It looks like a building!

Taking the progress picture this week seems like such a giant leap from before the walls were put up. The library is taking shape and beginning to look like a real building. As soon as the walls are completed, the roof will be placed and then the action really starts. With the construction workers out of the elements, progress is going to be a lot faster.

Although it may look like there's more than one floor, there really isn't. The wall above the first wall conceals all of the air conditioner ducts and other equipment up on the roof so that it isn't viewable from the street.

The walls go up!

The walls went up today - it's beginning to look like a building and not just a mirage. Take a look at the slideshow at the top of this page to see all the photos. The wall goes up....

Wood supports

It’s a little hard to see in the picture, but there is now wood supports over the bed of concrete.

Foundation work

What does circulation have to do with a library?

When you have questions such as "Where do I go to get a replacement library card?" or "How much do I owe the library?", the Circulation Desk is where to go. The Circulation department is responsible for performing functions such as check-ins, check-outs, renewing library materials, monitoring the self-check machines, receiving payment for fines, and library card registration. The Circulation Department is also responsible for managing the re-shelving of all returned materials, and maintaining the order of the various collections housed in the library.
At the Gibson Library, the Circulation Department head is Greg Reyes.

The concrete has been poured!

Progress - it's really visible now!

Week eleven - bulldozers!

Now the action starts! Check out the bulldozer in action...

Welcome to the Youth Services Department!

Welcome to the Youth Services Department! We are responsible for assisting patrons (from the very young all the way up through their grandparents!) on the Children’s Reference Desk. We help them find books to complete homework assignments, locate the most recent title in a must-read series, or decide on the perfect audio book for an upcoming car trip. We also plan and offer a variety of programs for children, from newborns through teenagers. Our programs vary from storytimes to crafts and from book celebrations to book clubs. We build and maintain collections for all children and teens. We’ve got something for everyone! You can also find us out and about, providing storytimes, summer reading skits, and early literacy outreach in the community. Our staff consists of Marcie - Head of the Youth Services Department, Rachel, Sarah, Nicole, Catherine, Seth and Rita. Please stop by and say hello to our department when you get a chance. We’d love to help you out. Pictured: Department head Marcie

Backhoes!

You can see the backhoes working on the ground. The photo was taken facing what will be the front entrance to the library.

Text us!

Have a question? Text us! We now offer free text message reference services (standard message rates apply). Here's how:
Text us at 66746 and start your question with askmylib.

Example: askmylib What are your library hours on Saturdays?
you can also phrase it as askmylib wht r ur hrs Saturday?

The Adult Services department

You’ll find the Adult Services staff seated behind the Reference Desk when you visit the library. Adult Services is responsible for assisting all patrons, regardless of age, to locate books, articles, websites, and other materials for personal research or entertainment. The staff assists patrons on the computers as well as in the physical branch of the library. Staff also answer questions from our reference email (reference@hdpl.org) as well as text messages (see the next post for more information on how to text us). Staff is also responsible for maintaining and ordering for the adult collection of materials. Therese, Librarian (pictured) is the department head. Fulltime staff members include Allyson, Librarian, and Elizabeth, Adult Services Specialist and a Librarian in training. Part time staff includes Librarians Caroline and Tiffany.

Sunrise Mountain view

Here's a close up view of the construction site with Sunrise Mountain in the background. There's activity going on towards the left hand side of the building. The parking lots have a lot of spaces away from the shopping center so parking will no longer be an issue. There's also a drive-through to make it more convenient to pick up your items on hold.

Are the Henderson Libraries a department of the City of Henderson?

Henderson Library District is a separate geographic district, much like the Las Vegas - Clark County Library District. What does that mean? We report to a Board of Trustees, five of whom are appointed by the Clark County Commission and two of whom are appointed by the City of Henderson Council. We receive an allocation from property taxes and consolidated taxes (sales, motor vehicle, etc). As a legal subdivision of the state of Nevada, our budget, upon approval of the Board of Trustees, is submitted to the state annually. It is also submitted to both Clark County and the City of Henderson.
The next Board meeting will be held on October 15, 2009 at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, NV. Board meetings are open to the public.

We're looking forward to....

