Yolo County Library - Mary L. Stephens Branch

The Mary L. Stephens Branch is part of the Yolo County Library system. It used to be known as the Davis Branch as the sign in the picture below indicates, but the name was changed in December 2006 to honor the former Yolo County Librarian. A satellite book/item return can be found near the main parking lot at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School.

Because of November 2007 Election/Measure P, the building at 315 East 14th Street will be closed for renovation taking up to a year starting in Summer 2009. The library was closed for moving from August 15th to September 8th, according to a press release dated 7/24/09. On Tuesday, September 8, the library opened at an alternate location: 2801 Second Street (Pena and Second, the former DISC arena behind Explorit Science Center) for approximately a year, until renovations are complete.

On November 2, 2007 before the passage of the measure, JessicaRockwell interviewed Branch Librarian JayJohnstone on her KDVS show Neoisms about library services and the measure. This project was covered in the Davis Enterprise on June 10, 2008 and March 15, 2009 (Newsbank). The move to DISC was covered in the Enterprise on June 10 and June 30, 2009.

Photos

The scar left by removing the wall

a 2009 sign warning of bike thefts

Entrance to temporary location Inside the temporary location

Resources

Audio Books

Blanchard Community Room

For more information see The Blanchard Community Room.

Children's Room

Good-sized. Includes children's movies and their own check-out desk.

Read a story about storytime in the children's room in Davis Life Magazine.

Career and Test Preparation

People preparing for standardized tests may utilize the library's digital practice test database, a free feature from http://www.learningexpresslibrary.com. Available tests include: ACT, ASVAB, GED, SAT, CBEST, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, and more. Go to the reference desk and ask for more info. As previously mentioned, they also have a section for test books.

Computer and Internet

These are Internet Access computers for public use. There are 15 computers available, in almost constant use. The library has WiFi throughout the building. You can access wifi by sitting outside the library as well. Unfortunately, the wifi connections allow only HTTP - even VPN connections are blocked. Ethernet jacks are in the meeting room, but the Ethernet jacks require authentication and are for staff use only.

What exactly does this mean? 802.1x? The last time I tried to get ethernet here, the jacks I tried in the main area were just dead (if memory serves, and this was before the installation of web OPAC), and LUGOD lore says that dhcp is available from the red jack in The Blanchard Community Room but only tcp port 80 and 443 can go out to the internet. —NickSchmalenberger

Databases

The Yolo County Library subscribes to many online databases like Newsbank.

Fiction Section

Foreign-Language Materials

There is a shelf across from the Science-Fiction section that includes cassettes and CDs to help you learn other languages. Some of the audio material comes with books. Languages available include: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish and more.

Large Print

The sizable large-print section might be just what your eyes need.

Movies

There are both DVDs and VHS. (in English and many other languages).

Non-Fiction Section

Study Carrels and Tables

After 1:30-2:00PM weekdays, students from the local schools come in and usually fill the available tables/study space.

Circulation Policies

You may check out as many as 50 items with the following limits:
3 non-fiction books per subject
6 audio cassettes
6 music compact discs(CDs)
3 books on compact disc (CDs)
3 DVDs

Loan Periods

3-week circulation period: CDs, Audio Cassettes and Books
1-week circulation period: Videotapes, DVDs, Magazines
Reference materials do not circulate.

Renewals

The following may be renewed for 2 successive periods if there are no requests for them:

Videos, DVDs and magazines - 1 week per renewal
CDs, books and audio tapes - 3 weeks per renewal

Online and phone renewals available. Library card number (and library pin number for online renewals) is required.

Online renewals: Go to http://web-iii.yolocounty.org, click on "MY RECORD", enter the number from your library card and your library pin number, and check the boxes for the items you'd like to renew. Be sure to verify that the items have been renewed successfully. Someone may have placed a hold on an item, and if so, you will be unable to renew it.

Automated phone renewal available 24/7 at 530-666-8016 or 530-666-8017. Have library card and items ready. Listen for confirmation of renewals and note due dates.

Fees

Overdues

Fine per day per item:

$.20 for book, magazine, audio cassette, CD, video cassette, DVD, and special materials.

Lost or Damaged Material

Damage Fee up to $5.00
Replacement fee is cost of item plus $5.00 processing fee (new, identical items accepted as replacement).

Other Charges

Lost or damaged card - $1.00
Copies (per page) - $.15
Color copies - $1.00
Returned check - $25.00
Meeting Room

per hour (closed hours only) - $10.00
food/beverage use $10.00
staff call back $50.00

Best Time to Visit

Weekdays before 2PM and after 6PM are the best times to go to check out a book or just browse. After 1:30-2:00PM weekdays, students from the local schools come in and usually fill the available tables/study space.

