10/21/2015 - PublicInfoOnline.com

Transcription

Ramsey County Library
Board of Trustees Meeting
October 21, 2015
3025 Southlawn Drive
Maplewood, MN – 6:30 PM
I.
Call to Order
II.
Public Comment (6:30-6:35)
III.
Consent Agenda (6:35-6:40)
A. Approval of Agenda (1)
B. Approval of September 16, 2015 Minutes (2)
C. Director’s Report (3)
D. Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries Report (4)
E. 2015 Third Quarter Reports
1. Strategic Plan Update & Workplan Progress (5)
2. Financial Report (6)
3. Statistical Report (7)
4. Incident Reports (8)
IV.
Action Items (6:40-6:45)
A. 2016 Holiday Calendar (9)
B. Other
V.
Discussion Items (6:45-8:30)
A. Communications/Programming Update (10)
B. Strategic Planning Update (11)
C. Maplewood Branch Update/Tour (12)
D. Shoreview Facilities Planning Update (13)
E. Library Board Attendance (14)
E. Other
VI.
Adjournment (8:30)
VII.
Next Meeting – November 18, 2015, RCL – Roseville, 2180 Hamline Avenue North, 6:30 p.m.
Scheduled Upcoming Meetings
November 18, 2015
RCL – Roseville
2180 Hamline Avenue North
December 16, 2015
RCL – Shoreview
4570 North Victoria Street
January 20, 2016
RCL – Shoreview
4570 North Victoria Street
Benchmarking RCL to Comparable Libraries
Kids/Teen/Adult Programming Update
PC Replacements
Strategic Planning Update
2016-2017 Budget Update
Roseville Branch Update/Tour
Shoreview Project Update
Director’s Performance Review
Library Board Self Evaluation
2016-2017 Budget Update
Annual Meeting
2016 Workplan
CIP Budget Requests
2015 Fourth Quarter Reports
Mission Statement
Provide free access for all
to the knowledge and
ideas that transform lives.
Vision Statement
Create extraordinary
learning environments
and experiences.
Minutes of the Ramsey County Library Board
September 16, 2015
LIBRARY BOARD PRESENT:
John Hakes, Craig Klausing, Paula Mielke, Jan Rapheal, Kim Vanderwall
LIBRARY BOARD ABSENT:
Jim Berry, Tou Xiong
STAFF PRESENT:
Susan Nemitz, Library Director; Mary Larson, Library Board Coordinator; Lynn Wyman, Deputy Director; Jeff
Eide, Policy & Planning Manager; Bill Michel, Facilities Planning Manager; Meg Robertson, New Brighton Library
Manager; Carol Jackson, Shoreview Library Manager; Judy Woodward, Protested Materials Coordinator
OTHERS PRESENT:
Sue Gehrz, Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries; Carol Morphew, Ramsey County Property Management
CALL TO ORDER:
Vanderwall called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in Room 218 of the New Brighton Community Center, 400
10th Street N.W.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
None.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES:
Vanderwall requested that the Friends Report be moved to the Discussion Items agenda. Mielke made a motion
to approve the agenda for September 16, 2015 as amended, and the minutes of August 19, 2015 as presented.
Rapheal seconded the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
SOFTWARE UPGRADE PURCHASE:
Ramsey County Library provides Microsoft Office products to its patrons to support demand and provide access
to software that is often too expensive for some to purchase commercially. The Library has been able to take
advantage of Microsoft’s academic pricing to provide cost effective access to this software for the community.
Ramsey County Library updates software as required to meet functionality, support and security needs.
Currently, Ramsey County Library is supporting Microsoft Office 2007, installed during a previous technology
planning cycle. Although Office 2007 is still under extended support for security fixes and fee-based support,
the current version of Microsoft Office 2013 has been available since January 2013 and will maintain
mainstream support until April 2018. Mainstream support provides functionality updates, licensing support and
hardware assistance. Demands by patrons and training partners to support Office 2013 have grown, especially
in the area of digital literacy training.
The Library is scheduled to update Microsoft Office for approximately 475 computers. This will include both
staff and public workstations. Funding has already been designated and received through MELSA Phase funds.
Mielke made a motion to approve the expenditure of $35,000-$40,000 to upgrade public and staff workstations
with Microsoft Office 2013 software, utilizing existing County/State master contracts. Rapheal seconded the
motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT:
The Library will be closed on Monday, October 12 for an all day, all staff training program.
DRAFT
Page 1 of 6
Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting
Ramsey County Library is piloting Student Access Cards in a joint project with the White Bear Lake Area Schools
to support educational access to digital information. Cards can be used at any Ramsey County Library and in
White Bear Lake ISD 624 Media Centers. Students with existing cards can use them in both venues. The
collaboration will provide increased student access to digital resources like e-Books, e-Audiobooks, Homework
Rescue, Lynda.com and a variety of research data bases. All digital resources will be utilized via Chromebooks
distributed to students through White Bear Lake Area Schools. Initial access will be given without account
information which will be provided after the Library receives parental permission forms.
The library in Maplewood, in conjunction with People Incorporated, District 622, the Salvation Army, and
Keystone Community Services will begin a pilot program in September. One hour per week a social worker will
be present in the Board Room to assist library patrons in navigating the social service system. Based on a
successful program at the St. Paul Public Central Library, the Community Resource Outreach Partnership (CROP)
will assist people needing housing, food assistance, health care, etc. The pilot will last about six months
Kit Hadley, the Director of the St. Paul Public Library, has announced her retirement effective October 2. Her
leadership and vision will be sorely missed.
SHOREVIEW FACILITIES PLANNING UPDATE:
On August 25, the Shoreview Planning Commission recommended approval of the Library’s application for
rezoning the future Library site from R-1 to PUD (Planned Use Development), and establish the property as a
PUD Development Stage. On September 8, the City Council unanimously approved those requests, with the
following conditions:
1. Submittal and approval of a subdivision plat prior to the completion and occupancy of the new regional
library.
2. Execution of all related cooperative agreements between the City and County for the development
including land transfer, shared access and easements, and property maintenance.
3. Approval of the final grading, drainage, utility, and erosion control plans by the Public Works Director,
prior to submittal of the Final Plat and PUD—Final Stage applications.
4. The PUD—Final Stage plans shall address the recommendations and conditions stipulated in the
memorandum from the Public Works Director and City Engineer, including storm-water management
and tree replacement plans.
5. The County shall secure a permit from the Ramsey Washington Watershed District prior to commencing
any grading on the property.
6. The applicant is required to enter into a Site Development Agreement and Erosion Control Agreement
with the City. Said agreements shall be executed prior to the issuance of any permits for this project.
The Library has begun working with the Ramsey Washington Watershed District on a Storm-water Management
Plan, which will include a variety of treatment features including tree trenches, pervious pavers and filtration
ponds. The plan will go to the Watershed District’s Board meeting on October 7, 2015 for approval.
A&P presented its preliminary Gross Maximum Price of $12,285,000 to the Design Team on September 8, 2015.
They were happy to report that at this point, the project is within budget. As the design is finalized, there will be
adjustments which will impact the budget, and a list of possible changes to make to the design is being
developed in the event of unforeseen costs. No major changes are expected from this point forward.
The first bid packages (for site-work, foundation work, and structural steel) will be issued on September 23, with
bids due October 8.
DRAFT
Page 2 of 6
The Groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for October 22, 2015 at 2 p.m.
The State of Minnesota has unexpectedly opened a second round in its 2014 Library Construction Grant
Program. There is a total of $848,000 available in this round. The state anticipates making up to 3 grants out of
that total. Ramsey County Library intends to apply for some of this money for the Shoreview project. The
application deadline is November 11, with grants awarded sometime after January 1, 2016.
Michel reviewed the current architectural drawings for the site, the building exteriors, and the interior floor
plans. He noted that there will be disruptions in service at the current facility due to the construction, including
building closures while utility services are re-routed, and eventual shutdown of the drive-up book drop. Talking
points are being developed to address construction-related questions, and will be included with the October
project update for the Library Board.
Klausing made a motion to approve the Gross Maximum Price of $12,285,000 for the new Ramsey County
Library in Shoreview as developed by Adolfson & Peterson, and recommend that the Ramsey County Manager
sign the contract with HGA Architects and Adolfson & Peterson Construction for Phase II services. Rapheal
seconded the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
MAPLEWOOD COFFEE SHOP LEASE:
This summer, the business owners of the coffee shop in the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood identified
concerns with the profitability of their business model in the building. Caféine is the third vendor in the space
since 2008. Based upon the Library's desire to maintain this service, the Director is recommending the approval
of a lease amendment which would reduce the cost per square foot to $15. Both the County Attorney's office
and County Property Management have reviewed this proposal.
Mielke made a motion to approve the First Amendment to Lease with Sanook, LLC as proposed for the coffee
shop space at the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood, and authorize the Library Board Chair and Library
Director to sign the document; subject to the approval of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Hakes seconded
the motion, which was approved by unanimous vote.
FRIENDS OF THE RAMSEY COUNTY LIBRARIES REPORT:
Sue Gehrz, Executive Director of the Friends, was present to give the Library Board an overview of the Friends
organization.
History and Organizational Structure
 Organized in 1979 to advocate for expanded library services in suburban Ramsey County.
 A 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
 Mission is to strengthen, support and advocate for the Ramsey County Library system in order to enrich the
lives of our library users, to promote literacy and education and to foster community.
 23 Governing Board of Directors and 4 ex-officio members including the Library Director and a liaison from
the Library Board.
 Three part time staff and about 200 volunteers who donated nearly 9,000 hours in 2014.
What the Friends Fund
 The Library Director submits a request each fall for the programming and service needs for the coming year.
The Friends currently provide $70,000 per year to support the Summer Reading Program, Technology
Literacy and Adult Life Skills programming, Children’s and Teens programming, the Volunteer program,
Employee Development, and the Library Newsletter.
 An additional grant of $30,000 from surplus revenues was awarded in 2015 to support STEM programming
and Summer Reading Program outreach.
DRAFT
Page 3 of 6



For the past two years, the Friends have sponsored a fundraising Gala that added $30,000 to the Library’s
collection budget for books and other materials.
The Friends are launching their 6th capital campaign to raise funds for library amenities at the new facility in
Shoreview, including fireplaces, art, technology, interactive literacy-building equipment, special furnishings
and outdoor reading gardens.
Operating expenses are not funded.
What Does the Friends’ Future Look Like?
 Strategic plans follow that of the Library.
 Increasing support for outreach to underserved populations, i.e. WIC program, Summer Reading Program
outreach.
 Long-term reduction in revenues from used book sales.
 Increased revenues from legacy gifts.
How Can the Library Board Help?
 Promote the February 6, 2016 Fundraising Gala to friends and colleagues.
 Help recruit new members.
 Help recruit volunteers.
 Refer prospective sponsors or donors.
 Include the Friends in your estate plans.
PROTESTED MATERIALS OVERVIEW:
The Protested Materials Committee provides the chief avenue to assess and resolve complaints about Library
materials. If staff cannot informally satisfy a patron who has concerns about specific materials owned by the
Library, the person is invited to fill out a Request for Reconsideration Form, outlining specific complaints.
The Reconsideration form goes to the Protested Materials Committee, an ad hoc committee of librarians, which
reviews the work in question and prepares a written report for the Library Director. The written report contains
a recommendation as to whether the Library should remove, reclassify or retain the work. If the Director
concurs with the Committee’s recommendation, a copy of the report is sent to the patron. The patron then has
the right to appeal the Library’s decision to the Library Board, or even in rare cases, beyond that level to the
Ramsey County Board of Commissioners.
The Committee regards the reports as an educational opportunity to explain the Library’s philosophy of
inclusion and breadth of collection, and strives to personalize the message of service. No individual item in the
collection will satisfy every Library patron, but each Library patron is entitled to staff respect and advice when it
comes to choosing materials that conform to his or her tastes and values.
Woodward reported that the Library received complaints against two juvenile fiction titles in the last year:
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes and the talking book version of A Corner of the Universe by Ann Martin. In both
cases, the complainant felt that the books contain inappropriately mature material, particularly material of a
sexual nature.
The Committee recommended that no action be taken in the case of either protest and that the materials
involved be retained in their present status. They emphasized the importance of an individual parent’s right to
guide the reading of his or her own child, and offered the complainants assistance in choosing materials
compatible with their values. The committee’s reports were both accepted by the patrons involved, and no
protest was appealed beyond the level of the Library Director.
DRAFT
Page 4 of 6
STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE:
Vanderwall, Klausing and Xiong agreed to serve as a strategic planning subcommittee, and have met monthly to
develop a draft mission statement and strategic priorities, to be finalized by December 2015.
The proposed new mission statement was discussed by the Library Board, along with the draft strategic
priorities and guiding principles. Eide shared the vision statement developed following an exercise with the
library’s management team on how Ramsey County Library will look in 10-15 years.
Staff will begin developing a list of potential activities to support the strategic goals at the Library’s staff
Inservice day on October 12.
LIBRARY BOARD ATTENDANCE:
The Board members discussed the Attendance clause in the Library Board Policies approved each year as part of
the Annual Meeting, and attendance statistics for 2014 and 2015 were reviewed.
The Library Board debated whether unexcused absences should be defined, but ultimately favored including
wording about advance notification of absences in the Board Policies. Vanderwall will contact Board members
with absences exceeding the policy threshold, and reaffirm their commitment to serving on the Library Board.
The discussion will be continued at the October meeting.
NEW BRIGHTON BRANCH UPDATE:
Trends in the Service Area
 Development continues in the New Brighton Exchange (CSI, Pulte Homes, API expansion).
 New Brighton Community Center—Visitors are down slightly (average decrease of 4.5% a month). New
Brighton Parks and Recreation managers are exploring new food vendor options. Membership profiles
include 786 members registered as Silver Sneakers or Silver and Fit (insurance categories for seniors).
Overall memberships show adult majority.
 New Brighton Community Survey 2015 showed 64% of respondents had used RCL-New Brighton in the past
year. Overall conclusions indicate New Brighton residents are happy with the quality of life, city services,
and government performance. Interestingly, opportunities to volunteer and to attend community or
cultural events were rated lower in comparison to opportunities in the region.
 A water issue—to get ahead of a contaminant of emerging concern, New Brighton is proactively using deep
aquifer wells. Information flow has been excellent on this issue.
 Mounds View Public Schools—both Irondale and Mounds View High school were on the list of the Top 10
most challenging high schools in Minnesota. MVHS media center has added a coffee shop open before,
during, and after the school day. They have created interactive chat and collaborative work areas and are
working on maker spaces.
 Arden Hills mayor David Grant reports areavibes.com ranking the city of Arden Hills as 20th in the state in
terms of overall livability. He reports high marks for amenities, education, housing, employment and low
crime. Low scores come from cost of living (17 percent above the state average) and weather largely due to
air quality.
 Road construction was present on 10th St NW throughout the summer and continues with bridge work into
November. Although the community center and library were always accessible, directions were minimal
and residents expressed frustration with access.
Library Issues and Service Trends
 Circulation is down 6.25% system wide. At New Brighton, adult book circulation is down an average of 8%
and children’s books show a 3% overall decline. Adult and children’s DVDs combined show a 13% decline.
New books and movies continue to be a draw but the “back collection” use is declining. The physical
collection budget decline is noticeable on “The Wall.”
DRAFT
Page 5 of 6




Physical visits are down 3.6% at New Brighton (2013-2014 comparison). E-resources will continue to grow
so outreach to make connections and programming enhancements are strategies to work with that decline.
Walk-in rewards programs such as Read-to-Play and the WIC partnership increase awareness of the library.
465 children who redeemed their Read-to-Play passes in 2015 visited the library with their families.
Programming has limitations due to both open hours and access to programming rooms. Robertson is
working with the Community Center staff to increase opportunities for programming by offering
partnerships and creative planning.
Outreach to the community is increasing. Both a social service focus with the WIC partnership and the
upcoming work with Community Resource Advocates and communication with major local businesses and
new housing (CSI, API, and Pulte Homes) are in place. Reconnecting with Arden Hills’ residents is a priority
and Robertson will be putting an article about RCL-New Brighton programs and services in an upcoming
Arden Notes.
Tami Lee, New Brighton children’s librarian, will be presenting a session on visual literacy and is on a panel
addressing diversity in children’s literature at the October 2015 Minnesota Library Association conference.
Tami also presented information on diversity in children’s literature to SELCO libraries’ Camp Read-A-Lot for
teachers.
Key Partnerships
 New Brighton Community Center
 WIC Ramsey County
 Ralph Reeder Food Shelf
 New Brighton Historical Society
 Native American Community Clinic
NEXT MEETING:
October 21, 2015 – RCL Maplewood, 3025 Southlawn Drive, 6:30 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mielke made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Hakes, and the meeting adjourned
at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary Larson
Library Board Coordinator
DRAFT
Page 6 of 6
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
October 2015
Staff Updates: Recent retirements and resignations have resulted in significant changes in
staffing.
New Hires:
Rebecca Jones, Library Page Sub
Stella Chan, Library Page Sub
Resignations:
Kassandra Huynh, Library Page Sub
Bonita Larsen, Library Page (SV)
Promotions:
Zachary Tessier, Clerk-Typist 1 (MP)
Christina Weygand, Clerk-Typist 1 (MP)
Monica Stratton, Senior Librarian (NS)
Transfers:
Kelly Flick, Librarian 2, RV to TS/RV
Diana Sonnek, Clerk-Typist 3, MP to TS
Clarence White, Library Page, WB to RV
Yvonne Anderson, Library Page, MV to RV
Dawood Sultani, Library Page, NB to WB
John Ford, Library Page, Intermittent to WB
Important Dates: The Shoreview groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Thursday,
October 22 at 2 p.m. Please park in the east lot, between the library and the Community
Center.
The annual Friends book sale will take place at Roseville from October 21-25.
The Library: The Library was closed on Monday, October 12 for an all day, all staff training
program. Over 100 individuals attended. Staff participated in strategic planning exercises in
the morning and had options to attend programs in the afternoon on:








Racial equity (book club)
Micro aggressions
Serving patrons with mental illness
Customer service
The intranet
The Shoreview project
New employee orientation
Librarian performance factors
All branches and divisions held staff meetings. It was a great day overall. Thank you to the
Friends of the Library for their continued support for staff development.
The Library in Maplewood, in conjunction with People Incorporated, District 622, the Salvation
Army, and Keystone Community Services, began a pilot program in September. One hour per
week a social worker has been present in the Board Room to assist library patrons in
navigating the social service system. Based on a successful program at the St. Paul Public
Central Library, the Community Resource Outreach Partnership (CROP) assists people
needing housing, food assistance, health care, etc. Sixteen people were served in the first
month.
The one-to-one computer help in the libraries remains popular. A recent patron wrote:
“I want to let whoever is in charge of setting up patron classes [know] how much I
appreciate the drop-in computer help that is offered at the Shoreview Library. The two
men who are in charge have given me so much valuable help. They are courteous,
knowledgeable and downright pleasant to work with. Thank you for the wonderful,
worthwhile service.”
Patrick Rothfuss, fantasy author, did an
author talk on October 8 in the atrium of
the library in Roseville. Three-hundred
and sixty people attended. Thank you to
Marcus Lowry for booking the event and
special thanks to the Roseville staff for
accommodating our largest author event
to date.
Bibliotheca announced October 6 that its shareholder company, One Equity Partners (OEP),
has acquired 3M Library Systems’ North American business. The new Bibliotheca Group will
incorporate 3M Library Systems—including its security, productivity, and cloud solutions
divisions—into a single Bibliotheca brand. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The remaining sale of 3M Library Systems assets is expected to take place in the fourth
quarter of 2015. About 100 3M employees are expected to join OEP after the transaction
closes; some based in Maplewood, MN, the business’s home base for the past 40 years.
Ramsey County: The County is in the process of completing a major upgrade to its payroll
system (Summit). The old system has been shut down, and staff will revert to paper time
sheets during the next pay period. The new system will go live on October 26. Mary Larson
has been leading the transition and training library staff for the change.
MELSA: Jane Eastwood has been chosen as the Director of the St. Paul Public Library. Ken
Behringer, current Director of the Dakota County Library has been selected to be the Director
of MELSA.
Executive Director’s Update
October 2015
White Bear Lake Library Tours: This month volunteers from the Friends Membership Committee
began giving guided tours of the renovated White Bear Lake Library to Friends members and
their guests. Participants and patrons alike have been very impressed by all the wonderful new
features. Our Capital Campaign for this library runs through December 31, 2015 and donations
are still encouraged.
Shoreview Library Capital Campaign: The campaign was officially kicked off on October 1st at the
first meeting of enthusiastic volunteers who are eager to support the new library. The campaign
theme will be The New Regional Library in Shoreview---creating pathways for
intergenerational innovation. We need lots of people to help us with the campaign so please
help spread the word about it.
Spooktacular Book Sale: 15,000 used books and media materials will be available for purchase
at the Roseville Library from 6:00 pm on October 21 through 4:30 on October 25. Bring your
friends and shop ‘til you drop!
10/15/2015
2015: Quarter Three Achievements
1.
Met an incredibly tight timeline to design and receive approvals for the new
Ramsey County Library in Shoreview.
2.
Selected by the White House and American Library Association to be one of
thirty libraries across the country to participate in the ConnectEd Challenge
and began a pilot project with the White Bear Lake Area Schools (#624) to put
student cards in the hands of students.
3.
Developed and opened the Brain Box, a Makerspace at the library in
Maplewood with 3D printing, a vinyl cutter, a sewing machine and basic
robotics.
4.
Began a pilot program at the Library in Maplewood, in conjunction with
People Incorporated, District 622, the Salvation Army, and Keystone
Community Services to assist people needing housing, food assistance, health
care, etc. Sixteen people were served in the first month.
5.
Tweaked services at the new Library in White Bear Lake to meet community
needs and added art and other amenities funded by the amazing Friends of the
Library.
6.
Received initial Ramsey County approval for funding the operational
expansion of the Shoreview branch into a regional library in 2017.
7.
Drafted a strategic plan for 2016-2017.
8.
Provided youth programming to over 20,000 kids and their families over the
last three months.
1
10/15/2015
2015 Work Plan
1. Provide fresh and dynamic tools for learning.
Digital Content
 Expand e-book collection
 Expand downloadable audiobooks
 Create promotional campaign including
download events
 Promote digital magazines
 Add other digital learning content
Lynn Wyman
1st Quarter Achievements:
 Moved the 3M Discovery Station to the RV
atrium to promote the 3M Cloud Library
Added 567 eBook copies to the collection
 Added 166 eAudio copies to the collection
 Increased circulation of electronic materials
by 17% over Quarter 1, 2014
2nd Quarter Achievements:
 Added 1,123 eBook copies to the collection
3rd Quarter Achievements:
 Added 967 eBook copies to the collection
Chuck Wettergren
 Setup BookFlix touch screens for WB pilot
 Incorporated BookLens into catalog
 Developed Agreements to host ACL, SCL and
WCL bridge servers in support of BookLens
 Installed Skype on laptops to be piloted at WB
for checkout
 Converted Mounds View copy machine to
allow faxing – piloting
 Activated and started testing Mobile
Circulation
 Expanded VPN access to allow a laptop to
register students on site at schools through
local wi-fi
 Installed BookLens servers for ACL, SCL and
WCL
 Converted Maplewood copy machine to allow
faxing
 Delayed implementing of user-initiated room
booking due to performance issues
 Purchased new meeting room laptops with
built in cameras and Skype
Susan Nemitz (Jason Lyons)
 Provided 49 computer and tech classes to 400
students
 Provided 52 drop-in computer and tech help
sessions to 364 students
 Expanded drop-in computer and tech help to
SV
Patron Digital Tools
 Develop faxing program at MV, MP
 Replace RV PCs & monitors
 Update Microsoft Office to 2013
 Develop remote registration
 Add user-initiated room booking
 Add Skype/cameras to meeting rooms
 Move to touch screen BookFlix
 Implement BookLens
Digital Literacy/Inclusion
 Maintain basic programming
 Develop curriculum focused on mobile
devices
 Grow weekly one-to-one technology labs
 Pilot Tech and Coffee at MV
 Rotate all librarians through the one-toone technology labs
2
10/15/2015
 Add FTE assigned to Digital Literacy
 Expand community partnerships and
outreach to immigrants and communities
of color

Began providing digital literacy instruction
off-site to ex-offenders at Volunteers of
America Re-entry Center twice a month
 Developed curriculum using mobile device
camera apps and hands-on use of mobile iPad
lab
 Began Tech and Coffee help lab at MV
students
 Expanded drop-in computer and tech help to
WB
 Expanded Tech and Coffee help lab to NB
 Began rotating librarians through tech labs at
RV
 Continued off-site digital literacy instruction
at Volunteers of America twice a month
students
 Continued rotating librarians through tech labs
 Continued off-site digital literacy instruction
at Volunteers of America twice a month
 Developed new curriculum using mobile
device apps for hands-on use of mobile iPad
lab
Susan Nemitz (Carrie Watts)
 Provided 23 tax help sessions to 775 people
 Offered 3 nutrition cooking classes for lowincome families, attended by 33 people
 Provided 68 MNsure Navigator sessions to
304 people
 Held 9 job seeker programs to 109 people
 Offered 2 legal help classes for 14 people
 Provided 3 small business counseling sessions
helping 6 people
Held 7 financial literacy programs for 51
 Provided 69 Life Skills Development classes,
attended by 514 people
 Held 12 walk-in help sessions to 20 job
seekers
 Provided three business start-up counseling
sessions to four people
 Offered two financial literacy classes to ten
people
 Offered a solar power for homes workshop to
35 people
 Provided 25 One-to-One MNsure Help
sessions to 67 people (representing
Life Skills
 Evaluate, focus, and prioritize programs
 Improve E-government access points and
services through MELSA mini-grant
 Expand MNsure services
 Partner to offer tax assistance
 Expand industry panels and job seeker
programming
outreach to immigrants and communities
of color
 Expand services to Corrections (MR)
3
10/15/2015
households of 126 people.)
Offered seven AARP Tax help sessions to 236
people
 Offered two career panels, for 36 people
 Offered 95 Life Skills Development classes to
334 people.
 Held 12 walk-in job counseling sessions to 11
job seekers.
 Had 3 business start-up mentoring sessions to
6 people
 Offered workshops on budgeting, personal
empowerment, employment essentials, and
resume critiquing
 Held a Fix-It Clinic with 27 participants
 Had 3 investor’s forums with 38 attendees
 Provided 31 One-to-One MNsure Help
sessions to 90 people
 Held a civility training attended by 24 people
 Partnered with Goodwill Easter Seals,
Keystone Community Services, St. Paul
SCORE, Ramsey County Workforce
Solutions, Health Access MN, Roseville
Human Rights Commission
Kristi Saksvig
 Created adult program committee and held
first meeting
 Developed and prioritized list of programming
concerns
 Drafted room scheduling priorities
 Drafted room scheduling procedures
 Drafted program detail checklist
 Created descriptions and PIC list for service
lines
 Provided 16 history events with 881 in
attendance
 Provided 39 Conversation Circles with 84
participants
 Provided 13 senior events with 293 attendance
 Added Lit Circles for English language
learners
 Piloted month long painting and memoir series
for seniors with immediate waiting lists
 Partnered with New Brighton Historical
Society, Osher Life Long Learning Institute,
White Bear Area Historical Society, Silver
View Adult Education Center and Roseville
Adult Learning Center, Maplewood Historical
Society, Woodbury Heritage Society
 Implemented room scheduling priorities and
procedures
 Provided 10 history events with 681 in

