Paper Mailers for Holds and Overdues Discontinued - Due to cost to member libraries, coupled with end-of-life equipment in LAS requiring expensive replacement, and the low numbers of patrons receiving print paper mailers, the MCLS Directors Council approved the following recommendations at their January 4th meeting:

1. After February 3^rd, MCLS will no longer print paper mailers for holds and overdue items.
2. Paper mailers will continue to be printed for Lost notices.
3. Paper notices for Lost items will be switched from two part datamailers to postcards as soon as they can be procured and set-up.

RPL Staff Day – The annual staff training day for RPL is scheduled for Monday February 20, Presidents Day. The theme this year is customer service. The morning will include presentations from the Director and both Assistant Directors. The afternoon will consist of two sessions focusing on customer service. The first session, done in two locations, will feature a panel discussion with RPL and MCLS staff who are noted for their customer service skills. They will address a series of real-life questions and customer service scenarios and participate in a Q&A session with staff. The second session will provide time for all departments, divisions and branches to meet separately for departmental staff meetings, where they will discuss what they learned from the panel discussions and identify a minimum of one customer service goal for their unit.

Nominations for RPL Staff Awards are due to me by January 23. Please consider nominating someone for their hard work!

Central Library Reorganization – The final report on the Central Reorganization activities will be presented to both MCLS and RPL Boards in February. I understand there has been some confusion and anxiety over the speed at which any changes will be implemented. As many of you know, some of the potential changes could include moving of whole divisions, which, as you can imagine, doesn’t happen overnight. This report will present a set of recommendations for changes to the board; it will be up to the boards and director to set priorities for changes to be implemented. Any change that involves significant moving will go through what I expect to be a lengthy analysis phase with architects and designers, followed by moving and any construction necessary. I expect that the most significant changes will take place over the next 18-24 months. Changes that will happen quickly are mostly those things that can be done without construction, extensive planning, staff resources, and money. The final report will be shared with all staff, and your questions on it will be addressed in future Central all-staff meetings on the first Monday of each month.

Lend Us Your Story – David Creek has been working with the City Communications Department on creating a promotional video for RPL. Preliminary plans call for promoting a contest on our website using the slogan: “Lend Us Your Story:  Tell Us Why You Love Your Library.” Patrons will be asked to submit a short (1-2 minute) video clip telling their story. The entries will be divided into categories such as “Best video sent in by a Juvenile,” and “Best video profiling a library program” and “Best of Show.”  Patrons will vote for the winners, and Kindles will be awarded as prizes.

Safe To Be Smart Changes at Arnett – In early December, we began a new Teen Visit System at Arnett.  Working in conjunction with LAS and the City’s IT Department and EZrecpass software, youth wishing to access the Safe To Be Smart Program at Arnett register online and have their picture taken. The statistics gathered will help the Safe To Be Smart Program grant applications at United Way and other agencies requiring data driven outcomes.   If successful, the program will be expanded to other Safe To Be Smart sites.

Administration Moves – David Creek’s office will pack up and move to CLA early in February. David will supervise Business, Science, Arts/Lit, Info/Circ, and Maintenance departments at Central in addition to the Branches. Sally Snow will continue to supervise all system service departments, plus the Children’s & Teen Centers, and Local History & Digitizing. Ana Suro will take on the supervision of the Security Department. The Finance Office will move in to the current Branch Admin office space, and the Friends & Foundation will expand into the space currently occupied by the Finance Office.

Have a good weekend and try to stay safe and warm!

She writes about her recent experience at the library (she doesn’t say which one) which was anything but quiet. We’ve all experienced this. I have had countless conversations with patrons who are looking for a few brief moments of solitude in their busy lives and turn to the library, thinking they’ll certainly find it there. Typically, they are not going to find that solitude in most busy libraries. Is that fair?

It’s a tough balance to maintain. Libraries are busier than ever, and continue to provide the same level of service our customers expect, but with less funding and fewer staff. Yet, despite our constant bleating that libraries are not quiet places anymore, are we running the risk of alienating a group of users who really do want the quiet solitude of the libraries of their youth?

Several large urban libraries I’ve visited recently have made the decision to acknowledge the very real needs of those users who are looking for a quiet place to work, study and unwind. They have created quiet spaces within the library, where cell phones must be turned off, head phones kept in your bag and conversations kept to a few words at very low volume.

In our data gathering on patron behavior and wants at Central recently, the need for quiet space was a common thread through focus groups, interviews and surveys. As I finish the report from the Technology & Physical Space sub-team, the creation of a quiet space at Central is one of the team’s significant reocmmendations. I am curious, though. Are there other MCLS libraries out there contemplating the creation of quiet space?

