WPPL News

Winter Park is home to Florida’s #1 library…five years in a row!

The Winter Park Public Library once again shines as it is ranked Florida’s number one library for a fifth consecutive year.

“We are thrilled to have maintained our top ranking,” said Library Director Bob Melanson. “It’s a testament to the devotion of our staff, community, Board of Trustees, volunteers and donors.”

The ranking is provided by the 2008 Hennen's American Public Library Ratings and is based on factors, such as number of items checked out, staffing levels, materials, reference services and funding levels. Based on these criteria, libraries are assigned a score of 1 to 1,000. The Winter Park Public Library scored 783 points. The Florida average is 453.

The Winter Park Public Library owes much of its success to the fact that it is a nonprofit organization that generates around 30 percent of its own funding via donations from individual community members, foundations, interest from endowments and Library operations. This funding is what allows the Library to provide its community with the very best in Library materials, services and programs.

“We are also grateful to the City of Winter Park for the operating grant it gives the Library every year,” Melanson said. “This is a special public/private partnership that we appreciate and that gives the people of Winter Park the quality library it needs and deserves.”

This public/private partnership with the city allows the Winter Park Public Library to provide more materials and a higher level of services than a nonprofit or government agency could achieve alone.

The Winter Park Public Library has been serving the citizens of Winter Park since 1885. Today it offers a wide range of print materials, music, videos, DVDs and software, as well as provides Internet access and educational programming to its patrons. It is located at 460 E. New England Ave. To find out more about this ranking, please call Mary Gail Coffee at 407-623-3486 or e-mail at mgcoffee@wppl.org.

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New Financial Series Launches: Money Matters
The long-running Financial Luncheon series has been re-launched as a breakfast series called Money Matters, that will focus on information useful to individual investors, those managing their 401(k) and IRA accounts and the needs of small business. Money Matters will also feature Financial Forums where attendees can increase their knowledge of current financial trends and management techniques by interacting with experts.

The first Money Matters programs will be held September 18, 7:45-9 a.m. (breakfast buffet opens at 7:30 a.m.). The speaker will be Dr. Frank Dasse, who will give an economic overview “The World's Economic Status and the Impact in Investments in the U.S.” by Frank A. Dasse, Ph.D. It will be at the University Club of Winter Park and the cost is $6 per breakfast or $35 for all 7 programs. Call the University Club at 407-629-2125 for reservations and payment.

Other topics in the series:
October 2 - Financial Forum - bring your investment and money management questions with you and interact with expert, Dr. Frank Dasse
October 16 - Making the Most of Your Money
November 6 - Financial Forum
November 20 - The Alternative Universe: Minimizing Investment Risk
December 4 - Financial Forum
Sponsors: Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation, Rollins College, University Club of Winter Park, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and the Winter Park Public Library

Due Date Reminder E-mails to Your Inbox
     You asked and we listened! For years, patrons have been asking for reminder e-mails about due dates before their items come due. And now, thanks to upgrades in our software and hard work on the part of our Technology staff, we have started providing this service.
     You can now receive e-mails two days before your item comes due, giving you plenty of time to return the item or renew it.
     Not receiving reminder e-mails? Here's how to get them:
     1) You must have enabled e-mail notification on you Library account. This means that you will also receive your late notices and holds notices by e-mail as well.
     2) To do this, you must call (407-623-3300) or visit a circulation desk at the Library (either speak to the first floor Circulation Desk or to Youth Services) and give them your e-mail address.
     3) Please adjust your spam filters to allow e-mails from wppl.org addresses.

New Fee Effective July 1
In an effort to shorten the amount of time patrons have to wait for popular items, there will be a $1.00 fee for each reserved/held item not picked up within three days (not including the day you are notified).
To avoid this fee you can:
- pick up holds/reserves on time,
- cancel or suspend your holds online, or
- call the Library for staff assistance before your hold expires (three days after notification).

It is simple and easy to manage your holds online.

How to Cancel and Suspend Holds Online
- Go to www.wppl.org
- Logon on to your account using the “Click here to login to your account” link in the upper right corner of the screen.
- From the Account Overview screen, click on Hold Requests
- Find the Requested items not yet available section of this page
To cancel holds:
1) Select the items that have holds you wish to cancel by clicking the small boxes to the left of each item.
2) Complete the cancellation by clicking the Cancel Hold Request button
To suspend holds:
1) Select the items that have holds you wish to suspend by clicking the small boxes to the left of each item.
2) Using the Suspend until drop-down boxes, select the date when you will be available to pick-up items again.
3) Complete the process by clicking the Suspend Hold button.

Note:
* Cancelling holds means that you have been permanently removed from the waiting list for that item. You can place another hold for that item at any time. To cancel a hold that is already available to you, call the Library before the three day limit expires.
* Suspending a hold keeps your name on the holds list, and you will continue moving up the list normally. If your name reaches the top of the list before your “suspend until date” the item will be given to the next person waiting but your name remains at the top of the list. You can only suspend items that are not yet available to you.

