Church & Synagogue Libraries, Volume 24, Number 6, May/June 1991 Page: 4 of 16
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The Latchstring is Out..
by Connie SothD ear Latchstring Friends:
This is great. Three more
Latchstringers have punched in with
items for the column. First is an ...
Update: Seasoned Latchstringer Jean
Krause responds to Latchstring's ques-
tion in the Nov/Dec 1990 column about
her library's Art and Craft shelf. Jean
tells us that at Plymouth Congregational in
Lansing, Michigan, "We have a brows-
ing library, with books shelved by
categories (such as) Bibles, Prayer, Fami-
ly, Art. In the Art category are books on
Crismons, needlepoint, quilting and
some books on things families can make
for Advent, Christmas and Easter."
Helpfully, Jean tucked in two
bookmarks. One was used at their recent
Open House honoring their late library
chairman. That bookmark features a
clever cut-out miniature of the sketch of
the church building used on church let-
terhead stationery. Simple words, "Plym-
outh Church Library Remembers Joyce
Granger" gently reminds patrons of her
faithful service. The other bookmark is
pretty-pink and laminated, with flowers
and hearts, made by The Kids Club.
Never at a loss for something to do, the
library committee is now, she says.
"working on a plan to get books to the
shut-in members ... "
Speaking of church letterhead station-
ery, I hope you request sheets and enve-
lopes for use when you write letters or
make announcements of future library
events. Besides giving you full value for
your 29 stamp, letterhead stationery
tells your correspondent that your
church library is an integral part of the
congregational mission.
Gone are the days, thank Heaven,
when the church library was viewed as
somebody's quaint little hobby or as a
dumping ground for orphan volumes
cleared out of attics or basements. In
CSLA, as our conference theme states,
we are "Racing Toward Congregational
Library Excellence." Classy stationery
helps.
Jean winds up her letter by saying,
"Boosting circulation is our main goal;
we get many good ideas on publicity
from C&SL."
***
Request: Our second Latchstringer, Lora
Hess, the paid. part-time librarian at the
Third Re/orned Church in Kalamazoo,MI, came as a first-timer to the 1990
CSLA conference in Baltimore. Lora
wonders if Latchstring knows of other
church librarians who are paid. She says,
"The decision (by the church) to hire a
part-time paid librarian was a radical
one .. . I know of no other (such) in our
area. It would be helpful to me to talk to
someone else in my position."
Any readers who qualify please con-
tact her at the Third Reformed Church,
2345 N. 10th St., Kalamazoo, MI 49009.
Let us know the outcome.
Lora certainly puts 110% into her
work. Along with some welcome com-
ments about my Insomnia book (how it
helped her cope with being awake at
night with a tiny baby) Lora enclosed 2%
pages (30 items) of bulletin announce-
ments she used from Sept. 2, 1990
through March 24, 1991 to remind
church members of their up-to-the-min-
ute library.
Some samples: (Sept. 2): The Library
has 23 children's videos and the list is
growing. Check one out today. (Sept. 30):
The Library has over 500 adult fiction
books for your Christian reading enjoy-
ment. (Nov. 11): The Library is starting a
Large Print section. (Dec. 30): We have
seven volunteers. (Names are listed.)
These people work hard to keep the Li-
brary shipshape and have library meet-
ings at least three times a year. They staff
the library on Sundays. (Jan. 6, 1991):
The Library has a new pamphlet file
with information about health, senior
citizens and family life. Free for the tak-
ing. (Jan. 13): Our church's archives are
going to be sorted and chronologically
put in order and taken to the Joint Ar-
chives in Holland. Do you have old let-
ters, photos, etc. that should be in the ar-
chives? Please bring them to the library.
When you write to Lora you might ask
her for an updated list, enclosing a self-
addressed, stamped envelope (and
SASE) to expedite her reply and spare
her budget.
Question: Our third, newly-minted
Latchstringer, Susanna Powers, librarian
at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant,
Houston, TX, says, ". . . running through
my mind for quite some time is a ques-
tion, 'Of what good is the Library of Con-
gress Number if you do not know how to
convert it into the the Dewey DecimalSystem? Is there such a thing as a con-
version table? If so, where can I get one
... the answer can be given in C&SL - it
might be helpful to others."'
Answer: Thanks, Susanna, for a good
question. Some suggestions-Lorraine
Burson attended Portland State Universi-
ty some years back for her degree and re-
members a handout that compared the
two systems. In your area, inquire for
something similar at a nearby college or
university that offers a degree in Library
Science. Or - someone in the Houston
Area Chapter can tell you where to find a
comparison table. Or write to the Library
of Congress. Anyone have other ideas?
(Editor's note: Write to Lorraine Burson, PO. Box
19357, Portland, OR 97219. She found hers from
Portland State University.)
Question: Latchstring has one for you -
this past week I talked to the Metro-Port-
land Chapter of the Pacific Northwest As-
sociation of Church Libraries (PNACL),
an affiliate of CSLA, and learned to my
delight that a good two-thirds of them
carry Large Print Editions in their collec-
tions and are adding more. My question:
Are you?
The focus of my talk was the article
about Walker and Co. that appeared in
the October 5, 1990 Publishers Weekly.
Walker and Co. rules the roost where
Large Print Inspirational books are con-
cerned, having recently added a line for
Jewish markets to match their existing
line of Christian classics and contempo-
rary books. At this year's CSLA confer-
ence you will be able to see them for
yourselves because this publisher con-
sistently has a table in the book display.
The PNACL members were surprised
when I told them public libraries are in-
creasing their listings of Large Print
books, not only for the elderly or for
those with limited vision but for the
"thirty-something" crowd. They have the
"tired-eye syndrome" from staring at
computer screens all day and ask for
Large Print because it is so relaxing.
How many young singles and/or young
parents are members in your congrega-
tion? Bet you could promote Large Print
to them.{i3.
Latchstring columnist
Connie Soth is the
author of Insomnia:
God's Night School,
now published in
trade paperback,
Large Print and an
Audio Album (tape
cassettes).4/Church & Synagogue Libraries
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Church and Synagogue Library Association. Church & Synagogue Libraries, Volume 24, Number 6, May/June 1991, periodical, May 1991; Portland, Oregon. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1457848/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.