While looking up something at the CIA World Factbook today, I noticed that they have a kids' page. On that kids' page are some neat games, including one in which the player analyzes a photograph to produce useful information.
https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/aerial-analysis-challenge/index.html
Once you are done with that, there is the Photo Analysis Challenege, in which you compare the differences between two similar photos of the "same" stretch of a city street.
https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/photo-analysis-challenge/index.html
More Games: https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/index.html
- Jason Carter
NER
Monday, May 11, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Real Estate in the library
Hey Northwesters! Many of you know I'm prone to rearranging my collection and it shouldn't surprise you that yet again, I'm feeling the itch to move stuff - basically, as soon as my staff gets used to a current arrangement, I find myself planning a New and Improved arrangement.
One of the things I try to keep in mind when reconfiguring my collection is whether or not the change is truly new and improved. I ask myself if the new location will make sense not just to the staff but to the patrons. Next, I try to validate whether or not I've made the best use of the space available. For instance, for the longest time, I had my DVD/VHS collection situated near the back of the department. It was in plain sight from the door, but one would have to walk the entire length of the department to reach the much-desired collection. This positioning was purely marketing - I placed the collection in the far corner with the expectation that patrons would inevitably pick up other items (books! CDs! anything!). And, for awhile, it did seem as if this tactic was successful. But, in recent months, I noticed that my circulation statistics for this niche of my collection weren't improving despite the popularity of the items. I watched patrons come in to the branch, tractor-beamed to the far corner, blind to all of my other efforts to boost circulation (signs! displays! posters!), and I made the decision to abandon the tried and true supermarket technique (you know, milk in the back corner) because it turns out that this doesn't work as well in my library. So, I moved my DVD collection nearer to the center of everything and so far, so good. I don't have any firm data supporting the move as it's just been a month or so, but I'm pleased with the switch. This new location seems to be more in tune with what my patrons expect. Being able to recognize and act on that is somehow just as important as any other aspect of my job.
When it comes to fitting a collection to a space, there's the most obvious criteria: does that collection physically fit the space? I've had a number of good ideas that were nixed even before being put on paper simply because there would not have been enough room to do what I wanted. Other ideas are nixed because they inherently prevent the potential for collection growth (whether due to a lack of weeding or a surplus in the materials budget...). Nothing says "Don't check these books out!" quite like having to use a crowbar to pry the desired volume off of the shelf.
But there are also some less-obvious criteria for fitting a collection to a space: will it flow from one section to the next? Even if you have the space to put your audiobooks at the end of your reference collection, you shouldn't - there's no flow. Your biographies should go at the end of your reference (or some similar project-based collection, like science fair books). Your audiobooks should be placed as near to your other audio/visual materials as possible - this makes it easier for searching, easier for shelving, and easier for patrons. Is it inviting to the intended patron? I used to shelve my Family Favorites picturebooks (the ones that I found were most-requested: Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, and some others) on top of my picturebooks shelving. Now, the picturebook shelving is low - 3ft tall or so. But, for the intended patron - toddlers and pre-Ks - this was just not the most inviting (or safe, for that matter) arrangement. How could I expect these Family Favorites to circulate if Junior couldn't reach the books or, worse, tried to reach the books by climbing on the shelves (and falling, and getting hurt, and just overall being a no-good, very-bad situation)?
But why am I thinking about rearranging my collection again? I mean, aside from the DVD-shift, did I misunderstand my patrons and their needs? Or have things changed so greatly since the last time I did a major rearrange? Neither of those is the answer - instead, I'm looking at changing the layout of the department for very different reasons than I normally use. One, I'd like to have on-the-floor space for storytimes. With our meeting spaces being more frequently booked, I think it would be nice to be able to invite daycares and preschools to the branch without worrying too terribly much about whether or not the meeting space is available (that's not to say I would just start scheduling things whenever I wanted). The way the department is currently laid out, if I were to do a storytime on the floor (and I've done several), I'd be competing for attention with the front door, the front desk, the computer reservation station, the phone, and patrons and staff moving and milling about. I feel like it would be much better for all involved if I could tuck my picturebooks in the far corner, still within my line of sight but just a bit out of the main lane of library traffic.
The other reason I'd like to make this change is as a response to some behavioral issues among our after school patrons. Try as we might to maintain order, every day we face some level of chaso - whether it's from kids that have been penned up in the classroom all day and are just feeling rammy or it's from the 'tweens and teens who are testing authority, there are days and weeks when the staff goes home exhausted. If changing around my collection helps improve my statistics, I wonder what it would do for behavior issues? Would having the after-school crowd closer to the circulation desk and the guard's station mean a kinder, gentler after-school group? There's only one way to find out, I suppose, so let the to-scale drawings begin!
