SUMMER 2020 OFF THE SHELF A LOOK INSIDE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT In a few short days, following the that has increased by 68%. BPL has unprecedented closure of all Brooklyn also invested in a live online tutoring The COVID-19 crisis has redefined what Public Library branches due to service for K-12 students and is working it means to be a library, and Brooklyn the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline with educational database providers to Public Library offers spots of brightness librarians, book selectors, IT technicians provide unlimited at-home access. during this daunting time. and administrators transformed BPL Accessing online learning resources into a fully-accessible digital library. More than ever, I am awed and and checking out eBooks or audiobooks heartened by the ingenuity of our Remaining funds for collections were has never been easier. BPL staff staff. To complement an expanded immediately shifted towards purchasing revamped our digital content webpages eCollection, our Youth and Family more eBook and audio titles, particularly to make them more user friendly and Services team has produced inspiring those in high demand such as: Essential discoverable. The registration form for and dependable virtual programming Yoga: An Illustrated Guide to Over 100 a BPL eCard, which provides access for families. With so many workers Yoga Poses and Meditation; SAS Urban to our eBooks, audiobooks and online facing employment challenges, the Survival Handbook: How to Protect databases, is now prominently displayed Business & Career Center offers support Yourself Against Terrorism, Natural on the front page of our website. March to help get Brooklyn back on its feet. Disasters, Fires, Home Invasions, and saw a 291% increase in eCard sign-ups. Meanwhile, BookMatch librarians are Everyday Health and Safety Hazards; The eBooks page provides step-by-step hard at work pulling together pandemic The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory instructions on how to browse and check booklists for voracious readers across Guide: Prompts and Activities to out titles on various eReader platforms. the borough. Create the Most Interesting Story for Not surprisingly, March also had a record Your Character; The 5-Minute Brain high for eBook and eAudio use, with I hope you share my immense pride in Workout: Games and Puzzles to Keep 178,781 total checkouts for the month our beloved borough’s library system. Your Mind Sharp and Supple; and T’ai and daily totals as high as 7,778. Chi for Seniors: How to Gain Flexibility, BPL’s rapid response to this historic crisis Strength, and Inner Peace. aims to meet the changing and varied Linda E. Johnson Purchases also include popular challenges faced by residents across President & CEO children’s and teen titles in digital format. the borough. The Library will continue Historically, eCollections for kids have to provide resources and services to represented only a small part of digital people wherever they are. As the need In This Issue circulation, but since the shutdown for learning never stops, neither can we. eCollections .......................... 01 Staff Spotlight. 02 BookMatch .......................... 04 Online Resources .................... 05 Brooklynology ....................... 06 Brooklyn Collection .................. 08 Business & Career Center ..............10 ECOLLECTIONS & Donor Spotlight .......................12 BPL Presents .........................13 Cover: Snapshots of BPL’s digital programming ONLINE SERVICES and resources. All photos, unless indicated, by Gregg Richards Brainy Babies in Bushwick OFF THE SHELF SUMMER 2020 1 YFS STAFF SPOTLIGHT offered in multiple languages (English, are very specific to Jessica’s personal Spanish, Urdu and Tibetan/English) circumstances, such as when her cat is and have generated cumulative weekly an uninvited guest during filming! viewership averages of nearly 11,000. One of the greatest challenges Jessica A particular challenge that Jessica and has faced is not having children present her peers have encountered with kids to participate, especially for school- and family programming is determining age programs. Normally there is a lot of what materials to use for craft activities, interaction between students and the as this involves guessing what people presenter which often informs how the might have in their homes (normally, BPL activity unfolds. Online programs require provides all the supplies). In order to make an entirely different kind of preparation, the programs as accessible as possible, anticipating questions or concerns and she usually suggests several alternatives. preparing answers, and Jessica devotes For instance, for a collage activity using significant time to respond to these magazines, Jessica made sure families potential issues. knew they could use junk mail, empty food Jessica notes, “This is definitely boxes or old calendars, and if kids didn’t challenging my skills in new ways!” have glue they could take pictures of their Children’s Librarian Jessica assembled collage with a phone. Harwick leading one of her