From the Director
Library news and happenings.
The annual report, The State of America’s Libraries, was released last week, National Library Week, by the American Library Association.
Its findings and conclusions confirm what KPL and most public libraries are experiencing and discussing at our conferences, on email lists, and wherever library staff gather: Americans are turning to their libraries in ever increasing numbers for all types of resources but at the same time funding from all sources is decreasing.
The report addresses public, school and academic libraries; technology; construction and renovation; social networking; legislation; outreach; copyright.
The many statistics confirm that overall use of public libraries is up 23% at over 16,600 locations across the country. Libraries are being turned to in increasing numbers for access to employment resources, continuing education, government services, and the more traditional ones of free access to books, magazines, CDs, DVDs.
The report refers to a “perfect storm of growing demand and shrinking resources”. Half of the states have reduced funding to libraries; a majority of states report a decrease of 5 – 10% in local funding to public libraries. Not surprisingly, many have reduced staff, hours, services.
KPL is not immune; we also expect a decrease in local revenues for next year. As reported previously on our blogs and in LINK, we have made a variety of reductions and are in the midst of strategic planning to determine our priorities and the goals to support those priorities for the next several years. We’ll continue to share the outcomes of that process on our website and in our publications over the coming months.
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State Of America's Libraries Report 2010
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http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/index.cfm
We join all the others throughout the community in urging you to vote in the Commencement Challenge to have President Obama as Kalamazoo Central’s commencement speaker.
K-Central is one of six finalists in the nation, the only one in Michigan, selected to compete. View the three-minute student-produced video and vote by 11:59 PM on Thursday, April 29, to narrow the field from six contestants to three. President Obama will choose the winner.
(Kalamazoo Gazette photo, John A. Lacko)
Watch as White House staff notify the six finalists.
More information about the Commencement Challenge is available on the White House website, and today’s post by Education Secretary Arne Duncan on the White House blog.
Vote Kalamazoo!
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Vote Kalamazoo!
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http://www.votekalamazoo.com/
About twice a year, several directors from class 6 public libraries, those serving a population over 100,000, get together and talk informally. This informal group currently includes six public library directors from the southern and central areas of Michigan. Some of us have been in our positions or libraries for years and years, others of us are relatively new. We exchange topics in advance and all come prepared to share ideas and advice with each other.
We met last week. Not surprisingly, the first topic we all wanted to talk about was the decline in local revenue we are all experiencing, and how each library is adapting services and staffing. Other topics included the decrease in funding for the Library of Michigan and how it will impact public library patrons, strategic planning being undertaken by several of us, community collaborations, increasing emphasis on self-services for patrons.
Although we are all in the same “business,” many of our services and community emphases are quite different. We have much to learn from each other, much to share. I always return from these gathering with some new ideas to consider for KPL. For me, this is networking at it finest!
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Networking; Strategic Planning
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/strategic-planning/
The season for “Best of…” has begun. As I wrote previously, the first list I saw this year was best books in the Nov/ Dec issue of Bookmarks magazine.
Publishers Weekly has published the PW TOP 10 and PW TOP 100. That’s a lot of good books, at least in the eyes of the PW editors.
Not surprisingly, David Small’s Stitches is on the PW TOP 10 list. Those of us who have read David’s book and attended his program at KPL or elsewhere in the community, know this is a powerful graphic memoir well deserving of this recognition from Publishers Weekly and its nomination for a National Book Award. (If you missed David’s presentation, watch or listen to the entire program here.)
David has been a special friend to KPL and our patrons. Congratulations on this nomination, the top 10 listing and the many more recognitions sure to come his way.
We have David’s books, most of which are in the children’s collections. Come visit and check one out.
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Stitches
9780393068573
Listening to the school closings on the radio this morning leaves no doubt—the flu has hit Kalamazoo. Like other organizations that serve the public, KPL is trying to limit the spread of the H1N1 as well as seasonal flu.
We’ve posted signs throughout our buildings promoting hand-washing to limit the spread of the flu virus. We’re setting up hand sanitizer stations for library visitors and providing tissues, disposable gloves, and disinfectant wipes to staff.
A new topic guide on our website compiles information and web links on both the seasonal and H1N1 flu. Although not a substitute for professional health care, you’ll find helpful information on this guide.
Our excellent Facilities Management crew will continue to keep our buildings clean and disinfected; we’ll clean keyboards and public work surfaces even more frequently, too.
We sent a staff member to an informational meeting at the Health Department and will continue to follow Kalamazoo County government’s recommendations regarding the pandemic.
