at the reference desk waiting to help you. While we are waiting we may be weeding the collection, researching for new titles, planning a program, doing committee work, processing book request, getting Value Line into its binder or writing this speech ? It all stops when a patron needs help. The Castle Rock reference desk has a sign that says "Please interrupt me" and every librarian means it because the patron really does come first.
Librarian…Reference Desk… nouns that bring up shuddering images of long forgotten term papers, dusty boring books and trying to find magazine articles in the endless shelves of the fungi green volumes of Readers Guide to Periodicals.
We hear many of the same reasons over and over on why people do not want to stop at a reference desk or ask a librarian. I am here today to address those reasons and tell you something about our work, place and responsibilities within your library system.
"I don't need to stop at the Reference Desk ? I'm not doing research." Our job is to get the right information to the right person at the right time. If the information you need is what is the next book in the Hornblower series, that is just fine with us! We can find out what it is, if it is on our shelves or where to get it ? be it another branch or the Maryland State Library.
But if you are doing research that is where we shine, show off and gurgle happily. We have a world of information at our fingertips and our job is to research, locate and retrieve the information that you need. I think that people doing family history research were one of the first groups to realize the extent of the information available to them from their local library. We can provide you information from a copy of the May 23, 1841 Altoona Penn. Daily News, a copy of a family history in which only 50 copies were published in 1923, magazine and journal articles, internet sights as well as recommend other avenues for their research such as the U.S. Census, marriage records, passenger lists and a wonderful list of web sites.
"I know how to use a library so why stop at the reference desk?"
One of our jobs is to find and accumulate information in a variety of formats. So a stop at the reference desk may help save you time. If you need Title 10-4-11 of the Colorado Revised Statues, I can quickly go into the computer, pull up the proper web site and print the Title for you. However if you need to look at all of the civil penalties in regards to insurance my text version with a user friendly index is the way to go. Through a process called the reference interview librarians seek to find exactly what you are looking for and the best way the information can be presented.
"Anybody can find a book."
Well, especially in a library. But if all you are looking to find out is if the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a real dog breed or if someone is pulling your leg you could waste a lot of time in the section about dogs. A quick chat with a librarian will get you "The Complete Dog Book," a publication of the American Kennel Club which provides information on all recognized breeds. A part of our job is reviewing and updating materials. By testing materials when we receive them, with questions from patrons and evaluations from colleagues a reference librarian can create sources that can be tapped into quickly.
"There is nothing here on my subject."
Sometimes a librarian's job is a lot like a detective's. We pry into encyclopedias, snoop through magazine indexes, dig into worldwide databases and case websites. All of our training is geared toward finding the information you want - be it obscure or down right impossible. The universal war cry of librarians is " there is always something on the subject!"
"The librarian looks at me like I'm stupid."
Shame on us! Our job is to assist anyone regardless of race, gender, age, IQ or if you are from Alpha Centauri. Our job is to assist everyone no matter what their question without bias or judgment. We provide you with the basic American right to information and the privacy to pursue that information.
"The librarian looks too busy to help me."
Never, never, never. We are at the reference desk waiting to help you. While we are waiting we may be weeding the collection, researching for new titles, planning a program, doing committee work, processing book request, getting Value Line into its binder or writing this speech ? It all stops when a patron needs help. The Castle Rock reference desk has a sign that says "Please interrupt me" and every librarian means it because the patron really does come first.
Thursday, September 6, 2001
September 6, 2001 - Parker Library Legacy
In 1995, we opened our renovated Parker Library in a former bowling alley. Our architects, Humphries Poli, did a brilliant job of responding to a key public concern: how to make a building on the west side of Parker Road feel like part of Mainstreet.
How did they do it? By making the first internal corridor of the library feel like a street. We had lamp posts and storefront windows and cafe tables.
And we had paving bricks.
The bricks were sold as fundraisers for the new building, and funded a host of library amenities. On those bricks were various sayings. One, pulled I think from a Batman movie, was "Never rub another man's rhubarb." Others used the bricks as memorials. A few used them as advertisements.