Adult Enrichment
 Create adult program committee
 Evaluate, focus, and prioritize programs
 Expand history programs
 Expand conversation circles
 Focus Senior Programming
outreach
4
10/15/2015



attendance
Provided 39 Conversation Circles with 71
participants
Held a very successful six-week painting and
sketching course for seniors
Partnered with Shoreview and Roseville
Human Rights Commissions, Osher Life Long
Learning Institute, White Bear Area Historical
Society, Silver View Adult Education Center
and Roseville Adult Learning Center
2. Nurture the learning and creativity of children and youth.
Ready for Kindergarten
 Continue Kindergarten card sign up and
outreach
 Continue children’s story time
innovations
 Implement a plan for reaching at-risk kids
(0-5)
 Develop Apps recommendation page
 Expand FTE devoted to children’s
services
 Participate in Statewide One Book
Program
Lynn Wyman (Monica Stratton)
 Offered 277 children’s programs with a total
attendance of 11,403
 Provided 102 Family storytimes for 5,512
participants, 59 Baby and Me storytimes for
1,646 participants, and 5 other storytimes for
176 participants
 Featured storytime guests, including origami
artist Kathleen Sheridan, Cock-a-doodle Zoo,
and the DNR with springtime ducks
 Piloted a weekly Toddler Obstacle Course at
RV to provide preschool children an
opportunity for whole-body, holistic learning
 Participated in “Moo Madness”, a statewide
one-book initiative based on Moo by David
LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka
 Added .2 FTE in children’s hours at WB
138 participants
 Made 5 childcare center and ECFE visits to
219 children
 Celebrated the end of the statewide one-book
program with a visit from authors David
LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka
 Installed literacy interactives at WB, including
a sailboat and dock designed by the Children’s
Museum, and an EyePlay projection system
 Offered storytimes featuring community
guests, including the DNR, Cockadoodle Zoo,
and local authors
 Added Apps recommendations to Kids section
of website
5
10/15/2015
604 participants
 Made 3 childcare center visits to 78 children
 Offered a preschool summer reading program
with participation by 1,191 children
 Offered storytimes featuring community
guests, including New Brighton Fire Fighters,
a yoga instructor, and the Metro Dance Center
 Received $800 from the Kiwanis as part of
their on-going support of the easy reader
collections at RV and SV
 Designed streamlined, consistent early literacy
promotional pieces (signs, stickers,
bookmarks)
 Participated in a MELSA-produced early
literacy video, much of it filmed at MP
 Hosted an early literacy “Train the Trainer”
program at WB taught by national early
literacy expert Saroj Ghoting; librarians Tami
Lee and Anna Haase Krueger are now
certified early literacy trainers
 Had Children’s Coordinator Monica Stratton
serve on a MN Department of Education
committee working on best practices for
reaching children not participating in an early
literacy program
 Received recognition by School Library
Journal; Anna Haase Krueger was quoted
extensively in an article on the important role
of music in early literacy
Lynn Wyman (Youth Librarians)
 Held the 7th annual Kindergarten Library Card
Party with over 1,000 attendees; processed
1,177 library card applications; distributed
265 cards at the Party
 Provided 44 Paws to Read sessions for 132
young readers
 Hosted 3 elementary-age book club meetings
for 25 students
 Offered STEM Saturday programs at RV for
students ages 8 to 12; STEM programs
included Weebly Website Design, Building a
Computer, and Origami Math
 Partnered with the Minnesota Historical
Society on a History Hullabaloo at RV in
January, attended by 57 students
 Offered 25 makerspace labs for 184 students
and 8 other teen tech classes ranging from
digital art to coding for 49 students
 Provided 18 Anime club sessions for 67
students
 Held the annual Children’s Summer Festival
Student Success
 Continue Kindergarten Sign Up visits and
event
 Implement a plan for reaching at-risk
school age children
 Expand participation in Summer Reading
 Continue History Day Hullabaloo
program
 Offer weekend STEM projects at RV
during the summer
 Develop digital literacy classes and tools
 Develop Maker Space at MP
 Develop library partnerships with iPad
schools
 Continue Read it Down – fine reduction
program
 Develop partnerships with White Bear
Lake ISD 624
6
10/15/2015
on June 6 with 2,250 attendees; the Around
the World program included dances from
India and Ireland, a mariachi band, West
African drumming, a martial arts
demonstration, and henna tattoos
young readers
for 97 students
 Offered weekly STEM Saturday programs at
RV for students ages 9 to 14; STEM programs
included Chemistry in the Library, 3D
Sculpting, Planet Earth’s Earth, and Stop
Motion Animation
 Made 80 school visits to promote summer
reading to 4,136 2nd grade students
 Provided 14 library tours to 545 elementaryage students
 Offered 16 in-house passive programs with
participation by 1,203 children
 Celebrated Children’s Book Week with visits
from local authors and illustrators
 Provided 25 makerspace labs for 245 students
and offered teen tech classes ranging from
coding and GarageBand to 3D printing and
digital art
 Provided 4 summer book club sessions for 31
teenage students
 Partnered with College Possible to provide to
FAFSA classes at RV and MP
 Participated in MELSA’s Teen Literature
Conference
 Presented at the MN STEM Network
Conference at the University of Minnesota
 Registered students at Sunrise Park middle
school to test using RCL barcodes to access
both public and school library resources
young readers
for 187 students
 Offered STEM Saturdays at RV and other
STEM programs throughout the summer for
students ages 9 to 14; programs included
Maze Engineering, Geocaching for Kids,
Myth Busting 101, Mammals of Minnesota,
and Digital Art
 Reached 1,230 elementary-age students
through Summer Reading outreach activities
 Saw in-house Summer Reading participation
by 3,786 elementary-age students
 Provided a total of 55 outreach activities to
1,740 elementary students
 Provided 15 library tours to 290 elementary-
7
10/15/2015
age students
Offered 11 in-house passive programs with
participation by 1,384 children
 Provided 18 makerspace labs for 210 students
and offered teen tech classes ranging from
basic coding to graphics software and basic
robotics
 Opened the Brain Box, the new teen
makerspace at MP
 Provided 14 summer book club sessions for
71 teenage students; partnered with the
Roseville Human Rights Commission on a
teen book club
 Selected by the White House as a ConnectED
partner
 Piloted a new e-card that is being used with
the White Bear Lake middle and high schools’
student tablet program Created and distributed
Student Access Cards to the White Bear Lake
ISD 624 middle schools in support of
ConnectED Library Challenge
 Made 4 school visits to 222 teenage students
Lynn Wyman (Teen Librarians)
 Partnered with the Educational Equity
Alliance/ISD 622/838 to offer a weeklong
Teen Tech Camp at MP in March for 14
students
 Partnered with YouthLEAD, Chipotle, the
WBL YMCA, and HHH Job Corps to offer a
Teen Summer Job Fair at RV in March
 Brought 16 eReader labs to MV, RV, and WB
middle schools for 477 students
 Taught 4 classes for 24 students at Roseville
Middle School as part of the 21st Century
Grant with the Roseville schools
 Brought other library programs to Tartan High
School, Phoenix Recovery High School,
Irondale High School and North High School
 Partnered with the WBL YMCA to offer 2
after-school programs for Village Trail
apartment students, with a total attendance of
54 students
 Provided a variety of gaming activities with a
total participation of 1,086 youth
 Partnered with WBL YMCA to offer afterschool Makerspace labs and Thursday Night
Out activities to students in the Village Trails
apartment complex
 Partnered with WBL YMCA and Suburban
Community Channels to offer a Teens Speak
program for 21 students at Sunrise Park
Middle School
 Worked with John Glenn Middle School

Healthy Youth
 Implement a plan for reaching at-risk
teens
 Expand FTE for teen services
 Partner with organizations serving youth
 Develop more teen employment/
volunteer opportunities
 Participate in grant development for out
of school initiatives
8
10/15/2015
students on a Boy’s Speak video
Made 19 school visits to 685 6th and 7th grade
students to promote summer reading
 Presented booktalks to 65 honors English
students at WBL South Campus
 Offered library card registrations during lunch
time table talks at WBL South Campus
 Offered Anime Prom at RV with 14 students
attending
 Partnered with N. St. Paul/Maplewood
Schools on a Teen Tech Camp
 Hired two summer student workers to assist
with teen programming
 Offered tech classes at Montreal Court
apartments in collaboration with the
Shoreview YMCA
 Partnered with the White Bear YMCA to offer
programs at MP for students from the Village
Trail apartments; this program for at-risk teens
has been expanded to twice weekly because of
the success of last year’s program
 Partnered with Suburban Community Cable to
offer a Video Boot Camp in July at MP
 Offered a Teen Tech Camp at RV in August
with participation by 18 students
 Partnered with Gazillion Strong to offer comic
book creation activities featuring diverse
characters
 Offered library card registration at the
University of Minnesota Freshman
Orientation, and during outreach events at
Mounds View High School, Irondale High
School, Edgewood Middle School, and
Sunrise Middle School

3. Develop physical and virtual spaces that enable learning and
enhance interactivity.
Shoreview
 Plan SV hours & staffing request for
budget request (LW)
 Complete predesign/price
 Get Library Board, City, and County
approvals
 Write RFP and get approvals
 Let RFP; select vendors
 Sign Phase 1 agreement
 Purchase home and demolish (JN)
 Complete design and GMP
Bill Michel
 Received library board approval for redesign
 Worked with County on financing plan
 Completed County Board workshop
 Received County approval on design and
financing
 Drafted and issued RFP and held proposal
conference
 Included additional staffing for expanded SV
9
10/15/2015






Sign construction contract
Complete AMH exploration (CW)
Plan Maker Space
Develop SV lease
Develop fiber plan (CW)
Begin capital plan
White Bear
hours in the 2017 budget request
Selected Design Team of Adolfson &
Peterson/HGA Architects
 Signed contract for Phase 1 Design Services
 Set up Project Design Team of Library and
Property Management staff
 Scheduled Community Meeting at Shoreview
Community Center
 Started Schematic Design Phase
 Issued Purchase Order for survey and
geotechnical services
 Signed Letter of Intent with Mounds View
School Board for the sale of the existing library
building
 Registered the project for SB 2030 Energy
Standard certification
 Selected new Shoreview Branch Manager
 Toured several newer library buildings with
new SV Library Manager
 Determined budget viability for AMH system
for Shoreview
 Started public communication including web
updates, email to listserve (964 individuals),
newsletter article and suggestion forms in
branch
 Sent 1025 individual community meeting
invitations and created a web banner, fliers in
the branch and community center, e-board
messages, social media, and a press release
 Finished Schematic Design and Design/
Development stages
 Approved Guaranteed Maximum Price of
$12,285,000 for construction
 Started Construction Document set
 Worked with Ramsey County Property
Management and the Mounds View School
District to re-plat the three pieces of property as
two—one for the existing Library, and one for
the new Library
 Received approvals from Shoreview Planning
Commission and Shoreview City Council for
the Preliminary Plat, and Planned Unit
Development zoning
 Issued Bid packages for grading, foundation
work, and structural steel in anticipation of an
Oct 2015 construction start
 Started to select Interior Finishes
 Received approval of Storm-water
Management Plan from the Ramsey
Washington Metro Watershed District
 Contracted with Sandy Walsh to write a grant
application for a State of Minnesota Library
Construction Grant in the amount of $848,000
Bill Michel

10
10/15/2015
















Continue fundraising
Order FFE
Process opening day collection
Hire staff (LW)
Move and set up collections
Purchase and set up technology (CW)
Develop hearing induction system (CW)
Create laptop check out program (CW)
Purchase gaming (CW)
Plan interactive art (CW/LW)
Purchase art (LW)
Hold grand opening celebration (KS)
Reengineer customer experience
processes (TS)
Develop patio/reading garden
Commission building (JN)
Complete grant requirements (ML)
 Completed primary construction
 Placed time capsule with dignitaries and media
coverage
 Moved the shelving and collections back
 Purchased and processed Opening Day
Collection
 Hired two circulation staff
 Installed EyePlay interactive learning system
 Installed Hearing Induction system
 Setup Laptop checkout for WB pilot
 Purchased and installed updated gaming system
in Teen area
 Configured BookFlix Touch display for WB
pilot
 Updated Digital Signage display
 Purchased and Installed roller system for
deliveries
 Purchased and Coordinated Community Room
AV
 Managed Horizon/catalog setup/display for
WB transition
 Purchased/configured/ installed 34 new public
computers
 Updated self check hardware
 Updated print management
 Installed Security cameras
 Updated/expanded wireless to support laptop
checkout
 Integrated HVAC system into network
 Purchased and installed art pieces
 Completed and funded Reading Garden and
Monument Sign designs
 Sent save the date cards and invitations to more
than 1100 people
 Assisted Friends with capital campaign
 Held Grand Opening on April 10th with almost
3000 people in attendance
 Installed Induction hearing system
 Setup Laptop checkout for WB pilot
 Purchased and installed updated gaming system
in Teen area
 Installed EyePlay (twice )
 Configured BookFlix Touch display for WB
 Received approval for a variance to the WBL
Sign Code for the Monument Sign
 Ordered the Monument Sign
 Installed the Reading Garden
 Received 83 dedicated pavers to be installed in
the Paver Patio
 Continued to resolve minor building issues
with the Contractor
 Hired stained glass artist Karl Unnasch to
11
10/15/2015
Master Planning
 Develop MP Maker Space (BM/CW)
 Redo MP desks (BM)
 Replace MV chiller
 Replace SV chiller
 Refresh RV furnishings (LW)
 Add security cameras (CW)
 Support coffee shop at MP
 Add pedestrian access at MV
 Add NS Signage
 Add RV Open signage
create four window panels for the children’s
area
 Received patron donations of artwork by local
artists Emily Gray Koehler and Frank Zeller
 Continued to resolve minor building issues
with the Contractor
 Ordered several additional interior signs to
complete sign package
 Worked to close out the State Construction
Grant and the Capital Campaign funds
 Installed an additional 22 dedicated pavers in
the Paver Patio
 Installed four stained glass panels by artist Karl
Unnasch in the large window in the children’s
area
 Purchased a painting by Erin Babcock White
for the fireplace area
 Commissioned artist Tom Stewart to create a
mural for the west wall of the Community
Program Room
Julie Neville
 Drafted Maker Space plan for MP
 Promoted coffee shop
 Converted parking lot lights to LED at MP
 Treated the restrooms at MV with sealant
 Repaired the flooring in the Friends workroom
at SV
 Painted parking lots
 Completed fire drills at all Libraries
 Completed prairie burn at RV
 Prepared office for new Branch Manager at SV
 Completed ECO’s (economic utility savings) at
MP
 Completed 185 SRS (Service requests from
Staff)
 Updated electric and data in MP makerspace
 Moved computers in MP Teen room
 Installed laptops for laptop checkout at North
St. Paul
 Repaired parking lots at MP and RV
 Retrofitted monument signs to LED at MP
 Increased custodial hours at WB
 Washed windows in all facilities
 Installed VFD’s on air handlers at MP
 Purchased new delivery truck
 Cleaned carpet at NB
 Added ladders to exterior roofs at RV
 Distributed milk weed pods from RV to MV
 Upgraded the Ccure security program and
server
12
10/15/2015
The Virtual Library
 Partner on County web development
 Review web analytics quarterly
 Develop responsive design
 Add 3M records to catalog (NH)
 Migrate from FirstSearch to WorldCat
Discovery (NH)
 Redo web photos (KS)
 Expand content managers
 Develop customer satisfaction polls

Select discovery layer for 2016
Chuck Wettergren/Kristi Saksvig
 Provided Drupal training session and training
site for County website project
 Began attending implementation meetings for
County website project
 Added App recommendations to Kids section
of website
 Kicked off the county’s Intranet Team; meet
every two weeks (KS)
 Participated in six sessions for county web
rollout (CW)
 Completed Impact Survey with 1005 surveys
submitted
 Moved on-line payments to offsite
management
 Drafted county intranet user requirements (KS)
 Created navigation and information
architecture for county intranet (KS)
 Approved county intranet design (KS)
 Advised County on Drupal technology training
(CW)
 Expanded content mangers to maintain eBook
content, teen documents, emergency
documents, form maintenance
4. Enhance the library user’s experience.
UX Program
 Add hours in NB
 Reduce patron charges for DVDs
 Pilot coffee at MV
 Implement new museum pass program
Lynn Wyman
 Hired .1 FTE Library Page at NB to
implement Tuesday morning hours
 Evaluated DVD fees and decided to retain
current fee structure
 Started Keurig self-service coffee at MV at a
$1.00/cup honor box charge
 Implemented Tuesday morning hours at NB,
effective April 7
 Expanded Keurig self-service coffee to WB
and NB
 Averaged 220 patrons visitors on Tuesday
mornings after the new hours at NB were
implemented
 Worked with MELSA to establish procedures
for the smARTpass program, targeted for
January 2016
 Worked with the Nerdery to create and make
authentication connections for the SmartPass
program
13
10/15/2015
Staff Digital Tools/intranet
 Purchase thermal label printers
 Develop Debt Collect
 Add staff wireless access
 Migrate Evanced calendar system
 Update Microsoft Office Suite to 2013
 Upgrade Horizon
 Improve upkeep of policy/procedures
(LW)
 Update data retention/security policies
 Create online forms
 Develop work order systems for TS and
supplies
 Assist Ramsey County with the expansion
of fiber (CW)
Staff Training
 Align Inservice days with strategic plan
 Target resources for Circulation
Conference
 Encourage conference presentations
 Require staff to attend RE training
Chuck Wettergren
 Added content sections for e-Book
documentation, Racial Equity Team, and
Readers’ Advisory on StaffNet
 Implemented Volunteer website/timesheet site
 Piloted first Ad Hoc poll for StaffNet
 Updated wireless to support staff access
 Expanded intranet subject matter experts
 Added scheduling calendar for Laptop Labs
 Installed new server to host 2003 server
migrations
 Migrated Horizon Utility, EZ Proxy and
Payment Web proxy to 2008 servers
 Moved E-commerce payments to hosted
server and added the option for selective
payments
 Migrated staff storage and SIP servers to 2008
servers
 Implemented the TS work order system
 Installed thermal label printer in TS
Lynn Wyman
 Provided mandatory Security and Data
Compliance training for all staff
 Sent 9 staff to the Library Technology
Conference
 Developed Racial Equity training
requirements for 2015
 Provided 452 hours of training to 150 staff at
25 workshops and other training opportunities
 Provided a half-day of in-Service training to
104 staff on April 20; brought in speakers on
racial equity and autism
 Offered Heather Hackman’s Racial Equity
training series to 29 staff; held 3 sessions in
Quarter 2
 Participated in the MLA Institute for
Leadership Excellence Program with RCL
librarians Meg Robertson and Marcus Lowry
acting as program mentors
 Sent librarians Howard Morris to the
American Library Association Conference and
Mary Moran to Book Expo America
 Provided 1,165 hours of training to 119 staff
at 49 workshops and other training
opportunities
 Completed Heather Hackman’s Racial Equity
training series for 29 staff; held 2 sessions in
Quarter 3
 Provided 314 hours of training to 46 staff at
14
10/15/2015
Racial Equity
 Increase the racial diversity and
competency of staff
 Develop a Racial Equity Team to review
library policies and practices and make
recommendations for action
 Provide Racial Equity training for all
staff and the Library Board
 Provide opportunities for communities of
color have a voice in the operations of the
Library
 Develop metrics to track success
Collections
 Find ways to expand availability of
popular material (SN)
 Develop system wide weeding criteria
 Evaluate selection model
 Maximize use of collections software
 Create a more racially diverse collection
22 workshops and other training opportunities
Susan Nemitz
 Appointed a racial equity team
 Developed racial equity training requirements
 Created StaffNet space
 Provided microagression training
 Continued serving on County RELT Team
 Continued serving on Marnita’s Table project
team
 Attended a Marnita’s Table (SN)
 Developed collection selection goals
 Provided racial equity keynote on staff inservice day
 Providing supervisors and project leaders
intense racial equity training
 Evaluated and administered IDI to racial
equity team
 Held first racial equity book club for staff – 19
attended
 Invited key staff and board members to
Marnita’s tables and training
 Worked with MELSA on an LSTA grant to
survey resident access to information
 Continued County initiative participation
 Completed Heather Hackman’s Racial Equity
training series for 29 staff; held 2 sessions in
Quarter 3
 Continued County initiative participation
 Completed IDI assessment
 Completed Marnita’s Table training
 Selected vendor for MELSA access survey
Lynn Wyman (Nicole Herold)
 Appointed a team to develop weeding criteria
for floating collections
 Directed collection managers to increase
selections by and/or about people of color and
to track and report selection data
 Changed video games from local collections
to a floating collection to increase patron
access
 Attended a CollectionHQ user group meeting
 Added two “Fun to be Healthy” activity kits
(valued at $400 apiece) to the RV storytub
collection in partnership with Public Health
and CATCH Early Childhood
 Increased the request limit for
OneClickDigital from 5 to 10 books
 Used collections software to analyze spending
percentages by collection and branch;
15
10/15/2015
recommended changes to collection managers
Established weeding procedures for talking
books on CD and music CDs
 Completed first inventory of video games to
identify the effect floating has had on the
collection
Kristi Saksvig
First Quarter Achievements:
 Created branding roll-out timeline and
presented to staff
 Began implementation of phase I: Social
media, e-Boards, letterhead, envelopes,
business cards, library guides
 Developed branding anchors for new WB
building
 Registered 2094 Facebook fans and 1517
Twitter followers managed seven
GovDelivery lists
 Continue to replace logos on software –
Boopsie, 3M Cloud, Overdrive, GovDelivery
 Began rollout of consistent, brand approved
staff email signatures
 Began drafting new Explore cover to debut in
September
 Registered 113 new Facebook fans, 32 new
Twitter followers, and 7139 GovDelivery
subscribers
 Designed new student cards for White Bear
pilot
 Released Explore with new county branding
 Updated New Brighton monument sign with
new logo
 Converted all staff email signatures
 Registered 140 new Facebook fans, 110 new
Twitter followers, and 1808 GovDelivery
subscribers

Patron Communications
 Produce new library cards
 Implement County branding
 Measure social media impact
5. Build organizational capacity through responsible stewardship and
strategic partnerships.
Friends of the Library
 Assist to increase fundraising
 Complete WB capital campaign
 Develop SV capital campaign
 Expand grant writing
Susan Nemitz
 Presented to White Bear Lake Rotary
 Created time capsule placement event and
media
 Developed paver policy for the Library Board
 Staffed art committee
 Worked with Friends to support Gatsby Gala
 Added $24,000 worth of donated items to the
collection
 Supported the BookIt 5K fundraiser
16
10/15/2015



Library Volunteers
 Develop quarterly meetings for
coordinators
 Send coordinators to MAVA conference
 Utilize database to collect info
 Expand NGO partnerships
 Institutionalize local recognition events
 Develop teen events
 Seek recognition at County level
 Expand CSC Capstone projects
Planning/Succession/Analysis
 Do 2016-2017 budget request (ML)
 Do 2016-2019 strategic plan
 Complete technology plan (CW)
 Implement “ the Edge” patron technology
assessment (CW)
Attended the Friends Luncheon
Supported the Spring Book Sale
Added $32,000 worth of donated items to the
collection
 Served on executive committee for Shoreview
Capital Campaign
 Assisted in development of capital campaign
plan
 Spoke to Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotary on the
Shoreview project
 Added $31,000 worth of donated items to the
collection
Lynn Wyman (Heidi Holland)
 Provided volunteers for the Kindergarten Card
Party
 Implemented an online volunteer timesheet
 Participated in the Volunteer Expo at the Mall
of America; talked to 70 visitors
 Provided volunteers to unpack and shelve WB
collections
 Provided a total of 3,517 hours of volunteer
assistance
 Recruited volunteers for the WB Grand
Opening
 Met with the Service Learning Coordinator at
Century College, a partner in providing
facilitators for the Conversations Circles
 Provided volunteers for the Friends 5K and
the Children’s Summer Festival
 Held a recognition brunch for SV volunteers
 Recognized all volunteers with the gift of
potted flowers
assistance
 Recruited two library school interns to work
in the makerspace at MP, an elementary
school tutor to work in the children’s room at
RV, and two volunteers to work as English
language tutors
 Held a quarterly meeting of library volunteer
coordinators
 Held volunteer recognition events at NB and
RV
assistance
Jeff Eide
 Attended Ramsey County strategic planning
events
 Participated in organizational meetings around
new structure
17
10/15/2015







Implement impact survey (CW)
Create COOP planning (ML)
Move Deputy to SV
Find compensation for facilities project
management/Planning and analysis
Hire Asst. Branch Manager RV
Develop partnership evaluation criteria
Create local outreach goals

Received approvals for fine and fee changes
(ML)
 Completed draft COOP plan (ML)
 Moved Deputy Director to SV
 Received approvals for compensation
approach for facilities project management
and planning & analysis
 Hired an Assistant Branch Manager for RV
 Presented 2016-2017 budget request to the
County Manager
 Submitted performance report to County
 Completed the Completed quarter 2 impact
survey (CW)
 Met with MELSA Technology Measurement
Team twice to standardize Edge indicators
 Reclassified NB branch manager as a
Librarian III
 Hired SV branch manager
 Held planning retreat with Library Board
 Developed planning committee
 Benchmarked mission statements
 Drafted mission, goals and guiding principals
 Completed County Board presentation on the
2016-2017 budget
 Hired NS branch manager
18
10/15/2015
Branch Projects
Branch/Dept
MP
Innovation Pilot
Maker Space/desks
Quarter 1
 Created a furniture and
equip list and
contacted vendors
 Requested a price
quote for a modular
wall to partially
enclose the teen space
Quarter 2
 Ordered tables and
chairs
 Ordered a modular
wall to partially
enclose the teen space
 Purchased new 3D
printer, and other
Makerspace equipment
Quarter 3
 Installed modular wall
 Hired People’s Electric
to install additional
power to the space
 Rearranged placement
of Teen Computing
 Opened Makerspace
for business
 Branded Makerspace
as “The Brain Box”
 Started weekly
Makerspace
programming in the
teen space
Partnerships
Outreach
Quarter 1
 Cock-a-doodle Zoo
 Lynda Edmundson
 Northern Clay
Center
 Diane Augustin
 AARP
 YMCA
 Educational Equity
Alliance
 Macalester College
students
Quarter 2
 Linda Edmundson
 Once Upon a
Reader
 Music Together
 Laurie Purdie Salas
 Growing Green
Hearts
 Mad Science of
Minnesota
 Schiffelly Puppets
 Kitty Sweeney
 Magical Mia
 American Chemists
Society
 Saint Paul Public
Schools
 Minnesota
Judiciary
 AARP
 YMCA
 City County Credit
Union
 Coder Dojo
 3M/Ken Myers
 Sara Jones
 The Ponytail Posse
 Land of Gazillion
 White Bear Lake
YMCA
Quarter 3
 People,
Incorporated
 District 622
 Salvation Army
 Keystone
Community
Quarter 1
 John Glenn Junior High
 Phoenix Recovery High
School
 Tartan High School
 North High School
 Sunrise Middle School
 Roseville Middle
School
 Suburban Community
Cable
Quarter 2
 ISD 622
 ISD 623
 ISD 624
 White Bear Lake
YMCA
 Everybody Reads
 St Jerome Catholic
School
 Presentation Catholic
School
 St John the Evangelist
Catholic School
 Phoenix Chemical
Dependency High
School
 Dist 624 South Campus
 Central Park Middle
School
 Sunrise Park Middle
School
 John Glenn Middle
School
 Village Trail, Maple
Pond and Cedar View
Apartments
Quarter 3
 Richardson School
 Weaver School
 Webster School
 Cowern School
 Northeast YMCA
 Maplewood
KinderCare
19
10/15/2015
Services
Face to Face
Linda Edmundson
& Cookie
 Kitty Sweeney &
Bluebonnet
 Northeast YMCA
 MN DNR
 Bruce Giebnik
(Bruce the Bug
Guy)
 Mark and Lori
Hurley (A Touch of
Magic)
 Iny Asian Dance
Theater
 Roe Family Singers
 Dave Schulte
(Dazzling Dave)
 Graylyn Morris
(The Great Brodini)
 Emily Roberts
(Snake Discovery)
 Emma Rassmussen
(Eco Bookbinding)
 Gertrude Luer
(Abrakadoodle)
 Kathleen Sheridan
(Beginning
Origami)
 Bill Wiard (Bill the
Juggler)
 Rad Zoo (Reptile
and Amphibian
Discovery Zoo)
 Lee and Rose
Warner Nature
Center (Mammals
of Minnesota)
(Creative Pastels)
 Brian Richards (Dr
Seuss on the Loose)
 Bethel College’s
Intercultural
Institute (Japanese
Culture Fair)
 Maplewood
KinderCare
Quarter 1
 Silver View
Education Center
 Bridges Program
Quarter 2
 Silver View


