Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008

Transcription

1 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008 Mission Statement: The Paul Pratt Memorial Library enriches the Cohasset community by promoting a love of reading and the pursuit of knowledge. We provide a welcoming environment in which to read, learn and discover and -- through technology -- a window to the world beyond. Service Statistics At a Glance - FY ,974 items loaned out 5,408 reference questions answered 132,563 visitors to the library 78% of Cohasset residents have an active library card 1,568,888 hits to the library s web site 10,957 public computer sessions for adults (youth statistics not tracked) 135 children s programs presented to 5,060 participants 69 adult programs presented to 381 participants 1,798 reservations of library meeting room space FY2008 Operating Budget Revenue Sources Municipal Funds 485,894 Gift Account $5,838 Friends of the Cohasset Library $12,544 State Aid To Public Libraries Grant $10,412 Endowment Trust Income $32,748 LSTA (Library Services & Technology Act) Grant $7,500 Net Lender Grant $12,742 South Shore Music Circus Grant $10,000 Public Libraries Fund Grant $1,620 Total $579,298

2 Grants LSTA (Library Services Technology Act) Grant The library was awarded a $7,500 federal IMLS (Institute of Museum & Library Services) grant by the MA Board of Library Commissioners in a competitive grant process for our community reading program, Cohasset Reads Together. Programs and book discussions about our book selections, A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson and Walden by Henry David Thoreau, engaged participants and provided a forum for public discourse about environmental issues and literary themes. Net Lender PPML was awarded $12,742 Net Lender award by Southeastern MA Library System (SEMLS). These grant funds are awarded to libraries that loan more library materials than they borrow from other libraries. South Shore Music Circus Grant PPML was awarded a $10,000 grant by the South Shore Music Circus to be used for purchasing a self-checkout station. This was the second installment of a $20,000 total grant award. The self-check station will enable patrons to check out library materials independently and will be implemented when additional grant funds are procured. Public Libraries Fund The library was awarded a $1, Public Libraries Fund award by the MA Board of Library Commissioners. This program provides a matching incentive for funds raised by local library trusts, foundations and Friends groups from non-municipal sources for the enhancement of library services beyond those provided through municipal funds. Programs and Events Children and Teen Programs & Services The Children s Room supports, enriches, and encourages students and families with all their literacy needs. Children s programs continue to be popular and participation continues to increase. More than 300 students registered for the statewide summer reading program held in July and August and another 879 families participated in our Tuesday evening summer family performances. Magicians, animal shows, music, and storytellers were very popular with our families. The Children s Room offered many literacy events during the year. Story & Craft for ages 3-6, Spanish Story Time for ages 3-6, Drop In Story Time for all ages, and music with MamaSteph for all ages. We invited the public and the local preschools to an author visit with children s author Barbara Joose and provided programs on the weekends to meet the needs of our working parents. 2

3 We participated in the Cohasset Reads Together town-wide reading program by providing each classroom grades K-5 with companion books for their classroom library and study guides that complemented the CRT theme. We invited families to a musical concert by David Polansky and held a reptile program from the South Shore Natural Science Center. A Teen Advisory Board meets monthly with Sharon Moody, Children Librarian to discuss books, school assignments, and to provide feedback on library services to young adults. We also post the summer reading lists for grades 6-12 on our web site and we keep a binder of the summer reading lists for all the surrounding public and independent middle and high schools readily available. With continued collaboration with the Cohasset Public School librarians we are able to select new titles in fiction and nonfiction and provided databases that compliment the Massachusetts Frameworks and enable our students to readily find materials for school research projects. Adult Programs & Services The Reference Department continues to field reference questions from children to adult on a variety of subjects. We make use of both print and electronic formats reminding patrons that they can access databases from home via our library s website. The Reference Department will search and place holds on materials not found in our network of libraries. Other services available through the Reference Department include one-onone basic computer classes, reader s advisory services, and locating information on the internet. Selection of new titles keeps the collection refreshed and balanced. Continual weeding of the non-fiction and fiction areas of the library helps keep the collection valid and up-todate. We've introduced reading sets called "Ready Reads" that caters to local reading discussion groups. The sets include 10 copies of a popular book group title and reading discussion questions. More titles are added as funding becomes available. Adult programming includes monthly movies, a book discussion group, author visits, and the Great Decisions discussion program. The library is thankful to the Friends of the Library and the Cohasset Democratic Town Committee for funding certain programs. Cohasset Reads Together brought residents and scholars together on the subjects of Henry David Thoreau, the global environment, and transcendental poetry. We continue to promote library programs through newspapers, library flyers, newsletters, and the library s website. We also collaborate with local groups and organizations, such as local garden clubs, the senior center, and the Historical Society, to name a few, to offer interesting adult programs. Our outreach program serves homebound Cohasset residents, the Golden Living Center of Cohasset, and the Sunrise Assisted Living Center of Cohasset. 3