My wife and I bought a brick for our kids. It has their names on it, and a statement appropriate to the children of two librarians. I was proud to make a personal contribution to a key civic structure. But there's another dimension to this. Now the library feels like home. When I walk in the building with my daughter and son, the first thing they do is run to find their names. The Parker Library has become a touchstone for them.
Well, over the past five years, we've filled up the Parker Library. Now we're going back to do something we planned from the beginning: finish some internal space we "banked" for the future. Over the next several months, we'll be shuffling things around as we add some 4,000 square feet to the library. We do ask for your patience. Internal construction can be a little messy.
By the end, we'll have an expanded and much improved children's area, as well as various other amenities.
Because our fundraising efforts were so successful last time, we'd like to give the community the opportunity to make a difference again. Ask at the library for our Parker Gift Catalog, also available online at www.dpld.org/about_us/parker/.
In brief, these are the projects we're looking to add, and how much money we need to do them.
* Children's Room - $20,000. Your gift can significantly enhance what we offer here. The children's room, incidentally, will have its own story time area, which will free up another community meeting room.
* Reading Sanctuary - $15,000. Think plush chairs.
* Life-size reading sculpture - $13,500. We've had a charming sculpture on display that shows a young girl reading on a bench. Why not make it a permanent part of our collection?
* Children's Fantasy Wall - $12,000. This one is taken! Thank you, to our stalwart Friends of the Parker Library. (An aside: I've noticed that there's a growing interest in public art. What better combination than art and reading?)
* Conference Room - $2,500. This is a quiet meeting area, suitable for small gatherings and presentations.
* Outdoor reading benches - $1,000. Our Reading Garden is a lovely place to sit. It is an excuse to linger even longer at the library.
* Bike Rack - $750. Let's make it easier, and safer, for people to bike to the library.
* Personalized brick - $150. We're offering, again, this wonderful chance to put your name, or the name of people you love, in an enduring public place. (Note: the deadline for this has been extended through September, 2001.)
So whether you're interested in creating a quiet family remembrance, or your business would like to make a statement about its continuing investment in the community, the Parker Library will welcome your attention.
How did they do it? By making the first internal corridor of the library feel like a street. We had lamp posts and storefront windows and cafe tables.
And we had paving bricks.
The bricks were sold as fundraisers for the new building, and funded a host of library amenities. On those bricks were various sayings. One, pulled I think from a Batman movie, was "Never rub another man's rhubarb." Others used the bricks as memorials. A few used them as advertisements.
My wife and I bought a brick for our kids. It has their names on it, and a statement appropriate to the children of two librarians. I was proud to make a personal contribution to a key civic structure. But there's another dimension to this. Now the library feels like home. When I walk in the building with my daughter and son, the first thing they do is run to find their names. The Parker Library has become a touchstone for them.
Well, over the past five years, we've filled up the Parker Library. Now we're going back to do something we planned from the beginning: finish some internal space we "banked" for the future. Over the next several months, we'll be shuffling things around as we add some 4,000 square feet to the library. We do ask for your patience. Internal construction can be a little messy.
By the end, we'll have an expanded and much improved children's area, as well as various other amenities.
Because our fundraising efforts were so successful last time, we'd like to give the community the opportunity to make a difference again. Ask at the library for our Parker Gift Catalog, also available online at www.dpld.org/about_us/parker/.
In brief, these are the projects we're looking to add, and how much money we need to do them.
* Children's Room - $20,000. Your gift can significantly enhance what we offer here. The children's room, incidentally, will have its own story time area, which will free up another community meeting room.
* Reading Sanctuary - $15,000. Think plush chairs.
* Life-size reading sculpture - $13,500. We've had a charming sculpture on display that shows a young girl reading on a bench. Why not make it a permanent part of our collection?
* Children's Fantasy Wall - $12,000. This one is taken! Thank you, to our stalwart Friends of the Parker Library. (An aside: I've noticed that there's a growing interest in public art. What better combination than art and reading?)
