As published in the Red Rock News

At the June 15, 2021, Sedona Public Library (SPL) Board of Trustees annual meeting, the 2021-2022 Board was formally seated. As a private, nonprofit corporation that provides public library services through contracts with local government, the volunteer Board of Trustees is responsible for administering the affairs of the Library and envisioning the Library’s future.

While no current members of the Board are retiring, we do have a few changes in positions, along with three new Trustees.

Joel DeTar joined the Board in 2015 and served as President of the Board with aplomb since 2017. He will now hold the title Past President, as he continues to serve for several more years. The Library has benefited from his strong vision and leadership, and we are fortunate that he will now chair our Building & Grounds Committee as we move forward with exciting changes to our facilities.

I am pleased to announce that Dan Gallagher has been seated as the new Board President. Dan and his wife Brenda have been full-time Sedona residents since 2015, and he joined the SPL Board in 2018. A retired senior federal executive with 30 years of service in the Department of Defense and 10 years of experience as a consultant/contractor at the Scitor Corporation and the Camber Corporation, Dan brings strong strategic, analytic, managerial, and communication skills to our Board. His careful consideration and thoughtful leadership will serve us well as we plan for a vibrant future.

Trustee Scott Bradley will continue in his role as Treasurer, and Trustee Tom Martin has accepted the important role of Secretary.

In addition, we are pleased to welcome three new members to our Board of Trustees—John Martinez, Jr., Tom Binnings, and McCullough “Mac” Crawford.

John Martinez, Jr. is well known in Sedona, having served eight and a half years as a member of the Sedona City Council—four of them as Vice Mayor. John also filled the role of Council’s liaison to the Library, so his knowledge of all things SPL is substantial. He has a strong accounting background and a focus on bottom-line results. His deep knowledge of the Sedona and greater Verde Valley region will serve the Library well, as John joins both our Budget & Investment and Strategic Planning & Policy Committees.

Self-proclaimed “long time book nerd” Mac Crawford and his wife Kali Gajewski founded Sedona Beer Company in 2016. An engineer by trade and brewer extraordinaire, Mac brings a fresh perspective to the Library Board, and his experience in project management and controls as well as his passionate commitment to community as both a resident and small business owner make him an ideal SPL Trustee. Mac will serve on our Budget & Investment, Building & Grounds, and Technology Committees.

Tom Binnings and his wife Jane live in the Village of Oak Creek. Tom co-founded Summit Economics in 2008 and has more than 30 years of experience in applied economics, analytics, decision support, and strategic planning. His career has focused on promoting solutions for community and commercial development, solving complex problems, and managing risk. He also teaches graduate MBA courses for Webster University, while serving on numerous panels of economists making national regional forecasts. Tom will serve on our SPL in the Village, Budget & Investment, and Technology Committees.

The following Trustees are continuing their service to SPL: Sheila Hoffmeyer, Peter Wolf, Mary Kay DePoe, and Avrum Cohen.

The staff and Board thank our past and current Board members and look forward to an exciting and productive year at Sedona Public Library. We are here to serve!

Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, supported by the Friends Of The Sedona Library, the City of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, grants, donations, and gifts from people like you. Your tax-deductible donation can be sent to 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336, or better yet, come in and talk to us about planned giving opportunities.

Sedona Public Library
Column for June 25, 2021
 Written by Judy Poe, Library Director

As published in the Red Rock News

Anyone who has visited a doctor may recognize how, as a lay person attempting to understand the state of one’s health, the technical language that medical professionals use can often be confounding. This is not only the case with the medical profession, but many professionals use language particular to their field, or as it is commonly called “jargon.” Jargon is a way that professionals communicate with one another but it also can present a communication hurdle to those not in the profession.

The disconnect between the professional and the lay person can prove daunting. Have you ever tried to wade through the jargon used by your mechanic who is explaining just what is wrong with your car, what must actually be repaired and what it will cost? This is not just a modern problem confined to getting your car to run again. Since time immemorial, jargon has separated the common person from those “in the know.”

While jargon is a way to easily communicate with others within one’s field, it may also be a way for those in that field to accrue power and status. Through the use of jargon, the work of the professional may seem mysterious and special to the outsider, thereby allowing the user, or insider, to stand apart from the common person. In so doing, the professional becomes more valuable, commanding power, favor, and of course, money.

But that is not the case in the library. One of the remarkable aspects of librarians is that they move in the exact opposite direction than jargon affords. In my years as a librarian and in reading the professional journals of librarians, I have been repeatedly struck by, and proud of, librarians’ efforts to make what they know easily accessible to the public. Researching anything can be daunting, especially given the rapid movement into the digital realm. Librarians stand ready to not only access information but to teach the public how to do it for themselves. In this way, they actually give away the very power of the professional in order to make the broader public more knowledgeable, capable, and self-sufficient!

