All Entries in the "News" Category

FROM THE EDITORS: Aztec Press wins gold, silver awards

By CHELO GRUBB

and DAVID MENDEZ

 Last issue, we were eagerly awaiting the final weekend of March.

That weekend, the two of us, our assistant photo editor Larry Gaurano and our faculty adviser Cynthia Lancaster headed to Los Angles to attend a conference and see where our paper ranked in 2011.

Going in, we knew that we were in the top three in two categories.

In the end, we didn’t lose! The Society of Professional Journalists awarded Aztec Press second place regionally for all-around general excellence for a non-daily, two-year college paper. That counts for something, right?

But it wasn’t silver medals all around. Larry’s soccer photo won first place for sports photography, and will advance to the national competition. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he’ll rank in the top three, and can attend the national conference in September.

Because the conference was set in LA, we weren’t surprised that most workshop speakers were broadcast journalists.

And it won’t surprise you, as we all work for the Aztec Press, that we’re print people.

Despite the under-representation of print writers, we still came away with a lot. The speakers encouraged us to be well rounded in our studies, to become slaves to social media and to not get too discouraged if our first job assigns us the “dead body beat.”

When we weren’t having our spirits lowered by our speakers, we explored LA.

Our hotel was a mere five-minute walk from the Universal City Walk.

During the few free hours we had during our first afternoon, we spent an hour or so seeing what the walk had to offer. Let us tell you, it has both cupcake-flavored popcorn and Slytherin socks.

After the conference finished on Saturday evening, we sped off to Santa Monica Pier.

By the time we got to the pier, it had started to rain. Which was a good thing, really.

Larry got to show off his rain-resistant shirt, while Cynthia bundled up in a jacket. David and Chelo, meanwhile, fought an uphill battle to keep their glasses dry enough to be useful.

Proper journalism experience all around.

Tuition rising $5 per credit

By CHELO GRUBB

 Tuition at Pima Community College is once again on the rise.

Starting with the upcoming fall semester, tuition will increase by $5 per credit, costing $63.50 per credit for in-state students.

Student fees will remain the same. They include a $2.50 Student Services fee, a $2 Information Technology fee and a $10 per-semester processing fee.

The measure approved by the Board of Governors on March 15 will increase tuition for all students by about 8 percent.

“The college has a long-standing history of keeping tuition as reasonable as possible,” David Bea, executive vice chancellor for finance and administration, said. “That will not change.”

Over the last five years, PCC has increased in-state tuition and fees by 32 percent.

During the same period, Arizona’s nine other community colleges increased tuition and fees by an average of 43 percent, according to statistics compiled by the college.

The report also says tuition and fees went up 105 percent at the University of Arizona.

PCC’s tuition will remain about $7 below preliminary average costs at the state’s other community colleges, the college says.

Bea said a dramatic drop in state funding is one driving force behind the tuition increase.

In 2008, PCC received $1,140 per student from the state. This year, the college received $319 per student.

State aid currently comprises 5 percent of PCC’s general fund revenues.

County property taxes cover 62.5 percent and tuition make up 32 percent.

Expanded facility aids EMT students

 By AIMEE ZIEGLER

 Bleeding control, shock management and delivering babies are a few of the valuable lessons students learn during Emergency Medical Technician training at East Campus.

“Most first responders in our area – whether they are basic EMTs, paramedics, firefighters or law enforcement officers – begin their training at Pima Community College,” Dean John Gillis said.

Students now meet in a training facility that was created by enclosing an overhang on the east side of a building adjacent to the existing EMT classroom and laboratory.

The $350,000 addition includes six small rooms for training and testing, and a mock apartment used for rescue simulations. Storage space houses a medical oxygen generating system.

The new facility also provides an improved area to administer exams for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. PCC is a certified testing site for the exam, which aims to ensure EMT competency.

“The creation of this learning space will enhance our ability to produce well-trained and qualified first responders,” Gillis said. “If that training is improved, emergency medical care in the community is enhanced, which benefits all of us.”

Diego Berger, who’s currently enrolled in EMT 100, said he spends five hours a week in class and studies for 25 hours a week outside of class.

“It’s like a full-time job having this class,” Berger said.

Licensed EMT Andrew Marlin said students must already be CPR-certified before enrolling.

“You learn the basics – bleeding control, shock management and delivering babies,” he said.

Pima enrolls 120 EMT students each fall and spring semester, and 72 each summer. Applicants can find an informational packet at pima.edu.

