 |
The Belmont Public Library had another exciting and very busy year. Some of the highlights include new programs such as CyberTeens-CyberSeniors, a six-week program where teen volunteers introduced senior citizens to the computer and the internet; a creative writing workshop for teens; and children’s classes on how to use the library catalog and internet. We added databases to the electronic collection including ReferenceUSA, American History Online, Valueline and Morningstar. The library began planning and preparing for the 2005 Library Construction Grant Round of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), and a group of citizens
supporting the Library established the Belmont Library Foundation to help with fundraising efforts.
Staffing
The Reference Department experienced personnel changes in 2004. Following the retirement of Duane Crabtree in October, 2003, after 30 years of service to the Library, reference librarian Carol Baer was appointed acting Coordinator of Public Services. In April, 2004, Emily Reardon, also a member of the Library’s reference staff, took over the job on a permanent basis. Emily first began working part-time at the Library in 1996 while attending Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She has worked as the Young Adult librarian since the position was created five years ago, and has introduced a wide variety of programs, services, and materials designed to bring teens into the library and support their academic efforts. In August, Laura Berdish was named the new Young Adult librarian after
demonstrating outstanding research skills as a part-time member of the Reference staff. Laura had previously worked as a research librarian at Computer World and at New Directions, an executive recruiting firm.
The Children’s Department also experienced personnel changes in 2004. Following the retirement of Joyce Higgins, in 2003, after 23 years of service as the Coordinator of Children’s Services, children’s librarian Liz Moult was promoted to the Coordinator’s position. In February of 2004, Debora Leopold was hired to fill the children's librarian position. Debora is a Simmons graduate and was the children’s librarian in Lincoln before coming to Belmont. Debora and Liz are commonly referred to as the “dynamic duo.” The increase in the children’s circulation was
13.5% over last year attributed to weeding and the program planning of the dynamic duo.
Increased Library Use
During 2004 patron use of the Belmont Public Library increased according to a number of different measures. Patron traffic at the Library continued to rise, even though many cardholders have learned to use the Minuteman Library Network Web site to request and renew books themselves from the comfort of their own homes, at all hours of the day and night. Approximately 300,000 visits were made to the Library in 2004, an average of over 1000 daily. In addition, the abundance of information sources available on the Internet has not dampened circulation of the Library’s books; on the contrary, circulation increased again as it has in previous years, growing by almost 24,000 items over last year. With an annual circulation of 519,869, Belmont once again ranked among the most heavily used libraries in its population group of
54 Massachusetts communities.
Since the installation of a new online catalog and circulation system (called Innovative Interfaces’ Millennium, or Triple I) in 2003, patrons are finding it easier than ever to request books from other libraries in the Minuteman Library Network. Patrons can also request books from libraries outside the Network, either on their own using the Virtual Catalog or by asking a reference librarian. These requests exceeded 73,000 items in 2004, compared to about 30,000 items the previous year, an increase of 146%. Reference questions surged as well, with reference librarians answering more than 44,000 questions in person, on the telephone, and by email – a 25% increase over the previous year. Although the increase may reflect, to some degree, greater attention to record keeping on the part of librarians, it still
shows that patrons are turning to the reference staff for help with research, homework, and requesting books and materials from other Minuteman libraries.
Internet and Electronic Database Access Increases
Another new service available to patrons is wireless Internet access, made possible by the donation of a high-speed connection from Comcast. This new service allows individuals with a laptop and a wireless network card to access the Internet at the Library on their own computer. The signal is strongest in the Reference Room, but also works in some surrounding areas such as the Young Adult Room. Advantages of wireless access include no wait for a free computer, no time limits, and the ability to spread out at a large table.
Internet use at the Library remained strong. During the year 26,414 sessions were logged in at the Library, with patrons sometimes waiting in lines during the afternoon, our busiest time, for a turn at the Library’s 11 computers with public Internet access. Of these computers, four now offer both the Internet and Microsoft Word to better meet patrons’ needs.
Electronic databases were widely used by patrons, both at the library and off-site through links on the Library’s Web site. Use of Infotrac, an online resource that allows patrons to access the full text of many newspaper and magazine articles published during the last 25 years, has increased threefold since 2001, with patrons conducting more than 19,000 individual searches this year. Patrons have also made good use of the Historical New York Times database, which has proven invaluable to students researching history projects, book group members, stock market investors, and others seeking articles dating back to 1851. These are just a few of the databases provided by the Minuteman Library Network and the Metrowest Massachusetts Regional Library System. The Belmont Public Library subscribes to additional
databases on its own. This year, the Library added to its electronic collection ReferenceUSA, a source of information on companies of all sizes in the United States, and a set of three databases called Ancient and Medieval World History, Modern World History, and American History Online that offers reference articles, primary sources, images, timelines, and other information. Also available now is in-library access to two important business databases, Valueline and Morningstar.
