annualREPORT - Howard County Library System

Dogs Educating
and Assisting
Readers (DEAR)
Spelling Bee
First place finisher at 5K
Ellicott City Idol
Summer
Reading
kickoff
Katana Sushi
Kids for Peace
Ladew Topiary Gardens
The Lazarus Foundation
Suki Lee
Let’s Dish!
Joanne Lichtenstein
Linda Biggs
Ling Tai Acupuncture
Littman’s Jewelers
Longwood Gardens
Lynn’s Day Spa
Madame Tussauds
Maggie Moos
The Magnificent Body
Mano Swartz
Margie Anne Bonnett
Marybeth Steinbrunner
Maryland Historical Society
Maryland Jockey Club
Newseum
Josephine O’Donnell
Oakland Mills Liquor
Oasis Day Spa
Pampered Chef
Patuxent Youth Ballet
Priscilla Pitts
PlayWiseKids
The Pottery Stop
Pro Nails
Profiles in Handwriting
Pump It Up
Rams Head Tavern
Ranazul
Red Hot and Blue
Remembering You, Hallmark
Rev:21 Clayworks
Reynolds Tavern
River Hill Garden Center
Salon Tusey
Lois Sanders
Seminole Sampler
Senior Connection
Sephora
Sewing Design Studio
Shavers
Dean Shimabukuro
The Silver Heron
Strapazza
Subway
Andy & Monica Suchoski
Sue & Steve Sternheimer
Summit Marketing
Tai Sophia Institute
That’s Amore
That’s Dancing
Things Remembered
Tiki’s Playhouse
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Trader Joes
Alex Trent
Anne Trent
Triadelphia Veterinary Clinic
Trina Mapa
Turf Valley Resort
Uniquely Salomon Dance Studio
The Washington Post
Watson’s Tin Box
Westwood Antiques
Wilhide’s Uniques Flowers & Gifts
Wilmer’s Communications, Inc.
The Wine Seller
Winterthur
WLM Designs
YMCA of Central Maryland
Yoga Center of Columbia
General
APMG-US, LLC
Autism Society of America, Howard
County Chapter
Rebecka Baum
Carolyn Brown
James Stakenas & Paula Cardinal
Rex & Myrna Carpenter
Murty Challa
Mrudu Chittavajhula
Christopher & Katherine Duck
Penn Foster
Friends of Howard
County Library
Java Grande Coffee Cafe
C. Kennedy
Mad City Coffee
Arianna McFarren
Ann Pluta & Mervyn Monteiro
Tim Parker
Padma Pathak
Rebecca Reese
Payaswini Shah
Simpson Foundation
Sara Tagget
Courtney Workman & Aaron Tark
Wayne & Susan Winokur
Memorials
Cattail River Garden Club
Charles & Carol Clark
Raymond & Margaret Gick
Judy Gifford
Patapsco Middle School Faculty Fund
Jacqueline Shulik
Project Literacy
John & Patricia Castle
Friends of Howard County Library
Elizabeth Klein
Jeffrey Klein
Pamela Klein
Maryland Department of Labor,
Licensing, & Permits
Maryland State Department of
Education
Christiana Nkansah
Suanne Rice
Robin Russell
Kermith Y. & Donna Sanders, Jr.
U.S. Department of Education
Wal-Mart
Spelling Bee
BB&T
Summer Reading Club
AirMania Funzone
All About Yarn
Applebees
AWOL Skate Shop
Baskin Robbins / Dunkin’ Donuts
Beringia Jewelry
Brunswick Recreation Centers
Centennial Park Boat Dock
Cheeburger Cheeburger
Chick-fil-A
Antonio Clark
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Clydes
Columbia Association
Columbia Center for the Theatrical
Arts
Dave and Buster’s
Don Pablos
Earth Treks
Eggspectations
Famous Dave’s
Food Lion of Columbia
Frederick Keys
Friends of Howard County Library
Giant
Kristy Gordon
Great Sage Restaurant
Hickory Ridge Grill
Howard County Department of
Recreation and Parks
Howard County Tourism
Imagination Stage
Jesse Wong’s Asean Bistro
Jiggin Gems’
Joanne Lichtenstein
Maile Man
Medieval Times
Mike’s Music
Mimi’s Cafe
Olive Garden
On Trak Transportation, LLC
Pasta Blitz of Clarksville
Pizza Hut
PlayWiseKids
Pottery Stop
Pump It Up
Quest Fitness
HOWARD COUNTY LIBRARY
Race Pace Bicycles
Recorded Books
Red Lobster
Red Robin
Rita’s Ice
Rocky Gorge Four Seasons Golf
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Shadowland
Staples Terrapin Adventures
TGIFriday’s
That’s Amore
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Whitetail Resort
Willow Springs Golf Course
YMCA Ellicott City Family Center
FISCAL STATISTICS
Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of this list.
