Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 - Summary Report Have you visited Evansville's Eager Free Library in the past six months? (PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO PROCEED.) Value Percent Yes 68 85.7% No 28 4.3% How did you get to the Library the last time you visited it? Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page
Value Percent Bicycle 3.8% Car, truck or motorcycle 28 76.2% Public Transportation 0 0.0% Walked 32 9.% I visited virtually (Website) 5 3.0% Other (Please specify.) 0 0.0% If you selected "other," please specify here. I visit regularly and have arrived by car, walking, and online. How much time did you spend at the Library during your last visit? Value Percent Less than 5 minutes 65 38.7% 5 to 30 minutes 70 4.7% 30 minutes to hour 23 3.7% to 2 hours 0 6.0% More than 2 hours 0 0.0% Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 2
Which of the following did you do during your last visit to the Library? (Please select all that apply.) Value Percent Borrowed recreational reading materials, listening materials, videos or DVDs 9 70.8% Picked up an item on hold 77 45.8% Searched computer catalog to look up items and/or place a hold 24 4.3% Used a non-circulating research/reference book at the library 0 0.0% Asked library staff for help with a question 43 25.6% Attended a program, lecture, book discussion or other event 9.3% Viewed art or an exhibit 7 4.2% Used a public computer 6.6% Used the library's wireless network to connect my laptop, tablet or smart phone 9 5.4% Met friends or colleagues 7 4.2% Went to a Friends of the Library book sale 5 3.0% Other (Please specify): 8 0.7% Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 3
If you selected "other," please specify here. Craft Time Dropped of DVD's Looked at children's books with kids Meeting to plan for Rally Round Flag My children were interested in coloring and putting together puzzles in the children's section. Read the newspaper Requested library card Selected books from new book area Sent a Fax Took child to play Worked on recycle fashion show clothes Looked for a book Made copies Meeting Pay fine and visit children's library Story time Tax forms Updated my phone number with them Worked on a personal writing project Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 4
On a scale of to 5 with representing "Poor" and 5 representing "Excellent," how would you rate your overall satisfaction with the Eager Free Library? Value Percent Poor 0.6% 2 - Fair 8 4.8% 3 - Good 30 8.0% 4 - Very Good 65 38.9% 5 - Excellent 63 37.7% What is/are the major reason(s) for the rating you gave the Library?.. Helpful staff, 2. RockCat access to wide variety of materials. Always find what I was looking for or had requested in a timely manner. Always pleasant and informative Architecture, welcoming interior, staff Attentive staff; atmosphere; programs; collection Child was told to be quiet. What? Collection can be improved. Convenience. Easy to use, close to home, love the online resource. Everyone is very knowledgeable and can help me find a book I want to read or use the computers. Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 5
Friendly and good service Friendly environment, wide selection of books. The inter-library loan process was very easy. Friendly library staff - always very helpful Friendly service. Helpful Friendly staff; always get the help I need. The library is very organized, for my needs anyway. Friendly staff, clean facility, I never have problems Friendly staff. Friendly staff. Wide availability of materials through RockCat Friendly, helpful staff. Participation in Rock Cat. Great knowledgeable staff. Great service and selection. Online reservation service and pick up is good. Great service, competent employees, products wanted. Help is always given. I receive materials ordered very quickly. Staff is helpful. Helpful, friendly Helpfulness and friendliness of the staff I can get the books I want using Rock Cat. The staff is always friendly and helpful. I can usually find the book I'm looking for, or I can request the staff get it for me. I find the staff very helpful; they are there to help if they are needed. I have always been able to get what I want quickly and with great courtesy. I love RockCat and can search from home. I moved here from a bigger city, and I miss the amenities that a larger library can offer. I think the materials in the children's section could be more expansive. I wasn't disappointed nor not impressed by anything I would like to see it updated and more kid-friendly. It's free, it's convenient, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. Love the RockCat system, like a small, friendly library. Need a larger selection and a wider variety of genres. Part of the Arrowhead system, so there are many e-books available. People are friendly and helpful. Nice selection of books. People are helpful, the resources are good. The atmosphere is inviting. Selection is a little limited. You can get from another library but you need to wait. Selection of books is limited. Small selection immediately available...most books need to be sent via the Arrowhead system Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 6
