From The Director

April Librarian's Report summary

2008-05-09T11:40:00.005-06:00

APRIL 2008

April 2008 Librarian's Report

Activity Summary

70th Anniversary Open House:

Sunday April 13th MGPL hosted an Open House to celebrate the Library's 70th anniversary with the start of National Library Week (April 13-19).

The day’s events included a recognition ceremony for library volunteers, announcement of the Adult/Teen winners of the 3rd annual writing contest and awarding of prizes to same, a concert by Moon Glow and then an Open House Reception in the new book area.

Estimated concert attendance is between 125 and 150 with additional patrons arriving for the open house. Mayor Krier and Village Trustees Bruner and Minx attended the open house and Library Trustees Estelle Cooperman, Agnes Quinn and Daniel Hoffman also participated.

The Open House also featured a custom made Ginger Bread Library modeled on the original Library Building built in the early 1940s. Chef Michael Niksic out did himself, as you'll see from the pictures. Both the Champion and the Bugle wrote up the event with photos.

Volunteers:

Adult:

Joann Brelin
Marie Brelin
Ruth Budish
Marvin Cohen
Estelle Cooperman
Marv Cooperman
Sarah Delgado
Ricardo Distajo
Betty Higus
Judith Hindin
Carolyn Lawrence
Pat Morath
*Diane Morton
*Asako Nishimura
Dorothy Rasmussen
Terry Schlag
Martin Zabin
Steven Bronder

Teens:

Maria Dekntyar
Sony Jacob
Iryna Palkhouskaya
Vinny Varghese
Alexandra Darnell

Winners of the MGPL's 3rd Annual Writing Contest:

Student Category:
1st Prize: Fatima Khan
2nd Prize: Maryam Khan

Adult Category:
1st Prize: Mort Elenbogen
2nd Prize: Kathy Tamillo

MB Financial Bank graciously donated $400.00 to cover the cost of the 1st and 2nd prizes.

Spring Blast

The Youth Services/Teen contribution to the 70th Anniversary kick-off was the Spring Blast celebration for students/families. Despite the less than wonderful weather over 500 people came to spend the day eating popcorn (in the library), playing video games, getting their faces painted, climbing the wall, jumping around and checking out all the services and materials we have to offer.

The event was a milestone for this library, not just because the institution turns 70 this year, but also because we where able to demonstrate that MGPL has materials, services and staff that are capable of helping the people of Morton Grove find the information, educational support or services they need to lead more engaged and informed lives.

Without the dedication of everyone who works or volunteers at the library and the help of many members of the community the Spring Blast simply could not have happened.

Relationship coordinator position

This position is a part-time, non-exempt position whose principal responsibility is to perform work directly related to Library operations by promoting relationships between the Library and other Morton Grove institutions, encouraging the use of the Library and its services, and coordinating outreach efforts by the Library to other institutions and the community.

New Reference Department hires

The Reference department has interview several candidates to fill the three open part time positions. Melissa Mayberry, Chris Breitenbach, Elizabeth McClain were offered positions and have accepted.

Baxter Room roof replacement

Three estimates have been received for replacement of the Baxter Room roof. Review by the Buildings and Grounds Committee is requested.

Bike Rack grant

The Evanston Bicycle Club has awarded the library a grant of $1,050.00 for the purchase of a decorative bicycle rack. Buildings and Grounds Committee’s input on placement is requested.

Adult AV vs. Book circulation

Trustee Quinn raised the question if there was any relationship between Adult Book and Adult AV circulation numbers. A review of the last 32 months circulation counts for both items reveals that prior to June 2006 (two months after the Board removed the fee for borrowing AV materials) books tended to have significantly higher circulation than AV items. From June 2006 on book and AV circulation are much closer with books still circulating at slightly higher numbers, except for the month of December when AV prevails. Charts showing Adult Book and Av circulation counts by month and as a percent of total circulation are at the end of this report. Month #1 is August 2005.

Joint workshop with Park Ridge Trustees

The Director at Park Ridge, Jan Van De Carr, is bringing Peter Pearson in to help Park Ridge Library Trustees develop an approach to community advocacy. This could be useful to all of us in serving the residents of Morton Grove.

Mr. Pearson, Executive Director of the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library spoke at ALA Midwinter about their grassroots efforts, which led to the creation of the Saint Paul’s Friends group and library foundation.

Park Ridge PL is requesting MGPL to contribute half of the cost of this joint workshop, about $600. There is enough in the Education line to cover this without hampering other activities.

PC Reservation 1st month

Assistant Director Kevin Justie reports:

On March 31, 2008, we replaced our Computer Log computer reservation and sign-in system with the commercial PC reservation system. Under the old system, users were limited to signing up for 2 hours of computer time per day: either one 2-hour session or two 1-hour sessions. How much of that reserved time they actually used didn’t matter; the limit was based only on the amount of reserved time, whether that time was reserved in advance or at the time of sign-in.

The new reservation system, on the other hand, monitors only the actual computer time used; users can have as many sessions (sign-ins) throughout the day as they want, as long as they don’t exceed the daily time limit, which was increased to three hours. This change in accounting method has had a dramatic effect on usage patterns: many users are now signing in multiple times throughout the day, though often for short sessions. Some go on repeatedly in between doing other work in the Library, while others make multiple trips to the library to use the computers.

This change from one or two long reservations per day to a greater number of shorter sessions resulted in a 35% increase in the number of sessions compared to April of last year -- 1,157 versus 849 -- but this does not necessarily indicate a 35% increase in total computer usage as measured by total time actually used. Because we had no way to measure actual used computer time under the old system (that is, by not counting reserved time that was not used), we have no data on which to make a direct comparison of usage between the two systems.

Nonetheless, staff members anecdotally report a definite increase in usage, both in terms of number of users and total time used, as well as many new faces among those using the computers — exactly the benefits we would have hoped for. In addition, staff is spending much less time on computer management, having neither to sign users in nor tell them when their time is up. At this point, those gains are being somewhat offset by the time spent showing users how to use the new system, but that will eventually be reduced to a very small amount as all the regular users become familiar with the new system.

