2014 ANNUAL REPORT ISHPEMING CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Overview

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1 2014 ANNUAL REPORT ISHPEMING CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY Inside the annual report Technology 2 Programming 3-5 Special Funds Campaign 6 Friends of the Library 8 Statistics Library Hours in 2014 Overview Attendance, circulation and computer usage continued to rise in The annual percentage of visitors, items checked out and the number of computers used was higher than The number of registered users from the city and townships increased by 12%. Circulation increased by 12.6%, attendance increased by 3% and computer usage increased by 2%. It is an interesting fact to note that attendance has steadily increased each year since at least Tuesday: 9-5 Wednesday: 9-7 Thursday: 9-7 Friday: 9-5 Saturday: 10-4 Sunday: closed Monday: closed The library added 3,001 items to its collection in 2014, making the total collection 43,551 items. The library purchases a wide variety of items for all ages, including the bestselling fiction and nonfiction, well reviewed and popular children s and teen materials and a great collection of items in other formats. This number excludes items in our downloadable collection. It is a goal of the library to continue to expand our programming and service, as detailed in this annual report. Submitted to the Library Board February 2015 Jessica Shirtz, Library Director

2 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Technology As technologies continue to change it is the library s duty to adapt. We are very excited that, in addition to our increasingly popular downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, this year we began offering downloadable magazines through a service called Zinio! With only their library card and an internet connection patrons may download as many magazines as they d like, including back issues of most periodicals. Another useful database the library offers is Novelist. Novelist is a readers advisory tool with a very comprehensive database. Readers are able to search by title, author, genre, etc. and Novelist will suggest new reads based on the selections. This is a very powerful tool for staff as well, who may not be as well versed in certain genres than in others. Zinio and Novelists are databases we are able to subscribe to at a discounted rate because of our membership to the Superiorland Library Cooperative. To assist our patrons who prefer to utilize technology inside the building, we purchased a new monitor for our microfilm machine. This monitor is large and is able to swivel from horizontal to vertical allowing a person to view an entire newspaper page at once on the screen, which is not possible with a traditional screen. Our two children s computers were updated this year and now restrict use to only kid-friendly websites and games. The Library Coop also installed software on the machines to help us more accurately track their use. The library has a new color printer in the Children s Room for use by our Children s Librarian, as well as a new black and white/color printer on the main floor for staff and public use. This printer is a huge advantage over the previous setup of two printers (one for color, one for black and white) as it is faster, is able to accommodate large files, and is able to print double-sided. The ink is also significantly less expensive to replace. The library can now text patrons when they have an item available to pick up or an item that is almost due! Patrons may sign up by texting their library card number to phone@gldl.info. Many patrons find this more convenient than waiting for the automated phone message

3 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Adult Programming 2014 saw the beginning of year-round programming for adults. A monthly Adult Book Club began meeting in January and has a loyal following. There is so much interest that it has been split into two meetings each month to accommodate schedules. This year marked the third year adults have been included in the Summer Reading Program, but this was the first year there was a physical meeting for the Book Club, and it was very well attended. Many members continued to reference the book chosen for that meeting, The Circle by Dave Eggers, in later meetings. During the summer we were excited to hose the U.S. Air Force Woodwind Quintet in a special concert! Early in the year our Library Board President, Paul Olson, taught a life drawing class for adults over the course of six weeks in our newly finished Ray Leverton Community Room. Registrants attended each week with materials provided by the library to learn techniques. The class was very popular and will be repeated in future years. Our Assistant Librarian, Kelsey Boldt, who began our Adult Book Club also planned a Craft Series for our adult patrons. On three separate occasions adults had the opportunity to create something in a group setting. The first, a cookie jar craft/recipe swap, invited patrons to combine ingredients for a cookie recipe in a mason jar to give as a gift, as well as bring a cookie recipe to swap. The second, Houses By Night, had everyone cutting intricate buildings out of paper to wrap around a tea light making a unique night light. The third craft program was a tote bag decorated using a doily, stencils, and black ink. All three were a success and future programs along the same lines will be introduced in the coming year.