Staff is always willing to help, friendly and just all around awesome! Staff is generally friendly, but always helpful. Children programs are great. Staff is friendly. Staff is often friendly and willing to assist you. Staff was very helpful. The book/dvd collection is pretty limited. The library is what I would expect for a town the size of Evansville. The people are so courteous and helpful. The people are friendly and helpful; they have access to a variety of materials. The staff is always very helpful, knowledgeable and pleasant. The staff is great! I only wish we had more space for more materials. The staff is very friendly. The staff is always helpful and very nice. The staff often seem like I am bothering them when I need to check out or ask a question They have always been kind and helpful This place is great! The librarians are so nice, and I just love the feel of the place. Variety Very helpful and friendly library staff. We are always able to find a variety of items and staff is so helpful :) We are very happy with the library. Wish there was more space! Ease of entrance - I'm disabled. Polite staff, quick response to my requests for items Ease of use, quality of material Fast retrieval of items not in their collection. Friendly staff, knowledgeable and understanding/helpful with my disabled son Friendly staff. Love the atmosphere and updated computers Never had any problems and staff is more than helpful Pleasant staff personable. Sandy is excellent with the kids. Service, interlibrary loan, new book selection Still cramped The computers are out of date and slow Too little space Very helpful I am a long time resident of Evansville and know how important the library is and has Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 7
been to the community. I also know why and when it was built here. Evansville is blessed to have had a family that had the foresight to put something so vital to the community and its surroundings in place. Throughout the years the library has filled a lot of spaces in each of our lives with learning and relaxing capabilities from reading to meeting with others, to meetings in itself, then growing into the more technical ages. The library (including the Board, the staff, and the patrons) is doing its best to keep up with the times and hopefully it will be able to maintain its presence in the community to for all walks of needs, as it has in the past. For a small town I think it is a good library, helpful staff and ability to get articles for me if they do not stock them. Good and helpful staff. Appreciate having local library, downtown. Fan of historic architecture - Claude & Stark. Would rather see underutilized space (basement meeting room) better used. There are a limited amount of resources available on hand to suit the needs of my family. Although I can request the materials I want from other libraries, they may not get there in a timely manner sufficient for us to finish our current course work. The activities directed towards the younger children are very mundane. we have started using a different library for resources, story and craft time, and weekly activities for our children I'd like to see more selection but being able to check out from other libraries and pick up at EFPL helps! EFPL was a bastion of sanity for us when we moved here and could not yet afford preschool for our young children. We spent hours at craft and story time activities, participated in summer reading programs and loved it all. This is still available for young families who wean their kids on the love to read. Small library so small selection. Additionally, other connecting libraries are also generally small so still a limited selection in some areas. Your staff is very knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful. I am always pleased when I leave your library. The staff at the library is always friendly and some even suggest material that we might find interesting. We love the story time for toddlers. It would be great if there was a Saturday morning or other day/time offering as both of us work full-time during the academic year and are unable to attend. Helpful, knowledgeable staff. The library usually has what I'm looking for or can get it quickly.. Best sellers by conservative authors are often not available. 2. The organization of the children's books is very confusing. 3. There is a limited selection of the mystery authors that I like, Deaver, Coban, etc. Very few new books on tape, at least that interest me. I use my Kindle for books and don't want to carry a real book around, but travel a lot and want books on tape. The selection is very disappointing. Friendly staff, clean and quiet atmosphere, beautiful building, good selection of videos, easy to find things Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 8