Here are some additional data from the first month of PC Cop statistics:

Walk-up sign-ins: users who did not have a reservation: 840
Future reservations created by users: 278
Future reservations created by staff, for users: 39

The first two of those numbers -- 840 walk-ups plus 278 user-created reservations -- represent 1,118 times that the reference staff was able to continue doing other work, such as answering reference questions, instead of having to deal with the computers.

Users who logged out before the end of their session: 860 (74%)
Users who used their entire reserved session: 127 (11%)
Users who left the computer without ending their session: 64 (6%)
(these do not total 100% due to other, smaller categories)

Busiest date: April 30 (Wed.) -- 55 users averaging 59 minutes each, meaning that 75% of the total available computer time for the day was used.

Busiest computers: #1 and #6, which is not surprising since by using these computers a user only has someone else on one side of them rather than on both sides.

Coming events

This summer we will present two Library Challenges:

Summer Library Challenge
It’s About Time!
Teen/Adult Summer Library Challenge: June 1 – August 1
In keeping with MGPL’s 70th anniversary, the theme for this summer’s challenge is “It’s About Time.” Registration begins June 1 for adults and teens (grades 7 and up). Ravinia Music Festival lawn passes to selected concerts will be distributed to Library Challenge participants when they sign up.

Summer Reading Program for birth – grade 6
Pre-registration for our Summer Reading Program will run Mon., May 19 – Sun. June 8.
Come to the Youth Services desk to sign-up and get your Score Card and instructions. The program will run for 8-weeks, 6/9 – 8/2. All participants will receive a t-shirt after 6/9. Each week you visit the Library you will play games and do activities to earn prizes and get a raffle ticket and coupon. Babies and toddlers will do emergent literacy activities. Participate at least six weeks to complete program earning extra prizes.

Through out the year the library will present programing and materials related to each of the decades MGPL has been serving the Morton Grove community.

Bookmarks for each decade leading to the anniversary year will be available each month.

Beginning in May, the Lincoln Ave. Entry display case will focus on specific decades.

Films and programs will relate to that month's decade.

Statistical Summary

Total circulation for April was 24,285 down from 27,572 last month. However, April 2008 total circulation differed from 2007 by +1.4%. Year to Date total circulation is 102,823, 1.2% more than the same period in 2007 (101,589).

Adult circulation was 13,030 down compared to last month by 1,250 items and up 4% compared to April of last year. Year to Date 53,378 items have circulated compared to 51,694 in 2007.

Circulation for Youth Services was 11,242, down 1.4% compared to last April and down 2,041 items compared to last month. Year to date Youth Services has circulated 49,412 items.

The Reciprocal Borrowing Program (RBP) accounted for 3,580 items loaned to other communities or 14.7% of total circulation for the month. This is a decrease of 484 items compared to April 2007.

Patron registrations show an increase of 131 from March at 8,803 active cards, with 119 new patrons and 128 renewals. This represents 39.2% of the Morton Grove population with active cards. New registrations increased by 15 and renewals decreased by 31.
Adult reference activity had +13% change compared to last year with 2,815 questions. Youth Services reference activity for the month was 1,102 up 21% from last year.
Morton Grove residents made 112 Interlibrary Loan requests (up by 21 from last month) of which 96 were filled. Other libraries requested 229 items (up by 88 items from last month) from MGPL of which 98 were filled.

Adult online database use was 1032 sessions. This is an increase of 73 over April 2007. Year to date use is 3,071 YS database use is 44 or a 19% increase over March. Year to date use is 111.

Adult Internet PC usage was 1,157. With the introduction of the new PC reservation system comparison with previous adult PC usage data is not valid. Youth Services Internet use was 427 up 71% from 2007. YS Mac/PC usage was up 38% from last year at 349 signups.

Website hits from non-staff users were 211,899 for the month, up from March by 20,748. This is an average of 7,063 hits per day, a 10% increase over this month last year.
MyMedialMall downloads were 45 for the month. Registration now totals 257 with 8 patrons joining.

Adult programming conducted 60 event sessions with 1,844 attendees. Youth Services held 79 event sessions with 1,857 attending.

MGPL Board of Trustees March 13th meeting agenda

2008-03-06T14:55:00.003-06:00

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR MEETING
MARCH 13, 2008
AGENDA
7:30 P.M.

1. Call to Order/President Miller

2. Roll Call/Secretary Quinn

3. Minutes – February 14, 2008 Regular Meeting *

4. Treasurer’s Report/ Treasurer Cooperman
a. Cash Statement
b. Income Statement for February 2008
c. Accounts Payable

5. Committee Reports
a. Finance/Cooperman
b. Building and Grounds/Ahmad
c. Policy/Sykes
d. Fund Development Planning/Hoffman
e. Nomination Committee

6. Librarian's Report

7. Unfinished Business
a. New Building
1. Discussion of NSJC property
2. Letter to Mayor Krier

8. New Business
a. Summer Sunday hours*
b. Personnel Review Timetable*
c. Friends of MGPL Steering Committee Nominations
d. Fund Development Policy*
e. Closed Meeting for Employment/Appointment matters
5ILCS 120/2(c) *

9. Communications

10. Adjournment

*action items

Board of Trustee Minutes for January 10, 2008

2008-02-22T14:07:00.004-06:00

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

JANUARY 10, 2008

1. Call to Order
President Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

2. Roll Call
Secretary Quinn called the roll.

Trustees Present: Sadiqua Ahmad; Estelle Cooperman, Treasurer; Arthur Goldstein; Dan Hoffman; Renée Miller, President; Jan Sykes; Agnes Quinn, Secretary

Others Present: Benjamin Schapiro, Director; Kevin Justie, Assistant Director/Coordinator of Automated & Technical; Blanche Miyamoto, Administrative Assistant
Visitors: Rosetta Metz, Information Assistant; Mayor Rick Krier; Joe Wade, Village Administrator; Nick Katz, Eric Potter

3. Minutes
Minutes of the regular meeting of December 13, 2007 were reviewed.
Correction on page 3 under #7 Unfinished Business, New Building – change “Hoffman” to “Goldstein”.

