Library Bd. Update 4 27 06
Carnegie-StoUl Puhlic Librw:J'
Lihrwy Board qlTruslee5' Updare
I,'rom the A1eeling oj
April 27, 200(i
. 75 percent of the fiscal year has lapsed; 71 percent of the budget has been expended and 95 percent of
projected revenue has been generated.
. Over the next month several major moves will be taking place throughout the library:
o The Police Sub-Station will move into the library, The office for the CO.P.'s will be
located where the genealogy room (microfilm and reader/printers) is currently located. The
benefit for security is a clear line of sight to the front door and the busiest part of the library.
Their entrance door will be through the Adult Services room. A wall with a window will be
constructed at what is the entrance to the room right now. Target date for completion of the
wall is the first week ofMay.
o The genealogy resources and equipment will be relocated in the non-fiction/reference
collection area where the public typewriters are now. In order to accommodate the space
needs and maintain ADA compliance, the Large Print collection will shift and be located on
the other side of the room in the "X" and part of "W" range near the Iowa Books. (To
prepare for this volunteers and library clerks are moving the biography collection west.)
The advantage to patrons will be their close access to genealogy print resources while
working in a relatively quiet area of the library. The genealogy move will be completed by
April 28.
o The Young Adult collection will move upstairs to Youth Services and will be located where
the Children's play area is right now. Walls will be constructed to better defme this area
from Children's. First the area must be cleared which will involve moving books and
putting some items into storage until after the renovation. These activities will take place
May 1 through 17. On the morning of Thursday, May 18th the physical movement of
materials from the Young Adult area to the second floor area will take place. The benefit of
Y A moving to second floor is to provide more space for this activity as well as better service
since staff who manages Y A work are on second floor.
o The current Young Adult area will then be cleaned and readied for the new books displays.
The area left open by the new books displays will be the site of one of the new circulation
desks. We expect the new circulation desks to be delivered before the end of May.
Circulation Services will be delivered in separate areas; one for check out, and one for check
in. We will add another self-check machine and by fall we will be able to add a self-
checking DVD station. The significant benefit to this design will be the ability to overcome
ergonomics issues associated with repetitive motion at the Circulation Desk. Staff can
switch between the two desks and perform a variety of tasks. The desks, created by
Circulation staff, were designed with ergonomics as a priority. Other benefits include higher
visibility of self-check machines for increased patron self help, and fewer bottlenecks that
frequently occur when someone gets a new library card.
. A comprehensive report was presented to the Library Board regarding staffing needs in a renovated
facility. There are three reasons additional staffing is required: we will be opening a facility with
nearly 8,000 more square feet of public space, business will increase, and we are approaching this
from a position of being short-staffed currently. A copy of the report is available upon request.
. Renovation costs in general were discussed. It was agreed by the library management team that all
equipment and furnishings are required in a new facility after a careful review of what the architect
has listed, Unfortunately, historically, the Library has not planned well for the future and the bulk of
the library's furnishings have never been placed on an equipment replacement list with the City.
Shelving (a high cost item) that exists now is in poor condition and is not stable. All the shelving in
Youth Services can be reused, but most in Adult Services (first floor) cannot be reused. Chairs for the
public show upholstery that is worn through. The price of some furniture may be clarified with the
architect. A listing of grants available for capital campaigns was presented to the board.
. Library visits and circulations have decreased year-ta-date compared to last year. Visits are down 14
percent, and circulation is down 2 percent. What is causing this is not known; we believe the gate
counter is working correctly. It could be something as far reaching as the economy (when times are
tough, people frequent the library in greater numbers) or as close to home as a perception of security
problems at the library, or even more narrow people are not able to [md what they want when they
want it. It may also be that people are using the library in different ways. During the month of April
we have conducted output measure surveys. Several of these may give us insight as to what might be
happening. One survey tracks overall use of the library whether it results in a circulation or not.
Another, the materials availability survey, is a snapshot of patrons' experiences in finding material.
Did they find what they want or leave empty-handed? The last survey is "document delivery" and
measures the length of time, on average; it takes for a person to receive the title he or she wants when
it was not available the moment it was requested. Results of these surveys will be available in May.
o Areas of growth include number oflibrary card holders (66% of the community), DVD format (65%
ahead oflast year), and the library's online resources which are up dramatically YTD compared to this
time last year. The Ebsco (general information database) and Leam-a-Test database are up over 140%
over last year. Growth in accessing the library's online catalog is up 105%, Newsbank (archived
newspapers), the automotive database, and Heritage Quest (genealogy) are up 72 to 81 percent. Areas
of growth are in non-traditional media and indicate that people are using the library in a far different
way than they did ten years ago. It will be important that we continue to watch the statistics on library
use. Spotting trends will help us to respond to the needs of the community.
~~~~~_~,~,_~~~__________,~__c__~~~~____~_,~___,_c_._~~~_________'_'~'_'~_~________'______
Ubrary Board of Trustees
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Alan Avery, Board reSident
I I
5<lJc<J.)J...J C2i.z.UeL1
Susan Henricks, Director
Sue Lindsay, Vice President
Kristen Smith, Board Secretary
Diann Guns
Beverly Kolz
Michael Shubatt