BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES ANNUAL
REPORT 2005
To the
Residents of East Longmeadow:
The East
Longmeadow Public Library continued its mission to serve the cultural,
informational, educational, and recreational needs of the community. Entering
its second year in a new expanded building, the library continued to provide
more service to the community with an overall increase in circulation of over
49 percent from the previous year. The increase in circulation was due in part
to being fully operational in the new building, and an ever-increasing number
of patrons from both East Longmeadow and surrounding communities using the
library for programs, services and its comprehensive collection of materials.
Items requested through the library's automated circulation system more than
doubled from the previous year, and its meeting rooms were used more than 250
times in 2005.
The library
was not immune to change during the past year, however. In the spring, Carol
Munro decided not to seek re-election after serving on the Board of Library
Trustees for two terms. Her dedication to the library and experience as
Trustee will be missed. Her vacancy on the Board was filled by Kathleen
Najeebi who ran unopposed. Also during the spring, the library underwent some
staffing changes: Nancy Giorgio-Kubiec in the Children's area, left to pursue
other interests; Susan French, Library Cataloger, left to pursue her library
career after having completed her MLS; and Kathleen Goodchild was promoted to
full-time Library Assistant to fill a vacancy from the previous year. After
some additional shifting of existing staff assignments, the library welcomed
two new part-time staff, Constance Gallagher and Joanne Nichting, as well as a
new full-time Library Cataloger, Kristi Chadwick. Mention must also be made
that due to budgetary constraints in July (at the beginning of FY2006), the
library elected to shorten its hours of operation, from 57 to 53, in order to
provide the same level of customer service its patrons have come to expect.
Despite this reduction in hours, statistics show the library's circulation
increasing each month over the previous year.
The
library once again participated in the state-wide Summer Reading Program. This
year's theme, 'Going Places @ Your Library' was the most successful program to
date. More than 825 children participated in reading for pleasure and taking
part in a number of activities organized and coordinated by the Children's
Department staff and forty 'junior volunteers'. The Friends of the Library
donated funds for 13 basket incentive prizes helping to keep children motivated
to read over the summer. Special programs were planned each week. These
included: a kick-off karate demonstration at the U.S Academy of Martial Arts;
two cartooning workshops with Michael Cady; a Butterfly Program; a magic
program with magician Greg Adams; and author visits by Rick Guimond, and Judy
Berton. The finale was a musical Caribbean cruise ship experience called 'Lisa
& Friends' presented
by Lisa Manning. In addition, the Children's staff held a Pen Pals program, an
Anime 101 workshop, and a Harry Potter Party. In all, more than 1100 children
and their families attended Children's summer programs and almost all were
filled to capacity.
In addition
to offering regular story times, pajama night story times, drop-in story times,
and a Babies and Books program throughout the year, other Children's
programming included a 5th Grade Girl's Book Discussion Group, a
Magic Tree House Club, and a bi-weekly Chess Club. During April school
vacation week various programs attracted over 170 children and their families.
All programs were a hit with the audience, but the Birds of Prey program
presented by Julie Collier (funded by the East Longmeadow Cultural Affairs Council)
was very well received. KIX radio personalities came by and promoted literacy
by telling hilarious stories to the children who attended.
The Library Trustees wish to acknowledge the generous
funding provided by the Friends of the Library, without which many of the
above-mentioned Children's programs would not have been possible. Many other
Children's programs were funded in part by the Western Regional Library System
and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Additional program
funding came from the Early Childhood Resource Center's East Longmeadow,
Wilbraham, and Hampden Community Partnership Council. Throughout the year,
several performances either received support from local businesses, or were
generously discounted by those performers themselves. The Library Trustees
appreciate the community's generous support, for without it we would be unable
to deliver the many educational and recreational activities this community
enjoys.
The
Children's Department also encouraged school and public library cooperation in
several ways. Meadowbrook School Kindergarten teachers helped the Children's
staff facilitate a Library Card campaign in order to register every
Kindergarten child for an East Longmeadow Library Card. The Kindergarten
classes made a library field trip, which included an orientation and tour, at
which time the children received new library cards. This was a very successful
project, and culminated with Mrs. Bates presenting Cynthia MacNaught, Children's
Librarian, with a donation of $1.00 per child for future Children's programs.
Out-reach visits by the Children's Department staff to the three East
Longmeadow Elementary Schools were also successful, not only by encouraging
participation in the Summer Reading Program, but in reinforcing the importance
of having a library card and all the services a library card can offer. Also,
the library helped facilitate communication among the schools via the library's
website, and by providing teachers with an 'Assignment Alert' form as an easy
way to notify the library staff of homework assignments.
The Library
Trustees are especially proud of the library's newly expanded 'web presence'.
Thanks go to the creativity and hard work of the Information staff, most
notably, Sharon Bellenoit, Library Technician, along with Susan Teale,
Reference Librarian, for providing an informative, comprehensive, timely, and
enjoyable way to access information about your public library.
The
Information staff, with support from Library Director, Susan Peterson and other
library staff members, focused its attention on reaching out to the teen
community in East Longmeadow during the past year. A Teen Advisory Board
(T.A.B.) was formed in January under the supervision of Sharon Bellenoit.
This group met bi-monthly to plan events and programs which had 'teen appeal'.
Some of the programs and fund-raising events sponsored last year by the T.A.B.
included a 'Hot Dog & Bake Sale' and a 'Patchwork Poetry' workshop, both
held in April, and in May, a 'Literacy Alive' program presented by Robert
Rivest.
The library's
expanding collection of anime films and manga spawned the creation of a library
Anime/Manga Club for teens. Under the guidance of Library Assistant Sarah
Hodge-Wetherbe, this club met each month to screen and review an anime film.
Club members then offered suggestions on what films might be a good addition to
the library's collection. In December, a Teen Book Discussion group under the
guidance of Kristi Chadwick, Library Cataloger, was also formed and plans to
meet monthly in order to discuss books relevant to teens.
In closing,
the library, while witnessing a busy and challenging 2005, strove to offer its
patrons the services and programs they have come to expect and enjoy. These
services and programs would not have been possible, however, without the hard
work of a dedicated library staff and the support of many others who volunteer
their time and energy to your public library year after year.
The Board
of Library Trustees wants the community to know that we take our elected duties
seriously, and our intention is to provide the best public library service
possible for this community. Your input is encouraged and always welcomed.
Respectfully
submitted,
Maxine F.
Connor, Trustee Chair
Diane A.
Tiago, Trustee Vice Chair
Virginia
Robbins, Trustee
Cheryl
Sheils, Trustee
Shirley A.
Herrick, Trustee
Kathleen
Najeebi, Trustee
Susan M.
Peterson, Library Director
Circulation
Totals: 151,266
East
Longmeadow Library Card Holders: 10,543 (does not include borrowers from
neighboring towns)
Library
materials: 74,311
