The Empowerment Zone has now been featured in the prestigious Atlantic Ave magazine. The Atlantic Ave magazine is a glossy local Delray Beach publication that features mostly upscale features on the area. (Publication price $4.99.) The magazine is not really targeted at the kinds of people I tend to get in the EZ, but free press is free press. Seeing my name on the same page as a cosmetic surgeon's ad, and in a publication that has ads for Mercedes, jewelers and restaurants I can't afford is a bit odd. But if the right people see the article, and come to the library for our resources, then that would be great.
The Drug Abuse Foundation (DFA) of Delray Beach is interested in bringing their clients to the Empowerment Zone to look for jobs, and to brush up on their job skills. This partnership would be right in line for what I had envisioned for the Zone. And since the DFA solicited me, that makes my job easier! Delray Beach is known as the recovery capitol of America, and we get many AA and NA participants in the library. I will try to help anyone who comes to the EZ, as long as they are serious and are trying to better themselves, regardless of their background.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Summer Weeding
Now that the Empowerment Zone is up and running I have started one of my summer projects. I am weeding the 780s-799s. This encompasses music, movies, Broadway, sports, etc. And from what I can ascertain this section has not been maintained in quite some time. I have located some dusty and dirty books in this section that haven't checked out in over a decade.
Last year I managed to make it all the way through the 300s (Social Sciences), and this took me almost 6 months due to the size of the section and all of the distractions that occurred while I was working. After I finish the 780s-799s I am going to weed the 920s (History) and up. This will probably take me through the latter half of the summer. And then I will begin weeding the reference portion of my Dewey sections which really needs to be done.
When I worked in Collier County I managed to weed the History section of the Naples Regional Library, and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment when that project was completed. Once I am done with these two sections I will have finished all of my Dewey areas for my library. And then next year I can start all over again, but it will be a lot easier knowing that I have already made my way through once.
On a completely unrelated note I will be running for one of the board positions for the Palm Beach County Library Association (http://pbcla.info). Ethan Allen, the current President, asked me if I was interested in running and after thinking it over for a couple of days I figured why not? I am running for one of the Public Library Director positions, of which there are two. There are three of us competing for these two spots. The other two people I am going up against are library directors, so I have my work cut out for me. Apparently you don't need to be a library director to run for this post, just a member who works in a public library who is in good standing. I figure win or lose, it will be a good experience for me. If you are a member of the PBCLA, and feel so inclined, I would appreciate your vote. My blurb on why you should vote for me should be up on the PBCLA web site (http://pbcla.info) by the end of the week.
Last year I managed to make it all the way through the 300s (Social Sciences), and this took me almost 6 months due to the size of the section and all of the distractions that occurred while I was working. After I finish the 780s-799s I am going to weed the 920s (History) and up. This will probably take me through the latter half of the summer. And then I will begin weeding the reference portion of my Dewey sections which really needs to be done.
When I worked in Collier County I managed to weed the History section of the Naples Regional Library, and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment when that project was completed. Once I am done with these two sections I will have finished all of my Dewey areas for my library. And then next year I can start all over again, but it will be a lot easier knowing that I have already made my way through once.
On a completely unrelated note I will be running for one of the board positions for the Palm Beach County Library Association (http://pbcla.info). Ethan Allen, the current President, asked me if I was interested in running and after thinking it over for a couple of days I figured why not? I am running for one of the Public Library Director positions, of which there are two. There are three of us competing for these two spots. The other two people I am going up against are library directors, so I have my work cut out for me. Apparently you don't need to be a library director to run for this post, just a member who works in a public library who is in good standing. I figure win or lose, it will be a good experience for me. If you are a member of the PBCLA, and feel so inclined, I would appreciate your vote. My blurb on why you should vote for me should be up on the PBCLA web site (http://pbcla.info) by the end of the week.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Empowerment Zone Takes Off
Yesterday I actually had to turn a couple of people away at the Empowerment Zone as it was full capacity in our Tech Center for a couple of hours. The majority of patrons were working on applications for the Boca Raton Housing Authority. The housing authority is holding a lottery for subsidized and public housing.
Lotto Article
I talked to a couple of gentlemen who were new faces and they informed me that they had read about the EZ in the Delray Forum, and they were glad that they could come to the local library instead of having to go all the way to the Workforce Alliance in Boynton Beach. And even though the majority of people using the Zone were filling out housing applications as part of a one time lotto, they still now know about our place and may refer others to it. I am thinking that yesterday could be a sure sign that the Empowerment Zone has taken off.
Mixed with the good news of strong numbers is the bad news that two of my volunteers have moved on. And is it ironic that we now have a real need for them? Fortunately our library gets a large number of people looking to volunteer and I will hopefully find some suitable replacements. I can't help but find this somewhat amusing since I have met many people who have suggested we get rid of library staff and replace them with volunteers to save money. The problem with this is obvious - you get what you pay for, and if you aren't paying people anything, what's their motivation? Not that there isn't plenty of wonderful library volunteers out there, I just don't see them running the libraries any time soon.
So, this Thursday I am looking forward to seeing how many folks show up for the EZ, and if my new volunteer works out. I will keep you all posted...
Lotto Article
I talked to a couple of gentlemen who were new faces and they informed me that they had read about the EZ in the Delray Forum, and they were glad that they could come to the local library instead of having to go all the way to the Workforce Alliance in Boynton Beach. And even though the majority of people using the Zone were filling out housing applications as part of a one time lotto, they still now know about our place and may refer others to it. I am thinking that yesterday could be a sure sign that the Empowerment Zone has taken off.
Mixed with the good news of strong numbers is the bad news that two of my volunteers have moved on. And is it ironic that we now have a real need for them? Fortunately our library gets a large number of people looking to volunteer and I will hopefully find some suitable replacements. I can't help but find this somewhat amusing since I have met many people who have suggested we get rid of library staff and replace them with volunteers to save money. The problem with this is obvious - you get what you pay for, and if you aren't paying people anything, what's their motivation? Not that there isn't plenty of wonderful library volunteers out there, I just don't see them running the libraries any time soon.
So, this Thursday I am looking forward to seeing how many folks show up for the EZ, and if my new volunteer works out. I will keep you all posted...
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