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And the winner is



Collect the Facts! Take the Quiz Thanks to everyone who participated!
For the past eight weeks, we posted little known facts about JCPL online and in our libraries. Patrons had the opportunity to take a quiz to test their knowledge of JCPL. Everyone who answered the 10 questions correctly was entered into a drawing to win $70 in gift cards (a $50 Visa Gift Card and a $20 gift certificate for the Belmar Library Gift and Book Shop). More than 100 people took the quiz and of that number over 80 people answered all 10 questions correctly!


Week 8

  • This gal was a barrel o' fun!

    Annie Edson Taylor (October 24, 1838 - April 29, 1921) was an American adventurer who became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901.

  • When you're hot, you're hot!

    The Naga Jolokia (ghost chili) is the hottest pepper. The "hotness" of peppers is measured in Scoville units, as defined by William Scoville in 1912. To determine a "unit," an alcohol extract of capsaicin oil from a measured amount of dried pepper is added to sugar water until the "heat" is just detectable by a panel of (usually five) tasters. The Scoville rating for a particular type of pepper will vary (by a factor of 10 or more) depending on seed lineage, climate, and soil. The Naga Jolokia registers 855,000 - 1,750,000 Scoville units, as compared to a Bell pepper that registers 0-15.

  • In 2009, JCPL fielded nearly 1,300 reference questions every day!


Week 7



  • We get by with a little help from our Friends.

    Our Friends group, a subsidiary of the Jefferson County Library Foundation, is a county-wide organization of more than 500 volunteers dedicated to enhancing the programs and resources of JCPL. Anyone can be a Friend to JCPL. For more information contact the Friends of JCPL at friends@jeffcolibrary.org.

  • Looking for inexpensive holiday gifts?

    On Friday, Dec. 3 (from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec. 4 (from 12-4 p.m.) Friends of the Jefferson County Public Library are sponsoring a Holiday Whale of a Used Book Sale at the Golden Library - with more than 2,000 used books and gifts for sale. In 2009, our Friends sold more than 250,000 used books and raised more than $130,000 for the Foundation.


Week 6

  • JCPL provides better returns than Fidelity, Vanguard or T. Rowe Price.

    Libraries are among the most effective of all public services, serving more than 2/3 of the public with less than 2 percent of all tax dollars. In Jefferson County, the average monthly cost to the taxpayer to support public-library resources is $5.80 - well under the cost of a single book, movie or music CD. In 2009 the residents of Jefferson County provided $26 million to support the Library - and on average, residents received the equivalent of $104 million in services, for a return on investment of 400 percent. You can calculate the value of the Library to you and your family via our ROI calculator.

  • Library employees are exceptionally efficient.

    In 2007, JCPL saw that it would face some tough budget challenges in 2010 and beyond. To help the Library meet those challenges, we launched an Efficient and Effective Service Review Initiative (EESRI). This is an online mechanism for employees to initiate ideas to streamline activities, eliminate unnecessary work and suggest improvements to Library operations. Between 2007 and 2009, staff-initiated ideas resulted in ongoing savings in annual operating costs of approximately $650,000!

  • Library technology saves money.

    Historically, JCPL has proactively embraced technology to help capture efficiencies and streamline operations. We were the first public library in the country to go to a computer catalog, more than 25 years ago. We were early adopters of RFID technology and we have implemented self check-out systems in most of our libraries. This year, we're piloting automatic book sorters that can process returned materials at a rate of 1,700 per hour, compared to 300 per hour when done manually. Our commitment to the efficient use of technology has enabled us to deliver quality service with fewer employees than most libraries. In fact, JCPL has the lowest ratio of staff-to-10,000-items-circulated when compared to public library peers in the state of Colorado.


Week 5

  • Our librarians sing and dance. In public!

    Think Librarians are stuffy and staid? Think again! JCPL librarians have created a unique Book Cart Drill Team that performs at local fairs and parades, including Evergreen Rodeo Parade, Lakewood on Parade, Arvada Harvest Parade and the Buffalo Bill Days Parade. JCPL's extreme librarians and their book cart drill team took FIRST PLACE in the Most Unique Entry category in the 2010 Buffalo Bill Days parade!

  • Your Library card can take you places.

    With JCPL's innovative Culture Pass program, Library cardholders are able to book a specific date to visit participating cultural institutions using the Library's membership. Participating institutions include the Butterfly Pavilion; Colorado History Museum; Denver Firefighter's Museum; Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys; Dinosaur Ridge; Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. In 2009, JCPL distributed 1,680 Culture Passes for two or more attendees.

  • If you can't come to JCPL, JCPL will come to you.

    JCPL uses volunteers and the U.S. postal service to deliver library materials across the globe and to those unable to leave their home. Our Homebound service has grown 368 percent in the last four years! Find information about this and other assistive services.


Week 4

  • Get to know us...on the go.

    You can get JCPL factoids delivered to your mobile device, e-mail, or news aggregator. Simply sign up...

