HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-23-BLT-RPTCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
1874 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE
LEXINGTON, MA 02420
BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES
TUESDAY, JUNE 23 2009 5:00 PM
SELECTMAN'S OFFICE TOWN HALL
AGENDA
Call to order — Norman Cohen
Secretary's Minutes
Vote — April 29, 2009 Trustees Minutes
Financial Reports
April and May 2009
Administrative Report
Department Reports
Friends Report
Foundation Report
Unfinished Business
• Stone Building Update
New Business
• Copper Gutters
• Exterior Sig nage
• Plans for Large Print Area
• Future Projects
• Recognition Request
Meeting Dates and Times for FY2010
Adjournment
CARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MONTHLY MEETING
April 29, 2009
4:00 p.m. — Large Meeting Room
Present: Norman Cohen, Chair, Howard Jaffe, Jeanne Krieger, Hank Manz, and Helen
Cohen — Trustees. Phyllis Brooks- Friends of the Library, Kathryn Benjamin, Kerry
Brandin - Cary Memorial Library Foundation, Connie Rawson — Library Director,
Kathleen Quinlan — Assistant Library Director, Peggy Bateson - Head of Circulation,
Cynthia Johnson - Head of Reference, Margaret Donovan - Head of Technology,
Elizabeth Dickinson — Reference/ Programs and Publicity Librarian, Steve Krensky, Cary
Memorial Library Advisory Committee, Jessica Cotrone and Paul Jean of Shire
Corporation
Call to order: Norman Cohen called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m.
Introductions: Norman Cohen called upon each member present to introduce
themselves for the benefit of the guests.
Norman suggested taking one of the "New Business" agenda items out of order - the
Shire Corporation Proposal. He commented that Shire is a great new corporate town
resident that has contributed a number of things to the community.
New Business: Shire Corporation Proposal. Connie summarized recent meetings with
Shire noting potential opportunities for collaboration between Shire and Cary Memorial
Library through a Shire Science Lecture Series and /or a Shire Science Resource Center.
She expressed her appreciation to Paul and Jean for taking the time to attend today's
meeting.
Paul Jean detailed the potential Shire/ Cary Memorial Library partnership ideas:
1) A Shire Science Resource Center, which would be a dedicated space for sciences to
share resources with the community
2) A Shire Science Lecture Series, dedicated to scientific issues and topics
Cynthia Johnson, Department Head of Reference, suggested ideas on the use of the Shire
funds such as scientific databases, mentor program, books and online resources for
people who are starting a career in the science.
Elizabeth Dickinson, Reference /Programs Librarian, related that science is an area of
great interest based on a poll of patrons for a lecture series. Jessica expressed that this is
a new opportunity to draw from not just Shire employees but from their resources to
come up with interesting topics and potential speakers with broad appeal.
Paul also related that Shire is having a road race in June. The proceeds will to a Shire
scholarship for a Lexington resident.
Connie suggested that since there is such enthusiasm for a lecture series, we ought to plan
to meet regularly to develop a project proposal and preliminary cost estimates. She
thanked Paul and Jessica for attending the meeting and is looking forward to develop this
partnership.
Secretary's Minutes of the Trustees meeting of March 30, 2009 were approved.
Financial Report — Connie detailed the Municipal, Special Accounts and Trustees report.
She noted that the format for Special Accounts and Trustees is new and asked members
to look at it and offer feedback regarding the new format.
Administrative Report - Connie reported that:
The south entrance stairs were refinished but there were problems with the
process and that Facilities Department is aware of it and working on a solution.
The large print area is still under construction. The architect has developed a
solution to fix the problem with the sprinkler heads.
HVAC is up and running for the season after a problem with the chiller was
resolved.
Stone Building - $180,000 was approved from the Community Preservation
Funds for rehabilitation.
Foundation Report — Kerry reported that the Cary Library Art Sale and Soiree would take
place on May 3, 2009. Tickets are $10 ea, which includes a beverage. There have been
some advance sales. 40 artists will be showing their work. There will also be a silent
auction. Many local businesses donated to the event.
Unfinished Business:
Rules of Behavior: The adoption of the rules as presented passed.
Meeting Times and dates
Connie stated that establishing regular times and dates is preferable. The next Trustees
general meetings scheduled for:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, June 17 at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 5 p.m.
There is no Executive Committee meeting scheduled for May 2009. The June Executive
Committee meeting will be June 11, 2009 at 5 p.m.
New Business: After a discussion, proposed liaisons to the Stone Building project are
Ann Grady or Wendall Kaslow.
Meeting adjourned 5: 10 p.m.
Cary Memorial Library
Income and Expense Summary
Fiscal Year 2009
6/23/2009 FY 2009 Pagel
December -08
January -09
February -09
March -09
April -09
May -09
Year to Date
Income Summary
$ -
Municipal Appropriation
$ (15,000.00)
$ 1,843,685.00
Trustee Fines and Fees
$
6,381.15
$ 8,856.46
$
6,519.76
$
6,907.81
$
9,813.45
$
5,968.89
$ 80,500.17
Trustee Endowment
$
-
$ -
$
-
$
-
$ -
Foundation Gifts (SA)
$
-
$ -
$
-
$
31,564.00
$
15,000.00
$ 87,534.00
Foundation Building (SA)
$ -
$
-
$ 280.00
Friends Gifts (SA)
$
10,000.00
$ =$
-
$
5,575.00
$ 15,575.00
Total
$
16,381.15
$ (6,143.54)1
$
6,519.76
$
44,046.81
$
9,813.45
$
20,968.89
$ 2,027,574.17
........ ......... ......... ......... ......... .........