The children's board books are low in number. Much of the music is very old. Need to do some updating on products. It's a gorgeous building inside and out and I love being able to walk there. I love that they can usually get any book I need through the Arrowhead system. The staff is usually not friendly. Now that I go there more frequently they are a little more towards me but not much. The story time is a joke. They do not make the kids feel welcome. The Friday craft time is also ridiculous. We color and cut at home. You really need to look at Stoughton and Janesville libraries to get a good feel for what a children's play area should be like. The books are all old; there are not any children's computers. You have districts buying ipads for students but as a library we don't even offer computers. It's a very good library for its size; but one can get just about any media through the interlibrary system. The staff are great! The kids selection is just ok. The kids programs are ok, but could use some improvement. I love the Eager Free Public Library! It's a beautiful building, with a friendly staff, and a good selection of materials... I would like to see more programming that applies to me. But, the building is beautiful, and if the book I would like isn't there I can usually order it in. Evansville is a small community and we are lucky to have a library of such good quality. I think the library functions quite well as a (the?) social center in town for families with young children. That is a very important role. I rate quantity of collections in the next question as 3 but recognize that the collection size is appropriate for a library of this size. Mostly helpful personal, am having a harder time finding reading material at EFPL, but would rather not use sister libraries is don't have too. The library usually has what I need, but if they don't have it they are able to get it from the surrounding libraries. I wish there were more DVD titles available to borrow and the RockCat website was more user-friendly. The staff there is so helpful and respectful. Would like current books like Top 0 list at Target offered at the Evansville Library instead of having to wait for a Loan from another library. ) When I am simply browsing with no title in mind, I can always find some book to borrow. If I have something specific it is easy to place a request, either on the web site or in person. 2) I have a monthly journal that I request from the Arrowhead system and the staff is courteous tracking down the current edition and putting in the request. 3) Being able to get my reading history so I don't (usually) reread a book. 4) The programs, especially (seemingly) an expansion of adult, evening programs. 5) The architecture of the building. Friendly helpful staff, quiet comfortable and good selection of books. Could use a larger selection and more variety of CDs. Library staff is very helpful; materials are limited but can be obtained through inter-library loan. The building is beautiful. Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 9
When I asked about using the computer the lady wasn't very friendly & kept watching me. I did get a library card that day so I can use the libraries resources. Your librarians are wonderful. But I think you could do a bit more outreach. When the patron comes to the desk, a little more conversation could be involved - a little more of a sales approach could be taken. Keep in mind that librarianship is a service-oriented profession. More engagement with the patron could be helpful for the library's reach into the community. We are homeschoolers and use the library extensively. We usually can find several choices in a wide variety of topics. RockCat is very helpful when our city library doesn't have a particular book and it is reasonably quick in sending the books that we need. We especially would like having quality literature (Newbery Honor, etc.) available for our children rather than the books such as Barney, Barbie, etc. which do not have good models of writing for our children to absorb. The staff is very helpful and friendly. RockCat is a wonderful way to get books the library doesn't have. The local collection is small. Good inter-library loan. Good hours. Friendly service. Return box outside is good but could be drive through. Story Time program could be developed more. We love having a local library in walking distance. We take advantage of the kids' programs as much as we can and the kids love them. Everyone is friendly and if a book isn't available immediately, I can always get it from somewhere in the system. I'm continually impressed at what a great job you do offering a variety of services and programs for a wide variety of people. I use it to find books for my young