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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Upcoming Changes here at Vineland



NEWS ABOUT THE NEW THREE-CITY LIBRARY ALLIANCE


The Public Libraries of Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are forming a new alliance in order to assure excellent library service for the residents of the three cities.  Forced by recent events to replace the old CLUES system, staff and Trustees of the three libraries took several weeks to study all the modern library computer systems on the market and to compare and explore their many features. Once a front runner was selected, the three library directors negotiated an excellent price.

At the center of the alliance is a brand new software product called Sierra, created by Innovative Interfaces, Incorporated. The three libraries are among the first in the nation to showcase Sierra, which features a more user-friendly format than the system used by CLUES.

Annual costs for Sierra are also less than for the CLUES system, which is being abolished by the Freeholders and the County Library Commission in what they call a “money-saving initiative”.  Earlier this year, County officials maintained that abolishing CLUES and moving all the local libraries to a group in Gloucester County known as LOGIN would save the County budget a great deal of money.  Because there was no such savings  to be had by the municipalities,  the three city libraries objected strongly to the abolishment of CLUES,  which had provided the basis for reciprocal county-wide borrowing enjoyed by  all local residents for over two decades.

Now, it seems, the County Library may not be saving anywhere near what they’d hoped by joining LOGIN. But the three city libraries – after purchasing Sierra -   will be definitely spending less than they did for CLUES and also less than they would by following the County Library to LOGIN.   They intend to use the money saved in order to purchase more library materials for local residents.

Staff members at the libraries in Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are excited about the catalog-searching features of Sierra and expect it to be well received by library users inside the library and from their personal computers at work, school, or home.  In addition, Sierra offers many upgraded staff-friendly features that make behind the scene tasks like cataloging books and other materials easier and quicker. 

Officials of the three municipal libraries believe that better service will be provided  by creating  the  new alliance  than by following the County Library to the Gloucester group.  They feel that a locally-based service is a better way to serve the needs of more than 114,000 people who live in the three cities. Maintaining shared service among the three city libraries will improve patrons’ access to locally owned library materials. For most patrons, the changes will look like business as usual, since the three libraries will continue to share many services as they have done for decades. However, during the transition from one system to the other, there will be periodic service interruptions.

Details of the new alliance are being worked out, including choosing a name that describes the level and scope of services being offered.   There is work underway now to get ready for the switchover to Sierra. In order to clean up the materials and patron records – the major database used by the new software – the three city libraries will restrict some services for a short period of time. Vineland Library has prepared a FAQ – a list of Frequently Asked Questions – that describes the changes for our patrons.  The new system will be fully operational within a few months.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Changes at Vineland Library



FAQ about Changes at VPL and the end of the County-wide CLUES Card

The Libraries of Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are forming a new shared services group because the Cumberland County Library decided to end CLUES and join another group called LOGIN - in Gloucester and Salem Counties.  The County Library’s move – paid for by the Freeholders and the County Library Commission using county tax revenue - unfortunately puts an end to the county-wide CLUES library card and the cooperative shared services we have all enjoyed for over twenty years.   


1.    Where can I get a card?
1.    Bridgeton residents can go to the Bridgeton Public Library (BPL) for a free card and Millville residents can go to the Millville Public Library (MPL) for a free card. When supplies are available, Bridgeton and Millville residents will be able to apply for cards from BPL and MPL here at the Vineland Public Library (VPL).
2.    Residents of Cumberland County who do not live in Bridgeton, Millville or Vineland can get a card at the Cumberland County Library (CCL). VPL cannot issue CCL cards because our computer systems are now incompatible.
3.    All residents of Cumberland County can get a free card at the CCL, even if they also have card from BPL, MPL, and VPL.

2.    Will I have to pay for a VPL card?
1.    If you don’t live in Cumberland County, yes – just like always.
2.    If you live in Cumberland County, but not in Vineland – We don’t know yet. The specific borrowing policies have not yet been worked out by the Boards of the three municipal libraries.

3.    Which services will be limited?
1.    Inter-library loan (ILL) and book reserves are suspended now until the new catalog is in place.
2.    Once the old catalog stops working (on or about October 29), borrowing will be limited/suspended until the new catalog is working.
3.    All computer sessions will need to finish 30 minutes before closing each day due to the loss of our county-wide time management system.

4.    Why are the municipal libraries forming their own shared services group?
1.    Libraries are funded though property taxes. Cumberland County residents who live in one of the 11 townships do not pay to support the libraries in Bridgeton, Millville, or Vineland.
2.    VPL cannot use Vineland tax money to provide a free service to non-taxpayers without an inter-local service agreement based on mutual benefit, like the former CLUES system which County officials terminated. We are forming a new legal service agreement with the other two cities that will allow the three of us to share services.
3.    The CLUES system was abolished by the County Freeholders and the County Library Commission, not by anyone associated with the libraries in Bridgeton, Millville, or Vineland.  It was done over our repeated claims that abolishing CLUES is not in the best interest of local library users.
4.    Patrons with concerns about this should address the Freeholders.  


