The Indiana State Library partnered with several local libraries to provide a library presence at this year’s Indy PopCon. This was the first year that libraries have banded together for this popular convention and the goal was to promote libraries as a potential resource for people who are interested in various facets of ‘geek culture’ which encompasses everything from gaming to comic books and innovative technologies.

Library staff from the Muncie Public Library, Morrisson-Reeves Library (Richmond), Johnson County Public Library, Monroe County Public Library, Hagerstown Jefferson Township Library and the Indianapolis Public Library were on hand to present information on all the fun materials and programs that libraries can offer conference attendees.   People who stopped by the booth were given free Fangirl or Fanboy buttons for showing their library cards and while the bulk of library cards shown represented various libraries from Indiana, there were plenty of out of state library cards, some from as far away as New Mexico.

Overall, library staff were able to discuss library services with hundreds of conference attendees demonstrating that it pays to be creative when looking for venues to provide library outreach!

GenCon is the largest convention for tabletop gaming in all of North America. It has been held in Indianapolis since 2003 and attracts approximately 60,000 attendees.  This year, GenCon will be held August 4-7, 2016 at the Indianapolis Convention Center.

Many libraries are keen to learn more about tabletop gaming and to incorporate this increasingly popular activity in their library programming. In order to accommodate interested libraries, GenCon will hold a special Trade Day on Wednesday August 3, 2016.  Trade Day will provide “hands-on training to educators, librarians and experienced retailers.”  In order to obtain a Trade Day badge, librarians will need to provide proof of employment.  Library Education Units are available to those who attend.

For more information on Trade Day, visit their site at http://www.gencon.com/attend/trade.

You can find examples of it in any library, including this one: materials damaged by poor storage situations. Many of the treatments I perform on our materials here are due to storage situations imposed by well-meaning librarians of yesteryear who thought they were doing the right thing.

An example of a serial in a magazine file box without a support spacer from inside our stacks, found after less than five minutes of searching.

Last week I treated 88 copies of “IPMA Personnel News”* for this very condition.

Before Treatment: The issues were slumped in an S-curve from being in a magazine file box that was too large for the amount of issues present.

It may seem trivial, but when paper is out of plane like this, it is inevitable that the folds will be damaged if a patron attempts to open the issues. Paper develops a sort of “muscle memory” and cannot easily be convinced to lay flat again, especially after decades spent in the same position. In cases such as this one, simply placing them under weight for a period of time will not convince them to go back into plane.

During Treatment: Issues were individually placed in the lab’s humidity chamber, and after sufficient time, placed in the press to flatten them.

After Treatment: All issues are back in plane.

In cases where we are still collecting a serial and more are expected to arrive and fill the box, I would create a simple spacer out of archival cardboard to hold the issues upright. Since this serial is no longer being actively collected, I will make a regular, custom box to hold them securely.

This blog post was written by Rebecca Shindel, Conservator, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at 317-232-3675 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

* JK 671 C45 – IPMA Personnel News (1968-1974) – General Collections, Indiana State Library

In 2009, the I-LLID fellowship launched its first co-hort of M.L.S. candidates. The fellowship was funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered through a partnership between the Indiana State Library and IUPUI’s School of Library and Information Science.

Over the next several months we will be including spot lights on past fellows to highlight their personal and professional accomplishments.

Name: Shanika Heyward

Cohort: Cohort 1

Current Employer: Community Branch Manager, Indianapolis Public Library.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to apply for the fellowship?

I’ve always had a passion to serve and empower others to succeed. I’ve been working at the Indianapolis Public Library since graduating from High School. I started at the Lawrence Branch as a work-student from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Then, I was promoted to Clerk I, promoted to Clerk II, and finally to Clerk III. Then, I transferred to Collection Management Service Area as Receiving/Processing Clerk III to pursue my undergraduate degree. After graduating with my Bachelor Degree my former Manager, Jeanne Gabonay recommended I attend IU SLIS. I applied and was accepted. A few days after being accepted I received an anonymous email to apply for the ILLID’s fellowship.

How did the fellowship help prepare you for your career?

Being a single-parent with limited income and support. The fellowship gave me the support system and the financial resources to succeed. I was able to focus on my studies without worrying about how I was going to pay my bills or purchase textbooks each semester. The camaraderie shared among the fellows, mentors, and Marcia Smith-Woodard provided the wisdom for continual success.

What was your focus while you were working towards your Master’s degree?

I wanted to be a Cataloger. I took all advance cataloging related classes. However, at the time IndyPL was not hiring catalogers.

Describe your career path.

I am looking to advancing my career at IndyPL and/or pursing my PhD in the future.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing a master’s degree in library science?

I would tell them not to wait! Apply now! Study-hard! Enjoy the journey!

Outside of your job, what ways do you stay active in the profession?

I serve on numerous boards: The United Northeast Community Development Corporation; our mission is to Empowering, Engaging and Energizing Communities. And, the Forest Manor Multi-Service Center; our mission is to empowers the lives of our neighbors by offering individuals and families the services and support they need to become self-sufficient.

Have you received any professional or personal awards outside of the fellowship?

• United North East Community Development Award 2015 • Forest Manor Community 5th Annual Champions Service Award 2014 • Indianapolis Public Library Foundation- Beth Tindel Award 2014 • Community Faith-based Love Award 2014

Have you noticed how excellent Google has become at handing you the exact information you’re seeking with no need to ever click past the initial search results?  Are you in an unfamiliar town and hungry for pizza?  Just ask Google on your smart phone and you will instantly find the closest Pizza Hut with directions, a phone number, and hours of operation.  How does Google know that information? The business tells them! What about your library?  Does Google know your hours and exact location?  Is the photo it brings up a good one?  If not, you can fix it!  And it’s important to do so because it is the first impression many people have of your library.

When Google first added a photo for the Odon Winkelpleck Public Library, it was taken from the state highway a block away.  It would have shown the back wall of the library if not for the buildings in between.  Instead, it showed the top of an in-ground garage.

By clicking on “Is this your business?” I was able to customize the results to show the front of the library, add our hours, and correct the spelling for “Winkelpleck”. I have since become an unofficial Google advocate, encouraging every business or organization I know to claim and customize their Google search result.  It’s free “top of the page” publicity!  And not only free, it’s also good publicity if you take the time to customize it.  In fact, I was recently annoyed by a business that paid to promote their own web page to the top of the search results.  That page was all about how great their product was.  But I was already sold on their product.  What I was seeking was a quickly accessible map link for their location.  How was I going to buy their product if I couldn’t see the Google results with their hours and location so I could visit them while they were open? What comes up when you search for your library in Google?  Every day someone discovers the answer to that question.  You too should know the answer!  During these latter years of my tenure as library director I tried to do a Google search at least once a month to see the top hits.  It was a huge relief when Google offered the ability to correct and customize our Google result page.  I encourage every organization to take advantage of that offer. One more note: I have run across a few businesses/organizations that Google has confused with other entities with a similar name.  If your organization doesn’t have a customized Google result, you can request one at http://google.com/lbc.