TFML Staff Exchange

March 2007 was our busiest month ever as a whole. INternet use was pretty high, too.

Adult Services Staff

Walk-Ins 685

Telephone 260

Instruction 50

Other help 436

Virtual reference 9
Instant message reference 23
Email reference 59

Total adult reference 1522

Internet use in Reference area in March: 974

available at the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging in La Grange.

http://www.swscoa.org/announcements.html#tax

You have to make an appointment, though, and they're only doing it through April 6.

Phone number -- 354-1323

--Kristin

I copied 20 Federal Tax Extension Forms and put them on top of the shelves behind the reference desk to give to patrons. If we need anymore, the original copy is in the reproducible tax form notebook.

Are we charging 10 cents for the form, or just being generous?

I plan to give them away with a smile, knowing that my taxes are done and I already have my refund.
Kris

Did we receive a book of Illinois tax forms for 2006? I don't see one on the reference shelf.

Also, it seems time to move the 2006 Federal publications books into the drawer to prevent theft, so I did, and removed the old 2004 & 2005 books that were in there.

As some of you know, we're moving some of the DVDs out of the nonfiction bookshelves and into the entertainment DVD section. This was done because we thought that documentaries -- which were in both locations -- would be more likely to be checked out (and found) if they were browsable, in the DVD section. I considered most of our nonfiction DVDs documentaries, including PBS, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, or other TV programs. Also, all of the music concert DVDs came out, as well as theatre productions and opera.

What remains on the shelves are the instructional videos, such as aerobic/exercise, home repair (such as Dare to Repair and Framing for Rough-Ins), and gardening. Also travel DVDs remain by the books because there are quite a few of them, therefore, they won't get "lost" in the stacks.

Most of the nonfiction DVDs are in tech services now, and Beth has checked them out. If someone is looking for one, however, you can go get it for that person. (Drop me a note or email, though, if you get a chance.) They're sitting on a cart right now in tech svcs.

If you have any questions, let me know!
--Kristin

Electronic Access to each week's issue

There are a couple of reasons to use electronic access:

* The paper edition is usually late in the mail.
* The electronic is actually available before publication date.

Here is how to sign in:

* Go to the Value Line website, http://www.valueline.com
* Find My Account in the top left corner. Click the link.
* Go to the bottom of the page and check "By checking this box, I hereby agree ..."
* Put in user name XXXXXX and password XXXXX. Click OK. (Ask Rick)
* In the column on the left, click "Stocks."
* In center of page, choose Ratings and Reports to get individual company reports.

Everyone,

Good news! The board of trustees on Tuesday night approved the increasing of the loan period for most library items from two weeks to three weeks, bringing us in line with most other libraries. New books will be two weeks and DVDs will still be one week. It will be a week or so before Sandy can get SWAN to make the changes.

Rick

On Monday, April 30, we have a visitor from Australia - Michelle McLean from Melbourne. She got a grant to visit American libraries and chose to visit Thomas Ford because of what we do with technology and our website.

Michelle attended the Computers in Libraries conference and has already been to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the Ohio Public Library Information Network. She is reporting on her travels on her blog Connecting Librarian, http://connectinglibrarian.blogspot.com/ She also has a Flickr site with photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/84128237@N00/

Before she gets to Thomas Ford, she is visiting St. Joseph County in Indiana. From here she flies back to Australia.