Halloween at the library

When you think about libraries, you think about books.
When you think about books, you think about characters,
and when you think about characters you (should) think about library staff.

So Halloween is particularly fun for us, and a lot of staff take advantage of the opportunity to dress up and decorate.

Check out more staff Halloween photos at: http://www.jocolibrary.org/files2/blog/index.html

Have a Happy Halloween!

New Public PCs and new features

We have recently installed new computers with new features, and guess what? You can now happily "right-click" from Johnson County Library PCs (a normal feature that was not available in the past due to security software).

What applications are available on library computers?
Windows XP SP2 Macromedia Flash Player 8.0
Microsoft Office 2003 Standard Ed. SP2 Macromedia Shockwave
Win DVD QuickTime 7.0
Roxio EZ CD Creator Real Player 10
Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2 Windows Media Player 10
Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0 Google toolbar for IE
Adobe SVG Viewer Plug-in Internet Tiff 3.3 MSIE
Java Virtual Machine Microsoft Picture and Fax viewer
IPIX

What has been enhaced?
• Enabled "Right Clicking" in Microsoft Office Applications (Woo hoo!)
• Provided Image viewing capabilities by allowing browsing of removable media (CDs, diskettes, etc.)
• Upgraded from Office XP to Office 2003
• Default Location for saving is now specified (A:, D:, or E: drive). The default will no longer be to the C: drive anymore, as that resulted in patrons losing their work when the computer rebooted because they didn’t realize they were saving the data to the C: drive
• Additional printing functionality, including color printing
• Added capability to play CDs and DVDs
• Dedicated Catalog Only workstations with access only to the catalog with no reservations or logging in required.

What can I not do on library computers?
• Patrons will not be able to install any software/application on any JCL owned Computers.
• (Games can be played on the website without having to download the client unto the computers.)
• Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AOL IM users can still use the chat functionality without downloading the clients unto the PCs. Links for the web clients for the various Instant Messaging applications can be found on : http://www.researchhaven.com/Chat.htm

Library survey: Web site design

We are re-designing our Web pages, and we want to know what you want. What we should change or not change? What we can do to improve? Please take a few moments and complete this brief survey.

Got homework? Get quick access to full-text books, articles and more through Student Research Center

It's a beautiful autumn weekend. You have football games to go to and friends to see. Homework is the last thing you want to do, but you have a paper due on Monday.

Need help? Check out Student Research Center, our featured database of the month. This database gives you quick access to all kinds of terrific resources, like full-text articles, encyclopedias and full-text books, biographies, photos, maps, films, videos, and primary source documents. The database is specifically designed to help students in grades 6 through high school get the information and documents they need for school.

You can get to Student Research Center from any computer with an Internet connection with only a library card number and PIN.

It's everything you need to get your homework done quickly and get back to doing what you really planned to do this weekend.

If you would like to find other good library resources or help with your homework, visit our Homework Help Web page and service.

Kit Carson, Trapper & Guide (1809-1868) today at Antioch Library

Watch history come alive as Johnson County Community College history professor Fred Krebs portrays Kit Carson, often cited as the greatest of the mountain men. Mr. Carson will be pleased to answer your questions as well.

Kit Carson was a major participant during the period of western expansion in the United States. Throughout the 1840s and 1850s Carson developed a reputation as a guide and explorer. After 1853, he worked as an Indian Agent to various Ute and Apache tribes, and later became an officer in the Civil War. Carson tells the story of his life as one of America’s frontier heroes.

Krebs has been a popular presenter at the Johnson County Library and throughout the country. He has developed characterizations of historical figures including explorer John C. Fremont, artist William Merritt Chase, journalist William Allen White, Senator Stephen Douglas, Shawnee Indian leader Rev. Charles Bluejacket and inventor Benjamin Franklin well as other famous historical figures.

Sunday, Oct 16 • 2:00 p.m. at Anitoch Library

Catalog upgrade: completed and up on schedule

The library catalog upgrade process has been completed, and all the “my account” features and other functions affected by the upgrade have been restored.

A new feature in the upgraded catalog is that patrons will now be able to change their own PINs (personal identification numbers) through the "my account" tab.

Please note: materials returned, checked out, or placed on hold during the two days of downtime (Tuesday, Oct. 11 and Wednesday, Oct. 12), may not be recorded properly on your online account. We are still updating the system with information processed during the system downtime. Once the system is updated, we’ll post notice here.