  • Add our blog to your RSS feeder for regular updates.Then in the settings of your news aggregator, like MyYahoo!, you can change you settings to receive alerts via e-mail or text.

  • Or, you can go to our homepage - www.jeffcolibrary.org - and look to the left and check out "What's New," our blog and look to the right and click on the RSS Feed button to add us to your RSS reader for regular updates.

  • Matt Stone, one of the creators of South Park, grew up in Littleton.

    With the subscription databases available through JCPL's Online Library like Biography in Context, you can find information on just about anyone; from figures from ancient history to U.S. Presidents to contemporary pop culture icons. You can also find out how they made beer in 16th century England (Daily Life Through History); find a copy of the Littleton High School Yearbook from 1963 and more. JCPL provides online access to more than 80 subscription databases. For more information, check out Research Tools.

  • Our computers are the busiest in town.

    In a down economy, public access to technology is more important than ever. In 2009:

  • Nearly 76 percent of public libraries reported increased use of their public Internet computers - particularly to find employment and connect to online government services.

  • There was a 23 percent increase in libraries providing assistance to patrons applying for or accessing e-government services, including tax forms, unemployment benefits and Medicare enrollment.

  • At JCPL, patrons logged more than 370,000 hours of computer time on our public computers.


Week 3

  • You're never too old to have your own Facebook page.

    JCPL's Connecting Generations program introduces residents of senior living facilities to new ways of connecting with their grandkids and others via new technologies. We offer instruction on how to use devices such as MP3 players, Flip Video, the Sony eReader and the Nintendo Wii. Introduced in November 2009, JCPL’s Connecting Generations program was attended by nearly 300 people last year.

  • Google = Gobbledygook.

    Search for librarian on Google and in 0.17 seconds you get 44.2 million results. Search for a librarian in one of our libraries and you get a live, professional person who will take the time to help you find the one answer you need.

  • JCPL can help you with implicit differentiation (advanced calculus.)

    Check out HelpNow! -- one of JCPL's online subscription databases, serving students (K through 12) and adult learners. Online tutors are available to help you Mon - Sun 2 PM - 11 PM MST. Access HelpNow! to get help in English, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Studies and Adult Education topics.

  • Bonus Factoid: JCPL's youngest Library card holder is 14 days old and our oldest card holder is 100! (as of 10.21.10)


Week 2

  • It hurts to ride the Summer Slide.

    Hint: it's not a piece of playground equipment. Kids who don't read over the summer risk a significant decline in reading and spelling skills, often referred to as the "summer slide." The decline is greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.

    Public library summer reading programs, like our Summer Reading Club, are one solution to the "summer slide." Current research points out that increased summer reading reduces summer learning loss. In 2010, 23,550 kids and teens participated in JCPL's Summer Reading Club.

  • JCPL can help you raise a brainy baby.

    Children gain significant knowledge of language, reading, and writing long before they enter school. Emergent literacy, much like any other cognitive skill, begins at birth. When we use the term "emergent literacy," we are referring to what children know about communication, language (verbal and nonverbal), reading, and writing before they can actually read and write. It encompasses all the experiences children have had with conversation, stories (oral and written), books, and print (Parlakian, 2003). JCPL's Baby and Toddler Storytimes emphasize the natural unfolding of literacy skills through the enjoyment of books, the importance of positive interactions between young children and adults, and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences. Our Storytimes are actually building blocks for language and literacy development. In 2009, JCPL hosted more than 1,900 Storytimes for nearly 47,000 participants.

  • Are Jeffco teens fixated on Twilight?

    No. Our teen readers are reading (and writing reviews on) a wide range of books - from the classics (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird) to best sellers (The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, My Sister's Keeper, The Road and yes, Twilight) to non-fiction (The Bible, The Book of Mormon) and more. Check out teen reader book reviews.


Week 1

  • Last year, more people visited JCPL libraries than Colorado Avalanche, Denver Bronco and Denver Nuggets games combined!

    JCPL attendance
    		 2,880,512

    Denver Bronco attendance 1,139,650
    Colorado Avalanche 571,849
    Denver Nuggets 737,812
    Total
    		 2,449,320

  • You can go to the Library in your pajamas.

    JCPL's online library is available to patrons 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can access www.jeffcolibrary.org any time to apply for a library card, search our catalogue, place materials on hold for later pick-up, pay library fines, access more than 80 subscription databases and find links to a vast array of community resources.

  • JCPL can help you host a meeting of your favorite club.

    More than 900 local organizations used Jefferson County Public Library meeting rooms in 2009. Representative groups include AARP, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Rocky Mountain Inventor's Association, as well as many Jefferson County organizations including the Sheriff's department, Colorado Virtual Academy, Jefferson County Republicans, Jeffco Democrats, Jeffco Libertarians, Jeffco Tea Party, Metro Remodelers, Toastmasters, Autism Society of Colorado, and more.




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