Free Library Blog - Posts by Carolyn P.

Introducing the Free Library's New Catalog

Carolyn P. — 2012-03-05T08:34:00-05:00

For the past few years, we have heard from many of you about the things you want our online catalog to do. Searching should be as easy and intuitive as possible. You’d like the option to browse our collections and see a list of every movie we have, or every item we’ve added recently. You want to be able to create and save booklists. Most of all, you want to log in once and have the catalog remember that you’re logged in when you want to place things on hold. It’s definitely time for us to take our online catalog to the next level.

We’re excited to present to you the beta version of our new online catalog, and we invite you to try it out and tell us what you think before we launch it in early April.

Some Highlights:

Your Library Account – Unlike Aquabrowser, which had no connections to your library account, this new catalog is fully integrated with your account. Once you log in, you’ll be able to see and manage your checkouts, holds, fines, profile information, and booklists, and you’ll stay logged in until you choose to log out (or your session times out).
Easily Filter Your Results - After you enter your search terms, you will be able to narrow down your results by clicking on the various facets of the results. You can easily view all items from a particular branch, in DVD format, or in a particular language!
Browse Our Catalog –You can easily view all items from a particular branch, author, topic, genre or patron generated tags!
Save and Share – You can easily bookmark or send links to items in our catalog, with links that never expire. Email items (or whole searches) to yourself, send them as text messages, or build RSS feeds. Use Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to tell your friends what you’re reading now.
Create Booklists – Once you are logged into your library account, you can search the catalog and save any items that strike your fancy. Your booklists will be private – only you can view them – and you can set up as many as you want or need. Add private notes to the items you’ve saved. Keep a list of what you’ve already read, or what you want to read next.
Tag Our Books – When you’re logged in, you can add tags to any record. Anyone can search or browse the tags that have been added. Tag our Victorian-era books as “steampunk” or tag all the DVDs by your favorite comedian as “comedy gold” and make our stuff easier to find!

What’s Next

The beta catalog will be available through the month of March. During this time, we invite you to try some searches, log into your library account, make a booklist, or experiment in whatever way you like. We’re also encouraging you to give us your feedback – you can comment on this blog post or send us your comments directly. We will gather your suggestions, make adjustments, and fix any bugs that turn up. In early April, we will retire our Aquabrowser discovery layer and replace it with this new catalog.

Thanks for checking out our beta, and happy searching!

Online Catalog Migration: The Sequel

Carolyn P. — 2012-02-03T12:12:00-05:00

A few weeks ago, we moved our online catalog to a different server, as part of a project that we are working on to improve the hardware and upgrade the software. We’re now preparing for the second stage of this project, which will require another round of downtime that we want to let you know about.

During the late evening (after 9 p.m.) on Monday, February 6, the parts of our website that depend on the online catalog to run will be unavailable for a short period. This will include remote access to electronic resources like Overdrive and Freegal, since those resources rely on the online catalog’s database to validate your library card number and PIN.

After that short period on Monday night, the online catalog will be available once again, although some functionality, like the ability to place holds or change your PIN, will remain unavailable. If you are planning to visit your local branch in person, there will also be some limits on what the library staff behind the desk can do - they won’t be able to make new library cards or update your address, but they can still check your books and DVDs in and out and help you pay fines as usual. On Thursday night, we will once again bring down the online catalog, and by Friday morning, everything will be up and running smoothly once again.

Once this stage is over, we’ll be using some really beefy hardware to run the catalog. You may not notice much difference, but behind the scenes, our server will be much more reliable and hard-working, and we’ll be able to fix problems much faster. Thank you for your patience with us - you’ve been very understanding, and that has helped us so much.

We also want to give a shout-out to all the public services staff at your neighborhood libraries. Whenever we have to make changes to the catalog system, we have a big impact on the tools that they use on a daily basis. All the librarians and library assistants kept their cool under pressure during our first migration a few weeks ago, and we think they’re doing an awesome job. If you happen to visit one of our branches soon and you agree with us, please feel free to let them know.