* Conference Room - $2,500. This is a quiet meeting area, suitable for small gatherings and presentations.
* Outdoor reading benches - $1,000. Our Reading Garden is a lovely place to sit. It is an excuse to linger even longer at the library.
* Bike Rack - $750. Let's make it easier, and safer, for people to bike to the library.
* Personalized brick - $150. We're offering, again, this wonderful chance to put your name, or the name of people you love, in an enduring public place. (Note: the deadline for this has been extended through September, 2001.)
So whether you're interested in creating a quiet family remembrance, or your business would like to make a statement about its continuing investment in the community, the Parker Library will welcome your attention.
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
August 29, 2001 - Audio Warning Labels
The first time I saw Alanis Morissette, she was playing the part of God in the movie, "Dogma." I liked her face. It had complexity and depth.
The first time I got around to listening to her music was when someone complained about her use of two 4-letter words in her 1995, Grammy-winning release, "Jagged Little Pill."
The patron lodging the complaint had a pretty compelling story. She had been driving along the highway, listening to a library CD with her young children, when she suddenly heard a word that made her lurch for the eject button.
I've been there.
You spin around to glance at your children. And you see one of three things.
1) They're clearly involved in something else. They didn't hear a thing. Yes!
2) They heard it. Their eyes are wide. They are looking at you with that attitude that says, "I just heard a bad word." The good news (I think): they already know that it's a bad word.
3) They are utterly absorbed in the music. They nod, quietly repeating the words to themselves. They are completely oblivious to you, your shock, and your clearly futile attempt to manage their environment.
When it comes to 3), you can't help but want to blame all of several parties: the artist singing the song, the publisher who pressed the CD, and, alas, the ever humble local library that provided it to you and your children.
I see the point. Even supposing that you believe the library has an obligation to buy the more popular offerings of our culture, couldn't we at least find a way to give a head's up to the parents? That's what our patron wanted us to do: put some kind of label on it.
On the one hand, we do "label" many of our holdings right now. It's called "Cataloging." We assign a location for all items. Most broadly, they are "adult" or "juvenile." It happens that "Jagged Little Pill" is in our adult collection. But that's not because of the two four letter words that appear in Morissette's music. Her audience just isn't children between the ages of 2 and 10 or 11.
It happens that music companies are supposed to do their own labeling. It began in the early 1980s, kicked off by a group that eventually called itself the Parents' Music Resource Center. Among the people connected with this effort was Tipper Gore, Al Gore's wife. Finally, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) agreed to enforce its own standards, much as the movie industry does.
But instead of ratings (G, PG, etc.) it adopted a warning or advisory label about "explicit lyrics" (alternatively, companies could print the lyrics on the outside of the item).
These days, the so-called Parental Advisory program has two pieces: first, stores post a sign that says, "The Parental Advisory is a notice to parents that recordings identified by this logo may contain strong language or depictions of violence, sex or substance abuse. Parental discretion is advised."
Second, recording companies have been encouraged to follow strict, but voluntary, guidelines about the use of the advisory label. I've tried to get a copy of those guidelines from the RIAA, thus far without success.
So what's the bottom line? Well, I guess I have four comments.
First, whatever the guidelines, Morissette doesn't have a warning label from the producer.
Second, I'm not sure the library can be expected to listen to the entirety of every piece of music we buy, in order to detect the use of certain words. You can see some of the problems: Which words? How many of them?
Third, after we attach all of our other labels to it, there's not a whole lot of room LEFT on a CD. Anything we add would, I fear, completely obscure what information is already present.
Fourth, I guess that means that parents have to figure that, like almost anything else in the adult area, adult language will sometimes be present. (And checking for the printed lyrics is one strategy.) Like so many other things, that means yet another talk with the kids. I realize that this is far from a perfect solution.
But I will say this: that Alanis Morissette can SING.
The first time I got around to listening to her music was when someone complained about her use of two 4-letter words in her 1995, Grammy-winning release, "Jagged Little Pill."