children to read. They love coming to the library and finding books that they like. I also like that there is an area in the children's section where the kids can color, do puzzles or just read books. I think the library has a lot to offer. But, I also think, the children's area could be improved. Perhaps add a bit more to the weekly story time and craft time. Revamp the children's area. I love the building, the resources available and everyone who works there is friendly and helpful. It is an invaluable resource for this community. The nature of the "library" is changing and most of what I read is online... I have used the reading room lower for meetings, and some newspapers in upstairs...the vague question does not help in an answer that is actionable in any way. The librarians are always very helpful, the building is beautiful and a pleasure to visit, and there is a great selection of materials from movies to magazines to books to satisfy whatever mood I'm in. Books on CD or poorly displayed. They are hard to look at with them being on shelves that are so low and close to the floor. Because I'm always helped with anything I need, especially in the search for specific reference materials. The books are great and the programs are fun, but some people who work there aren't always paying attention or being nice. I appreciate the service. When I'm looking for a particular book, the staff is very willing to Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 0
search the Arrowhead Library System to find what I am looking for. I also like the text messaging and email alerts when the resource I am seeking is available. I love being able to borrow books whenever I want, but I've read so many of the books in my section that it's getting a little difficult for me to find books that I haven't already read that sound interesting. The library and staff seem colder and more standoffish than before. It s a completely different atmosphere without Ms. Kemp. Staff is always helpful. My 3 yr. old son has enjoyed some of the recent programs geared for Middle School kids. If they don't have what I want they are able to get it. Staff is friendly and helpful. Great location. Staff is courteous, even friendly(!) and helpful the inter-library loan system is a great help new materials, both in book & DVD form If what I want is not at Eager Free it is easy to request the item and get it from another library The library is very good at providing a standard set of services, but does not project a dynamic image or strongly communicate its contribution to the community. Many books that I want to read I have to request from other libraries, but they are generally quickly delivered for pick up. Friendly service. Pretty good selection of materials. Good, reliable, usually prompt availability of materials I request. Decent website. Notified of a past due item that was not past due. This caused quite a bit of confusion and grief. I'm hesitant to check anything out again. On a scale of to 5 with representing "poor" and 5 representing "Excellent," please indicate your opinion of each of the following components of library service. Please select "0" if you have no opinion or if you believe that you are unable to rate a particular service. Size of Fiction Collection 0 - No Opinion/Unable to Rate 2.7% 36 - Poor 2 - Fair 3 - Good 0.0% 0 8.4% 4 44.0% 73 4 - Very Good 20.5% 34 5 - Excellent s 5.4% 9 66 Quality of Fiction Collection 22.9% 38.2% 2 9.0% 5 39.8% 66 22.3% 37 4.8% 8 66 Size of Non- Fiction Collection 37.3% 62 2.4% 4 9.6% 6 27.% 45 8.7% 3 4.8% 8 66 Quality of Non- Fiction Collection 38.2% 63.8% 3 6.7% 3.5% 52 8.2% 30 3.6% 6 65 Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page
Size of children's collection 3.9% 53.2% 2 2.0% 20 22.9% 38 20.5% 34.4% 9 66 Quality of children's collection 33.% 55.8% 3 8.4% 4 2.% 35 22.3% 37 3.3% 22 66 Size of teen collection 69.9% 4 0.6% 8.6% 4.0% 8 7.4% 2 2.5% 4 63 Quality of teen collection 70.6% 3 0.6% 5.6% 9 9.4% 5.3% 8 2.5% 4 60 Size of Audio Book Collection 54.9% 89 4.3% 7.% 8 4.2% 23 3.0% 2 2.5% 4 62 Quality of Audio Book collection 55.6% 90 3.7% 6 0.5% 7 3.0% 2 3.6% 22 3.7% 6 62 Size of DVD collection 30.9% 50 4.9% 8 2.0% 34 25.9% 42.7% 9 5.6% 9 62 Quality of DVD collection 32.9% 54 7.9% 3 3.4% 22 25.0% 4 5.2% 25 5.5% 9 64 Quantity of children's programs 46.3% 75 3.% 5 9.3% 5 3.6% 22 6.0% 26.7% 9 62 Quality of children's programs 49.4% 8 3.0% 5 6.% 0 0.4% 7 6.5% 27 4.6% 24 64 Quantity of programs for teens 80.4% 3 6.% 0 3.7% 6 3.7% 6 4.9% 8.2% 2 63 Quality of programs for teens 8.9% 3 3.8% 6 3.8% 6 4.4% 7 5.0% 8.3% 2 60 Quantity of programs for adults 56.8% 92 3.% 5 9.3% 5 4.2% 23 4.8% 24.9% 3 62 Quality of programs for adults 62.% 00 2.5% 4 5.6% 9.2% 8 5.5% 25 3.% 5 6 Other (Please specify) 77.0% 47 3.3% 2 6.6% 4 3.3% 2 6.6% 4 3.3% 2 6 Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 2
