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February ’99 LIBRARY NEWS Computer Update As most of you know, we are getting ready to replace our library computer system in 1999. We have had the current system for 16 years and it has been inexpensive. However, the company which owns it is going out of business. During the last 16 years. West Vancouver has invested very little to update this technology. Unfortunately this means we have some catch-up to do. Our infrastructure is not compatible with today *s systems. Imagine buying a new appliance to replace an old one which could no longer be repaired and discovering that all of the new models require 220 power which you do not have. That is similar to the situation we find ourselves in today. The good news is that the new systems offer many ser- vices which we cannot currently provide. We are looking forward to providing such things as renewal by phone and by home computer. These are services already available in North Vancouver District and Vancouver. In addition, many of the staff functions are far more efficient in the new systems. For example, most of them do things like automatically generate the labels we put on the back of each book. Currently, staff produce these labels on a typewriter (yes, there are a few of these still in existence). Library systems are huge software packages which perform many of the library functions with which we are all familiar. These packages are already complete and won^t be ‘^custom** products. There are 6 or 7 of these major systems for sale in North America today. WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC,V7V 1J8 Tel: (604) 925-7400 Library Hours: (604) 925-7401 Fax: (604) 925-5933 Modem Acc.: 925-7409 URL: \vww.wvml.jeslacs.bc.ca Most of these companies sell their systems all over the English speaking world and you can see examples of al- most all of them in the Lower Mainland. The decision as to which of these is best for WVML, revolves around how well these systems perform library functions. How simple is check-out? How easy is it to place a hold or look up a book? And of course how much does it cost? We will probably receive proposals from most of the companies with these systems. Once we have narrowed down the field, we will have rigorous interviews and dem- onstrations by the companies. At that time, we plan to invite those of you who are interested to attend a session about the functions which you use (such as searching the catalog). We will ask your help in rating the finalists. The next few months will be very important ones for West Vancouver Memorial Library with lots of hard work for the staff on top of their regular duties. We are looking forward to using our expertise as library professionals to select a good system which will allow us to continue to run smoothly and provide new features and efficiencies for both staff and patrons. REFERENCE SERVICES The 3*^** edition of the now-8-volume Popular Music Ency- clopedia has arrived in the Reference Department. This is a remarkably comprehensive reference set with entries by musician, music group or band, album title, musical event and other subjects related to popular music. The Western (read, Christian) world ought to be indebted to Islamic scholars for the many fundamentals of its high- tech society. One of the most important is the branch of mathematics called algebra, developed by Persian math- ematician al-Khwarizmi in a book called Jabr wa-al- Muqdbalah (The Book of Algebra and al-Maqabalah). Al-jabr (or, algebra) means removal of negative terms in an equation, and al-muqdbalah means the combination of similar terms, both functions being central to algebra. Al-Khwarizmi was the founder of the Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), which was the library and translation academy in Baghdad. In fact, the term algorithm is de- rived from this mathematician’s name “al-Khwarizmi.” The Indian numerical system included the symbol for zero, an- other Arabic-derived term, and was adopted by the Arabs who called it sifr or tsifr and incorporated it into their math- ematics, enabling us to represent long numbers using “zero” as a placeholder. Other words borrowed from the Arabic are: cipher, zenith, alchemy, nadir, almanac, tariff, magazine, arsenal, hazard, assassin, albatross, apricot, syrup, and not to forget the Arabic word alkuhl, distilled to the present-day English word alcohol. ADULT SERVICES IN THE GALLERY ... “Discovering the Amazing World of Pastel with Pencil Crayon” by Mahnaz Kiankhooy-Fard and “Wallflowers and Beyond” by Judy Prendergast, will be on display February 8 - March 7,1999. Mahnaz received her arts degree from Iran’s National Uni- versity and studied and taught in Iran for many years. Since immigrating to Canada she has had a solo exhibition and now gives private art classes. Judy studied art and art history at the Vancouver School of Art. She has worked as a portrait artist and muralist for many years. She has exhibited widely on the Lower Main- land and North Shore and currently instructs in advanced watercolour at the West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre. Reception, artists in attendance, February 8,1999, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Most paintings are for sale. FEBRUARY ... Valentine’s Day ... and the prelude to Spring. The shortest month ... filled with celebration, romance and renewal. We offer a few suggestions to bring joy to your heart... (394.2 S77v) STAFF, FRANK The Valentine And Its Origins The history of valentine messages in photographs and words.