4 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Teen Services In an effort to fill a void in programming for middle and high school students the library began offering Tween and Teen Fridays every other Friday of each month this year. Programs on these days were a combination of crafts, games, projects, and movie release parties. Hits were Minute To Win It!, Christmas Tree Decorating (upside down waffle cones and frosting), a Catching Fire movie release party, and all of the Summer Reading Fridays. During the Summer Reading Program we increased the frequency to every week. All of these programs fit the Science theme with favorites being Mythbusters, Mad Scientists Cupcake Lab (cupcake decorating), Ice Cream Making, and Minute To Win It!. Towards the end of this year the library also began a Tween/Teen Book Club! Each month kids eight years old and up and their parents are invited to join us to talk about a middle grade fiction book. The group began by reading classics such as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice s Adventures in Wonderland before veering off into popular series. We wanted to make sure we were offering programs that were of interest to our young patrons so we began our JLAB (Junior Library Advisory Board) group. Open to ages eight and up, tweens and teens join us to let us know what kinds of programs, books, and movies they would like to see in the library. We have found this to increase attendance and use of the library s resources.

5 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Children s Programming & Services Children s programming boomed in 2014 under the direction of Children s Librarian, Heather Lander. Her first full year on the job saw a dramatic increase in circulation of children s items and in the number and diversity of programs offered. Expanding on the existing Tot Tuesday and Saturday Puppet Show programs, she added Library Lapsit, a storytime for babies and toddlers, LEGO Club, Creative Kids, a process art class for preschoolers, and Family Storyhour, special storytimes for all ages with a variety of activities, to the regular line-up. She was also the driving force behind creating JLAB (see page 4) for tweens and teens. Because so many children wanted to be a part of our Summer Reading Program (more kids signed up in the first day of 2014 than signed up in the entire first week of 2013!) we created categories by age. This year we had the following categories: Infant/Toddler, Preschool, School-age, Tween, Teen, and Adult. With the exception of the Infant/Toddler group we offered programs for each age group on a certain day of the week for eight weeks, rather than every other week as they usually are scheduled. All of our children s programs were well-attended with some of the favorites being Marshmallow Science, Bubble Science, and visits from Moosewood Nature Center, the DNR, and two nature day camps at Al Quaal with the Superior Watershed Partnership! Our Children s Librarian and Director attended Reading Day at the Mall in March to represent our library, and both remain members of the Great Lakes Great Books Award Committee which selects the best books for kids K-12 throughout the state. One of the perks of this is that the members receive boxes of books from publishers who want their items considered for the Award. All of the items sent were then donated to the library. Heather attended Family Night at Aspen Ridge School to raise awareness of programs at the library. The Children s Room also hosts groups, such as girl scouts, 8-18 Media, and a Breastfeeding Moms Group.

6 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Building Renovation & Accessibility Campaign This past year saw many updates to our historic building! Twenty-three brand new windows were installed on three different floors by Window Outfitters. The leaky, rotted-out, sometimes broken windows were replaced with air-tight, solid, beautiful windows that make our library more comfortable, safe, and energy efficient. Because the inner window sills remain they also blend right in with the rest of our 1904 woodwork. Funding has been secured for all but ten of the remaining small windows and the six large, arched windows. before after Thanks to the help of the Ishpeming Pioneer Kiwanis group our old magazine shelving was removed to make room for new shelving by North Oak. Now the home of our extensive Local History section, it also features two locking glass cabinets for displaying local artwork. The wall before (top) and after installation of new shelving (bottom). Local artist Roger Junak painted a beautiful mural in our Children s Room to frame our new puppet window (above right). New LED lights were added to the stacks and T8 lights were installed in both reading rooms on the main floor (below right). Already, the adult areas of the library seem more inviting and are much more conducive to locating items now that they are well lit.

7 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Library Board The Library Board continues to oversee the operations of the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library and they are strong advocates for the continued success of the library and its services. *note changes to board Volunteers Volunteers have been instrumental in the success of our library programs and services and the library is grateful to those individuals who have donated their time. We had one volunteer in particular, Nicole Johnson, who donated over 100 hours this summer to help run our many Summer Reading programs for all ages! She continues to volunteer what time she can after school to help with processing books, shelving, and other programs. We also had a few volunteers help with shelving, dusting and other projects throughout the library. Library Board Members: Paul Olson, President Karen Kasper, Secretary Darren Boldt Elyse Bertucci Joanna Heliste Interlibrary Loan Services Children s Librarian, Heather Lander (l) with Nicole Johnson, volunteer. The library is committed to finding any item requested by our patrons. Through participation in both the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation (UPRLC) Patron Initiated Interlibrary Loan (PII) and the Michigan elibrary (MeL) ILL service we are able to obtain items from all over the state, as well as make our items available to patrons at other locations. This service stretches our budget and greatly increases our collection. We also have begun utilizing a National Request system that allows us to obtain items from all over the country. This year we borrowed 4,084 items and loaned 2,268! (See page 10 for a breakdown) Interlibrary loan has been especially useful this year to homeschoolers who were able to obtain dozens of books on a single subject from other libraries.