Reserving Materials Online

The Yolo County library system has a pretty good selection of books, movies, and more. However it is spread across several branches, and popular books and DVDs other than Richard Simmons' Workout are generally snatched up quickly. If there is a particular book, movie, or other media that you desire (including items currently located at other branches) and you have a library card and PIN, you can look it up and reserve it from home through the online catalog. You will be emailed when the item is available, and can then pick it up from the hold shelves. This is also good for busy people - reserve your items ahead of time, and you can be in and out in five minutes, with no searching.

Parking

Parking is usually not a problem, but because it is a city lot, the lot can fill up at certain times and days of the week. This is true for weekdays around 2:30-3:00PM, when tons of parents commandeer the lot, waiting to pick up their little darlings from North Davis. The same parents will overrun the lot on Saturday mornings, when they come to watch the same little darlings participate in soccer. This has occasionally led to frustrated library patrons complaining to library staff, who can't do anything about it because it's a city lot. Bicycling to the library is a very practical and effective solution because of the library and Community Park's great bike path connections to the North Star Greenbelt and other bike routes.

Book Sale

Every two months, the Friends of the Davis Public Library will hold book sales at the library. These are good for picking up some fiction or non-fiction on the cheap, and are usually in the J. Richard Blanchard Room (named after a long-time friend of the library who worked at Shields Library). Be aware that members of the Friends get first dibs on the night before the sale is opened to the public. The Friends also maintain a book/magazine nook just inside the library entrance— a good opportunity to pick up older magazines or cheap beach books for mere change. The funds are used by the Friends of the Library to enhance the services and collections of the library.

Bronze Plaques Outside

Unidentified text in an italic hand, roughly early 16th century

Arabic? Looks like an early form of Korean with Chinese characters integrated Fantasy early Greek with multiple epichoric variants mixed.

Take some time to wander the sidewalk between the library and its parking lot. Embedded in the concrete are bronze plaques with ameboid edges, one of the Public Art projects installed at the site. (Others are the etchings on the glass of the doors and windows, and the ceramic installations around the two water fountains.) Each plaque has writing on it using a different writing system from around the world. There was some controversy because the writings are not actual texts — they artistically use the writing systems, rather than using the languages. There are 13 plaques with Egyptian hieroglyphics, Mayan writing, cuneiform, and others, designed to "provoke curiousity rather than satisfy it which is purposely left for the appropriate institution, the library", according to Wang Po Shu who created the artwork.

Bike Racks

In late December 2008, the decorative wall in front of the bike racks, and the surrounding benches at the front of the library, were removed. For several months prior to this, the library had been sending out increasingly urgent messages to users about security in the parking lot and bicycle theft. While many people enjoyed the aesthetics of the decorative wall, even if only to sit or walk on, the library removed it to help combat theft and to improve visibility and security. Oddly, the benches have not been replaced, which led some to question the wall's removal. Nonetheless, the bicycle parking section was expanded, which is a convenience for those with bike trailers.

Comments:

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2009-03-21 16:51:56 Stay away during lunch time when the high schoolers overrun the library/computers. Don't they have their own lab? —EricaMacGregor

2009-06-21 02:28:39 I'm surprised that the renovation went on even with the budget issue. And when asked about whether programs will be continued (storytelling for the kids, etc), they said they're not sure? So which one is more important-brand new renovations or services? —val

As someone who uses the library regularly, I'd have to vote for the renovations. Actually, I did vote for them : ) . The linked measure was to authorize a tax with a specific purpose: keeping the library's hours, additional staffing and funding the building update. I'd asked the children's librarian about the temporary location, got an answer, but have since forgotten (something makes me think that it'll be near Explorit on 2nd St.—I'll update this if I remember for sure or after I ask again). She had also said that she's going to try to continue w/ the storytimes and programs, but they need to find a suitable venue.—KevinChin

2009-06-21 15:18:57 They're moving to DISC. Renovations is great, just wanted to be sure that they'd be able to continue their excellent programs and be able to still host community groups there, and not just upgrading the infrastructure.. —val

2009-08-07 18:38:41 I used to support the Friends of the Library booksale, but lately have seen some price increase that's hard to swallow - e.g., the Belle Cooledge Library booksale (dates overlap with current booksale at Davis) sells their adults books at 50 cents (hardcover) and 25 cents (softcover), while the Davis FOL sell theirs at 2 dollar each? That's 4 times what they sell in Sacramento, people. Can anyone give me a reason for this? Even the SPCA thrift store sell their adults used book at 1 dollar I think, and all the kids books there are 25 cents vs. 50 cents to a dollar at the Davis library sale. —val

2009-11-04 14:04:16 There is now a Pepsi vending machine near the bathrooms at the temporary location. Not sure if this is for raising extra revenue for the library or not. —ZachStednick