Motion by Trustee Cooperman to approve the minutes.
Seconded by Trustee Hoffman.
Approved by voice vote.

4. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Cooperman presented the December reports, including review of the cash statement, accounts payable, and income statement.

The Board accepted the Treasurer’s Report.

Finance Committee – January 8, 2008 meeting, Trustee Cooperman reporting.
The committee reviewed the December financial reports.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, February 12 at 3:30 p.m.

Conversation With Mayor Krier
New Building and Responsibility
The library board will need to convince the Morton Grove community of the importance in needing a new library. The community has a misconception of the many ways that the library can serve them. The board’s responsibility is to present a clear picture of its vision. The Village will support the library in whatever way they can.
Some suggestions on ways to promote the library’s usefulness to the community involves:
1. Presenting the advantages of a new library.
2. Presenting the cost of building a new library.
3. Calculating how much tax dollars will be needed.
4. Doing surveys to find out if peoples’ needs are being met.
Other Ideas:
1. Referendum – The board must have something concrete for this.
2. Working Relationship – If the library wants to buy the property on the east side, the Village will work with the library and help relocate the businesses.
3. Pamphlet – Add information about the library to the Morton Grove pamphlet that the Village publishes.
At this time Major Krier and Joe Wade proceeded to leave the meeting. The board thanked them for their input.

5. Committee Reports
Building and Grounds – no report

No meeting was scheduled.

Policy – no reporting.

No meeting was scheduled.

Fund Development Planning – no report

6. Librarian’s Report
Statistics
Year to date total circulation is 305,898. 5.7% greater than the same period in 2006 (289,332).
Website hits from non-staff users were 164,588 for December. This is an average of 5,309 hits per day, a 2% increase over last year.
Patron registrations show a decrease of 31 from November at 8,715 active cards, with 42 new patrons and 99 renewals. New registrations decreased by 19 and renewals decreased by 1.

MyMediaMall shows a continuous growth. Registration now totals 226.
Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting –January 10, 2008 - Page 3

7. Unfinished Business
New Building
A letter to the Morton Grove Park District written by President Miller and Trustee Goldstein was presented for approval.

Motion by Trustee Cooperman to accept the letter as written.
Seconded by Trustee Ahmad.
Approved by unanimous roll call vote.

8. New Business
Friends of the Library
Friends of the Library Development Contract drafted by Carolyn Rusnak, ESC representative, was presented for approval.

Motion by Trustee Quinn to accept the five-month contract at $5,000.
Seconded by Trustee Goldstein.
Approved by unanimous roll call vote.

9. Communications
Legislative Breakfast on February 18, 2008. Director Schapiro encouraged all trustees to attend this event.

Morton Grove Chamber Commerce “2008 Festival of Stars and 1st Annual Awards Dinner” is scheduled for January 31, 2008. Director Schapiro will need a count of trustees attending by January 13. A table of ten has been reserved.

A copy of a thank you letter from Susan McGowan was given to all trustees.

Michael Hurley will be retiring on January 31, 2008.

Trustee Quinn gave a feedback on the Word 2007 program she attended. Instructor Cheryl Brown did an outstanding presentation.

Trustee Goldstein suggested the Library order citizenship books online.
There is no cost involved.

Enter executive session at 9:20 p.m. to discuss employment/appointment matters.

Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting –January 10, 2008 - Page 4

Exit executive session at 9:55 p.m.

Motion by Trustee Hoffman to approve the salary increase of Director Schapiro as discussed in executive session.
Seconded by Trustee Goldstein.
Approved by unanimous roll call vote.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

2008-01-16T12:32:00.000-06:00

Every now and then some of the staff and I chat about child rearing (aka parental survival). Several of the moms talk about creating a bubble around their kids. I always thought in terms of a fence, specifically a two rail post fence. You know, porous enough to let things like rabbits, squirrels, wolves in, but not so porous that big things like cows and kids could actually get out.

My thinking about having a porous fence instead of an impermeable bubble was that interesting stuff -objects, ideas, interactions- could still get to and influence my children, but at least I'd know where they where.

So I was was really intrested and pleased when this video came my way a little while ago. Now before getting to the video let's talk about its source.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. The videos (all free) are of scientist, technologists, economists, musicians and artists presenting at the annual TED conference which brings together interesting and imaginative people from all all over the globes. So visit the site, but be aware it is a real productivity killer. Many of the topics overlap and mesh with the materials available from iTunes U that I mentioned a few posts ago.

Anyway, about the video, Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do. Right away I started ticking off all the things the speaker listed and was pleased that I'd done all but one by age 10. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act didn't exist until I turned 50, so I'm not to blame for not getting it sooner. I did break that one the day after it was passed, just like everyone else who owned a personal computer.

The Tinkering School looks very interesting. It is nice to see de-constructing technology as play has evolved into a social event from the rather solitary backyard exploration of yore.

Board of Trustee Minutes for December 13, 2007

2008-01-15T15:17:00.001-06:00

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

DECEMBER 13, 2007

1. Call to Order
President Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

2. Roll Call
Secretary Quinn called the roll.

Trustees Present: Sadiqua Ahmad; Estelle Cooperman, Treasurer; Arthur Goldstein; Dan Hoffman; Renée Miller, President; Jan Sykes; Agnes Quinn, Secretary

Others Present: Benjamin Schapiro, Director; Kevin Justie, Assistant Director/Coordinator of Automated & Technical; Blanche Miyamoto, Administrative Assistant
Visitors: Roz Bonar, ESC: Patsy Mellott, ESC

3. Minutes
Minutes of the regular meeting of November 8, 2007 were reviewed.

Motion by Trustee Cooperman to approve the minutes.
Seconded by Trustee Sykes.
Approved by voice vote.

4. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Cooperman presented the November reports, including review of the cash statement, accounts payable, and income statement.

The Board accepted the Treasurer’s Report.

Finance Committee – December 11, 2007 meeting, Trustee Cooperman reporting.
The committee reviewed the November financial reports.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.

5. Committee Reports
Building and Grounds – no report
Director Schapiro will contact Sarah from BCA for her professional advice on the choice of furniture for the Board Room.

No meeting was scheduled.

