10/21/2015 - PublicInfoOnline.com
Transcription
10/21/2015 - PublicInfoOnline.com
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 Strategic Planning Update 2016-2017 Budget Update Shoreview Project Update Annual Meeting 2016 Workplan CIP Budget Requests 2015 Fourth Quarter Reports Shoreview Project Update 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 Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting 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 Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting 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 Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting 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 Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting 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 Minutes of Sept 16 2015 meeting 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 Added 103 eAudio copies to the collection Increased circulation of electronic materials by 20% over Quarter 2, 2014 3rd Quarter Achievements: Added 967 eBook copies to the collection Added 134 eAudio copies to the collection Increased circulation of electronic materials by 22% over Quarter 3, 2014 Chuck Wettergren 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: Provided 44 computer and tech classes to 335 students Provided 74 drop-in computer and tech help sessions to 342 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: Provided 32 computer and tech classes to 244 students Provided 83 drop-in computer and tech help sessions to 416 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 Expand community partnerships and 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: Created adult program committee and held first meeting Developed and prioritized list of programming concerns 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 Expand community partnerships and 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: Offered 357 children’s programs with a total attendance of 18,462 Provided 89 Family storytimes for 5,950 participants, 54 Baby and Me storytimes for 1,619 participants, and 4 other storytimes for 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: Offered 389 children’s programs with a total attendance of 17,845 Provided 95 Family storytimes for 6,345 5 10/15/2015 participants, 65 Baby and Me storytimes for 1,844 participants, and 12 other storytimes for 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 Provided 31 Paws to Read sessions for 81 young readers Hosted 8 elementary-age book club meetings 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: Provided 28 Paws to Read sessions for 80 young readers Hosted 19 elementary-age book club meetings 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 Provided a variety of gaming activities with a total participation of 1,044 youth 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 Provided a variety of gaming activities with a total participation of 1,005 youth 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: Drafted Maker Space plan for MP Promoted coffee shop 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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) 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: Implemented Tuesday morning hours at NB, effective April 7 Expanded Keurig self-service coffee to WB and NB 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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) 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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) 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 Provided a total of 4,393 hours of volunteer assistance 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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 Provided a total of 4,222 hours of volunteer assistance Jeff Eide 1st Quarter Achievements: 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 2nd Quarter Achievements: 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 3rd Quarter Achievements: 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) Kathleen Sheridan (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) Kathleen Sheridan (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 City of North St. Paul Music Together Richardson Elementary School Carol Matheys Center Quarter 3 City of North St. Paul Carol Matheys Center Behavioral Health Services of N. St. Paul Richardson Elementary Cowern Elementary Kathleen Sheridan (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 Cowern Elementary School St. Peter’s school Quarter 3 Richardson Elementary School Cowern Elementary 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 Science Museum of Minnesota Twin Cities Media Alliance Roseville Adult Learning Center Americorps (CTEP) MELSA Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, U. of MN Minitex Ramsey County Law Library The Source Comics Roseville Human Rights Commission The Loft College Goal Sunday Quarter 3 SCORE Keystone Community Service Health Access MN Goodwill Easter Seals Science Museum of Minnesota Americorps (CTEP) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, U. of MN Ramsey County Law Library The Source Comics 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 sessions to 44 students Quarter 3 Provided 13 tech lab sessions to 64 students 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% 2013 Operating Budget Reserves 103,336.00 52,113.68 51,222.32 50% 2012 Operating Budget Reserves 15,645.00 9,331.17 6,313.83 60% Prepared by Mary Larson 10/16/2015 Percent of Year Elapsed: 75% 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% Prepared by Mary Larson 10/16/2015 Percent of Year Elapsed: 75% 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 Prepared by Mary Larson 10/16/2015 Percent of Year Elapsed: 75% 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: Prepared by Mary Larson 10/16/2015 $120.00 $2.90 $30,810.61 Percent of Year Elapsed: 75% 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 Ramsey County Library _________________________ Request for Library Board Action _________________________ 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. BOARD ACTION REQUESTED: To approve the 2016 Holiday Calendar as proposed. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ 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. _________________________ Ramsey County Library _________________________ Request for Library Board Action 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. BOARD ACTION REQUESTED: For information and discussion. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ 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? _________________________ Ramsey County Library _________________________ Request for Library Board Action Meeting Date October 21, 2015 Action Requested Information & Discussion Presented By Susan M. Nemitz, Library Director SUBJECT Strategic Planning Update 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 For information and discussion. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ 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 ___________________________ Request for Library Board Action 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. BOARD ACTION REQUESTED: For information and discussion. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ _______________________ Ramsey County Library ___________________________ 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. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ _______________________ Ramsey County Library ___________________________ 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. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ 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 rclboard@rclreads.org • 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: rclfriends@rclreads.org Timeline: Design Start: June 2015 Completion of Design: September 2015 Construction Start: October 2015 Grand Opening: First Quarter 2017 8/15 Ramsey County Library _________________________ Request for Library Board Action _________________________ 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. BOARD ACTION REQUESTED: For information and discussion. ____________________ Request for Library Board Action ____________________ 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 staffwriter@lillienews.com. 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 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/ 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 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/ 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: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/ 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: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/ 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://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/ 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 (rashad.young@dc.gov). Susan Benton is president and CEO, Urban Libraries Council, Washington, D.C.: (susanbenton@urbanlibraries.org). 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 ehinrichs@lillienews.com. 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 Submitted by admin on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 12:00am 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 mmunzenrider@lillienews.com 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 Submitted by admin on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 12:00am 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. http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/10/13/ramsey-county-pedestrian-and-bike-plan-presentedopen-house 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. http://www.rosevillereview.com/articles/2015/10/13/ramsey-county-pedestrian-and-bike-plan-presentedopen-house 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 mmunzenrider@lillienews.com 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 lori.carlson@moundsviewschools.org. 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... 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