Please call 410.313.7799 to report errors or omissions.
FY 2009 HIGHLIGHTS
Hi
Operating Budget
$18,606,944
Revenue Sources
County 84%; State 9%
Library Generated 3%
Grants 4%
Expense Allocation
Salaries 71%
Books & Materials 17%
Equipment 1%; Other 11%
Collection By audience: By type: Volunteers
6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045
annual
REPORT
Above, Elkridge Branch mosaic (details inside, column 3).
5K and family fun run
Friends of Howard County Library,
Title Sponsor
Baltimore Sun Media Group
Costco
Feet First
Howard County Department of
Recreation and Parks
Howard County Times
Rapid Signs
Runners World
Spelling Bee winner
John Nolan claims his trophy.
Inter-library services
Materials: 949,573
Adult 65%; Children 35%
Fiction 41%; Non-fiction 41%
Non-print 18%
Hours contributed: 21,733
Materials received from
other libraries: 13,665
Materials loaned to other
libraries: 7,997
USAGE STATISTICS
Card holders 247,931
Visits
2,738,614
Materials borrowed
6,591,841
Research assistance
1,176,031
Event attendance
157,119
Children’s classes 131,944
Teen classes 17,189
Adult seminars & workshops 7,986
A major
component
Public Libraries = Education
SELF-DIRECTED
SELF-DIRECTED
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Books, etc.
>>Books,
etc.
>>E-resources
E-resources

RRESEARCH
ESEARCH
ASSISTANCE & &
ASSISTANCE
INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION
>> Individual
Individual
>> Group
Group
of Howard
County’s
INSTRUCTIVE
&
INSTRUCTIVE
&
ENLIGHTENING
ENLIGHTENING
EXPERIENCES
EXPERIENCES
>> Comm./Cultural Ctr.
Community/Cultural Center
>> Signature Initiatives
Signature Initiatives
>> Partnerships
Partnerships
strong
educational
system,
Howard County Library delivers high quality education for all ages.
The role of public libraries is best illustrated by the three pillars image
above. The year’s highlights fall under each of these pillars.
Pillars of Education
Self-Directed Education
Playaways. Introduced in September,
Howard County Library’s (HCL) new
Playaway audiobook collection has been
enthusiastically embraced by customers. The
Playaway merges digital content and player
technology into a small, lightweight and portable
player that is pre-loaded and easy to use.
Customers simply install a single battery, connect
their own headphones, and press the power button.
Foundation Center. Howard County Library
now partners with the Foundation Center. The
Center functions as a clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations, government agencies,
and individuals seeking grant and scholarship
opportunities.
Summer Reading. This year’s
“Be Creative” theme attracted
23,000 children, teens, and
adults. Howard County Library
awarded trophies to the schools
with the highest percentage
of students enrolled in the
Summer Reading Club. Northfield
Elementary School was the winner
among elementary schools, and
Burleigh Manor won in the middle
school category. New this year, HCL
extended the Summer Reading Clubs
to the 2,100 students enrolled in
summer school. Library instructors
presented Summer Reading Club
materials to all Howard County Public
School System (HCPSS) Academic
Intervention Summer School Site
Coordinators. As part of their school
day,
students
completed
reading
activities
to earn
Summer
Reading
prizes.
self-directed
education
Live Homework Help.
Through Howard County
Library’s web site, students from
Kindergarten through college can
connect with a live tutor – for
free – for assistance with math,
science, social studies, and English
assignments seven days a week.
Thanks to a joint investment by
HCL and HCPSS, Live Homework
Help is provided at no cost to
students. Nearly 12,000 students
increased their grades with this
service last year.
}
This is such a great resource! Math
has always been hard for me, but
I can’t afford a tutor. I wish I had
found out about this help sooner!
{
Research Assistance and Instruction
Kindergarten,
Here We Come!
Geared toward
Kindergarten
students and their
parents, these
classes lessen the
anxiety of children
who are attending
school for the first
time by mimicking
a typical day in
Kindergarten – from
leaving parents in the morning to being picked
up in the afternoon. With funding from the
Friends of Howard County Library and HCPSS,
HCL added a school bus experience to all 19
classes, allowing students to practice boarding
a bus and waving goodbye. Parents and
students-to-be raved about this orientation.