Policy – Trustee Sykes reporting.
The committee met on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. to discuss changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy. The changes were presented to the Board for approval.

Motion by Trustee Sykes to approve changes to the MGPL Computer Use Policy as follows:
1. The reference librarian will allow reservation for only two computers at a time.

2. It is not acceptable for the reference librarian to enter patrons’personal data online.
Seconded by Trustee Hoffman.
Approved by voice vote.

Fund Development Planning – Trustee Hoffman reporting.
The committee met with the ESC committee on Tuesday, December 4, 2006 to finalize reports.

6. Librarian’s Report
Statistics
Year to date total circulation is 282,122. 6.2% greater than the same period in 2006.
Website hits from non-staff users were 177,800 for November. This is an average of 5,927 hits per day, a 9% increase over last year.
Patron registrations show a decrease of 44 from October at 8,746 active cards, with 61 new patrons and 100 renewals. New registrations decreased by 120 and renewals decreased by 149.

New Schoolbook Discussion Group
Liz Kaiz, Young Adult Librarian and Rosetta Metz, YS Informational Assistant developed a discussion group called “Famished 4 Fiction”.
A blog will be created for students from different schools within the community to discuss books online.

7. Unfinished Business
New Building
President Miller and Trustee Goldstein will get together to work on a letter to the Morton Grove Park District seeking to initiate a discussion on relocating the library adjacent to the Park District’s Prairie View Center.

8. New Business
Fund Development Planning Committee Final Report
Roz Bonar, ESC and Patsy Mellott, ESC reporting.
A recommendation from Roz and Patsy is for the Board to finalize the mission and vision statements.

Selection of 70th Anniversary Logos
The Board was asked to pick two logos. Samples were reviewed and the Board picked the top logo on the first page and the logo on the second page.

Enter executive session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss employment/appointment matters.

Exit executive session at 9:45 p.m.
There was no resolution on employment/appointment matters.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.

It's Easy to Change the World...

2008-01-13T12:28:00.000-06:00

...or at least play with the Google page ranking system.

The last time I checked, the number of hits for googling "Died in a blogging accident" had gone from 2 to 13,000.

I'll admit I like this as it plays on all sorts of Geek/Librarian issues with indexing, rating information relevance by user actions and using many small actions to have a big (if narrow) impact on the people around us.

XKCD.com owns the cartoon and is worth checking out.

Myra Aggen, First MGPL Full-time Director

2008-01-02T11:34:00.000-06:00

Myra J. Aggen
June 6, 1918 – December 19, 2007

Myra J. Aggen, 89, formerly of Melrose Meadows, died Wednesday, December 19, 2007, at Crestview Nursing and Rehab Center in West Branch, Iowa.

Myra was born June 6, 1918, the daughter of Ferdinand and Esther Beer Stecker. On June 28, 1941, she married Chester C. Aggen in Calumet County, Wisconsin.

Myra was the first fulltime director of the Morton Grove Public Library, serving from 1955-1971. The children’s room was named in her honor. While a resident of Morton Grove she was a member of the American Library Association, the Illinois Library Associations, and Toastmistresses, and was an avid bridge player.

Following retirement, Myra and her husband moved to Colorado and then to Lake Havasu, Arizona. In 2004, Myra moved to Iowa City.

Myra is survived by her daughter, Mary New; her granddaughter, Jennifer New and her husband, Andrew Epstein, and their children, Isabella and Tobias, all of Iowa City; and her brother, Glen Stecker of Johnson County, Tennessee.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her son-in-law, Michael New, and her sister, Mildred.

Graveside services will be held this spring at Hillside Cemetery in Chilton, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Iowa City Public Library Foundation, 123 S. Linn Street, Iowa City, IA, 52240 (319-356-5200). Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service.

Online condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com

Changes to Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act

2007-12-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

With the New Year comes a significant change to the Illinois statute that requires law enforcement to obtain a court order to gain access to library patron information. Public Act 95-0040 amends the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act (75 ILCS 5/1-7, 75 ILCS 70/1, 75 ILCS 70/2) to release of patron registration information if all of the following conditions are met.

1. That a sworn law enforcement officer states that an emergency situation exists and that it is impractical to obtain a court order.

2. There is probable cause to believe that there is imminent danger that someone will be physically harmed.

3. That only information identifying a suspect, witness, or victim of a crime is requested; and

4. The information does not include any registration or circulation records that would indicate materials borrowed, resources reviewed, or services used at the library.

The library may require the requesting officer(s) to sign a statement acknowledging receipt of the information and the library may later seek review of the request by a court.

A court order is still required for the release of information revealing materials borrowed, resources reviewed, or services used at the library.

The text of the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act (ILRCA)may be found here.

Wikipedea article that broadly discusses ILRCA is here.

ALA comments on privacy (mostly from patriot act) are here.

ILA background article in pdf, from which much of my comments are derived, here.

Text of other States library confidentiality laws, from library-privacy wikispaces.

and

Text of amendment to ILRCA can be found at this site.

Physics really is cool.

2007-12-19T11:25:00.000-06:00

I do like physics, not that I was very good in it during High School, but understanding how things work, being able to see the underlying principles governing motion, objects and their interactions is just so satisfying. So this morning when I opened the NYT to find a front page article with a photo of a 71 year old Physicist swinging like a pendulum to demonstrate the non-relationship between mass and moment I had to read further (and be late for work).

The New York Times article by SARA RIMER describes the swinging physicist thusly:

Professor Lewin delivers his lectures with the panache of Julia Child bringing French cooking to amateurs and the zany theatricality of YouTube’s greatest hits. He is part of a new generation of academic stars who hold forth in cyberspace on their college Web sites and even, without charge, on iTunes U, which went up in May on Apple’s iTunes Store.

Here are links to some of Professor Lewin's online physics lectures at the MIT OPENCOURSEWARE site.

A Demonstration of Electrostatics

Trajectories of Objects in Freefall

How a Rocket Lifts Off

A Lecture on Pendulums

The full NYT article can be found here.