Expense Summary
......... .........
......... ......... .........
......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........
......... ......... .........
General Fund -All Expenses
$
135,417.78
$ 151,373.44
$
141,321.15
$
134,390.40
$
138,248.02
$
195,656.40
$ 1,722,971.56
Trustee Expenses /Fines
$
5,659.07
$ 2,371.73
$
9,550.60
$
4,889.50
$
6,308.47
$
10,557.58
$ 53,609.42
Special Accounts
$
2,918.20
$ 3,904.30
$
5,262.89
$
4,012.84
$
18,555.82
$
16,447.54
$ 61,237.05
Total Trustee
$
8,577.27
$ 6,276.03
$
14,813.49
$
8,902.34
$
24,864.29
$
27,005.12
$ 114,846.47
Total All Funds - Expenses
$
143,995.05
$ 157,649.47
$
156,134.64
$
143,292.74
$
163,112.31
$
222,661.52
$ 1,837,818.03
* (SA) = SPECIAL ACCOUNTS
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TRUSTEES ENDOWMENT
Funds Received
$
5,200.00
$ 55,320.00
Funds Transferred
$ 55,320.00
Balance Unrestricted 5/29/2009
$ 713,133.00
Balance Restricted 5/29/2009
$ 202,680.00
Total Endowment
$ 915,813.00
6/23/2009 FY 2009 Pagel
Cary Memorial Library
Municipal Appropriation
Fiscal Year 2009
Expenses
April'09
May'09
Year to Date
Income
Balance
Municipal
General and Technical - Personal Services
$ 23,550.42
$ 30,812.63
$ 258,568.49
$ 272,655.00
$
14,086.51
Adult Library- Personal Services
$ 83,029.87
$ 124
$ 988,925.31
$ 1
$
46,104.69
Children's Library- Personal Services
$ 23,501.06
$ 34,552.47
$ 283,009.66
$ 301,300.00
$
18,290.34
Total Personal Services
$ 130,081.35
$ 189,528.70
$ 1
$ 1
$
78,481.54
General and Technical- Expenses
$ -
Printing
$ -
$ -
$ 2
$ 3
$
314.87
Equipment Service and Repair
$ -
$ -
$ 2
$ 5
$
2
Mileage
$ 39.16
$ 19.58
$ 243.09
$ 1
$
756.91
Postage
$ -
$ -
$ 1
$ 1
$
-
Minuteman Library Network
$ -
$ -
$ 64,855.83
$ 67,000.00
$
2
Telephone
$ 474.39
$ 872.86
$ 9
$ 9
$
(45.78)
Supplies
$ 1
$ 362.69
$ 16,073.59
$ 18,500.00
$
2
Small Equipment
$ 3
$ 3
$ 22
$ 34,500.00
$
11,700.53
Total General and Technical- Expenses
$ 3
$ 4
$ 117,876.31
$ 139,400.00
$
19,969.52
Adult Library- Expenses
$ -
AudioVisual Materials
$ 542.88
$ 364.78
$ 10,187.33
$ 8
$
(1
Books
$ 2
$ 545.30
$ 31,817.35
$ 42
$
10,882.65
Total Adult Library- Expenses
$ 2
$ 910.08
$ 42,004.68
$ 51,300.00
$
9
Children's Library- Expenses
$ -
Books
$ 2
$ 1
$ 33,477.89
$ 44,000.00
$
10,522.11
Total Children's Library- Expenses
$ 2
$ 1
$ 33,477.89
$ 44,000.00
$
10,522.11
Total Municipal Expense
$ 8
$ 6
$ 193,358.88
$ 234
$
39,786.95
Total Municipal
$ 138,248.02
$ 195,656.40
$ 1
$ 1
$
120,713.44
FY 2009 Page 2
April and May 2009
Trustees
Budget Report
QB TRUSTEES REPORTS
Anticipated Budget
April 2009
May 2009
Year to Date
Remaining Balance*
Trustees
Income
Fines
Circulation Fines
4,203.99
3471.56
Online Fines
2,196.60
0
Childrens Fines
1,900.48
1831.15
Lost Books
1,093.16
189.00
Total Fines
8,301.07
5302.71
Copies
Copies all departments
209.71
110.18
Copy card machine
628.00
556.00
Total Copies
837.71
666.18
Trustees Income - Other
674.67
0
Total Trustees Income
75,000.00
9,813.45
5968.89
80500.17
- 5,500.37
Reimbursement from LPPTA - Aquarium
600.00
0
Total Income
10,413.45
5968.89
Expense
Trustees Expenses
Contractual Services
4
411.22
558.65
6
3
Copiers
4
1
1
8
1
Library Materials
12
1
3
17
7
Programs
3
1
5
12445.13
- 2
Staff development
2
658.00
130.00
3
1
Supplies
6
888.95
353.51
5
4
Refunds
933.45
- 933.45
Technology /equipment
5
0.00
0.00
450.00
4
Total
Trustees Expenses
39
6
10
53
21
* Difference between anticipated budget and actual expenses
QB TRUSTEES REPORTS
Special Accounts
Report
April and May 2009
QB Special Accounts
Monthly Carryover
April 2009
May 2009
Remaining Balance
Income
Foundation -Annual Fund
15000.00
Total Foundation
15000.00
Expense
Special Accounts Expenses
Building and Furniture
35
0.00
35
Children's Room Printing
6
0.00
6
Foundation
Materials
33
15
15427.82
2
Small - gifts misc
6
401.45
36.71
6
Winsten Fund
316.99
43.90
0.00
273.09
Rooney Fund
6
0.00
0.00
6
Total Foundation
88
15
15
57
Friends of CIVIL
Materials
16
3
1,183.01
12
Total Friends of CIVIL
16
3
1
12
Total Special Accounts Expenses
105
18,555.82
16
70
QB Special Accounts
Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue • Lexington • Massachusetts • 02420
Phone: 781 -862 -6288 • Fax: 781 -862 -7355 • www•carylibrary.orcr
ADMINISTRATION REPORT June i3, 2009
Connie Rawson Kathy Quinlan
crawson@ci.lexington.ma.us kguinIanaci.lexington.ma.us
Cary Memorial Library
Board of Library Trustees
STONE BUILDING
Historic Structures Report
The Town of Lexington has awarded the Historic Structures Report contract to the
Architectural Firm Menders, Torrey & Spencer. Lexington resident and well known
Architectural Historian, Anne Grady will be a part of their team. Anne has recently finished
work on the Hancock - Clarke House restoration. Menders, Torry and Spenser has worked for
a number of years toward the restoration and adaptive reuse of the Bedford Old Town Hall.
