HCPL Wins Harford Award 2007

HCPL received the 2007 Harford Award for Non Profit business of the year last night at the Harford Awards dinner.

The award stated, "Harford County Public Library is a vibrant public library system of eleven branches located through the county and has served county residents for over 60 years. The Library’s current strategic plan sets goals in the area of innovation, library services, marketing, fundraising and technology, further defining what the public library of today means to Harford County’s residents. HCPL remains a strong community center, open and welcoming to people of all ages, providing information, books and other materials, services and programs free of charge to meet the expectation of today’s culture. Unique programs include the Silver Reader, a new library service for older adults where the vehicle visits Senior Centers, Senior Housing and Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes. New branches have been constructed in Abingdon and Jarrettsville. HCPL continues its growth with several other branches recently expanding and the Churchville Branch is in the planning stage as a cooperative endeavor with Harford County Parks and Recreation. With more than 3.5 million books and other items loaned in 2006, and more than 1.5 million users per year, Harford County Public Library remains an integral part of the Harford County community."

I had a few minutes to speak after accepting the award and in my speech said that “this award was a great recognition of the energy, passion and dedication that the staff of HCPL brings to their jobs every single day”. I also acknowledged the staff that was at the ceremony with us and all of the staff who were not there.

Audra Caplan, Director

One Web Day 2007

The second annual One Web Day is Saturday, September 22nd. This event is celebrating all things "web!" Just think how much the World Wide Web has changed the way we do things... in some cases, changing lives, in others, just adding more immediate access to information.

More information? Just click One Web Day!

Would you join us along with thousands of other organizations and individuals to mark this day? How has the web touched your life?

Have you ...

• downloaded music?
• mashed-up music?
• created a blog?
• put digital pictures online?
• created a podcast?
• found old friends online?
• found new friends online?
• found the love of your life?
• worked remotely online?
• taught someone how to blog?
• made a website for yourself?
• made a website for someone else?
• created a wireless hotspot in your business?
• created a wiki?
• edited someone else's wiki?
• created a MySpace?
• posted on someone else's MySpace?
• run a virtual meeting?
• visited a 3-D world like Second Life?
• completed a homework assignment?
• started an online newsletter?
• checked your child's progress in school?
• contacted your congressman?
• requested a book?
• downloaded an audio book or movie?
• got directions to an event?

Share your story here, click on "comments!"

Libraries Reach Out to Virtual Communities

Harford County Public Library, along with several other public libraries, is venturing further into the virtual worlds created on the Internet. For instance, on Second Life, a 3-D world with over 8 million "citizens," HCPL is sending librarians to be trained to work at the Alliance Library, an international cooperative with librarians from all over the world. In this world, reference services include traditional reference questions as well as in-world help. As Tom Peters, known in SL as Maxito Ricardo, a consultant and instructor for the University of Illinois in Champaign says, "we are looking to a future where people will no longer just 'multi-task' but 'multi-world.'" Other virtual worlds like Second Life are being developed for entertainment as well as networking, training, and artistic expression.