In an effort to stay up-to-date on electronic and other library resources, members of the reference staff attended workshops during the year on getting the most out of Google; researching genealogy; finding primary sources and investment resources on the Web; managing email; managerial and supervisory skills; and other topics. After attending the workshops, which were offered by the Metrowest Regional Library System and the Minuteman Library Network, staff members shared their new expertise with colleagues at monthly Reference Department meetings. Christine and Emily also attended the Massachusetts Library Association annual meeting in the spring, where they gleaned useful information about readers’ advisory and marketing library services to the public.
Adult Instruction
In addition, the reference staff is spending more time teaching patrons how to use the impressive array of resources available on the computer, including the Internet, email, and online databases. The technology librarian, Christine Hunnefeld, offered 16 computer workshops on such topics as Health Information, the Library Catalog, Internet Basics, Advanced Internet, and the Historic New York Times Online, which 93 people attended. She also provided training to a group of independent career counselors on finding career resources through the Library Web site, and spoke at the Senior Center Computer Club about the Library’s online services.
In an exciting new initiative, the Reference staff launched the CyberTeens-CyberSeniors program, a six-week period in July and August when teen volunteers introduced senior citizens to the computer and the Internet. Twelve middle and high school volunteers participated in a week-long training session, then offered individual one-hour, one-on-one appointments to senior citizens to help them use Microsoft Word, email, the Library catalog, and the Internet. Thirty-five senior citizens received individual instruction for a total of 148 sessions, and gave the program rave reviews. So that seniors could master skills through a hands-on experience, the Library borrowed five laptop computers from the Minuteman Library Network. The Library would like to purchase laptops of its own in order to offer patrons more hands-on instruction.
Adult Library Programs
Books and Bites, a book review program at the library coordinated by branch librarian Elisabeth Strachan and reference librarian Miriam MacNair, continues to be popular. It features presentations by local residents, Belmont Public Library staff, and local authors. The Books and Bites presentations in 2004 were excellent and were very well attended. Local residents who gave presentations were Gillian Aguilar, Grace Taylor, Margaret Meyer, Sarah Ellison, Martha Jacoby, Joseph Salerno, Amy Wagenfeld, Martin Cohen, Elizabeth Atkins, and Marcia Lynch. Books they discussed included the following titles: Thoreau’s Garden by Peter Loewer, Faith in a Seed by Henry David Thoreau, The Student Conductor by Robert Ford, Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon, Evolution’s
Captain by Peter Nichols, Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson, Any Human Heart by William Boyd, Blanche Cleans Up by Barbara Neely, Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier, The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Narrows by Michael Connelly, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Singing Boy by Dennis McFarland, Little Children by Tom Perrotta, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, and Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. The response from attendees was enthusiastic.
Local authors who gave presentations at Books and Bites were David S. Brody who discussed his book Blood of the Tribe: A Legal Thriller and Heidi White who discussed her book At the Edge of the Storm, a memoir of her childhood in Germany.
The book discussion group at the Main Library, led by branch librarian Elisabeth Strachan and reference librarian Miriam MacNair, continued to meet in 2004, with stimulating discussions among the attendees. Books discussed included Father Melancholy’s Daughter by Gail Godwin, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, Wild Decembers by Edna O’Brien, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Hazards of Good Breeding by Jessica Shattuck, and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.
The book discussion group at the Belmont Senior Center, led by reference librarian Miriam MacNair, continued to have lively and enjoyable meetings as well. Books discussed included The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (read over a three month period), On the Road by Jack Kerouac, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
Young Adult Programs
In 2004, approximately 1400 students attended young adult programs, making the Belmont Public Library’s young adult program one of the most active in the Minuteman Library Network. Contributing to this success was a strong school-library collaboration, which this year expanded to include work with Belmont High School senior English classes preparing for their senior thesis. Seven senior English classes visited the library in the fall for an introduction to literary criticism resources at the Library and on the Internet, with additional classes scheduled to visit in January, 2005. Eleven sixth grade social studies classes visited the library in March and May to learn how to track down information on Ancient Civilizations, in preparation for their first major social studies research project. In April, 11 tenth
grade English classes visited to learn how to locate and use the Library’s print and online resources on current and controversial issues, for a unit on persuasive writing.
