Director’s Report

3/1/2005 Trustees Meeting

(February 2005 activity)

• 1/26/05 – Close at 5 for snow.

• February book order completed.

• 2/3/05- Staff luncheon/ Patriots Day.

• 2/4/05 – Gas Company digging in parking lot. Annual look at meter. (They found our water shut off)

• 2/5/05 – Attend Economic Value Of Public Library seminar in Boxboro. Function sponsored by MBLC.

• 2/7/05 – Meet with Marguerite Monahan regarding FY 06 budget.

• 2/9/05 – Meet with Marguerite Monahan again.

• 2/9/05 – Attend, with Wendy, Finance Committee meeting.

• 2/10/05 – Keyes N/A in to do quarterly maintenance.

• 2/11/05 – 2/18/05 Director on vacation.

• 2/11/05 – Alarm sounded. Police say somebody tried to open door in morning.

• 2/20/05 – Set up 4 new public Internet terminals.

• 2/23/05 – 6 month evaluation for Nina done, as per contract.

The FY 06 Budget took center stage this month as work on it began in earnest. I am very concerned about what our expense budget will be for the next year. Already we have seen our Expenses cut from $101,000 in FY 03 to $93,000 in FY 06. This has to be increased next year in order to have any semblance of a somewhat realistic budget. As of the end of February, I am not encouraged by what the Finn Com has been saying. It is my belief that if increases are not made, some decisions will need to be made regarding services offered. The staff is already stretched thin creating an unhealthy environment.

The four public Internet computers have been replaced with new (to us) computers running Windows 2000. I have been working to add various items to them (like Adobe) as patrons make requests. So far they seem to be working out well.

Finally, February 23^rd marked 1 year for me as Director here in Medway. It is time that has gone by fast and has been enjoyable. I look forward to the next year working with the staff and board members.

Respectfully submitted,

Patrick W Marshall

Report of the Medway Public Library 2004

The Medway Public Library was a very busy place in 2004. Nearly 160,000 items were circulated, of which 30,000 were DVD’s and videos. Our meeting rooms were used 370 times by various community groups such as Girl Scouts, Medway Community Education and the Medway Players. Our Internet computers were used over 100 times a week. All of this activity continued to show that the Library is a major part of the cultural, educational and recreational life of Medway residents.

Programs proved to be very popular this past year. Over 3,000 children participated in the 112 programs held at the Library while 275 children participated in the summer reading challenge. Some of the programs held at the Library included pre-school story time, yoga story time with Diane Burstein, Rainforest Reptiles and sidewalk chalk drawing. All of the programs proved successful with parents and children alike.

The Library continues to provide outreach service to the members of the community. All Library materials are available to homebound/ shut-in Medway residents. Weekly deliveries are also made to the Housing Authority and Senior Center. Please call the Library for details.

Major staffing changes took place during the past year. Patrick Marshall was hired in February to replace Susan Brennan as Library Director. In July, Children’s Librarian Sally Nolan retired after twenty-two years of dedicated service to Library users and Medway residents. Nina Hunt began work in September filling that position.

The Friends of Medway Library once again provided a large amount of support to the Library and its staff. Most of the funding for Library programming as well as the discount museum passes comes from the Friends. Other activities sponsored by this group included a welcome reception for the Director, staff appreciation lunches, and special library materials. The Friends are a vital part of the Library organization and their support is much appreciated.

Library services are greatly enhanced by a strong group of volunteers and senior volunteers. As business increased and staffing levels remained unchanged, these 15 dedicated people provided over 1200 hours of service to the Library. Tasks included shelving of materials, copying, story hour and craft preparation, and many other day-to-day tasks that staff could not always accomplish. We thank these people whole-heartedly for their assistance.

A couple of problems ate through our repair and maintenance budget this past year. Lightning struck the building twice during the summer causing us to replace our fire alarm. Ongoing heating and air-conditioning problems also had to be handled.

Finally, a big thank you must go to the Library staff for all their hard work and dedication. Despite continuing budget difficulties combined with increasing user demands, each and every member of the staff continues to provide quality service to the Medway community. When users comment about their positive experiences using the library, much of this feeling can be attributed to the staff and their efforts. In addition, the Trustees add their thanks for the excellent job Patrick has done in his first year as Library Director. We are fortunate to have such a creative, motivated team supporting our Library.