Librarians are clearly a breed apart. The vast majority that I have known don’t see their knowledge as something to be carefully kept secret by the members of the “guild.” Rather librarians share what they know and help users conduct research on their own. It is one of the main reasons that libraries and librarians are so highly respected.

As I read the current issues of “Library Journal” and other publications in the field, I see how the COVID-19 pandemic has offered an excellent example of how librarians empower the public. Their efforts to offer access to public records regarding infection rates and the most up-to-date scientific information on the virus have been a primary helpful focus. Librarians have also strived to provide the best information about the numerous issues that drive electoral politics. They work to furnish the broadest array of information on topics with the goal to always give the public access to the most current information available and let them decide for themselves on what they believe. In an environment where media outlets often trumpet one particular body of facts, it is not only refreshing, but essential to the functioning of our democracy, that the broadest view be presented. And librarians are the ones making the efforts to give the broadest view to the public.

By doing so, and with their efforts to teach the user how to find the information available in the library’s system, librarians’ work flies in the face of the standard behavior of professionals to elevate themselves and accrue power and influence with jargon. And librarians do this quietly and without fanfare. In an age when everyone wants to be a star, the steady light of librarians shines not on themselves, but on access to the information they provide.

The image of the quiet librarian is something of a trope. It is easy to overlook librarians’ work and the significant contribution that they, and libraries, make to the functioning of our democracy. Doing so imperils their important work. As freedom of information is a cornerstone of democracy, access to that information, especially in an increasingly
complex environment, is essential. That librarians eschew the jargon of technical language, and strive to demystify access to information makes them absolutely essential workers. Next time you are in the library, observe how they work to improve your ability to be self-sufficient consumers of information, and thank them. They are truly a breed apart among professionals. 

​Sedona Public Library works hard to be an excellent library by providing access to information and empowering you, the user. Please visit the library online at sedonalibrary.org, in west Sedona at 3250 White Bear Road, or in the Village of Oak Creek at Bell Rock Plaza, Ste. 51 A. Also, visit the Friends of Sedona Library’s ongoing book sale in the house adjacent to the main library for great bargains on used books. Sales are offered all the time, and your purchases support library services.

Sedona Public Library
Column for June 18, 2021
Written by David Keeber, President of The Friends of the Sedona Library

As published in the Red Rock News

Hello! It's Teri, back again to share some more cool and helpful information about your library. We want everyone to know that Sedona Public Library (SPL) is so much more than a collection of books. SPL is a place for learning, growth, insight, and connection to the world beyond our red rocks. And we are always looking for new and interesting ways to be of greater service to you, our patrons, and neighbors. Connecting people to today’s latest technology is one more way we can improve the quality of life for those without easy access to the tools they want and need.
 
In fact, we have media and digital technology you may not even know exists! Including free PC use in our computer area, or check out one of our Chromebooks or Wi-Fi Hotspots. What are Chromebooks and Hotspots? Chromebooks are specialized laptops that work like tablets or iPads. They have limited features and are designed for internet connectivity. Wi-Fi Hotspots are small devices that operate like a cellular phone. They send and receive internet signals and allow you to connect to the web without having your own internet service. Amazing!
 
We also have access to Digital Readers from the Arizona Talking Book Library, to assist the visually impaired. Once you sign up for the program, a digital reader is delivered to your home! SPL allows you to learn to use some of today’s latest technology before you spend the money to own it.
 
In addition to the technology available to borrow, you can also borrow our space. Do you have an event or get together, but nowhere to gather? You can book an hour or two in our Quiet Study that holds up to 10, or the Si Birch Community Room that holds up to 56 guests. We have presentation technology that allows for presentations to large groups or small. Our space is your space and we want you to feel welcome and encouraged to utilize all that we have to offer! Stop by the Library to learn more about room rentals, or call me at 928-282-7714 x123.
 
Visiting our website opens an additional array of technology at your fingertips. At sedonalibrary.org you can quickly get to Kanopy.com, our subscription to on-demand video with a selection of over 30,000 films you can watch for free! If you couldn’t get your kids to story time this week, don’t worry. You can find it on our website, along with our archived articles and newsletters. Perhaps you need a library card but you are unable to get to the library? No worries, you can get one online.
 
We always want to acknowledge those who make library programs possible. It is through the generous support of our amazing donors and sponsors that SPL can provide such a wide range of tools and resources to support and enrich your life. We invite you to use the library’s tools and space and use our librarians’ skills and expertise to help you with life’s many technological challenges. We hope you will take advantage of all the wonderful tools SPL has to offer. Please visit us online at sedonalibrary.org and join our conversations on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sedonalibrary ) and Instagram (@sedonalibrary).