This project received the 20o6 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award for
Adaptive Reuse. The kick -off meeting will take place this Thursday.
Removal of materials
In 2007, at the time of closure, Branch holdings totaled 13,403. At that time, Library materials
were evaluated. Those found to be in reasonably good condition have been added to our
collection at Cary Library. This total is 4,419 titles.
The remainder amounted to 8984 items. Six elementary librarians visited the Stone Building
on April 6 to evaluate and select usable children's materials for selection and inclusion in
Lexington's school libraries.
The rest of the usable books were delivered to "Invisible Children ", an organization that
supports impoverished children of Uganda.
The remainder of the library materials, items that were water damaged and contained mold
and mildew were not distributed in any community. These items will be reborn into new
objects, hopefully more library books, through the recycle process.
Administrative Report 6/23/2009 - 1 -
ENERGY CHALLENGE
The Energy Conservation Committee recommends that the Town adopt a five year target to
reduce BTU consumption by 20 %. The baseline for usage will be the consumption for FY2008.
This recommendation has been approved by the Board of Selectmen and the School
Committee. There are twenty five town buildings and each has been asked to take up the
challenge. Building Managers will be asked to provide leadership and support for the program.
Building Energy Champions will be asked to identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency.
Our Building Energy Champion will be Kate Leppanen of the Reference Department, with Jean
Williams of the Reference Department as Alternate.
BUILDING ISSUES
Large Print Area
The Large Print Area continues to be under construction. The Discovery and Evaluation Phase
has been completed and a Report on the way to handle corrections has been delivered to
Facilities. Repairs are not expected to be completed until September 15, 2009.
�!LVETr
The Systems Room continues to operate under difficult conditions. A separate air
conditioning unit for this area was never installed as part of the building project yet is
needed to keep the equipment adequately cooled. Facilities has been looking for a solution
to this problem and has developed one in coordination with an Engineering Consultant. Bids
for the project are due mid July. They expect project completion by the end of August,
dependent on delivery of AC equipment.
South Entry Doors
For the past year, the Facilities Department has been trying to identify an aluminum door that
will fit into the existing store front entry. They are not satisfied with any of the products
available and are now looking at identifying wooden doors that approximate the old doors. We
have also been experiencing malfunctioning of the south entry hardware. Facilities is trying to
coordinate the installation of new wooden doors along with the automatic door openers.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FORUM
On Monday, June 22 the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, through its Lexington Business
Partnership, presented a forum entitled: Downtown Vitality as an Ongoing Process: Lexington
Administrative Report 6/23/2009 -2-
Center and Other Examples. The Library was mentioned more than once as a valuable
contributor to the vitality of the community. One of the featured speakers was Emmy Hahn, MA
Downtown Initiative Coordinator for the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Early in her presentation Emmy discussed the economic value that a public library brings to a
downtown business environment. She noted that today's libraries are the "village greens" of a
community and that the libraries who understand that role are incorporating cafes and other
meeting spots into their building programs.
Peter Siy, the new owner of Lexington Flicks, was also a panelist. He spoke about the value of
movie theaters to the vitality of a business district. He also mentioned that he is interested in
exploring the possibilities of partnering with Cary Library in the future.
One community resident who attended the forum also complimented Cary Library. She said
that lately the Library has become very proactive in creating a vibrant community.
It is heartening to hear these positive comments about libraries, especially our library during
such difficult economic times.
Administrative Report 6/23/2009 -3
CARP MEMORIAL LIBRARY
CHILDREN'S SERVICES
May -June, 2009
STATISTICS: CIRCULATION, REFERENCE QUESTIONS, INTERNET USE & VOLUNTEERS
25,134 children's items were circulated during May, 2009, making up 40.96 % of the entire Library's May, 2009
circulation total. 44.94 % of the items circulated in May, library -wide, were charged out at the Children's circulation
desk. The FY2008/2009 juvenile circulation total is 299,447 items, so far, an increase of 7.34 % over the FY
2007/2008 juvenile circulation total at the end of May, 2008.