Questions? Please e-mail the Johnson County Library with your questions about the library catalog upgrade or call (913)495-9100.

Great books, great prices

The 2005 Big Fall Used Book Sale sponsored by The Johnson County Library and Friends of the Johnson County Library will be held in the meeting room of the Antioch Library, 8700 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., Merriam, Thursday-Saturday, October 13-15. This popular sale always draws a large crowd and provides an opportunity to stock up on bargain priced reading and listening materials.

Hours:
Thursday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

For more information call the Friends Book Store office at (913) 261-2330.

Einstein’s Big Idea tonight on PBS

"Einstein's Big Idea" will air tonight, Tuesday, October 11, on KCPT at 7 p.m.

2005 is the World Year of Physics, and Johnson County Library is working with Nova and PBS to feature programs and events to encourage folks to learn more about Einstein, his work, and to explore the physical world around while stimulating interest in the results of scientific inquiry, inventions and technology. Learn more about upcoming events at the library at: http://www.jocolibrary.org/einstein.

AIDS Awareness Concert and Information Fair

Join us Tuesday, Oct. 11, 6-9 p.m. at the Sylvester Powell Community Center for a community AIDS Awareness Concert and Information Fair. Singers Fran Curtis and De Andre' Manning will open for South African Alternative Cellist, Francois LeRoux (aka HA!Man) and local Kansas City Jazz musicians. Bukeka Shoals will be performing as well.

The Sylvester Powell Community Center is located at 6200 Martway St., in Mission. The AIDS Awareness Concert is part of our Human Rights Project focusing on AIDS and HIV in Africa. As part of the project, we'll also host a film discussion of the documentary State of Denial and an information fair at the library. Additional details and resources are available at: http://www.jocolibrary.org/humanrights.

First Fridays: Where in the World are Jessa & James?

Join us online today, October 7 at 10 a.m., and the first Friday of each month to catch up with Jessa and James, our infamous bug artists of Project INSECT. Find out where they are, what they're up to, and what insect they're working on.

The all-online program is available through the OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) Atrium Click here to log into the program. In the text box, type your name to enter the online room.

Learn more about set-up, system requirements, and other online programs at the library.

Changes at the Central Resource Library

If you've come into the Central Resource Library recently, you have likely noticed some changes. While changes can be a bit disrupting (and occasionally noisy), we hope that you will be happy with the final product once everything is in place. Here's an update on what is happening:

People to help you...
First, you'll find a staff person at the entryway to greet you and help you get started finding what you need in the library. They are there to answer questions such as, "Where is the Children's section?" "Where can I find audio books?" "How do I sign up for a study room?" They may also direct you to another area of the Library where staff can better serve your needs. The Periodicals staff has moved to the South side of the main Reference Desk. From this location, Periodicals staff will continue to assist with locating periodicals, using microfilm and microfiche, and reserving study rooms. Reference staff can also assist if the Periodicals staff person is busy.

A whole lot of moving going on...
Shelving, cabinets, and equipment are being rearranged as some collections grow and others decrease in size. There will be more room for audio-visual materials, Biographies, Genealogy, and the Regional Reference collection which contains current and historical publications of Johnson County. Microfilm and microfiche, as well as the reader/printers, will be moved closer to the Genealogy area soon, an area in which this equipment is already heavily used. And, by the end of the year, all periodicals held by the Central Resource Library will be moved to open shelving so that they may be easily accessed by all.

Improved Convenience...
The goal of these changes is to improve convenience and ease of use for you, our Library patrons. Please let us know how we are doing and how we can better serve you by e-mailing Carolyn Weeks, Associate Director for Central Services.

Library catalog upgrade notice

As new versions of our library catalog system are released, we need to upgrade our system to enhance patron services. These upgrades do temporarily affect the catalog and your online access to “my account.” Our next upgrade will start at 9 p.m. on Monday, October 10. We plan to be finished with the upgrade by 9 a.m. Thursday, October, 13.

During this time, patrons will not have access to their online accounts (which includes placing holds and renewing items), but additional fees will not be charged for the "down" days, and no items will be due during this time.

Most library services will be unaffected by the upgrade. Patrons will be able to use library computers, search databases and the library catalog, and access the library’s databases and catalog from home.

Information about the upgrade and affected services is available on our Web page.

Questions? Please e-mail us with your questions about the library catalog upgrade or call (913)495-9100.