Board of Trustee Minutes for November 8, 2007

2007-12-19T10:46:00.000-06:00

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

NOVEMBER 8, 2007

1. Call to Order
President Miller called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

2. Roll Call
Secretary Quinn called the roll.

Trustees Present: Sadiqua Ahmad; Estelle Cooperman, Treasurer; Arthur Goldstein; Dan Hoffman; Renée Miller, President; Jan Sykes; Agnes Quinn, Secretary

Others Present: Benjamin Schapiro, Director; Blanche Miyamoto, Administrative Assistant

3. Minutes
Minutes of the regular meeting of October 11, 2007 were reviewed.

Motion by Trustee Cooperman to approve the minutes.
Seconded by Trustee Ahmad.
Approved by voice vote.

Correction – Page 2 under Committee Reports- Fund Development Planning- change “complied” to “compiled”.

4. Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Cooperman presented the October reports, including review of the cash statement, accounts payable, and income statement.

The Treasurer’s Report was accepted by the Board.

Finance Committee – November 6, 2007 meeting, Trustee Cooperman reporting.
The committee reviewed the October financial reports.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, 2007, at 3:30 p.m.

Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting– November 8, 2007-Page 2

5. Committee Reports
Building and Grounds – no report
Furniture for the Board Room – Director Schapiro presented the Trustees with a photo of furniture to replace the old. The committee will set a time to meet to view and select one of three furniture sources.

The meeting was scheduled for Friday, November 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Policy – no report
The committee will meet to draft changes to MGPL Computer Use Policy.

The meeting was scheduled for Monday, November 19 at 4:00 p.m.

Fund Development Planning – Trustee Hoffman reporting.
The three work groups will need to submit their minutes to Dan before the meeting of December 4. The chairman of each group will attend this meeting.

6. Librarian’s Report
Statistics
Year to date total circulation is 25,800, 6.8% greater than the same period in 2006.
Website hits from non-staff users were 169,225 for October, an average of 5,459 hits per day, a 3% increase over September 2006.
Patron registrations show an increase of 164 from September at 8,790 active cards, with 123 new patrons and 149 renewals. This represents 39.2 % of the Morton Grove population with active cards.

Library Journal’s Best Small Library in America
The Library’s entry was submitted. This endeavor was a great opportunity to connect with the key agencies in the community.

Changes in 2008 Budget
1. Hire a full time reference position and remove one part time position.
2. Retain the part time YS librarian position and the part time Program Coordinator assistant position.
3. Hire another part time Tech Services position.
4. Increase professional development funding
5. Repair roof of Baxter Room.
6. Reconfigure the Reference Collection area as a quiet reading space.
7. Fund merit increases for staff.

7. Unfinished Business
New Building
An idea was presented about swapping property with the Morton Grove Park District. To follow through on this idea, it was suggested that the Board write a letter to the Park District asking if they would be interested in sharing properties.

Motion by Trustee Hoffman to approve the writing of a letter to the Morton Grove Park District.
Seconded by Trustee Goldstein.
Approved by voice vote.

President Miller and Trustee Goldstein will work on this letter.

8. New Business
Approval of Budget for 2008
The final 2008 Budget was presented for approval.

Motion by Trustee Hoffman to accept the 2008 Budget as presented.
Seconded by Trustee Sykes.
Approved by unanimous roll call vote.

Account # 5100 was removed from the expense line.
There was a shift in Young Adult funds from Adult collection to Youth Services collection.
The CD music collection was expanded.

Public Act 95-0040
This act amends the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act allowing law enforcement offices to request information identifying a patron without first obtaining a court order.

Motion by Trustee Cooperman to instruct the Director to revise the Library procedures to be in compliance with the amendment to the Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act.
Seconded by Trustee Hoffman.
Approved by voice vote.

Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting –November 8, 2007-Page 4

9. Communications
February 18, 2008 – Legislative Breakfast

Meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.

Final 12/14/07

Draft CY 2008 Budget for MGPL

2007-11-08T18:21:00.000-06:00

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY

CALENDAR YEAR 2008

DRAFT BUDGET

REVENUES

Property Tax Receipts 2,494,364
Replacement Tax Receipts 24,000
Fines 24,000
Lost Materials Payments 2,800
Photocopying/Printing Receipts 4,500
Miscellaneous Income 0
Audiovisual Rental Receipts 1,200
Grants 27,500
Interest Income 60,000
Book Sale Receipts 4,000
Total 2,642,364

Available Fund Balance: 90,000

Total Revenues: 2,732,364

Working Cash Fund: 177,292

Total Resources: 2,909,656

EXPENDITURES

PERSONNEL
Salaries 1,398,562
Retirement 127,912
Health Insurance 246,942
Long Term Disability 2,500
Life Insurance 2,291
Subtotal: 1,778,207

PATRON MATERIALS & SERVICES
Books 151,000
Periodicals 28,700
Downloadable Books 4,100
Audiovisuals 55,200
Programs 36,250
70th Anniversary 5,000
Photocopier Acquisitions &
Maintenance 12,000
Computer Network 56,980
Database Access Charges 83,084
Subtotal: 432,314

OPERATIONS
Maintenance 72,000
Equipment/Furniture
Acquisitions 32,000
Utilities 18,700
Insurance 35,462
Library Supplies 33,000
Telephone 12,500
Postage 11,000
Printing 33,000
Continuing Education/Meetings 22,000
Memberships 6,000
Professional Services 30,000
Consultant Services 24,000
Miscellaneous 1,000
Facilities Planning 30,000
Reserve/Emergency 33,000
Subtotal: 393,662

SPECIAL TAXES
FICA 107,181
Annual Audit 4,000
Tort Liability 17,000
Subtotal: 128,181

Total Expenditures: 2,732,364

Working Cash Fund: 177,292

Total Appropriations: 2,909,656

CY2008 DRAFT Budget

Morton Grove Public Library
Board of Trustees

Librarian's Report for September 2007

2007-11-08T17:53:00.000-06:00

The Library participated in the Village’s first Family Fest. Here it is by the numbers:

421 Youth Services visitors.
246 customers for the Book Sale.
250 Tattoos applied.
100 dollars in Book Sale revenue.
52 reference questions asked and answered.
40 circulation related questions.
35 participants in the 11:00AM sing along
33 Guitar Heroes and another 75 audience members.
16 participants at the 9:00AM story time
14 new or renewed library cards.