The Children's FY 2007/2008 circulation total of 308,076 juvenile items showed an increase of 5.05 % over the 293,179
juvenile items circulated in FY 2006/2007. 48.82 % of the items circulated library -wide in FY 2007/2008 were
circulated at the Children's desk. Juvenile items circulated in FY 2007/2008 made up 45.59% of the entire Library's FY
circulation total. 79.59 % of the juvenile items circulated were books, 13.76 % were videos do DVDs;
5.05 % were audio CDs, cassettes, and Playaways; .03 % were downloadable audiobooks; 1.08 % were CD - ROM
programs; and .48 % were magazines.
Children's Room staff answered 530 reference questions during May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 6,162 questions
answered, so far. 73 patrons used the Children's Web terminal in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 764 users, so
far. 125 patrons used the two CD -ROM games terminals in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 1,338 users, so far.
109 borrowers were registered in the Children's Room in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 763 new library cards
issued at the Children's desk, so far. Volunteers spent 14 hours working in the Children's Room in May, for an FY
2008/2009 total of 143 hours, so far. 145 hours had been volunteered by the end of May in FY 2007/2008.
�J O TelT�Allp,
In May, 673 children, parents, and teachers attended 23 programs, including 8 preschool storytimes (total attendance:
146), 2 preschool movie programs (total attendance: 97), 1 preschool sing -along (attendance: 67), and 6 class visits (attendance:
140). A total of 14,433 children and caregivers have attended 316 children's programs in FY 2008/2009, so far. The
CaryKids Book Club read Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan, on May 14.
We hosted a Powers Music School Musical Story Hour on May 12, and two National Children's Book Week programs by
children's book author and illustrator Suzy Becker on May 13. Ruth promoted our Summer Reading Program at a Title 1
Literacy Night held at Hastings School on May 20.
"Starship Adventure @ Your Library" will be the 2009 Summer Reading Program theme. Three professional performers
have been booked: two family performances of Sparky's Puppets' "Stories from Outer Space," for children ages 3 -6, on June
23; one "Go for the Stars!" multi -media space program presentation, featuring ROBO the Friendly Robot, for children ages
5 and up, on June 25; and two family performances of Peter and Ellen Allard's "Music for Young Children," ages 3 -8, on July
30. Other upcoming summer programs include: three performances by KidStock Children's Theater; weekly family craft
programs; workshops on paper airplane building, creative writing, crochet, and knitting; South of the Border stories; How
do Astronauts Eat in Outer Space; our 8 annual Truck Day; family movie showings of the original Star Wars movies; a
literary treasure hunt; two wii Game Days; a U Fund Start U Reading storytime with Buzz Lightyear; a teddybear picnic;,
preschool storytimes; two preschool sing - alongs; weekly preschool movie programs; and our 5 annual Family Ice Cream
Social.
THE COLLECTION
As of January 6, 2009, the Main Library's juvenile collection totaled 79,952 items. This collection included: 74,129
books, 511 magazines, 47 Playaways, 926 audio CDs and recorded books on CO, 256 book /CD sets, 843 audiocassettes
and recorded books on cassette, 364 book /tape sets, 885 DVDs, 1,474 videocassettes, 205 CD -ROM programs, and 163
filmstrips. These totals include 2,156 Branch children's books, and 32 Branch children's AV items that were selected for
transfer to the Main Library Children's Room collection after the Branch Library closed.
314 new children's items were added in May: 279 books and 35 AV items, including 177 books and 8 CDs and DVDs
donated by the Friends. A total of 3,653 new books and 621 new AV items have been added to the Main Library
Children's collection in FY 2008/2009, so far. 246 books and 16 AV items were withdrawn in May, for an FY 2008/2009
total of 3,243 books and 1,147 AV items withdrawn, so far. Ruth and Sheila finished examining the Branch children's books
to find appropriate titles for transfer to the Main Library collection. 283 Branch books were selected for transfer to the
Main Library's children's collection in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 1,594 Branch books transferred. A f inal total
of 3,504 Branch children's books were selected for transfer to the Main Library Children's collection between January,
2006 and May, 2009. Ruth and Sheila selected 144 new children's books considered for the Boston Globe -Horn Book Awards,
to add to the Children's collection.
During FY 2008/2009, we have focused on selecting new juvenile DVDs (259 have been added), new audiobooks on CO and
Book /CD sets (126 have been added), and new CD -ROM programs (44 have been added, and about 35 more are in processing).
We have also begun circulating a collection of nearly 50 Children's Playaways, self - playing, pre - loaded digital audiobooks in
compact players. Ruth and Sheila withdrew 672 outdated science books while weeding the j500's collection. Erin, supervised
by Ruth, has begun weeding the j600's science and technology collection, and 57 of these books have been withdrawn so far.
Ita and Mandy moved the jGRAPHIC collection to shelving under the windows in the nonfiction area, allowing for less
congestion and more display space near the entrance to the Children's Room. The call numbers of the graphic novels for
younger children will be changed from jGRAPHIC to EGRAPHIC, so that those books for younger children will be shelved
together. Ita rearranged and relabeled the shelves of the EBOARD collection, so that all of the books by authors with the
same first initial will be shelved together. Mandy will install bright new signs indicating the various sections of the Children's
folklore collection. Ita will re -label and re- shelve the assorted world language books, so that they are arranged by
language, just as the materials in the larger world language collections are shelved. Blue stickers on the spine new indicate
bilingual books.
