Director’s Report for April 2004

On Friday, April 2^nd, we had an Usborne book seller come and visit our library. I also opened this up to neighboring libraries, and altogether there were 12 library employees who came and ordered children’s books. This is the one time when I let the branches pick out items specifically targeted for their libraries, and they have really benefited from this experience. We did a sampling of how often these books were checked-out from the ones that we purchased last year, and the circulation was very good (in a 12 month period, there were 11 circ’s, which is pretty good on an item that has a 3 week checkout period. As it comes back in, it goes out right away). I believe that part of the reason for this is that Usborne books puts a high emphasis on how the book looks, both inside and out, and that we purchased separate display racks (rather inexpensive wire racks, but they prominently showcase these books: marketing of materials is extremely important). The other libraries that visited were also very impressed with the quality of the books and purchased several items of their own.

The Fairmont High School held a Career Day on April 6^th, and I was asked to come and participate. I thought it would be best to talk about the broader field of Information Science, which incorporates Library Science as well as the computer and technical field. I was glad I did because most of the kids, at this point in their life, are more interested in computer programming, networking, or software design, of which I have some experience. I also had UW-Milwaukee send me some flyers that discuss the different areas that someone can go into if they are interested in this field. It was a good experience and I was happy to represent the library at this event.

The branches held a meeting on the 7^th, and our primary focus was to finalize our plans for this summer’s Reading Program. The topic this year is “Make Tracks to your Library”, which is an animal-based theme. For story hours/programs, each branch manager will take an animal, collect books and make a project specifically for that animal. They would then create a packet, and share it with everyone else. The packets would be sent around the system on a weekly basis, so that each library would have a different project to do that week. When they are done, they’ll ship it on to the next library, and the next project will arrive at their library via courier. This will cut down dramatically on prep time for each library. We also discussed how performers will be shared and who they will be, additional projects, prizes, promotional materials and decorations. At next month’s Board meeting their will be a topic on the agenda that will discuss this summer’s program and we will cover in-depth everything that we will be doing.

We now have couches for our new listening area, and once the tables arrive from Slumberland (should be sometime this week) we will put out the CD players and that area will be complete. The new classical music CD’s are starting to arrive, and we will be showcasing the music on our kiosk. Because we got such a deal on our furniture purchase at Slumberland ($1200 for the couches and tables) we will have additional money left over to purchase more music this year. I thought I would contact an instructor at MSU who is in the music department, and see if they have a student who would recommend some music that we could purchase.

At PLA I was able to get a good deal on a die-cut machine. The machine will cut out on paper, cardstock or most other cut-able materials the shape (usually a letter, animal, object, etc) which can then be used for bulletin boards or other projects. I was able to get a machine and a complete set of the alphabet for $500 (the machine alone usually goes for $750, and each die is around $50). We’re going to be using it for this summer’s program, and we can use it throughout the year for crafts and promotions.

I have had preliminary discussions with Presentation College about creating some sort of partnership with them in regards to usage here at the Martin County Library. Everything is still in the discussion stage, but some possibilities include having a section for their materials, having them give us materials to add to our collection, creating a space here in the library for Presentation College students, etc. I’ll be sending them a floor plan of our facility, and I’m not sure at this point how much they are willing to invest in this venture, but as attendance grows, I’m sure the College will want to be providing some kind of appropriate support for their students. More on this as time goes on.

When we made our changes here in regards to staffing, one thing we did was to designate certain people as back-ups during different periods of the day/week to help out at the circulation desk. When Laura Walker recently became ill, and wasn’t able to work for a few days, we already had the system installed as to who would cover her desk hours. This made things run much more smoothly as we knew who would be serving as back-up and covering those hours, and there was less complaining than usual as to who would be working the desk, which was a very good thing!