Medway 2020 Library Initiatives: Talking points for 2/7/12 meeting

Called upon to focus on bold changes in Library service without feeling restrained by financial realities, the Trustees came up with a list of desired improvements ranging from low-cost volunteer initiatives to large-scale building renovations.

Broadly, the improvements fall into these categories:

• New programs for various populations.

• Increased access to technology.

• Physical changes to the Library building to match new usage patterns.

• A more pervasive Library presence in the community.

Each category contains ideas that span the cost range from “nearly free” to “expensive capital expense” to “moderately expensive ongoing expense.” Each contains ideas for serving members of all our different populations (pre-schoolers, elementary school-aged children, teens, adults, seniors, people with special needs, etc.) at their various developmental stages (students, job seekers, families, professionals, etc.).

All of the suggested changes would enhance the Library's role as a community and information center in this media-rich twenty-first century. For example, one overarching concern addressed by the technology changes is that of “bridging the Digital Divide.” We need to supply sufficient computer and Internet access for those who cannot afford Internet-connected computers. School teachers and employers routinely assume their students or applicants have Internet access and can submit assignments by email, but we know that is not always the case here in Medway. We also need to come up with equitable ways to make sure eBooks and other electronic resources (databases etc.) we buy can be accessed by people who cannot afford their own eReader devices or computers.

As the world gets more technologically interconnected, there is even more scope for community-centered media-based solutions. After-school supervision, tutoring, homework help, report writing and submission, socializing, research, news updates, job searches – all these routine daily activities have been revolutionized by networked computers. Sufficient public access to networked computers is an integral part of twenty-first century library service.

Imagine the Library's community room fitted with a large screen conferencing setup, allowing multiple locations to share the costs for remote-classroom style presentations. The same setup could bring the community together to watch and discuss movies. A scaled-down version could be used for remote job interviews, virtual classroom participation, and small-business teleconferencing.

Age-appropriate “tech zones” in different parts of the Library would give children, teens, adults, and seniors welcoming, comfortable, and accessible ways to interact with media and each other at the Library, improving their technical and social skills in ways that will help them become happier and more productive.

A revitalized Library would integrate technology as described above, would improve upon our core services, and would greatly expand programming for all ages. Serving the full range of Medway residents, the Library is ideally situated to bring people together by providing services that few could afford on their own. We have the drive, the vision and the knowledge; all we need are the resources. Below are some examples:

School/Library Resource Coordination:

• Regular communication with middle school team leaders & elementary/high school teachers to ensure that we have the books for their assignments.

• Library tours for middle and elementary school groups.

• Extended hours with snacks available before Medway's midterms and finals.

• Librarian visits to read to all the preschool classes annually.

• After school “Reading Buddy” programs.

Senior Services:

• Regular book delivery to the senior housing and nursing home in Medway, as well as to home-bound individuals.

• Book groups and programs tailored to the needs of Medway seniors.

• Round-trip Library transportation coordinated with the Council on Aging.

• “Borrow a Grandma or Grandpa” reading programs.

Book Clubs and Story Times:

• Monthly book discussion group, Mystery/History/Romance book group for adults.

• Green/Locavore book club (in conjunction with Medway Community Farm).

• Book discussion groups for elementary, middle, and high school aged children.

• Year-round Story Times for toddlers and preschoolers.

• One Book, One Medway community-wide reading program.

Activities:

• Training for job search & computer skills, information literacy, public speaking.

• Chess Club, LEGO club, 4-H Science Club, Teen Tech Club, Craft clubs.

• Board and Computer Gaming nights.

• Knitting/Quilting, Crafts, Writing and Storycrafting workshops.

• Foreign language conversation clubs.

• Puppet shows, community movie viewings.

• Community poetry slams, storytelling, “coffeehouse” musical performances.

Reference Service (in person, telephone, and email):

• Helping students find reference materials required for school projects.

• Teaching patrons how to download eBooks & audio books.

• Introducing patrons to unfamiliar information resources.

• Teaching people how to do research using the many available online databases.