Sheila assigned call numbers to 143 new juvenile nonfiction items in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 1, 353 nonfiction
children's items classified, so far. Agnes, Ita, and Mandy cataloged and processed 68 items in May, for an FY
2008/2009 total of 754 children's items processed, so far. Ita, Nancy, and Helen mended 114 children's books in May,
for an FY 2008/2009 total of 1,615 items mended, so far. Phyllis cleaned and repaired 54 children's CDs and DVDs in
May, for a FY 2008/2009 total of 667 discs cleaned and /or repaired, so far.
BUDGET & DONATIONS
So far in FY 2008/2009, we've chosen to add 1,459 donated books and 134 donated AV items (1,593 children's items in
all) to our collection. During FY 2007/2008, we chose to add 1,344 books and 214 AV items (1,560 children's items, in all),
donated by patrons to the Friends. The Friends have agreed to donate $1,650 to pay for the printing of our 2009 program
brochures and book lists, and $3,925 to pay for our 2009 Summer Reading programs. Last summer, the Friends donated 863
children's paperback books to use as Summer Reading prizes, and they recently purchased a blue metal book truck to hold
the ongoing Friends' Children's Book Sale.
PUBLIC RELATIONS: BOOK LISTS, BROCHURES, BULLETIN BOARDS, DISPLAYS,
NEWSLETTERS, PRESS RELEASES, & THE LIBRARY WEBSITE
May display topics included: Mothers' Day, mathematics, and Asian Pacif is American Heritage Month. Nancy created a May
Children's Book Week bulletin board entitled "Fan Favorites," and Mandy created a summer reading bulletin board entitled
"Count -Down to Starship Adventure!" June display topics include: "Blast Off! Space, Spaceships, and Aliens," Fathers' Day,
and "Beach Time...Some Good Reads." A total of 76 displays and bulletin boards have been created in FY 2008/2009, so
far.
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9 book lists have been created in FY 2008/2009, so far, compared to the 8 bibliographies we compiled and updated in FY
2007/2008. Milissa recently compiled a list of Children's Novels in Verse. Sheila continues to edit our monthly newsletter,
Book letters, which highlights new picture books and chapter books, as well as upcoming Children's Room programs.
5 press releases were sent out in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 88 sent, so far. An FY 2007/2008 total of 107
press releases were sent to The Lexington Minuteman, The Colonial Times, The PreschoolPTA News letter, and the six
elementary school newsletters. 15 program brochures and flyers were created in May, for an FY 2008/2009 total of 57
created, so far.
Agnes and Mandy spent 70 hours updating the Cary Library website, updating the Library Insight event calendar, and
creating library -wide publicity posters and brochures in May, for an FY2008/2009 total of 666 hours, so far. During
FY2007/2008, they spent 900 hours on such tasks.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Ruth and Sheila alternate attendance at the MLN Children's Round Table meetings, and Agnes is on the BookLetters
committee. Phyllis and Mandy were the Children's representatives to the 2009 Lexington Reads committee. Agnes is serving
on the 2009 contract negotiation team.
A FY 2008/2009 total of 20 professional development programs have been attended by Children's staff, so far. The
Children's staff attended an FY 2007/2008 total of 18 workshops and conferences. Ruth is serving as one of three judges for
the 2009 Boston Globe Horn Book Awards. They recently selected one winner and two honor books in each of three
categories: Picture Books, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, and Children's and Young Adult Nonfiction. Each judge w i l l
make a presentation at the awards ceremony, which will be held at the Boston Atheneum on October 2. Ita attended an
Intermediate Excel training on May 5, and Diane will attend a workshop on Google on June 8.
Ruth Nadelman Lynn
Children's Services Department Head
June 4, 2009
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Cary Memorial Library
Circulation Department
Trustees Report
May 2009
April Statistics
• 29,233 Lexington/ Adult Items Circulated Network -Wide
• 9,380 Lexington/ Adult Items /Remote Renewals
• 38,613 TOTAL Lexington /Adult Items Circulated In MLN Network
• 3,992 Items Checked Out at the Self Check -Out Terminal
• 24,503 Items Checked Out at the Circulation Desk
• 28,485 TOTAL Items Checked Out In the Circulation Department
• 30,672 TOTAL Items Checked IN In the Circulation Department
MLN NETWORK TRANSFER STATISTICS
There were no Network Transfer Statistics generated in April.
The next MLN Network Transfer report will be generated in June 2009.
PAGING LIST STATISTICS
• 2,974 Adult & Children's Items on the "Paging List"
• Staff member located items
• Staff members processed items
• Items were sent to other MLN libraries to fill requests
BIN DEVIVERYSTATISTICS /APRIL 2009
• 400 Bins Received From Other MLN Libraries
• 340 Bins Sent to Other MLN libraries
• 740 TOTAL # OF Bins Processed
LIBRARY INSIGHT/MUSEUM PASSES STATISTICS
• 227 Museum Passes Circulated in April 2009
• 64%/36% On -Line Reservation By Patron /Library Staff Reservation Ratio
• 2,494 Patrons Registered In Library Insight (AS OF 05/01/2009)
• 141 Library Cards Issues /Patrons Registered
$ $1,066.25 Fines /Fees Paid /Online /MLN Ecommerce
Metrowest Regional Library System/ Spring Survey
In April, Lexington participated in the Massachusetts Regional Library Delivery System Spring Survey. The information gathered
from this survey will be used to develop solutions for the most cost effective and efficient delivery services in the future.