RPL Staff Day (Monday February 20) this year will focus on customer service and will address many of the issues that surfaced during the data collection phase of the Central reorganization project. Overall, the Customer Service sub-team found a generally positive customer service experience being had by Central Library users, which contradicted the anecdotal evidence presented to me in my early interviews with staff. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about why there appears to be such a disconnect between staff and user perceptions. Do staff hold themselves to a higher standard than our customers? Maybe. Are our customer expectations low? Maybe. Are we satisfying most of the customers who come to the library? It appears so (big hurrah for the Central public service staff!).

Either way, in nearly every interview with staff, the issue of training came up, so that will be the first thing we address. What kinds of training topics would be most useful for us to present? Would you prefer having our staff experts run the training or should we look for outside presenters? What topics are most relevant to what *you* do every day?

I am meeting with the team next Thursday to discuss training topics and presenters, so please send me your suggestions!

Here I am, 25 years later, in the position to make those decisions, and let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than I thought. I constantly remind myself of some advice given me by Annette von Dohlen when she retired as Director of the Ogden Library. She told me to always remember that the community owns the library. Not me. Not staff. The community. And every decision should be made with that in mind.

As the year winds down, I find myself in the position of having to make some really significant decisions about the future of the Central Library and the Monroe County Library System. Of course, much of this is tied to money and not having enough of it, but it’s also tied to adapting our traditional organizational structure to the present day and making us nimble enough to respond to the societal and cultural changes that will continue to bombard us at lightning speed in the years to come.

I cling to Annette’s advice about who and what is important, and I also try very hard to follow two other rules: treat people well, and what you do is far more important than what you say. I’ve slipped a bit this year and succumbed to impatience and, at times, downright snarkiness. If you’ve been on the receiving end of that this year, I apologize. I will try to do better in 2012.

As we approach the new year, I wonder what advice you have for me. What would you do if you were me?  I want to know. Really!

Public libraries serve many roles in the Rochester community, from community gathering place, to a source of materials for education and recreation, to a place to connect to the digital world. Forty two percent of Rochester’s children live in poverty, with less than 45% graduating from high school. Seventy three percent of library users polled in 2011 list the library as their only source for computer and internet access.

Our libraries have become, out of necessity, the place for the jobless, the homeless, and the poor. As more and more government programs and job opportunities rely on computer access and knowledge, the library has become the source for providing both the access and the training to help people out of poverty.

Our librarians have become, out of necessity, social workers, teachers, and counselors. A young librarian recently asked for advice regarding what she should tell users who need help applying for PayDay loans. She was torn between keeping an objective distance and just showing the user how to apply, and following her conscience and informing the user about the exorbitant interest rates associated with these loans.

Our libraries have become, out of necessity, the first place new immigrants and refugees head when they are resettled into urban neighborhoods and need help learning the language and understanding such things as how to read a prescription bottle or a school report card. The books and other materials available with a library card are like gold to people coming to this country for a better life. A young refugee from Burma recently completed his GED and brought his certificate to show the librarian who helped him with his program. He then asked her for a book on calculus so he could teach himself the basics of the subject before he started college.

Our central library has become, out of necessity, a home for the homeless. Lines of people form every morning waiting to get into the library for reasons ranging from warmth, restrooms, newspapers, computer access, and books. A homeless man recently told one of our librarians that he doesn’t want, need or use social services, but he couldn’t live without the library.

Libraries of 2011 provide far more than just books. One hundred years ago, being disenfranchised meant you couldn’t vote. In 2001 in the City of Rochester, it could mean anything from not being able to read to not having a computer. Libraries have become, out of necessity and great purpose, the equalizer in an increasingly digital world, and we have done this in the face of steadily declining support from funders. Don’t force our libraries, out of necessity, to stop the services provided to the disenfranchised of 2011. Restore and stabilize funding for public libraries now.

New York library systems have provided essential, collaborative services to the residents of New York State for more than 50 years. The buzz words today in state government are consolidation and merger; library systems should be acknowledged as the model for the type of consolidated government being touted by our governor. Instead, our library systems are slowly eroding due to annual reductions in state aid, effectively slowing, halting or reversing the savings achieved by our collaborative model of governance.

In Monroe County, our 20 member libraries have been required to increase the amount they spend on system services such as computers, internet access, an integrated library system software, delivery, outreach to the elderly and disabled, and much more. Our members are drawing funds to pay for increased system costs from budget lines for materials, programs, staffing, and hours, resulting in fewer services provided directly to our residents.