8 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library Friends of the Library The Friends of the Library have continued the tradition of positively supporting the library, its programs and its services. The Friends generously continued to fund much of our Summer Reading Programs, including books for book clubs, themed supplies, and prizes. Their support continues to encourage reading in our community. They also began donating extra money quarterly (in addition to funding for children s programs) for tween/teen and adult programs so that no age group is left out. As always, the Friends continued their annual fundraising events this year. The 2014 calendars and the annual cookbooks continued to be a success. The Friends continue to host used book sales and the quarterly newsletters. Finally, both past and present library patrons have generously donated to the Friends of the Library organization throughout the 2014 fiscal year. Due to construction, the Friends Lyceum was postponed until early fall when author Daniel Fountain came to talk about his book Michigan Gold & Silver. The group also hosted a Christmas Open House and Book Sale where they debuted a Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. Local groups and individuals decorated Christmas trees around the library to compete for a $25 prize. Attendees that night (and throughout the month of December) voted by donation. In 2014 Pioneer Kiwanis of Ishpeming won. The Friends of the Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library continued to actively support the programs and services of the library in Officers of the Friends of the Library in 2014 were: President: Liz Powelson Vice President: Kathy Merrill Secretary: Jodi Firby Treasurer: Kathy Geier

9 Page Annual Report I s h peming Carnegie Public Library 2015 and Beyond As we look ahead to next year it s easy to become excited about future projects, such as the elevator, air conditioning, redoing the front entrance, additional outlets for patron use, and a plethora of other potential changes. As we wait to receive funding for the larger projects we will continue to manage our collection to ensure it is useful, up-to-date, and what our community deserves in a public library collection. This will involve additional weeding, purchasing, shifting, inventorying, and re-cataloging. We currently have five staff members: two full-time and three part-time. It is a goal of the library to make our Children s Librarian position fulltime some time in the future and, if ever possible, to add an additional clerk, operational hours, and permanent parking. With enough projects to last the library many years we are excited to see what we can get done with the next one!

10 2014 Statistical Overview Attendance Adults : 35,781 Children: 8,809 Total 44,590 Total Materials Checked Out: 46,426 (see detailed breakdown) Interlibrary Loan Statistics Items Loaned: 2,268 Items Borrowed: 4,084 Computer Usage Adults: 9,138 Children: 595 Total 9,733 Registered Users Ishpeming: 2,824 Townships: 1,182 Other: 262 Total 4,268 COMPARING 2013 FIGURES: Circulation: 12.5% increase (5,150 more items checked out) Visitors : 3% increase (1,268 more people visited the library). Registered Users: 12% increase (451 more residents hold library cards) Breakdown of Items Checked Out Adult Fiction: 15,739 Adult Nonfiction: 4,238 Juvenile Fiction: 11,240 Juvenile Nonfiction: 1,658 Teen Fiction: 3,904 Teen Nonfiction: 83 Music CDs: 516 Audiobooks: 1,218 Downloadable Audio Books 1,428 Downloadable ebooks 2,373 Downloadable Magazines 402 DVDs/Videos: 1,996 Magazines: 92 Other: 1,513* *ILLs not classified, etc.

11 2014 Budget Overview *Unofficial Estimates Salaries 105,000* Office Supplies 4,000 Operating Supplies 800 Repairs/Maintenance 1,200 Repair/Main. Supplies 1,000 Communications 500 Transportation/Meals 1,200 Utilities 13,040 Books 18,000 Periodicals 5,000 Videos 1,500 Audio 2,000 Automated System & Internet 15,000 Miscellaneous 1,000 * Does not include retirement benefits or insurance