In the Mood to Circulate? We need you at the desk.

The seasons change. Volunteers come, some of them go.

Repetition is the rhythm of the universe.

At NPL we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts. We've lost a couple of Saturday volunteers and are in the market for new people to staff the circulation desk.

What's involved? For most people one Saturday (or fraction thereof) per month. Our Saturday hours are 10-3. Some volunteers split Saturdays, one working 10-12:30, the other taking the 12:30-3 shift.

For October we're covered, but come November, we're going to need some new (fill in the blank--talent? blood? energy?)--all of the above.

Give us a call at 649-1184 if you can help out. To work at the desk you should not get a case of the vapors from being around computers. (We can otherwise train you). You should like people and present a friendly face to the world.

It's actually a lot of fun, according to our volunteers. You see the people you know (in Norwich, a generally delightful experience), get sneak previews of our latest books, CDs, and DVDs, are in on the scuttlebutt of our current programs, activities, and general mischief. We work hard, but we do laugh a lot here. In addition, we ply you with your choice of freshly brewed coffee or tea. You, in turn, develop a sense of indispensability, for volunteers are the life blood of this library.

Interested? Call Stephanie Smith at 649-1184. She will thank you kindly.

Calling All Artists, Young and Old(er)

NPL is in search of a few good library cards.

Okay-- that statement doesn't exactly conjure up images of Tom Cruise throwing out his chest, resplendent in uniform, but the sentiment remains true.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of NPL's expansion, we find ourselves in our usual state of growth. That's what working with the L-Team of Lucinda and Lisa brings: lots of learning--these women have definite pioneer tendencies. NPL is the first library in the state to go over to the state-of-the-art web-based Koha software, the benefits of which I will extol in a future blog. For now, suffice it to say that this milestone calls for another creative effort from our amazing community.

So it is that NPL launches its library card design contest. Shiny new software fairly begs for a great new card, or two.

The contest calls for two new cards: a Youth card (to age 15), and an Adult card (ages 16 and over).

Deadline for submissions is September 1. Entries will be displayed at our Tenth Anniversary Party September 12, and the public will have a chance to vote on the entries till October 1.

We're hoping for lots of entries. Guidelines are available at the circulation desk.

Please take your best shot at a modest form of immortality and think about how the phrase "My Library" resonates for you.

What's It Worth?

A few weeks back I read that the nation's oldest library was in danger of closing.

I was sad, of course, but more than sad I was incensed. My closest friend, a librarian, once confided in me, as we reviewed the array of services provided by libraries, than if the public ever really figured it out, we'd be inundated.

What a better world that would be, especially in light of the current economic downturn. If ever the public could use some free --or close to free-- services, the time is now.

Use this calculator to see what your local library offers you in the way of savings. I just did, and the results made me feel quite rich indeed. Clearly, I am a high maintenance patron.

Thanks, Kids. Thanks, Doyles.

Like about any modest public institution, NPL has faced its share of economic shortfalls this year. Donations to the annual fund are down. The state library has discontinued some of its services --that sort of thing.

Enter the Doyles. Jeff and Maureen and kids Clio, Finley, and Zola were discussing what might be done to help out NPL, and the By Kids For Kids Yard Sale was born.

The idea was simple and elegant at the same time: kids could gather together the books, toys, and gear that they no longer needed and offer it up for sale on the library lawn. They pre-priced it and brought it down, to sell and split the profits with NPL.

As these pictures attest, (thanks, Peter Money!) the event was as photogenic as it was profitable. Behold--the next generation of entrepreneurs!

Best of all, we on the staff were energized and downright moved by the thoughtful actions of the community, starting with the Doyles. They made us feel so appreciated.

The entire event reminded me of a Ramblin' Jack Elliott concert I attended long ago. The audience was yelling out requests of their favorite songs. "Don't Think Twice!" hollered a fan. Ramblin' Jack obliged.

"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out!" somebody called, when that song was done.

Ramblin' Jack fixed him with A Look.