Since 2007, the Monroe County Library System budget has been reduced by nearly $1 million, while services have continued to be in high demand. During the peak of the recession, our libraries helped hundreds, if not thousands, of people look for work and teach themselves new skills. Library staff has done what we always do: cooperate and share expertise and resources among our libraries in the forms of training and materials sharing. When one library can’t afford to buy a popular material, it is still available to the residents of that town through another library in Monroe County. When one library can’t offer computer training, its patrons can take advantage of training in any of the other MCLS libraries. That sharing, the backbone of our system, is in danger of being reduced or disappearing altogether as individual libraries come under increasing pressure to serve their own residents first.

Library systems provide the structure upon which all our members operate. The value provided by the system to its members in the area of technology is significant. The provision of an integrated library system network (including an online catalog and circulation software) plus internet access saves our local municipalities and their libraries hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. Reduced support from New York State aid has forced MCLS to increase member costs by as much as 15%; any further increases to member libraries would be devastating at this time and could result in some libraries choosing to withdraw from the system. If that happens, the existing model for consolidated public library service in Monroe County will start to collapse, certainly an ironic occurrence in light of the governor’s push for consolidation of services.

I urge you to restore and stabilize state funding to libraries and library systems. Do not allow the disintegration of a cost-efficient, collaborative model that works.

David and I held our first Branch neighborhood Advisory Council meeting Monday night at Arnett and had a lively discussion about the past, current and future state of libraries in the City. This group consists of community members from all over the City who will meet every other month to discuss and share advice on how we manage our branch libraries. Our next meeting in January will feature a detailed presentation on the branch budget and performance metrics. The council participants have asked for a tour of the branches as well, so Dave and I will coordinate that in December and January. Thanks to Deb Leary for hosting.

Jeanne Slocombe at Winton has been working with a charter school that received a Friends-to-Friends grant that involves first graders walking to the library (encourages exercise and movement, thereby helping to fight obesity). As they walk, they talk about the neighborhood to increase awareness of their surroundings. They end their walk at the library, where they get stories and an introduction to the library This will encourage them to come back to the library as they get older, because they’ll remember that the library has resources that can help them with homework and entertainment. Also, it introduces the concept of ‘library as destination. Each class made 2 visits this fall, with 2 more to come in the spring.

At Central, Tim Horton’s is open and doing a brisk business. I’ve seen many staff members there getting coffee or having lunch. Thank you for supporting this new business!

I’d like to acknowledged Chris Costigan and Donna Widera for their development of the RPL 100 years of reading bookmarks that list best sellers by decade. A woman who attended the Branch Advisory Council meeting made a point of telling me how much she has enjoyed exploring all those “unknown” older titles. Great idea and great job, Chris & Donna! Also, kudos to Corinne Clar and the Graphics/Duplicating staff for designing and printing the bookmarks.

If you haven’t checked out the Vietnam Resource Center on BLB 3rd floor, you really should. The staff there have put together a nice collection of materials on the Vietnam War, and are using a wide screen TV donated by the Vietnam Veterans Chapter 20 organization to show video of the war. On display in Local history is a wonderful “Rochester in the Civil War” exhibit which was a featured stop on the First Friday art tour last week. The library was taken over by men in uniform, ladies in hoop skirts, and a fife & drum band. We are headed towards making the Central Library the place to be on Friday night downtown!

Greg Benoit of Webster has recently updated the Ebook guides on the libraryweb.org website, and has also worked with BOCES I to produce some training videos on how to use various e-readers and Overdrive. Both the updated guides and the videos are available on the website at http://www3.libraryweb.org/download.aspx?id=472119. Many thanks to Greg for providing excellent, current information to help our patrons use our resources.

Also new on the website is a Google Map that pinpoints locations, addresses and hours for each MCLS library. You can access the map under the “Libraries” and “Hours” tabs.

By 2014, automobiles will be among the top three fastest growing connected-device platforms for Internet-based content.

What implications does this have for libraries? What kinds of applications should we be building now to address this future state? How about a voice activated catalog search and download capability? Picture this – you’re driving along and hear about a new book on the radio and decide you want to read it tonight. Using your car’s voice activated internet connection, you hook up to the library catalog, search the title and choose to download the ebook wirelessly to your iPad. Bing. It’s there when you get home.

Or maybe you’re on a trip and decide you want to listen to an audio book. Through the same process, you connect to your library, select a recorded book and have it downloaded to your car and read over the radio.

How else could car connectivity be applied?

Patty

This conversation came about after a comment on a previous blog post where I mentioned that our Central library will likely have an Espresso Book Machine on consignment by the end of the year. One of my readers wrote to say that she doesn’t see this kind of service really gaining a foothold in the library because print is really, truly disappearing. I was intrigued enough by the comment to invite her and two other devoted library supporters to come and talk about their real life experiences with digital content.