A large number of our people stepped up to work the event. These folks made a very positive impact on residents. Adult volunteers: Joann Brelin, Ruth Budish, Pat Morath Reference Librarians Liz Kaiz, Patti Smolin, Becky Sedam and Susan McGowan. YS staff: Ronnie Rund, Debbie Wiedeman, Nani Boyce, Robina Button, Rosetta Metz, Brenda Glenn, and Terry Carey. Circulation staff: Paul Kuk, and Kelly Hanaoka. Nancy Brothers was also on site during the day. My special thanks to Terry Carey, Susan McGowan, Nancy Brothers, Virginia Castillo and Claude Covington for their indispensable efforts in organizing their staffs and making things happen.

The Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce brown bag luncheons got started last week in the Baxter Room. The Library will host these on the first Wednesday of every month (except December) from noon until 1:30. The series has been scheduled for Oct. 3, Nov. 7, Jan. 2, Feb. 6, Mar. 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4. The initial turn out was small, but the speaker was very well received. I expect this program will grow as word gets out to the business community.

Two new policies are included for your review. Both of these will be reported out by the Policy Committee. The Public DVD Player policy allows staff to fairly manage patron use of these increasingly important but potentially disruptive tools. The Internet Instant Messaging (Chatting) Policy defines the scope and level of service for this new method of patron communications. Instant Messaging Reference is currently in test. It can be accessed from any MGPL webpage by clicking on the “Ask A Librarian” graphic.

Your packet also includes a preliminary 2008 Budget. As I discussed at the August meeting the plan is for a modest growth of 4% or less to maintain 2007 service levels with the following changes.

• Convert one part time reference position to full time.
• Retain the assistant to the Program Coordinator by moving that item to the regular budget from grants.
• Retain the part time YS librarian, again by funding the position from the budget and not from grant income.
• Increase professional development funding.
• Repair the Baxter Room roof.
• Fund merit increases for staff.
• Re-configure the Reference Collection area as a quiet reading space.

Dan Berg of Sikich Professional Services and Support will be on hand to review MGPL’s annual audit. Sikich was just recently rehired as the Village’s and the Library’s auditor. The Library has received excellent service from this firm and they have often gone out of their way to help the Administrative team understand and resolve the occasional problem.

Librarian's Report for August 2007

2007-11-08T17:51:00.001-06:00

The new season brings in a number of new opportunities for MGPL.

The Board is developing a Fund Development plan with our consultants and has had several productive meetings. Trustees are also actively seeking and evaluating possible locations for a new library building. Both activities hold the promise of a bright future for MGPL and demonstrate the Board’s commitment to expanding the Library’s reach in the community.

With the Village of Morton Grove having recently been named one of the ten best places to raise a family by Family Circle magazine it is only fitting that the Library be nominated for consideration in Library Journal’s ‘Best Little Library in America’ award. The award requirements are very rigorous and seek to find the public library serving a community of less that 25,000 that demonstrates exceptional services to its population. Patrons, members of Village government, the schools and the library community are participating in the creation of MGPL’s application. I think we have a very good opportunity to showcase the many programs and services offered by this library.

Closer to home the Library is participating in the Village’s first Family Fest. This whole day event will have Library staff participating with story times, sing-alongs, crafts, tattoos, games, a Guitar Hero session (for young and not so young), a book sale, on-site reference assistance and more.

Beginning October 3, the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a brown bag luncheon in the Baxter Room, on the first Wednesday of every month, (except December) from noon until 1:30. The series has been scheduled for Oct. 3, Nov. 7, Jan. 2, Feb. 6, Mar. 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4.

These luncheons are open to the public and are excellent opportunities for the Library staff to show case our ability to serve the business community. Mark Pendergrass, the new director of the Chamber, will be scheduling speakers. The Chamber of Commerce will handle registration/reservations for the brown bag luncheons.

It is, once again, budget time. The increase incorporated into last year’s budget plan allowed the library to hire much needed staff, invest in technology – PC COP- that will make the public services teams much more efficient, improve HR support, purchase Play-a-way audio books, Ask-Away 24hr reference service, improvements to Books and Beyond, new furniture, creation of a new YS Activity Room and before the year is out a new computer/training space.

The goals for this year are much more modest. While keeping restricting any increase in the levy to 3-4 percent it should be possible to do the following:

• Convert one part time reference position to full time
• Retain the assistant to the Program Coordinator by moving that item to the regular budget from grants
• Retain the part time YS librarian, again by funding the position from the budget and not from grant income.
• Increase professional development funding.
• Repair the Baxter Room roof.
• Fund merit increases for staff.
• Re-configure the Reference Collection area as a quiet reading space.

A very preliminary copy of the 2008 Budget is in your packets. Only personnel cost changes are included. Department Heads are still in the process of calculating their materials and facility requests. Since the Village collects the Library’s levy, this budget’s approval must precede the final Village Budget meeting. I expect to have a final budget for 2008 ready for Board approval by the November, if not October, meeting.

Steve Larson of Ehlers & Associates, Inc. will be discussing public finance as it applies to public libraries. Mr. Larson has worked in most areas of public finance. He serves school districts, community colleges, libraries, park districts, city and villages, county governments, and special districts. His work includes the planning and sale of various types of bond/debt issues, financial planning, demographic studies and referendum and communications assistance. This is an area where the Board has clearly expressed a need for information and guidance.

Dan Berg of Sikich Professional Services and Support will also be on hand to review MGPL’s annual audit.

Finally, it is time for the Director’s annual review.

Librarian's Report for July 2007

2007-11-08T17:47:00.000-06:00

No summer doldrums here. When you look at the statistics for July the Library has been a busy place. Mission: Possible, MGPL’s 2007 Summer Library Challenge for Adults and Teens was a great success and certainly contributed to all the activity.

Many thanks to all of the staff who helped plan, implement and guide the 2007 Summer Library Challenge. A total of 246 people participated, including 24 staff members. Best of all, the satisfaction level has been very high with this program.