The patron lodging the complaint had a pretty compelling story. She had been driving along the highway, listening to a library CD with her young children, when she suddenly heard a word that made her lurch for the eject button.
I've been there.
You spin around to glance at your children. And you see one of three things.
1) They're clearly involved in something else. They didn't hear a thing. Yes!
2) They heard it. Their eyes are wide. They are looking at you with that attitude that says, "I just heard a bad word." The good news (I think): they already know that it's a bad word.
3) They are utterly absorbed in the music. They nod, quietly repeating the words to themselves. They are completely oblivious to you, your shock, and your clearly futile attempt to manage their environment.
When it comes to 3), you can't help but want to blame all of several parties: the artist singing the song, the publisher who pressed the CD, and, alas, the ever humble local library that provided it to you and your children.
I see the point. Even supposing that you believe the library has an obligation to buy the more popular offerings of our culture, couldn't we at least find a way to give a head's up to the parents? That's what our patron wanted us to do: put some kind of label on it.
On the one hand, we do "label" many of our holdings right now. It's called "Cataloging." We assign a location for all items. Most broadly, they are "adult" or "juvenile." It happens that "Jagged Little Pill" is in our adult collection. But that's not because of the two four letter words that appear in Morissette's music. Her audience just isn't children between the ages of 2 and 10 or 11.
It happens that music companies are supposed to do their own labeling. It began in the early 1980s, kicked off by a group that eventually called itself the Parents' Music Resource Center. Among the people connected with this effort was Tipper Gore, Al Gore's wife. Finally, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) agreed to enforce its own standards, much as the movie industry does.
But instead of ratings (G, PG, etc.) it adopted a warning or advisory label about "explicit lyrics" (alternatively, companies could print the lyrics on the outside of the item).
These days, the so-called Parental Advisory program has two pieces: first, stores post a sign that says, "The Parental Advisory is a notice to parents that recordings identified by this logo may contain strong language or depictions of violence, sex or substance abuse. Parental discretion is advised."
Second, recording companies have been encouraged to follow strict, but voluntary, guidelines about the use of the advisory label. I've tried to get a copy of those guidelines from the RIAA, thus far without success.
So what's the bottom line? Well, I guess I have four comments.
First, whatever the guidelines, Morissette doesn't have a warning label from the producer.
Second, I'm not sure the library can be expected to listen to the entirety of every piece of music we buy, in order to detect the use of certain words. You can see some of the problems: Which words? How many of them?
Third, after we attach all of our other labels to it, there's not a whole lot of room LEFT on a CD. Anything we add would, I fear, completely obscure what information is already present.
Fourth, I guess that means that parents have to figure that, like almost anything else in the adult area, adult language will sometimes be present. (And checking for the printed lyrics is one strategy.) Like so many other things, that means yet another talk with the kids. I realize that this is far from a perfect solution.
But I will say this: that Alanis Morissette can SING.
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
August 22, 2001 - The Tyranny of Numbers
I was bragging about my Associate Director, Rochelle Logan. Rochelle used to crunch numbers for the Colorado State Library, and speaks nationally on the topic of library statistics. I was enthused about some of the new reports she's cooked up. Having an acknowledged statistical expert on staff is handy.
But the colleague I was bragging to was full of dark forebodings. "Beware the tyranny of numbers," he said.
"Whatever are you talking about?" I said. "I use statistics for all kinds of things. They help me track trends in use. They help me find trouble spots and -"
"Exactly," said my colleague. "Trouble spots. When you get statistics, you get comparisons. When you get comparisons, inevitably, you get competition. And then you say to one manager, 'Gee, your program stats are much lower than everybody else's.' And then that manager starts manipulating the statistics to look good."
"Pish," I said, "and tosh. It may be that some libraries act that way. But then the problem isn't with the numbers, it's with how they are used."
"Are you saying you DON'T compare the statistics between your branches?" "Sure I do!" I said.