STEM. As a launching point in
the pipeline of future scientists,
mathematicians, and engineers
to fill high-tech BRAC-related
jobs, HCL taught STEM-related
classes to preschool, elementary,
and middle school students. The
classes, which teach science,
technology, engineering, and math
through children’s literature and
experiments, include Spring into Science,
Chemistry in the Library, NASA: Make an
Impact, Go Figure, and Everyday Engineering.
Project Literacy. A standing-room-only crowd
of 200 people attended Howard County Library’s
Project Literacy Graduation and Awards
Ceremony in September, which was filled with
inspirational and heart-warming stories from
students and instructors. Anita Etomi from
Ghana described how her chance meeting with
an acquaintance led her to Project Literacy,
relaying how instructors provided the emotional
support she needed to obtain a diploma.
Thanks to Howard Community College (HCC),
Etomi is now enrolled in HCC’s nursing program.
Instructive & Enlightening Experiences
Spelling Bee. Now in its fifth year, the Howard
County Library Spelling Bee attracted an
audience of 1,000 people who cheered on the
61 competitors. John Nolan, fifth grader from
Deep Run Elementary School, won by correctly
spelling “fortuitous.” He won a $1,000 college
scholarship, and advanced to the National
Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. Caroline
Lawrence, a seventh grade student
at Resurrection-St. Paul School, was the
second place finalist, winning a $750 scholarship.
Battle of the Books. Sixty teams of fifth
grade students competed in this competition
designed to increase reading comprehension
and build vocabularies. The event attracted an
audience of more than 1,000 parents, siblings,
and community members who flocked to Long
Reach High School to watch 300 students from
25 schools compete for the gold medal.
The Little Einsteins team from Centennial
Lane won first place, followed by the Super
Ultra Awesome Reading Battle Squad from
Veterans and the Book Dolphins from Dayton
Oaks. The Five Fairy Tales team from
Pointers Run won the Best
Costume Award, and the
Red Hot Page Flippers from
Hammond won Best Team
Spirit Award. The ironically
named Book Crooks from
Clemens Crossing won Best
Civility, and Best Team Name
Award was given to Genies of
Every Genre from Bushy Park.
Evening in the Stacks: Along the Silk Road. The highlight of 2009’s
Howard County Book Connection. This highly
visible component of the partnership between
HCL and HCC brings people together through
the reading and discussion of one book. This
year’s selection featured Elizabeth Moon’s The
Speed of Dark, a Nebula award-winning novel
that offers a captivating glimpse into the mind
of an intellectually gifted man with autism who
lives in a future time, when
the medical community
discovers a “cure.” The
highlight of the year was
a video conference in
March featuring Moon.
RESEARCH ASSISTANCE
& INSTRUCTION
Mosaic Project. Dedicated in
September, a new and beautiful
mosaic adds cultural significance
and a splash of color to the Route
1 façade of Elkridge Branch,
thanks to a partnership with
Elkridge Landing Middle School
students, artist Mary Dean
Opasik, the Howard County Arts
Council, and Howard County
Government. Students worked
with pieces of ceramics, plates,
pottery, glass, china, and colorful
hard plastics to create a bottomof-the-ocean scene, complete
with a crab, fish, octopus,
treasure chest, and anchor.
College Fair. More than 250
students and parents visited
with representatives from
60 colleges from across the
country at HCL’s College Fair in
April. This first annual event was
presented in partnership with
the Columbia Association.
Hubble Exhibit.
In partnership with the
Hubble Space Science
gala was bestselling author Manil Suri, who regaled the audience
Telescope Institute, the Walters Art Gallery, and
the Program in Museums and Society at Johns
Hopkins University, Central Library hosted an exhibit
of captivating photographs from the Hubble
Space Telescope. In conjunction with the exhibit,
senior astrophysicist Dr. Mario Livio spoke to a
crowd of 80 people in February.
Howard County Library
5K and Family Fun Run.
A remarkable 250 percent
increase in participation over
last year best describes the
overwhelmingly successful 5K
and Family Fun Run. Held on
May 30 preceding the Summer
Reading Kickoff, the event
attracted runners, joggers,
and walkers of all ages. The
event raised $5,800 for HCL’s
signature initiatives.
