Ukes in libraries

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Sylvan

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I saw something neat today - I stopped in my library and discovered that they had a soprano uke that was available for people to sign out for a two week period. It looked like a cheap no-name brand and it may not sound the best but I think the concept is a great way to introduce people to the ukulele.

I didn't have time to inspect it but next time I stop by I'll talk with them about it, see if they have a tuner for it and maybe put a decent pair of strings on it. I'll also probably donate an instruction book to them too. So if you have a playable uke in your closet that is collecting dust, ask your library if they would like it as a sign out instrument. It might just find a new life spreading its joy to others.
 
What a neat idea!
 
Please see my thread on this topic under Shameless Self Promotion....
 
Libraries are checking out everything from musical instruments to tools and power saws as a way to justify their existence to tax-payers now that books and discs (CDs, DvDs) are no longer sought, at least not in numbers to justify the library overhead (primarily human resources payroll), by the patrons.
 
In my school we offer ukuleles that can be checked out through the library, they have been very popular.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
Libraries are checking out everything from musical instruments to tools and power saws as a way to justify their existence to tax-payers now that books and discs (CDs, DvDs) are no longer sought, at least not in numbers to justify the library overhead (primarily human resources payroll), by the patrons.
Click to expand...

As a librarian (who, sadly, cannot afford to work in a library) myself, this statement made me cry a little :(

I think it's a great idea, but having worked in big-city libraries I can also see where it could be fraught with problems - but I do wish the libraries that are doing this well. I think it's great that there are still communities in which the patrons can be entrusted to respect something as fragile as a uke, cheap or not.
 
I wonder how many times it will survive being stuffed through the book-return slot. ;-)

Neat idea and nice of you to consider putting some decent strings and contributing a book.
 
Very good idea, and kind of you to want to help them out.
 
A year ago I heard an interview with a librarian who said that a few drastic changes are happening in the library world:
- a coffee machine and cosy chairs for the newspaper readers
- a classroom-style silent study room - extremely popular with students who want to get away from distractions
- workshop-style animations for younger kids: reading aloud moments, drawing and making their own books

But loaning power tools or musical instruments? Never heard of it.
 
Librarian here too. My library loans books by the thousands still but some are ebooks and some paper. We don't loan ukuleles but I know some libraries that have them for kids to play with in their children's area. There is another county near my house that loans baking pans. In library school (yes, I have a masters in library science), we learned to help patrons with information no matter where it comes from (print, electronic, microfiche etc). I love working in a library and I play my uke in storytime.
 
The downtown Ventura library has 5 very nice ukuleles for loan. They also have "The Daily Ukulele" books.
We have a gathering there twice a month. There was also a free lesson every month. The Port Hueneme library also does a free monthly lesson.
 
I wonder how many times it will survive being stuffed through the book-return slot. ;-)
Click to expand...
LOL!!!

I'm going to check and see if my local library is willing to expand and donate!
 
ukulelekarcsi said:
But loaning power tools or musical instruments? Never heard of it.
Click to expand...

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries

So internationally popular now there's a wiki page on it. Lol.

As book readers--paper, Ebook, any format-- become increasingly fewer, and online information becomes increasingly free (both fiction and nonfiction), and the Internet becomes ubiquitous for all (even the poor), libraries will fail the "sniff test" for taxpayer funding.

While libraries reach for "alternative lending" such as tools and instruments, and justifying their existence with coffee and study space, they should think more like private companies: tighten their budgets (in particular their highest expense: human resources, i.e. Employees). Turning out the parking lot lights at night is simply not enough budget-cutting to make a difference.

But, alas, true, deep, life-saving cost cuts are the last thing on library boards' minds, even in the face of their own extinction.
 
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SailingUke said:
The downtown Ventura library has 5 very nice ukuleles for loan. They also have "The Daily Ukulele" books.
We have a gathering there twice a month. There was also a free lesson every month. The Port Hueneme library also does a free monthly lesson.
Click to expand...

During open hours or after hours...?
 
coolkayaker1 said:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries

So internationally popular now there's a wiki page on it. Lol.