Save Time By Using Library Self-Check Machines
We know it can be frustrating to wait in line at our Circulation Desks when all you want to do is check out a CD, DVD, software item or video game. So we've now enabled our self-check machines to handle these items, allowing you to check them out without a wait.

Using the self-check machines is EASY!
- Touch the screen to begin
- Scan your Library card (just like the UPC bar codes at the grocery store)
- Pass the library materials over the pad one item at a time
- After you’ve checked out all of your materials, touch the word “Done” on the screen and take your print-out
- Using the tool provided, remove the security cases and drop the cases into the labeled openings in the counter

You must see a staff member:
- there is a message on your account
- you owe $10 or more in fines
- you want to renew items
- you want a full list of all items you have checked out
- you are a new patron with the “new patron” limit

Large Print Books Available
Did you know that the Library has a great selection of large print books for people with sight impairments or just for those who prefer larger type? We order almost all fiction best sellers and most nonfiction best sellers in large print format and have a good-sized collection of older large print titles.
The newest large print books, as well as all of those that have been added to the collection within the last three years or so, are stored on special shelves on the Library’s first floor. Older titles are located on the second floor. Please ask a staff member to help you locate large print titles.

New Limit on Video Games
In order to better share our video game collection with all patrons, there is now a limit on the number of games that can be checked out on a Library card at a given time. Only three video games can be checked out at a time per Library card.
This limit does not affect computer software. The Library has games for most popular video game consoles, including the Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Xbox and Playstation 2 and 3.

Library Spellbinders Win United Arts Award
     The WPPL’s Spellbinders storytellers were named Volunteer Organization of the Year at the United Arts of Central Florida’s Arts+ Awards.
     The Library’s Spellbinders of Central Florida receive extensive training in the art of storytelling and then volunteer as storytellers in local classrooms. Last school year, our Spellbinders delivered storytelling sessions to 11,322 children, teachers and parents.
     When Spellbinders go into a classroom, they support the educational curriculum by telling stories and coaching children in telling stories of their own. Research shows that storytelling improves children’s listening skills, attention span and imagination – all vital to literacy.
     To provide training and coordination of the Spellbinders program, the Library partners with Project Imagination (insert link), a local organization that offers storytelling performances and workshops.
     To learn more about Spellbinders, which is a national organization, or how to become a Spellbinder of Central Florida, contact Library Institute Coordinator Ruth Edwards at redwards@wppl.org or 407-623-3309.

New Ways to Keep You Informed
For those interested in receiving WPPL programming bulletins sent directly to your Inbox, we’ve launched two new e-newsletters. Learning @ Your Library is a monthly listing of all programs for adults. WPPL for Kids, Tween & Teens is a monthly list of all programs presented by our Youth Services Department. Both are sent around the first of each month. You will only receive them if you specifically request them; you do not have to receive both.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to mgcoffee@wppl.org with the subject “Subscribe.” In the body of the message, type “subscribe kids” or “subscribe adults” or “subscribe kids and adults”.

     If you are new to the Library's e-mail lists, you are best served by using the box on the Library's homepage that says "Sign-up for our e-newsletters." You will be able to join any or all of the Library's e-newsletters using that tool.

     Caution! Should you ever use the “Unsubscribe” option contained in any of our e-newsletters, you will immediately be dropped from ALL mailing lists.

How to Manage Your Account
We understand that many of you are very concerned about receiving spam and other unwanted e-mail. The Library uses a very secure service to manage your e-mail information and subscription preferences. This service makes sure that no one can subscribe or unsubscribe you to anything without your permission. The “downside” to all of this security is that there are several steps involved for YOU to be able to change your preferences. Here are the steps:

1) Go to the Library’s Web site and enter your e-mail address in the box that says “Sign up for our e-newsletters."

2) If you are not already signed up through our secure e-mail system, you will be asked to fill out the basic enrollment form and will be permitted to choose which of our e-mail newsletters you would like to subscribe to.

    If you ARE already in the system, you will see a screen informing you that you are already a member of the mailing list and to hit the “Submit” button if you would like to change your preferences (meaning subscribe or unsubscribe to particularly e-newsletters). Shortly after you click “Submit” you will receive an e-mail from MaryGail Coffee, the Library’s Community Relations Coordinator containing a link to take you directly to your account. Note: You must click on the link is that e-mail, follow the instructions and click “Submit” to finalize any change.

We apologize for what appears to be a complicated process, but the security of your personal information is our first priority.

Something Special for Fiction Readers!