To meet a growing demand for first responders, the EMT program seeks students who can demonstrate quick thinking and an ability to stay focused in life-or-death situations.

One EMT 100 activity involves “spine board races,” Berger said.

“Basically, your instructor turns off all the lights, starts playing rock music extremely loud and turns on strobe lights to keep us from doing our job,” he said.

“I spend 30 hours a week on this class and I enjoy it,” Berger added. “It’s definitely worth it.”

CPR instruction in EMT class

Tucson bans texting while driving, effective April 1

By TESSA CASE

 Texting while driving will be illegal in the city of Tucson beginning April 1.

 Violations carry a minimum $100 fine. Drivers involved in a crash while texting will face a minimum $250 fine.

 The ordinance adopted by the Tucson City Council also prohibits reading a text message while a vehicle is in motion. However, reading a text while at a stop light or stop sign is allowed.

Pima Community College students Nick Wheele and Cameron Wilson think the ban is a good idea.

“In psychology we are learning that it is not really possible to multitask,” Wheele said. “It’s just a distraction and Tucson drivers are bad enough.”

 Wilson said he tries to text only during emergencies.

“Even during those times, I’ve had close calls by missing speed or light changes,” Wilson said. “People who do it all the time are bound to make mistakes.”

Pima student Natalie Sayanaly is not optimistic the ban will change drivers’ texting habits.

“Everyone still does it; I don’t think it’ll end anytime soon,” Sayanaly said. “It will be hard to enforce, especially for high school or college students. I don’t know how police will be able to know if they are texting or not.”

The ban falls into a category known as primary enforcement, which means an officer can pull a driver over just for texting. Officers don’t need to wait until drivers violate some other traffic law, such as speeding.

The city ordinance excludes law enforcement and public safety workers who are texting as part of their official duties.

Texting while driving increases the risk of an accident by 23.2 times and results in even longer response times than drunken driving, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Despite the risks, however, nearly half of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 say they text while driving, according to a HealthDay poll from November 2011.

Some opponents of texting-while-driving bans call them government intrusion on individual rights. They also say bans are hard to enforce and will burden law enforcement.

However, many Tucsonans supported a ban, saying it would increase safety for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Phoenix has banned texting while driving since October 2007. The Phoenix police department does not keep records on citations issued for texting. Officials have said it is a difficult law to enforce, and therefore is not often used.

During the current legislative session, Arizona was in the process of becoming the 35th state to ban texting while driving. However, the state House voted 31-28 on March 5 to kill legislation that would have imposed Arizona’s first-ever statewide ban on texting while driving.

Guns on campus bill not advancing

By ANA RAMIREZ

Arizona is close to becoming the fifth state to allow guns on university and community college campuses, but senators haven’t moved on the proposal.

On Feb. 6, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1474. The bill would allow people age 21 and up with a state-issued permit to carry guns on campuses.

Many Arizonans were concerned it would cause more violence, while others felt it would make criminals reconsider before coming on campus.

A straw poll by the Division of Behavior Research Center, Inc. said 80 percent of people in Maricopa County oppose the idea of guns on campus.

However, people who approved of the bill said it would lead to a decrease in on-campus violence.

“I really don’t see a problem with letting law-abiding citizens carry firearms on campus,” said Pima Community College freshman Christopher Bennett.

He cited the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shooting.

“People with intent to harm others will bring a firearm anywhere without regard to firearm regulations, so why not allow potential victims of a maniacal shooting to legally arm themselves?” said Bennett, 19.

He also believes it would cut down on person-on-person crime if a potential attacker were aware that everyone had a defensive weapon.

Former PCC student Sean Mott disagrees.

“Allowing guns on campus is a hindrance to the progression of education,” said Mott, 21. “Not to mention it brings an unsettling feeling in students and teachers knowing that guns can legally be brought on campus.”

Under the bill, colleges had an option to keep guns out of building by providing secure gun lockers.

University officials estimated it would cost more than $13 million to install the lockers outside of 700-plus public buildings.

If the full Senate had approved the bill, it would have gone to the House for further consideration. The bill could have gone into effect as early as this summer.

Students aren’t the only ones concerned.

“Being a professor, I am very much opposed to having guns on campus,” said Peter Reinthal, a science professor at the University of Arizona. As a father of two teenage boys, Reinthal witnesses young people’s behavior daily.