"Oh yes they do," he said.

A Local Delicacy

I've expressed my enthusiasm for The American Scholar, the magazine of Phi Beta Kappa, in these posts before. If you haven't taken a look at this lively magazine, here's a local pretext for doing so now.

Norwich's own Rob Gurwitt has published a delightful and well written piece on his Sunday pizza gatherings at the town oven. It's fun to read about the history of that oven, to read mentions of Suzanne Lupien and his own desire to use pizza making as a means for gathering community together.

You'll find Rob's article is in the latest issue of American Scholar. Also in the issue are new poems by Gary Snyder, a reassessment of the Reagan presidency, a fable by Thornton Wilder, and a piece on why your waitress might be smarter than you are. Stimulating reading!

I hadn't known about Rob's pizza gatherings before reading his article. I find myself wanting to learn more about his pizza aesthetic, having sampled his wonderful writing.

There Is Life after 500,000

I don't think that the Hooper-Goetincks walked in expecting to make a little NPL history, but when they approached the circulation desk, they must have realized that something was up.

There was Board President Barry Rotman, watching intently. Lisa Milchman was checking out a stack of materials excitedly. What was the deal? Mom Carolyn's raised eyebrows seemed to ask as staff members gathered round.

Lisa flipped a computer window and stood back. There, in the statistical window of the circulation program stood the number, round and firm: 500,000!

She shared the news with Carolyn (right), Dylan (center), and Blake (left). Then came the prizes: a gift certificate to the Norwich Book Store, a bar of Champlain chocolate, a wooden nickel for dismissing a fine, served up in a bright blue NPL bag with a balloon bouquet attached. We all applauded.

Library confidentiality policies prohibit me from revealing the title of the point-tipping check-out. The Goetincks are prolific patrons, anyway. It almost doesn't matter what the title was, or which of their many actually pushed us over the finish line. They're mad readers, all of them.

After the glow of the moment passed and the Hooper-Goetincks continued on their errands, we savored the spike of energy, then felt it drop a little. Now what? some part of me asked. It wasn't even lunchtime yet. Talk about an anticlimax!

The feeling moved on. My desk was covered with a teetering tower of new books and a few DVDs. They needed entering into the state system and labels applied. I flipped through Don Metz's New Compact House Designs and resolved to check out "Frost/Nixon" when it comes out of cataloging. Ditto with reading The Artist's Way, and this weekend I'll find a new block pattern in Quick Quilts from the Heart. YES!

500,000 is a number, and like other steps in a sequence, it's quickly bested by succeeding ones. Still, it tells us that we're being used, that we have a role to play in this community, and it's a role we rejoice in playing.

What Does Half a Million Look Like?

Some time in the next week, NPL will have its 500,000th checkout. There's a statistic that fairly begs for visualization. Whee!

We measured the spine of a "typical" book, stacked it and its fellows by a cool 500 thou, and spun it into the mathematical, the theoretical. Where would you be if you were to climb such a stack of books?

We suddenly found ourselves eleven miles up, teetering into the stratosphere. I immediately requested dramamine for the dizziness that enveloped me.

However, I regained my composure before it arrived. In libraries, ultimately the theoretical must yield to the concrete: to children emerging from story time with a stack of books on today's theme; to the commuter who needs a good story to stay alert on the road. There are the live wires who come in after the latest title they've heard about on "Fresh Air," or the reading club member asking to be placed on the list for the book of the moment. Add to these the mom or dad who need a Harry Potter DVD to get the kids through a rainy Saturday, the Consumer Reports reader on the verge of a major purchase, the gardener in need of a landscape plan, the cook in search of a recipe, and from there, the sky's the limit. Such are the instances that have brought us to this point, each of them lovely in their way.

We're wondering who will check out our 500,000th item. This milestone will probably occur in the next week. Attainment of the magic number will be lucky for the patron who hits it: a gift certificate at the Norwich Book Store and delicious candy from Champlain Chocolates. What's not to like?

The suspense is sweet! (Pun intentional.)