"Do What You Can, With What You've Got, Where You Are:" Coping with Circumstances Inside the BDC Research Room, Part Two

A few weeks ago, I outlined my management plan for the BDC going forward. There has been some necessary adjustments made that are likely to continue for some time. What can a person interested in Beaufort District's long and storied history do to help him/herself to educational materials about that tale in light of those necessary adjustments? Perhaps more than you might think.  

The BDC delivers local history information about the geographical area called "Beaufort District" along three distinct pathways: 1) To Researchers physically present in the Research Room; 2) At the Branch Libraries through local history programs and the local history sections of materials you can borrow; and 3) In virtual form via reference questions arriving by email or over the telephone or through the blogs or via digital collections we share through the Lowcountry Digital Library or one of the other 5 buttons you find towards the bottom of the BDC's home webpage on the Beaufort County Library website.

Through the years, I have posted a lot of content on the Library's website through the BDC's homepage. This content is available at no charge to anyone with access to the internet 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year. I would recommend that you explore what's hiding behind the buttons first. When the SunCity Carolinians came last month, I walked them through the the BDC's homepage. I'm going to do the same for you. 

Starting from the very top: If there's a notice that everyone needs to see, it is usually in a red bar with white letters just under the address bar. In this case, I'm writing this post on 30 June so the notice refers to the upcoming July 4th closure of the Library system. 

The next section contains the Library's logo on the left and three linked items on the right: the Contact Us button in teal - which allows you to send an email to the system; a blue outlined box that lets you "Search for an item" that links you to the page from which you can read magazines on Flipster; borrow items through the Library's streaming service, Hoopla, or see what's in the Library's SCLENDS based catalog. 

Proceeding towards the bottom of the page, for the time being there is a link to the Library's Strategic Plan survey document, here indicated with the words "Tell us what you think about the library." 

The next line of tabs is permanent and looks like this: 

If you hover over "Locations", you'll see a drop-down box of all the Library's service units: Beaufort Branch, BDC/Local History, Bluffton Branch, Bookmobiles, Hilton Head Island Branch, Lobeco Branch, and St. Helena Branch and their respective homepages. 

If you hover over "Books & Downloadables", you'll get access to the Library's SCLENDS catalog, Hoopla service, and the Flipster magazines. 

"Events" contains Book Club information and the Library system's calendar of upcoming programs and events. 

"Summer Reading" tends to appear in the late Spring and goes away in August or September. 

The "Research & Learn" tab has an extensive array of digital materials so many that I am including a picture of that drop-down box for you: 

Newest among them is access to the New York Times! The relevant ones for the BDC virtual services  are: Ancestry.com; Library History; Local History - which really just gives you another way to get to the BDC's homepage and buttons; and Obituary Index. The other resources in the dropdown box are important, too - just not as relevant to the BDC's mission. 

The "Services" tab has sections  "For Children," "For Teens," "Curbside," "Get a Library card," "Meeting Rooms," "Scan, Print, Fax, Copy" services, "State Park Pass," "Subscribe" to library e-newsletters, and the seasonally populated "Tax Help." 

The "About Us" tab has the most buttons. Hence this image: 

 

You could also think of it as the policies and partnerships tab. If you haven't yet completed the Survey, please do. The data gathered will inform the Strategic Plan now being created. 

Now we're going to get to the meat of the BDC's Homepage. On the left under the tab line is "Beaufort District Collection There is now limited access to the Research Room. Contact gracec@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6446 for details" and then the BDC's address. I'm here to tell you that while I am away, Ileana Herrick, the Library's Administrative Assistant is the person to contact. Her email address is iherrick@bcgov.net; her telephone number is 843-255-6452.                                                                                                      I want to draw your attention to the About the BDC section under the logo. This describes in broad terms the types of materials the Research Room has and the basic outline of services this unit provides. Researchers will want to pay particular attention to the details about the parking situation.                                                                                    Under the About the BDC is two lines of buttons: Digital Collections link to the 8 collections we have posted to the Lowcountry Digital Library; Connections Blog is actually this format; BDC on Facebook page, Local History Materials is the Library's Marketing director's term for the BDC's Lists, Links, and Finding Aids Blog on the WordPress platform; Beaufort County Moments is a short video series consisting of 17 topics  that the County Channel produced in 2010-2011; Ancestry.com Library Edition provides access to this venerable genealogical database on the Library's computers inside our buildings; and the Local Obituary Index.