“Students can be very emotional and get upset easily, if given time to cool off, they will often make better decisions,” he said.

He added that he wouldn’t like to see a tragedy happen due to impulsive behavior.

Tucson Police Officer Lisa Davila disagrees with not allowing law-abiding citizens to carry guns on campus.

“Unfortunately, school shootings are becoming far too common and students and faculty are sitting ducks,” she said. “I hope that criminals will think twice before attacking someone on or near campus and if a shooting does happen someone will have a weapon to defend themselves.”

This may seem comforting to some but ASU student Valerie Spiwak said she would fear for her life every second of every day.

SB 1474 put many people on edge to the point that they were desperately trying to spread awareness of allowing guns on campus.

The Maricopa Community College Faculty Association, for example, was determined to keep guns off campus.

The group sent emails to more than 17,000 addresses in the Maricopa County system and another 13,000 to targeted voters, pleading them to sign their petition against SB 1474.

Pima’s Faculty Senate joined MCCFA in condemning the bill.

The Faculty Senate passed a resolution against SB 1474 on the grounds that expanding the option of guns on campus would stifle the exploration of controversial topics that are necessary in a college environment.

——

SB 1467

Arizona teachers being disciplined for foul language could be a reality if Republican lawmakers back legislation requiring teachers to limit what they say.

If Senate Bill 1467 is passed, teachers will be expected to hold their speech to the standards of the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC monitors what can and cannot be said on television or radio but in this case a classroom.

The FCC defines profanity as “language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance.”

“The government should not legislate what we can and cannot say. Self regulation should be left up to the department,” said Albert Shank, a Spanish professor at Arizona State University.

He says that there should be a separation of what is said on the street as opposed to what is said in one’s classroom.

If SB 1467 passes, teachers could face penalties ranging from a one-week suspension for a first offense to a two-week suspensions for the second offense. The third offense would result in termination.

Admission revision in effect

By CHELO GRUBB

 Pima Community College policies that took effect March 12 will prevent students who test below a 7th-grade level on their assessment tests from enrolling in college-level credit courses.

Instead, students who test below the bar will be encouraged to enroll in PCC Prep Academy.

The change affects all new students registering for the Summer 2012 term and beyond.

The prep academy will work to prepare students to enroll in college-level courses. The program will be entirely self-paced, and students will be able to work on campus and at home.

Students have the option to enroll for four weeks, 10 weeks, six months or 12 months. Prices range from $20-$90, and students can begin at any point in the semester.

The program, which was approved by PCC’s Board of Governors in September, was originally called “Pathways to Pima.”

“We didn’t like the name ‘Pathways to Pima’ because it implied that you were outside of Pima,” board chairman Scott Stewart said.

News of the change brought controversy last year.

“I do think that we need to make changes but not so drastically that it eliminates those people who need us most,” Clarence Boykins, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce, told the board at the September meeting.

Boykins used the television show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” as an example, arguing that many adults would be unable to pass the placement test.

However, Stewart thinks the program is a reasonable way to help students who struggle to pass remedial courses.

“People say they want change in education, but God forbid you actually do it,” he said.

President reacts to student debt

 By CHELO GRUBB

Student debt is on the rise.

According to the Project on Student Debt, the average student loan debt for a college student increased 5 percent in 2010 to $25,250.

2010 also marked the first time student-loan borrowing for one year surpassed $100 billion, making the total outstanding debt more than $1 trillion.

In fact, student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in the U.S. according to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury— it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford,” President Barack Obama said during his State of the Union Address.

Obama wants to slightly reduce federal aid for schools that don’t control tuition costs and shift it to those that do, but the proposal would need to be approved by Congress.

It’s not just students who are racking up debt— loans to parents for college are increasing, too.

About 17 percent of people whose children graduated in 2010 took up loans, up from 5.6 percent in 2003.

The Project on Student Debt indicates that many factors have led to the recent increase in student debt. Over the past 50 years, the rate of college tuition inflation has ranged from 6 to 9 percent annually.

Current laws don’t allow student loan debt to be written off by bankruptcy proceedings, regardless of how bad a person’s financial situation becomes, so graduates who are bankrupt continue to pay on their student loan debt.

DSR employee retires after 23 years

By EDWINA FRANCISCO

Pima Community College Disabled Student Resources Specialist Paul Chamberlain has retired after 23 years of service.

Chamberlain, who is deaf himself, has guided many disabled students who attended Pima College.