When John Grisham is out, Mary Higgins Clark is on hold and you've read Harry Potter three times already, use NoveList, the WPPL's newest online tool to help you find your next read. Search for an author, read-alike or even a plot, and this powerful database will immediately supply you with titles (a link on the lower left side of the screen will even zoom you to our catalog to check the book's availability).

     This database of over 143,000 fiction titles for readers of all ages lets you use your favorite author or book to link to other books you might enjoy. Grisham fans can find over 200 other legal thrillers they might like to read, and the Lord of the Rings fan in your home can locate hundreds of fantasies with young heroes!

Looking for a book for your next book group meeting?
     Click on the Book Discussion Guides link to find over 100 in-depth book discussion guides for popular book group titles. Each guide contains a brief author biography, a plot summary and discussion questions (with answers!). These guides are guaranteed to make your next book club meeting one of the best.
Don’t belong to a club? These guides are a great way for independent readers to deepen their individual enjoyment and experience of a good book.

Looking for a book to help your first-grader get ready for the first day of school (or any other plot you can imagine)?
     Use the “Describe A Plot” function and enter the words that describe the book you would like to read. NoveList will search using the plot you supply and generate a list of books for you to consider.

A full service WPPL card is required to use this service; available from home or the library. Click here to begin using NoveList or access NoveList from our Databases page.

Library Welcomes New Assistant Director

     We are proud to announce that the Library has hired Bill Johnson as an Assistant Director. Bill joined the staff October 1 and will be responsible for managing all public services, which includes Circulation, Reference and Youth Services.

     “I am excited by the opportunity to work at the #1 library in the state,” Bill says. “I’m glad to be a part of this team.”

     Bill comes to the WPPL with an impressive history of library leadership experience. Most recently he was the director of the New Orleans Public Library. He was in charge of the New Orleans library system when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, and he stayed for a year after the storm before returning to Central Florida. Prior to his work in New Orleans, Bill served as director of the Osceola Library System after being promoted from assistant director.

     “I have known Bill since his days at the Osceola County’s library,” WPPL Director Bob Melanson said. “I have a high regard for his abilities and know we are lucky to have him.”

     As one of the Library's two assistant directors, Bill will not only supervise the departments that directly provide services to the public. Mystery lovers will be glad to know Bill is the library’s new mystery book selector and facilitator for the Whodunit Mystery Lovers’ Book Club.

     Originally from Schumaker, California, Bill has been in Florida on and off for the last 17 years. He holds an MA and an MLS (master of library science) from the University of South Florida and an MBA from Memphis State University.

E-newsletter and E-mailed Account Info Are HERE!
     This Fall 2007 issue is the last print newsletter the Library will mass mail to its database of 8,500+ addresses. Starting in October, the Library will switch to an electronic newsletter that will be sent directly to your e-mail account. Sign up using the form on our homepage so you won’t miss an issue! You can also request that a staff member at one of our Circulation Desks add you to the e-mail list.
     The e-newsletter is an important effort on our part to increase efficiency, be responsible with public and private money we receive, and increase communication with our patrons.
Benefits of an e-newsletter
     Based on the results of our recent patron survey, we know that most of you want us to communicate with you via e-mail. The e-newsletter will allow us to communicate with you more frequently about a broader range of things. It will allow you to quickly find the information you want most. The quarterly print newsletter only allows us to inform you of programs, materials or services we know about four months ahead of time.
Why switch now?
     The recent property tax cuts made in Tallahassee have forced us to go through the Library’s operations and find ways to become even more efficient. Annual printing and postage costs for the newsletter are around $17,000. An e-newsletter will cost a fraction of that.
Get E-mails about your Library account
     Seventy percent of those who responded to our patron survey said that they wanted us to communicate with them about their Library accounts via e-mail. Now that we are actively collecting patron e-mail addresses, we are making this service available. Patrons who wish to receive e-mail notification about their holds and overdues can let us know on the newsletter enrollment form or at any Circulation Desk.
Being responsible with e-mail addresses
     The Library will not loan or sell your e-mail address to any outside organization. We will only use your e-mail address responsibly to communicate with you about Library news, programs and services or about your Library account.
     We plan to send an e-newsletter about once a month. If, on occasion, there is particularly exciting or important information we feel we need to share with you immediately, we may send an additional message.
     Those who sign up for e-mail notification about their accounts will receive e-mails as often as necessary (whenever your held items are available or when you have an overdue item).
     You can unsubscribe to the e-newsletter by following the directions at the bottom of each issue.
What if You don’t have e-mail?
1) We’ll help you get e-mail. Our Reference Librarians are happy to direct you to a number of free services that will allow you to get a free e-mail account. The Library has plenty of computer terminals for residents to use for e-mail.
2) Pick-up a print copy when you are in the Library. Let us know that you would prefer to pick-up a copy and we will take your name off the mailing list.
3) Stay on our snail mail list. For some period of time, we will continue mailing a limited number of copies to people who cannot receive the information any other way.