"And you don't follow-up with the managers to find out why there are differences in certain kinds of costs or library use?"
"Well, yes," I said, "but that's useful information for everybody. I encourage our managers to experiment, to try different things at different branches. It doesn't do any good to experiment, if you don't honestly report the results. Sometimes it turns out that a program, or service, catches on at one location, and bombs at another."
"My point exactly," said my colleague, "so that means the place where it worked, you had a better manager, right?"
"I don't see it that way," I said. "Different strategies yield different results. My managers get together pretty regularly to talk about this stuff. Sometimes one key factor turned the trick: advance publicity, for instance. If one manager learns something that worked well, the other managers give it a try. But more often than not, I learn something I've suspected from the beginning."
"What's that?"
"That each of our branches operates in a unique community. Library statistics do say something about the library, but they say even more about the community."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the fact that one branch has a high use of educational software clearly has something to do with the fact it launched the service, and our other libraries don't have any yet. But let's say that both libraries offer an identical program for seniors, or for bilingual families. In that case, the number of people who show up for it reflect not the library offering, but the demographics of the community."
"How do you sort out which is the library and which is the community?" he asked.
"More numbers, for one thing. The 2000 census stuff will be very helpful. But also, more experiments," I said. "Say a young adult program doesn't catch on one year. But it might the next. The only way to find out is to model the experiments on successes elsewhere in the district — but also on things that haven't been tried yet."
"What about costs? Once you start tracking all this stuff, don't you feel pressured to find cheaper and cheaper ways to do them?"
"Well, I'm a fiscal conservative, if that's what you mean. It's certainly not my goal to find the most expensive way to run a library."
"Aha! So you do manage by spreadsheet. The tyranny of numbers!"
"But again, sometimes you have to poke the numbers to find out what's behind them. Suppose, for instance, that staff costs are way lower in one branch than another. The reason? Way more part-timers. But it might be that having too many part-timers drives up other costs -- supervisory time for evaluations, training time for new employees, more benefits administration. That's important information."
"But if all that numbers do is drive you to look for more numbers, then what's the point? I say again, you're slaving under the despotism of data."
"Catchy," I admit. "But ultimately, that's just paranoid. What's the alternative? Ignorance? The purpose of gathering and analyzing data is to understand your environment. It may not answer all your questions, but it can at least get you to ask better questions."
My colleague sighed. "So you're going to keep running your ship according to the numbers?"
"'Fraid so. But not just on the numbers."
"Oh? What else?"
"The good judgment of my staff."
"Even when it contradicts the spreadsheets? How come?"
"Simple," I said. Then I smiled. "I've learned that I can count on it."
But the colleague I was bragging to was full of dark forebodings. "Beware the tyranny of numbers," he said.
"Whatever are you talking about?" I said. "I use statistics for all kinds of things. They help me track trends in use. They help me find trouble spots and -"
"Exactly," said my colleague. "Trouble spots. When you get statistics, you get comparisons. When you get comparisons, inevitably, you get competition. And then you say to one manager, 'Gee, your program stats are much lower than everybody else's.' And then that manager starts manipulating the statistics to look good."
"Pish," I said, "and tosh. It may be that some libraries act that way. But then the problem isn't with the numbers, it's with how they are used."
"Are you saying you DON'T compare the statistics between your branches?" "Sure I do!" I said.
"And you don't follow-up with the managers to find out why there are differences in certain kinds of costs or library use?"
"Well, yes," I said, "but that's useful information for everybody. I encourage our managers to experiment, to try different things at different branches. It doesn't do any good to experiment, if you don't honestly report the results. Sometimes it turns out that a program, or service, catches on at one location, and bombs at another."
"My point exactly," said my colleague, "so that means the place where it worked, you had a better manager, right?"
"I don't see it that way," I said. "Different strategies yield different results. My managers get together pretty regularly to talk about this stuff. Sometimes one key factor turned the trick: advance publicity, for instance. If one manager learns something that worked well, the other managers give it a try. But more often than not, I learn something I've suspected from the beginning."