MV
Pilot tech and coffee
Quarter 1
 Offered monthly Tech
& Coffee one-to-one
tech labs with an
average of 6
20
Quarter 1
 City of Mounds View
 Mounds View
Community Center
 Bel Rae Senior Living
 Tale of Ten Cities,
10/15/2015
participants per session
Sold an average of 4
cups per day of selfservice Keurig coffee
Quarter 2
 Offered 3 sessions of
Tech & Coffee for 9
participants
Quarter 3
 Offered 3 sessions of
Tech & Coffee

NB
Hours
Quarter 1
 Communicated hours
change to NBCC
 Hired page hours
 Worked on phone,
computer, signage, and
lighting changes
Quarter 2
 Began extended
Tuesday hours (10-8)
on April 7
Quarter 3
 Saw an average of 220
people (out of 550 for
the day) use the library
during the new hours
of 10-1
WIC
Quarter 1
 Met with WIC staff
 Presented early literacy
training to WIC staff
 Ordered books and
bags
 Developed coupons
and literacy sheets
Quarter 2
Education Center
Bridges Program
Mounds View
Community Center
 Bel Rae Senior
Living
Quarter 3
 Silver View
Education Center
 Bridges Program
 Mounds View
Community Center
 Bel Rae Senior
Living
 KidzArt
 Northern Clay
Center
 On Time Circus
 Paul Spring
 Paulino Brener:
Paper Boats
 Science Explorers
 Scott Rolfs
 Zaraawar Mistry
Quarter 1
 NBCC
 WIC
 Music Together
Quarter 2
 NBCC
 WIC
 Sunny Nutrition
program at Christ
the King Lutheran
Church
Quarter 3
 NBCC
 WIC
 New Brighton Fire
Department
 New Brighton
Historical Society
 Metro Dance
Center
 Ralph Reeder Food
Shelf
 Emily Roberts
(Snake Discovery)
(origami)


21
attended taping
NB/MV Rotary
Luncheon
Quarter 2
 Mounds View City
Council presentation

Quarter 1
 St. John the Baptist
 RCCF
Quarter 2
 Mounds View Public
Schools
 St. John the Baptist
school
 RCCF
 YMCA
Quarter 3
 Mounds View Public
Schools
 Pulte Homes
 RCCF
 YMCA
10/15/2015

Distributed 700
coupons for literacy
bags
Quarter 3
 Distributed 350
coupons for literacy
bags to WIC families;
150 coupons were
redeemed at the library
NS
Laptop checkout
Quarter 1
 Deferred until after
WB opening
Quarter 2
 Ordered laptops
Quarter 3
 Received 3 laptops at
NS
RV
Patron initiated room
booking
Quarter 1
 Investigated the
opportunity
Quarter 2
 Tabled patron initiated
room booking for 2015
5 year refurbishment
Quarter 2
 Ordered new and
replacement signage
 Expanded media
shelving
 Replaced passive
programming in the
Children’s area (in
Quarter 1
 City of North St.
Paul
 School district 622
 School district 832
Quarter 2
Paul
 Music Together
 Richardson
Elementary School
 Carol Matheys
Center
Quarter 3
Paul
 Carol Matheys
Center
 Behavioral Health
Services of N. St.
Paul
 Richardson
Elementary
 Cowern Elementary
(origami)
 Emily Roberts
(Snake Discovery)
Quarter 1
 American Red
Cross
 Tessa Ion with
Gertie (Paws to
Read)
 Pat Middleton with
Micki (Paws to
Read)
 KidzArt
 Diane Augustin
knitting
 Groth Music
 Clay to Go
 Wes Irwin:
Boundary Waters
ABC
 Abrakadoodle
22
Quarter 1
 O.H. Anderson Family
Literacy Night
Quarter 2
 Richardson Elementary
School
School
 St. Peter’s school
Quarter 3
 Richardson Elementary
School
School
Quarter 1
 Roseville Middle
School
 EagleCrest/Presbyterian
Homes
 Roseville Residential
Re-entry Center
Quarter 2
 North Como Preschool
 St Rose of Lima School
 Parkview Elem
 Harambee Elem
 ED Williams Elem
 Roseville Schools
TOPS program
(Summer school
outreach- Brimhall,
Central Park, Little
10/15/2015
progress)
Removed deteriorating
Willow Hut in the
Children’s Garden;
explored replacement
options
Quarter 3
 Replaced and
improved signage
 Reassessed work flow
in Circulation
workroom
 Weeded adult fiction
and nonfiction
collections



Soup it up for kids
Hand in Hand
Montessori
 Roseville Public
Works
 The Source Comics
& Games
 Anime Twin Cities
 SCORE
 Carl Brookins
 Osher Lifelong
Learning Center
 Pat Hill history
 Penumbra Theatre
 Keystone
Community Service
 Southern Minnesota
Regional Legal
Service
 University of
Minnesota
Extension Service
 Immigrant Law
Center of
Minnesota
 MNsure & Health
Access MN
 Goodwill Easter
Seals
 Science Museum of
Minnesota
 Twin Cities Media
Alliance
 Silver View Adult
Education Center
 Roseville Adult
Learning Center
 Americorps (CTEP)
 MELSA
 Friends of the St.
Paul Library
 Minnesota
Historical Society
 CTV
 TSE Inc
 Volunteers of
America
Quarter 2
 American Chemists
Society
 MN DNR
 Roseville Schools
TOPS program
(Summer school
outreach)
23
Canada, Edgerton)
Presbyterian Homes at
Eagle Crest
 Greenhouse Village
 Volunteers of America
 ISD 621
 ISD 623
 ISD 282
Quarter 3
 Falcon Heights
Elementary
 Little Canada
Elementary
 Brimhall Elementary
 Edgerton Elementary
 Central Park
Elementary
 Edgewood Middle
School
 Roseville Area Middle
School
 U of MN Freshman
Orientation
 Eagle Crest Retirement
Center
 Volunteers of America

10/15/2015


SCORE
Keystone
Community Service
 Southern Minnesota
Regional Legal
Service
 MNsure & Health
Access MN
 Goodwill Easter
Seals
Minnesota
 Twin Cities Media
Alliance
 Roseville Adult
Learning Center
 MELSA
 Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute,
U. of MN
 Minitex
 Ramsey County
Law Library
 Roseville Human
Rights Commission
 The Loft
 College Goal
Sunday
Quarter 3
 SCORE
 Keystone
Community Service
 Health Access MN
 Goodwill Easter
Seals
Minnesota
 Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute,
U. of MN
 Ramsey County
Law Library
and Games
 Roseville Human
Rights
Commission/Shore
view Human Rights
 Roseville Fire
Department
 Bethel University
(Japanese Culture
24
10/15/2015
Fair)
Abrakadoodle
Roe Family Singers
Scott Rolfs
Storyman from
England
 Matt Dunn
 Hmong Tiger Tales
 Dazzling Dave
 The Works
 U of M Bell
Museum
 Creative Pastels
 Touch of Magic
 Science Explorers,
Inc.
 Lauren BorerSTEM
 Kathleen
Sheridan—origami
 Rose & Lee Warner
Nature Center
 RadZoo
 Susan Perry—Yoga
Storytimes
 League of Women
Voters of
Roseville/Falcon
Heights
 Micawbers Books
 Ponytale Posse
(Lego Robotics)
 Volunteers of
America
 Roseville Housing
and Redevelopment
Authority
 Ramsey County
Environmental
Health
 District 622
 District 623
Quarter 1
 Clay Christensen—
birding
 Shoreview Area
Historical Society
 Mounds View
School District
 Music Together in
the Valley
 Friends of the
Ramsey County
Libraries
 Slice of Shoreview




SV
Technology open lab
expansion
Quarter 1
 Offered drop-in
computer and tech help
every Tuesday
Quarter 2
 Provided 13 tech lab
Quarter 3
 Provided 13 tech lab
25
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
 Island Lake Elementary
 Turtle Lake Elementary
 Vadnais Heights
Elementary
 St. Odilia School
 Arden Hills KinderCare
Quarter 3
 Valentine Hills
Elementary
10/15/2015

Kathleen
Sheridan—origami
 Minnesota DNR
 Artsy Smartsy
 Groth Music
Quarter 2
 Gallery 96
 CTEP (tech labs)
 Mounds View High
School Volunteer
Club
 Summer Discovery
childcare at
Shoreview
Community Center
 Daughters of the
American
Revolution
 Scandia Shores
Senior Living
 CSGames with
Chess Club and
Summer Board
Gaming
 Department of
Natural Resources
 Moms on the Run
 Paws to Read
therapy dog
volunteers
 Display case
volunteer
 English Language
Conversation Circle
volunteers
Quarter 3
 Gallery 96
 CTEP (tech labs)
 Mounds View High
School Volunteer
Club
 Summer Discovery
childcare at
Shoreview
Community Center
 Daughters of the
American
Revolution
 Scandia Shores
Senior Living
 CSGames with
Chess Club and
Summer Board
Gaming
 Paws to Read
26
10/15/2015






















WB
Process re-engineering
Quarter 1
 Ordered, received, and
stocked storage and
supply units for staff
work areas
 Located staff work
stations and work
tables
 Changed to singlesided book carts for
shelving efficiency
Quarter 2
therapy dog
volunteers
Display case
volunteer
English Language
Conversation Circle
volunteers
Arden Hills
KinderCare
Bethel University
(Japanese Culture
Fair)
Gale Steward
ISD 621
Metro Dance
Center
SV Community
Center
Bill Nara (Chess
Club)
Bill Wiard
Storyman from
England
Brian Richards (Dr.
Seuss on the Loose)
Bruce Giebnik
(Bruce the Bug
Guy)
Jason Huneke
Karen Tan
(Creative Pastels)
Kathleen Sheridan
(origami)
Mark & Lori
Hurley (Touch of
Magic)
Matt Dunn
RAD Zoo
Roe Family Singers
Wendy Baldinger
Zaraawar Mistry
Quarter 1
 City of White Bear
Lake
 White Bear Area
Historical Society
 Friends of the
Library
 White Bear Lake
Library Capital
Campaign
Committee
Quarter 2
 White Bear Lake
27
Quarter 1
 Storytimes at Pioneer
Manor
 WBL Area MOMs
Club
Quarter 2
 BearPower (staffed a
booth at Family Fun
Night)
 WB YMCA
Quarter 3
 Diversity and Outreach
Round Table, MLA
10/15/2015

Installed signage and
determined where
additional signs are
needed
 Established opening
and closing procedures
 Trained staff on
EyePlay operation and
use
 Established procedures
for meeting room
scheduling
 Moved circulation staff
to hourly rotating work
assignments and
established a new
reference desk
schedule
 Promoted patron use of
self-checkout service
 Organized the book
cart staging area
 Reorganized the staff
workroom to reduce
clutter and provide
greater efficiencies
Quarter 3
 Reorganized the
service desk for greater
efficiency
 Ordered the final
building signs
Area Historical
Society
 White Bear Lake
Library Capital
Campaign
Committee
 Friends of the
Library
Quarter 3
 White Bear Lake
Area Historical
Society (2 monthly
programs, History
Challenge
geocaching
program)
 White Bear Lake
Library Capital
Campaign
Committee (ice
cream social)
 Friends of the
Library
 Birch Lake
Elementary
Laptop checkout
Quarter 1
 Submitted a grant
 Ordered laptops
 Drafted and received
approval for checkout
procedures
Quarter 2
 Finalized checkout
instructions
 Saw highest checkout
use by teens, especially
during the final week
of the school year
Quarter 3
 Advertized the laptop
checkout program on
the website, the
bulletin board, and the
message board
28

White Bear Lake
School District, Senior
Program
10/15/2015
TS
Admin
AS
Add records for 3M econtent to catalog
Quarter 1
 Met with 3M and
MELSA reps to
discuss cataloging
options
 Discovered that
MELSA eBook
records are currently
not available to
download
Quarter 2
 Met with 3M staff in
April to discuss
possible transfer of
OverDrive e-content
 Estimated the cost of
MARC records for
current 3M holdings at
$8,700
Quarter 3
 Hired a .5 FTE
cataloger which
increased the capacity
to handle e-book
records
 Revised estimated cost
of MARC records for
current 3M holdings to
$9,100
Online forms
 Audited forms and
selected forms for
upload
Patron initiated room
booking
 Project delayed due to
problems with the
software
Supported MELSA by
hosting BookLens
Bridge servers
29
Memorandum
To:
Ramsey County Library Board
From:
Mary Larson
Date:
October 16, 2015
Subject:
Third Quarter 2015 Financial Reports
Attached is the 3rd quarter 2015 financial report. Highlights include:
 Once August and September credit card payments are added to the total, the
third quarter Library Fines revenue is approximately $426,000, or 71.1% of
projections for 2015. Library Fines have declined slightly as circulation softens
and checkout of electronic materials rises. Projections for the 2016-2017 Budget
were adjusted to reflect this trend.
 Property tax revenues are collected in May and October each year, while County
Program Aid is received in July and December. Property tax revenue is slightly
ahead of projections for 2015. MELSA revenue also exceeded projections by
about 6%.
 Building & Structures revenue is slightly below projections for 2015 due to the
negotiated rent decrease for the coffee shop at Maplewood. The license
agreement (lease) for the Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop at Roseville was renewed in
May by the Library Board for a five-year term ending in June 2020.
 Current year operating expenditures are within budget overall. Purchasing
supplies and equipment not included in the construction budget for White Bear
Lake resulted in expenses exceeding projections for 2015. Unexpended funds in
the operating and/or capital accounts will be transferred to cover expenses
through the end of the year.
 Despite moderate declines in rental book and rental DVD revenues, the
collections continue to be profitable and self-supporting. Staff will continue to
monitor usage and revenues as newer format options, including downloadable
and streaming video, erode circulation of the rental DVD collection.
LIBRARY OPERATIONS
CURRENT BUDGET YEAR WITH COMPARATIVE PRIOR YEAR
YEAR TO DATE THRU SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 AND 2014
Original
Annual
Budget
Adjusted
Annual
Budget
2015
Year to Date
Actual %
Variance
Actual Cash of Budget (Over)/Under
Receipts/
Year
Adjusted
Disbursements to Date
Budget YTD
Adjusted
Annual
Budget
2014
Year to Date
Actual %
Variance
Actual Cash of Budget (Over)/Under
Receipts/
Year
Adjusted
Disbursements to Date
Budget YTD
Revenue
Taxes
County Program Aid
Fines
MELSA
PERA Rate Increase Aid
Duplicating Copies/Sales
Interest on Investments
Building & Structures (Rent)
Recoveries
Total Revenue
8,893,946.00
526,639.00
600,000.00
200,000.00
21,652.00
70,000.00
9,500.00
120,000.00
0.00
8,893,946.00
526,639.00
600,000.00
200,000.00
21,652.00
70,000.00
9,500.00
120,000.00
0.00
4,539,007.34
267,527.16
368,183.62
211,163.00
21,652.00
51,831.75
48.43
72,227.77
36,608.22
51% 2,131,452.16
51%
127,452.09
61%
81,816.38
106%
(61,163.00)
100%
(5,413.00)
74%
668.25
1%
7,076.57
60%
17,772.23
N/A
(36,608.22)
8,768,637.00
513,573.00
600,000.00
200,000.00
21,652.00
70,000.00
4,500.00
120,000.00
0.00
4,500,426.09
513,573.04
384,657.38
218,608.00
21,652.00
52,128.03
444.26
59,870.49
38,165.01
51% 2,076,051.66
100% (128,393.29)
64%
65,342.62
109%
(68,608.00)
100%
(5,413.00)
74%
371.97
10%
2,930.74
50%
30,129.51
NA
(38,165.01)
10,441,737.00
10,441,737.00
5,568,249.29
53% 2,263,053.46
10,298,362.00
5,789,524.30
56% 1,934,247.20
5,399,361.00
1,951,502.00
2,175,678.00
130,000.00
57,170.00
850,000.00
5,399,361.00
1,951,502.00
2,175,678.00
130,000.00
57,170.00
850,000.00
3,859,333.29
1,455,938.95
1,376,309.18
117,526.80
20,927.15
579,157.13
71%
75%
63%
90%
37%
68%
190,187.46
7,687.55
255,449.32
(20,026.80)
21,950.35
58,342.87
0.00
5,227,746.00
1,893,923.00
2,141,693.00
130,000.00
55,000.00
850,000.00
3,623,484.36
1,378,335.24
1,186,351.56
97,671.47
3,408.63
556,868.34
69%
73%
55%
75%
6%
66%
297,325.14
42,107.01
419,918.19
(171.47)
37,841.37
80,631.66
10,563,711.00
10,563,711.00
7,409,192.50
70%
513,590.75
10,298,362.00
6,846,119.60
66%
877,651.90
Expenditures
Salaries*
Fringe Benefits*
Other Services & Charges
Supplies
Capital Outlay
Books, Periodicals, Etc.
Inc/(Dec) to Fund Balance
(1,840,943.21)
(1,056,595.30)
* 2015 Salary and benefit expenditures through paydate 10/09/15.
Prepared by Mary Larson
* 2014 Salary and benefit expenditures through paydate 9/26/14.
10/16/2015
Percent of Year Elapsed: 75%
LIBRARY OPERATIONS
CURRENT YEAR DISBURSEMENTS OUT OF RESERVES
YEAR TO DATE THRU SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
2015
Reserve
Amount
Year to Date
Actual Cash
Disbursements
Balance
Unexpended
09/30/15
Actual as a
% of
Reserve
Year to Date
Expenditures
2014 Operating Budget Reserves
102,035.00
54,562.32
47,472.68
53%
103,336.00
52,113.68
51,222.32
50%
15,645.00
9,331.17
6,313.83
60%
10/16/2015
LIBRARY GRANTS AND OTHER SPECIAL PROJECTS
CURRENT YEAR DISBURSEMENTS
YEAR TO DATE THRU SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
2015
Current Adjusted
Budget Amount
Actual Cash
Disbursements
Balance
Unexpended
09/30/15
Actual as a
% of Budget
To Date
Expenditures
2015 Ramsey County Tech Applications Grant
109,487.93
0.00
109,487.93
0%
2014 MELSA Technology Grant
271,000.00
176,160.63
94,839.37
65%
2013 MELSA Technology Grant
310,000.00
288,826.85
21,173.15
93%
10/16/2015
OTHER LIBRARY FUNDS
YEAR TO DATE RECEIPTS & DISBURSEMENTS
THRU SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Fund
Cash Balance
Beginning
of Year
2015
Cash
Receipts
Year to Date
Year to Date
Actual Cash
Disbursements
Cash Balance
as of
09/30/15
Rental Book Revenue
27,738.79
11,572.95
11,689.27
27,622.47
Rental DVD Revenue*
27,086.95
58,131.80
43,285.10
41,933.65
1,576.41
0.00
0.00
1,576.41
157,460.61
299,278.56
161,443.98
295,295.19
26,344.73
0.00
27.20
26,317.53
Rental Video Game Revenue*
Library Gift Fund
Roseville Library Capital Campaign Gift Fund
10/16/2015
SUMMARY OF GIFTS RECEIVED
JULY - SEPTEMBER 2015
Donor
Purpose
Branch
SV
Amount
Angela Miller
Teen Programming
Dear Reader.com
Undesignated
System
$2.00
American Library Association
Latino Americans: 500 Years of History Grant
System
$3,000.00
Friends of the Ramsey County Library
Undesignated
Janice Seefert Memorial
MP
System
$1.85
$230.00
MELSA
Legacy Programming
Legacy Programming
System
System
$2,685.00
$268.86
Friends of the Ramsey County Library
Summer Reading Program
Technology Literacy/Adult Life Skills
Children's Programming
Teen Programming
Newsletter
Volunteer Program
Employee Development
White Bear Lake Capital Campaign
System
System
System
System
System
System
System
WB
$5,000.00
$6,250.00
$1,250.00
$1,000.00
$1,500.00
$1,250.00
$1,250.00
$7,000.00
Anonymous Donor
Children's Book
SV
TOTAL:
10/16/2015
$120.00
$2.90
$30,810.61
Statistical Trends
2015 Third Quarter Report

The library in White Bear Lake reopened on April 11th. Data is difficult to
compare since White Bear Lake was closed during Q3 in 2014. Circulation
for Q3 2015 is down 2.8% from Q3 of 2013. However, that still compares
favorably to the system-wide changes during that same period.

System-wide circulation was down 1.8% overall from Q3 2014 to Q3 2015;
circulation of children’s materials was down only 0.2%. This continues a
trend where children’s materials continue to do better than the collection
as a whole.

Circulation of electronic materials continues to be strong, up 22% from
Quarter 3 of 2014, and accounting for over 8% of total circulation.
Between owned and leased, the library’s collection of e-books now
numbers over 20,000 titles, as well as almost 2,000 e-audiobooks. MELSA
has provided us with access to significant e-book content on the 3M
platform.

Computer logins were down 5% in the third quarter; hours used
decreased by 4%. At the same time, wireless use was up an incredible
63%. This continues a trend of our users transitioning their internet usage
from our hardware to their own.

Meeting room usage by outside groups is up 10% in Q3. This does not
include library programs or events.

