DELNET LIBRARY

DELNET was started at the India International Centre Library in January 1988 and was registered as a society in 1992. It was initially supported by the National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT), Department of Scientific and Industrial Reseach, Government of India. It was subsequently supported by the National Informatics Centre, Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India and The Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

DELNET has been established with the prime objective of promoting resource sharing among the libraries through the development of a network of libraries. It aims to collect, store, and disseminate information besides offering computerised services to users, to coordinate efforts for suitable collection development and also to reduce unnecessary duplication wherever possible.

Overdue Library Books

Overdue Library Books Can Hurt Your Credit Score!

As municipal governments increase efforts to collect unpaid parking tickets, dog-catcher fines, library fines and the like, some consumers are seeing a surprising impact—a radical drop in their credit scores.

To each individual consumer, the fines in question may be very small and collection actions may seem petty and unnecessary. For many cities, however, these unpaid fines and fees add up to millions of dollars a year. Those dollars can be collected with little investment by the cities if they’re turned over to private collection agencies.

Private agencies typically charge a percentage of the balance actually collected, so there’s no risk to the government. The risk to consumers who don’t make those payments in a timely manner, however, is significant. That’s because collection agencies report delinquencies to the three major credit reporting agencies. A single collection item can drop your credit score as much as 100 points. Many consumers don’t know that charges like this can affect their credit.

While not all municipalities use private collection firms, the trend is increasing across the country. As government collection activity rises, so does the number of consumers surprised to discover that they’re paying higher interest rates—or being turned down altogether—because the kids lost a library book or they neglected to renew Rover’s license.

If such charges are already appearing on your credit report, you may be able to negotiate their removal in exchange for payment. Getting items removed from your credit report can be a long and stressful process, though, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll be successful. The best defense is to be aware of the risks and make sure you pay those parking tickets on time.