If you selected "other," please specify here. Are there programs for teens? Cooperation with community organizations. Haven't been there in awhile Hours are too limited. I don't have children, so don't use those services. I really wish you had more programs for adults to get more active in their community I very much appreciate being part of the RockCat System Nonfiction chairs are nice with comfy atmosphere. Very little poetry books or drama Computer use Could use more DVDs for children No opinion More new DVDs in children s section would be nice, since they discontinued quite a few of the old VHS tapes There are a number of reasons that people don't use libraries. On a scale of to 5 with representing "Not at all Significant" and 5 representing "Very Significant," please rate the following factors in terms of how much of a factor each of the following is in your decision NOT to use the Library. The library doesn't have what I want/need - Not at All Significant 6.5% 6 2 3 4 5.4% 4 3.8% 7.7% 2 5 - Very Significant s.5% 26 3 The Library's hours are not convenient 5.9% 4.% 3.% 3.% 3 4.8% 4 27 I get most of my information and reading elsewhere.5% 3 7.7% 2 34.6% 9.5% 3 34.6% 9 26 Not enough time 34.6% 9.5% 3.5% 3 23.% 6 9.2% 5 26 Other 66.7% 8 8.3% 8.3% 0.0% 0 6.7% 2 2 Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 3
If you selected "other," please specify here. Bought a Kindle and now download books from Eager Free Public Library I also go to 3 other libraries for reading material & movies Serving US overseas The fines are so high. Whether or not you currently use the public library on a regular basis, please rate the following items in terms of their relative importance to you and your family on a scale of to 5 with representing "Least Important" and 5 representing "Most Important." (Please select a rating for each item listed; choose "0" if you are unable to rate the item.) Books 0 - No - Least Opinion/Unable to Important Rate 3.2% 6.6% 3 2 3 4.% 2 5.3% 0 9.5% 37 5 - Most Important s 69.5% 32 90 Magazines.6% 22 33.9% 64 5.3% 29 2.2% 40 3.2% 25 4.8% 9 89 Videos and Audiobooks 7.9% 5 4.2% 27 6.8% 3 25.3% 48 22.6% 43 23.2% 44 90 Quiet areas to sit and read 6.3% 2 2.% 40 4.7% 28 23.7% 45 8.4% 35 5.8% 30 90 Availabilty of Wi-Fi 9.9% 9 22.5% 43 6.3% 2 5.2% 29 25.% 48 20.9% 40 9 Assistance in answering questions 2.6% 5 4.2% 8 2.6% 5 5.3% 29 38.% 72 37.0% 70 89 Public access computers.% 2 23.7% 45 8.9% 7 5.3% 29 8.4% 35 22.6% 43 90 Programs for children 2.4% 4 0.9% 2 4.2% 8 0.4% 20 20.8% 40 32.3% 62 92 Programs for teens 33.9% 64 8.5% 35 4.2% 8 3.2% 25 7.5% 33 2.7% 24 89 Programs for adults 23.6% 45 4.7% 28 9.4% 8 7.3% 33 2.5% 4 3.6% 26 9 Other (Please specify.) 83.7% 4 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 0.0% 0 0.2% 5 49 Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 4
If you selected "other," please specify here. E books Local history collection Newspapers Our children have simply outgrown the children's programs. Space between shelves. Accessibility. Touch screen capable computer with kids/toddler programs No children, do not use services We love movie night/kids crafts such as gingerbread houses at Christmas time Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 5
Some of the following services/materials already exist or are already offered by the Eager Free Library. Others are not currently offered. Which of the following existing or potential services would you/family members use if they were available? (Select no more than 5.) Value Percent Computer/Internet 78 42.4% Teen oriented programs (book discussions, poetry readings, music performances) 32 7.4% Programs for adults (gardening, home improvement, etc.) 9 49.5% Laptops or tablets to check out for use in the Library 43 23.4% Discussion groups (book clubs, investment clubs, etc.) 47 25.5% Cultural programs for adults 53 28.8% Information services available through my phone and/or tablet 44 23.9% Access to library catalog/my account services through my phone/pda 52 28.3% E-readers to check out (pre-loaded with books) 49 26.6% Book lockers (for after hours pick up of reserved items) 35 9.0% Gaming software 22 2.0% Drive-through pick-up/drop-off window 50 27.2% Book/media vending machine (Like Redbox video) 42 22.8% Storyhour and other children's programs 59 32.% Other (Please specify.) 9 4.9% Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 6
If you selected "other," please specify here. Dedicated business/entrepreneur section EASY access to e-books. Online renewal or books, etc Self check-out Self checkout Touch screen computer with kid/toddler games computer's program We don't have a place to rent movies except Piggly Wiggly; the Redbox idea would be pretty popular! More creativity for the storytime and crafts, things for older school-aged kids(chess club, legos..) Information and groups for homeschoolers Please complete the following sentence. The public library is... Value Percent essential to the quality of life in my community 07 54.9% very Important to the quality of life in my community 69 35.4% somewhat important to the quality of life in my community 6 8.2% not very important to the quality of life in my community 3.5% not at all important to the quality of life in my community 0 0.0% Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 7
