Indiana Room

The next section of the library after the reference books is the Indiana Room. The view above is a panaromic view of the Indiana Room. Part of the Reference Department, the Indiana Room offers many amenities.

This is the entrance to the Indiana Room.

Entering the Indiana Room and turning to the left brings us to the microfilm machine area.

Using these machines and accessories, patrons can access archived older newspapers and print them. Archived newspapers can be used for various research projects and are also popular for genealogy projects.

Continuing to move around the wall to the right showcases a bookshelf containing school yearbooks dating back several years.

Continuing to move to the right we see bookshelves and another enclosed bookcase.

 

These shelves and bookcases contain Indiana historical books and biographies and various genealogy resources.

In the center of the room is a large round table that can be used for research projects or smaller group meetings. The room has a projector screen and a portable projector can be reserved to be used in this room.

The library board frequently holds public meetings in this area.

The case seen in the picture to the right of the table is a changing display case. All displays in this room have something to do with the state of Indiana.

Continuing to move around the wall to the right of the second enclosed bookcase, we come to a small section of wall with this vertical file tucked between two windows.

On top of this vertical file are hanging files for genealogy research. Inside of the vertical file are documents pertaining to Fulton County only and then documents pertaining to the state of Indiana.

Moving to the right of this vertical file brings us back to the door and out into the Media Commons.

Vertical Travel Section, Maps, & Reference Books

The Vertical Travel Section is located to the right of the Reference & Information window. These file cabinets have brochures and some travel magazines organized alphabetically by state (Alabama-Wyoming) or by country (Africa-South Seas).  Each drawer is labeled according to the destination information it contains.

Patrons simply open the drawer they are interested and take out the content that they want to read.  Everything in these file cabinets falls under the Honor collection. The materials in these drawers are not barcoded and do not have to be checked out with a library card. Just like the Honor books, patrons are requested to let the Adult Circulation desk know how many items they are taking. The library will record this material as “In House Circulation.” Patrons are on the honor system to return these materials.

When I looked through this section, I was thrilled to find pictures and information about my husband’s small home town in North Dakota. I was impressed that there would be this much detail in these files.

Near the vertical Travel Section is the Map Shelf.

Some of the items on this unit are marked “Honor” and do not have to be checked out on a library card. The patron is requested to let Adult Circulation know how many of these items are being taken. Like the Honor books, patrons are on the honor system to return these materials. The items here that are not marked “Honor” are catalogued as Reference and must be used in the building. After use, either leave them on top of the shelf or on a nearby table. The staff will reshelve them. By leaving items out for the staff to reshelve, the library can better assess what materials are being used in the library and how often they are used.  This shelf contains hardback and paperback books of maps. The individual shelves pull out for easier access.

We have seen this bookshelf before, but from the other side.

This bookshelf is located directly behind Grant Station and across from the map shelf. This shelf displays the most current legal notices and publications and also offers local and county maps that patrons may take and keep.

Moving to the right brings us back to the Vertical Travel Section.

On the right side of this picture, the wall turns and brings us to a wall of reference books.

As you can probably tell from the picture, the Reference section for hard copy books is shrinking. This is due to the popularity and ease of computers and databases. Most databases are constantly updated with current information and users can usually locate information easier with the assistance of search engines. Many of the books on these shelves have some sort of historical significance and also include things like encyclopedias and dictionaries. These books are all cataloged as Reference and must be used in the building. Just like the maps, they should be left on the tables after use for the staff to reshelve.

Reference & Information Window

The next resource in the Reference Department is the Reference & Information window, sometimes affectionately referred to as the drive through window by the staff. Flanked on both sides by informational booklets, this window provides access to  Greta Grasshopper

and one on one assistance.

Any patron can come to the window to ask any question. In general, however,

 Ricki Racoon fields many questions from Grant Station and refers more in depth questions to Greta Grasshopper.

 Typical questions that might be handled in this area involve actual reference questions that have to be looked up, genealogy questions, and questions pertaining to tax forms to mention a few. A patron may not know how to download e-books on their smart devices or e-readers so Greta helps them through the process. Some patrons need to have tests proctured. This is a service that the Fulton County Public Library offers free of charge. Greta is usually the staff member responsible for providing this service. When Greta isn’t working with an in person patron, she may be working with patrons on the telephone.