The Young Adult Department continued to provide support for eighth-graders as they worked on projects for the National History Day competition, a major element of the Chenery Middle School curriculum. Belmont Public Library reference librarians conducted 120 half-hour individual and small group appointments with a total of 198 students to help them find the materials, including many primary sources, required for this assignment.
The Third Annual Belmont Band Bash, an outdoor concert co-sponsored with the Belmont Police Department DARE Program and the Belmont Youth Commission, was held once again next to the Library behind the Underwood Pool. Six bands featuring high school students performed on May 27 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, attracting about 250 attendees. The event kicked off the 2004 Teen Summer Reading Program, called “Go for the Gold @ Your Library”; the theme was chosen by the Library’s Teen Advisory Board to tie in with the Summer Olympics. One hundred and thirty-eight students participated in the program, read and reported on 534 books, and submitted 99 answers to weekly trivia questions, as they competed for prizes donated by Belmont businesses and the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. The prizes were awarded at a
closing pizza party and raffle for the summer readers.
Other Young Adult programs included a new offering, a creative writing workshop that met for six sessions during the fall. Taught by Chenery Middle School aide Adele Wilson, “Get It Write” gathered a loyal following of fifth through eighth-graders. The Manga/Anime Club for middle school fans of Japanese comics continued to meet monthly for its third year under the leadership of Elaine Alligood, Chenery parent and Veterans Administration librarian. Other programs held during the year included a babysitting course, a bookbinding workshop, and a workshop entitled “How Teens Can Get Published.”
The department once again benefited from the efforts of an excellent team of student volunteers. Thirty-two students performed 768 hours of community service to fulfill their high school graduation requirement. The students assisted in book shelving and organization, created decorations for the young adult room, suggested new books and materials, participated in the highly successful CyberTeens – CyberSeniors program, and pitched in on a variety of other projects.
Finally, in a new initiative the Young Adult and Children’s Departments jointly hosted “Family Night @ the Library” on March 30, to support the Youth Commission’s month-long Belmont Unplugged program. Refreshments were served and families could attend a story time in the Children’s Room, play board games in the Young Adult Room, and listen to a swing band featuring reference librarian Andy Moore playing clarinet in the West Wing.
Children’s Programs
The Jane Gray Dustan Children’s Room and the Benton and Waverley Branches offer children's programs throughout the year. A total number of 168 programs from story times by the librarians to paid performers were presented during 2004 with a total attendance of 6,440.
The story time programs offered include a Book Babies group for children age 9 to 24 months, stories for 2's and 3's, and a story craft for children age 4 and 5. Story times run for eleven weeks in the fall, six weeks in the winter and ten weeks in the spring. Total attendance at these popular story times was over 2,000 children. Playtimes are also offered for preschoolers on Friday mornings throughout the school year. For children in grades 4-6, there is a monthly book discussion group with fun activities and lively discussion which is eagerly attended by a core group of a dozen children.
A new offering this year was a class on how to use the library catalog and internet. Twelve students attended the first class in November, and due to its success, more classes are planned for the coming year. The Children's Room web page was updated and made interactive. Belmont teachers can now contact the children's librarians directly through the page for help with books for homework assignments.
The Jane Gray Dustan Trust Fund provided many enrichment programs throughout the year including popular folksinger Julie Goetz who continues to come to the Main Library and Branches twice monthly. Additionally, singer Liz Buchanan came to the Main Library once a month for well attended performances in the Assembly Room of the Library. Other performances during the school year included Bonaparte the Magician, the Pumpernickel Puppets and storyteller Carolyn Martino.
The summer reading program, "Explore Other Worlds @ Your Library", was kicked off in June with singer/composer David Polansky's program, Laughter in the Library. Other summer performances sponsored by the Jane Gray Dustan Trust Fund included singers Steve Roslonik, Liz Buchanan, and Elaine Kessler, Origami with Alice Schaeffer, an Activated Storytelling Troupe, Wingmaster’s World of Owls, Dino Man, and a Go for the Stars space program. Additional summer activities included a Dr. Seuss night, a Mystery evening, noon-time movies, pop-up book day, chalk the front walk, bubbles on the lawn and several craft days. A record number of 780 children signed up for the summer reading program. Total attendance at the summer programs was almost 2,000 children. The Friends of the Library generously supported
the summer reading program by providing prize baskets.
The Children's Room Community Service program for sixth graders continued to increase in popularity with a large number of Middle School students signing up to help out in the Children's Room for an hour each day. The program enables Middle School students to fulfill their community service requirements at the library.