Sedona Public Library
Column for June 11, 2021
​Written by Teri Ruiz, Program and Marketing Coordinator

As published in the Red Rock News

It’s that time of year! We have curated a fantastic summer reading list for young and old alike to enjoy at home, on vacation, or maybe even on the beach. Come visit the Library to see our new “beach” and meet Bubbles the Beach Sloth! Bubbles is featured in our new beach display, where you will find the books described below, and many more. Read on for descriptions of a few of our favorite summer reads.

According to Katherine Merlino, SPL’s Materials Management Coordinator, “Our list includes stories that take place on a beach, but also my favorite kind of beach reads: those that are so engrossing you can't put them down.” Katherine noted that we’ve also included some lighter, easier reads with short chapters that you can return to if distracted . . . say by a dolphin, or sandcastle, or a beach sloth.

Our list of children’s book titles was curated by Viviane Kraus, our Youth Services Manager, with a couple of titles in Spanish chosen by Librarian Maria Bernardi. With this amazing collection of beach reads, you’ll have plenty to read to your kids or grandkids, while curled up on a lounge chair on your patio or maybe sipping an iced Irish coffee on the Aran Islands.

Author Elin Hilderbrand bases her novel 28 Summers on the classic film Same Time Next Year. This novel explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship affects the lives of the couple and their loved ones. People says, “Their secret love affair has lasted for decades—but this could be the summer that changes everything.”

Summer Longing, by Jamie Brenner, is a moving story about a baby girl left on the doorstep of a Cape Cod beach house, and the group of local women who risk all they hold dear to figure out this mystery and to protect this child. Publishers Weekly says that Brenner’s novel is a "touching, nuanced summer yarn."

A book that takes you to some of the chilliest beaches in the world is destined to cool you off on a hot summer’s day. In Migrations, the first novel by Australian author Charlotte McConaghy, we follow Franny, the heroine, from the coasts of Greenland to Antarctica, as she tracks the last flock of Arctic terns. This story investigates the love and loss of both our Earth and Fanny’s family. Shiver along with Fanny on her ocean adventure where she takes fearless dips into some of the coldest water on the planet.

According to Good Morning America, Oprah, and Buzzfeed, a “must read” is Float Plan, by Trish Doller. Anna, the heroine, is heartbroken by the loss of her fiancé, but she finds a second chance at love with an Irish sailor in this riveting, emotional romance. Kirkus Reviews says, “Doller clearly knows her Caribbean islands: After months of pandemic sheltering, her detailed travel log is fun and very, very tantalizing.”

For younger readers, Viviane recommends The Music of Dolphins, by Karen Hesse. In this story we follow four-year-old Mila, who survives a plane crash off the coast of Cuba and is nurtured by dolphins until her rescue. This fascinating read may lead to interesting discussions about how Mila longs for her sea life after her rescue, as she learns more about how humans live. (Interest level 5th–9th grade, reading level 3.5)

Another recommendation is the new title Of Salt and Shore, by Annett Schaap. You will meet Lampie, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who lights a lantern every night to help ships avoid dangerous rocks. One fateful night she forgets to buy the matches and she cannot light the lanterns. Tragedy ensues. Lampie’s punishment leads to adventures including a haunted house, mermen, and pirates. (Interest level 7th–8th grade, reading level 5)

For younger readers, we have Duck & Goose Go to the Beach, written and illustrated by Tad Hills. If you cannot get to the beach this summer for yourself, you can go with Duck and Goose! One of them loves the ocean, and the other . . . not so much. Can you guess which one? (Interest level KDG–3rd grade, reading level 2.3)

For our Spanish-language readers, Maria recommends Water Rolls Water Rises/ El agua rueda, El agua sube, in both English and Spanish, by Pat Mora. Readers young and old will enjoy this poetic story about the world’s fourteen different types of water. This ode is accompanied by beautiful illustrations of oceans, canals, seas, rivers, and more. Mora is an award-winning poet and author of books for adults, teens, and children, and this one is sure to please your summer reads cravings.

These and many more books will be available in our Summer Beach Reads display. Come visit the library beach and peruse our titles, meet Bubbles, and begin your summer with wonderful books. Enjoy your vacation wherever you go—to faraway places, or sitting in your backyard with a new novel, the red rocks, a cool drink, and a great book.

Thanks to West Sedona High School for the loan of Bubbles the Beach Sloth, recently named by a two-year-old patron. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are grateful for support from the City of Sedona, Friends of the Sedona Library, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and gifts from businesses, foundations, and individuals like you. Please visit sedonalibrary.org to learn more.

Sedona Public Library
Column for June 4, 2021
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director