4 Policy Development A Circulation Policy was developed in FY2008 and can be viewed online at Outreach The Friends of the Cohasset Library collaborate with PPML staff to ensure that persons unable to visit the library due to an illness or disability are able to access library materials. Requests can be made for specific books, including large print and audio, and magazines and DVDs, or we are happy to make suggestions for you. For further information, please telephone the library and ask to speak with Gayle Walsh, Reference/Adult Services Librarian. In addition to delivering and picking up library materials at individual homes, Friends volunteers bring reading materials to residents of the Golden Living Center of Cohasset and Sunrise Assisted Living. We are grateful for the outstanding service of Friends Outreach Coordinator Marjie Murphy who leads book discussion groups at these retirement communities. We are also most appreciative of Sunrise Assisted Living s efforts to financially support the library s outreach program through revenue generated from its annual Antiques Appraisal event. Friends of the Cohasset Library The Friends of Cohasset Library support the library through ongoing fund-raising and advocacy to enhance library resources and programming and to provide community outreach services. In fiscal 2008, the Friends raised and spent over $16,000 on children s and adult programming, senior citizen outreach and library museum passes that are available for the public. The Friends also provide refreshments at many library functions, volunteers at various events, and the coffee service in the community room. Members of the Friends board include Carolyn Coffey, Linda Fechter, Gail Flynn, June Hubbard, Lauren Koncius, Kate Krumsiek, Melody Maurer, Marjie Murphy and Charlotte Pfaffmann. The Cohasset Library Trust, Inc. The Cohasset Library Trust, Inc. (CLT) was established by Act of the Massachusetts Legislature and incorporated in Massachusetts in November Its purpose is to manage and increase the endowment of the Paul Pratt Memorial Library. During FY2008, its value was roughly $1,100,000. Approximately 4% of a three-year average of the total endowment (about $33,000 in FY2008) has been given annually to the Paul Pratt Library for its book budget. This rate is set to preserve the purchasing power of the endowment. The Library Trust is intended to enhance Cohasset s library and is in no way intended to relieve the Town of Cohasset of its responsibility to support its public library. 4

5 The Library Trustees appointed the following persons to be Officers and Directors of the Cohasset Library Trust: Jane O. Goedecke, President, Linda M. Litchfield, Treasurer, Sheila S. Evans, Clerk, Bernadette Faulkner, John Flanagan, Rodney M. Hobson, James T. McKenna, Sarah E. Morton, Brian M. Murphy, Christopher Oddleifson, Sarah R. Pease, John P. Reardon, Jr., Robert E. Riley, Deborah A. Shadd, and Patience G. Towle. Old Colony Library Network (OCLN) The Paul Pratt Memorial Library is a member of OCLN, a consortium of 28 public and academic libraries in Southeastern Massachusetts. OCLN promotes resource sharing by building and maintaining a high quality shared database that contains the entire holdings of member libraries. These collections are freely available to anyone with an OCLN library card. In FY2008, OCLN Registered 40,096 new library patrons Facilitated 497,206 online renewals Processed 904,365 holds Loaned 5.5 million items Processed 10,561 Virtual Catalog requests Provided 12,396 audio book downloads 5