Question for you all: do you feel that you're making the best use of the space in your library? Do you feel like your collection makes sense or do you look at parts of it and say, "Then there's these books and I don't know what to do with them..."? If you had to brag about one feature of your department, what would it be and why? Any other comments or thoughts about making the most of the real estate in your department?
One of the things I try to keep in mind when reconfiguring my collection is whether or not the change is truly new and improved. I ask myself if the new location will make sense not just to the staff but to the patrons. Next, I try to validate whether or not I've made the best use of the space available. For instance, for the longest time, I had my DVD/VHS collection situated near the back of the department. It was in plain sight from the door, but one would have to walk the entire length of the department to reach the much-desired collection. This positioning was purely marketing - I placed the collection in the far corner with the expectation that patrons would inevitably pick up other items (books! CDs! anything!). And, for awhile, it did seem as if this tactic was successful. But, in recent months, I noticed that my circulation statistics for this niche of my collection weren't improving despite the popularity of the items. I watched patrons come in to the branch, tractor-beamed to the far corner, blind to all of my other efforts to boost circulation (signs! displays! posters!), and I made the decision to abandon the tried and true supermarket technique (you know, milk in the back corner) because it turns out that this doesn't work as well in my library. So, I moved my DVD collection nearer to the center of everything and so far, so good. I don't have any firm data supporting the move as it's just been a month or so, but I'm pleased with the switch. This new location seems to be more in tune with what my patrons expect. Being able to recognize and act on that is somehow just as important as any other aspect of my job.
When it comes to fitting a collection to a space, there's the most obvious criteria: does that collection physically fit the space? I've had a number of good ideas that were nixed even before being put on paper simply because there would not have been enough room to do what I wanted. Other ideas are nixed because they inherently prevent the potential for collection growth (whether due to a lack of weeding or a surplus in the materials budget...). Nothing says "Don't check these books out!" quite like having to use a crowbar to pry the desired volume off of the shelf.
But there are also some less-obvious criteria for fitting a collection to a space: will it flow from one section to the next? Even if you have the space to put your audiobooks at the end of your reference collection, you shouldn't - there's no flow. Your biographies should go at the end of your reference (or some similar project-based collection, like science fair books). Your audiobooks should be placed as near to your other audio/visual materials as possible - this makes it easier for searching, easier for shelving, and easier for patrons. Is it inviting to the intended patron? I used to shelve my Family Favorites picturebooks (the ones that I found were most-requested: Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, and some others) on top of my picturebooks shelving. Now, the picturebook shelving is low - 3ft tall or so. But, for the intended patron - toddlers and pre-Ks - this was just not the most inviting (or safe, for that matter) arrangement. How could I expect these Family Favorites to circulate if Junior couldn't reach the books or, worse, tried to reach the books by climbing on the shelves (and falling, and getting hurt, and just overall being a no-good, very-bad situation)?
But why am I thinking about rearranging my collection again? I mean, aside from the DVD-shift, did I misunderstand my patrons and their needs? Or have things changed so greatly since the last time I did a major rearrange? Neither of those is the answer - instead, I'm looking at changing the layout of the department for very different reasons than I normally use. One, I'd like to have on-the-floor space for storytimes. With our meeting spaces being more frequently booked, I think it would be nice to be able to invite daycares and preschools to the branch without worrying too terribly much about whether or not the meeting space is available (that's not to say I would just start scheduling things whenever I wanted). The way the department is currently laid out, if I were to do a storytime on the floor (and I've done several), I'd be competing for attention with the front door, the front desk, the computer reservation station, the phone, and patrons and staff moving and milling about. I feel like it would be much better for all involved if I could tuck my picturebooks in the far corner, still within my line of sight but just a bit out of the main lane of library traffic.
The other reason I'd like to make this change is as a response to some behavioral issues among our after school patrons. Try as we might to maintain order, every day we face some level of chaso - whether it's from kids that have been penned up in the classroom all day and are just feeling rammy or it's from the 'tweens and teens who are testing authority, there are days and weeks when the staff goes home exhausted. If changing around my collection helps improve my statistics, I wonder what it would do for behavior issues? Would having the after-school crowd closer to the circulation desk and the guard's station mean a kinder, gentler after-school group? There's only one way to find out, I suppose, so let the to-scale drawings begin!
Question for you all: do you feel that you're making the best use of the space in your library? Do you feel like your collection makes sense or do you look at parts of it and say, "Then there's these books and I don't know what to do with them..."? If you had to brag about one feature of your department, what would it be and why? Any other comments or thoughts about making the most of the real estate in your department?
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