“I think it’s a big success to accommodate others to be successful,” Chamberlain said through an interpreter.

During his tenure, Chamberlain worked under three different chancellors and saw many changes within the DSR department.

“Laws for Disabled Student Resources have made an impact, and students were affected,” Chamberlain said.

He would like to see DSR student labs grow by using technology that meets the needs of all deaf and blind students.

Chamberlain was born in Idaho, but grew up in Southern California.

He majored in theater at Harper College, located in the suburbs of northwest Chicago. He later earned a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance.

He plans to move to Utah and become involved with film production and script writing. He also wants to travel, and keep up to date with neuroscience studies.

Chamberlain said he will miss Pima’s students and his DSR co-workers.

“They’re all great people,” he said. “We make a great team.”

THE WORD: How are you dealing with rising gas prices?

By MEGYN FITZGERALD

“Carpooling and limiting my driving a lot.”

Jordan Wilson

Undecided major

Northwest Campus

“Only driving to work and school, and working more to make more money.”

Ashley Wilson

Undecided major

Northwest Campus

“Not so well. I’m unemployed, so I have to mooch off my parents.”

Daniel Grambs

English major

Northwest Campus

“It’s hard ‘cause you plan a budget and when gas prices go up, they ruin it.”

Vinson Bartley

Communications major

Northwest Campus

“I’m gonna get a bike. Who can afford to drive?”

Keana Mitchell

Undecided major

Northwest Campus

More Northwest Campus student discuss high gas prices.

Pima Briefs

Pima receives funds for DUI enforcement

 The state Governor’s Office of Highway Safety gave Pima Community College’s Department of Highway Safety $15,000 in federal funds to help DUI enforcement on campuses and surrounding patrol areas.

Other area law enforcement agencies also received funding.

“The funding will allow PCC-DPS to decrease youth alcohol violations by educating area youth regarding the consequences of alcohol consumption,” said Stella Bay, executive director of PCC’s Department of Public Safety.

With the help of the funds, police expect that alcohol-related collisions, injuries and deaths will decrease.

Police will also educate the public on the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence, and promote and enhance child passenger safety.

-By Roberto Avendaño

PCC police seek donations to help officer with cancer

 PCC police officer Allen Seyler has been serving the community for more than 18 years, and is a retired Air Force officer.

He serves at the patrol division as a firearms instructor and field-training officer, and is member of the department’s bike squad.

Seyler has been diagnosed with cancer.

His prognosis is positive but his medical bills are piling up and his future expenses in treatments will be expensive.

The police department is seeking donations to lessen the family’s financial struggle.

Donations can be made in the name of Allen Seyler at the Vantage West Credit Union, account number 2856160714.

Any unused funds will be donated to a local cancer research charity.

-By Roberto Avendaño

Volunteers needed for memorial event

Pima Community College is looking for volunteers to read the names of Americans who have died during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The volunteers will participate in a ceremony March 30 at Downtown Campus.

During the service, which will be open to the public, a bell will ring following each fallen solider’s name.

The service will begin at 7 a.m.

The college estimates the memorial service will take a total of 12 hours.

For more information about volunteering, contact Jerry Haynes at jehaynes@pima.edu or 206-7263.

-By Chelo Grubb

Interim chancellor, provost won’t pursue permanent positions

By CHELO GRUBB

Suzanne Miles, the interim chancellor, and Charlotte Fugett, the acting provost, announced on March 16 that neither will apply to permanently fill their respective positions.

“I would like to go back to my home position as president of Community Campus,” Miles said, noting that she thought the Board of Govenors had done the right thing by opting to conduct a national search.

Miles and Fugett will remain in their interim positions until replacements are selected from a national search. At that time, Miles will return to her role as the president of Community Campus, and Fugett will return to the position of East Campus president.

“We ask that you support us as you always have.  We are going to keep business running as usual and in addition strengthen units and processes that need our attention,” Miles said in a press release to staff following the announcement.

Miles named interim chancellor; Flores adjusts contract, remains on payroll

By CHELO GRUBB

 Former Provost Suzanne Miles has been appointed as Pima Community College’s interim chancellor, but ex-chancellor Roy Flores is not retiring as expected.

Flores renegotiated his contract with PCC’s Board of Governors. The new contract says he will act “in a position other than that of chancellor” and will help the college with “special projects” after taking a 3-5 month paid medical leave.