And now, a word from the Information Technology Department

Carolyn P. — 2012-01-13T16:33:05-05:00

Do you remember the old-fashioned library card catalogs – huge wooden cabinets lined with long drawers full of index cards, listing all the books in the library by title, author, and subject? Back then, if we needed to move the card catalog to a different spot, we would need some strong arms and elbow grease to lift it up and put it down in its new spot. Now that the catalog is online, it still takes a lot of work to move the data and software that make up our online catalog, although we use a very different set of skills!

Starting on Wednesday, January 18, we will be moving our online catalog to a different server as we prepare for some future upgrades. In the very early morning on Wednesday – between 5 and 6 a.m. – the parts of our website that depend on the online catalog to run will be unavailable for a short period. This will include remote access to electronic resources like Overdrive and Freegal, since those resources rely on the online catalog’s database to validate your library card number and PIN.

After a short period on Wednesday morning, the online catalog will be available once again, although some functionality, like the ability to place holds or change your PIN, will remain unavailable. During this time, we will be working to migrate the data onto our new server, and this limited functionality will make that migration faster and ensure that we don’t lose anyone’s data along the way. (We would hate to have anyone lose their place in line for the new bestsellers!)

After 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening, the catalog and its attendant functions will be unavailable again for several hours while we finish our work. If everything goes smoothly, we expect to be back up and running on the new server by Thursday morning.

We apologize for the inconvenience. Fortunately, this will be a temporary state, and we will be on our way to serving you better with a faster, more reliable catalog. Thank you for your patience!

Hawks are our neighbors at the Parkway Central Library

Carolyn P. — 2010-03-22T12:16:02-05:00

Last year, a pair of red-tailed hawks made a nest on a window ledge at the Franklin Institute, just across from the Parkway Central Library in Logan Circle. With the help of a webcam, visitors to the Institute’s website were able to get an amazing close-up view of these hawks’ lives last spring, as they finished building their nest, laid three eggs, and eventually raised three healthy young hawks. Red-tailed hawks mate for life and will often reuse the same nesting site each year. This pair returned to the Franklin Institute in January 2010 to get their nest back into shape, and webcam watchers reported the appearance of the first egg on March 13. By March 19, there were three eggs in the nest

If you use the Parkway Central Library frequently, or if you’re planning on making a visit this spring, keep your eyes on the skies—you just might get to see one of the hawks in person! This morning, one member of the pair was perched on a ledge behind the Library building just as staff members were coming in to start their workday. We’re looking forward to seeing them hang around Logan Circle, hunting for pigeons and squirrels, and coaching their hatchlings on their first flights later this spring.

If you're not able to come see the hawks in person, you can get a close-up view of all the action in the nest by visiting the Franklin Institute's webcam at www2.fi.edu/hawks. The Hawkwatch blog has plenty of great photographs of the pair, accompanied by interesting hawk facts and information about last year's nest.

Want to read more about spotting red-tailed hawks or other local birds? Here are some recommended titles from our collection:

Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park, by Marie Winn, is the story of Pale Male and his mate, the famous red-tailed hawks who nested on a ledge overlooking New York City's Central Park. Philadelphia's hawks might end up this popular, too.

Birds of Pennsylvania, by Stan Tekiela

Birder's Guide to Pennsylvania, by Paula Ford

How to Spot Hawks and Eagles, by Clay Sutton and Patricia Taylor Sutton

The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds - Eastern Region, by John L. Bull

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, by Roger Tory Peterson

Thanksgiving Books, Songs, and Rhymes for Kids

Carolyn P. — 2009-11-12T14:19:00-05:00

Looking for some great kid-tested, librarian-approved books for Thanksgiving? The children's librarians at the Free Library have put together a list of their favorites. Their comments about some of the books are included below.

Fiction

Gus the Pilgrim Turkey by Theresa Bateman

Gracias the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley

One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox

Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell - "It's not a Thanksgiving book per se, but the rhyme is terrific and it's about a family preparing a meal, from shopping for ingredients to eating it together."

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy - "Tells the pilgrim/Indian story, values contributions of both."

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson

Happy Thanksgiving by Margaret McNamara - "In the Robin Hill School Ready-To-Read series."

Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa - "Though not a traditional 'Thanksgiving' story it is a highly imaginative adventure story that features turkeys and is a nice addition when doing a Thanksgiving-themed story time. In this fun story, a young boy creates 'handprint' turkeys that come to life and he must protect them. It's a fun read aloud and I always have everyone's attention when I read this one!"

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

Thanksgiving Day by Anne Rockwell - "It shows how the Native Americans helped the new settlers and has great illustrations. This is a Native American friendly book that tells the story of the first Thanksgiving via a group of multi-cultural children performing a holiday play. It celebrates the spirit of friendship, sharing and being thankful."

Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams - "Interactive with hand motions and sounds! The little old lady runs into pants, shirts, shoes, a hat, gloves and a pumpkin head and puts them all together for a scare (a scarecrow)."

Non-Fiction

Feeling Thankful by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly - "This is a non-fiction book that depicts pre-school and school-age children recounting the things in their life they are most thankful for."

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson - "Nonscary book with great pictures about the lifecycle of a pumpkin including the jack-o-lantern stage."

Thanksgiving Day at Our House: Thanksgiving Poems for the Very Young by Nancy White Carlstrom - "I like to intersperse Thanksgiving story times with a few selections from this book. Can be used with Preschool up to Grade 4 or so."

Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes - "Mostly for an older audience, but some poems may appeal to a preschool audience."

Of course, story time at the Free Library isn't just about sitting and listening to a great book. Here are some terrific Thanksgiving songs and rhymes, courtesy of the children's librarians, for kids to sing and recite. Some of them have actions, too - try them out, if you don't mind acting like a turkey!

Sing “If you’re happy and you know it,” substituting the word “thankful” for “happy.” Instead of shouting “hooray” at the end, shout “thank you!”

Turkey Jurky
(Sung to the tune of "Hokey Pokey")
You put your right wing in
You put your right wing out
You put your right wing in and you shake it all about
You do the Turkey Jurky and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

The Turkey Dance
(Sung to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw")
Oh, you turkey to the left (two steps to the left)
And you turkey to the right (two steps to the right)
Then you heel and toe (do motion with foot)
And you scratch with all your might. (scratch with foot)
Now you flap your turkey wings (put thumbs in armpits and flap)
While your head goes bobble,bobble. (wobble head)
Turn around and then you say, (turn around)
"Gobble, gobble, gobble!"

Turkey Dinner
(Sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques")
Turkey dinner, turkey dinner,
Gather round, gather round,
Who will get the drumstick?
Yummy, yummy drumstick,
All sit down, all sit down,

Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffing,
Puddin’ pie, one foot high,
All of us were thinner
Until we came to dinner;
Me oh my! Me oh my!

The Turkey
The turkey is a funny bird.
[Hook thumbs together and spread fingers to create turkey tail.]
Its head goes wobble, wobble.
[Wobble head back and forth.]
And all it knows is just one word:
[Hold up one finger.]
"Gobble, gobble, gobble."
[Make mouth shape with hand, opening and closing it while sounding like a turkey.]

The Turkey II
I'm a turkey, big and fat.
[Spread arms out.]
I spread my tail. I walk like that.
[Fan fingers like a turkey's tail; Waddle.]
Each day's corn I will not miss,
[Rub stomach.]
And when I talk, I sound like this:
[Point to lips; Cup hand next to ear.]
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE!
[Shout.]

Run Turkey Run
(Sun to the tune of “Farmer in the Dell”)
Run turkey run (running motion)
Run turkey run (running motion)
It’s almost Thanksgiving time
Run turkey run (running motion)

Roll pumpkin roll (roll hands)
Roll pumpkin roll (roll hands)
It’s almost Thanksgiving time
Roll pumpkin roll (roll hands)

Grow corn grow (jump up)
Grow corn grow (jump up)
It’s almost Thanksgiving time
Grow corn grow (jump up)

Mash potatoes mash (pound fists)
Mash potatoes mash (pound fists)
It’s almost Thanksgiving time
Mash potatoes mash (pound fists)

Eat your apple pie (eating motion)
Eat your apple pie (eating motion)
It is now Thanksgiving time
Eat your apple pie (eating motion)

Run turkey run (running motion)
Run turkey run (running motion)
It’s almost Thanksgiving time
Run turkey run (running motion)