Into which of the following age categories does your age fall? Value Percent Under 8 years of age 4 2.% 8-24 years 7 3.6% 25-34 years 3 6.0% 35-54 years 90 46.4% 55-64 years 38 9.6% 65-74 years 20 0.3% 75 years of age or older 4 2.% What is your home Zipcode? 2 53502 6 5352 53534 70 53536 53536-20 53537 4 53548 2 53575 53589 53704 53705 Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 8
53929 6523 Which of the following categories best describes you? Value Percent I work in the Evansville area 38 9.6% I am retired 34 7.5% I am a homemaker (manage my home/family) 3 6.0% I commute to work (more than 0 miles from Evansville) 73 37.6% I am unemployed 3.6% Other 5 7.7% If you selected "other," please specify here. Evansville student Foreign Service Officer- work/live abroad 2 I am a student I find the library where I work to have a larger selection. I go to middle school I recently moved from Evansville to Oregon. I used to live in Evansville, and I have family in Evansville Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 9
Not old enough to work yet. Part-time work 8 mi away; retired Telecommute Apartment in Madison while in school College student Full-time grad student in Madison Homemaker and home-school family Musician, live here but tour and work out of Chicago Do you have children under the age of 2 living in your home? Value Percent Yes 83 43.0% No 0 57.0% Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 20
Do you wish to share any additional comments or ideas? Please do so in the text box provided below. Can't wait until the Library is expanded again. It really needs it. I am very happy to be able to come to the library to look things up and to have quite time. I know fines must be a part of borrowing a book but the fines are very high. I think our library is a wonderful asset to our community. I wish the library was larger to allow for more books, clubs, & programs. I'm so glad that we do have a library, but I would like to see more evening hours. Thank you It is a lovely library but short on space, thus short on books. It is very fortunate that there is such a library in Evansville. I enjoy it very much. It is wonderful to have such a well run library in my community. Keep up the great work! :-) Longer hours should be a priority for the library, including Sundays. Love the fire place. Love the feel of "home" and patients of librarians More children's programs offered early evening or weekends for parents who have to work. More community events. Our library is too small... Overall, not bad for a small town library. Rent bestsellers so that the library could purchase more than one copy. The summer programming for kids has been great. We appreciate our library. Thank you. We would love any additional children's programming, especially for young kids! Perhaps additional training for staff in welcoming behavior Thank you for having such a nice library in our community! I am concerned that e-books will take the place of regular books. I don't want to depend on an electronic device (other than a lamp) to read a book. Most of my reading is done on an e-reader. I download books off the South Central Library web-site. The children's DVD and book section is in need of updating and would benefit from being organized in a different way. More availability in times and days for summer programs would be great It would be nice if we could look up our own books on the computer as Oregon Library has. They use LinkCat and it s much easier for us to look up the books and for us to put them on hold. It makes it more interesting to see what other books, magazines are out there. It always seems like when I go in ask for a book that you may not have and when I ask it seems like it s such a bother to whoever has to order it. I would like to just look it Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 2
up myself then to have to ask all the time. I hope the library is able to keep growing with the growth of the surrounding communities and is always a part of Evansville and its heritage. Our library does a good job with the resources on hand. It is to be hoped that the improving economy will bring this institution more resources to enable it to keep up with the new (mostly technological) innovations in the way libraries fit into the cultural/economical/educational parts of our communities. I appreciate being able to use the Eager Free Library when I cannot find or check out a book in a reasonable amount of time in the Dane y Libraries. I am finding that the waiting list in Dane y is high and often times a new book will be purchased faster in your system. Thank You!!! I don't