5.    Why isn’t VPL joining LOGIN too?
1.    The costs for Vineland to join LOGIN were high and the actual benefits few.
2.    LOGIN uses another version of the CLUES catalog, which has a lot of problems. We wanted to get a better and less expensive catalog.
3.    VPL wishes to remain partners with BPL and MPL, who are also NOT joining LOGIN.
4.    Residents of the three municipalities are all entitled to a free card from the Cumberland County Library, so we are not denying any services to our own residents by not joining LOGIN. 
5.    At the same time, our residents will continue to receive the free services of BPL, MPL, and VPL without our resources having to be shared across the 25+ members of LOGIN in three different counties.
6.    The three municipal libraries are creating the new group in order to continue quality library service for our patrons. This is a response to the Cumberland County Library and the Freeholders attempting to move all local libraries to LOGIN, which we feel will not meet local needs as well as we can. We believe our new shared services group will increase access to our materials and services for our patrons who live in Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland, who pay for those libraries.  

6.    How long will the switchover period last?
1.    We are not sure how long the process will take. There are staff and Trustee committees working on the policies for our new consortium and attorneys working out the legal issues.
2.    Some service-related issues are in the hands of LOGIN and the County Library; and some depend only on our new catalog system.
3.    As we learn more and as more issues are finalized, this FAQ will be updated.

7.    Does this mean I can’t use the Cumberland County Library anymore?
1.    Vineland residents and those of the other cities are entitled to a free card from the Cumberland County Library, because that library’s services are still available free to them as County taxpayers. All County residents pay to support the County Library.
2.    There will be only minor changes in actual local library service once the changeover is complete, except that VPL will be paying considerably less for its catalog than we would if we joined LOGIN.  That money not paid to Gloucester County will allow us to offer better service here in Vineland.
3.    In order to use the Cumberland County Library as well as the Vineland Public Library, a person will need two library cards.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

If You Like Culinary Mysteries

Susan        Susan Wittig Albert             Mys, LT
                  Elisabeth Bastion              LT
J                Alexander Campion           Mys
                  JoAnna Carl                      Mys, LT
                  Jill Churchill                       Mys
                  Susan Conant-Park          Mys, LT
                  Cleo Coyle                        Mys
                  Isis Crawford                     Mys, LT
                  Mary Daheim                     Mys, LT
                  Diane Mott Davidson         Mys, LT, Audio
                  Jimmie Ruth Evans             LT
                  Joanne Fluke                      Mys, LT, Audio
                  Lisa Harris (Patricia Crumb) LT
                  B.B. Haywood                      LT
                  Tamar Myers                      Mys, LT
                  Nancy Pickard                    Mys, LT
                  Virginia Rich                       Mys
                  Lou Jane Temple                Mys



       Cookbooks

                   This is a very small selection of the many cookbooks we have. If you’re looking for a particular title,             author, or style, ask at the Information Desk and we’ll be happy to find something for you. We also             have a wide selection of cookbooks in our Spanish section. If we don’t have it, we can try and get it                  from another library within the state.

                Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods you can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila
                641.5 Che

                Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis 641.594 Del

                 The Mom's Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time!              by Janice Newell Bissex 641.555 Bis

                  Gale Gand's Short and Sweet Recipes: Quick Recipes with Eight Ingredients or Less by Gale Gand          641.86 Gan

                  Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick and Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Lindsay      Nixon 641.563 Nix

                  Down Jersey Cooking: Celebrating our Heritage from Past to Present by Joe Colanero 641.597 Col

                 The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab 641.594 Kna

                 Ching’s Everyday Easy Chinese: More than 100 Quick and Healthy Chinese Recipes
                 by Ching-He Huang 641.595 Hua

                  Russian Cooking by Robin Howe
                 641.594 How

                Baby and Toddler Cookbook:Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start
                By Karen Ansel 641.562 Ans

                 Vegetables by James Peterson 641.65 Pet


                 
                  Fic- Fiction, Mys-Mystery, Audio-Audiobook, LT-
                  Large Type, S-Spanish, B-Biography NOTE:
                  There are 2 Audio sections, cassette and CD.
                  Please ask at the Information Desk to locate the
                  right one.

                  If you don’t see what you’re looking for on
                  Our shelves, please at the Information
                  Desk; we’ll try to get it for you from
                  another library.