The winners of the four grand prizes are:

Caryn Sedloff
Alan Weinstein
Rachel Naumann
Annabel Jajou
The Summer Library Challenge is an expansion on last year’s reading challenge; the concept for the challenge is that patrons may choose from all of the Library’s materials (books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs) as well as programs.

One stat really stood out and deserves an explanation. The number of database searches experienced a 655% growth over June. Usually the summer months see only 2,000 to 3,000 searches. July had over 19,000! Reference Librarian Colleen Ringel looked into it and found that the numbers are correct.

According to Gale, the database vendor, searches in the GVRL (Gale Virtual Reference Library) are based on articles retrieved. In the monthly report, the titles with the most articles retrieved (double digit) were:

Arts & Humanities Through the Eras 32
Business Plans Handbook, Vol 1 97
Business Plans Handbook, Vol 2 91
Contemporary American Religion 274
Encyclopedia Judaica 13,542
Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns 12
New Catholic Encyclopedia 16

MGPL is partnering with the Morton Grove Community Relations Commission and North Shore Jewish Congregation to present a series of films and discussion titled “Unity in Our Diversity”. Nancy Brothers has met with the commission and has provided invaluable help with film and speaker suggestions, scheduling and advice on complying with license requirements for public showings. The Library is pleased and honored to be assisting with this community wide event.

Colleen and Natalya set up a new reference blog, Did You Know?, for the reference staff to publish on the Webrary for the public in August.

The Reference team is also working on a draft policy for the two public DVD players. This will be presented to the Policy Committee in time for consideration at the September Board meeting.

The New Business portion of the agenda is fairly long tonight. August and September are when a number of our standing insurance policies are due for renewal. Then there are the issues that are just part of doing business. While there is a lot to cover I trust the Board will continue its discussion on the process of resolving the library building issue as well as entertain the idea of summer Sunday hours for next year.

A fourth committee report has been added – Fund Development and Planning.

Librarian's Report for June 2007

2007-11-08T17:43:00.000-06:00

Well, we are half way through the year and the Library is doing fantastic. Total circulation counts for June was a record 27,984 items. Youth Services had a one-day record of 850 items checked out. Reference also saw increases compared to the prior year, as did just about every metric we track.

The recent issue of Family Circle Magazine lists Morton Grove as a top ten place to raise a family. Such a ranking is an indication of good strong demographic and economic trends that mean continued growth for the village. Village Hall now estimates an additional 1,600 people live in Morton Grove due to condominium s recently built south of Lincoln Ave. The impact can be seen in the steady climb in Circulation and the increasing use of Youth Services.

On July 2nd our new Young Adult Services Librarian, Liz Kaiz, started. She will be reporting to Terry Cary to continue the outreach efforts with the teens of Morton Grove. Liz will also be assisting with adult reference during after school hours to help transition teens to adult services.

Several policy changes will be recommended to the Board tonight. One deals with the Library’s Reciprocal Borrowing Program service to non-residents to place our policies more in-line with those of the North Suburban Library System, of which MGPL is a part. Another applies a benefit more fairly and one brings policy inline with practice. All of the policy recommendations will improve either the employment environment or Library operations.

Libraries are more than just collections of materials; they are both social and reflective spaces. Sometimes the chance to ponder can be improved with an unlikely venue. The Bathroom Poetry Project is an opportunity for patrons to ponder the written word is an unlikely yet private space. As you discus entering into an agreement with the Bathroom Poetry Project consider that poetry is often where you find it and not where you think it should be.

The fundraising study with ESC is underway. Several Trustees have already participated in the interviews. Thank you. To successfully complete the study phase of the project two Trustees are needed to help constitute the Library’s portion of the project committee. The time demands are small, but the benefit to the Library will be significant.

The need to address the shortcomings of the library building is apparent. The Board studied this issue in detail last year and I will gladly review the lessons learned if asked. Taking the broad prospective the Board needs to address one question before all others. Are the Trustees in agreement that the existing building is inadequate to meet community needs for the foreseeable future? If the answer is yes then there are at least four replacement options to be considered.
Remodel the existing building to address current shortcomings.

Build new library in present location by demolishing the building.

Acquire an existing building and reconfigure it to meet library needs for as far into the future as the Board thinks appropriate.

Acquire vacant land and build to suit.

All options must be considered in the light of cost, length of time to acquire and develop, current and future needs of the community, impact on delivery of library services during construction, availability of parking, and accessibility of location, to name a few considerations.

With a growing population for the first time in several decades, a Library Board, Village Board and Administration that recognize the power of a library to benefit the whole community, now is the best moment for Morton Grove to build its new Library. This Board has the expertise, experience and will to successfully recreate MGPL.

Librarian's Report for May 2007

2007-11-08T17:38:00.001-06:00

Summer is off to a great start at the Library. School is out, the weather is hot and the Library is full of people. That’s how it has been since early June.

“Mission Possible,” the Summer Library Challenge, is under way to a very strong start. Youth Services registered 169 readers last Saturday, the first day. Currently there are 152 adults and 379 children enrolled.

Elizabeth Kaiz will begin as Young Adult Services Librarian on Monday, July 2, reporting to the Head of Youth Services. Her experience includes three years as a social studies teacher at Prairie Hills Junior High School, teaching assistant at Old Orchard Junior High School and library associate at Pleasant Ridge School in Glenview.

A graduate of Illinois State University, Normal with a library degree from Dominican University, Elizabeth lives in Chicago with her husband. She will begin at Morton Grove Public Library after a week’s vacation in Italy. Elizabeth brings enthusiasm, a love of young adult literature and technical knowledge that will continue to grow our service to our young adult patrons.

HR 1727, the bill concerning mandatory Internet filtering which we discussed last month, is in the Senate Rules committee as it has been since May 3, 2007.

Planning for our 70th Anniversary has begun. Nancy Brothers will present the preliminary outline for the celebration and expected costs during New Business. At this time, while planning is in the early stages, the Board needs to consider whether this is a suitable milestone to observe.