The new contract, which maintains the $282,965 salary from his previous contract, expires at the end of 2012. Flores will also receive an additional $28,896.50 due compensations built into his former contract.

Flores will also receive payment that is roughly equal to what he would have received if he had worked through June of 2013.

This compensation was negotiated after Flores had rescinded his retirement offer, and was agreed to “in consideration” of his agreement to give up the chancellor position immediately.

Miles’ new contract as interim chancellor will pay $288,965 annually.

The governing board approved these contracts at a special meeting held on Feb. 29.

In January, Flores announced plans to retire by the end of 2012. The governing board planned to appoint Miles as the new chancellor at its Feb. 8 meeting, but that didn’t happen.

“We misgauged the public’s reaction and had to back up to accommodate that reaction,” board chairman Scott Stewart said.

After some current and former PCC employees requested that the board instead begin a national search for a new chancellor, the board decided to do so.

Board members did not act on Flores’ retirement request.

“When we did not accept his retirement, that was essentially him rescinding it,” Stewart said.

Flores underwent a quadruple bypass on Oct. 14, and returned to work in late November. On Feb. 3, a week after announcing plans to retire, Flores was hospitalized after having chest pains at work, and underwent an emergency angioplasty.

 Stewart said Flores was sometimes difficult to work with.

“The former chancellor is not good at public relations and not good at community relations,” he said.

However, Steward disagreed with critics who think Flores is wasting taxpayer funds.

“I don’t feel that he’s taking advantage of the situation at all,” Steward said. “He’s worked very hard for the college.”

Former PCC employees used the public comment portion of the Feb. 29 meeting to criticize the board and its decision to keep Flores on staff while appointing an interim.

“I don’t know what it looks like from the inside, but from the outside looking in it looks like a big mess,” former dean of PCC adult education Greg Hart said.

Former Desert Vista campus president Miguel Palacios urged the board to select an interim chancellor from outside the college. The interim candidate should not be considered for the permanent position, he said.

Michael Lopez, student life program coordinator for Downtown Campus, said that voters would act if the governing board does not.

“There has got to be a change,” Lopez said. “If it’s not at the chancellor position, it will be at the Board of Governors level.”

Miles will act as interim chancellor until a permanent replacement can be found. Her contract states that a permanent chancellor will likely be selected by June 30, 2013.

“All of us, despite whatever differences we might have, want what’s best for the college,” Miles wrote in an email to all PCC employees the day after her appointment.

“If we are to achieve that common goal, we must have a community conversation in which everyone feels welcome,” she added.

Board members will outline details of the national search at their next meeting on March 14.

Stewart said the college would be in a better position if board members had named a successor at the Feb. 8 meeting.

“We did the best we could with the hand that we dealt ourselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, less than a week after her appointment, Miles announced new measures designed to lead to more transparency at PCC.

The new measures require PCC employees to:

• Contact their supervisor immediately if they receive offensive communications from vendors or others doing official business with the College.
• Receive approval from their supervisor before formally endorsing any product or service of a commercial nature.
• Disclose any financial or personal relationships they have with a person or firm seeking to provide goods or services for the college, if they are involved in the selection process.

The new measures also require the PCC business office to provide additional scrutiny on costs that non-local vendors seek to impose on the college and a plan to update the college’s purchasing manual to ensure the efficient use of public funds.

The measures come in response to controversy over the employment of John Crnokrak, an out-of-state consultant to the college.

Pima student a top finisher in national math competition

By AMY ZAMBRANO

Former Pima Community College student Sean Tiffin, 22, was a top finisher in the first round of a national math competition for two-year colleges.

Tiffin, who now attends the University of Arizona, was born in Prescott and raised in Patagonia. As a child, he did well in his other courses but excelled at math.

“Since middle school, I felt I was above average in math,” he said. “Ever since then, I knew that I liked math and was going to make good use of it in my future career.”

While attending PCC, Tiffin heard about a Student Mathematics League competition from a math instructor and decided to enter for fun and extra credit.

Tiffin was one of the 259 Pima students who competed in the first round of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges SML against approximately 8,000 students from colleges nationwide.

The competition’s pre-calculus mathematics exam uses college-level algebra and trigonometry questions. Top finishers advanced to a second round for the final match.

Tiffin had taken the exam in past semesters but never made it to the second round. This year, he was very confident about advancing.

“I had taken the exam several times already, so I knew that I was capable of winning and making it to the second round,” he said.

Tiffin placed sixth in the Southwest Region and advanced to the two-part national competition.