The Technical Services Department also experienced personnel changes in 2004. The department was very busy adding and discarding materials from the collection. In 2004, technical services staff prepared and processed over 10,000 new items to be added to our circulating collection. They also had to process over 10,000 items which were withdrawn form our circulating collection.
Branch Libraries
The Benton and Waverley Branches continued providing storytimes, sing-a-longs and playtimes for children. For Adults, the Benton Branch had Book Discussions of Wild Decembers by Edna O”Brien and The Soldier’s Return by Melvyn Bragg.
There were an increased number of 6th grade students volunteering at the Benton Branch to fulfill community service requirements. The students shelved books, made holiday decorations and bookmarks, read aloud to children and worked on special projects with great enthusiasm.
With the consolidation of the fire stations, the future of the Waverley Branch and the re-use of the building was uncertain. “The Waverley Square Fire Station Re-use Steering Committee” was formed to research appropriate uses for the building and make a recommendation to the Selectmen. The committee held several meetings to seek public opinion and input on possible options for the building. A combined use of library and residential or business was one possible scenario, but the preferred option was for residential use. The committee’s findings were published in July as the Final Report and Recommendations of the Waverley Square Fire Station Re-Use Steering Committee. The library will remain open until the building is sold to a developer.
Volunteer Activities and Meetings
Meeting rooms continued to be in high demand, as the Library was forced to juggle the needs of its own public programs and those of community groups. The Library hosted 875 programs and meetings (up from 728 in 2003), with 18,857 people in attendance. Of these events, nearly half – 389 programs – were sponsored by the Library, with 9,129 people attending. The building is a popular meeting place because it is centrally located; feels safe at night, since adult services remain open until 9 PM on Monday through Thursday; and has rooms of different sizes. The Belmont Historical Society continues to staff the Claflin Room with a volunteer several times a week, to help Town residents locate documents, maps, and other items of historical significance that are stored in the room.
Volunteers continue to play an important role at the Library. This year our dedicated volunteers contributed more than 1700 hours to shelving and organizing books, entering catalog data, conducting special projects, delivering books to the homebound, and giving book reviews at the monthly “Books and Bites” presentation. The Trustees truly appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm of the volunteers, who contribute so much of their time and expertise.
The Friends of the library continue to fund the “Belmont Bugle”, the library newsletter produced by the director. The eighth annual staff day was held in June. This year the morning sessions were devoted to Team Building, conducted by Pat Sordill. The Friends of the Library sponsored a wonderful luncheon for the entire staff. Dianne Klayman conducted the afternoon session which was on Customer Service.
The library is fortunate to have the support of many community groups, most notably the Friends of the Library, the Rotary Club, the Garden Club and the Historical Society. The Friends of the Library had another successful book sale in October. The money raised supports adult and young adult programming, helps purchase reading incentives for the Children’s Department and funds the museum pass program which consists of passes to fifteen institutions - The Aquarium, Audubon Society, Children’s Museum, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Discovery Museum, Essex/Peabody Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, Harvard Art Museum, Harvard Natural History Museum, John F. Kennedy Museum, Plimoth Plantation, Science Museum, Zoo New England (Franklin Park and Stone Zoos) and the Gore Place Mansion. These museum
passes are available to all residents of Belmont who have a current Minuteman Library Network card. The passes circulated 1,728 times.
The Friends of the Library had another successful Author Series at the library. The series started Kimberly Scott discussing her latest novel, "On the Bus." This novel is a fictional release about families that struggled with the forced busing implementation in 1974.~ Sharon O’Brien discussed and signed her book The Family Silver, a compassionate, but lighter side of her memoir of depression and inheritance. Ms. O'Brien grew up in Belmont and her mother worked at The Belmont Public Library. Lora Brody, an author of over 22 cookbooks and Susan Schwartz, a recipe developer and friend brought us delicious desserts and many great stories. Lora Brody discussed and signed cookbooks that she has written, including Chocolate American Style and Cape Cod Table. Some of the other authors who
were part of the author series were: David S. Brody, author of Blood of the Tribe: A Legal Thriller;, William Martin, author of Harvard Yard; Mameve Medwed, author of The End of an Error; Bill Nowlin, author of Ted Williams; Barbara Paul-Emile, author of Seer .
Planning a New Library for Belmont
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) announced a Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program grant round for 2005, which was a pleasant and exciting surprise. The Trustees saw this as a way to save Town funds while building a new library that meets the needs of Town residents.