The number of holds filled in Q3 was down 6% from the same quarter last
year. This may represent a softening in the willingness to wait for
materials.
Core Service Trends -- Quarter 3
2009
2014
Circulation 1219181 1125335
2015
1105175
Circulation
1500000
Reference
100000
80000
1000000
Reference
2009
70909
2014
77103
2015
78962
60000
Circulation
Reference
40000
500000
20000
0
0
2009
Visits
2009 2014 2014
468774
434937
2009
2015
2015
Program Attendance
500000
300000
Program Atte
2015
439168
Visits
400000
2014
25000
2009
7825
2014
20593
20000
2015
22027
15000
Visits
200000
100000
2009
2014
0
Public Comu
84345
2009 78256 2014
Wireless Use 20725
75495
Program
Attendance
10000
5000
2015
80082
2015
123140
0
2009
150000
100000
Public Comuter
Logins
50000
Wireless Users
0
2009
2014
2015
2014
2015
Branches by Year/System by Quarter
Total circulation
Children's circulation
Location
2013
2014
Maplewood
891,477
881,142
Mounds View
220,070
216,688
New Brighton
299,873
North St Paul
Roseville
2015
%Change
2014-2015
Volunteer hours
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
2015
-100.0%
333,195
342,456
-100.0%
4,056
3,717
-100.0%
99,039
106,180
-100.0%
689
448
-100.0%
275,896
-100.0%
126,563
119,750
-100.0%
798
688
-100.0%
148,216
136,077
-100.0%
50,654
48,313
-100.0%
133
151
-100.0%
-100.0%
-100.0%
1,800,978
1,695,231
-100.0%
718,015
707,600
-100.0%
8,618
8,128
Shoreview
646,861
655,816
-100.0%
265,789
283,638
-100.0%
2,989
2,186
-100.0%
White Bear Lake
352,676
133,629
-100.0%
139,549
51,694
-100.0%
1,199
681
-100.0%
E-material
211,678
290,781
-100.0%
23,954
20,181
-100.0%
9,041
24,256
23,339
-100.0%
3,458
3,247
-100.0%
0
0
System Quarter 1
System Quarter 2
System Quarter 3
System Quarter 4
1,149,336
1,098,366
1,004,193
-8.6%
437,712
402,249
382,023
-5.0%
4,439
4,103
1,172,802
1,098,221
999,365
-9.0%
451,444
441,141
415,800
-5.7%
4,771
4,607
4,383
-4.9%
1,207,879
1,125,334
1,105,175
-1.8%
474,360
457,876
456,736
-0.2%
4,848
3,646
4,223
15.8%
1,066,068
986,678
-100.0%
396,700
381,793
-100.0%
13,464
3,623
Annual Total
4,596,085
4,308,599
-100.0%
1,760,216
1,683,059
-100.0%
27,522
15,979
Other
Support Services
Express checkout percentages
Location
2013
Visits
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
3,787
-7.7%
-100.0%
12,393
-22.4%
Meeting room use by outside groups
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
%Change
2014-2015
2015
Maplewood
92.5%
90.2%
-100.0%
390,048
392,856
-100.0%
632
748
-100.0%
Mounds View
86.2%
78.9%
-100.0%
88,217
84,155
-100.0%
53
34
-100.0%
New Brighton
93.4%
92.2%
-100.0%
103,796
100,087
-100.0%
0
0
0.0%
North St Paul
72.3%
67.3%
-100.0%
59,428
57,040
-100.0%
0
0
0.0%
Roseville
90.3%
88.2%
-100.0%
676,146
666,615
-100.0%
829
829
-100.0%
Shoreview
95.4%
94.7%
-100.0%
239,068
242,687
-100.0%
259
151
-100.0%
White Bear Lake
69.3%
67.4%
-100.0%
149,635
58,055
-100.0%
75
39
-100.0%
System Quarter 1
System Quarter 2
System Quarter 3
System Quarter 4
89.2%
87.4%
74.5%
-14.8%
418,132
399,748
371,647
-7.0%
482
484
474
89.3%
87.0%
86.2%
-0.9%
437,469
410,841
398,731
-2.9%
438
456
484
6.1%
89.6%
89.9%
88.5%
-1.6%
461,058
434,937
439,168
1.0%
501
416
458
10.1%
88.6%
88.2%
-100.0%
389,679
355,969
-100.0%
427
433
Annual Average
89.2%
88.1%
-29.3%
1,706,338
1,601,495
-24.5%
1,848
1,789
62.3%
1,209,546
-2.1%
-100.0%
1,416
-20.8%
Public computer logins
Location
2013
Hours of computer use
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
Wireless users
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
Maplewood
79,933
81,282
-100.0%
78,279
82,687
-100.0%
44,667
53,852
-100.0%
Mounds View
12,278
12,512
-100.0%
10,555
10,929
-100.0%
3,436
4,263
-100.0%
New Brighton
23,677
23,015
-100.0%
19,243
18,336
-100.0%
10,021
8,787
-100.0%
North St Paul
15,466
8,890
-100.0%
12,949
7,763
-100.0%
10,732
16,602
-100.0%
166,225
150,998
-100.0%
170,863
151,916
-100.0%
164,904
206,233
-100.0%
Shoreview
24,469
25,883
-100.0%
18,817
20,689
-100.0%
12,326
18,704
-100.0%
White Bear Lake
16,243
5,942
-100.0%
11,739
4,337
-100.0%
5,000
1,951
-100.0%
System Quarter 1
System Quarter 2
System Quarter 3
System Quarter 4
79,980
72,910
71,286
-2.2%
77,454
72,568
71,922
-0.9%
59,796
78,265
94,685
21.0%
87,190
79,435
74,625
-6.1%
81,924
75,555
70,352
-6.9%
59,441
81,464
104,702
28.5%
92,344
84,345
80,082
76,276
123,140
78,777
71,832
338,291
308,522
Roseville
Annual Total
225,993
-5.1%
87,302
79,771
-100.0%
75,764
68,764
-26.7%
322,444
296,657
Reference
Location
218,550
-4.4%
62,807
75,495
-100.0%
69,042
75,168
-26.3%
251,086
310,392
Registrations
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
63.1%
-100.0%
322,527
3.9%
Hours open
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
Maplewood
41,418
37,687
-100.0%
3,159
3,317
-100.0%
3,132
3,150
-100.0%
Mounds View
13,663
13,936
-100.0%
828
1,035
-100.0%
1,722
1,750
-100.0%
New Brighton
15,223
17,875
-100.0%
865
831
-100.0%
1,771
1,740
-100.0%
North St Paul
10,062
12,324
-100.0%
483
516
-100.0%
1,750
1,750
-100.0%
138,216
130,663
-100.0%
8,214
7,923
-100.0%
3,139
3,150
-100.0%
Shoreview
41,925
34,411
-100.0%
1,356
1,356
-100.0%
2,645
2,900
-100.0%
White Bear Lake
18,187
10,439
-100.0%
2,232
957
-100.0%
Roseville
Technical Services
System Quarter 1
System Quarter 2
System Quarter 3
System Quarter 4
Annual Total
970
355
-100.0%
1,103
931
-100.0%
72,748
69,758
67,899
-2.7%
4,725
4,716
4,308
-8.7%
3,983
3,994
3,586
57,733
63,557
53,547
-15.7%
4,058
3,915
3,816
-2.5%
4,199
4,046
4,193
3.6%
80,548
77,103
45,604
-40.9%
4,611
4,131
4,438
7.4%
4,172
3,752
4,228
12.7%
67,665
58,877
-100.0%
3,584
3,502
-100.0%
4,037
3,605
278,694
269,295
-38.0%
16,978
16,264
-22.8%
16,391
15,397
167,050
12,562
-10.2%
-100.0%
12,007
-22.0%
Website visits
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
Annual Total
Holds placed
2013
2014
2015
502,049
506,850
493,445
503,083
498,380
487,161
522,411
555,451
488,440
488,308
512,593
2,015,851
2,073,274
1,469,046
%Change
2014-2015
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2014
2015
-2.6%
145,861
132,845
129,339
-2.6%
48,099
75,183
84,099
11.9%
-2.3%
142,388
136,060
117,335
-13.8%
50,457
69,143
81,967
18.5%
122,436
90,090
-12.1%
145,569
123,509
-100.0%
130,473
110,001
-29.1%
564,291
502,415
369,110
-0.9%
55,215
73,802
-100.0%
57,907
72,653
-26.5%
211,678
290,781
Outgoing ILL
2013
Annual Total
%Change
2014-2015
2013
Incoming ILL
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
E-materials circulated
%Change
2014-2015
2013
22.1%
-100.0%
256,156
-11.9%
Value of gifts added
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
2013
2014
2015
%Change
2014-2015
4,228
4,350
4,174
-4.05%
6,410
5,709
5,564
-2.54%
$20,870.15
$27,400.55
$33,777.02
23.3%
4,384
4,335
4,050
-6.57%
5,720
6,064
5,682
-6.30%
$24,532.23
$29,549.66
$30,920.40
4.6%
4,333
4,172
4,122
5,894
9.01%
$23,843.66
$31,708.83
$30,953.86
4,269
3,763
-100.00%
$25,072.76
$24,869.32
17,214
16,620
12,346
-1.20%
5,547
5,407
-100.00%
6,024
5,318
-25.7%
23,701
22,498
17,140
-23.8%
$94,318.80 $113,528.36
-2.4%
-100.0%
$95,651.28
-15.7%
Branches by Quarter 2015
Total materials circulated
Q1
Q2
Children's materials circulated
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
Q1
Q2
Q3
Registrations
Q4
YTD Total
Q2
Q1
Q3
Q4
212,825
186,164
195,989
80,813
74,949
79,893
712
667
864
Mounds View
48,559
50,037
53,329
22,934
25,275
27,619
171
206
251
New Brighton
65,685
66,706
66,535
28,584
30,623
31,344
223
200
237
North St. Paul
31,595
31,120
32,229
10,641
11,051
12,070
115
99
119
Roseville
402,312
381,091
406,202
168,926
165,266
180,326
2,464
1,537
1,784
Shoreview
152,859
146,236
162,090
64,476
66,093
75,931
343
309
426
332
77,960
92,435
322
37,122
42,935
1
506
471
5,927
6,076
6,276
864
784
899
279
292
286
4,463
4,637
5,719
84,099
81,967
90,090
1,004,193
1,027,357
1,105,175
382,023
415,800
456,736
4,308
3,816
4,438
Maplewood
White Bear Lake
Tech Services
Other
Virtual
Total
Total reference
Visits
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
Meeting room use by outside groups
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
89,267
95,374
207
Q2
202
187
17
Q1
Q3
Maplewood
7,722
9,737
16,042
95,293
Mounds View
2,444
2,379
4,160
18,829
20,293
21,849
9
18
New Brighton
2,353
3,744
5,668
25,055
24,623
25,150
0
0
0
North St. Paul
1,690
2,847
4,199
12,968
12,496
14,257
0
0
0
18,811
22,802
32,240
162,087
163,433
177,483
219
207
200
5,148
6,331
10,192
57,415
56,520
61,823
39
32
26
0
5,707
6,461
0
40,704
43,232
0
25
28
38,168
53,547
78,962
371,647
407,336
439,168
474
484
458
Q1
Q2
Q3
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
Total
Public computer logins
Maplewood
Hours of computer use
Q4
YTD Total
Q2
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
Q1
Q2
Q3
24,663
18,401
17,680
19,255
19,217
18,020
19,701
18,436
23,022
2,613
2,818
3,168
2,550
2,455
2,860
1,225
1,578
1,477
New Brighton
5,656
5,724
5,145
4,874
4,556
4,058
2,582
2,514
2,548
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
Total
Q4
YTD Total
Q4
YTD Total
Wireless users
Q1
Mounds View
North St. Paul
YTD Total
1,667
1,844
2,069
1,622
1,590
1,880
679
721
934
36,107
36,253
39,018
37,476
35,945
38,437
66,454
66,182
82,470
6,842
6,242
6,531
6,183
4,843
5,317
5,225
5,434
5,961
0
4,064
4,896
0
2,943
4,024
84
5,251
5,087
71,286
74,625
80,082
71,922
70,352
76,276
94,685
104,702
123,140
Volunteer hours
Q1
Q2
Q3
Maplewood
867.03
795.00
820.50
Mounds View
106.25
101.00
120.30
New Brighton
173.95
204.00
196.85
North St. Paul
44.65
23.00
16.50
2,066.28
2,298.00
2,157.80
479.03
592.00
676.75
50.00
329.00
233.85
0.00
0.00
0.00
Technical Services 0.00
0.00
0.00
Other
0.00
0.00
0.00
Total
3,787.19
4,342.00
4,222.55
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
Administration
Q4
YTD Total
Q4
YTD Total
Children's programs
Q1
Children's program attendance
Q3
Q2
Q1
Q3
Q2
Maplewood
50
84
109
1,805
2,709
Mounds View
19
24
32
713
1,108
814
New Brighton
31
34
34
1,207
1,639
1,351
North St. Paul
15
14
16
711
844
1,124
114
89
4,457
6,002
4,454
Shoreview
52
62
76
1,475
2,141
3,031
White Bear Lake
11
24
26
355
1,504
2,339
0
0
0
0
0
0
282
356
382
11,975
15,947
17,180
Admin
YTD Total
Q4
YTD Total
4,067
104
Roseville
Q4
SRP
Total
Teen programs
Teen program attendance
Q2
Q1
Maplewood
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
Q2
Q1
Q3
66
77
61
298
985
813
Mounds View
3
6
22
38
34
190
New Brighton
1
1
2
3
3
25
North St. Paul
15
14
10
61
28
12
Roseville
103
65
130
1,469
1,471
1,698
Shoreview
3
12
6
37
22
51
White Bear Lake
5
6
5
75
69
98
Admin
0
0
0
0
0
0
196
181
236
1,981
2,612
2,887
SRP
Total
Adult programs
Adult program attendance
Q2
Q1
Q3
Q4
YTD Total
Q2
Q1
Q3
Q4
Maplewood
53
32
27
1,174
1,035
118
Mounds View
21
19
38
74
216
226
New Brighton
5
5
3
65
216
15
North St. Paul
4
2
1
50
10
7
143
83
107
1,781
748
1,132
Shoreview
36
28
49
352
139
179
White Bear Lake
12
36
23
265
1,024
283
0
0
0
0
0
0
274
205
248
3,761
3,388
1,960
Roseville
Admin
Winter Reading
Total
YTD Total
_________________________
Ramsey County Library _________________________
Request for Library Board Action
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Information &
Discussion
Presented By
Julie Neville,
Property Manager
SUBJECT:
Incident Reports
BACKGROUND:
Incidents reported during the third quarter have increased. The trend is increasing as
more and more books and media are being tampered with and stolen.
Previously reported on increasing possible mental health issues:
Patron on staff anger issues
Patron on patron anger issues
Perceived mental health issues
2nd quarter
1
8
5
3rd quarter
4
4
6
Staff will continue to watch and report on these figures.
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED:
For information and discussion.
____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________
New Brighton
Maplewood
Mounds View
North St. Paul
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
New Brighton
Maplewood
Mounds View
North St. Paul
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
New Brighton
Maplewood
Mounds View
North St. Paul
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
New Brighton
Maplewood
Mounds View
North St. Paul
Roseville
Shoreview
White Bear Lake
Totals
Incident Report Comparison First Quarter
2012
2013
2014
0
6
3
2
10
4
0
12
2
1
0
0
12
25
19
2
4
2
1
5
2
18
62
32
Incident Report Comparison Second Quarter
2012
2013
2014
1
5
1
9
7
7
0
7
1
0
2
1
18
16
19
0
7
2
1
4
3
29
48
34
Incident Report Comparison Third Quarter
2012
2013
2014
0
3
1
0
7
9
0
7
8
1
0
1
25
29
14
3
4
3
4
5
0 (closed)
33
55
36
Incident Report Comparison Fourth Quarter
2012
2013
2014
1
2
2
7
6
14
0
8
2
1
3
1
26
17
25
1
2
0
2
2
0 (closed)
38
40
44
118
205
146
2015
0
9
5
2
12
1
0 (closed)
29
2015
4
18
4
2
22
3
9
62
2015
5
9
6
3
28
14
6
71
2015
162
_________________________
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Approval
Presented By
Susan M. Nemitz,
Library Director
SUBJECT:
2016 Holiday Calendar
BACKGROUND:
Each year, the Library staff prepares a holiday calendar for the upcoming year for
Library Board approval. The calendar includes all the dates designated as paid
holidays by Ramsey County, as well as other dates when the libraries are traditionally
closed.
The proposed 2016 calendar was developed with the basic objective of providing public
service hours at times when the public might reasonably be expected to use the
libraries, while observing the holidays set forth by Ramsey County.
Since 1993, the Library’s calendar has included Staff Inservice Days. These days allow
time for staff training as well as facilities-related projects such as painting or shifting the
collection. The libraries may also close as needed for facility- or technology-related
improvements. These closed days will be selected based on their branch needs, and
publicized in advance in the Library’s newsletter and on the website.
To approve the 2016 Holiday Calendar as proposed.
DRAFT
2016
HOLIDAY CALENDAR
H
HO
OL
LIID
DA
AY
Y
S
ST
TA
AT
TU
US
S
New Year’s
Open Thursday, December 31 until 5 p.m.
Closed Friday, January 1, 2016
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Closed Monday, January 18
Presidents’ Day
Closed Monday, February 15
Easter
Closed Sunday, March 27*
Staff Inservice Day
Closed Thursday, April 7*
Memorial Day
Closed Monday, May 30
Independence Day
Closed Monday, July 4
Labor Day
Closed Monday, September 5
Staff Inservice Day
Closed Monday, October 10*
Veterans’ Day
Closed Friday, November 11
Thanksgiving
Closed Thursday, November 24
Open Friday, November 25
Administration & Technical Services Closed**
Christmas
Closed Saturday, December 24*
Closed Sunday, December 25
Administration & Technical Services
Closed Monday, December 26**
New Year’s
Open Saturday, December 31
Closed Sunday, January 1, 2017
Administration & Technical Services
Closed Monday, January 2**
* Not a paid holiday under Ramsey County Personnel Rules.
** Non-public service staff follow Court House schedule.
_________________________
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Information &
Discussion
Presented By
Kristi Saksvig,
Communications Manager
SUBJECT:
Communications/Programming Update
BACKGROUND:
Library Communications Manager, Kristi Saksvig, will attend to give an overview of
the communications department and answer questions.
Communications Department
Kristi Saksvig
Communications Manager
Pa Na Lor
Communications Associate
Services
Programs
RCL Program Attendance
2005 - 2014
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
+210% over 10 years
© Jeff Eide
Program Attendance
Special Events
Preferred source for information?
Website
Email
Mailing
Visit Library
Word of Mouth
Newspaper
Newsletter
editing
Explore Newsletter
create copy
find photo
send to print
contributors editing process
fliers
media packet
press release
audience
Media
Event
values
Web Banners
e-Boards
Web blurb
e-Newsletters
is it legacy?
photography
reduce copy for twitter
create copy for facebook
Social Media
facebook event
interact with followers/fans
Web
RCL Visits
2005-2014
Millions
Physical visits
Virtual visits (website)
3
2
2
1
1
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Physical visits were 1.6 million in 2014
Virtual visits rose to 2.1 million in 2014
© Jeff Eide
Newsletters
Explore
Newsletters
e-Newsletters
Social Media
Library
Internal
Word of Mouth
Questions?
_________________________
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Information &
Discussion
Presented By
Susan M. Nemitz,
Library Director
SUBJECT
BACKGROUND
Library staff performed a strategic planning exercise at the Inservice Day training
session on Monday, October 12th. Staff was asked to brainstorm ideas that could be
used to achieve each of the five draft strategic priorities.
Mission:
CONNECT community, INSPIRE curiosity, CULTIVATE learning
Strategic Priorities:
- Strengthen connections to community efforts and partners
- Foster literacy and student achievement
- Create vibrant learning spaces that engage the broad diversity of our community
- Promote economic prosperity and racial justice
- Ensure exceptional stewardship of public resources
Some of the popular themes addressed included: transportation, expanding
collaboration with school districts, offering tutoring, reaching out to community
groups, and working with senior centers & senior housing. The full text of the ideas
generated is attached.
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED
Strengthen connections to community efforts and partners
Evaluate program offerings to reach a more diverse population (time, day, type)
Expand skill building programming
Ensure staff reflects the community
Improve eGovernment access
Engage the community in planning
*Deliberating design spaces to reflect the diversity of our community (engage community in process) (multicultural
displays, art, etc.)
*Establish guidelines, priorities, and standards for community partners
Partner inventory/take the temperature of our communities
Evaluate SRP
Expand on WB school cards
Expand definition of literacy
Determining school achievement standards & work more closely with schools to gain knowledge of curriculum
Better knowledge of comm. Demographics
Staying relevant
*Preferential room booking for education activities
Partner with county
Hiring, staff, retention
*ECRR2 “train the trainer” certification (free CEUs) – part of mission to provide early lit to vulnerable preK VAN
(bookmobile)
Life skills programs
Workforce
CROP
*Promote civil discourse (programming) – creating programs that appeal to a diverse population – topics – what do
communities of color want? – time of day/week
Prison programs
Partner with law enforcement
Connecting early literacy programs
Key partners include: cities, Ramsey Co., school districts?, NGOs, literacy organizations, MELSA
Survey who is our community? And who are our major partners?
Where are we with community partnerships?
Distinction between system and branch partnerships
*What makes a good library partnership?
*End goal / contract?
*What are we doing for you AND what can you do for us?
All partnerships are not created equal effort > expectations
*Senior centers
*Bilingual Services
*Music clubs
Schools: homework help, tutoring – consistent
*Business partnerships
Volunteers
Job guidance
Re-entry
Community Centers, Park & Rec
Comm Ed classes at library
NAMI
Health Programming
*Fitness
Tech training, service brochure, partnership infrastructure
Virtual card
Senior housing
Adult gaming (seniors)
*Intergenerational Programming
Head start
Home visit / field trip collaboration
Homeschoolers
Disability outreach deaf, blind, autism
Increase connections to senior living facilities
Work with homebound patrons
Finding service organizations (Lions) and work as partners
*Finding and identify ethnic-centric organizations to partner with
Open our facilities to other county residents (free cable)
*Create a resource to provide information about community resources for the public (1st call for help)
*Evening / weekend services
Identify services for new adults nerf war, beer & books, conventions, Adult D&D or RPGs
*Preschool classes – outreach to daycare providers &schools ex.: ECFE
Find ways to identify viable & suitable partners
Who’s using the library – tracking
*Harmonize with broader initiatives – invite them into the library – bring library presence to others’ events
*Creating more liaisons with community assisted living connection, independent bookstores
*Coordinate with local schools and other forms of nontraditional Ed (homeschool)
Strengthen workforce relationship
*Expand senior learning – life skills, -- tax help
Expand tax volunteers
More drop-in employment counseling
Who are community leaders?
Fax machines
Improve communication to cities
Partner with P&R
Civic engagement – more resources
Identify partners
Identify needs
Identify resources and opportunities in serving
*Exchange ideas with community partners
Homebound
Immigrants
Homelessness
Elderly
Veterans
Library liaisons w/schools
Community social services
*Libraries are the community centers of the future
*Identify “key” community partners
*Get outside of our physical space
Immigrant communities – identifying groups – pinpointing comm.. needs (job? Housing? Language?) – volunteer /
immersion opportunities
Increase connections btwn lib (SV) and city hall / community center – facilitate communication – meetings? – newsletter
/ info sharing btwn depts.
ECFE / Headstart – similar missions – should be stronger partnerships – more meaningful
*Concerns for growing older/aging populations – reach out / collab. w/nursing homes & senior centers – transportation
– awareness of events – double booking events – lib/homes – evolving space = expectation of quiet space
School district cards
5K community runs
*Embrace nerdcon and fandoms –connect to that community –bring in emerging adults – ex D&D, star wars read,
cosplay
Support school district technology efforts ex. Technology assistance w/ iPads
Embracing officing at the library
Partnering with local history societies – local groups, community centers
*Increased outreach to senior housing facilities, tours to seniors – dementia friendly – tech instruction, downloadable
resources
*Expand other language services – tours in other languages
*Library services at all food shelves, govt services, wic offices
Have links to services on our website (and have them link back to us)
Getting staff out in the community (use translators) (schools, groups, dmv, food shelfs)
*Free transportation to library (HSI transporter)
Collaboration with senior centers/housing
*Library card initiative
Mobilize volunteers for book talks to seniors
Identify potential institutional collaborative partners
Database of contacts
“Little libraries”
*Collaboration with transportation agencies
Make friends with school boards
*Staff delegate to SRFC task forces
Programming into the community – coffee shops, theaters, museums
Senior / Older adults outreach – go to senior centers, assisted living
Team up with elderhostel – new name? Road Scholar
AARP Twin City – joint programming / advertising for library
*Fundraising for large type books – more resources for seniors in the library, involve community
Reaching out to schools more
*Guest storytimes – mayors, elected officials, people of color in professions
*Provide access/space to more community services (fax, mailbox)
*Actively participate in movements and orgs that support our county goals (BLM, new immigrant comm., social justice
orgs, emerging adults, new demographics)
Reach out to community centers
*Staffing tables at community celebrations RE: Hmong New Year, & 4th of July
Find a central staff person to find opport. and at each branch have a contact
“Intentional” (Marnita’s table) style events
Attend city council meetings
*Resilient communities project at U of MN
Leave buildings more - marketing
*Programs on library use that would benefit people for whom English is a 2nd language
Outreach programs at senior centers & senior housing
Tutoring at the library
Transportation specific to the library
Partnering with schools & local business teaching / mentoring arts and music
Foster literacy and student achievement
Match our collections & resources to international standards
*Expand our outreach and resources for underserved preschool aged children (esl, parents)
*Training daycare providers in early literacy skills, training for homeschooling as well
Tutoring
Beanstack – app that St Paul PL has
Tutoring
Homework help promotion & live help
Storytime at low income housing
Science fair day – like history day hullabaloo
Train big Bro / Big Sis in library resources
*Partnering with social kids clubs – scouts, etc., campfire
Partner with wic and food shelves
Bookmobile
Buy more books/formats
Tutoring/ homework help – languages
Connecting students and wanna be entrepreneurs w/business leaders: inform, inspire, mentor
*Librarian presence in all learning areas – kids, tens, study areas, catalogs – roaming flexible
Expanding lit programs/services beyond ‘business hours’
Life skills / digital literacy classes all ages – use partnerships and high-interest; framing and teaching techniques;
resource mgmt = money skills etc
*One-on-one tutors / learning centers --- after school – English language learners –senior citizen volunteers
Free ceu classes; day care – preliteracy content
Free books for kids – food shelf; community centers
Free cart at libraries
Children’s library in every children’s area
Roving librarian / volunteer
Provide ECRR2 (Every Child Ready to Read) training for daycare / early childhood care providers – for free
Provide new and emerging technology at every branch for staff to increase digital literacy
Literacy programs for ELL
Expand conversation circles
Create designated space for tutors – partner with orgs that provide tutoring services
*Find out what THEY want
Teacher library exemptions/exceptions
*Partner with some of the learning centers (Huntington, etc) to get services at library and our services there
Short story contests poetry readings, teen sci-fi bookclubs
School sponsored afterschool clubs (technology science literary arts)
*Work with teens and kids in focus groups to see what they are interested in
*Exposing teens and kids to various career paths w/mentoring
*outreach to “vulnerable” preK for K readiness (65% of RC PreK kids NOT in a structured preK program)
Programs for non-english speaking parents
*Info literacy – library fills gap of missing / laid off info specialists with schools
Expand RCL student card program
Flipped learning to schools
*Explore more in-person tutoring programs with library – summer programs – non English speaking tutors
Expand WB e-card to other school districts
Non-traditional storytime hours
*More creative activities: gaming, music, non-traditional book clubs, spoken word (student created work)
Headstart
Parent night
Nontraditional work-based learning
Offer food, pizza, movie
*Consistent tutoring
Staffing (volunteer)
NHS, students
55,65,75 y.o. do tutoring
FT staff to set up, train volunteers
Outreach
HS, middle school mentoring younger students
Buddy program
Teens taking care of kids
*Paid work for youth
Paid internships
*Summer school, daycare, preschool
Summer Learning partnerships
ESL
Teen tech skills
Support parents in early literacy
More outreach = schools & preschools
Put together transportation & early lit --- elders caring for grandchildren or other family members
Promote “Read it Down” to Teachers, Parents
Targeted outreach to school admin, PTA groups
Partner w/MN literacy council – provide designated spaces for them to use
Target partnerships w/adult learning centers (school dists)
Research better ways to present more Multilanguage storytimes; talk to communities, find out their needs
Drop in homework help; volunteer or paid
Cooking classes – math skills, science nutrition
*Life skill programming
Social skills, reading to a dog
Bird houses – tools, science
Little free library building – student achievement
Partner with community education
Check out hotspot – foster digital literacy; identify partners – businesses
Test taking course
*Outreach to teachers; collaborate on assignments; make teachers aware of library resources, programs ex databases
counting as books; work with MEA, thinking broadly, consider our teacher borrowing policies like St Paul does
Partnering Reading buddies
Homework help available in the libraries
*Partner with the Minnesota Literacy Council to expand adult literacy efforts
Currently underserved populations
Expanding life skills – basic living programs – partner with other orgs
Services to kids w/learning disabilities
Spelling Bee
Pun Slams
Outreach to college age emerging adults
Coding club
ESL tutors
Partner with international institute
Appts for term paper advisement – in depth ref service; drop-in in-house homework help
*Homework help
More books in different languages – explore alt funding
Outreach language liaison
Liaisons to the schools
Know the resources that school has vice versa
Access for college students
Library tutoring
Fan out storytimes – we go to them
*Bilingual storytimes
Change time/days for storytimes
*Increase homework help for young adults and bilingual individuals – interpreters, lang. classes for staff
*Storytime in multiple languages at more libraries, more often – use English storytimes to encourage children learning
English
Increase staff presence at events – specific staff that are bilingual or those working to learn
*Learn about major projects in schools so we can be prepared – tie in displays
Make sure each branch provides the same programs to residents
Create Vibrant Learning Space that Engage the Broad Diversity of our Community
Community festivals and events
Loaning out more tech
Tech help desk – printers, faxes, scanners
*Partnering with arts & community orgs to create content & programs for inside and outside lib.
Survey patrons about space usage
Video events, put on web
Community artist; programming & shows; Twitter feed, photo and art
Ask communities what they want
Ask to produce diverse content
More $ for marketing
Diversify from newsletter and social media and other venues (radio – community outlets)
*Talk to our communities and find out how they get their information
Local cable access
Work on lobbies and entrances to make them more welcoming to all communities
Translate rclreads.org into multi languages (Google?)
Multilanguage youtube channels and podcasts
Rosetta stone - promote exploration of languages and culture
Diversity staff – HR
*MN Literacy council!
*Soundproof rooms, darken, smartboard – technology, # of rooms
Why do so many people need rooms?
Bilingual signs
*Consult with community leaders about their needs – ex autism – bothered by noise use of companion animals provide
calming environment
Marketing in newsletters, campaign advertising about services we provide
Flipped learning – more access
Vending machines?
School clubs meet at library
Attract clubs and they help bring in more people
*Library orientation session
Policy revisiting – first time charges waive
*Guarantee success
*Translation; volunteers
Instructions – clear precise $1 a day DVD fines listed up front
*Personal contact in vibrant spaces cultural liaisons (volunteers)
Buildings need to look less “white” and be more reflective of diverse pop.
We need dedicated charging stations!
Library as local art gallery – encourage diversity
Cooking learning spaces (Life skills programs)
Small business centers in library
*Diverse staff (reflect population – non-english speakers)
Nontraditional storytimes/collection reflecting population
Open Fri/Sat/Sun eves (nontraditional hours)
More weekend/eve programs for families
*Bookmobile (informationmobile) “traveling library”
Murals by local artists of color – other art as well
Poetry zine
Multilingual magnet poetry
Multicultural displays – revolving
Advanced ESL writing / composition help
*Ethnic cooking classes – taught by community
Travelogue about areas immigrants are from
Living library - one-to-one conversations “check out a person”
Makerspaces for learning different cultures
Virtual library
Off-site programming
Publicize resources; community centers; churches
Using art that communicates and actually comes from our diverse communities
Involve nonwhite communities in creating our libraries and environments
Create community specific environments (mini libraries) service specific languages or cultures
Build collections that better reflect the makeup of the community
*Hire staff that reflects community
Have access to equipment that facilitates learning
Extend hours/open times to make resources more accessible based on community need
Dedicated testing / job application states
Consider comfort level in all spaces
Provide accessible storytimes for all (deaf/hearing impaired, language, culture, etc.)
Roll out I-play at all branches
*Culturally diverse art, games, materials, resources and a way to showcase them
Creative seating for kids and teens
Quiet zones, active zones, be aware of sound with various programs and areas
*Time sensitive areas and programs for special needs groups before we open
*After-hour programs for non-traditional library programs/ groups
*Look at how to create spaces for more small groups to meet
Have a service that will provide lib. Resources for those renting rooms
Library resources brought to clubs or community centers
*Rotating art installations from local community groups / local artists
Music hour – specific times – after storytime, only in specific areas
Need public transportation to enable library access; Bookmobile? To take services to community
Reach out to diverse communities to find out needs/wants
Embedded librarians in coffee shops, city council meetings – any lace people congregate
Low power / community radio shows
Photo, digitization center
Media editing software
Partnering with businesses, specialized volunteers
VHS to DVD
Larger Bollywood, K dramas, foreign language collections
Bilingual staff, cultural difference
Creative arts crafts, coloring book club
Do events, workshop after
Clubs, space to meet
Partner with friends
E-access at bars
Library outreach to bars, trivia contests
Feng Shui the library
Increase study room spaces, set aside study space
Don’t forget to keep up on user experience – visit other libraries, new eyes
Partner with another library system – to assess user experience
Standing desks from school district, unused resources from schools – not used in summer
Local gardening clubs, maintain outdoor space
Check with diverse communities – what spaces would they like to work in
*Utilize the website as a broadly accessible learning space; videos of classes, instructional videos for teachers,
instruction in foreign languages; partner w/community access to television to show history programs; booktalks from
library staff
Library-mobile – we need to be out in and learn comm.. needs while bringing services out
Finding community leaders to inform our work and direction
Patron – led/passive programming for all ages, discovery
Embracing a holistic approach to diversity of all types. Consider racial and other types of diversity in all and every aspect
of work; not isolated
More orig. art by local artists -- rotating / fresh perspectives – student shows / partnerships
Variety of visual aesthetics and collections
Library etiquette ‘ways of being’ in the lib.
Promote Economic Prosperity and Racial Justice\
Have a goal of a more diverse staff
*Showcase local job opportunities
Student workers from the community --- promotes library careers
*Reintroduce resources for adults to pay fines – work off fines (programs or interpret for staff)
Work to educate and raise awareness for racial equity needs in the community – programs, outreach, advertising,
displays, in the collection
Safe spaces not judgmental, e.g. LGBT
*Orientations to libraries
Outreach to communities e.g. Somali, ask what need; e.g. Hmong, Pride, Latino, Karen, refugee org; people of color,
churches, comm. Colleges, advertising in general
*Target marketing to groups
Plan events in conjunction rather than for
Transportation
Provide food
*Fine forgiveness, read it down for adults, book clubs, programs, punch cards, activities
Human rights, comm.. engagement
Support entrepreneurs / promote library as business resources
When people get cards make sure we have email, twitter etc accounts so we can promote our services
Cubicles and comfortable chairs (versatility of space) for meeting space
Embrace officing, explore co-officing spaces
Continue and expand partnerships w/workforce solutions and services to job seekers
Explore how to work with language barriers
Programming for independent contractors, or freelancers, or entrepreneurs
Increased partnerships with nonprofit orgs such as United Way
Continue efforts to explore racial justice via racial equity leadership team ex. Policies procedures through RE lens
Explore public feedback options –increase transparency
Examine fees – who is paying the price, reducing fines, expand options for amnesty
Egov facilitating access
*Transportation Dept partner step up – huge barrier
Actively give voice/platform to marginalized groups; programs, space, forum
Programs outside library
Explicitly stating our commitment to social justice – actively facilitate conversations on important community topics and
social issues
Work w/county to move their programs out to the suburbs rather than always downtown (a better informed workforce
does better work) training and classes for staff
*Hire volunteer cultural liaison – help non native speaker/staff incorporate culture library services
Continuing racial equity training for all staff. Continue talking about social justice issues / racial equity
Collaborate with local cultural movements and social justice orgs
Hire more people of color
Job board – MV – expand
Move one-to-one computer help
More MS office classes
More resume help
Jason & Carrie’s flyers in more places in the community
*Legal clinics – help for minor crimes – racial profiling incidents
Offsite computers
Lockers for 24 hour book pickup in areas where there aren’t libraries nearby transit hubs
Invite BLM or other groups to train prevention of conflict with police
Increase programming for financial literacy
*Give space resources and access for various business models
Partner with social service agencies to offer assistance around legal matters
Job fairs and job centers concentrated assistance
More partnering with workforce solutions
*Bring in law enforcement to interact with patrons
Expand library programs like life skills, CROP
Partnering with groups that promotes racial justice
Working towards staff/collection reflecting the broader community
Promoting services to at-risk population
Cultural liaison – to find out what diverse comm.. and tell them what we offer
Volunteers of color
More diverse stuff / program presenters
Diverse collection – funding sources, promote collection, local media, print tv, social, grocery store boards
Use social media to engage diverse audience, print media
Staff training about diverse communities
Offer job skills, life skills
Keep our eyes racial equity training for all staff
Diversify collections – write letters to publishers; work w/ALA
Short stories – publish our own stories – community stories – publish yearly
Investigate how our circ policies and fines are hampering at risk comm.. from using our buildings
Yearly – 1 one event --- picnic or walk to promote racial equity
Staff reflects diversity of patrons
Provide opportunities for people of color to work at library (student workers, etc)
Re-think role of “librarian” and requiring a degree to work as librarian
Hire staff that are truly bilingual, culturally layered and competent
Hire dedicated tech staff to handle questions and free up staff (partner with nonprofits?)
Programs for adults reentering workforce
Continue providing I-access to those without internet at home
Job Force, Workforce Center at library
Infomobile w/more non-library staff from community
Continued training: more interactive focused meetings groups sessions more thorough and deeper
Become conversant in the language and vocabulary of racial justice and equity
Expanded hours for those who work 9-5
Bilingual Services
*Job training – workforce training; outreach to business to hold classes in library, resume, interview skills – outreach to
schools
Desk – get out from behind
County – one door for all services
More diversity in hiring
Continued Ed. For staff in languages
Survey, Get data on prosperity and justice
Publicize job openings differently on county web page
Racial equity book club – expand to reach out to public community
Approach diverse community leaders for dialoging on what are their needs
*Promote job help and emphasize results of successful job searches
Workforce center library card outreach
*Flexible and current response to community issues
Diversify our workforce
Ensure exceptional stewardship of public resources
Personal monitoring of our time while working
Be more thoughtful of materials we use – office supplies, library materials
Be mindful of costs
Be thoughtful of our programming and how we promote them to both staff and public
*How can we duplicate Patrick Rothfuss
Public centered programming – find ways to ask communities what they want from us
Office habits – reusing paper, etc.
*More funds to marketing to make our programs have higher attendance
Everyone gets what they came for --- no patron left behind
Exceptional customer service
One service point
Leverage partnerships to expand services
Work w/other county depts.
Increased use of student workers + more hiring flexibility and better use of job classification
Make in service a pot luck
Blazing model of green environmental services
*Future of library services (technology, services, materials, staffing)
Use property for community value and education
*Programming coordinator to provide oversight throughout the system. Save effort/time/money
Continue and expand use of volunteers
Ensure consistent promotion of library and community programs, whether in or not in the newsletter
*Identify current resources – how can they be repurposed for optimal use –laptops, iPads, games
Makerspace tools available for longer audience – take out into community (makerspace van!)
Wireless – ensure always updated
Library purchases / acquires for broad purpose (versatility of use)
Index our nontraditional resources for public and staff knowledge
Make sure nontraditional resources are readily available
Community garden
*Develop partnerships w/outside orgs to acquire nontraditional resources
Digitizing local library/community resources
Promote computer literacy
Promote online resources/databases
Promote databases
Retain volunteer recognition events – helps with social needs of volunteers – retain volunteers who keep stress off paid
staff
Fiscally responsible with budgets
Encourage all staff to inform patrons of benefits of Friends
*Expand hours and staff
Recruit and maintain the best materials selectors
Increase budget for materials
*Maintain or increase property management staff, automation services staff
Transparency and feedback
Utilize collective purchasing and bargaining power to use financial resources most effectively
*Ensure that we are marketing our programs and services to the public and patrons as they want them and where they
access them
Utilize social media to promote programs and services – reach audiences where they are
Increased email notification
Partnerships with local newspapers and other news sources
Weed wisely
Accept donations wisely
Clear open communication (proactive) with public concerning building projects – prep frontline staff with needed info,
phrasing and talking points – clear knowledge of ‘who to talk to next’
Identifying ‘pain points’ in public perception and where to fix them
*continuing to respond and adapt to the public’s needs; No, ‘it’s always been this way’
Staff support for fundraising efforts of the Friends
Linking people to our investment in tangible resources through social media and engagement at our service points
Staff needs to be engaged and aware of library activities and initiatives
Careful management of collections
*Promote a more diverse library board that accurately reflects ramsey county’s demographic – work to find individuals
to take on civic responsibility – programs that showcase how a library collection is relevant
Make collection reflect the needs of the local community
Virtual work processes
NS – consistent janitorial
RV – more efficient work spaces e.g. moving problem shelf nearer to service desk
*Improve process for suggesting, implementing, new ideas
Long distance calling
Email accounts standardized for problems
Sub meetings – standardizing processes
*Expand public hours – Friday
Increase staffing on Sat.
*Express checkout – remove word “block”; renew; don’t print; location of holds; see desk
Train the trainer – step down
Fax, notary, mailboxes, stamps
Good public image
More transparency – make program meets the community needs
Survey about programming, collections
*Evidence based decisions
*Expanding collaboration with other libraries; MELSA; host other systems websites
Privacy
Respect
Expand and redeploy skilled volunteer resources
Ask public for ideas on what they want to get a hold of – auto diagnostic scanner (example) (exp)
Better publicity of loaning of materials between library systems
Branch Library Report
Maplewood
October 2015
Report to the Library Board
TRENDS IN THE SERVICE AREA
 Maple Hill Senior Living, an assisted living facility located in the former Days
Inn across Southlawn Drive from the Library, opens on Oct 15th.
 School District population is 49.6% students of color, up from 41% last year.
 51% of District 622 students are eligible for free/reduced lunch.
 10.2% of District students are English Language Learners, with 50 different
first languages other than English spoken in homes in the District.
LIBRARY ISSUES AND SERVICE TRENDS
 Teen Brain Box Makerspace open for business.
 Noise continues to be an issue in both the teen area and the children’s area.
 Transitions in staffing in both Circulation and Reference Departments.
 As of Sept 1, circ down 9.7% from last year’s total for the same period.
 Increase in videogame theft.
LIBRARY SERVICES AND EVENTS
 One weekly family storytime
 One weekly baby storytime
 One monthly Make & Take storytime
 Two weekly Paws to Read program
 Monthly eTot storytime
 Monthly family film program
 Monthly Minecraft for kids
 Monthly teen anime club
 Weekly teen gaming
 Monthly teen art program
 Weekly teen Makerspace
 One monthly adult book club
What is special and important about the library
 Teen and children’s programming
 Staff willing to step up during my frequent absences
 Brain Box Makerspace
 Library attracts an increasingly diverse user base
 We are piloting Community Resources Outreach Project (CROP)—a once a
week visit to the Library by social workers representing a variety of agencies
working with at risk populations to resolve the problems faced by individuals
using the Library—homelessness, financial difficulties, hunger, etc.
Work Plan Project(s)
 Work on the Makerspace project took much longer than originally planned,
and pieces are still being added to augment what we’ve got, but there is now
a 3-D printer, a vinyl cutter, sewing machines, an eggbot, and 3 laptops with a
variety of maker-type software. We’ve rearranged the Teen space to
accommodate the new technology, added a glass wall to help cut down on
some of the noise generated by the activity in the space, and continue to
have staff discussions about how we can best use and monitor the space.
We’ve also added some capacity to the YA fiction stacks, and at the same
time opened up some space in the j area.
 We’ve added fax capability to our public copy machine. It’s been quite
popular since it went live.
Key Partnerships
 AARP (tax aide)
 City of Maplewood (Primary and General Election polling place)
 AmeriCorps (CTEP program)
 White Bear Lake YMCA (Teen programming)
 North Saint Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale School District
 KinderCare
 People, Incorporated
 Salvation Army
 Keystone Community Services
MAPLEWOOD AT A GLANCE
YEAR BUILT
2007
SQUARE FEET
DAYS OPEN
31,000
Mon-Thurs 10-9
Fri-Sat 10-5
Sun 12-5
HOURS/WEEK
63
NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMPUTERS
66
COLLECTION SIZE
127,726
STAFF FTE
14.7
TOTAL STAFF
21
VOLUNTEER HOURS
3,716
2013
2014
952,389
891,477
881,142
346,949
36%
355,444
37%
333,195
37%
342,456
39%
REFERENCE
57,863
38,415
41,418
49,647
COMPUTER HOURS USED
78,961
77,333
78,279
81,282
WIRELESS USERS
18,497
30,052
44,667
53,852
399,903
402,716
390,048
392,856
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM ATTENDANCE
9,563
12,816
11,448
11,800
ADULT PROGRAM ATTENDANCE
1,533
667
398
296
TOTAL CIRCULATION
CHILDREN’S CIRCULATION
(TOTAL # AND % OF TOTAL
ANNUAL VISITS
2011
2012
969,228
_______________________
Ramsey County Library ___________________________
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Information &
Discussion
Presented By
Susan M. Nemitz,
Library Director
SUBJECT:
Shoreview Facilities Planning Update
BACKGROUND:
Construction on the Shoreview project is slated to begin in the next week, with a
construction fence going up possibly as early as October 16. Trees are scheduled to start
coming down on October 18. Discussions with a company in Maplewood called Forest
Products Supply about having them take the logs from the trees, storing and drying it
over the winter, and then using it to create outdoor furniture or other products for the
Library site.
The Library Director and Commissioner Huffman gave presentations on the project to
both the Vadnais Heights and the North Oaks City Councils in early October.
The Shoreview City Council gave their approval to the preliminary plat for the lot split
between the School District’s property and the Library property. Final Plat approval is
tentatively scheduled for November 2, along with the final PUD approval.
The Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District gave its approval to the Stormwater Management Plan on October 7.
The Friends of the Library kicked off their Shoreview Library Capital Campaign on
October 1. They have a goal of $200,000.
The Library contracted with Sandy Walsh to write an application for a State Library
Construction Grant. The Library is asking for a total of $848,000. The grant is due to
the State Department of Education by November 11, and the results should be
announced in mid-December.
The project continues to engender great interest from the public. Attached are
comments gathered in the last month and talking points developed for Library staff and
members of the public.
_______________________
Shoreview Library Building Project – Patron Input - Sept 2015