Choose Civility. Howard
County Library kicked off
2009 with a new Choose
Civility strategic plan, a Faces
of Civility marketing campaign,
and an announcement of the
new Choose Civility Awards.
The Faces of Civility posters
grace the Civility website,
serving to connect the
general public to Choose
Civility as they identify with
their neighbors. The faces
include a mix of recognizable
community leaders, and
ordinary people of all
backgrounds and ages. A
new website, choosecivility.
org, launched in April.
with a discussion of the writing life and his two novels, Death
of Vishnu and Age of Shiva. More than 500 people attended the
event, raising $61,000 for HCL’s educational initiatives.
Manil Suri at
Evening in the Stacks
Donors
THANK YOU! OUR sincere appreciation
to the following individuals, organizations,
& corporations for their generous financial
& in-kind donations.
A+ Partners in Education
AscendOne
Friends of Howard County Library
The Horizon Foundation Southeast
Horizon Council
Howard County General Hospital
Volunteer Auxiliary
Howard County Public School System
Battle of the Books
Frank and Yolanda Bruno Fund
Friends of Howard County Library
Howard County Public School System
Rotary Club of Columbia — Patuxent
Charitable Trust
bumblebee
The Columbia Rotary Club
Rotary Club of Columbia — Patuxent
Columbia Town Center Rotary Club
Elkridge Rotary Club
Ellicott City Rotary Club
Rotary Club of Clarksville at Maple Lawn
Rotary Club of Ellicott City — Sunrise
Teri and Wilson Harrison
Choose Civility
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Friends of Howard County Library
Great Sage
The Horizon Foundation
Howard County General Hospital,
A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine
Evening in the Stacks
Sponsors
The Washington Post, Title Sponsor
Ascend One
Baker & Taylor
Blue Sky Audio
Brown & Associates
The Business Monthly
Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Belmett & Scherr
Patrick and Judy Clancy
Classic Photography & Imaging
The Columbia Bank
Columbia Foundation
Comcast
Corporate Office Properties Trust
Edible Arrangements — Columbia,
Ellicott City and Laurel
Elkridge Furnace Inn
Friends of Howard County Library
General Growth Properties
Goetz Printing
Grimm + Parker
Valerie J. Gross and Tri Q. Nguyen
Howard County General Hospital
Howard County Times
Jane’s Goodies
The Lazarus Foundation
The Library Corporation
M&T Bank
MBC Precision Imaging
Midwest Tape
Nicodemus Communications Group
Office Movers — The Library Division
Open Sense Solutions
PNC Bank
PW Feats
Pettis Education
Regan Associates, LLC
Sandy Spring Bank
Teavana
Verizon
WYPR
Silent auction donors
AAA Antiques Mall/Cruets Cruets Cruets
Abby’s Creations
Akhbar
All About Yarn
Anonymous
Arthur Murray Dance Studios
Bach in Baltimore
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Bertucci’s
Black Ankle Winery
Bonaparte Breads
Boordy Vineyards
The Boot Camp Girl
Brunswick Columbia Lanes
Cabot Creamery
Cacao Lane
Cafe de Paris
Carmen’s Dance Shoes
Cathy Harvill
Catonsville Groomery
Cheeburger Cheeburger
Cheesecake Factory
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
Children’s Center at Glenwood
Cindy’s Spirits
Circle D Farm
Claire P. Ferguson
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Classic Cup
Clyde’s Restaurant Group
Columbia Art Center
Columbia Association
Columbia Fencing Center
Columbia Festival of the Arts
Columbia Horse Center
Columbia
INSTRUCTIVE &
Orchestra
Columbia Pro
ENLIGHTENING
Contare
EXPERIENCES
Crab Shanty
Daedalus Books
Dave Hardell
David’s Natural
Market
Decanter Fine Wines
Dugout Zone
Duty Free Americas
Edible Arrangements
Elkridge Furnace Inn
Eyre Bus and Travel
Face Place
Fortune Star Buffet
Frieda Lin
Frou-Frous
Giant
Glenwood Community Ctr.
Good Life Wellness
Great Harvest Bread Co.
Great Sage
The Greene Turtle
Ann B. Guralnick
Hands of Time
HandsOnBodyWorks
Harley-Davidson of
Maryland, Inc.
Highland Groomery
HoCoPoLitSo
Homewood Suites — Hilton
Howard Community
College Educational
Foundation
Howard County Arts
Council
Howard County
Chinese School
Howard County
Tourism
Michele Hunter
Imagination
Stage
Industrial Deli
International
Spy Museum
continued