Grant applications are due on February 7, 2005 and the Commissioners will make initial decisions about grant awards in July 2005. The MBLC will give construction funds to towns based on a queue that is partly needs based and depends on the availability of funds. Belmont could get an award of at least $3M, but there is no way to know when the state would award the actual funds.
The Trustees and Friends began working closely with Town committees and residents to garner support for the building project and for the grant application. The Friends held workshops in 2004 to give Belmont residents a chance to dream about what the library could be. Attendees represented a good cross-section of Belmont residents. The Friends then issued their Shared Vision Statement, combining the outcomes of the individual sessions. The statement shows that residents want a library that is a “town treasure” that is the “heart of the community” and a “state-of-the-art facility” with “cutting-edge technology.” The Friends also ran bus trips to the neighboring libraries of Lexington on May 25th, Winchester on June 2nd, and Wellesley on June 10th. On these tours,
participants got exclusive looks inside state-of-the-art libraries.
In preparing the grant application, the Trustees, staff and director reviewed the library building program of 2000 and made revisions where necessary based upon more recent surveys, studies, the Long Range Planning process, and the Friends’ vision workshops.
An important part of the grant application was selecting a library site, because that would affect the eventual building design. After a presentation by the Trustees in May, the Selectmen appointed a Site Planning Committee to investigate appropriate sites. The committee, co-chaired by Mike Speidel of the Capital Budget Committee and Vera Dreyer of the Trustees, included members of the Recreation Commission, Permanent Building Committee, Historic District Commission, Conservation Commission, and the neighborhood. After investigating about a dozen options, the Committee recommended a land swap between the Memorial Library and the Underwood Pool. They felt that the swap would give the library enough space to expand and give the Recreation Commission the opportunity to develop a program for a new outdoor pool. The group hired
the firm of WW to create a massing study and draw up preliminary plans. Their design showed how the library and pool could co-exist on a unified park setting that helps connect recreation areas and schools and serves as a beautiful “front door” for the Town.
MBLC grant regulations require a feasibility study with detailed schematic design plans. The Trustees submitted an RFP for architectural services and appointed a selection committee to review proposals, interview architectural firms and recommend a firm for the Trustees to hire. J Stewart Roberts Associates of Somerville won the contract and is completing the design for the grant application. Roberts has extensive experience designing attractive and functional public libraries throughout the Commonwealth. Following new state regulations, the Trustees also hired a project manager, Richard Marks of Daedalus Projects, Inc.
The architects investigated a number of alternatives: renovation plus addition on the current site or on an expanded site; or a new building on the current site, an expanded site or a new site. The expanded site or the new site plans each involved a land swap between the library and pool, allowing the Town to update both facilities.
The Trustees also appointed a Feasibility Study Committee to oversee the development of schematic designs for the library. It includes members of the Library Trustees, the library staff, the Belmont Library Foundation, the Recreation Commission, the Friends of the Library, the Permanent Building Committee, the Historic District Commission, the Conservation Commission, the Sewer and Storm Water Commission, the Site Planning Committee and the neighborhood.
Roberts created drawings so the Committee could review all of the options. After much discussion, the committee recommended that the best option is to keep the library and pool in their current locations. As the feasibility study comes to a close, J Stewart Roberts Associates is completing a master plan for the library and pool sites.
The last part of the grant application process is to show the results of the feasibility study to Town Meeting in April 2005 and get approval of the application. While a positive vote allows the Trustees to complete the application and wait for the grant award it is not an appropriation of funds or a promise to appropriate funds at a later time. It is simply an approval of application and the direction of the project.
Fundraising
The Selectmen have indicated that a new library would require a substantial amount of outside funds. The MBLC grant is one source of these funds and private fundraising is another. To make this new public/private funding model work, a group of residents formed the Belmont Library Foundation (BLF) to do private fund raising and public education for the new library and to provide future program support.
BLF incorporated in September and has since filed with the IRS to become a 501(c)(3) organization, able to collect tax-deductible contributions. This would have been impossible without substantial pro bono work of Belmont resident Joe Newberg and his firm, Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
The Belmont Public Library got a surprise challenge grant from a long-term library supporter. If we can raise $250,000 by the end of May 2005, the supporter will donate another $250,000. All of the funds are to be used for construction of a new building, and the board sees it as a great way to start our long term fundraising effort. To accomplish this challenge in such a short time, BLF hired Danny Watts, who successfully completed the $4.2M fundraising campaign for the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington.
Respectfully submitted,
Jil Westcott, Chairman
| |
