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Fundraisers like to tell stories about both our donors and how grateful we are to them, and about the patrons who receive the services we provide and how honored we are for their participation. At Sedona Public Library, there is another story we’d like to share: the story of a Library Book.
When you give to Sedona Public Library, you support our many programs and services, and just one of our services is our own collection of more than 61,000 books. Have you ever wondered how we choose these books? How they get into our catalog? Onto our shelves? Into your hands? The story is layered, and complex, so let’s take just a glimpse at how your Library makes tens of thousands of books available for you to enjoy. Choosing the books is the task of our Collections Manager and Children’s Librarian, who, in my opinion, have the best job in the world: they are paid to know books! Not as in reading, necessarily, but to know what’s being read, to read reviews, consider suggestions and requests, peruse catalogs and lists, and listen thoughtfully to our patrons. They carefully determine what books are most suitable for an array of categories. Whether for adults, or birth to teen, our experts consider books from archeology to mystery, from biography to reptiles, and beyond. They deliberate, compare, research and then they finally order the right amount of the books they believe our patrons will appreciate. The book orders are sometimes placed as often as daily, and in a year’s time, Sedona Public Library, with the help of your support, has purchased approximately 2,800 books. Then what? Believe it or not, there’s much more ahead. Receiving and cataloging books into both our system here at the Library, and into the Yavapai Library Network System, is time-consuming work involving a team of staff and volunteers. As the minute details would take up too much space in this column, and probably bore you to tears, let’s just focus on what’s most important: patrons’ convenience and books’ safety. You’ve probably heard of the ISBN number, the International Standard Book Number, that is, for all practical purposes, like a Social Security Number for a published book. To that 13-digit identifier, our staff adds a Radio Frequency Identification tag (RFID), a Resource Description and Access bibliographic record (RDA), a Dewey Decimal Classification System call number, date stamps, and category labels. Whew! What purpose could all of these numbers possibly serve? It’s simple! When you look up a book on our catalog, you will find a listing about that book with the exact information you need including a summary of its contents, its availability and location, as well as its author and date of publication. This leads to your ease in finding the book in our stacks, checking it out, putting it on hold, picking it up where you need it, and finally, having it in your hands. Even if you want a book from a distant location, with interlibrary loan, that’s possible, too. Our receiving and identifying system also provides security so that if someone accidentally walks out of the Library with a book in their satchel, the alarm will sound. Maintaining a book is no easy task, but we’ve got it covered, literally, in a crystal jacket. And we have a volunteer repair team, too. Once a book is duly branded, stamped, marked, secured, numbered, and covered? Ah, good question. And in walks our team of volunteer shelvers. These people know our stacks inside and out. Whether pulling books that you’ve put on hold, or shelving books you’ve returned, our shelvers work diligently to keep our shelves in accurate order. Finally, you ask, does a book’s shelf life end? Yes, it does, and that is what we call “weeding,” a systematic evaluation of our collection in order to cull the items that are no longer needed or wanted, which ultimately makes room for new books. Approximately four percent of adult and children’s collection is weeded each year, and those books go to the Friends of Sedona Library. And, that, dear reader, is another philanthropic journey entirely, for another day. But for now, this is just a small way to say thank you for supporting our book collection and the staff and volunteers who work diligently behind the scenes, and front and center, to make sure your book finding experience is easy and enjoyable. If you ever want an up-close look at the story of a Library Book, schedule a tour, we’d love to show you. Thank you for your support! Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336 or can be made online at www.sedonalibrary.org. Sedona Public Library Column for October 27, 2017 Written by: Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director Author Kevin Fedarko is no stranger to the Grand Canyon. In fact, he has hiked the entire length of the Grand Canyon. Meet Kevin Fedarko, author of the New York Times bestseller “The Emerald Mile,” on Tuesday, November 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Si Birch Community Room at Sedona Public Library.
Kevin Fedarko has written for Esquire, National Geographic, the New York Times, and other publications. He studied at Columbia University and Oxford before joining the staff at Time, where he served on the foreign affairs desk, then later worked as a senior editor at Outside. Fedarko lives and works in Flagstaff. His first book, “The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon,” was a New York Times bestseller and won the National Outdoor Book Award and the Reading the West Award. This nonfiction adventure tale begins in the spring of 1983, when Kenton Grua and his two companions attempted to set a record for the fastest dory ride through the heart of the Grand Canyon. The largest El Niño on record and torrential rains on the West coast had closed the river. With caution to the wind, the trio secretly launched their hand-built wooden dory, a boat propelled by oars, named the Emerald Mile. In addition to recounting the trio’s epic dory ride through the Grand Canyon, the author describes the massive flooding that threatened to destroy Glen Canyon Dam. The book, which includes photos, recounts the history of dories, the adventures of river guides, and attempts to save Glen Canyon Dam. The author will share a slide presentation about the time he recently spent in the Grand Canyon while on assignment for National Geographic. He will talk about threats to our national parks, specifically the Grand Canyon. Many national parks, including the Grand Canyon, face pressures from developers and budget cuts. Visitors continue to flock to the national parks in record numbers, threatening the balance of nature. Fedarko is a champion of the Grand Canyon and often speaks on behalf of the Grand Canyon National Trust. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. This program is free and open to the public. Thanks to the Friends of Sedona Public Library for sponsoring adult programs. For information please contact Cheryl Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village, at 928-284-1603 or email voc@sedonalibrary.org. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. We are grateful for the support of the city of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, businesses and foundations, and individuals like you. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336 or can be made online at sedonalibrary.org. The Friends of the Sedona Library’s Festival of Wreaths is an event that transforms the Library. I eagerly look forward to the magical gala event that kicks off the festival and the excitement of the sale throughout November.