Take care, be well.
Flu Information topic guide »
(Kalamazoo Gazette photo by Tyler Tjomsland)
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WMU student with the flu (Gazette photo)
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http://photos.mlive.com/kalamazoogazette/2009/10/shes_got_the_flu.html
Earlier this month, KPL’s board of trustees approved a resolution supporting the Michigan Library Association’s (MLA) campaign to “help protect Michigan libraries.”
By this resolution, our board urges the Michigan Legislature to:
• Keep library services and functions together under the Library of Michigan within state government
• Maintain state aid to libraries at $10 million to retain federal funding for MeLCat and MeL databases
• Retain the position of State Librarian
• Oppose the governor’s executive order disbanding the Dept of History, Arts, and Libraries (HAL)
MLA’s advocacy website discusses the issues in great detail. You can learn more there, including how you can help – contact your state senator and representative and attend the library rally in Lansing on September 10. Library patrons’ voices will mean more to lawmakers than those of the library community alone. If you enjoy any of the services offered by MeL, the Michigan Electronic Library, please add your support to Michigan’s libraries!
HAL and library funding decisions are part of the budget deliberations underway in Lansing.
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Michigan Libraries for the Future
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http://www.milibrariesforthefuture.org/
Last week over 500 people attended the “Hands Around the Library” rally at the capitol building in Lansing. The rally was organized by the Michigan Genealogical Council to advocate for the Library of Michigan, its history, and collections.
As I have written previously and as widely reported, the Governor’s order would dismantle the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries and significantly reduce support for libraries.
The Michigan Library Association (MLA) is advocating for libraries and our patrons. Their position statement and other advocacy tools are available on the website. A rally organized by MLA will be held in Lansing on September 10 when the legislature is back in session.
We are following these developments closely and urge library supporters to do likewise.
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Library of Michigan
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http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19270---,00.html
As you may have heard on the news, the Governor issued an executive order last week calling for the elimination of the Dept of History, Arts, and Libraries (HAL). Of course we are focused on what might happen to the Library of Michigan, various library services, and state funding for libraries. Currently public libraries receive a small per capita allocation from the state, but more importantly, state funds are a match to federal money which pays for MeLCat, the statewide catalog used for interlibrary loan, and the MeL databases.
The Michigan Library Association (MLA) Executive Director has issued a memo outlining the executive order from the perspective of the library community. MLA urges the Governor and the Legislature to maintain library services within state government and keep the functions whole, maintain state aid at the current $10 million level, and retain the position and role of the State Librarian.
I believe the state funded service most vital to KPL’s patrons is MeLCat. We borrow over 1,000 items per month from other libraries for our patrons AND loan an equal number to other libraries for their patrons. That is only possible through the MeLCat catalog, the interlibrary loan system, and the delivery that moves the materials around the state. It depends upon state funding to match the federal funding.
Make your voice heard; contact your state senator or representative. The voice of library patrons will have more force than that of library staff alone.
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Michigan eLibrary (MeL)
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/melcat/
In a previous blog post, I shared some interesting collection statistics from Michigan public libraries, compiled from the annual reports we submit to the Library of Michigan.
Here are a few programming and technology facts I found particularly interesting:
- Public libraries offered 93,022 public programs last year; 56,639 were for children
- Total program attendance for all public library programs was 2,462,741
- 8.5 million reference questions were answered, an average of 23,514 per day across the state
- All public libraries offer internet access to their patrons on 8,938 public use computers, used more than 14 million times
- Impressive though these numbers are, we rank in about the middle of the 50 states in most of the categories
Most importantly is what KPL has to offer you! Visit our website, branches, bookmobile, central library and use our services.
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Michigan Library Stats and State Aid
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http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17451_18668_41254---,00.htmlThe Library of Michigan has just issued the annual digest of selected statistics about our state’s public libraries.
The information is compiled from the annual reports all public libraries must submit by February 1 each year.
Here are a few collection statistics that are particularly interesting:
- There are nearly 35 million books in the state’s public libraries, almost four books for every resident; the national average is 2.8 books per capita
- Michigan residents checked out over 74.8 million items during the past year
- Each resident checks out an overage of 7 items per year as compared to the national average of 7.3
- On a typical day, Michigan public libraries circulate 205,179 items to some of the 4,693,192 active registered borrowers
- We have 379 main libraries, 277 branch libraries, and 16 bookmobiles providing public library service
I’ll share programming and technology data in my next blog post.
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Library Statistics and State Aid
hal-lm-libstats-160
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17451_18668_41254---,00.html