• Running Information Technology skillbuilding programs.

• Helping with computer problems.

• Locating authoritative online and print resources to answer patrons’ questions.

• Helping patrons locate resources to meet in-depth research needs.

Specific objectives and activities to achieve this vision follow.

Objective: Expand community access to library resources and services.

• Increase hours open (need +12 hours to open 10 AM weekdays & Saturday).

• Increase availability of professional staff (Full Time Director; Reference Librarian; Children's/Young Adult; Outreach) and program support staff.

Objective: Make the library facility available to educational, civic and cultural groups to foster and enhance a sense of community.

• Promote the use of the library’s meeting space by town organizations.

• Encourage volunteer-run programs.

• Employ a custodian for extended-hours downstairs access to meeting rooms, wireless Internet, and future wired Internet computers.

Objective: Renovate the library facility to meet twenty-first century patron needs.

• Install many more outlets for patron laptops, cellphone chargers, etc.

• Increase the number of wired Internet-connected public computers.

• Investigate the feasibility of creating a wired Internet computer bank downstairs for extended-hours access.

• Establish a children's computer and homework center and teen computer lounge.

• Establish a quiet reading room (re-purpose the “Periodicals Backfile” room).

• Investigate the feasibility of having a franchised “coffee shop” or snack machines.

• Finish and rearrange the basement to expand public space.

Objective: Employ new technologies to deliver and facilitate access to library resources and services.

• Update the Library's website frequently with new media techniques for the best patron experience; utilize web and social networking tool.

• Expand use of online museum pass reservation software.

• Acquire different eReaders/tablets, train staff on how to use them & how to assist patrons; Investigate the feasibility of procuring & lending eReader devices.

• Investigate the feasibility of “distance learning”/videoconferencing at the Library.

• Investigate the feasibility of online Outreach delivery program requests.

• Develop plan to digitize Historical Collection and put it online.

• Continually evaluate online resources for adoption at the right cost-benefit point.

• Identify & evaluate future technology needs and develop strategies to meet those needs; Integrate emerging technologies of proven value into library services.

Objective: Ensure ongoing fiscal sustainability of library services.

• Identify, initiate and foster collaborative ventures.

• Expand volunteer recruitment through the Senior Center and schools.

• Pursue non-municipal funding sources.

• Seek grants for special projects, outreach, digitization and job search initiatives.

• Work with local businesses to fund science/tech programs.

• Continue to encourage donations and bequests to the Library.

The Library has proven value to the community. Our challenge is to increase that value by enhancing service, engaging the community, and maximizing the use and distribution of Library programs and resources,

Access

Access to the Library and its resources is a major source of concern for library users. A large majority of Medway residents do not view the current, predominately afternoon hours of operation as convenient. They have requested more morning hours, which is why the Trustees voted this past Fall to use Tuchinsky bequest interest to fund Monday morning; but we are still closed Tuesday-Thursday mornings. Residents have also requested longer weekend hours; Saturday afternoons have been some of our busiest times since November.

Services

With public gathering spaces for people of all ages, and operating hours including evenings and weekends, the Library is ideally situated to be a focal point for Medway’s cultural needs. More formal programs, as well as more informal opportunities for people to meet and discuss topics of interest, will enhance this central community role.

Though the Library provides two six week story & craft sessions for young children 3-5 years of age, patrons have cited a lack of programs and services for children, preteens, teens, and older residents as a weakness. Teens, seniors, and male patrons perceive themselves to be underserved. Other service needs identified through patron surveys and interviews were for improved communication of available services, better publicity, and expanded collections.

During busy times, all of our public access computers are occupied. With offsite Internet access being taken for granted by teachers and employers, the number of patrons requiring access to public computing resources continues to grow. We must expand access to meet this need.

Partnerships and Collaboration

The reduction of the Library budget since Fiscal Year 2005 have affected purchasing of library materials, programming, and staffing. Most people surveyed would like the Library to innovate and seek alternative sources of funding. Partnering with schools, local groups and businesses; collaborating with neighboring libraries for services beyond those offered through the Minuteman Library network; public and private grants; and seeking more fundraising and donation opportunities are all worth pursuing.