Keep in mind that these two adult women, Brenda and Corinne, are devoted library users, and the third, a 17 year old young woman, Carolyn, visited the library nearly weekly with her family from the time she was baby. These people are Readers.

We started off talking about what they were using to read these days. All three have opted for Nooks, although one has a Kindle and an Edge, and all three admitted their use of the physical library has declined. The convenience of having books at their fingertips, whenever and wherever, is far more attractive than making multiple trips to the library.

The conversation really settled around what libraries should be doing *now* to keep their users and attract new ones. Right now, we throw far too many obstacles in the way. For example, Carolyn hangs out at Barnes & Noble instead of the library for a couple of reasons – we aren’t buying what she reads (YA) and she can download and read content for free for an hour a day at B&N. She can’t walk into her local library and download other Nook.

Why the hell not?

Why are we not making it easy for people to get this content by providing download capability inside the library, where, just maybe, skilled staff would be available to help our users figure it out. Lots of libraries have bought Nooks and Kindles so staff can learn to use them and become comfortable working with patrons. How many are actually doing that?

I heard again and again how we have to make it easy for our users to access the content they want, when they want it. The Overdrive interface is an obstacle, as are the choices we make for how the content is accessed. Why, for example, do we allow only two holds, and why do the holds have to be downloaded within 3 days?

The desire for e-content integrated into the catalog was there and was persistent. For libraries to provide the best access, we must stop treating e-content vendors differently than our print content vendors. We cannot allow the vendor to dictate (and track) how our users access and use the content, and I think we should be calling on our ILS partners to start developing a seamless access point to all sorts of data, both print and digital.

Despite the change in the way Brenda, Corinne and Carolyn access content, all three still accept the library as “place.” The act of visiting the library for all three was more about the experience, but, it seems, we have some work to do on the experience of the future. Carolyn’s childhood experience involved weekly trips to the library with her family, where stacks of books were checked out. What will her experience be with her own children in 10 years? What will bring her back to the library?

Community. Other people. Other parents. Neighbors.

And how can we start to develop the “place” she will want to make a part of her family life?

In other branch news, many branch staff attended “shooter awareness” training recently. I’d be interested in hearing from those of you who attended what you thought of the session. Was it helpful?

David, Kevin, Gene and I met recently to discuss capital improvement projects for the Branches for this year. Some of the work that will be done includes new outdoor lighting for Winton, sidewalk and door replacement for Maplewood, and a new public entrance for Wheatley, among others. David will be sharing a full list of projects with Quad Leaders soon.

Dave is also working with the RCSD on a fine forgiveness program for children and teens that would involve kids volunteering at the library or reading off their fines. This is in response to an inquiry from Superintendent Vargas who is very interested in promoting library use among RCSD students. David and Melanie Lewis are working on the specifics with RCSD representatives.

Jennifer Lenio has arranged a book fair fundraiser for the SE Quad at the Pittsford Barnes & Noble on December 2. On that day, a portion of everything bought there and designated for the Quad fundraiser will go to the library in the form of gift cards. The SE librarians will use the gift cards to buy items from B&N to add to their collections. Jen and her staff have planned a full day of storytimes, an appearance by the “Knight in Shining Armor” and music.

Arnett is now offering computer classes taught by the talented Jenny Paxson, as well as conducting their second Halloween Poetry Project for the 19th Ward. The Arnett Friends group is conducting two well-attended storytimes each week.

On the Central side of things, work continues on the reorganization data collection. Divisions are now suing the online reference collection form (you can see what a form looks like here – https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CENTRALREFCOMP – please DO NOT fill this out – it is for informational purposes only). The Tech & Space committee completed two tours of the Central buildings last week where they looked at and assessed how space is being used right now and started to talk about how space could be used more efficiently. The data collection and research will continue through October, then the full team will reconvene in November to begin crafting recommendations for moving forward. Those recommendations will go to the RPL Board for discussion in January, and then a plan of action will be defined based on the priorities identified by the Reorg Team and the Board.

The Art of the Book exhibit is set to open October 21 with a VIP reception beginning at 7:00 pm. There are some amazing pieces of artwork in this exhibit that I hope will attract many people. Thanks to Gene Siembor and his creative problem solving, the centerpiece of the show will be on display right in the middle of the exhibit, hanging down through the space above the link. Many thanks also to Sally Snow and the Exhibits Team who all have worked very, very hard to make this event a success.

Some of you may have heard through the grapevine that we had an unfortunate incident in Central last Saturday. A young man injecting drugs passed out in the 3rd floor men’s room in BLB. The police and ambulance were called and the young man was arrested. Thanks to security officers Ted Hoff and Art Bostwick, and librarians Jay Osborne, and Linda Halliburton for their calm response to this terrible event.