: ’ By DUSTIN QUEZADA - continue to rise, chief. librarian Ed Curell is excited about ‘ ~. to anyone that has a valid library card from another partici- | ’. .March to start.the OneCard program here. ia he ef 5 EN LOAN ANA pl OG RG Re, RT ON A Ng i Me ae ET ee RO 2 RII RL ETT RI ESE ANN AEE Libraries j joining together _ for better service, efficiency OW ama FOLLOWING A ‘year when library visits and circulation 23 TAT Wa a couple of initiatives he hopes will incréase access and.. - materials for visitors. ; The first change is a province-wide program so that par- ' ticipating libraries will be able.to issue cards and loan books pating library as well as photo ID and proof of an address. ” - The library has already received $16,000 — its portion. of $3.2 million from the province based on population ~ in late . ~», The government money will be used to cover the costs of extra staffing and mailing’ costs for materials s being returned _-to their libraries of origin. == .-. p Curell said hé doesn’t expect the program to be used a lot Ba here because there isn’t a huge influx of visitors.” ‘, \ Participating libraries must also commit to working with ‘the Ministry of Education to: give every school- ~aged child as library card, "In April, the library: signed an agreement in principle to become a federation that includes the public libraries in . Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Stewart, Hazelton, Smithers and. Houston and the Northwest Community College Library. * The: federation’ Ss’ goal is to enable closer cooperation among ‘the participating ‘libraries, says Curell. - 7 (“Our main goal is to introduce a single, compatible cata-*. “logue,” he said, adding the seven regional libraries are work- » ing to‘ ‘piggyback” onto the college’s existing system that is “It’s exciting... it’s a big change for us," Curell said. “Our: computer system is about 20 years old.’ . - Curell said the hope is the federation will lead to cost sav- ings, group purchasing allowing for greater discounts and a wider circulation... The. local library has approximately 70, 000 books avail-" able,’a number that would. balloon to about 300. ,000 once ™. -: books from the other libraries are included. The next step - ” toward implementation is a service plan and a budget. The parties have received a $25,000 provincial grant and further $40,000 per year to run the federation... «In January, the library also reached an agreement with. the _ Nisga’a’ School District 92, allowing all Nass Valley resi- dents to be eligible for a free Terrace library card. '. ~The school district paid $2,000 for service to cover up to “40 families (thé cost for library cards for a family. is $50). ‘By mid-April, Curell said there were 60 members from’ wea the Nass, compared to just 15, prior to the agreement. "Overall, the library continues to recover from a'slump in . . membership that coincided with a decline in the city’s popu- : ‘Ap rl il pr roved. to be. a rai ny m O nth lation following the. closure of the Skeena Cellulose/New “ =Skeena mill, - . TERRACE RECEIVED the second greatest . _ The library’s ‘Gifculation high, for « one year was in. the amount of rain in 52 years last month for late 1990s when 245,000 books were loaned out. Last year, any April on record, according to a regional 220,482 books were borrowed; up from 213,716 in 2004.: climate review. “Circulation is up and that’s very nice to see,” Curell The area got. 140.4 mm, which is almost — _ said. “Things seem to be on the rebound.”. .. triple the normal amount for April. 7 The r Te- --.----In addition, 34,000 people used the facility’s intemet and cord is 146 mm in 1987. word processing computers, —-a jump. of. 89 per cent from.,..........aking both snow. and rain into ; account, .. »2003.+Financially, ‘the: library ran a deficit-of $13,902: due Ter ng and, its other staff members as several new projects are. underway. ; wo 8 ” DUSTIN ‘QUEZADA PHOTO. : old record for that day of -2. 8 C in 1976, greater than 30 km/h. to be average. , THINGS ARE looking, .up'at ‘the Terrace. Public ¢ Library for. head librarian Ed Curell ‘errace had - double the, ‘normal: amount. t-of. - mainly to increased. ‘wages and to a lesser extent new insur- ance costs. This year, Curell says the library will receive a $30, 000 i increase from the city — -the first since 2000. - precipitation. “ture this: year,’ "the review states. “The weather last month was ‘also espe-: a _ily. member,” said Northern Health Authority Rowena / “of 3. 2.C was set on the. 15th; breaking the : The month featured 20 days of winds Despite the colder than. usual weather, , however, Environment Canada predicts May : Environment Canada also predicts selon = ‘ “individual's bills. T other wore dark clothing. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 17,2006-A3 News In Brief _ Thief convicted — “A LOCAL man who stole three vehicles and a variety. «of other items from three residences i in the area has been _sentenced for the crimes. Jeremy Ainscow, 23,:was sentenced to five months “in n jail followed by one year of probation for one charge of theft over $5,000, one charge of theft under $5,000 and one charge of possession of stolen property under J $5,000 in Terrace Provincial Court May 9. 0 - On March 7, a 1998 Dodge pickup went missing Poo from First Ave.,at Lakelse Lake. and was later found around Thomhill Creek. That same day a 1991 Honda XR100 motorcycle was stolen from a garage on Thorn- “hill Street. ’ On April 24,.a man’ arrested on another matter was |} ‘found i in possession of keys from a stolen car. The ve- . hicle was found in the .4600 block of Scott Ave. and a ‘stolen TV was discovered ata nearby residence. Both items were from a theft at a Fosberry Dr. residence ear- lier that day. ; ‘Credit card theft. MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital officials are warning . people to avoid placing valuables in. lockers following. | the theft of two credit cards from a day surgery patient.” J. ‘The patient placed. the cards in’a locker along with “| ~ other items while in for day surgery May 9 but didn’ te a” notice they were missing until the next day. ne *°He thought he had left-‘them: elsewhere. until one ie! Batons credit card company: phoned, ‘saying: it had noticed a-Jo number of purchases, outside of his normal pattern, of 7 “usages 7 a “AS much as $1, 200 was spent at nearly 10 local busi- aE ~nesses using one of the cards within hours of the theft.“ | « ~All patients are asked not to bring. any. valuables. in ‘to the hospital and request that any valuables that ‘do accompany any patients-are sent home with a fam-. Holoien.. “Lockers are commonly’. used for personal’ items; . “sich as change of clothés,- toothbrush etc.; but we .} © "strongly encourage patients not to keep anything valu- Be able with them during their stay.” i: cae ' The credit card numbers were’ ‘iminediately ‘can-~ a - célled and the after-theft Purchases, deleted from’ the “pe Cash taken from car. Ak RESIDENT of Hamer. Ave.. -scared away two’ its: . from’ a parked car in ‘the driveway: of. the 4700 block home ‘May,5.; , “The person spotied the two teens; who r fan when they . _ realized they’d been seen. But the person then. discov- “J. ered the teens had. apparently stolen cash from. inside. : the vehicle around 10 p.m. pee Both youths are described as having dark hair. One : had her hair i in a ponytail and wore: white clothing. The As in‘all such: circumstances, police say. valuables d.cas uld_ never. be kept. in unlocked vehicles. . |: sat eVeHMif"at Vehicles. 16eRed,! itemssshould be | ‘stored out of ‘sight. 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