Director's Report

Medway Public Library

Director’s Report

February 5, 2011

Library Usage

The library has been very busy on Saturdays this winter. In addition to patrons coming in to borrow books, do research, and use the computers, many neighbors and friends have gathered informally to chat. Circulation in January increased 10.5% compared to last year.

FY13 Budget

I met with Melanie Phillips, the Finance Director, and Carol Pratt, the Town Accountant, to review the budget on January 12^th. At their request, I included the costs for additional longevity payments and for the expanded Monday hours in salaries, and adjusted the expenses so that the total budget remained at the requested $216,618. Melanie suggested reducing the budget for electricity by $1,000 - $2,000, based on spending so far in FY12. They also requested that unfunded initiatives be included in the Budget Impact Spreadsheet.

Building Maintenance

The thermostatic control installers have put in a couple more days of work at the library. They found that another one of the HVAC switches had broken, and Keyes was called to replace it. Training of the staff should begin shortly.

A VOIP telephone system has been installed in the library, with the phone lines connecting to Town Hall. I have been working with Richard Boucher to set up voice mail and other features, and to make adjustments to allow the phones to be set up appropriately for the library’s workflow. The phones went out once when the thermostatic control installers apparently accidentally turned off the power, but fortunately I was available to come to the library and trace the problem relatively quickly.

A bulletin board in the story room fell off the wall during story time. Luckily, no one was injured, and Wendy reinstalled the bulletin board more securely.

The beautiful new bench, donated by M.E. O’Brien & Sons, Inc. was delivered and installed outside the library. It has a plaque with a very nice inscription about reading.

Personnel

Human Resources sent us their figures for vacation, sick, and personal leave balances for library staff. I checked for discrepancies with our records, and sent them the corrections.

Programming

The first session of the very popular Paws to Read program met on February 1^st. The children and their parents (and the dogs) had a great time. All times slots were reserved, and the session for March is also already filled. Pat Gipps has said that she can probably arrange a second session in the evening or on a Saturday.

Children are enjoying Lorie’s Winter Story time series, which is filled to capacity. I met with a patron who has offered to run an additional story and/or craft time series for toddlers and preschoolers. I suggested that it might work well for her to find another parent to help. She will contact Lorie for specific suggestions and guidance, and then we will meet again.

The 12^th of April will be Snapshot Day, when librarians across the Commonwealth will take and share photographs of happenings at the library. The Massachusetts Library System is offering workshops on using Flickr for sharing photographs. The library has a flip camera (which came free with the purchase of some books last year), and I plan to design a patron release form, and work with the Friends to find volunteer photographers.

Boston College hopes to implement the Boston College Educational Seismology Project at a number of libraries. This project includes providing a seismograph to the library, as well as providing speakers on topics related to earth science. The Weston Public Library is participating in this program. I talked to the director, Susan Brennan, who said that patrons are very enthusiastic. It is quite expensive, but Susan said that some libraries have been able to obtain LSTA grants to cover the cost.

The Friends asked about the possibility of allowing groups to use the projector and the blu-ray player when they reserve the Cole Room. I suggested barcoding the equipment, and cataloging them as in-library use only. Checking them out will ensure that someone from each group is responsible for the equipment.

Overdrive

There is now a formal Request for Reconsideration of Digital Content form available from the Minuteman Overdrive web page. The Board of Directors has selected a task force of several directors to work with the Overdrive Collection Development Committee to strengthen the collection development policy and to make the guidelines for selection more focused. They will report at the Membership meeting in March.

Overdrive has an agreement with Sony to produce specialized eReaders. These eReaders are designed to circulate. Patrons will be able to download eBooks from Overdrive directly to the eReaders in the library. Overdrive expects to have similar arrangements with other manufacturers at some point.