I am so thankful for our library – for the resources (I borrow books and movies
the most), and for the wonderful staff. I look forward to the new building
(hopefully more inviting and cozy than the Roseville branch) and hope the
Shoreview location is closed for as little time as possible! Thank you!
First, I would like to address the staff at the SV library: They are awesome! They
are consistently helpful and friendly. Second, the building/facility: The current
arrangement of books, periodicals, movies, etc. has been easy to navigate.
Personally, I do not need to computers on site, but I do observe that they are
well-utilized. Improvements may include more space that is somewhat enclosed
for children, a separate & distinctive area for teens, and some spaces = cubicles
for study or quiet work*. *I used to come some evenings & many Saturdays to
write staff evaluations (for my employer). I would come when doors opened to
get my favorite quiet space. I cannot attend the community meeting, but would
enjoy being involved. FYI: I use the library 1-2 times per week.
I would like to see a special place where kids can read just like how the adults
have one. A maps book just for kids.
Toddler play area similar to Maplewood or Roseville.
A coffee shop with a limited menu would be welcome. Starbucks would work or
Dunn Bros. Caribou is probably too close. Sunday winter afternoons…
-health of people: station for standing
-larger open spaces/work spaces by computers to spread out
-work supplies like Kinko’s (scissors, markers, paper clips)
-includes/private space – cubbies? for working
-kids get too loud, but in separate space from adults and to ask parents to teach
etiquette/quiet spaces
-instead of new library, look at shared space or resources instead of being
wasteful
Add a meeting room or extension
Food/merchandise would be nice. Possibly Dunn Bros., Einstein Bagels or
Dunkin Donuts would be very profitable especially on Highway 96.
I attended the July 14th preliminary design presentation at the city council
chambers. Thank you for the opportunity to hear about the project.
Listed below are some comments:
The presenter spoke of the natural amenities of the Shoreview area. However,
the site plan seems to leave little natural amenities around the new library and
parking area. The grove of oak trees to the east of the proposed building would
likely be removed to accommodate the proposed parking lot. Between the large
parking lot of the community center, the parking lot of the existing library, and
the proposed parking lot, the new library building seems to be surrounded by a
sea of asphalt.
_______________________
Added to this sea of asphalt are four lanes of high speed traffic of Highway 96, a
large asphalt parking lot of the ice arena, and Victoria Street. Maybe skip the
plaza and put it into natural amenities. Other design options to increase green
space around proposal? The large meeting room appeals to me as a feature of
the proposed building. A thought as to its location in the building complex.
Library patrons coming from the parking lot are going to see a large empty room
much of the time upon entering the library. They may think that it is a lot of
wasted space. I understand that its current location is convenient so not to
disturb other portions of the library. How can this room be utilized and busy yet
available for large group meetings?