Libraries were asked to count each book, audio visual item, CD, DVD, correspondence or package sent or received via delivery.
Libraries were also asked to count the number of incoming and outgoing bins. Here are the results for Lexington
METRO WEST REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM /SPRING SURVEY
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESAY THURSDAY FRIDAY TOTALS
# OUTGOING BINS 18 13 18 11 17 77
# OUTGOING
ITEMS 875 597 749 434 505 3160
# INCOMING BINS 26 26 22 16 14 104
#INCOMING ITEMS 904 823 766 702 628 3823
TOTAL # BINS SEND /RECEIVED 181
TOTAL # OF ITEMS PROCESSED 6983
Killawatt Meters
In March the Lexington GWAC (Global Warming Action Coalition) donated two Killawatt Meters to the library. A Killawatt
meter is used to measure how much electricity an appliance uses. We began to circulate these items in April.These items
circulate to Lexington residents only for two weeks at a time and cannot be renewed. There are currently 12 outstanding
requests for these items.
April 2009
Circulation Statistics
6/16/2009+
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
BOOKS -ADULT
8
8
HIGH DEMAND -ADULT
3
4
SPEED READ
787
750
TEMPORARY RESERVE -ADULT
29
133
LARGE- TYPE -ADULT
504
489
PAPERBACKS -ADULT
349
599
PERIODICALS -ADULT
555
544
ILL(NON -MLN)
89
84
VIRTUAL CATALOG
24
42
LITERACY
55
37
BOOK ON PLAYER -ADULT
6
CASSETTE- ADULT - SPOKEN -HIGH DEMAND
1
CASSETTE- ADULT - SPOKEN
416
270
CASSETTES- ADULT- MUSIC
4
CDS- MUSIC - ADULT -HIGH DEMAND
13
16
CDS- MUSIC -ADULT
1
2
CDS- SPOKEN - ADULT -HIGH DEMAND
6
9
CDS- SPOKEN -ADULT
1
1
CD- ROM -ADULT
7
3
DVD OR VCD -ADULT
3
4
DVD- NON - FICTION -ADULT
666
1
TV SERIES
404
1
VIDEOS -ADULT
650
446
VIDEOS- NON - FICTION
330
211
MUSICAL SCORES
24
19
EQUIPMENT
3
10
MISCELLANEOUS
5
BOOK AND DISC
2
GAMES--ADULT
3
3
TOTAL ADULT
23J52
26,489
YOUNG ADULT MATERIALS
2
2
TOTAL YOUNG ADULT
2,202
2,764
6/16/2009+
April 2009
Circulation Statistics
6/16/2009+
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
BOOKS- CHILDRENS
15
16
VIDEOS-CHILDRENS
909
763
VIDEOS-CHILDRENS-N.F.
276
226
HOLIDAY BOOKS - CHILDRENS
134
174
BOOK ON PLAYER - CHILDRENS
58
CDS -CH I LDRENS
130
139
CDS- SPOKEN - CHILDRENS
452
390
CASSETTES - CHILDRENS
8
6
SPOKEN CASSETTES - CHILDRENS
167
112
CD-ROM-CHILDRENS
224
155
DVD- CHILDRENS
1
1
PERIODICALS- CHILDRENS
96
136
PAPERBACKS- CHILDRENS
201
271
KITS-CHILDRENS
285
298
GAMES - CHILDRENS
4
4
LARGE- PRINT - CHILDRENS
8
TOTAL CHILDRENS
20,444
21,364
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
Total Circulation
45,798
50,617
6/16/2009+
May 2009
Circulation Statistics
6/16/2009+
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
BOOKS -ADULT
8
8
HIGH DEMAND -ADULT
3
3
SPEED READ
777
735
TEMPORARY RESERVE -ADULT
27
141
LARGE- TYPE -ADULT
541
417
PAPERBACKS -ADULT
456
711
PERIODICALS -ADULT
574
616
ILL(NON -MLN)
91
122
VIRTUAL CATALOG
38
38
LITERACY
30
47
BOOK ON PLAYER -ADULT
N/A
71
CASSETTE- ADULT - SPOKEN -HIGH DEMAND
12
CASSETTE- ADULT - SPOKEN
1
316
CASSETTES - ADULT- MUSIC
5
8
CDS- MUSIC - ADULT -HIGH DEMAND
18
16
CDS- MUSIC -ADULT
1
2
CDS- SPOKEN - ADULT -HIGH DEMAND
13
C DS- SPOKEN -ADULT
424
1
CD- ROM -ADULT
9
6
DVD OR VCD -ADULT
3
4
DVD- NON - FICTION -ADULT
741
1
TV SERIES
354
1
VIDEOS -ADULT
630
366
VIDEOS- NON - FICTION
305
192
MUSICAL SCORES
26
17
EQUIPMENT
1
3
MISCELLANEOUS
2
1
BOOK AND DISC
2
1
GAMES--ADULT
TOTAL ADULT
23,583
26,319
YOUNG ADULT MATERIALS
2
2
TOTAL YOUNG ADULT
2148
2,363
6/16/2009+
May 2009
Circulation Statistics
6/16/2009+
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
BOOKS- CHILDRENS
15
15
VIDEOS-CHILDRENS
778
668
VIDEOS-CHILDRENS-N.F.