As book readers--paper, Ebook, any format-- become increasingly fewer, and online information becomes increasingly free (both fiction and nonfiction), and the Internet becomes ubiquitous for all (even the poor), libraries will fail the "sniff test" for taxpayer funding.

While libraries reach for "alternative lending" such as tools and instruments, and justifying their existence with coffee and study space, they should think more like private companies: tighten their budgets (in particular their highest expense: human resources, i.e. Employees). Turning out the parking lot lights at night is simply not enough budget-cutting to make a difference.

But, alas, true, deep, life-saving cost cuts are the last thing on library boards' minds, even in the face of their own extinction.
Click to expand...


I don't know. Our local library is a community center, and if it closed it would be a great loss to the community. It is very valued, actually, and I don't think it would close. They have a lot of children's programs, and yes are expanding computer space and adding a coffee space.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
... they should think more like private companies: tighten their budgets (in particular their highest expense: human resources, i.e. Employees).
Click to expand...

They're already doing that, which is exactly why even though I'm a card-carrying librarian I can't afford to actually work in a library! Full-time jobs with benefits are few and far between and salaries have been cut or frozen for years; most libraries in my area only hire part-time, which means that in addition to a pint-size paycheck the employee doesn't get health insurance. Basically it makes it impossible for anybody who doesn't have some other means of financial support to get a foot in the door - the full-time positions usually go to those who have already proven themselves by either working part-time, or - wait for it! - working for FREE. Librarian types are HUGE on unpaid experience... which, sadly, I consider a luxury reserved for those who don't need to work to keep a roof over their heads.

Add to that the fact that the turn of the millennium say a TON of newly-minted MLIS grads enter the job market (myself included), most of us having fallen for the "librarian shortage myth" - the untrue conventional wisdom that the old-time card-catalog librarians were going to hit retirement age, and there would be a huge need for tech-savvy younger people such as myself. Lies, all of it - but hey, live and learn.

And I don't know this, but I suspect the salary cuts are all on the lower levels - the boards and directors probably are all raking in six figures. But I'm just speculating, based on data found here.
 
janeray1940 said:
They're already doing that, which is exactly why even though I'm a card-carrying librarian I can't afford to actually work in a library! Full-time jobs with benefits are few and far between and salaries have been cut or frozen for years; most libraries in my area only hire part-time, which means that in addition to a pint-size paycheck the employee doesn't get health insurance. Basically it makes it impossible for anybody who doesn't have some other means of financial support to get a foot in the door - the full-time positions usually go to those who have already proven themselves by either working part-time, or - wait for it! - working for FREE. Librarian types are HUGE on unpaid experience... which, sadly, I consider a luxury reserved for those who don't need to work to keep a roof over their heads.

Add to that the fact that the turn of the millennium say a TON of newly-minted MLIS grads enter the job market (myself included), most of us having fallen for the "librarian shortage myth" - the untrue conventional wisdom that the old-time card-catalog librarians were going to hit retirement age, and there would be a huge need for tech-savvy younger people such as myself. Lies, all of it - but hey, live and learn.

And I don't know this, but I suspect the salary cuts are all on the lower levels - the boards and directors probably are all raking in six figures. But I'm just speculating, based on data found here.
Click to expand...

Your library is clearly different than every library in IL, each of which is constantly asking for more money while they keep a large, full staff and yet still hire out everything from a plant-watering service to water indoor plants to extra help to dust the shelves. It's a constant battle of taxpayer versus library enthusiasts; slowly, the former is "winning" as the Internet makes information (information "overload"?) free. But, the tide is still with the libraries, so...idea: move here! Not only will you find a job, but you'd already have a friend (me) and your cost of living would be half, if that. ��

I certainly hear you about diploma-qualified librarians not getting jobs, the old not filtering out of the workplace, etc. It is a responsibility of the college to show placement of their graduates in degree-related jobs to prospective students--and they do none of this. So, students choose degrees in fields that interest them but that hold limited long-term prospects for employment, unfortunately.

Of course, in the end, the responsibility of career choice "for fun and profit" (spoken in the voice of an infomercial) falls on the student. If one pursues a dual degree, in Art History of the 18th century, and in Latin, at Pomona College, theyd better have a rich uncle that owns a private art gallery in old town La Jolla.
 
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