Clickety Clack to Tap, Tap Tap

Notes from the Lampert Library
As many of you know, I’ve been the librarian at Shomrei for many years. I started as an untrained volunteer, learned a lot, earned a graduate degree in library science, and worked as a library professional in several venues.

Library computerization paralled my career.  However, due to budgetary constraints, the Lampert Library has remained way back in the 20th century. Yes, we have a computer and it’s fast. But I still type cards to file in the card catalog.

For years, I’ve wanted to do a simple computerization of our library. I think of the time that computerization would save: no typing cards, no filing cards, no pulling out old cards. Each of us—clergy, congregants, teachers—could look online for items in the Lampert Library. Keeping track of the books we own and loan would be streamlined. Congregants could reserve books exactly as you do at the public library.

Just in time for a new year, we have a couple of angels who are willing to help support the computerization project. It’s not terribly expensive. Annual support is under $400. And a value cannot be put on the time saved. If we do the database conversion ourselves, there is no further expense.

It’ll take a lot of time. Ideally, some of the work could be done by students want to do community service or congregants who might be willing to help in the conversion process. Even better would be to raise funds to pay someone to do part of the work.

My plea to all of you is to use this new project as an opportunity to fund the Lampert Library into the future. Once we are computerized, we have a commitment to continue to support this project.

Please help the Lampert Library move forward. Remember that the Library is self-supporting with donations from YOU. Any donation earmarked for computerization will go into the Computerization Fund of the Lampert Library and will be used only for that purpose.

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