Another thought on the large meeting room. Shoreview lacks a performance/
theater space. Could the large meeting room accommodate features that would
allow it to host small theater presentations? Sound system? Lighting system?
Roll out stage? Have some concerns about enough parking for library. One
might think that the cc parking lot could be an overflow option. However, there
are many times that the upper parking lot for the cc are full due to large
meetings. The existing parking lot for the present library might be an option.
Two things to consider for using the existing library parking lot for overflow:
first, it is not handy to the entry of the new library and second, there would need
to be a safe, easy to use walkway to the library entry.
The Science Museum of Minnesota has had recent costly water damage as
reported in the 9/5 Pioneer Press, due to design flaws or contractor errors.
I believe the proposed new Shoreview library design, with a flat roof is
foolhardy. In my 77 years, I've seen most flat roofs develop leaks. A leak in a
library can be disastrous. The proposed flat roof design conflicts with the
existing Community Center/City Hall, the "old" library, the Maintenance office
building and the SummerHouse of Shoreview Senior facility, all of which have
peaked roofs-better for drainage and better suited for Minnesota winters.
Before final planning and construction, please change this design. -Ray
When it comes to design of a new Shoreview library- PLEASE DO NOT make it
like Roseville—Keep the wood and carpet. It not only helps with noise but gives
it the cozy, sit back and read a book feel.
REF. 546
Shoreview Building Project
Frequently Asked Questions
Why a new library?
In 2008, the Library Facilities Master Plan determined that the northern suburbs are underserved in
terms of library hours, programs and services. Ramsey County Library is solving this problem by
creating a third regional library in the northern part of the county. The library in Shoreview is the thirdbiggest and third busiest library in the system making it the most cost effective option.
What are the benefits of making Shoreview a regional library?
• More open hours
• Expanded square feet
o Increasing 13,000 square feet to total 32,500 square feet
o Will be slightly larger than Maplewood (28,000 square feet)
• Bigger children’s area with pre-literacy interactive installations
• Expanded teen services: a teen librarian, bigger space and additional programs
• State of the art technology
o Technologies to enhance learning, e.g. laptop checkout, iPad lab, teen maker tech
o Twice as many Internet terminals
• Larger community program room - will seat 100 people
• Expanded adult programming including history, technology, arts and literature events
• More study and collaborative group spaces
• Amenities – fireplace, artwork, etc.
• Green building using Minnesota B3 sustainability guidelines
• More efficient workflow decreasing wait time for materials
• Easily accessible, automated book drop
Why not expand the existing building?
During the Feasibility Study of the current property the two residential lots at the corner of Highway 96
and Victoria Street North became available for purchase. This location will create a more visible
presence from Highway 96, a Facilities Master Plan recommendation. Also, the constraints of the
current property do not allow for efficient expansion. This new location will strengthen the design to
face the Community Center and create a city campus.
What will happen to the old library?
The library will be sold to the Mounds View School District for its administrative offices.
What about a coffee shop?
Library plans do not include a coffee shop. A coffee shop’s success relies on a drive-up model in heavily
commercial areas. We don’t have the ability to offer this without radically changing the program and
taking away library space. The library cannot subsidize private businesses.
How much does this cost?
The library building project costs $15.8 million.
Are my property taxes going up?
A median-value home in the suburbs - $213,000 – would see a library tax increase of about $4.49. This
will fund the new building with expanded hours and system wide operational increases.
The Library’s portion of the total county budget is 2.26%.
More info about the county’s proposed budget can be found on the county’s website,
www.co.ramsey.mn.us
Who are the architects and construction team?
HGA Architects and Adolfson and Peterson Construction, both in Minneapolis, were approved by the
County Commissioners in April, 2015.
How can I keep in the loop?
• Follow updates on the Library’s website, www.rclreads.org/about/planning/shoreview-buildingproject.
• Sign up to receive email updates by clicking on the red GovDelivery envelope on the website’s
home page.
• Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/rclreads) and Twitter (twitter.com/rclreads).
What if I have comments to contribute?
• Fill out a comment card in the library.
• Email [email protected]
• Send a message via Facebook (facebook.com/rclreads) or Twitter (twitter.com/rclreads)
How can I get involved?
Contact the Friends to volunteer on the Capital Campaign or provide financial assistance.
• Web: www.rclfriends.org
• Phone: 651-486-2213
• Email: [email protected]
Timeline:
Design Start: June 2015
Completion of Design: September 2015
Construction Start: October 2015
Grand Opening: First Quarter 2017
8/15
_________________________
Meeting Date
October 21, 2015
Action Requested
Discussion
Presented By
Kim Vanderwall
Library Board Chair
SUBJECT:
Library Board Attendance
BACKGROUND:
The current Library Board Attendance Policy was approved as part of the Library Board
Policies on January 21, 2015:
Policy E: ATTENDANCE POLICY
1. Library Board members are expected to attend all regularly scheduled Library
Board meetings.
2. Regular attendance at Library Board meetings is essential so that decisions
made represent the opinions of the Board as a whole.
3. A Library Board member may forfeit their appointment as a result of poor
attendance. Poor attendance is defined as three unexcused absences in a
calendar year. Should this occur, the member will be contacted by the Chair
asking the member to re-commit to the Library Board or relinquish their
position to allow another individual to be appointed. The member’s response
will promptly be shared by the Chair with the entire Board at the next Board
meeting. In that meeting, the Board will decide what actions to take regarding
the Board member’s future membership on the Board.
At the September meeting, the Library Board discussed a clarification of what an
“excused” absence means, and the potential addition of language requiring advance
notification of absences. Meeting attendance has declined during 2015.
Media
Happenings
September-October
New Shoreview library moves one step closer to
groundbreaking
Submitted by admin on Wed, 09/23/2015 - 6:22am
By: Hannah Burlingame
The design for the new Ramsey County Library in Shoreview incorporates wood and glass as
well as views south over Highway 96 into parkland. (courtesy of the City of Shoreview)
A larger, more modern and regional Ramsey County Library in Shoreview is one step
closer to reality at Highway 96 and Victoria Street.
At its Sept. 8 meeting, the Shoreview City Council approved an ordinance rezoning the
area of the proposed library, clearing the way for the project.
Currently, the lots the library would be on are R-1, for single family homes, Tom
Simonson, assistant city manager/community development director, said. R-1 zones do
allow for public uses.
However, the council opted to rezone the lots with a Planned Unit Development, which
allows for more flexibility.
The new county library would sit at the corner of Victoria Street and Highway 96, close to where
the current library resides. (courtesy of the City of Shoreview)
“Because of all the sharing of the property for access and parking and all these other
things, we thought it would be better to create a new zoning for this area,” Simonson
said. “It just provides greater flexibility than the standards in a residential zoning district
that really don’t apply well to this kind of public use.”
Simonson said there are future plans to rezone all of Shoreview Commons to PUD
zones.
Back in 2008, the Ramsey County Library system created a master plan involving the
upgrade of all library facilities in suburban areas. The Shoreview library was identified
as one to transition to a regional library and is the last capital project under this master
plan.
Two options were looked at: redoing the current library and building a new one.
“During that review, I think they found that it was about the same price tag to build a
brand new regional library, a more modern facility, than to renovate and expand the
existing facility,” Simonson said.
This new library will sit on about 2 acres of land and have expanded services and
extended hours.
As for the old library, the plan is for the Mounds View School District to use the building
for administrative offices that are currently located in the Snail Lake Education Center,
Simonson said.
There are going to be trade-offs with this project, Simonson said. Several mature trees
would be removed during construction. At the meeting, council member Ady Wickstrom
asked what will be done to replace these trees.
Mayor Sandy Martin also wondered what is being done to address stormwater drainage
at the new site. An architect with HGA, the firm behind the library design, said they are
looking at stormwater requirements and will provide more information once it is
available.
In mid-July, the county held a meeting where residents could learn more about this
project and give input on library designs. Simonson said while there were some
concerns brought up, the public has genuine interest in the project.
“I think ultimately the community felt the same as the city council did in that there are
some trade-offs with this but the benefit is having the regional library, and that’s a great
thing for the community,” Simonson said.
The next step for the project is recieving final approval from Ramsey County. Simonson
said the goal is to start work on the site in October and open the new library in January
2017.
Hannah Burlingame can be reached at 651-748-7824 or [email protected].
St. Paul
Library director Hadley to retire in October
The director of the St. Paul Public Library is retiring, Mayor Chris Coleman announced
Wednesday.
Kit Hadley, the head of the library since 2009, will step down Oct. 2.
Coleman said he’ll name interim managers in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Coleman credited Hadley for a tenure “marked by program
innovations, infrastructure improvements, and a vision that the library is the
cornerstone of St. Paul’s community learning network.”
Hadley oversaw several projects at Highland Park, Merriam Park, Rice Street, Rondo,
St. Anthony Park, Sun Ray and George Latimer Central libraries during her time as
director.
She also helped establish a partnership between the library and Parks and
Recreation at Arlington Hills Community Center.
And, through cooperation with the St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium, she
helped develop the North Star Digital Literacy Project, a program of online
assessments of basic digital skills. It is now used by more than 250 organizations
nationally.
Hadley helped expand Sprockets, a network of out-of-school-time programs. And, she
is credited with expanding the library system’s community-based programs and youth
services. Hadley also hired cultural liaisons to allow for programs to be delivered in
eight languages.
Before becoming director of the library, Hadley served as director of the Minneapolis
Public Library and commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.
— Staff report
ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS 9-3-2015
St. Paul’s library transformation
Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (MN) (Published as Star Tribune:
Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)) - September 21, 2015
Edition: METRO
Section: NEWS
Page: 10A
Big changes lie just ahead at the elegant downtown St. Paul library that recently
acquired the good name George Latimer. On Oct. 5, it will close for about eight weeks
of remodeling to make the interior of the 98-year-old Italianate palace better suited to its
21st-century role.
Today, libraries are not primarily repositories of books. They are centers for learning for
all comers, employing a rich variety of learning tools.
Regrettably, on Oct. 2, a leader in advancing that idea will step down. Kit Hadley is
retiring as director of the St. Paul Public Library after six fruitful years. Hadley’s credits
also include eight years as head of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and four
years as director of the Minneapolis Public Library. At the latter post, she was
instrumental in executing a merger with the Hennepin County Library that averted the
otherwise-likely downsizing and closure of one or more Minneapolis branches.
Hadley’s service in St. Paul did not require a similar rescue mission. But the facilities
she found in 2009 were showing their age. They were designed for a day when learning
typically meant acquiring and quietly reading books. Libraries aren’t quiet anymore, and
books, while still important, aren’t as dominant.
On Hadley’s watch, the system’s physical spaces were transformed. Complete
renovations were made at Highland Park and Sun Ray. Less sweeping adaptations
came to Merriam Park, Rice Street, Rondo, St. Anthony Park, Hayden Heights and West
Seventh. In various places, flexible individual study rooms and community meeting
rooms were added. Children’s spaces were redesigned for interactive storytelling and
creative play. Seating was configured to allow patrons to use and recharge their
electronic devices. Computers were positioned for easy access to staffers who can
coach patrons on their use. Materials handling was automated.
Hadley also helped engineer a new blend of services — libraries plus parks — at
Arlington Hills Community Center. It offers a major asset to its working-class
neighborhood — an after-work place where people can come to stretch both their
muscles and their minds and to connect with each other.
When work is completed late this year at George Latimer Central Library, Hadley said,
the renewal of the St. Paul system’s physical plant for the modern era will be complete.
For that, she credits both St. Paul taxpayers and the generosity of donors to the Friends
of the St. Paul Public Library, whose capital campaign has raised more than $7 million.
Another transformation — in public understanding — ought to come in its wake. Those
who think that the online revolution has made public libraries obsolete are missing the
fact that libraries have always been, first and foremost, about learning. They are needed
— and used — more than ever.
“Books have always been a tool of learning, but even 100 years ago, they weren’t our
only tool,” Hadley told an editorial writer last week. “It’s been learning for the sake of
citizenship, enjoyment, job and career advancement, enrichment, exploration,
entrepreneurship. Everything is changing about how we deliver on that business,
everything, everything. But our underlying purpose is very enduring. It’s one of the
reasons I find libraries so interesting.” Her passion for that purpose is one of the
reasons Hadley will be missed.
•
Caption: Big changes lie just ahead at the elegant downtown St. Paul library that
recently acquired the good name George Latimer. On Oct. 5, it will close for
about eight weeks of remodeling to make the interior of the 98-year-old Italianate
palace better suited to its 21st-century role.Today, libraries are not primarily
repositories of books. They are centers for learning for all comers, employing a
rich variety of learning tools.
St. Paul picks new library chief
Jane Eastwood has been cityʼs education director since 2010
Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (MN) (Published as Star Tribune: Newspaper of the
Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)) - September 29, 2015
Author/Byline: KEVIN DUCHSCHERE; STAFF WRITER
Edition: METRO Section: NEWS Page: 03B
Jane Eastwood, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s top education adviser, will become the
city’s library director next week, he announced Monday.
“Jane’s expertise in educational policy, lifelong learning and equity is a perfect fit for
leading our libraries forward as institutions of 21st-century learning,” Coleman said in
announcing the appointment.
Eastwood, 64, will take over the job next Monday. She replaces Kit Hadley, who leaves
this week after six years of heading the library system.
Hadley makes $130,000, so the move is likely to mean a raise for Eastwood; her salary
last year was about $97,000.
Like Hadley, Eastwood is not a librarian by training; she has a psychology degree from
Macalester College and a master’s in creative writing from Hamline University.
Before going to work as the mayor’s education director in 2010, Eastwood was vice
president of advancement for Scholarship America, a nonprofit that sought to provide
scholarships for 2 million students nationwide.
But from 2006 to 2008 she was director of external relations for the Minneapolis and
Hennepin County library systems, when the systems were merging. She oversaw
development of programs in K-12, early literacy and adult education; immigrant
services; and capital projects. She also served as interim director of the Minneapolis
Public Library.
The St. Paul Public Library is the third largest library system in Minnesota, with 13
libraries and a bookmobile. It drew about 5 million visits last year, either in person or
online, and counted more than 76,000 library card holders. It has a budget of nearly $17
million, with a full-time equivalent staff of 174.
As St. Paul’s education director, Eastwood helped launch Sprockets, an after-school
program, and Right Track, a youth career development program.
“The innovative and equity-focused educational programs that have come to life under
Jane’s leadership directly reflect the values and mission here at the St. Paul Public
Library,” said Peter Pearson, president of the nonprofit Friends of the St. Paul Public
Library.
Eastwood was a project manager for St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development
Department in the 1980s, when she helped develop cultural institutions, such as the
Actors Theatre, and was instrumental in bringing the U.S. Olympic Festival to the Twin
Cities.
She was marketing vice president for the Science Museum of Minnesota from 1990 to
2006, when she oversaw grants and directed communications and sales efforts.
Kevin Duchschere • 651-925-5035
MEDIA
The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From
Dead
By ALEXANDRA ALTER SEPT. 22, 2015 NEW YORK TIMES
Penguin Random House last year doubled
the size of its distribution center in
Crawfordsville, Ind., to speed up book
distribution.
Credit
A J Mast for The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/
media/the-plot-twist-e-book-sales-slip-and-print-isfar-from-dead.html
Five years ago, the book world was seized by collective panic over the uncertain future of
print.
As readers migrated to new digital devices, e-book sales soared, up 1,260 percent
between 2008 and 2010, alarming booksellers that watched consumers use their stores
to find titles they would later buy online. Print sales dwindled, bookstores struggled to
stay open, and publishers and authors feared that cheaper e-books would cannibalize
their business.
Then in 2011, the industry’s fears were realized when Borders declared bankruptcy.
“E-books were this rocket ship going straight up,” said Len Vlahos, a former executive
director of the Book Industry Study Group, a nonprofit research group that tracks the
publishing industry. “Just about everybody you talked to thought we were going the way
of digital music.”
But the digital apocalypse never arrived, or at least not on schedule. While analysts once
predicted that e-books would overtake print by 2015, digital sales have instead slowed
sharply.
Now, there are signs that some e-book adopters are returning to print, or becoming
hybrid readers, who juggle devices and paper. E-book sales fell by 10 percent in the first
five months of this year, according to the Association of American Publishers, which
collects data from nearly 1,200 publishers. Digital books accounted last year for around
20 percent of the market, roughly the same as they did a few years ago.
E-books’ declining popularity may
signal that publishing, while not
immune to technological upheaval,
will weather the tidal wave of digital
technology better than other forms
of media, like music and television.
Steve Bercu, co-owner of a bookstore in Austin, Tex.,
where 2015 sales are up 11 percent, and profits are
the highest ever.
Credit Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times
E-book subscription services,
modeled on companies like Netflix
and Pandora, have struggled to
convert book lovers into digital
binge readers, and some have shut
down. Sales of dedicated e-reading
devices have plunged as consumers
migrated to tablets and
smartphones. And according to
some surveys, young readers who
are digital natives still prefer reading
on paper.
The surprising resilience of print has provided a lift to many booksellers. Independent
bookstores, which were battered by the recession and competition from Amazon, are
showing strong signs of resurgence. The American Booksellers Association counted
1,712 member stores in 2,227 locations in 2015, up from 1,410 in 1,660 locations five
years ago.
“The fact that the digital side of the business has leveled off has worked to our
advantage,” said Oren Teicher, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association.
“It’s resulted in a far healthier independent bookstore market today than we have had in
a long time.”
Publishers, seeking to capitalize on the shift, are pouring money into their print
infrastructures and distribution. Hachette added 218,000 square feet to its Indiana
warehouse late last year, and Simon & Schuster is expanding its New Jersey distribution
facility by 200,000 square feet.
Penguin Random House has invested nearly $100 million in expanding and updating its
warehouses and speeding up distribution of its books. It added 365,000 square feet last
year to its warehouse in Crawfordsville, Ind., more than doubling the size of the
warehouse.
“People talked about the demise of physical books as if it was only a matter of time, but
even 50 to 100 years from now, print will be a big chunk of our business,” said Markus
Dohle, the chief executive of Penguin Random House, which has nearly 250 imprints
globally. Print books account for more than 70 percent of the company’s sales in the
United States.
The company began offering independent booksellers in 2011 two-day guaranteed
delivery from November to January, the peak book buying months.
Other big publishers, including HarperCollins, have followed suit. The faster deliveries
have allowed bookstores to place smaller initial orders and restock as needed, which has
reduced returns of unsold books by about 10 percent.
Penguin Random House has also developed a data-driven approach to managing print
inventory for some of its largest customers, a strategy modeled on the way
manufacturers like Procter & Gamble automatically restock soap and other household
goods. The company now tracks more than 10 million sales records a day, and sifts
through them in order to make recommendations for how many copies of a given title a
vendor should order based on previous sales.
“It’s a very simple thing; only books that are on the shelves can be sold,” Mr. Dohle said.
At BookPeople, a bookstore founded in 1970 in Austin, Tex., sales are up nearly 11
percent this year over last, making 2015 the store’s most profitable year ever, said Steve
Bercu, the co-owner. He credits the growth of his business, in part, to the stabilization of
print and new practices in the publishing industry, such as Penguin Random House’s
so-called rapid replenishment program to restock books quickly.
“The e-book terror has kind of subsided,” he said.
Other independent booksellers agree that they are witnessing a reverse migration to
print.
“We’ve seen people coming back,” said Arsen Kashkashian, a book buyer at Boulder
Book Store in Boulder, Colo. “They were reading more on their Kindle and now they’re
not, or they’re reading both ways.”
Digital books have been around for decades, ever since publishers began experimenting
with CD-ROMs, but they did not catch on with consumers until 2008, shortly after
Amazon released the Kindle.
The Kindle, which was joined by other devices like Kobo’s e-reader, the Nook from
Barnes & Noble and the iPad, drew millions of book buyers to e-readers, which offered
seamless, instant purchases. Publishers saw huge spikes in digital sales during and after
the holidays, after people received e-readers as gifts.
But those double- and triple-digit growth rates plummeted as e-reading devices fell out
of fashion with consumers, replaced by smartphones and tablets. Some 12 million ereaders were sold last year, a steep drop from the nearly 20 million sold in 2011,
according to Forrester Research. The portion of people who read books primarily on e-
readers fell to 32 percent in the first quarter of 2015, from 50 percent in 2012, a Nielsen
survey showed.
Higher e-book prices may also be driving readers back to paper.
As publishers renegotiated new terms with Amazon in the past year and demanded the
ability to set their own e-book prices, many have started charging more. With little
difference in price between a $13 e-book and a paperback, some consumers may be
opting for the print version.
On Amazon, the paperback editions of some popular titles, like “The Goldfinch” by
Donna Tartt, are several dollars cheaper than their digital counterparts. Paperback sales
rose by 8.4 percent in the first five months of this year, the Association of American
Publishers reported.
The tug of war between pixels and print almost certainly isn’t over. Industry analysts
and publishing executives say it is too soon to declare the death of the digital publishing
revolution. An appealing new device might come along. Already, a growing number of
people are reading e-books on their cellphones. Amazon recently unveiled a new tablet
for $50, which could draw a new wave of customers to e-books (the first-generation
Kindle cost $400).
It is also possible that a growing number of people are still buying and reading e-books,
just not from traditional publishers. The declining e-book sales reported by publishers
do not account for the millions of readers who have migrated to cheap and plentiful selfpublished e-books, which often cost less than a dollar.
At Amazon, digital book sales have maintained their upward trajectory, according to
Russell Grandinetti, senior vice president of Kindle. Last year, Amazon, which controls
some 65 percent of the e-book market, introduced an e-book subscription service that
allows readers to pay a flat monthly fee of $10 for unlimited digital reading. It offers
more than a million titles, many of them from self-published authors.
Some publishing executives say the world is changing too quickly to declare that the
digital tide is waning.
“Maybe it’s just a pause here,” said Carolyn Reidy, the president and chief executive of
Simon & Schuster. “Will the next generation want to read books on their smartphones,
and will we see another burst come?”
A version of this article appears in print on September 23, 2015, on page A1 of the New York edition with the
headline: The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead .
Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland
Keep the Library, Lose the Books
A new survey finds a growing number of people think libraries should swap
out print for pixels.
ADRIENNE LAFRANCE
SEP 15, 2015
Americans love libraries. No, wait, scratch that. Americans love the idea that they love libraries.
A new Pew survey published Tuesday finds that while people report feeling strongly about the
importance of public libraries in their communities, those people are actually using libraries less
and less.
It appears the share of people visiting libraries has “edged downward” over the past three years,
though researchers at Pew say it’s still too soon to know for sure that this is a trend.
(Incidentally: Women, parents of young children, and people with higher levels of education
were all more likely than other groups to have used a library in the past year. Of people who use
libraries, Hispanics visit them most frequently, Pew found.)
Overall, perhaps people aren’t visiting libraries as much because their relationship to the printed
word, still a library’s core offering, is dramatically changing.
That shift was reflected in Pew’s findings. For example, nearly one-third of respondents who
were 16 and older said libraries should “definitely” remove public access to some of their print
books and stacks in order to free up space for technology hubs and other more customizable
workspaces like reading spaces and meeting rooms. Many more were open to the idea: 40
percent of those surveyed said libraries should “maybe” reconfigure space to include fewer
printed books. On top of that, almost half of those surveyed said libraries should “definitely”
make 3-D printing technologies available to patrons who want to use them to make their own
objects.
What, then, does the library of the future look like? Maybe not as different from today as it
sounds. Today’s libraries are already community spaces with rooms full of books and machines
—many libraries have printers, copiers, computers, and microfiche terminals. But if the trend in
American libraries is toward relative booklessness, when—and how quickly—do print volumes
become searchable or downloadable only online? Perhaps the library of the future will consist of
five coffee-shop-sized locations spread across a town, instead of one larger, centralized building.
These physical spaces would become the main draw of a library; the books people want to check
out would all be available to download from anywhere with an Internet connection.
This may be where we’re headed, but it will take time. Even at the Library of Congress, people
are still designing the cataloging infrastructure for a fully digitized system—actually getting
materials online is a separate and ongoing challenge. At many institutions, changes will likely
depend on the actual behaviors of patrons, not just ideas about how a library should be from
those who aren’t using libraries as it is. “Even though people strongly believe in the role of
libraries in digital inclusion, relatively few library users actually used libraries for this purpose,”
Pew wrote of its latest findings. “Just 7 percent say they had taken a class on how to use the
internet or computers when asked about their use of the library in the past 12 months.”
And yet 70 percent of respondents said libraries help people learn how to use new technologies
—including 31 percent who said they help “a lot” in this regard. Even in libraries where
collections of printed books are being culled, at times with dramatic backlash, it’s not as though
paper books will disappear overnight. Traditional publishers are still printing, on paper, some
300,000 original titles annually.
This latest Pew survey, then, seems emblematic of a broader disconnect between the way people
view the written word and perceive their relationship to it. Consider the cultural space that books
occupy: People collect them, tote them, start and never finish them—and sometimes don’t start
them at all. People like having books around, whether in print or pixelated; it doesn’t always
mean they’ll get through them.
Which mirrors how people see libraries, it seems: A library is a critical institution for the kind of
community people say they want to live in, a space where those people could—theoretically,
anyway—learn and gather. With or without printed books, and certainly with a smaller collection
of them, a library can still be that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ADRIENNE LAFRANCE is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers
technology. She was previously an investigative reporter for Honolulu Civil Beat,
Nieman Journalism Lab, and WBUR.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/keep-the-library-lose-the-books/405307/
Internet, Science & Tech
S E P T E M B ER 1 5 , 2 0 1 5
Libraries at the Crossroads
The public is interested in new services and thinks libraries are important
to communities
BY JOHN B. HORRIGAN (HTTP://WWW.PEWINTERNET.ORG/AUTHOR/JHORRIGAN/)
American libraries are buffeted by cross currents. Citizens believe that libraries are important community
institutions and profess interest in libraries offering a range of new program possibilities. Yet, even as the public
expresses interest in additional library services, there are signs that the share of Americans visiting libraries has
edged downward over the past three years, although it is too soon to know whether or not this is a trend.
A new survey from Pew Research Center brings this complex situation into stark relief. Many Americans say they
want public libraries to:
support local education;
serve special constituents such as veterans, active-duty military personnel and immigrants;
help local businesses, job seekers and those upgrading their work skills;
embrace new technologies such as 3-D printers and provide services to help patrons learn about high-tech
gadgetry.
Additionally, two-thirds of Americans (65%) ages 16 and older say that closing their local public library would
have a major impact on their community. (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://pewrsr.ch/1F9PiPb&text=65
%25%20of%20Americans%20ages%2016
%2B%20say%20closing%20their%20local%20public%20library%20would%20have%20a%20major%20impact%20on%20their%20community.
Low-income Americans, Hispanics and African Americans are more likely than others to say that a library closing
would impact their lives and communities.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/
At the same time, the survey finds that the share of Americans who report using a library has ebbed somewhat
over the past several years, though it is too early to identify a definitive national trend. Compared with Pew
Research Center surveys from recent years, the current survey finds those 16 and older a bit less likely to say they
have visited a library or bookmobile in-person in the past 12 months, visited a library website or used a library’s
computers and internet access.
46% of all Americans ages 16 and over say they visited a library or a bookmobile in-person in the prior
year.
This is roughly comparable with the 48% who said this in 2013, but down from 53% in 2012.
22% of those 16 and older have used library websites in the past year, compared with 30% who said this in
2013 and 25% in 2012.
27% of those who have visited a public library have used its computers, internet connection or Wi-Fi
signal to go online in the past 12 months.
This compares with 31% who said this in 2012.
A trend in the other direction is that mobile access to library resources has taken on more prominence. Among
those who have used a public library website, 50% accessed it in the past 12 months using a mobile device such
as a tablet computer or smartphone – up from 39% in 2012. (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://pewrsr.ch
/1F9PiPb&text=Among%20those%20who%20have%20used%20a%20library%20website%2C%2050
%25%20accessed%20it%20in%20the%20past%2012%20months%20using%20a%20mobile%20device.)
These findings highlight how this is a crossroads moment for libraries. The data paint a complex portrait of
disruption and aspiration. There are relatively active constituents who hope libraries will maintain valuable
legacy functions such as lending printed books. At the same time, there are those who support the idea that
libraries should adapt to a world where more and more information lives in digital form, accessible anytime and
anywhere.
The big questions: What should happen to the books? What should happen to the buildings?
(http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-thecrossroads/2015-09-15_libraries_0-02/) Two key questions
highlight the challenge library leaders face. First, what
should libraries do with their books? Some 30% of
those ages 16 and over think libraries should
“definitely” move some print books and stacks out of
public locations to free up more space for such things as
tech centers, reading rooms, meeting rooms and
cultural events; 40% say libraries should “maybe” do
that; and 25% say libraries should “definitely not” do
that.
Since 2012, there has been an uptick of 10 percentage
points in those saying libraries should “definitely” move
some books and stacks (20% v. 30%) and an 11-point
downtick in those saying that should “definitely not” be
done (36% v. 25%).
The second key question is: Should bricks-and-mortar
libraries have a smaller physical footprint in their
communities? A majority do not think so. Nearly
two-thirds (64%) of those ages 16 and over say libraries
should “definitely” have more comfortable spaces for
reading, working and relaxing. This represents a
modest increase in this view since 2012, and it suggests
that libraries still occupy a prominent spot in people’s
minds as a place to go.
Here are other key findings that highlight the cross currents in public sentiment. They come from a survey of
2,004 Americans ages 16 and older conducted in the spring of 2015.
Large majorities of Americans see libraries as part of the educational ecosystem and as
resources for promoting digital and information literacy
Those 16 and older are quite clear that libraries should address the educational needs of their communities at
many levels:
85% of Americans say that libraries should “definitely” coordinate with schools in providing resources for
children.
85% also say that libraries should “definitely” offer free literacy programs to help kids prepare for school.
78% believe that libraries are effective at promoting literacy and love of reading.
65% maintain that libraries contribute to helping people decide what information they can trust.
People also believe that libraries should offer services to help them master digital technologies:
78% of those 16 and older say libraries should “definitely” offer programs to teach people how to use
digital tools such as computers, smartphones and apps.
75% say libraries have been effective at helping people learn how to use new technologies.
People’s view on the important role of libraries in education translates into some user behavior at public libraries.
Among those who have used a public library website or mobile app in the past 12 months, 42% have used it for
research or homework help. For those who have used a public library’s computers or Wi-Fi signal to go online,
60% have used those tools for research or school work.
Many believe libraries should be pathways to economic opportunity, especially when it
comes to providing resources for business development, jobs search and enhancing
workforce skills
These are new questions that Pew Research Center has not previously asked, and they indicate that there is a
notable share of the public interested in a somewhat expanded mission for public libraries to contribute to the
economic advancement of people and communities.
52% of all Americans 16 and older say libraries should “definitely” create programs for local businesses or
entrepreneurs. Another 35% say libraries should “maybe” do this.
45% say that libraries should “definitely” purchase new digital technologies such as 3-D printers to let
people explore how to use them. Another 35% say libraries should “maybe” do this.
At the library itself, economic advancement is a meaningful part of some people’s patronage, but less so now than
at earlier times in the Great Recession. Some 23% of those who have paid a visit to a library in the past year did so
to look for or apply for a job. This is down from the 36% of patrons who used the library this way in 2012.
In addition, some 14% of those who logged on to the internet using a library’s computer or internet connection in
the past year did so to acquire job-related skills or to increase their income. That amounts to 3% of the full
population of those ages 16 and older.