Museum Passes

It is now possible for Tixkeeper to authenticate, which will be helpful to those libraries that restrict museum pass borrowing to residents of their towns. If a library does not wish to authenticate, they will not be charged for that additional feature.

Several of the museum passes are coming up for renewal in the next few months. We have also received numerous requests for New England Aquarium passes.

Other

I worked with Wendy to prepare the Annual Town Report and the Medway 2020 plan.

Katherine and I attended Acquisitions Module training at Minuteman. As it currently is implemented, it would slow down, rather than streamline, our ordering process. However, that may change if and when Minuteman implements automatic invoicing of materials purchased from Ingram.

The Franklin Public Library has been decertified, effective February 2, 2012. Minuteman has indicated that it will be possible to block Franklin patrons on a library by library basis, if the Trustees vote not to serve them.

Margaret Perkins

Budget Report

Annual Report

Report of: Medway Public Library

Medway Public Library is an indispensable part of the community, recognized as an essential and reliable partner in the delivery of information resources, education, self-advancement, and recreation for all ages.

Medway Library has 4851 registered borrowers. On average, every week we serve 1300 people of all ages, handle 66 reference requests, host 86 public computer internet users, and circulate nearly 2100 items. We host a diverse mix of Library-sponsored programs, art shows, Scout troops and other community groups, sport signups, theatrical performances, Community Education classes, story times, and meetings of town boards. In response to patron requests, we now have museum passes, funded with donations from individuals and local banks. We also added an inexpensive online museum pass reservation system to streamline processing while improving patron service. The Library’s collection contains over 75,000 volumes, including books, magazines, audio books, CDs, DVDs, and eBooks. Thanks to our Library certification, Medway residents enjoy borrowing privileges for over six million items in person and through inter-library loan.

The Library’s electronic presence includes a wide range of electronic resources and services reached from the Library's medwaylib.org website. These include access to eBooks and downloadable audio books provided by the Minuteman Library Network, and both in-library and remote access to many databases provided not only by Medway Library but also by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and the Minuteman Library Network. These resources include full text journal articles, reference and job search resources, and area newspapers. The library catalog interface provided by Minuteman offers patrons an easy way to: find materials; reserve books, audio books, CDs, videos, DVDs, eBooks, downloadable audio books, and games; renew items; and pay fines and manage library accounts online. E-commerce allows patrons to use credit cards to pay fines via computer at any time. The Library's strong technology infrastructure gives patrons access to the catalog, interlibrary loan, office software products, online networks, and databases, and connects them with other people around the world.

The Library is equipped with a self-checkout station, a photocopy machine, a high quality public printer, a fax machine, a scanner, and 10 public Internet access computers. Wireless technology, introduced a few years ago, extends services to a new cadre of users equipped with their own laptops and other digital devices. For five days following the hurricane, the Library's resources played an even larger role when the Library opened at 8:30 am for Internet use, charging electronics, and bathrooms for patrons without power at home.

Warrant Articles

ARTICLE: To determine whether the Town will vote to re-authorize a
 revolving fund for the Medway Public Library as provided for in
 M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 53E-1/2.  Said fund to have the following
 restrictions:

 1.  The fund would be used for public copy machine, printer, and fax expenses.

 2.  The revenue from the fund would come from public copy machine revenues
 and from public printer and fax use fees.

 3.  The Board of Library Trustees would administer the fund and
 authorize the expenditure of monies in the fund.

 4.  The limit on the amount to be expended from the fund would be $1000.


 Or to act in any manner relating thereto.



 BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES


 ARTICLE: To determine whether the Town will vote to re-authorize
 a revolving fund for the Medway Public Library as provided for in
 M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 53E-1/2. Said fund to have the following
 restrictions:

 1.  The fund would be used for meeting room maintenance, repairs and upgrades.

 2.  The revenue from the fund would come from meeting room use fees.

 3.  The Board of Library Trustees would administer the fund and
 authorize the expenditure of monies in the fund.

 4.  The limit on the amount to be expended from the fund would be $500.


 Or to act in any manner relating thereto.