236
182
HOLIDAY BOOKS - CHILDRENS
77
65
BOOK ON PLAYER - CHILDRENS
N/A
44
CDS -CHI LDRENS
138
127
CDS- SPOKEN - CHILDRENS
343
92
CASSETTES - CHILDRENS
21
11
SPOKEN CASSETTES - CHILDRENS
143
272
CD-ROM-CHILDRENS
150
124
DVD -CH I LDRENS
1
1
PERIODICALS- CHILDRENS
68
157
PAPERBACKS- CHILDRENS
161
257
KITS-CHILDRENS
284
286
GAMES - CHILDRENS
N/A
1
LARGE- PRINT - CHILDRENS
4
6
TOTAL CHILDRENS
1%534
1%270
TOTALS 2008TOTALS
2009
Total Circulation
45,265
47,952
6/16/2009+
REFERENCE DEPARTMENT REPORT
Trustees' Meeting June 23, 2009
Reference activities
Reference librarians answered 3243 questions in April, 4% more than the
previous April; however the 3,184 questions answered in May were equal to the
number answered the previous May. Sundays remain the busiest day followed
by Saturdays when staff at the reference desk answer an average of 12 to 13
questions per hour; Mondays are the busiest weekdays with an average of 11 to
12 questions per hour. This pattern has been constant, however the number of
questions on Thursdays and Fridays has noticeably increased since last year.
Door -to -door volunteers made 17 deliveries in April, similar to deliveries in 2008,
but the 19 deliveries in May were significantly less than the 29 in May 2008.
There is no obvious reason behind that decrease.
Study rooms were occupied 50% of the time in April, with 353 sign -ups, similar to
April of 2009, but in May, study rooms showed a significant increase over April
with 427 sign -ups and represents a 6% increase over study room usage in 2008
and 63% occupancy rate. In May, reserving study rooms for patrons and letting
them in represented 20% of the interactions at the Reference desk.
Circulation of Chinese materials remains steady in the past few months with
books in Chinese representing 2.3% of total circulation and Chinese audio - visual
material 1.3 %.
In April, after monitoring the success of playaways in the Childrens' Department,
the main library began offering these recorded books that require only a battery
and headset to listen to them. Using $5,000 from Cary Memorial Library
Foundation funds, reference librarian, Cathie Ghorbani purchased a start -up
collection of 100 playaways featuring a variety of fiction, non - fiction, classic and
new titles. During the month of May these have been on display in front of the
reference desk and an object of great curiosity. Initially they did not circulate as
quickly as expected, but enthusiasm is picking up.
Programs
April, with all activities connected with the Lexington Reads "Telling Our Stories"
(a theme that was the brainchild of reference and program librarian Elizabeth
Dickinson who also suggested many of the program topics) was an exceedingly
busy month with nine adult programs attracting a total of 371 attendees. Twelve
people attended the first program, "Family Stories" with speaker Katie Green on
April 1. A much larger crowd of 160 attended the kickoff event held at Cary Hall
on April 5 to hear Jackie Lyden, author of Daughter of the Queen of Sheba
author of the selected title for Lexington Reads. Three genealogy and local
history tour /workshops exploring not only the collections but the databases at
Cary Library were given on April 7, 15, and18 by reference and local history
librarian Linda Carroll; four people attended the first and the last workshops and
seven attended the second. On Saturday, April 21, twenty -one people shared
their stories which were professionally recorded on DVD and added to the
library's collection. On April 16, Lexington High School creative writers who
contributed to the collection RED spoke to an audience of 40 people about their
experience and "What Fires Up Their Lives Today" inspiring a lively dialogue.
The 55 attendees at the April 23 program "Telling Our Stories Through Quilts"
were a very different, but no less enthusiastic audience from those attending the
teen program. The final program, the showing of the film "Nu Shu: A Hidden
Language of Women in China" with discussion moderated by scholar and
Lexington resident Esther Hu was very well received and attracted 63 people
despite the fact that it was on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon. Preliminary
planning for next years' programs has already begun and committee members
are communicating ideas with one another through Yahoo Groups.
The pace was slightly slower in May, but the programs were just as well received
and well attended. "Poets in Person ", held May 7, a panel presentation by four
Lexington poets: Teresa Cader, Cammy Thomas, Joyce Peseroff, and Steven
Cramer was much appreciated by the 60 who listened to them read and discuss
their work. A second offering of "Reading Poetry Together" given by Helen and
Don Cohen on May 28 was fully subscribed with 20 attendees. The May 21
discussion of Peter's War by author Joyce Lee Malcolm attracted an audience of
25.
Database Usage
The trend remarked in an earlier report of in- library use being greater than
remote use of electronic databases continues to hold and offers a marked
difference from last year which showed greater remote use than in- library use.
Big increases in certain school- oriented databases such as ABC -Clio (usage
tripled in April and May compared to previous months in 2009) and Science
Resource Center (usage doubled in April and May compared to previous months
in 2009) suggest that word has spread about their usefulness as homework
resources. Head of Reference, Cynthia Johnson gave a demonstration of both
databases at a Childrens' Room departmental meeting which may account for
some of this trend. All databases show increased use in April and May 2009 as
compared with 2008 Usage of RefUSA and the Wall Street Journal has
doubled as has the online Encyclopedia Judaica. Only Books In Print and
Mergent have remained relatively the same. The issue of foreign language
learning databases has remained a vexed one since Rosetta Stone stopped
selling to the library market last year. Auralog /Tell Me More, the replacement
selected for FY09 has proven to be cumbersome and difficult to use. It is hoped
that Mango Languages, added to Cary Library's online subscriptions in early May,
will prove to be more useful; so far it has 31 users have signed up.