Many Americans think closing their local public library would affect their communities, and a
third say it would have a major impact on them and their families
Some 65% of all those ages 16 and older say that closing their local public library would have a major impact on
their community; another 24% say it would have a minor impact. In addition, 32% say that closing their local
public library would have a major impact on them or their family; another 33% say it would have a minor impact.
Civic activists are more likely to use libraries
(http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09
/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads
/2015-09-15_libraries_0-03/) In the
past year, 23% of Americans ages
16+ say they worked with fellow
citizens to address a problem in
their community. Among those who
have done this:
63% visited the library in the
prior year, compared with
40% who had not participated
with others in tackling a
community problem.
28% attended a meeting at the
library in the prior year,
compared with 11% who had
not worked with others on a
community problem.
Some 11% of Americans say they
have actively worked with others to
influence government policy in the
prior year. Among those who did
this:
59% paid a visit to the library in the prior year, compared with 44% who had not worked with others in
influencing a government policy.
33% had gone to a meeting at the library in the prior year vs. 13% who had not joined with others to
influence government.
A majority of Americans say libraries should offer services to help recent immigrants,
veterans and active duty military personnel
74% of Americans ages 16 and older think libraries should “definitely” offer programs for active duty
military personnel or veterans. Another 20% say libraries should “maybe” do this.
59% say libraries should “definitely” offer programs for immigrants or first-generation Americans – with
78% of Hispanics saying this.
Another 29% of Americans who are 16 or older say libraries should “maybe”
offer such programs.
Many view public libraries as important resources for finding health information and some
conduct such searches using libraries’ online access resources
73% of all those ages 16 and over say libraries contribute to people finding the health information they need.
42% of those who have gone online at a library using its computers, internet connections or Wi-Fi have done
so for health-related searches. That comes to 10% of the full population of those ages 16 and older.
Lower-income Americans, Hispanics and African Americans are more likely to say that
libraries impact their lives and communities than other Americans
There are some segments of the population who especially value the library’s role in their community and lives.
In many cases, Americans who live in lower-income households, Hispanics and African Americans say libraries
have special roles and should embrace new purposes.
For instance, 48% of all Americans 16 and older say libraries help people find jobs “a lot” or “somewhat,”
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http://pewrsr.ch/1F9PiPb&text=48
%25%20of%20all%20Americans%2016%20and%20older%20say%20libraries%20help%20people%20find%20jobs
%20%E2%80%9Ca%20lot%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9Csomewhat%2C%E2%80%9D)
but certain groups are
more likely to say libraries help people find jobs:
58% of Hispanics say libraries help people find jobs (either “a lot” or “somewhat”).
55% of African Americans say this.
53% of those in households with annual incomes under $30,000 say this.
Some 52% of those 16 and older say libraries should “definitely” have programs to help local businesses or
entrepreneurs. Higher numbers of some groups embrace that idea:
56% of those in low-income households (with annual incomes under $30,000) say this.
60% of African Americans say libraries should have these kinds of business development programs.
60% of Hispanics say libraries should have such programs.
About a third (32%) of all Americans say closing their local public library would have a major impact on them and
their family. Those even more likely to back that idea include:
49% of Hispanics who say such closures would have a major impact on them and their families;
37% of low-income Americans who say this;
35% of African Americans who say this about the possible closure of their local public library.
http://icma.org/en/press/
pm_magazine/article/106142
Strengthening
the Library's
Strategic Role
Prepare to Focus on
Public Access
Technology
by Rashad Young and Susan
Benton
Technology has become
essential to success and
progress in daily life, and public
libraries are go-to resources for
digital access and trusted
guides in the increasingly complex digital world. Today, no other institution rivals the
significance of public libraries as technology gateways providing a wide range of
resources that meet personal and professional needs, support local economies, and
build stronger communities.
The breadth of public technology services available in libraries is growing exponentially,
placing increased pressure on library budgets and staff to not only keep abreast of
community needs and changing technologies, but also to plan for the future.
As the library’s strategic role in the community expands, being able to assess the scope
and effectiveness of library services, measure outcomes, and make informed decisions
about future investments becomes even more important for library directors and local
government managers.
MEETING PUBLIC ACCESS TECHNOLOGY NEEDS
Public access technology today covers far more than Internet access and desktop
computers for use in public libraries. Those digital-access services continue to be
essential, supplemented by innovative programs outside library walls to close the digital
divide, including Wifi access in remote locations and hotspot lending programs that
provide home mobile broadband wireless Internet access, particularly for use when
libraries are closed, and Wifi-enabled bookmobiles.
Libraries also support a growing range of these technology services that address
community priorities and improve community outcomes:
▪
Workforce development and entrepreneurship through organized online
resources for job seeking, employment skill-building, professional certification,
small business development, and career testing.
▪
E-government access through links to local, state, and federal resources with
instructions for identifying, finding, and using online government services.
▪
Education opportunities for learners of all ages that involve web-based readalong programs, online resources for homework help, access to education testing
preparation, and high-tech teen learning centers.
▪
Health and wellness including access to online medical databases, health care
providers, and resources to improve health literacy.
“The role of the public library has evolved dramatically over the years, particularly in
relation to technology services,” said San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley. “The
scope of library services is changing at such a fast pace today that it’s sometimes hard
to keep up and predict where we want to be.”
Taking a broad look, rather than a piecemeal approach at public access technology
services and developing a digital strategy that aligns library services with community
priorities can help local government managers and library leaders stay on top of change
while planning for the future.
“I’m certainly not a technology expert, but I am a futurist,” Sculley said. “I want to look
three to five years down the road to assess where we want to be and what we need to
do today to get there.”
Edge, a new tool developed by a coalition of national organizations including the
International City/County Management Association (ICMA) with funding from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, and led by the Urban Libraries Council, offers a framework
for assessing public access services and developing a technology roadmap.
THE EDGE SYSTEM
Edge is a performance-management system built around 11 benchmarks (see Figure 1)
that identify essential public access technology services and 30 indicators (see Figure 2
for sample indicators) that identify desired outcomes for measuring progress. Since its
national launch in January 2014, nearly 1,900 public libraries have completed an online
assessment of their technology services, in partnership with their local government.
The process of examining public access services against national benchmarks can help
library leaders and managers:
▪
Quantify what people expect from their public library.
▪
Develop metrics to defend and justify proposed investments in library
infrastructure, programs, and services.
▪
Compare library performance with national averages from library systems of
similar size.
▪
Develop a multi-year action plan to address the most pressing needs first while
scheduling action on future needs.
Like other performance-management systems that may be in use in local government,
the Edge assessment produces data for setting priorities, allocating resources, and
achieving higher levels of performance. The framework also provides outcomes that
help define the value of the public library in the community and guides smart decisions
about investments in library programs.
“As a city manager, it is important for me to identify and implement methodologies that
generate valid information on how to deliver services to better meet community needs,”
said Tommy Gonzalez, city manager of El Paso, Texas. “At the end of the day, we want
to increase the number of people using library services and give the end user a better
product. Edge is a valuable tool for making that happen.”
COMPARISONS PROVIDE MEASUREABLE RESULTS
Following completion of the online assessment, the library receives a report with scores
on each indicator and comparison with average scores attained by libraries of similar
size (see Figure 3).
Tim Burgess, assistant county manager, New Hanover County, North Carolina, said the
assessment process is “like having a consultant come in and provide a neutral
perspective on what we’re doing as a library organization.” He described the
benchmarks and indicators as a different kind of checklist that provides a complete
picture of essential, public access library services. “Edge made us aware of things we
hadn’t considered and caused us to closely evaluate current operations,” Burgess said.
NEW DATA AND NEW IDEAS
Since its January 2014 national launch, Edge has helped public library systems of all
sizes achieve results in how they deliver public access technology. From the Alexander
County, North Carolia, library, which serves 37,000 people in two locations with 12 staff
and 11 public computers, to San Antonio’s public library with 1.8 million patrons, 27
locations, 500 employees, and 791 public devices, Edge has generated data, new
ideas, and a framework for action.
Library directors and local government managers highlight these examples of outcomes
from completing the assessment process:
▪
Holistic and strategic thinking about the library’s overall role in the community.
▪
New investments in public technology infrastructure based on assessment
results.
▪
Clear focus for action and a structure for change.
▪
Improved staff capacity to deliver essential services, to support an outcomebased approach to library planning, and to engage in strategic thinking.
▪
Expanded community outreach.
▪
Increased ability to tell the library story using outcome data.
▪
Enhanced confidence about future library directions.
LOCAL LIBRARY SNAPSHOTS
Here’s a brief overview of several libraries that have completed the Edge assessment
and are implementing action plans.
San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) used its assessment results to sharpen its digital
strategy, which led to $500,000 in additional city funds for technology investments.
Despite already robust public access technology resources, Library Director Ramiro
Salazar said the assessment process “helped us be more focused on positioning the
library to meet community needs.”
Approval of the additional $500,000 for technology infrastructure and services came
after a presentation to the city council on the library’s long-term digital strategy. Library
leaders saw the council action as a vote of confidence for the library’s role in public
computing.
SAPL used the results of its assessment to expand Wifi capacity, increase public access
devices (e.g., desktops, laptops, and tablets), create collaborative meeting spaces in a
new branch, explore use of Chromebooks and Chromeboxes as more economical and
more easily managed devices to meet per capita user targets, and introduce kiosks at
the San Antonio International Airport to give travelers access to the library’s e-books
and audiobooks.
Another significant outcome of using the benchmarks has been improved
communication between library staff and the city IT department by providing a common
language and better data about the library’s technology infrastructure needs.
Guthrie, Oklahoma, Public Library focused its public access technology action plan
on broadening connections with less-served areas, engaging all staff in shaping the
library’s future, and expanding training to address digital literacy. While Guthrie’s library
is a municipal department serving the city’s 10,000 residents, its service area also
covers Logan County’s 40,000 residents.
City Manager Sereniah Breland said the benchmarks broadened staff awareness of the
importance of standards and outcomes to define appropriate service levels and
investments. “We have emphasized the importance of the benchmarks and measuring
outcomes—not just for the library, but for all local government services,” Breland said.
To expand the library’s service reach, Guthrie is creating a Wifi-enabled bookmobile to
bring the library to patrons with limited access to the main library and to technology
resources, particularly in Logan County. The library secured an $18,000 grant to
establish a mobile collection and is in the process of getting a vehicle and designing
bookmobile routes.
El Paso, Texas, Public Library serves a population of 659,000 people living in a 259square-mile area. The community has a high poverty rate, low educational
achievement, and extremely limited Internet and technology access. Digital literacy and
bridging the digital divide have been high priorities for the library, making public access
technology a vital service.
The library had received an $8 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
(BTOP) grant in 2010 from the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce that supported significant
expansion of technology infrastructure and services. Library Director Dionne Mack said
the Edge assessment process helped the library develop strategies and priorities for
sustaining progress made with BTOP funds.
“The benchmarks helped us take a more holistic approach to our digital strategy and
reframed the way we talked about public access technology in our organization and in
the community,” Mack said. “Before Edge, we weren’t thinking about all the details and
options such as a technology petting zoo to introduce new technologies.”
Technology petting zoos have been used in libraries in recent years to give both patrons
and staff an opportunity to try out tech devices with guidance from expert staff in a
relaxed and supportive atmosphere—like a library “genius bar.” Typical services in a
petting zoo include one-on-one scheduled visits, tech fairs, and group coaching
sessions. E-readers and tablets from different manufacturers are the most common
devices in library petting zoos.
Two significant outcomes of the El Paso library’s assessment process have been
developing staff technology expertise to support patrons’ needs and shaping the
library’s technology future by establishing an expanded program of technology classes,
all conducted by library staff.
Of the library’s 148 employees, 68 are now teaching computer classes. In 2014, the
library conducted more than 2,600 technology classes attended by 20,000 residents.
Despite a 25 percent reduction in staff when the BTOP grant ended, the library has
been able to offer the same or higher level of technology services by engaging staff in
new ways.
Greensboro, North Carolina, Public Library has focused its assessment and action
planning primarily on benchmark nine which addresses devices and bandwidth to
accommodate user demand. While library bandwidth was adequate, the number of
device hours available on a per capita basis was lower than desired.
In order to meet the need for more computers, the library created a laptop lending
program for use inside library branches that provided more space and flexibility in library
buildings. Library users are able to check out an Internet-enabled laptop for use
anywhere inside the library for specific time periods. Laptops must be checked back in
before the user leaves the library.
Beyond specific actions that emerged from the assessment report, Library Director
Brigitte Blanton said the process of working through the benchmarks and indicators
broadened the library’s approach to its public access technology services. “Edge made
us think,” Blanton said. “As much as we strive in public libraries to be inclusive, we
sometimes define our work in narrow ways. Edge forces you to think and test
assumptions about services and resources.”
MEETING FUTURE PUBLIC ACCESS TECHNOLOGY NEEDS
Technology is evolving at a rapid pace and becoming even more important to daily life.
This makes the public library’s role as a trusted technology guide and go-to resource
increasingly vital.
For city and county managers, the Edge system provides tools for assessing, improving,
and demonstrating the value of public access technology services in order to create a
business case for why investments are important and how those investments contribute
to improved community outcomes.
“Edge is a serious, legitimate tool that gives me valuable data for decision making and
tells me where my library stands in relation to other public libraries,” said Harry
Tuchmayer, director of the New Hanover County, North Carolina, library. “The backing of
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and national organizations such as ICMA, make it
[Edge] even more valuable.”
To ensure that the Edge approach to assessing and planning for public access
technology remains current, benchmarks and indicators will be reviewed and updated
periodically. For library staff, the opportunity to go through an assessment process again
a year later to measure progress and revisit indicators is exciting.
“We want to ace it someday,” said San Antonio Public Library Performance and
Innovation Manager David Cooksey.
FIGURE 1: THE EDGE BENCHMARKS.
Community Value
1. Libraries provide assistance and training with the goal of increasing the level of digital
literacy in the community.
2. Libraries provide access to relevant digital content and enable community members
to create their own digital content.
3. Libraries provide technology resources to help patrons meet important needs related
to personal goals and community priorities.
Engaging the Community
4. Libraries make strategic decisions based on community priorities for digital inclusion
and innovation.
5. Libraries build strategic relationships with community partners to maximize public
access technology resources and services provided to the community.
6. Libraries support continuous improvement in public access technology services by
sharing expertise and best practices with other digital inclusion organizations.
Organizational Management
7. Libraries integrate public access technology into planning and policies.
8. Libraries have sufficient staff with technology expertise to help patrons achieve their
goals.
9. Libraries have sufficient devices and bandwidth to accommodate user demand.
10. Libraries manage their technology resources to maximize quality.
11. Libraries ensure participation in digital technology for people with disabilities.
FIGURE 2: SELECTED INDICATORS.
Each benchmark includes three to five indicators with examples of recommended
practices. Sample benchmarks with indicators follow:
Benchmark 1: Libraries provide assistance and training with the goal of increasing the
level of digital literacy in the community.
1.2. The library provides individual assistance for digital literacy at all outlets:
▪
One-on-one technology help for patrons is available on-demand for at least 10minute sessions at all library locations.
▪
One-on-one technology help is available for patrons on-demand or by
appointment for at least 30-minute sessions at all library locations.
▪
One-on-one help is available on-demand or by appointment for patron-owned
devices (e.g., eReaders, tablets, iPods, smartphones) in at least one library
location.
▪
One-on-one help is available in languages other than English in at least one
library location.
Benchmark 4: Libraries make strategic decisions based on community priorities for
digital inclusion and innovation.
4.2. The library gathers feedback from the community about its public technology
needs.
▪
An analysis of social and economic conditions of the community is conducted as
part of information gathering for strategic planning and decision making.
▪
Questions about community technology are included in a library-sponsored
needs assessment survey.
▪
Community technology-related questions are included in a local government
survey.
▪
The library conducts community-representative focus groups on the community’s
technology needs.
▪
The library holds advertised forums on the community’s technology needs.
▪
The library conducts a community needs assessment for technology resources in
languages other than English.
▪
The library conducts a community needs assessment for technology resources
for people with disabilities.
Benchmark 8: Libraries have sufficient staff with technology expertise to help patrons
achieve their goals.
8.3. Staff assigned to assist patrons are able to answer technology questions.
▪
100 percent of public services staff are able to answer basic technology
questions.
▪
25 percent of public services staff in each location are able to assist patrons with
intermediate technology questions.
▪
10 percent of public services staff in each location are able to assist patrons with
advanced technology questions.
Rashad Young is city administrator, Washington, D.C., and a member of
the executive board of the Urban Libraries Council
([email protected]). Susan Benton is president and CEO, Urban
Libraries Council, Washington, D.C.: ([email protected]).
The authors want to thank the staff members of these library systems for their contributions to
this article: El Paso, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; Alexander County,
North Carolina; New Hanover County, North Carolina; Guthrie, Oklahoma; Anchorage, Alaska; and
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
‘Spooktacular’ used book sale to benefit Friends of Ramsey County
Libraries
http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/10/14/‘spooktacular’-used-book-sale-benefit-friends-ramsey-county-libraries
Submitted by admin on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 2:27pm
Friends of the Ramsey County Libraries is hosting a “Spooktacular” Used Book Sale at
the Roseville Library Oct. 21-25. Most of the 12,000 items — books, movies, talking
books and CDs — are priced $1 or less and all proceeds benefit the seven suburban
Ramsey County libraries. Books are pre-sorted by genre in fiction, several non-fiction
categories, children and young adult books to make shopping easier for book lovers.
Sale hours are 3-6 p.m. on October 21 for an exclusive “Friends Members Only” presale. A membership can be purchased for $20 at the sale.
Public sale hours are:
• 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21
• 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22
• 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24
• Noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25 — “$3 Bag Sale”
The library is located at 2180 Hamline Avenue N. in Roseville.
TED Talks: Stretch Ideas through Conversation 11-8
Date: Sunday, November 8, 2015 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm
TED talks are short videos in which a speaker presents ideas on a specific topic. The
talks focus on everything from new business models to human rights. In this class you
will watch these videos and share your ideas during a facilitated discussion.
These free sessions are held the second Sunday of each month from 2:00–3:30 p.m.
from November through April in the Community Room of the Ramsey County Library,
2180 North Hamline Ave in Roseville. The first session will be November 8. Register
online or call 651.724.6001. Co-sponsored by Roseville Area Senior Program and
Ramsey County Library.
Event Date: 11/08/2015
Start Time: 2:00 pm
End Time: 3:30 pm
Registration Required? Yes
Register by date: 10/25/2015
One Day Event? No
--Repeating Event-Event Repeats Weekly: Sunday
Event Repeats Monthly: Second
Sunday of every month
End Date: 04/10/2016
Website:
--Event Location Information-Location Name: Roseville Library
Address: 2180 North Hamline Avenue
City: Roseville
Maplewood council candidates
highlight experience, city issues
Submitted by admin on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 9:20am
By: Erin Hinrichs
On Nov. 3, Maplewood voters will select two of four
candidates running for city council to serve alongside Mayor
Nora Slawik, and council members Marylee Abrams and
Kathleen Juenemann.
Former mayor and incumbent council member Bob Cardinal
will be running to keep his seat, while council member
Marvin Koppen has decided not to seek another term.
Three additional candidates have their sights set on the two
open seats: primary front-runner Tou Xiong, Bryan Smith
and Diana Longrie.
The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a candidate
forum Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Maplewood City Hall,
1830 County Road B East. The forum is free and open to
the public. It will be taped by cable television for later
broadcast.
The Review asked the candidates to identify the skills and
experiences they think they'll bring to the office, the top
challenges they see facing the city, and what issues or
projects they would prioritize if elected.
Bob Cardinal
Cardinal, 63, is a business broker for Calhoun Companies.
He is married to Sharon and has a bachelor's degree in
liberal arts from the University of St. Thomas.
He began serving on the city council in 2012. Formerly, he
served two terms as mayor, from 1999 through 2005.
Top to bottom:
Bob Cardinal
Bryan Smith
Diana Longrie
Tou Xiong
Cardinal also served on the Maplewood Planning
Commission and remains active in the St. Paul Rotary, the
St. Paul Business Review Council and the Maplewood Area
Historical Society. He served three years of active duty in
the U.S. Marine Corps, obtaining the rank of captain.
Asked to identify a top issue the city faces, he says Maplewood is the seventh highesttaxed city in the metro area. He notes this is a collective tax rate, which includes city,
county, school district and special taxing districts.
"We need to address these taxing authorities and make them aware of this burden on
Maplewood citizens and property owners," he says. "Stabilize fiscal sustainability is my
highest priority, followed by the tax ranking issue."
He adds, working to establish Internet access in all private residences would be one of
his top priorities as well.
Diana Longrie
Longrie, who declined to give her age, is a self-employed attorney at law at the Longrie
Law Office. She is married to Kevin Berglund and has a juris doctorate from Hamline
University School of Law.
She was elected to serve as Maplewood's first female mayor in 2005.
A long-time Maplewood resident and attorney, she says she is an advocate, negotiator,
skilled communicator, hard worker and problem-solver.
She also highlights her teaching experience in China as a touchstone for cultural
diversity and credits her experience with local politics for making her a "champion of
transparency."
Asked to identify top challenges the city faces, she listed family affordability, economic
development and protecting greenways and public green spaces to preserve residents'
quality of life.
"Do not compromise the Vento Trail with the Rushline," she says. "The correct route is
along Highway 61, a commercial transit corridor, where economic development can
occur."
If elected to serve the city again, Longrie says her top priorities would be promoting and
encouraging economic development, and diversifying the city's commercial and
residential tax base.
Bryan Smith
Smith, 39, is a marketing manager for Tennant Company, a manufacturer of cleaning
solutions. He is married to Jennie and has an MBA from the University of Minnesota's
Carlson School of Business, with a focus on marketing and finance.
He has held management roles at three leading companies in the Twin Cities, including
Thomson Reuters, General Mills and his current place of employment.
He's rounded out his professional experience by working as a downhill ski instructor,
performing with the VocalEssence Chorus, and spending time with his wife, 7-year-old
son and dogs.
Smith says the city's top challenge is finding a way to proactively attract both economic
and residential redevelopment.
"Besides jobs at 3M and St. John's hospital, there aren't many employers offering good
full-time jobs with benefits," he says. "Further, the housing stock is aging and is not in
step with what millennial singles and families are now seeking."
Overall, he says Maplewood has been "on a good track lately," and he'd prioritize
keeping the city on a "path of sensible government."
Tou Xiong
Xiong, 25, is an urban planning organizer for Harrison Neighborhood Association, an
organization promoting racial and economic equity.
He has a juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law, with a focus on
government relations. He also has a degree in economics from St. Cloud State
University.
He currently serves on the Ramsey County Library Board, an experience he says will
serve him well if elected to serve as a city council member.
"I believe I have been able to help the Board move forward discussions and proposals
by being able to ask the right questions and understanding the nuances of complex
policies and circumstances," he says.
Xiong also says he has strong communications and analytical skills. He says the city's
top challenges in the upcoming years are civic engagement, local economy and
infrastructure.
If elected, he says he'll place a greater emphasis on supporting the elderly.
"Seniors' issues would be an area I would like to make a priority if elected," he says.
Erin Hinrichs can be reached at 651-748-7814 and [email protected]. Follow
her at twitter.com/EHinrichsNews.
Shhh, it’s not your parents’ library
With 3-D printers, software and DIY tools, libraries hope ‘maker spaces’ draw
users
Website headline: Libraries are adding ‘maker spaces’ to attract DIY crowd
Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (MN) (Published as Star Tribune: Newspaper of the
Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN)) - October 10, 2015
Author/Byline: JESSIE VAN BERKEL; STAFF WRITER
Edition: METRO Section: NEWS Page: 01B
A $4,200 recording booth, $5,400 worth of movie animation software and two $750
sewing machines. No, it’s not the wish list of a particularly spoiled, artsy kid. It’s a plan
for the future of the Dakota County libraries.
The county is looking to join several Twin Cities libraries that have added “maker
spaces.” The areas filled with technical equipment for do-it-yourself projects have grown
in popularity over the past few years, and are changing libraries’ roles in their
communities.
People are visiting libraries less as e-books become more popular, Deputy Library
Director Ben Trapskin said. So communities are rethinking how to use the buildings.
“We really want to breathe some new life into what we’re all about,” he said. “This is a
good reason for people to come back into the space.”
Ramsey County formally opened one of the spaces this summer at the Maplewood
Library. St. Paul Library opened Createch Studio last year. Minneapolis opened its tech
center for teens, a maker space at the Central Library, in 2013. So far, most of the
facilities have been aimed at kids and teens.
On Wednesday afternoon, the brightly colored room at Maplewood Library was packed
with kids playing with iPads, 3-D printers and LED lights. It did not look or sound like a
library.
“I know how to do it! Oh my god!” sixth-grader Amier Day exclaimed as he discovered
how to layer digital sounds with the GarageBand app.
“Show me how to do it,” Dallas Williams said, leaning over to look at Day’s iPad.
People want to share the excitement of discovery — that’s what drives the maker space
movement, said Ken Meyer, a laser engineer with 3M who volunteers at the library.
Meyer uses his time at the maker space to tinker with projects, like a device that
automatically waters a plant, and to show kids how they work.
Maker spaces expose young people to different types of media and new ideas. It’s an
old library goal executed in a new way, said Ali Turner, Hennepin County Library’s
assistant services division manager. It also keeps them out of trouble.
“Teens that might have come here and been at a loss for what to do and just hung
around, or gotten in small-time trouble or been on Facebook all day, are now much
more complexly engaged,” Turner said of the teen tech center in Minneapolis Central
Library.
Creating at all ages
For now, the Maplewood maker space is just for youths. But it will soon open for adults
to use on Saturday mornings, said librarian Amy Boese.
Meyer said tinkerers like himself will show up to share “weird ideas” and use the
different software and 3-D printers.
Adults often have different goals when they use maker spaces, Turner said.
“It’s a DIY mind-set,” she said. “People are just really wanting to understand where
things come from.”
While Hennepin County libraries do not have a maker spaces for adults, they have
added programming, like a knitting group, to fill that niche, Turner said.
Dakota County, however, plans to open its maker space to the general community.
Officials hope users of different generations will learn from each other and help one
another figure out how things work, Trapskin said.
The County Board gave initial approval this week to create the space at Wescott Library
in Eagan. Eventually the equipment there will be shared with other libraries, Trapskin
said.
Equipment and furnishings are expected to cost $55,000 and will be covered by a grant
and a donation. The county is still figuring out how to cover future expenses like
repairing equipment and training staff, Trapskin said.
Staffing the area will require a balancing act, said Darcy Schatz, who is on the county’s
Library Advisory Committee. Employees will need to help run the equipment without
sacrificing other services, she said.
But as communities’ needs have changed, Trapskin said libraries have gotten used to
shifting staff and resources — like the donation that will help fund Dakota County’s
maker space. That money was originally designated for print reference books.
Jessie Van Berkel • 952-746-3280
13 Things Librarians Won’t Tell
You (But Every Reader Needs to
Know)
Avoid late fees, get the most out of your library card, and
find out what's really in those book drops.
by Michelle Crouch
1.
Our most popular e-book? Fifty Shades of
Grey. Everyone wanted to read it—but nobody wanted
anyone else to know about it.
2.
Sometimes I recommend books I haven’t
read. I don’t have as much time to read as you might
think, and there are some genres
I’m not interested in. I may suggest something based
purely on a review.
3.
Have a question about something other than a book? Bring it. We can help with
background checks, genealogy research, and formatting résumés. One time, a little boy
brought in a feather and was so excited when we figured out what type of bird it had
come from.
4.
Go ahead and make a little noise. We allow cell phones and shush people only if we
hear their conversation from more than three aisles away. Certain spaces are meant for
mingling, like group learning and community events.
5.
As author Neil Gaiman said, “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian
can bring you back the right one.” A big part of a librarian’s job used to be finding
information—now much of it is sifting the reliable information from the slanted.
6.
I’m really, really tired of people asking, “Are libraries obsolete?” There are more
public libraries in the United States than McDonald’s restaurants—16,536, including
branches—and 58 percent of American adults have library cards. Those numbers don’t
even include school, government, or university libraries.
7.
We never know what we’re going to find in the book drop. We’ve pulled out toys, trash,
clothing, shoes, food, condoms, and even a dozen doughnuts. Once, there was a live
raccoon in there.
8.
A growing number of libraries are installing “makerspaces.” These labs provide
materials, technologies, and tools for do-it-yourself projects. Come in and use a 3-D
printer, a video-editing station, a sewing machine, or craft supplies—all free.
9.
When it comes to waiving fines, most of us have unrestricted power. If there’s a good
reason you’re late (say, you had a family member in the hospital) or if you’re especially
apologetic, we can make them go away with the click of a button.
10. A lot of libraries are makeshift daytime shelters for the homeless, and we struggle with
how to handle that. Some discourage it by banning sleeping; others have added social
workers who can help.
11. You’d be surprised at how many people use their credit cards as bookmarks. Other
unexpected choices: unfilled prescriptions, Band-Aids, photographs, notes and cards, and
dollar bills.
12. Americans ages 16 to 29 are just as likely to visit the library as are older adults.
Surprisingly, fewer people 65 and older report having visited a library within the past
year than younger people.
13. I’ve been an AmeriCorps volunteer, and I’ve worked for a nonprofit, but I’ve never had
another job where I felt that I was making such an immediate difference in people’s lives.
Whether I’m talking to the 95-year-old man who comes in because he’s lonely or
suggesting a new book to the child who’s obsessed with spies, I love being able to help
people in a concrete way.
Sources: Librarians Jenny Arch in Arlington, Massachusetts; Brita Zitin in suburban Chicago,
Illinois; Laura Lintz in Rochester, New York; Rita Meade in New York, New York; Nanci Milone
Hill in Dracut, Massachusetts; a librarian in Florida; Pew Research Center; reddit.com
Also in Reader's Digest Magazine October 2015
http://www.rd.com/advice/work-career/librarians-wont-tell-you/
Roseville Library talks 500 Years of
Latino American History
Submitted by admin on Tue, 09/29/2015 - 11:52am
Ramsey County Library was the only library in
Minnesota to be awarded a competitive grant from the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the
American Library Association for the presentation of the series “Latino Americans: 500
Years of History.”
Head to the library as it celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month by beginning a
five-part series on the history of Latino-Americans, based on a landmark documentary
film series. Episodes of the award-winning PBS series “Latino Americans: 500 Years of
History” will be screened, then Professor Ernesto Capello of Macalester will lead
discussions, locating the Latino experience within the broad context of the American
story, with special emphasis on Latino history in Minnesota. Musical preludes will
feature traditional Latino artists like Mariachi Estrella, Buen Tiempo and Malamanya.
The library is located at 2180 Hamline Ave. N. For more information head to
www.rclreads.org or call 651-724-6001.
Note: Programs on Oct. 13 and Nov. 10 will be conducted in Spanish.
• Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 27 at 7pm
• Tuesdays, November 3, 10 at 2 pm
http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/09/29/roseville-library-talks-500-yearslatino-american-history
Kiwanis closes out another State Fair
Club that meets in Roseville lays out goals as organization
turns 100
By: Mike Munzenrider