Eight Beautiful Buildings Win Awards

Eight Beautiful Buildings Win 2005 Library Awards
	Every other year, representatives from the AIA and the American Library Association gather to celebrate the finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the U.S. The 2005 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards honor eight disparate projects, ranging in size from an architecture school library to the central facility for a major city. All share successful resolution of their patrons’ needs into harmonious and beautiful designs. Arcadia University Landman Library, Glenside, Pa., by R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects, for Arcadia University This design, in response to a competition for an addition to a university library, placed a new wing at the south face of the existing library. The resulting new, curved limestone building forms a distinctive presence at the heart of the campus and accommodates 150,000 volumes; a multimedia collection; the college’s archives; study seating for 300 in reading rooms, carrels, and groups rooms; multimedia classrooms; and the trustees room. The library strives to provide a variety of spaces and places for reading and study, with controlled daylighting and campus views, including a two-story-high reading room on the second floor that extends the full width of the building and looks out over the campus green. The circulating collection, housed on three floors in the older portion of the building, is adjacent to the study areas and a small café. Photo © Cervin Robinson. Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture Library—The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects with associate architect Wandel and Schnell Architects, for the Ohio State University Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture When considering this library as part of the program for their school of architecture, the faculty wanted to create an information and knowledge resource that also could serve as a reflective space away from the work environment of the design studios. This two-story glass-box, book-lined “room” accommodates 30,000 volumes and seating for 70 people in 40 table seats and 30 lounge chairs—each designed by a famous architect or designer. The library has an ample circulation desk with a closed reserve area, staff offices, workroom and storeroom, copy room, reference and journal areas, digital library, and rare book room. With “reading rooms” at either end—and library services in the middle—the staff interacts easily with the users and maintains control of the space. Located at the end of the building’s circulation system, overlooking a roof garden, the library is both very visible and removed from the major action of the building. As a small indication of the library’s success, it drew more than 20,000 visitors in its first three months of operation while serving a population of 750. Photo © Timothy Hursley. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Brookline, by Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects, for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh The architects were charged with turning a nondescript, two-story concrete block with a zero lot line into a dynamic storefront library. The program called for doubling the library’s space, which included expanding the children’s department and adding an internet café, popular library, and “self-help” stations. Daylighting the windowless building proved the greatest design challenge, the architects say. A new interior lining peels away from the rigid concrete shell and, with the addition of a light wall, allows natural light from skylights and clerestories to penetrate the spaces. To transform the low-ceiling basement into a delightful children’s library, plaster ceilings tilt fancifully to fit HVAC equipment. Although the library has doubled in size, the new building, which has applied for LEED™ certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, has a zero increase in energy consumption over the old building. Photo courtesy of the architect. The Georgia Archives, Morrow, Ga., by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, for the Development Authority of Clayton County A highly specialized government entity, quartered in 17 stories of a dark, monolithic building in Atlanta, asked the architects to create a new building that would redefine the visibility of their mission to the public. The architect’s first major intention was to design around how the organization works. On a separate but parallel track, the second major intention centered on designing for how visitors are received and screened for security purposes and how they may enjoy the education, research, and cultural opportunities presented. Operations and public access are designed to be separate, meeting only at specific, secure points. To supplement this technically rigorous program, the architects sited the building to preserve existing stands of trees and the site’s natural contours. Additionally important is the building’s pervasive natural light, tempered with high-performance glass to eliminate UV penetration, sunscreens, and porches. Photo courtesy of the architect. Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library Renovation, Cambridge, Mass., by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering PC, for Harvard University This 1915 library, designed by Horace Trumbauer, sits at the geographical and intellectual heart of the university. In renewing the building for the 21st century, the project called for a renovation that would “simultaneously redefine the academic research library in programmatic and technical terms without losing the aura, comfort, and connection to tradition.” The first phase of the project entailed upgrading and modernizing the building system infrastructure and the original 10-floor self-supporting stack structure and library support spaces. New systems were threaded through the stacks, and the architects “found” space within two large light wells for new mechanical space, staff work areas, and two skylighted reading rooms. The second phase involved restoration of the historic public and reading spaces, in which existing features and room finishes were preserved whenever possible. Issaquah Public Library, Issaquah, Wash., by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, for the King County Library System This new 15,000-square-foot library offers its hometown an expansion and modernization of library services in a more prominent and centralized location in the historic downtown core. The cedar-sided structure used an exaggerated building height to meet both the library’s programming needs of one level and the city code’s call for multifamily urban structures. A trellis and canopies help maintain human scale at the street level. On the corner of the site is a large covered area, or agora, that serves as a sheltered gathering place and marks the entrance to the building. Activity in the library’s multipurpose room, adjacent to the agora, is visible to the street. Doors open to the outside for special events. Entering the building from the agora, one passes through a wood-lined lobby and under a pair of tilted columns into the main space. Additional round columns taper slightly as they rise to meet the wood-lined ceiling. Light filters in the clerestory windows to highlight a delicate metal truss at the spine of the building. Photo © Fred Housel. Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, by VCBO Architecture LLC, with design architect Moshe Safdie and Associates, for the Salt Lake City Public Library This 200,000-square-foot facility is part of an ambitious program by the library to double its space for collections, establish a landmark in the city’s civic core, and create a lively interactive public space currently missing in the downtown area. The new library features a triangular main building, adjacent rectangular administration building, glass-enclosed “urban room,” and public piazza. Its reading galleries, which replace the traditional formal reading room, accommodate the “community of readers” in intimate spaces that are private yet visually connected to magnificent exterior views. The library’s sloped and curving wall has become an icon for the city, and the shops and food establishments at its base weave the site together. The wall also defines a connection to the city’s former library, which will become an arts and science center. The library’s roof garden offers spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains. The library also is a 2004 national AIA Honor Award for Architecture recipient. Photo © Timothy Hursley. Seattle Central Library, Seattle, by a joint venture of OMA/LMN (Office for Metropolitan Architecture and LMN Architects), for the Seattle Public Library The design goal for this library was to redefine the library as an institution no longer exclusively dedicated to the book, but as an information story in which all forms of media—new and old—are presented equally and legibly. Unlike traditional libraries, Seattle Central Library is organized into spatial compartments that are dedicated to and equipped for specific duties. Each platform is a programmatic cluster that is architecturally defined and equipped for maximum performance. The spaces between the platforms function as trading floors where librarians inform and stimulate. The library’s unique “book spiral” addresses the ongoing problem of subject classification. For example, in 1920 the library had no classification for computer science, but by the early 1990s the section had exploded. Using the Dewey Decimal System, the architects arranged the collection in a continuous ribbon—running from “000” to “999”—the subjects form a coexistence that approaches the organic. Each evolves relative to the others, occupying more or less space on the ribbon, but never forcing a rupture. The library also garnered a 2005 national AIA Honor Award for Architecture.

Community Care Mobile Library

The Community Care Mobile Library is a specially adapted vehicle providing services to older people and disabled people across Shropshire. The vehicle has a low side step as well as a ramp at the back. The mobile library visits 120 locations including care homes, day centres, sheltered accommodation and some housebound people on a five week cycle.

You will find large print books, talking books on tape and CD, music on CD, videos and DVDs as well as ordinary print books to choose from. If you cannot find what you want on the shelves, tell the staff and your choice will be brought on the next visit. If you are unable to visit the van in person, collections of books can be left at care homes and community rooms, or you can request a special collection to suit your personal taste.

Shropshire Library Service aims to provide an inclusive, responsive and accessible library and information service meeting the needs and demands of Shropshire’s communities, residents and visitors. For more information on the services available to the elderly and disabled please follow the link to Library accessibility on this page.