“I am very content with my result in the competition and I feel proud of myself,” he said. “I knew that I was capable and I did it.”

Tiffin took the final second round exam on Feb. 27 and hopes to have good results.

“The results are coming out in three weeks, so I just have to wait and hope I am one of the top finishers,” he said.

The overall winner, with the highest total score from both rounds, wins a $3,000 scholarship for use at a four-year university. Other top individual and team finishers receive math-related prizes.

Nina Corson, academic dean at Desert Vista Campus, praised PCC’s math program.

“The fact that Pima Community College consistently has students placing in the top 10 and top 20 in this competition speaks very highly of our mathematics program,” she said.

Pima’s  259 competitors in the 2011-12 contest represented Desert Vista, Downtown, East, Northwest and West campuses.

In team competition, the contest uses the highest scores from the top five winners at each campus. PCC placed fourth.

The test is open to everyone willing to take it. Students can sign up by visiting amatyc.org/SML.

As for Tiffin, he finds time to enjoy extracurricular activities and work at two jobs in addition to attending UA full time.

His hobbies include photography, video games, messing around with computers and going out with friends.

He works 14 hours a week at the Nogales Airport, fueling airplanes and helping in customer service.

At Desert Vista, he spends 10 hours a week tutoring math students at levels ranging from elementary math to calculus. He also assists students as a proctor in a Math 89 class.

“I enjoy helping students,” he said. “I tutor at the library because I love it and it makes me happy to be able to help others.”

Pima adds mental health first aid training

By MIKI JENNINGS

 In the months since former Pima Community College student Jared Loughner was charged in Tucson’s infamous 2011 shootings, the college has implemented changes in the way administrators and police handle crises.

 PCC psychologist James Sanchez said things haven’t changed dramatically at the students’ eye level, but administrators are now more qualified to handle potentially dangerous situations.

 At least 150 college employees have taken threat assessment trainings with Sanchez and Joel Dvoskin, a senior psychologist with Threat Assessment Group, Inc.

 “He’s done some training with upper-level administrators and I’ve been taking on the trainings with him,” Sanchez said.

PCC Police Chief Stella Bay said some safety programs were already in place before the 2011 shootings. For example, the college had installed telephones in every classroom.

Additional systems, such as campus loudspeakers, were implemented after the shooting to help faculty and students get help in times of crisis, Bay added.

“It’s important to have multiple layers in any kind of emergency,” she said. “If you only have one notification process, if that goes down, you have no way of alerting people. We have a multiple-layer approach.”

In addition to the threat assessment trainings, PCC now offers Mental Health First Aid Certification courses to all PCC employees.

PCC is working with Community Partnership of Southern Arizona to offer the courses, which use a 12-hour training curriculum divided into four sessions.

“We are offering it in 3-hour segments to best accommodate people’s schedules,” counselor Amy Davis said.

Because employees have been very responsive and appreciative, Davis said she believes the training has better prepared the college for moments of crisis.

“I think this is at the forefront of people’s minds and we will continue to talk about these issues,” she said.

The trainings began on Jan. 24 and are scheduled through June.

Library downloads of digital books gain popularity

 By CELESTE ORENDAIN

As the popularity of electronic and audio books continues to grow, Pima County’s public library system has increased the number of downloads available.

County libraries now have more than 9,000 book titles available, compared to 4,757 titles in 2011.

Library Director Nancy Ledeboer said electronic book borrowing has increased by130 percent. Residents downloaded 2,561 audiobooks and e-books in the first week of 2012, compared to 815 downloads a year earlier.

Many residents received digital reading devices such as Kindles, Nooks and Sony Readers as Christmas presents, Ledeboer noted. “It was not that popular when you had to read from your computer screen.”

Post-Christmas download volume was so high that the server crashed for Overdrive, the library’s digital book service.

County libraries allow residents to check out five downloadable items, for up to 21 days.

To get started, you need a library card, a home computer and free software. For instructions on borrowing e-books and audiobooks for a specific digital reader, visit library.pima.gov/digital. Many library branches also offer workshops on using the service.

“There are a number of challenges with e-books,” Ledeboer said. “We have thousands of books placed on hold. Customers will receive an email notification telling them that their e-book is ready to download.”

Ledeboer said some publishers don’t want libraries to provide free digital book downloads, “because they want to sell them to you.”

Customers who use the download service seem to really enjoy their e-books, Ledeboer added.