Library Department Report

April 2007

Staffing

· Rita Miller joined the staff during the month filling the open Materials Processor position.

· A second Materials Processor position was posted during the month.

Facility

· Installation of the new Internet Station Management (ISM) software was completed, associated patron forms and logs were created and duplicated, and Library staff received training. The system was launched April 04.

Professional Development & Meetings

· Meetings and workshops attended by professional staff included:

o Monthly Library Supervisors Meeting

o Monthly Staff Meeting for Librarians, Circulation Coordinators, Library Assistants & Materials Processors

o Monthly Staff Meeting for Library Pages – Mary Reed & Pamela Myers

o Lakeland Library Cooperative Finance Committee Meeting – Pamela Myers

o Lakeland Library Cooperative Board Meeting – Pamela Myers

o Lakeland Library Cooperative Career and Business Highlights in MeL Workshop – Mary Reed

o Lakeland Library Cooperative Health Resource on the Internet MeL Workshop – Susan Carlson

o Kent District Library’s All-Friends Linking Workshop – Pamela Myers

Programming, Promotions, Publicity, Special Projects,

Departmental Activities, etc.

· April 11: Book Discussion Group For Adults

o Book: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

o Facilitators: Mary Reed and Candace Hulst

o Attendance: 14

· April 12: Evening Book Discussion For Adults

o Book: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

o Facilitator: Mary Reed

o Participants: 2

· April 19: “Mysteries and Histories Beneath the Inland Seas” with Valerie vanHeest

o Adult Program featuring a presentation regarding the search and discovery of shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.

o Attendance: 21 adults

o Program sponsored by the Friends of the Library

· April 14: “It’s Time To Read” Family Reading Program Concluded

o Number of families participating: 36

o Total number of individual participants: 159 (69 adults and 90 children)

o Number of families reaching the 25-point reading goal: 11

· To earn a point, each family (together) had to read 12 picture books or 50 pages in a chapter book.

· Each point served as an entry into a general drawing for prizes.

· Number of families entering at least once: 21

· Total number of entries: 357

o Program sponsored by the Friends of the Library

· Toddler (“Wee Ones”) and Preschool Spring Story Times

o A six-week session of Story Time began April 03.

o Detailed attendance statistics for Story Times held in April are provided below:

Date	Toddler Story Time	Toddler Story Time	Preschool Story Time	Preschool Story Time
	Children (Ages 1 ½ – 3)	Adults	Children (Ages 3 –5)	Adults
04/03	10	7	18	8
04/04	18	13	15	8
04/10	18	8	24	12
04/11	23	14	14	8
04/17	20	11	33	14
04/18	26	15	13	9
04/24	20	14	27	17
04/25	26	16	15	7
Total	161	98	159	83
Average	20	12	20	10

· April 14: “Book Bag Creations” Workshop for Youth (In celebration of National Library Week)

o Attendance: 15 children ages 7 and older (registration was limited)

o Facilitators: Jill Reyers and Sue Kirvan with 2 Library volunteers

o Program sponsored by the Friends of the Library

· Promotional materials (e.g., press releases, displays, etc.) prepared for upcoming Summer Reading Program events – Jill Reyers

· Youth Services featured author (Beverly Cleary) book display – Sue Kirvan

· Ongoing “Staff Favorites” book display – Jill Reyers & Sue Kirvan

· Display of art work from Bursley Elementary School students throughout the Youth Services area

· “Celebrating April” Youth Services table display – Sue Kirvan

· Processing of materials for Local History files – Susan Carlson

· Lobby table display introducing the Library’s new Electronic Resources Policy – Pamela Myers & Candace Hulst

· Display of materials for National Poetry Month – Susan Carlson

· Promotional materials for Spring Used Book Sale (e.g., press releases, fliers, etc.) – Pamela Myers & Candace Hulst

· Weeding of Adult Fiction continued – Mary Reed

· Weeding of Adult Nonfiction 900’s completed – Susan Carlson

· Patron database clean-up – Pamela Myers

Friends of the Library

· The group held their monthly meeting on Monday, April 02.

· A slate of officers for the 2007 – 2008 fiscal year was created. (Voting on the officers was to occur at the May meeting.)

· Revenues from the Spring Used Book Sale (held April 26 – April 28) totaled $664.85.

Service & statistical information

Service and statistical information for the month of April 2007 is presented below.

	April	April	% Change	2007 YTD	2006 YTD	% Change YTD
	2007	2006	2006 - 2007 %			2006 - 2007
Circulation (Items)
Total Circulation	26,216	23,731	10.47%	108,157	103,765	4.23%
Check-Outs	23,331	21,235	9.87%	96,059	93,207	3.06%
Check-Ins	24,032	22,701	5.86%	91,641	88,341	3.74%

Interlibrary Loan (Items)
Loaned	2,885	2,496	15.58%	12,098	10,558	14.59%
Borrowed	3,304	2,948	12.08%	13,644	12,949	5.37%
Paged (Searched For)	3,130	N/A	N/A	13,477	N/A	N/A

Holds
Placed By Staff	869	742	17.12%	3,582	3,400	5.35%
Calls to Patrons (Min.)	1,528	1,374	11.21%	6,307	6,469	-2.50%
# of E-mail Notices	1,411	N/A	N/A	5,649	N/A	N/A
# of E-mail Items	2,135	N/A	N/A	8,599	N/A	N/A
# of Telephone Notices	1,546	N/A	N/A	6,064	N/A	N/A
# of Telephone Items	2,054	N/A	N/A	8,067	N/A	N/A

Traffic Count	12,178	10,979	10.92%	47,269	46,514	1.62%

Other

Discussions continued at various Lakeland Library Cooperative (LLC) meetings regarding the potential cut to State Aid to public libraries and cooperatives by the State of Michigan in both FY 2007 and FY 2008. Debate continued to focus on how best to address the impact of such cuts on the Cooperative, as well as its services and its fees to member libraries. Further review and discussion was eventually tabled until subsequent LLC meetings planned for May, as some Cooperative member library directors wanted to await additional information from the State of Michigan.