  

There's a duplicate "Contact Us" button in the big teal box along the bottom of the BDC's webpage that is repeated on every webpage on the Library system's website. You'll also see a "Subscribe" button, the Facebook icon that will take you to the Library system's Facebook page; and the YouTube icon that will take you to the Beaufort County Library's YouTube Channel. 

On the Library's YouTube Channel you will currently find 4 BDC produced local history programs: "The Means of Grace" with Dr. Eric Plaag;  "Duels in Beaufort District" with Neil Baxley; my "Tide of Death"; and "The Hidden Senator" with Anne Christensen Pollitzer. 

There is an alternate way to get to all these features on the BDC's homepage. Using the "Research & Learn" tab, select "Local History" from the drop-down box to get this array of the same material: 

I encourage you to thoroughly explore and search all the content made available through the Library's website about local history. 

Celebrate National Library Week 2020 from the Comfort of Your Home

National Library Week (April 19- 25, 2020) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. I always look forward to advocating for my industry of choice and employment during the celebration. However this year, I feel even more passionately that we lovers of libraries must speak out - and perhaps more forcefully than ever - as cutbacks are sure to come in the wake of all the death and economic disruption caused by worldwide attempts to "flatten the curve" of this dreadful pandemic.

Thus, like the rest of our lives as of mid-March, National Library Week 2020 is certainly different this year. Even the logo changed as library after library closed in the wake of all the disruption caused by everyone's attempt to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus.  We cannot have any large gatherings at the moment - and certainly not inside our buildings to mark this annual weeklong occasion.

While most libraries have closed their buildings to protect the public as well as staff members from contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus, many are open for business online, providing and promoting their virtual services and digital content in new ways. Many like the Beaufort County Library have expanded access to digital content . Many like Beaufort County Library are finding innovative ways to continue programming efforts using technology tools that some have never used before.

As in the past, libraries as community institutions and library staff have proven themselves agile in reacting to circumstances and proactive in thinking of new ways to deliver services that the community needs. Almost overnight libraries transformed from places where staff deliver services to individual customers on a one-to-one basis into organizations of individual workers stationed at home who deliver personal services to other individuals primarily through technology and through our websites. Some of it has been fly-by-the-seats of our pants though Library staff are learning via free webinars how to better position Beaufort County Library to serve you, our community, in these unusual times by repositioning the Library as a trusted second line helper in the public health fight of the new century.

The BDC has long had "Virtual" services through its social media and presence on the Library's website. If you've attended any of our 20 local history programs or outreach efforts this fiscal year, you've heard about at least one or more of those services at each of those interactions with community members. I hope that you're using at least one or more of those portals to get your local history on!

Over the years, the BDC has as many website/virtual customers as it has had inside our physical Research Room. But COVID-19 now means that all our customers are at least temporarily somewhere else. The same is true for the Beaufort County Library as a whole. Library staff have been working hard since our buildings were closed to the public to serve our community in new and enhanced ways. Here are some of the changes:

• Temporary Library Cards
• Temporary Access to Ancestry Library Edition from home! 
• Temporary Suspension of Overdue Material Fines
• You can borrow more items from Hoopla
• Temporary Access to News Reliability database began April 2, 2020
• Library Book Drops Re-open, April 17, 2020
• A newly created Reading Suggestions for Downloadables page

According to reports submitted to the Library Board of Trustees by Library Director Ray McBride, Library staff have completed more than 1500 hours of continuing education and answered hundreds of questions through our home computers, internet connections and smart phones.  Staff have managed new services and promoted our website, databases, and downloadable services such as Hoopla and Cloud Library. Circulation of electronic formats have exploded. Staff received guidelines on how to do online presentations on Wednesday, April 15 so be alert for upcoming virtual programs, including (probably) one from us during May.

I have maintained all the BDC's social media from home during the shutdown. There is at least one Facebook post per day - and sometimes more. Please visit the BDC Facebook page for upcoming posts about these National Library Week events ... and more:

Monday, April 20: The 2020 State of America's Libraries Report is released
Tuesday, April 21: National Library Workers Day
Wednesday, April 22: National Bookmobile Day
Thursday, April 23: Take Action for Libraries Day

To stay in the know, please subscribe to receive e-blasts from the Library system and the Beaufort District Collection. #AloneTogether can't last forever. We will return to our buildings and to serving you with research help inside our facility and through gatherings with others interested in learning more about this wonderful place in which we are currently sheltering-in-place.