This year the Preview “Golden” Gala and Sale will be held on Sunday, November 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. The kickoff event features souvenir champagne flutes, golden bling bags, culinary treats, musical entertainment, raffle prizes, and great company. Tickets are now on sale at SPL in the Village, the main Library on White Bear Road, and the Friends Book Store next to the main library. But right now, the Friends are asking that you start working on your wreath! The Friends look forward to community members contributing wreaths of all styles and for all seasons. They also invite donations of decorated table-top trees. And, for the first time, for those talented in textiles, the Festival is welcoming fabric or woven Christmas tree skirts, table runners and fancy Christmas stockings. Guidelines to remember:
Friday, November 10, is the delivery date for wreaths and other contributions. Deliver your item to the main Library, from 1 to 4 p.m. or to the Village location at 51 Bell Rock Plaza, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can also support the Festival of Wreaths by donating a raffle or auction item, or making a tax-deductible underwriting donation to the Friends of the Library. We’re excited to once again offer airline tickets to a destination of your choice in the United States as part of the Festival. Sedona Public Library was founded in 1958 by a group of community volunteers. It is and has always been a privately run library. The land on which the Library sits was donated and the library building was constructed with private funds and is entirely debt free. Sedona Public Library receives funding to operate from Friends of the Library, the city of Sedona, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, and private donations. For fifty years the Friends of the Library has contributed funds to help provide library services that are free to the community. The group has also contributed to the cost of RFID self-checkout stations, summer reading programs, teen theater scholarships, and Arizona Humanities programs. Your support of the Friends through the Festival of Wreaths helps the group achieve their goal of providing funding for Sedona Public Library. You can be the first to see and purchase this year’s creations at the Festival of Wreaths Preview Party. Tickets are $15 each. Wreaths will go on sale to the public on Monday, November 13, during regular library hours. Sedona Public Library Column for October 13, 2017 Written by: Virginia Volkman, Library Director Local writers are invited to attend Indie Author Day at Sedona Public Library on Saturday, October 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the community room. Indie Author Day is a day when libraries around the country welcome their local indie authors for educational workshops, networking, and mingling.
All writers are welcome to participate in Indie Author Day, including self-published and traditionally published authors, as well as aspiring authors who have never been published. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin with a half-hour reception at 1 p.m., followed by presentations that will give writers the opportunity to learn from other locals who are knowledgeable about different aspects of indie publishing. Each presentation will be followed by a short Q & A session. Attendees are encouraged to bring a copy of a published book to display as a sample of their work, along with business cards for distribution. The main focus of the event is networking and sharing. The Library’s Indie Author Day program is as follows: 1 p.m.— Meet and Greet 1:30 p.m.—“How Your Book Cover and Title Attract Buyers,” by Anugito ten Voorde. Anugito is a Sedona resident and graphic designer with 30 years of experience in book design. He has helped many authors through his company Artline Graphics to self-publish their books. During his presentation, Anugito will share his insights into what makes a great book cover and how the choice of a title influences the cover design. 2:15 p.m.—“Who Will Buy Your Book? Identifying Your Audiences,” by Diane Phelps Budden. Pinpointing the most likely buyers of your book is critical and should be done before your book is completed. In this workshop, presenter Diane Phelps Budden will help attendees determine their best audiences so that they can effectively market their books. Diane is a Sedona resident who spent over 30 years in corporate and academic marketing before self-publishing several books, including “The Author’s Concise Guide to Marketing: How to Jumpstart Sales of Your Self-Published Book.” 3 p.m.—“Social Media Tips for Authors,” by Heather Hermen. Heather is the owner of Front Burner Media, which focuses on marketing, public relations, and social media. She believes anyone can learn how to market and promote what they do, it just takes time. In her presentation, Heather will share ideas about which social media sites work well for authors, different website platforms to use without paying for a webmaster, and why a marketing plan will steer the course for your business. Indie Author Day is your chance as part of the Sedona indie writing community to build connections with other writers and learn more about independent publishing. Please share this information with your author friends. We hope to see you there! Happy writing! Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. We are grateful for the support of the City of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, businesses and foundations, and individuals like you. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336 or can be made online at www.sedonalibrary.org. Sedona Public Library Column for October 6, 2017 Written by Elizabeth Cate, Collection Development Librarian |
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