"What's that?"
"That each of our branches operates in a unique community. Library statistics do say something about the library, but they say even more about the community."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the fact that one branch has a high use of educational software clearly has something to do with the fact it launched the service, and our other libraries don't have any yet. But let's say that both libraries offer an identical program for seniors, or for bilingual families. In that case, the number of people who show up for it reflect not the library offering, but the demographics of the community."
"How do you sort out which is the library and which is the community?" he asked.
"More numbers, for one thing. The 2000 census stuff will be very helpful. But also, more experiments," I said. "Say a young adult program doesn't catch on one year. But it might the next. The only way to find out is to model the experiments on successes elsewhere in the district — but also on things that haven't been tried yet."
"What about costs? Once you start tracking all this stuff, don't you feel pressured to find cheaper and cheaper ways to do them?"
"Well, I'm a fiscal conservative, if that's what you mean. It's certainly not my goal to find the most expensive way to run a library."
"Aha! So you do manage by spreadsheet. The tyranny of numbers!"
"But again, sometimes you have to poke the numbers to find out what's behind them. Suppose, for instance, that staff costs are way lower in one branch than another. The reason? Way more part-timers. But it might be that having too many part-timers drives up other costs -- supervisory time for evaluations, training time for new employees, more benefits administration. That's important information."
"But if all that numbers do is drive you to look for more numbers, then what's the point? I say again, you're slaving under the despotism of data."
"Catchy," I admit. "But ultimately, that's just paranoid. What's the alternative? Ignorance? The purpose of gathering and analyzing data is to understand your environment. It may not answer all your questions, but it can at least get you to ask better questions."
My colleague sighed. "So you're going to keep running your ship according to the numbers?"
"'Fraid so. But not just on the numbers."
"Oh? What else?"
"The good judgment of my staff."
"Even when it contradicts the spreadsheets? How come?"
"Simple," I said. Then I smiled. "I've learned that I can count on it."
Wednesday, August 15, 2001
August 15, 2001 - Newspaper Readership
I've been writing library columns for local newspapers for 13 years now. I believe that libraries and newspapers have strong similarities; we are natural allies.
The recent acquisition of the former Weekly News Chronicle by Colorado Community Newspapers got me curious. Ten years ago, there were as many as five separately owned newspapers in Douglas County. This marks the first column I've written that will appear, all at once, in four different newspapers (serving the communities of Highlands Ranch, Lone, Parker, and the rest of Douglas County).
The good news is, I now only have to write one column a week.
But I began to wonder: what's the business outlook for newspapers? Here's what I've learned.
In general, newspaper readership in America is slowly, but steadily, falling. In 1970, some 77% of Americans regularly read a newspaper; by 2000, that number had fallen to 58%. There are generational differences: 70% of pre-Boomers (born before 1945) subscribe to the local newspaper, compared to 58% for Boomers (born between 1946-1964), and falling to 47% of Gen-Xers (born between 1965-1976).
One study focused on the differences between two key demographic groups. Both Boomers and Gen Xers say they read newspapers to keep up-to-date on what is happening locally, nationally and internationally, and because newspapers provide them with depth and detail. About 7 out of 10 of both groups scan headlines, then focus on topics of interest.
Boomers are drawn to editorial and opinion pages and business coverage. Gen Xers are not. One reporter summed it up as follows: "Your job, Xers seem to be saying, is to give us the news in a straight-forward manner. We'll decide what we think about it."
There are also significant differences between men and women. More men read the paper; but more women read the ads. Newspapers depend on ad revenue, far more than on subscriptions.
It's not all bad news. In a typical week, according to another study, about 85 percent of the adult U.S. population uses a newspaper. Nationally, that's considerably better than the number of people who visit a library in a week. One newspaper editor noted, "We still sell more than 56 million newspapers a day, and an average of 2.23 people read each copy. No other medium reaches so many people on a regular basis." USA Today (America's largest daily), the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times have all seen modest increases in circulation since last year.