use the Evansville Library very much because it is in the wrong direction but when I can't find something in the South Central Library system I find it in the Arrowhead Library system. I mostly order books and do not use the library much anywhere. Really enjoy the children's movies that are held in the basement. Would like more of these events and some more for adults. Some bands for the teenagers to show them the library can be fun also. Actually, just more bands/musicians in general would be great. Art shows/displays/exhibits like the old coffee shop, 'Real Coffee' used to have when the ladies owned it a few years back. Thank you for this opportunity for people to provide feedback! A library is such an important thing to have, and it's good to get peoples input on how they're using it. It is refreshing to see SMILING faces! Our family appreciates the library, in particular since we are home-schoolers. We greatly appreciate the friendly and efficient help from all the staff. KUDOS! I really appreciate the Arrowhead library system. I can order online and pick up the book in 24 hours. I haven't had as much success with e-book borrowing, though. I'm not likely to wait when an e is not immediately available. I would like to see children's programming for working families on Saturday's or early evenings. RockCat is a very convenient resource. Also, the library is a great experience for young kids and builds a lifelong interest, so I think that is a good place to concentrate or expand new efforts. I enjoy the tenor of the library, especially the old part--the atmosphere (including the fireplace), the smell, the warmth of the wood and of course, the stacks of books. I believe strongly that the Library should be available when families are in town. Programs and materials should be available on Sunday afternoon Our library rocks. If they don't have something, they get it. Some of the ideas for new services are amazing and the electronic options would be such a boon for our space limited library. Thanks for this survey. Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 22
Rural taxpayers should pay on equal footing as city taxpayers. Like to see larger, easier to use local history section. Important to keep available for small meetings. Like to see local art exhibit brought back. Like to see dedicated section for business/entrepreneurs. Why not open on Sunday afternoons? Much more convenient for working residents. Great programming - kids and adults. Should coordinate with other Arrowhead system libraries for materials purchases - for example EFPL could focus on business resources, Milton could focus on art resources, Janesville could focus on education resources, etc. I wish some of the titles used for book club would not have vulgar language. There are a lot of good books that are not filled with explicit sex. A few thoughts:. We stopped using DVDs from the library about a year ago because they never work - too many scratches. We don't have netflix or appletv yet but our DVD use will go down once we do. 2. At ages 0 and 4, our children have outgrown most of the children's collection and quickly running through the teen selection. I think you risk losing the teen readers. There's a big teen selection available through Arrowhead but it is less approachable that roaming through books on the shelves. Can you bring in a rotating collection from Arrowhead to display for the teens? I bet they would be snapped up. How about more book debut parties? My kids were too young for Kathy's midnight Harry Potter parties and they are STILL wistful that they missed them. Maybe organize teen field trips to Hedberg so the teens can roam through those shelves and visually see what's offered? Not sure how many would participate. I am uninformed about the selection of teen magazines, but recognize that a good selection will be appreciated. I suspect that your biggest teen draw will remain the computers. Are there sufficient computers to meet afterschool demand? If not, get more so you can remain a gathering place for kids as they get older. That's a valuable role is a small town like Evansville. This might be already offered, if so it could be publicized more - but I would love early evening children's programming for kids of working parents. It is something I would love to do with my child if my schedule allowed it. The physical requirements of a "library" have changed as a public entity serving a small community---the virtual needs have changed big time, and there needs to be a focus group in Evansville to explore in depth whether any further physical development needs to be done, or possibly other structures converted to a library that the whole school and residential community could share. Kids are reading in the classroom on ibooks. Make a note of it. Something has changed. I think more DVDs for children and adults available would be nice. We love the Summer reading program, and the recent reading program where we went to Milwaukee Bucks game- really encourages children to read- my child gets very excited for the reading programs. We also enjoy movie night, and the crafts you offer; and we always attend the book sales. My Daughter loves coming weekly to the library and picking out books and movies. Thanks for all your wonderful staff- we love our library- thanks to you!! I do like how you will order anything that I ask from another library, however, I don't like that almost everything needs to come from another library; especially videos. I just really feel like our children's program needs a substantial improvement. Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 23
