At Spokane Public Library we believe that it’s all about access and opportunity to education and resources for everyone who walks through our doors – everyone! We have been working hard to improve this access whether in person or online. Sometimes though, the journey is a little messy and that is the case lately at the Downtown Library. If you’ve visited recently you’ll have surely noticed that there’s a lot of change.

Our main goal with the changes is giving customers better access to popular items and a better experience for our youngest customers. We’re also excited about partnering with Mobius Science Center, and expanding on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) focus that we’ve ramped up this past year. Both the Inlander and Spokesman reported about the partnership last month and we can’t wait for library customers to enjoy increased access to this type of education!

Mobius Science will be moving into the 3rd floor of the Downtown Library for about six months while they get their new building ready. They’ll have some of the same great exhibits that they have in their current location and will also provide periodic programming to library customers. Stay tuned for more information.

Another change you’ll be seeing at the libraries is RFID technology. We’re stepping into the 21^st century with how materials are checked in and out of the libraries. We’re upgrading by adding RFID (radio frequency identification tag) technology. What is RFID? If you’ve ever used a key-card at your office or in a hotel then you’ve experienced RFID technology. It’s a small sticker or tag that stores information about the item. The tag communicates with our computer system for check-out. RFID will make it easier to find misshelved books, and customers will be able to check out a whole stack of books at once instead of doing one at a time! We won’t be fully ready with RFID until April (approximately) because we have to apply tags to EVERY single item in all the libraries! If you see employees in the stacks with computers and stickers this is what’s going on. If you see the stickers in the backs of the books, they are supposed to be there! We’ll keep you posted on the progress and show you the new self-checks as soon as we can!

p.s. if you’ve now got David Bowie stuck in your head you can download Changes from Freegal here. 🙂

People have varied reasons for wanting to learn a new language. Learning a foreign language has been shown to improve cognitive and creative abilities, and there are also more immediate benefits. Maybe you are going on a trip, you need a second language for work or you just want to enhance your eavesdropping skills to know what’s really going on at the bus stop or grocery store. We are really excited (though not as excited as the people on the Pronunciator homepage – check it out and you’ll see what we mean) to offer an awesome new database: Pronunciator.

Pronunciator is a language learning database which offers 80 different languages to learn. Library patrons can access this at the library or at home – there is even a mobile app so you can learn while you wait to pick up the kids or in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. Pronunciator is special because it offers so many options, including teaching geared to learners who don’t speak English. So if you speak Spanish, and want to learn Chinese, there’s an option for that. If you speak English and want to learn Spanish, Pronunciator has you covered. There are options for beginning, intermediate and advanced learners as well as Early Learners (3-6 year olds) and Young Learners (7-12 year olds). You can choose from options like “Learn to Converse” or “Postcards” which teaches important phrases to help you when traveling.

You can choose from options such as workplace-specific exercises for businesspeople who may need to know key phrases before a big presentation or trip. Try Pro-Radio which plays music with lyrics in your designated language or Pro-Flix which plays movies in the language you want to learn. Just log in, using your Library card and a valid email address and get going.

For the purposes of this article, I tried it out. It took me about 10 minutes to get through the first lesson. I logged out and can pick up where I left off whenever I want (and even though I started for this article, I will finish because it was actually really fun). The learning is tailored to each person. You answer questions with options such as “I’ve got this down, don’t ask again” or “I answered correctly, but ask again.” I only explored English to Spanish, but different languages offer different options, so go look into it and let us know what you think!

As helpful as the Dewey Decimal System is for organizing subjects, there are some things that are too broad and immense to be contained in one neat, orderly section. February is African American History Month in the U.S., as well as Canada and other countries. It’s a chance to consider and recognize the impact of African Americans in our culture and history. And while Dewey has its history down (973 is History of the United States and 973.0496 is the subset for African Americans), it’s too confining for such a major job.

A quick look at 973.0496 reveals some classic books, which provide a great starting point for African American History: African American Breakthroughs: 500 Years of Black Firsts offers a glimpse into the lives of these barrier breaking folks: the first black woman to publish a poem, the first black company to sponsor an advertisement during prime time. The detail is daunting, but a valuable reminder that someone had to do it first. 973.0496 also has The Black Book which provides an important overview of African Americans who made their mark in entertainment, the arts, sports, academia and the list goes on. The Black List, found in 920 – biography, genealogy and insignia, is another look at important figures. These books are great for an overview, but if you want more detail, a more in-depth look at what shaped the people who changed history, then Biographies are where it’s at.

Biographies are fun because once you get into the stacks it seems like anyone and everyone has written one. For instance, remember Uhura from the original Star Trek? She’s got one (Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories), so does Eartha Kitt (Eartha Kitt: Confessions of a Sex Kitten) Yowza. Before you get lost in all the memoirs, biographies are organized by the subject’s name, followed by author name. For instance, the Eartha Kitt book is filed under Kitt/Kitt.

Biographies are more than just fun romps through a particular person’s life. Death of a King: the Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year or Life: The American Journey of Barack Obama both use America as the background for a look at how the subjects changed our collective conversation and in turn, history. The library also has some great biographies in the Juvenile section. Jackie Robinson: American Hero, and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America are two ways to get any kids in your life interested in non-fiction.

The options to commemorate African American History month with books are pretty much endless because African Americans have had such an impact on so many aspects of our lives. So because African American History Month can’t be contained in one Dewey section, turn to expert librarians for help with your search.

We know music can educate and illuminate, but until a resourceful customer told us about how he uses Freegal, we never considered how music can enhance the actual experience of listening. Sound a bit like double-speak? Here’s a quick explanation. Our friend attends the Spokane Symphony, and said that before each concert, he’ll visit the library’s Freegal page and download the pieces that the Symphony will be playing. Hearing the songs beforehand helps him to better appreciate them in person. For example, according to the Spokane Symphony website, the February 28 concert will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.

The Symphony website says, “Beethoven was suicidal while writing his Second Symphony. Yet Berlioz remarked: ‘this Symphony is smiling throughout.’” To hear the “smile” in the music, the customer downloads the song from Freegal (for free, and he can keep the track forever), listens to it and then is prepared to listen and enjoy the nuances of the Conductor’s interpretation at the concert. That is the last concert of February, but they have plenty more before then. On February 7, they’ll feature:

• Christopher Theofanidis / Rainbow Body (not on Freegal),
• Jean Sibelius / Violin Concerto
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / Symphony No. 4 – Freegal has several recordings of this one. Here’s one by the Royal Philharmonic.

The Symphony website usually has a write up “Learn more about the Music.” Combine that with listening to the pieces from Freegal and you’re set to enjoy a night of music. Remember, each week you can download five songs for free from Freegal, so even if you aren’t typically someone who listens to the symphony, Freegal is a great way to expand your horizons and hear the music smile in all sorts of genres.