Communities Matter @the Olean Public Library

Communities matter @ your library: celebrate National Library Week April 14-20

(OLEAN, NY) –This week, the Olean Public Library  joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers.

Libraries today are more than repositories for books and other resources. Often the heart of their communities, campuses or schools, libraries are deeply committed to the places where their patrons live, work and study.  Libraries are trusted places where everyone in the community can gather to reconnect and reengage with each other to enrich and shape the community and address local issues.

Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students and the public at large to discover what their communities needs are and meet them.  Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for job seekers or those to support early literacy, librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond.

“Service to the community has always been the focus of the library,” said Lance Chaffee, Director. “While this aspect has never changed, libraries have grown and evolved in how they provide for the needs of every member of their community.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

The photos below highlight some of the ways that the library supports the community.

National Library Week Photo Contest

Theme: Communities Matter @ Your Library

Sponsored by the Olean Public Library

As part of the National Library Week celebration (April 14-20^th), the Olean Public Library will host a photo contest.  This contest is open to amateurs only (a professional is defined as on whose primary source of income results from his/her photographic work).  The photograph must include the current Olean Public Library or the Old Library (interior or exterior) as a significant part of the picture.

Submissions for this contest will be accepted in person or via e-mail (oleanpubliclibrary[at]gmail[dot]com) in JPEG format.  Limit one submission per person.  Submission deadline is Monday April 8^th at 9pm.

Photographs will be displayed in the display case in the lobby area of the library through the end of April.  During National Library Week, patrons of the library will be asked to vote for their favorite picture.  The winner will be announced on April 22^nd and will receive a $20 gift certificate to Pleasant Valley Greenhouse & Nursery.

Each photo must be accompanied by the contestant’s name and phone number.  The photo must also have a short description attached which will be displayed with the photo (e.g. “Old Library, Summer 2012” or “Summer Reading Program, 2009”, etc).  Photographs must be suitable for a family environment.

Entries may be in black & white or in color.  Submission of a photograph implies photographer’s consent for the work to be publicly displayed in the library.  By submitting a photograph, the contestant represents that he/she is the sole and exclusive owner of the image and is not aware of any copyright infringement.

The photographs will be available for pick up after May 1^st.  If the photographs are not claimed by the end of May, they will become the property of the Olean Public Library.  A submission to the contests indicates understanding and acceptance of the above rules.

For any questions or clarification, please contact the Olean Public Library at (716) 372-0200 or by e-mail at oleanpubliclibrary[at]gmail[dot]com. This contest is open to all members of the public.

Olean Public Library Celebrates National Library Week

The Olean Public Library is celebrating National Library Week this week (April 8-14, 2012).  The theme this year is “You belong @your library”.  First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.  The honorary chairman of this year’s National Library Week is author and host of the History Channel’s “Decoded” Brad Meltzer.

As part of National Library Week we will be having a trivia contest.  Each day, a trivia question will be posted on Facebook, Twitter, sent out to the e-mail list and posted on the wall in the lobby of the library.  Answers should be sent to oleanpubliclibrary [at] gmail [dot] com.  The following morning the winner will be picked from among the right answers.  The winner will receive an Olean Public Library water bottle.  There will be a different question each day, so make sure to keep and eye out and good luck!

Also, everyone who signs up for a class or tutoring session this week will receive a gift.  If you need to know what classes we are offering this month, click here.

The Olean Public Library would like to thank everyone for their patronage and continued support.  Remember – you belong @your library!

National Library Week 4/12-4/18/2009

National Library Week is here (April 12-16, 2009)!

This year’s theme is “Worlds connect @ your library.” All types of libraries participate in this annual celebration (school, public, academic and special). While I was reviewing this year’s theme, I began to realize how we are actively and effectively participating. Let me explain:

This year, the National Library Week’s spokesperson is Jamie Lee Curtis. The promotional image (PDF) —

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/natlibraryweek/FINAL-NLW-jlc-ad.pdf

…shows a postcard with a brief note to all: “The library is where I connect. Connect with your world this week @ your library!” Ms. Curtis is smiling (her “I know something good” grin), seated on a library carpeted floor, with a computer on a work-desk and book stacks behind her.

The mix of technology and library bound books and the casual yet “let’s get to work” attitude speaks to every librarian. We are creating places that actively extend far beyond the bricks and mortar, glass and metal of our buildings, reaching our communities in their homes and wherever they may be. I imagine I can be a patron on a yacht sailing the Caribbean, hiking the Himalayas, traveling to study abroad. We all know “books can take us places.” We are now in a time when we can connect with our patrons in those places. Librarians and patrons have adapted tools to help keep us all connected in a mobile environment.

The other side of this is something I’ve seen on occasion in my current position – that is, connecting with customers outside our tax-paying patron base. Primarily for those of us who work on Maryland AskUsNow! on a global hour, we see questions from all over the United States (not everywhere, but many places). Once in a while we have questions from people outside Maryland, even outside the U.S. During my short time in this position with AskUsNow! I have even worked with a patron as far away as Costa Rica.

Although this is rare, it is a good reminder to me that our library services are reaching beyond walls and boundaries. It is encouraging to see the successful application of various technologies and incredible resources to help our patrons connect with information they need, whether they are within our buildings or home, even far from home at a business conference or on an exotic adventure.

You can celebrate National Library Week this year by participating in your library’s events. Many libraries are promoting the Week in some way, calling notice to our nation’s librarians, facilities and their services. Tuesday, April 14th is focused upon recognizing our library workers:

http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd.html

For American Library Association’s events and for more information, please view ALA’s website at:

http://www.ilovelibraries.org/nationallibraryweek/

Greet your fellow librarians and enjoy the week!

(posted by Cathay Crosby, Operations Assistant, Maryland AskUsNow!)