The new Gibson Library will have plenty of parking for our patrons away from the general parking for the shopping center next door. An anonymous staff member thought that this was the greatest benefit of all. Currently, since the library is located in downtown Henderson, our parking lot is frequently filled with people doing business at the Courts or at City Hall. There are two garages available for public parking; however, the library’s parking lot seems to be more convenient. In the new library, this won’t be an issue.
There will also be a drive-through window for those patrons not wanting to park. Patrons will be able to pick up their holds, pay fines, and check out items already on request. A great convenience in the desert!

Building plan display at the (current) Gibson Library

Here's a picture of the library site from a different angle.
From this angle, we would be facing the front of the library.


















Curious to see the layout for the new library? Check out the display in our lobby area - it's full of information!

What a new library means to me

Periodically we will be including comments from the Gibson staff about what they are looking forward to the most in our new building. Here's one from Mi Nei, who works to deliver books to our homebound patrons:
"A new library will be sooo helpful to the Homebound Service as I will be able to start training the personnel [who will be] taking over [the] service." Currently Mi Nei works (mostly) by herself to serve over 75 patrons who are unable to come to the library due to health concerns or other limitations. She selects materials based on their reading preferences that they indicated on their application. Mi Nei is approaching her tenth anniversary with the Henderson Libraries.
If you have questions about the homebound program, please contact Mi Nei at 565.8402.

How your library has grown!

Did you know that it took almost 62 years for the Henderson Libraries to circulate 1 million items? And that it will take less than five years to reach the 2 million mark? The Henderson Libraries have been here to serve the citizens of Henderson since before Henderson even became a city!

The building site

Brand new photos taken from a different angle now that the fence has gone up. Did you see the article in the Las Vegas Sun regarding the groundbreaking? A lot of information is given in this article regarding the cost of construction, new features of the library, and more.

So, what is this Information Literacy about?

What is Information Literacy? Why is information literacy important? How will I use Information Literacy skills? Read on!

WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY?
Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques.

WHY IS INFORMATION LITERACY IMPORTANT?
Information literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, false. The amount of information available is going to keep increasing. The types of technology used to access, manipulate, and create information will likewise expand.

HOW WILL I USE INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS?
Information literacy skills are used for academic purposes, such as research papers and group presentations. They're used on the job—the ability to find, evaluate, use and share information is an essential skill. Consumer decisions, such as which car or vacuum cleaner to purchase, are critical. You'll also use these skills by participating fully in a democratic society as an informed citizen by understanding issues and voting.

Information in this post provided by:
University Of Idaho. (2009). Information Literacy – Home Site. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/.

Do we really need libraries? Yes! Read on...

Your library is about much more than what books, DVDs, and CDs are on the shelf. How is the library relevant when one can go to the Internet for everything? What is the library’s role in an Internet age?
Librarians are trained to help you sift through the vast amounts of information available not only through books, but also through websites and databases. Librarians undergo constant education to adapt, use, and teach new technology. Librarians, in the process of helping patrons access this information, also teach patrons how to be information literate.

An information literate person is.. “...one who is able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information.”
(American Library Association. Presidential Commission on Information Literacy)

Dean of Library Services at Winthrop University wrote a great article on “10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library”. Here is a quick summary of the ten reasons given in the article:
1. Not everything is on the Internet
2. The needle (your search) in the haystack (the Web)
3. Quality control doesn’t exist
4. What you don’t know really does hurt you
5. States Can Now Buy One Book and Distribute to Every Library on the Web—NOT!
6. Hey, Bud, You Forgot about E-book Readers
7. Aren’t There Library-less Universities Now?
8. But a Virtual State Library Would Do It, Right?
9. The Internet: A Mile Wide, an Inch (or Less) Deep
10. The Internet Is Ubiquitous but Books Are Portable

Groundbreaking Day

The Gibson Library 2.0 Groundbreaking was today!











Today's honorary guests included: current Mayor Andy Haffen, former mayor James Gibson, President of the Friends Of The Library Ron Hughes, Chairwoman of the Board Of Trustees Colleen Bell, architect Rudy Starks, Director Tom Fay, Assistant Directory Gayle Hornaday, and Branch Manager Candace Kingsley.










Also on hand were many of the staff from the Gibson Library as well as other staff members from our other branches. By the amount of cameras we brought, you can tell that the staff were very excited now that it's "official".

Periodically we will post a new photo of the construction of the library.
Here is Week One.