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News from the SC Stacks

By Nancy Davis

I like to read! I like to read for pleasure. I like to read for

knowledge. We never know too much. Also, I believe that reading
at this stage of my life is a positive intervention that helps to combat
the risk of the various disorders that affect cognitive functioning. I
am almost 67. I have worked in healthcare for 40 plus years. I have
had ongoing mental stimulation. To continue with that, having a
library at our disposal is a wonderful thing. Thank you!

Iwant to thank everyone who took No craft books, cookbooks, gardening, Nancy is the representative for the
the time to take the library’s recent travel guides: Most craft, cooking and Sun City Texas Library.
survey about non-fiction preferences. gardening books that are donated are
I found it all to be helpful. Some of either very dated or disappear from the comments that patrons assume our
the answers were expected; some were shelf never to be seen again. Because library purchases books. This is not
not. The comments were enlightening, of this, we pass these types of books true. All of our books, videos and audio
and I intend to implement as many along to appropriate Sun City clubs or books are donated by generous residents.
suggestions as I can. At first, I thought other organizations that have libraries Of course, we do have a choice in what
I would try to respond to some of the of their own. They are able to keep track materials we keep and what materials
remarks by email, but there were so of books in their much smaller libraries we pass along to others. We try to choose
many that I decided that replying in by a check-out system. Travel guides are the books that seem to be of most interest
my column would be better and easier. usually donated several years after the to the majority of patrons. There is also a
Here are my answers to some of those book is used, making the information “lag time” for best sellers and otherwise
comments. dated and useless. Why take up valuable very popular books. The book has to be
shelf space with out-of-date information purchased, read, and then, probably
Library is too confusing, too many easily available from other sources? not immediately, donated to the library.
sections, hard to use: This is a problem What we get is what you get. Libraries
for volunteers as well as patrons. We I read non-fiction – I get my information that have a check-out system do so
would like to have the fiction books from my computer: Yes, computers because they need to know where their
alphabetized continuously and the non- are good for finding information, and books are for financial reasons. This
fiction in a more logical order also. The computers have replaced printed gives them a built-in method of knowing
reason we do not do this is the shelving materials such as encyclopedias, atlases, when a book is popular and when it is
is so fragmented. The shelving we have guides and almanacs with much more not. We do not keep track of our books
was not designed for a library of our size. up-to-date information. But sometimes a in any organized way; therefore, we
We hope to remedy this with the new non-fiction book serves to help a person cannot say that since a book has not been
layout which is being planned; more on dig deeper into a subject. An entire book “checked out” or on a “reserve list” it is
this in a later commentary. on a subject such as Boys in a Boat or not popular enough to keep.
Lincoln’s Cabinet: Team of Rivals or The We received many encouraging and
No older books or classics, why is Wright Brothers immerses the reader in complementary comments which are
“classics” in non-fiction: We do have an all the background around the topic and appreciated very much. We do try to keep
older or classic literature section. The makes it easier to understand what really the library current, and we are open to
more formal Dewey System uses the happened and why it happened the way constructive comments.
800 numbers for literature in various it did. Non-fiction can sometimes give
languages, poetry, drama, fiction, essays, us insight on how a historic event might DID YOU KNOW…
speeches, letters, satire and humor. We affect us today. Most of our non-fiction Library volunteers reported 6,187
do not adhere to the formal classification, books are very readable and entertaining. hours for the 2016 year. That is a
but we have placed the classics and older Some are very well written; others are full-time equivalent of 3 employed
books with staying power in the 800 not, just as is evident in fiction writing. persons. On average, each volunteer
section of the non-fiction because of space As with all sources of information, the worked 79 hours last year.
limitations in our fiction area. We do try reader needs to verify the facts.
to keep some of the “oldies but goodies”
on the fiction and non-fiction shelves, Please, more (of a certain kind of book):
but again, there are space limitations. I get the impression from some of these

ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG JUNE 2017 SUNRAYS | 53