Our library is an essential resource for this community on a current and historical basis. The building is a treasure, but what it holds is precious. I use the computer regularly and check out books often; I attend programs when I can. Any limit to its resources is a handicap to the entire community because not all have access to books, internet, etc. at home, it is vital to have this available community wide. I would like to suggest some improvement to the community room downstairs to make it more inviting to the community and guests who come for special programs. I know we have limited space so I don't have a ready solution, but, perhaps some simple décor changes may make it more inviting. I would like to see more preschool age activities during the weekend and times later in the evening. We would like to attend some programs during the week, however they are at times when both parents are working and we are unable to attend. I would also like to see more focus on social media and website improvements. EFPL is a great resource for our community and I hope to see more focus from the city to allow for expanding collections and space. I checked "No opinion" on the importance of the quantity of books and other materials because I check the Arrowhead Web site from home (I live out of town) to find many materials I'm looking for, and if Eager Free doesn't have them, I request them and have them transferred there. So, the size of the whole Arrowhead collection matters, somewhat, but not Eager Free's specific collection. We love the Rock y system. To be able to get books and other material is so wonderful. Thanks and keep up the great work. We have dropped our Charter TV and the library is such a wonderful money saver. We're at the library at least weekly during the summer and it really does help make Evansville a great place to live! I strongly value the interlibrary loan and RockCat. Without that ability I would often struggle to find enough resources in the areas in which we need them. Online management of my account is also strongly valued The RockCat website is clunky as all-get-out. DVDs and CDs are often scratched. Unless I return them in person and can tell the clerk, I'm not sure what to do with those and I'm always afraid that I'll be blamed. Super-friendly and useful staff. With very limited space and limited number of books, you guys are doing a great job! Oh, I also love the display near the check out desk with new fiction on one side and new non-fiction on the other. Thanks! I sincerely hope that library services here and across the country exist for many years to come. I cannot imagine a world without libraries. I don't think I've realized the importance of libraries, but now and in the future, everyone at one time or another needs to visit a library. Thank you I would love to see more programming for teens. Evansville, in general, does not have enough for our teens. I would like to have books in Spanish. On my last visit I found one book called Silversmith that I remember from my childhood in Uruguay. I was reading this book at school. I m from Uruguay. I would like books such as books by Paulo Coehlo, Pablo Neruda, Mario Spicologia Benedetti Spanish please! Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 24
I would love to see some variety in storytime for the kids. Something similar to the Hedberg Public Library's program. Also, craft time would be much more of a draw if there was more to it than coloring a picture and gluing it to a paper. It's the same every week. We love Sandy and Deb in the children's library! But the programs could use a little updating. I wish hours on Saturday would be extended to mid afternoon. Sometime with morning activities, it's hard to make it there by 2:30. 2 or 3pm would be a better closing time. I enjoy the general ease of access & resources available through the library & the RockCat system. The summer program for children is great! Please keep it up! Also, we appreciate the children's librarians - always happy to help find books. Membership in RockCat makes it so we can read anything we're looking for. I order most adult books online and pick them up - it's a terrific service. Eager Free Library Web Survey April 203 Summary Report Page 25