Much of the library’s “behind the scenes” work happens through the Reference Department. In addition to the responsibilities mentioned, Greta orders all of the books for the  Adult and Teenage collections. She processes Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests for books and movies and requests for new library books. Book donations are given to the Reference Department where Greta makes collection development decisions for the adult and teen collections. (Children’s book donations are handled by the Children’s Department.) Some books are sent to Technical Services to be cataloged for the library. Other books may be designated for the Friends of the Library monthly book sale, outreach programs, or even be used by various library programs. Hard copy reference books and the Indiana Room are also part of Greta’s responsibility.

Patrons may be interested in reading the Fulton County Public Library’s policy for book and media donations. If so, just click this:

Click to access Book%20and%20Media%20Donation%20Policy.pdf

All of the above is quite a bit of work and on extremely busy days, it can get rather crazy. The Reference Department employees show their collective sense of humor by posting this sign.

No asylum would be complete without it’s own resident shrink which explains the presence of the bobble headed Sigmund Freud.

It’s unclear if the staff want to give counsel or receive it. The patron should evaluate this on an individual basis.

Reference & Information

Moving to the left of the Grant Station, I encountered this bookshelf loaded with information and resources. The sign to the left of the bookshelf points me to the Reference and Information window (more on that later). For now, this bookshelf deserves a serious look because it offers a great deal of information.

On the top shelf alone, I found brochures, bookmarks, flyers, business cards, and folders loaded with helpful resources.

Since this shelf is bound to be constantly changing, I thought I would share the types of information I found at this point in time:

Information on how financial aid applicants can avoid fraud and identity theft

Information on how to go to school or work in Indiana (KnowHow2GOIndiana.org)

How to use Inspire, Indiana’s virtual library (Inspire.IN.gov)

How to download eBooks & Audiobooks for your computer, mobile device, iPod or eBook reader from eIndiana Digital Consortium

Information on A to Z databases which is described as “Ultimate Databases for Jobs, Businesses, Mailing Lists, Background & Criminal Search.”

Information on How to do a job search, email job listings, and write a resume

Contact information for the Department of Education for information on local education contracts, ideas for improving schools, education research and statistics, policies and practices, or locating education experts.

A listing of digital resources offered by the Fulton County Public Library free of charge which include: 3M Cloud Library, Ancestry.com, ARRC, AtoZ Databases, Britannica, Cypress Resume, Freegal, Inspire, HeritageQuest, Hoopla, Mango, Overdrive, Small Engine Repair Reference, Tumble Books, and Zinio. Those who have an Evergreen Indiana library card, an Evergreen PIN and a working email address will be able to access these services at http://www.fulco.lib.in.us.

Information about HIP, the new Healthy Indiana Plan

College information about Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana University Kokomo, and Trine University

Moving to the second shelf I found more information about colleges, job searching, and flyers highlighting our Auto Repair Reference Center (ARRC) database. The ARRC boasts information about more than 35,000 vehicles from 1945 to present, 857,000 drawings and step by step photographs, and over 158,600 wiring diagrams.

The third shelf sports free coloring books about fire safety for some of our tiniest patrons, a consumer information catalog, and a map of Fulton County and Rochester, Indiana.

On the fourth shelf, the contents switch from general information to barcoded  sheet music that patrons can check out.  To the right of the actual sheet music is a sheet music index to make finding a specific arrangement easier.

The fifth and final shelf packs in a lot of important information. The brochures on this shelf all pertain to services for the handicapped. There is an application for free individual library services to meet the needs of the blind, visually handicapped, physically handicapped, reading disabled and deaf. Approved applicants will be eligible to receive library materials with special accomodations such as playback machines and accessories.

The remainder of this shelf contains various bits of legal information such as food inspection reports, the city of Rochester Wellhead Protection Program information, and many documents from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The older IDEM documents reside on this shelf. The newest ones are publicly posted elsewhere. There are also copies of various permit applications and notices of decisions made by IDEM.