At this year’s Minnesota State Fair, Kiwanis Malts,
run by the North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club,
which meets in Roseville, raised $130,000. Once
the club pays its bills, the leftover money, roughly
half, will be donated back to the community in
order to help kids. (submitted photo)
http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/09/22/kiwanis-closes-out-another-state-fair
North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club president elect Dale Jensen
volunteering at ARC, an organization that promotes and protects the
human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
(submitted photo)
The North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club, which headquarters
in Roseville, has run Kiwanis Malts at the Minnesota State Fair
near the Fine Arts Building since 1969.
"It started out pretty basic," says Dale Jensen, 75, the soon-to-be
club president, come October.
The malt shop got going because a Kiwanis member had a
connection at the fair, Jensen says, and from there, over nearly
50 years of operation the shop has been expanded three times.
This year, according to Jensen, Kiwanis raised nearly $130,000
— a pretty good 12-day haul, he says — selling malts at the fair. Once the shop's bills are paid,
about half of that amount will be donated back to the community.
Says Jensen, "$65,000 is going to be a really good amount we can give out to organizations."
Kiwanis turned 100 years old this year, Jensen says. It was founded in Detroit, Michigan, Jan.
21, 1915.
The North Suburban club began in 1958 and since then, Jensen estimates it has sunk some
$1.5 million into the community with the goal of helping children.
Scholarships and stewardship
Jensen, a former teacher, school administrator — principal and then superintendent — and
executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, worked in education
for 42 years.
He joined Kiwanis 39 years ago; at the time, he was the superintendent of Worthington
schools.
"A previous superintendent invited me to a noon meeting and I was hooked," he says, adding
that he ended up joining and staying with the North Suburban club, due to a "diligent recruiter"
who showed up at his door the day he moved into the area.
The North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club supports Roseville students. Jensen says Kiwanis
sets up key clubs in schools of all levels and each year the club gives out two $1,000
scholarships to kids graduating from Roseville Area High School.
Lonnie Brokke, the director of Roseville Parks and Recreation, says North Suburban Kiwanis is
a supporter of parks in the city.
Kiwanis has helped with soap box derbies, park cleanups and flower plantings, Brokke says.
"They've been a long-standing community organization that have done a lot of things for
Roseville parks," Brokke says. "They've helped with a number of events — they always seem
to be there when they're needed."
Sturdy study support
Through the Shoreview YMCA, Kiwanis supports a number of programs, says Shannon
Kinstler, the location's executive director.
"The club's gifts support youth development programs that provide education and enrichment
opportunities to kids and teens," Kinstler says.
These efforts include the Montreal Courts Apartments Program, which sets up before and after
school programs and provides healthy meals and homework help for kids at the complex, and
School Age Care in the Mounds View Public Schools district, setting up similar before and after
school programs.
Kinstler says Kiwanis also supports Youth in Government, a statewide youth civic education
and leadership program, similar to Model United Nations.
At the Ramsey County Library in Roseville, children's librarian Jennifer Dietrich says North
Suburban Kiwanis has donated some $32,000 since 1999 to support the library's Beginning
Reader Collections.
Dietrich says the collection features books for kids who are in the very beginning stages of
becoming independent readers. “The Kiwanis club has just been so instrumental in getting so
many books to 1,000s of kids between all our libraries.”
By extension, Dietrich says Kiwanis supports the library's Paws to Read program, which helps
kids gain confidence in their reading by letting them read to therapy animals. Paws to Read
uses books from the Beginning Reader Collections.
“We just appreciate their support so much and they really bring so much to our library by
donating this money so regularly,” Dietrich says.
'Model club'
The North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club meets monthly at Pippin's Restaurant on Snelling
Avenue. Jensen says there are currently 22 members in the club and as many as 35 in the
past.
The club meets Monday's “around supper time,” Jensen says, and has a wide range of
members including students, people with full-time jobs and retirees.
As far as membership responsibilities, Jensen says “we're flexible on that.” Meetings feature
speakers or are service projects out in the community.
Dues of about $40 are collected quarterly, Jensen says, and that money supports Kiwanis
International, which works with organizations like Unicef.
In the 1990s, Jensen says, the international club spent some $150 million dollars on getting
iodine into water systems around the world to combat iodine deficiency, which can cause goiter
and other health problems.
Currently, Kiwanis International is working on providing prenatal tetanus shots in the
developing world, which can prevent birth defects, Jensen says. He adds North Suburban St.
Paul Kiwanis is considered a “model club,” for having given $25,000 to the international
organization over the last five years.
Moving into his club presidency, Jensen enumerated a list of nearly 20 goals for 2015-2016,
including setting up a dedicated club foundation, updating the club's Internet presence,
reworking its policies and reaching out to new members.
“[They're] fairly ambitious goals but a thing that clubs need to do to function” Jensen says,
seeing it as a way to keep growing.
“The end game is making sure children are taken care of and are safe,” he says.
For more information about North Suburban St. Paul Kiwanis Club, call Dale Jensen at
763-786-4522.
Mike Munzenrider can be reached at [email protected] or 651-748-7813. Follow
him on Twitter @mmunzenrider.
St. Paul Libraries offering new online courses
Submitted by admin on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 12:00am
By: Patrick Larkin
St. Paul Public Libraries staff are hoping to help adults plug back into education and
strengthen their resume, and they're making it easy to do.
Through a new program called E Learning for a Better Job, St. Paul residents can visit
three library locations (including two on the East Side) to access a vast array of online
training courses.
Over 7,000 courses are now available through an online learning company called Metrix
— people can take job skills courses around basic computing and using the Microsoft
Office suite, but also can learn more advanced skills such as medical coding.
There are courses in business, communications, healthcare, information technology,
desktop publishing, and more.
To test out the new technology, Sun Ray staff recruited 12 participants. Mildred
Williams, who coordinates the program, reports the trial was a success, with the
participants doing over 150 hours of coursework in total, in a period of two months.
Some of the participants took courses on the Microsoft Office suite, while some worked
on a healthcare curriculum intended to bolster their knowledge to be a certified nursing
assistant. The courses have bolstered their resumes, and many of the participants are
seeking out new jobs listing things they learned through the courses as skills in their job
applications.
The program is co-funded by the library and by the St. Paul Community Literacy
Consortium.
To participate, a person first needs to complete a skills assessment at either Sun Ray,
Arlington Hills or Rondo libraries.
After people complete an initial assessment, they are paired with courses that match
their skill levels, and they can do the actual coursework from home.
Moving forward, the program will be available at the three libraries for a year. Pending
funding, Williams said the hope is to continue the program year after year.
To help get the word out, St. Paul Public Libraries is doing an online campaign, and has
also trained library staff to direct library patrons to the new resource.
Williams said the three libraries were chosen because a lot of people already come into
those three looking for jobs, job-skills training and help with basic resume writing.
St. Paul Public Libraries has for years offered general digital literacy programming that
can help people gain basic knowledge they'd need to complete the new online
coursework.
For more information about the program, visit http://www.sppl.org/betterjobs.
— Patrick Larkin
http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/09/20/st-paul-libraries-offering-new-onlinecourses
First-Ever “Public Libraries & STEM” Event Forges
New Alliances
www.slj.com /2015/08/public-libraries/first-ever-public-libraries-stem-event-forges-new-alliances/
Linda Jacobson
Professionals from the library, education,
and STEM fields gathered last week in
Denver to participate in “Public Libraries &
STEM,” the first conference of its kind to
convene leaders from these arenas to
examine current and future practices at the
intersection of librarianship and science,
technology, engineering, and math.
“We were really trying to foster giving
[participants] networking opportunities
galore,” says Paul B. Dusenbery, the
director of the Space Science Institute’s
National Center for Interactive Learning
(NCIL), based in Boulder, CO. It, together
with the Houston-based Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), organized the August 20–22 event attended
by about 150 people. “If you look at the potential for STEM subjects in libraries, it is a beautiful fit.”
Dusenbery also directs the STAR Library Education Network, which he describes as a community of
practice where professionals can find resources and examples of library-based STEM initiatives across the
country. LPI has worked with libraries for more than 15 years to develop space science learning
opportunities. The two organizations received funding from the National Science Foundation to hold the
event. Representatives from several other library, education, museum, and science organizations also
participated in organizing the conference.
“Sometimes you go to conferences and you meet people in passing, but this was a little bit more intimate,”
says Sharon Cox, the manager of the Queens Library Children’s Library Discovery Center in New York
City. “We had more time to sit down and really talk about what each of our organizations is doing and
things we’d like to do in the future.”
One idea generated at the event is the possibility of an annual public engagement campaign focused on
bringing families into libraries for STEM activities. The key, Dusenbery says, is effectively marketing these
opportunities to diverse communities. He points to how Cox uses social media, partners with other
community organizations, and holds events such as an annual “discovery street fair” to pull in families
from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities.
A pre-conference survey gathered information on what libraries are currently doing and areas where they
feel they need support. The results showed that roughly 80 percent of libraries are developing and
implementing STEM-related programs.
While Dusenbery says that might sound encouraging, he cautioned that the quality of these efforts is
unclear. For example, if public libraries want to work with K–12 schools, the activities or programs they are
organizing should be aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, which 15 states and the District
of Columbia have now adopted, according to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The
NSTA, along with the National Research Council, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, and Achieve, led the process of developing the standards.
The survey also showed that library staff members generally feel comfortable working with students in
elementary and middle school, but that leading STEM programs for high school students or adults takes
them out of their comfort zone. That’s why partnerships with content experts are important, Dusenbery
stresses. “You don’t have to be an educator, but we want you to learn how to be a great facilitator” and
show children and adults how to find the information they want, he says.
Participants expect the conference to spark a variety of new relationships focused on increasing STEM
education opportunities.
“The event was the most helpful conference that I have attended in recent memory,” says David Keely,
who is coordinating a $1.2 million effort to create a guide for state library agencies on how to provide
patrons “engaging and meaningful informal science and technology experiences.” Cornerstones of
Science, a Maine nonprofit, and the Maine State Library, are leading the effort. “If there is the demand,
excellent programming will follow.”
http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/10/13/ramsey-county-pedestrian-and-bike-plan-presentedopen-house
Ramsey County pedestrian and bike
plan presented at open house
By: Mike Munzenrider
Active Living Ramsey
Communities seeks to improve
conditions for biking and
walking throughout the county
with a unified plan.
(Linda Baumeister/Review)
The Ramsey Communities Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, which was shown off at an
open house Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Ramsey County Library in Roseville, aims to
greatly improve walking and biking in the county by 2030.
Alex Gedstad, 17, is an avid biker who rode with his father to the meeting from their
home in St. Paul.
If progress is made on the pedestrian and bicycle plan on its stated timeline, biking and
walking in the county should be much easier by the time Gedstad reaches his early 30s.
Judging from the way he described things in the area, the plan is quite necessary.
"Further out it gets really pathetic," Gedstad said, describing biking conditions beyond
dense sections of St. Paul and Roseville, stating that typically, he avoids the suburbs.
Mapping a plan
While Gedstad was likely the youngest of the 40-50 people who showed up for the open
house, his interest in seeing a more walkable and bikable Ramsey County was shared
by many.
Connie Bernardy, director of Active Living Ramsey Communities and also a DFL
member of the House of Representatives from Fridley, distilled the plan's goals.
"No matter what mode of transportation you use we are trying to make it safe," Bernardy
said during a short presentation, adding that the plan, work on which began in earnest
about a year ago, had been discussed for the past 10 years.
Bernardy explained that through discussions with a variety of groups — from hardcore
bicycle enthusiasts to the Roseville Area Senior Program and the St. Paul Public
Housing Authority — as well as both face-to-face and online surveys, plan organizers
identified the community's walking and biking needs.
For example, respondents said separation from traffic, a lack of barriers and high-quality
maintenance, such as snow removal, were important parts of walking and biking
systems. Respondents also said systems should work for both transportation and
recreation.
The plan has compiled an interactive map of the good and the bad in Ramsey County,
with respect to walking and biking, Bernardy said. The map on the plan's website
reflects what residents say are good routes, as well as where there are gaps or
problems in the system.
An important aspect of the map and knowledge amassed during the project, Bernardy
said, is that the plan helps county officials determine if existing infrastructure is working.
For instance, she said, previously, if a sidewalk or bike lane was in place, infrastructure
needs were considered to be met.
Now, the county can asses whether or not existing infrastructure is actually meeting the
needs of users, and determine if more changes need to be made to meet those needs.
Moving forward, Bernardy said, those involved with the pedestrian and bike plan will
begin meeting with officials from Ramsey County's 19 communities, in order to start
implementing the plan.
This will involve trying to integrate recommendations into current road projects and
getting in at the ground floor of planning for future projects, Bernardy said.
It will also require coordinating with agencies like Metro Transit, so pedestrian and
bicycle plans can link up well with transit, and communicating with the Minnesota
Department of Transportation.
"It takes a village to do all this, and we'd really like your help with this," Bernardy said,
calling both the open house audience and the public to keep contributing to the plan.
She added, later, "I think things are beginning to move fast, now."
Eye on the future
Carol, who declined to give her last name, recently moved to Falcon Heights and is a
retired public health nurse.
She said she enjoys biking for both exercise and because it's a pollution-free means of
transportation. She added that a scary experience on the road while biking the day
before the meeting prompted her to attend.
"I was almost hit by a truck and there was no reason for that," Carol said, adding that if
there were a well-lighted trail route from her home — the open house started at an
already dusky 6 p.m. — she would have ridden her bike there.
Leaning on her time as a public health nurse, Carol said that she understands that
many interlocking systems will need to be involved to improve biking and walking in the
county. Noting those complications, she said she'd like to see the plan be implemented
and progress.
"I hope this moves forward well," she said.
Alex Gedstad's father, Gayle, said he's striving to be a once-a-week commuter bicyclist.
The elder Gedstad said he has been following the pedestrian-and-bike plan
"superficially."
"I guessed there'd be more detail" to the plans, Gayle said, adding, "I applaud them for
their efforts to engage the public."
Gayle said he sees the Twin Cities as far more pedestrian and bike friendly than Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, where he and Alex frequently visit, with bikes in tow.
Despite his views on biking in the suburbs, Alex Gedstad said he sees the state of
biking and walking improving, little by little.
"Almost every year...there's some project that makes it better."
Bernardy said the Ramsey Communities Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, with it's 15-year
timline, really is looking to younger generations for direction.
"What we're trying to create," she said, "is how Millennials want it to be."
For more information on the plan or to contribute to the wiki-map, go to
www.ramseycountypedbike.org.
Mike Munzenrider can be reached at [email protected] or 651-748-7813.
Follow him on Twitter @mmunzenrider.
Valentine View Elementary School Newsletter Sept. 11, 2015
Hearing and Vision Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are needed for the Valentine Hills Vision and Hearing Screening on Tuesday,
October 6 and Wednesday, October 7. No experience necessary, just an interest in working
with students. Training is provided prior to screening.
If you are interested, please contact our vision/hearing volunteer coordinator:
Sheila Smith at 651-238-7183 or smithfamily12@gmail.
Summer Reading Program News
This summer, 76 of the approximately 95 summer school students completed the public library
summer reading program and earned 1 State Fair Ticket, 1 coupon for a Culver's Ice-cream and 1
free book. In addition to those prizes, there were 2 students that won family packs of MN Twins
tickets and one student won a family pack of MN State Fair tickets!
Change of Transportation
If you have a permanent change to your child’s bus schedule, please contact
[email protected].
If you have to change your child’s end of the day transportation for just the day, enclose a note in
your child’s red Road Runner folder for the teacher.
If you have to change your child’s end of the day transportation once school has started, please
call the office at 651-621-7800 by 2 p.m. This will get communicated to the teacher and student.
Entering the Building During School Hours
You can not enter the building between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. without checking in
at the office. All visitors must present the front desk clerk with a valid driver’s license. This
must be scanned and then a badge will print out for you. This badge must be worn while you are
in the building (not just carried). Please check out with the office when you leave. Thank you
for your cooperation.
Absent or Late Student
If your child is going to be late or missing school, please call the attendance line at
651-621-7801. This is a voice mail system that can be reached at anytime. Please do not contact
the teacher instead of the office. The office will do that for you.
Health and Emergency Forms-due today
All students have brought home a blue health and emergency form. Please review this form and
make any necessary changes to it. Please send this form back to school as soon as possible. We
will update your student’s records and keep this on file in the health office. If you have any
changes after you have returned the form, please contact the office. It is important that we have
updated phone numbers for you so we can reach you if needed.
Parent Pick Up/Drop Off
Students can be dropped off at 9:10 a.m. for school. If they are having breakfast at school, they
can come at 9:00 a.m. Also, the end of the day pick up is at 4:05 p.m. Please arrange with your
child to meet you in the lobby, outside or to look for your car in the pick up line. Please be
aware there is no supervision for students that are dropped off early or picked up late. If
something comes up that you need to be late or drop them off early, make arrangements with a
neighbor, friend, or family member.
fuxb
ct\--
j
u"'J JCXAY\, V�� +1\ 1\s
s c.,h oo I �V-.
-h"tl_u.th t \.� nt .
<;\J C\((1( 1
6 <AcK ii)
�JJ.�, S p-�utJY;f
About the Librarian | Library of Congress
10/20/15 2:33 PM
Help
Discover
All Formats
Services
Visit
Education
Connect
Contact
Ask a Librarian
About
Search Loc.gov
GO
Library of Congress > About the Librarian
Print
About the Library
Subscribe
Share/Save
Give Feedback
About the Librarian
About the Librarian
Speeches, Statements
Previous Librarians of
Congress
History of the Library
More Than a Library
Awards & Honors
Reports & Budgets
Office of the Inspector
General
Host an Event at the Library
Doing Business with the
Library
David S. Mao became Acting Librarian of Congress Oct. 1, 2015, upon the retirement of James H. Billington.
As Acting Librarian, Mao oversees the entire Library and its various service units to ensure the Library’s services to Congress and
the American people are provided effectively.
Mao previously served as Deputy Librarian of Congress, appointed January 12, 2015. During his time as Deputy, Mao oversaw a
strategic re-alignment of Library service units, the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer and the hiring of a new Chief
Information Officer.
Related Resources
Support the Library
Jobs & Fellowships
News
Library of Congress Magazine
Before being named Deputy Librarian, Mao was the 23rd Law Librarian of Congress, serving in that position since January 2012.
As Law Librarian, Mao managed the operation and policy administration of the Law Library of Congress, which contains the world’s
largest collection of legal materials and serves as the leading research center for foreign, comparative, and international law. Mao
often described the position as part law librarian to Congress, part steward for the law collections, and part ambassador to the
word’s legal and library communities.
During his tenure as Law Librarian, Mao expanded the Law Library’s collections, particularly in the area of rare law books; oversaw
improvements to on-site law collection storage and renovation of the Law Library reading room; initiated new strategies to make
U.S. public domain legal materials accessible online; and brought to the Library a 1215 Magna Carta for an historic exhibition on
the eve of the Great Charter’s 800th anniversary.
Prior to becoming the Law Librarian of Congress, Mao served as the first Deputy Law Librarian of Congress, working as a key
member of the Law Library’s leadership team. He managed the Law Library’s global legal research portfolio, including the Global
Legal Research Center and the Global Legal Information Network. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Law Librarian, Mao was a
section head at Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress.
Mao is a graduate of The George Washington University, where he majored in international affairs with a minor in Chinese
language and literature. After earning his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, Mao was in private practice for
several years before returning to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in library science at The Catholic University of
America. Before arriving at CRS in 2005, he held positions at the Georgetown University Law Library and within the research library
of the international law firm of Covington and Burling LLP. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland–College
Park.
Mao served a three-year term as the treasurer of the American Association of Law Libraries and was a member of its executive
board. A member of the American Bar Association, he is admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia.
http://www.loc.gov/about/about-the-librarian/
Page 1 of 2
Help
Discover
All Formats
Services
Visit
Education
Connect
Contact
Ask a Librarian
About
Search Loc.gov
GO
Library of Congress > About the Librarian > Previous Librarians of Congress > James H Billington
Print
About the Library
About the Librarian
Speeches, Statements
Previous Librarians of
Congress
James H. Billington (b. 1929)
13th Librarian of Congress 1987-2015
James Hadley Billington was sworn in as the Librarian of Congress on
September 14, 1987. He is the 13th person to hold the position since
the Library was established in 1800. Billington was nominated by
President Ronald Reagan, and his appointment was unanimously
approved by the U.S. Senate.
Awards & Honors
During his 28-year tenure at the Library of Congress, Billington
doubled the size of the Library’s traditional analog collections, from
85.5 million items in 1987 to more than 160 million items.
Simultaneously, he created a massive new Library of Congress
online, and launched a series of innovative Library programs to “get
the champagne out of the bottle” for millions of Americans and the
world.
Reports & Budgets
Office of the Inspector
General
Host an Event at the Library
Support the Library
Jobs & Fellowships
News
Library of Congress Magazine
Give Feedback
Back to Previous Librarians of Congress
More Than a Library
Related Resources
Share/Save
James H Billington - Previous Librarians of Congress
History of the Library
Doing Business with the
Library
Subscribe
Billington acquired the only copy of the 1507 Waldseemüller world
map (“America’s birth certificate”) in 2003 for permanent display in the
Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building. He reconstructed Thomas
Jefferson’s original library, and also placed it on permanent display in
the Jefferson building in 2008 using privately raised funds. He
obtained a complete copy of Lafayette’s previously inaccessible
papers from the Lafayette family’s castle at LaGrange, France, as well
as hundreds of other collections of great Americans ranging from Thurgood Marshall to Irving Berlin and Jackie Robinson.
Billington enlarged and technologically enhanced public spaces in the Thomas Jefferson Building into a national exhibition venue,
hosting over 100 exhibitions, numerous featuring materials not previously displayed publicly in America. These included large-scale
exhibits on the Vatican Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, African-American
culture, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, and early American printing
featuring the Rubenstein Bay Psalm Book. Jay Kislak’s donation of his magnificent collection on the history and culture of the Early
Americas is now on permanent display in the Jefferson building. Billington also advocated successfully for an underground
connection between the Library and the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in 2008, which has greatly increased congressional usage and
public tours of the Library of Congress.
Billington launched a mass deacidification program in 2001, which has extended the lifespan of almost 4 million volumes and 12
million manuscript sheets. He opened new collection storage modules at Fort Meade, the first in 2002, to preserve and make
accessible more than 4 million items from the Library’s analog collections. He also established the Library Collections Security
Oversight Committee in 1992 to improve protection of collections, and also the Library of Congress Congressional Caucus in 2008
to draw attention to the Library’s curators and collections.
Billington raised half a billion dollars in private support from such major donors as John Kluge, Jay Kislak and David Packard to
supplement Congressional appropriations for Library collections, programs, and digital outreach. He created the Library’s first
development office for private fundraising in 1987, and, in 1990, established the James Madison Council, the Library’s first national
private-sector donor support group. Billington asked the GAO to conduct the first Library-wide audit in 1987. He then created a new
financial management system for the Library and instituted regular annual outside financial audits, which produced unmodified
(“clean”) opinions from 1995 onwards. He also created the first Office of the Inspector General at the Library in 1987 to provide
regular independent review of library operations.
During his 28-year tenure at the Library of Congress, Billington pioneered a range of no-fee electronic services, including the
following:
American Memory in 1990, which became The National Digital Library, providing free access online to digitized American
historic and cultural resources with curatorial explanations for K-12 education;
CONGRESS.gov, a website to provide state-of-the-art services for both Congress and the public in 2012, which superseded
the THOMAS.gov website launched in 1994 to provide free public access to U.S. federal legislative information with ongoing
updates;
Educational portal for K-12 teachers and students in 1996, and subsequently new prizes and programs for advancing
literacy in 2013;
"eCo" online copyright registration, including status-checking, processing, and electronic file upload systems in 2008;
The World Digital Library in 2009, in association with the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization
(UNESCO) and now with 181 partners in 81 countries, to make online copies of professionally curated primary materials of the
world’s varied cultures freely available in multiple languages;
Resource Description and Access (RDA) in 2010, a new cataloging standard for the digital age implemented in 2013;
BIBFRAME in 2011, a data model for bibliographic description to provide a foundation for those depending on bibliographic
data shared by the Library with partners on the web and in the broader networked world;
National Jukebox in 2011 to provide streaming free online access to more than 10,000 out-of-print music and spoken-word
recordings;
BARD in 2013, a digital talking books mobile app through the Library’s National Library Service for the blind and physically
handicapped enabling free downloads of audio and Braille books to mobile devices;
A social media presence for the Library since 2007 which today includes 14 blogs, Flickr, establishment of Flickr Commons,
Facebook, iTunesU, Pinterest, RSS, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Twitter donated its digital archive to the Library of
Congress in 2010.
Billington also established the following programs at the Library of Congress:
The National Book Festival, founded in 2000 with Laura Bush, which has brought more than 1000 authors and more than a
million guests to the National Mall and the Washington Convention Center;
A major gift from David Rubenstein has enabled the Library to establish major new Literacy Awards to recognize and support
achievements in improving literacy in the U.S. and abroad;
The John W. Kluge Center, started in 2000 with a grant of $60 million from John W. Kluge, has brought outstanding scholars
to work at the Library and to interact with Congress and other public leaders through endowed Kluge fellowships;
The Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity, the first Nobel-level international prize for lifetime achievement
in the humanities and social sciences (subjects not included in the Nobel awards);
The Audio-Visual Conservation Center, which opened in 2007 at a 45-acre site in Culpeper, Virginia thanks to the largest
private gift ever made to the Library (more than $150 million by the Packard Humanities Institute) and $82.1 million in
additional support from Congress;
The National Film Preservation Board, congressionally mandated in 1988, to select American films for preservation and
inclusion in a National Film Registry (Billington has added 650 films to the registry to date);
The Veterans History Project, congressionally mandated in 2000 to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal
accounts of American war veterans from World War I to the present day;
The National Recording Preservation Board, congressionally mandated in 2000, to select sound recordings for preservation
and inclusion in a National Recording Registry (Billington has named 425 recordings to date);
The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007 to honor the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in
song composition. Winners have included Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David,
Carole King, Billy Joel, and just-named Willie Nelson, who will receive the Prize in November 2015;
The Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction in 2008 to recognize distinguished lifetime achievement by an
American writer of fiction;
The Young Readers Center in the Jefferson Building in 2009;
The Junior Fellows Summer Intern program for university students in 1991;
Gateway to Knowledge in 2010-2011, a mobile exhibition to 90 sites covering all states east of the Mississippi in a specially
designed 18-wheel truck, increasing public access to Library collections off-site, particularly for rural populations.
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on June 1, 1929, Dr. Billington was educated in the public schools of the Philadelphia area. He
was class valedictorian at both Lower Merion High School and Princeton University, from which he graduated with highest honors
in 1950. Three years later he earned his doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College and student of the
philospher and historian, Isaiah Berlin. Following service with the U.S. Army and in the Office of National Estimates, Billington
taught history at Harvard University from 1957 to 1962 and subsequently at Princeton University from 1964 to 1973.
From 1973 to 1987, Billington was director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the nation’s official memorial
in Washington to America’s 28th president. As director, he founded the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the
Center and seven other new programs as well as the Wilson Quarterly.
Billington is the author of "Mikhailovsky and Russian Populism" (1956), "The Icon and the Axe" (1966), "Fire in the Minds of Men"
(1980), "Russia Transformed: Breakthrough to Hope, August 1991" (1992), "The Face of Russia" (1998)—a companion book to a
television series of the same name, which he wrote and narrated for the Public Broadcasting Service—and "Russia in Search of
Itself" (2004). These books have been translated and published in a variety of languages. Billington has accompanied 10
congressional delegations to Russia and the former Soviet Union. In June 1988 he accompanied President and Mrs. Reagan to the
Soviet Summit in Moscow. He is the founding chairman of the Board of Trustees (1999-2011) of the Open World Leadership
Center, a nonpartisan initiative of the U.S. Congress, which has administered 24,000 professional exchanges for emerging postSoviet leaders in Russia, Ukraine, and seven other successor states of the former USSR to visit counterparts in the United States.
Open World began as a Library of Congress project, and later became an independent agency in the legislative branch.
In October 2004, Billington headed a Library of Congress delegation to Tehran, Iran, that significantly expanded exchanges
between the Library of Congress and the National Library of Iran. Dr. Billington was then the most senior U.S. government official to
openly visit Iran in 25 years.
Billington has received more than 40 honorary doctorates, including from the University of Tbilisi in Georgia (1999), the Russian
State University for the Humanities in Moscow (2001), and the University of Oxford (2002). He also has been awarded the
Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton University (1992), the UCLA Medal (1999), the Pushkin Medal of the International
Association of the Teachers of Russian Language and Culture (2000), the Karamzin Prize (2005) from the Foreign Literature
Library in Moscow, and the Likhachev Prize (2006) from the Likhachev Foundation in St. Petersburg. In 2007, Dr. Billington was
awarded the inaugural Lafayette Prize by the French-American Cultural Foundation and the EastWest Institute Outstanding
Leadership Award. Dr. Billington was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bush in 2008.
Billington is a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has been decorated as Commander of the Order of Arts
and Letters and as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the President of France and as Commander of the National Order of the
Southern Cross of Brazil. He has been awarded the Order of Merit of Italy, a Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit by
the Federal Republic of Germany, the Gwanghwa Medal by the Republic of Korea, and the Chingiz Aitmatov Gold Medal by the
Kyrgyz Republic. In 2008, Dr. Billington was awarded the Order of Friendship by the President of the Russian Federation; the
highest state order that a foreign citizen may receive.
Billington was a longtime member of the editorial advisory boards of Foreign Affairs and Theology Today, and a member of the
Board of Foreign Scholarships (1971-76)—as well as its chairman (1973-1975)—which has executive responsibility for academic
exchanges worldwide under the Fulbright-Hays Act. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences and is on the Board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Billington is married to the former Marjorie Anne Brennan, who has also served the Library for 28 years on a volunteer basis in
multiple supportive roles. They have four children: Dr. Susan Billington Harper, Anne Billington Fischer, the Rev. James Hadley
Billington Jr. and Thomas Keator Billington, as well as 12 grandchildren.
Ways to connect:
Especially for...
Formats
Instagram
Mobile Apps
Kids & Families
Audio Recordings
Periodicals
Services
Pinterest
E-Mail Alerts & RSS
Publishers
Books
Personal Narratives
Visit
Twitter
Podcasts
Teachers
Films, Videos
Photos, Prints, Drawings
Education
YouTube
Video & Webcasts
Researchers
Legislation
Software, E-Resources
Connect
iTunesU
Blogs
Librarians
Archived Web Sites
About
Facebook
Connect
Manuscripts/Mixed
Material
Web Pages
Press
Maps
3-D Objects
Jobs
Flickr
Notated Music
Newspapers
Speech Enabled
Accessibility
Legal
Inspector General
External Link Disclaimer
USA.gov
Discover
Donate

10/21/2015 - PublicInfoOnline.com

Transcription

Similar documents

Read - CALUMS-California University of Management and Sciences

SUMMERHOUSE OF SHOREVIEW

Quick Start Guide

Sales Tax Update The

News Letters - Collections

Access 88, Spring 2006

Arkansas State Library

Tiffany Adkins 2013 HHS Football Queen

Mineral Commodities Ltd

Third Quarter 2015 Earnings Release