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A Kendal Favorite 01/29/08 |
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The Kendal library is one of the Kendal gems that was created and developed by the residents of Kendal. It contains over 12,000 volumes, most of which were donated by the residents. The collection contains a representation of every field that one would find in a good, professional library. Since the resident population includes many retired Cornell University professors as well as professionals from many fields, their private libraries reflected their fields of interest and study.
The Kendal library contains many of these collections. In includes in addition, collections of maps, reference books, art and history collections, collections representing many of the sciences and the arts, religion, gardening, etc. etc.; an eclectic, practical library of books to please every interest and taste in reading.
The Kendal library staff also adds new books to its large non-fiction collection with regular purchases with funds provided by the Residents' Association activities budget. These funds are provided by Kendal residents through voluntary donations to the Association in support of the many community activities that residents enjoy.
The library also has a considerable collection of videos and audio tapes, all of which can be signed out by the residents. The complete list of all of the types of materials in this library is far too long to list here. The photographic tour that follows will provide you with a glimpse of what is available.
As
a matter of information, this library is completely "resident operated
and managed" A corps of dedicated volunteers devotes many hours weekly
to the upkeep and maintenance of the facility.
The library maintains a relationship with the Tompkins County Public Library as well. Books can be ordered from the Public Library (on line) and on the telephone. They will then be delivered to Kendal by the Public Library. Likewise, there are regular pick-ups to return books to the Public Library. A Kendal van is available weekly for this service.
A pictorial "Walking Tour" of the Kendal Library follows:
Technology at work: facilitating the management and use of the library and making our library accessible to the handicapped:
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The magnifying reader shown here can magnify any print material to a size that can accommodate the need of someone with low vision . The print can be easily adjusted in size and focus by anyone using the machine. It is used by residents to read books, magazines, newspapers, and any other visual material. |
| The Arkenstone Reader (at the right) literally "reads" printed material so that a resident with little or no vision can have access to printed materials. It can be used to read documents, letters, books, newspaper articles, or any other printed matter that can be scanned into the machine. The print is recognized no matter how it is oriented in the scanner. The machine can detect whether the "page" is rightside-up or upside-down and decode it properly. | %2B--.jpg) |
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The photocopy machine is located in te library and is available to residents 24 hours per day. It is one of the most used pieces of equipment at Kendal. Residents pay 10 cents per copy. The funds are used by the Residents' Council to purchase supplies etc. The machine is replaced with a new one periodically with these funds as well. |
| The Kendal library is managed by computer. The staff has been able to catalog the complete collection with this technology, using the Library of Congress as the source of cataloging information. The complete collection was transferred to catalog cards by computer as well, for those residents that prefer to use the card catalog in their searches. The computer is used as well for its internet access capabilities for information searches. |  |
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The resident directories contain biographical and other information that helps residents acquaint themselves with their community and fellow residents. A complete set of directories includes current resident biographies, telephone/email/address directories, Kendal staff directory and a directory of deceased Kendal residents. |
| The entire library collection, including video tapes, audio tapes, and all categories of "stack" collections (12,000 volumes) are cataloged by computer and by card file. Searches can be done by subject, author and topic. Books are crossreferenced as well. All of this work was done by dedicated staff volunteers who continue to maintain the system and keep it updated. New volumes are continually being brought into the system as new residents donate their private collections. |  |
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The library maintains a collection of atlases and maps available to residents at all times. In addition, there are several excellent mapping web sites on the internet that provide an additional resource for residents who may need travel information and such. |
The Collection: the library resources (books and other collections):
The following collection of pictures shows a sampling of the various collections of books on site. To fully appreciate what you see here you would have to personally visit the library and explorer these collections. All book are cataloged according to the Dewey Decimal format.
Arts
Fiction
History
Literature
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The Video Tape Collection is maintained in its own carousel. The tapes cover many subjects. They can be checked out just like books. This tape collection includes, among other things: recordings of Kendal events and town meetings, movies; lectures and scientific series on assorted subjects. The collection is continually being added to by donations from residents. |
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The magazine collection includes most of the popular titles. All magazines are donated by residents who maintain personal subscriptions and donate them to the library for general use. The collection is maintained and kept current by a resident volunteer. |
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The library has subscriptions to several newspapers including the local paper (The Ithaca Journal), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Christian Science Monitor. This section of the library is a very popular one. |