Adapting programs, interacting popular virtual storytimes Using remote video technology has also with the community and been a learning experience for Jessica. The many obstacles created immediately began brainstorming virtual She has been figuring out how to best supporting my colleagues all programs, deciding which programs would film her programs and, since she is doing look a lot different now. when Brooklyn Public Library it all on her own, there have been a lot of closed its branches were no translate to an online format, designing a programming schedule and figuring out improvised camera stands and practice JESSICA HARWICK match for BPL’s intrepid staff, sessions. She has also posted technical the best way to broadcast. For children’s “I’ve had to get more comfortable with questions through the Library’s internal who quickly mobilized to programming such as virtual storytimes, it technology and learn to think and plan communication channels, and many ensure that the public would was determined that the Library’s existing differently. I’m learning to be patient with staff have jumped in with suggestions retain access to vital programs Family Facebook page would provide the myself, to ask for help when I need it and and ideas. Of course, some issues and services. best platform. to be adaptable in new ways.” Jessica Harwick, a children’s librarian at The first virtual storytime took place on McKinley Park Library, was one of those March 13 and was attended by 5,200 who sprang to action. We spoke with viewers. As storytimes and other programs Jessica on April 9 to find out more about have continued, library staff have figured her experience. out how to address common issues and pitfalls with the virtual format. One helpful As Jessica notes, the transition to virtual innovation was assigning a monitor for programming happened extremely each program, usually also a librarian, quickly. As soon as staff was alerted to the who can support the presenter and impending closure (less than a week prior) troubleshoot behind the scenes. Today, a group of enthusiastic librarians and staff storytimes average over 800 viewers, are 2 OFF THE SHELF SUMMER 2020 OFF THE SHELF SUMMER 2020 3 Online Resources BKLYN BOOKMATCH PANDEMIC READING LIST The trustworthy information and reliable resources that libraries provide are even more important when we face uncertain times. One of the best ways we can take care of each other is to stay informed. This reading list, created by BPL Librarian Emma Carbone (Central Library), offers basic information about germs and viruses and also provides historical perspectives about previous pandemics. BookMatch is a readers’ advisory service that uses what readers like (and dislike) to create customized reading recommendations based on the interests or needs of patrons. ONLINE You can request your own BookMatch list here. More Deadly Than War: The Guns, Germs, and Steel: The The Ghost Map Hidden History of the Spanish Fates of Human Societies by Steven Johnson RESOURCES Flu and the First World War by Jared M. Diamond The Story of London’s most The Library’s online programs and resources are available wherever you are! Borrow by Kenneth C. Davis Diamond explores the terrifying epidemic—and how it More than 100 years later, the geographical and environmental changed science, cities and the eBooks and audiobooks, attend a virtual storytime, learn a new skill, research a school Spanish Influenza outbreak in 1918 factors he feels helped shape the modern world. project and much more at bklynlibrary.org. is known as the worst in modern modern world. also available as an eAudiobook* history. This story explores the also available as an eAudiobook* The End of Epidemics: The outbreak’s intersection with WWI Borrow eBooks & Audiobooks Attend a Virtual Program Inside the Outbreaks: The Looming Threat to Humanity through stories, photos, firsthand bklynlib.org/ebooks bklynlib.org/virtual-programming reports from medical professionals Elite Medical Detectives of the and How to Stop It and survivors. Epidemic Intelligence Service by Jonathan D. Quick by Mark Pendergrast A leading doctor offers answers on Get Personalized Reading Get Resume and Career Help Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Since its founding in 1951, the one of the most urgent questions Recommendations bklynlib.org/business-career Story of the Deadliest Cook in Epidemic Intelligence Service has of our time: How do we prevent the bklynlib.org/bookmatch America waged war on every imaginable next global pandemic? Take Online Classes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti ailment. This book explores the EIS’ Listen to the Library’s Podcast bklynlib.org/adult-learning How to Survive a Plague: The This book tells the story of Mary history and their quest to eliminate bklynlib.org/podcasts Inside Story of How Citizens Mallon, more widely known as threats to world health. Read BPL’s Blogs Typhoid Mary, and explores who and Science Tamed AIDS Explore BPL’s Online Resources bklynlib.org/blogs by David France she really was before becoming bklynlib.org/online-resources synonymous with disease.