Teen Activities
Circulation of Teen materials in April and May was down slightly from the March
high of 3,519, but significantly higher than previous years; April 2009 circulation
statistics reflect a 23% increase over last year and May a 7% increase over last
year.
April was a busy month for teen programs beginning with the mounting of the
Teen Art Show on April 1 which attracted attention for the entire month of April.
In total there were 38 works displayed as well as representative assignments
from two Lexington High School art classes. The third annual A Capella Jam,
held from 6-7:30 on Friday night April 3, was very well- attended, with 63 people
present to listen to 3 groups and assorted combos from the Lexington High
School Music Department.
Most of the April Teen Advisory Board meeting (14 members present) was
devoted to planning the final TAB event of the year, open MIC night, along with
discussion of possible summer activities and thoughts on Fall and Winter events.
Open Mic Night, May 29 from 6-7:30 which also served as the final TAB
meeting , was a tremendous success with over 40 participants offering a variety
of presentations from poetry reading to musical groups, solo guitar and piano,
and comedy routines. As they left, many of the attendees asked when the next
one was planned.
TO: Cary Memorial Library Board of Trustees
FROM: Margaret Donovan, Head of Technology and Access
DATE: June 4, 2009
RE: Report of the Technology Dept.: April - May, 2009
Cary Library Information Kiosk
We have received shipment of the furniture and some of the equipment that will be configured as
an Information Kiosk near the front lobby of the Library. This kiosk will resemble an ATM in
that it will have a touch - screen from which patrons can choose to get quick information on a
variety of topics such as: Mapped locations of rooms, collections, self - checkout station, and
restrooms; Daily calendar of events, etc. There is a printer included in the kiosk so patrons may
print out the information they have received. And, just as banks expect customers use an ATM
for just minutes at a time, our service model for the kiosk is to provide a quick -stop, and not a
mini- Reference Desk, for patrons. Adding kiosk content will be an ongoing project, as we
intend in the future to provide a variety of maps, bus schedules, and more.
Specialty OPACs
Below are two screenshots from our new Audiovisual Online Catalog, which we hope to install
within the month. Agnes Pallaver is designing the visuals; our categories are based on the
Library's call numbers. Kate Leppanen and Jen Webb are working on making this OPAC easy
to use and accurate in its searches. For example, we know that patrons will ask one of two things
about our DVD collection and our OPAC screen will reflect those questions.
"What are your new DVDs ?" and "Do you have a DVD of [insert title here] ?"
Margaret Donovan has begun work on a Large -Print OPAL, which will be located near where
the collection is shelved. This OPAC will not only feature categories based on our call
numbers -- Fiction, General Nonfiction, Biography, and Periodicals it will also have a category
for new titles in large print.
Foot Traffic, AudioVisual Equipment Use, and Telephone / Website Library Service
Thanks to our newly installed people counters, we know that 40,203 passed through our doors in
April and 40,855 in May.
When they weren't walking in, patrons called us. In April we answered 2,058 calls and in May
we answered 2925. Not surprisingly, the most frequent destinations for those callers were the
Reference Desk and the Circulation Desk. If one considers that we do not have staff dedicated to
answering phones, imagine the multi- tasking taking place at the service desks!
Our audiovisual equipment continues to be a welcome tool for groups using the Library Meeting
Rooms. There were a total of 192 bookings in April and May; of these, 52 requested use of the
equipment.
In April there were 2,555 visits from outside the library to our Cary Website. In May there were
2,659 visits, the largest number in two years. The two most - visited pages contained information
about the Stone Building and information on how to book a meeting room.
End of FY09, Planning for FY10
The end of the fiscal year is a time for Technology Department reports on equipment, vendors,
and dollars spent. These reports provide a snapshot of spending that can be compared with that
of the previous years to identify trends. The information we gather provides us with a holistic
view, a "State of the Library's Equipment," so to speak. Which items are real workhouses over
time? -- Barcode scanners and Hewlett Packard printers. Which items wear predictably? - -Dell
computers. Which items do we replace frequently? - -As expected, headphones, cables, and
adapters. One of the department's top priorities is to "use it up, wear it out," and so we extend
the useful life of our equipment by regular specialized defragmenting (PCs), cleaning (inside and
out) and maintenance regimens (printers and small copiers). Ask Margaret or Kate for a list of
our secrets!
Part of the Department's end -of -year work is to prepare for the coming year's technology needs.
Each Department Head receives an inventory of department equipment from Margaret. On this
inventory are relevant facts about each thing age, repair history, etc. There are also
recommendations for replacing older equipment and reconditioning others, as well as questions
about any new equipment needs. Once these are returned, a preliminary list of purchases for the
next fiscal year is compiled along with dollar estimates. Next, the Library's software inventory
gets examined for upcoming license renewals for the next year. At the same time, the Library's
Strategic Plan is consulted to see if any new service initiatives will require new or newer
equipment. Although this can take some weeks, the planning process simplifies budgeting so
that there are fewer emergency purchases and repairs in the following fiscal year.
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