Types of library jobs

Just as not everyone who works in a hospital is a doctor, not everyone who works in a library is a librarian! There are a wide varieties of jobs to be done, and all are important. Whether it's putting the books on the shelves, paying bills, answering questions, hiring staff, or preparing a storytime, they all must be done to keep the library running.

Job titles and descriptions vary from library to library, but there are some similarities. Look through the samples below to gain a better understanding of what type of job might be right for you:

• Pages are usually responsible for putting returned books and other items in their proper places on the shelves. They are also responsible for keeping items in the right order. Some handle requests for retrieving materials that are in secured areas, and others may be responsible for checking items back in. Page jobs are usually part-time, with pay of roughly $5.15 to $8 per hour.

• Library Assistants or Technicians generally perform clerical duties, and are often mistaken for librarians as they are the first face people see, since most libraries' checkout desks are near the entrance. Library assistants often check materials out and in, collect fines and fees, answer general phone questions, issue library cards, process new library materials, and assist with items on reserve. Library assistant jobs may be part- or full-time and can range from $8 to $15 per hour.

• Librarians help people with homework and research questions, decide what items to purchase and to discard, offer programs and training, help people use the internet, build websites, and more. Specialized librarians may run computer systems, work with seniors and non-English speaking populations, become specialists in a specific subject area, or maintain the records for the online catalog. Librarian jobs are often full-time, although most libraries also rely on a core of part-time and "substitute" librarians to help cover all of the hours many libraries are open. The average starting salary for a full-time new librarian was $37,975 in 2003, with the average for all librarians at $43,090 for 2002.
  
• Library Managers such as department heads, branch managers, and assistant/deputy/associate directors, and are typically middle managers responsible for the operation of departments or other functional areas such as "all library branches." As managers they may be responsible for work schedules, employee evaluations, training, and managing budgets. Branch managers, in particular, can have additional director-like responsibilities, such as overseeing the condition of the facility or involvement in local neighborhood groups and projects.

• Library Directors have the main leadership role in the library. Typical duties include preparing and overseeing the budget, developing employment and service policies, strategic planning, public and governmental relations, reporting to the governing board or official, ensuring compliance with laws, fundraising, hiring, motivating and firing staff, and more. Directors' duties and compensation can vary greatly depending on the size of the library. The director of a small rural library can literally be the only regularly scheduled employee with a salary of $20,000 to the director of a large urban library with hundreds of employees and a salary of $175,000.

• Other Professionals can play major roles in libraries. These may include jobs such as public relations, accounting and human resources, network administration, facilities management, transportation services and security. Rates of pay vary widely depending on the size of library, geographic area and skills and educational requirements.

Crime Library

The Crime Library is a website documenting major crimes, criminals, and trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books, police reports, crime television shows, and writers. It is owned and operated by truTV, a cable network which is part of Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System.

Many of its articles are about recent crimes in the United States but the site also contains information about historically notorious characters of various countries, particularly the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia dating back to the 1400s. Focuses of the site include serial killers, gangsters, celebrity crimes, cults, spies, and terrorists.

The Crime Library was founded by Marilyn J. Bardsley in January 1998. Court TV, forerunner of truTV, purchased the Crime Library in September 2000, the same year now sister website The Smoking Gun was acquired by Court TV. It is currently hosted on truTV's Web site.

School library

A school library is a library attached to and managed by a school to serve the students, staff, and often, parents of a public (state) or private (fee paying) school. School libraries are similar to public libraries in that they contain books, films, recorded sound, periodicals, and other media. These items are not only for the enjoyment and entertainment of the patrons, but to enhance and expand the school's curriculum. In addition, in school libraries, students may receive explicit instruction on library and research skills.

In larger schools, school libraries may be staffed by librarians or teacher-librarians who may hold a specific library science degree. In some jurisdictions, school librarians may be required to have specific certification and/or a teaching certificate.

The librarian is in charge of the school library. School librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to assist students with research and advance the students' information literacy and technology skills. They also perform duties similar to other librarians such as purchasing library materials and maintaining the library collection. They handle the circulating and cataloging of materials, facilitate interlibrary loans, etc. Librarians are often responsible for audio-visual equipment and are sometimes in charge of school computers and computer networks.

in schools which employ them, teacher-librarians may read to children, assist them in selecting books, develop information literacy, and assist with schoolwork. Some school librarians see classes on a "flexible schedule". A flexible schedule means that rather than having students come to the library for instruction at a fixed time every week, the classroom teacher schedules library time when library skills or materials are needed as part of the classroom learning experience. Teacher-librarians assist students with research, collaborating with teachers to create independent learners.

The school library also serves as a place for students to do independent work, use computers, equipment and research materials, to host special events such as author visits and book clubs, and for tutoring and standardized testing in addition to classroom visits with collaborating teachers.