Overall, however, American newspaper readership dropped by .9% from 2000 to 2001. In the Denver metro area, things were worse. At the conclusion of the subscriber wars in Denver, Denver Rocky Mountain News circulation declined 17.9% over last year; Denver Post dropped by 11.9%. The Sunday Post, however, became the nation's fifth-largest Sunday paper, with a circulation of 970,934.
As you might expect, newspaper publishers and editors do see the writing on the wall. Since 1999, they have tried to better understand their actual and potential markets.
Most significant is the so-called Impact Study, conducted just last year. It involved several parties: the Readership Institute at the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, the Newspaper Association of America, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The study, based on the results of 37,000 surveys from 100 newspapers of various sizes, showed that while the readers expect a variety of content, they have distinct preferences that may build frequency of readership. According to one summary, "At the top of the list is intensely local, people-centered news, which includes stories about ordinary people, community announcements and obituaries."
The bottom line: newspapers still play a significant role in informing local citizens about matters of local consequence. And like any other business, newspapers have their challenges.
Here's wishing the good people at Colorado Community Newspapers every success.
The recent acquisition of the former Weekly News Chronicle by Colorado Community Newspapers got me curious. Ten years ago, there were as many as five separately owned newspapers in Douglas County. This marks the first column I've written that will appear, all at once, in four different newspapers (serving the communities of Highlands Ranch, Lone, Parker, and the rest of Douglas County).
The good news is, I now only have to write one column a week.
But I began to wonder: what's the business outlook for newspapers? Here's what I've learned.
In general, newspaper readership in America is slowly, but steadily, falling. In 1970, some 77% of Americans regularly read a newspaper; by 2000, that number had fallen to 58%. There are generational differences: 70% of pre-Boomers (born before 1945) subscribe to the local newspaper, compared to 58% for Boomers (born between 1946-1964), and falling to 47% of Gen-Xers (born between 1965-1976).
One study focused on the differences between two key demographic groups. Both Boomers and Gen Xers say they read newspapers to keep up-to-date on what is happening locally, nationally and internationally, and because newspapers provide them with depth and detail. About 7 out of 10 of both groups scan headlines, then focus on topics of interest.
Boomers are drawn to editorial and opinion pages and business coverage. Gen Xers are not. One reporter summed it up as follows: "Your job, Xers seem to be saying, is to give us the news in a straight-forward manner. We'll decide what we think about it."
There are also significant differences between men and women. More men read the paper; but more women read the ads. Newspapers depend on ad revenue, far more than on subscriptions.
It's not all bad news. In a typical week, according to another study, about 85 percent of the adult U.S. population uses a newspaper. Nationally, that's considerably better than the number of people who visit a library in a week. One newspaper editor noted, "We still sell more than 56 million newspapers a day, and an average of 2.23 people read each copy. No other medium reaches so many people on a regular basis." USA Today (America's largest daily), the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times have all seen modest increases in circulation since last year.
Overall, however, American newspaper readership dropped by .9% from 2000 to 2001. In the Denver metro area, things were worse. At the conclusion of the subscriber wars in Denver, Denver Rocky Mountain News circulation declined 17.9% over last year; Denver Post dropped by 11.9%. The Sunday Post, however, became the nation's fifth-largest Sunday paper, with a circulation of 970,934.
As you might expect, newspaper publishers and editors do see the writing on the wall. Since 1999, they have tried to better understand their actual and potential markets.
Most significant is the so-called Impact Study, conducted just last year. It involved several parties: the Readership Institute at the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, the Newspaper Association of America, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The study, based on the results of 37,000 surveys from 100 newspapers of various sizes, showed that while the readers expect a variety of content, they have distinct preferences that may build frequency of readership. According to one summary, "At the top of the list is intensely local, people-centered news, which includes stories about ordinary people, community announcements and obituaries."
The bottom line: newspapers still play a significant role in informing local citizens about matters of local consequence. And like any other business, newspapers have their challenges.
Here's wishing the good people at Colorado Community Newspapers every success.
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