Susan McGowan, Kevin Justie and I traveled to Riverside Public Library to observe PC Cop in action. PC Cop is an Internet PC management system that allows patrons to access public Internet computers without having to reserve one with a Reference Librarian. The system also supports printing for patrons using our Wi-Fi connection. Besides freeing staff from the reservation and monitoring tasks the system allows all printing fees to be handled via a coin vend station or automatic debits from the patron’s SIRSI account. The increase in print revenue from improved service and reduced loses could pay for the system in three years. The price for the system, configured to meet MGPL needs, is anticipated to be about $9,000 to $10,000.

The SIRSI system was recently updated to the current release. For patrons the most noticeable improvement is the ability to see how many times they have renewed an item in their My Account area of iBistro. Several patrons have asked for this function so they can better manage their reading lists. The next public improvement, subject to testing, will permit patrons to register for library cards from the MGPL webpage.

The remaining unused typing room (ex-reference staff office) is being repainted and equipped to serve as a temporary computer training room for one-on-one tutorials and coaching. Reference staff will resume conducting introductory tutorials for patrons, but now they won’t have to tie up a public internet PC. Carolyn Lawrence, a volunteer with computer training experience, will also be available for coaching patrons with more specific questions.

Librarian's Report for April 2007

2007-11-08T17:34:00.000-06:00

April has lived up to its tradition of being a slow month for MGPL. The Statistical Analysis gives the fuller story. We have also come full circle from removing the fee on Feature Film materials and the slowing growth in circulation reflects that. This is also a month where a greater than usual number of library cards expire and are not made up by new cardholders. We will have to see if May produces its usual turn around.

Welcome to both the new and returning Trustees! The newly elected Trustees have set a record for Morton Grove Library Board elections finishing 1st, 3rd and 4th compared to all candidates running in the Village. Such a strong turn out for a Library election is a good indicator that the citizens of Morton Grove value their Library.

The Board, once vacancies are filled, will consist almost equally of new and experienced members. This is an opportunity to tackle the challenges of the next few years with a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective.

The Morton Grove Public Library has several important challenges I feel the Board must deal with during this term. None of them are insurmountable and all have been considered and debated and studied by the Board before.

1. Improve public engagement with the Library. Over the past 18 months every statistic that represents patron use of this Library has gone up except one. The percentage of population with a Library Card has remained almost exactly the same. There has been steady turnover, but the number of people departing (not renewing their cards) and the number of new cardholders have matched over the long term.

2. What to do about the Library building. There has been a long period of study and discussion on this issue. Last year the Village offered the possibility of an alternative location. While that did not pan out, the public debate on the Library, its needs and the TIF district did much to educate the public on the limitations of the current building. The public workshop on the TIF placed a new library building as a tie for first place with senior housing.

3. Fund raising for capital and special projects. The Library has never engaged in a program to develop donors or giving in support of special projects. Public art, a speaker’s series, laptops for training and circulation, remodeling of the auditorium are all projects with visible results that can tie residents more closely to their library.

4. Development of a Friends Group. The creation and nurturing of a group of civic minded, library loving people who can assist the Board and staff in promoting this institution will have a positive long term effect on our connection to the community.

I think you will agree that each of the above items is tied into each other. A new building has been a priority for several years. The achievement of that goal requires strong ties to a public who are users of their library and understand its unique and important role as a public institution. Cultivation of that relationship can only be helped by an active Friends Groups and by opportunities for the public to contribute directly to Library improvements and services that address their needs and desires.

An involved, energetic group of Trustees is the only way to master these challenges. The staff of the Library is willing and capable of assisting in any way possible. This is going to be an interesting Spring and Summer.

Director's Report to the Board for March 2007

2007-04-17T10:59:00.000-06:00

Two major staff changes to announce.

On April 9th Katy Opderbeck announced her resignation, effective April 30th, as Young Adult Services Librarian. Katy has performed in an exemplary manner, developing the Teen collection and Programs. Her energy and enthusiasm has had an incredible impact on the Library, local Teens and schools. While the pace of outreach to the Teen population may slow for a month or two, Katy’s work has demonstrated that there is a Teen population needing the Library’s services.

On Wednesday April 11th Eugenia Bryant, Assistant Director for Public Services, tendered her resignation effective May 7th. Eugenia has for 17 years served this library with the highest sense of responsibility, professionalism and caring. Her knowledge, experience and wisdom have served two Directors very well. I particularly benefited from her abilities and support. Much of what MGPL is today is due to her efforts. She will be missed. However the Glenview Public Library is about to gain an excellent Head of Reference – Adult Services.

MGPL prepares for National Library Week (April 15-21) with tours to show off the many changes, presentation of the new Playaway audiobook devices and a Trivia Contest in Youth Services. A schedule of events with an extensive write up was published in Books and Beyond for March-April. The new Playaway audiobooks will be prominently displayed on the main floor and in YS. Public Services staff will also be wearing them and Reference staff will be showing patrons how they work and demonstrating their features. The new Activity Room will be the venue for several events hosted through out the week. Tours lead by the Director and staff will give the public access to behind-the-scenes areas while highlighting the Library’s many services.

The annual audit has just wrapped up its on-site component. Once the review of Library financials and the Village’s information is complete a representative from Sikich Professional Services and Support will present the findings to the Board of Trustees.

The final walk through of the Adult Work Room construction has been completed by the architect. Cost estimates for the remodeling of the Board Room and typing rooms has begun. The initial estimate for engineering work (on which all other work depends) was much higher than expected and estimates from other firms are being sought.

To accommodate the increasing demand for Public Internet PCs, the Reference Department is evaluating three systems which can automate patron signup, control use of individual computers, manage and collect payments for printing and possibly allow ’for fee’ printing from the Library’s WiFi network. A decision on vendor will be made early in May. Cost for a complete system is expected to range between $6,000 and $8,000.

Reference is interviewing several candidates for part time work at the desk. This will fill the coverage gap created with the move of the Teen, now Young Adult Services Librarian to Youth Services.

The Library’s policy for Compassionate Leave, as stated in the Employee Handbook, is unbalanced in defining ‘immediate family’ relationship for whom Leave will be granted. The current policy excludes spousal siblings, grandparents and grandchildren while allowing them on the employee side. Also, and this does need to be researched further, there is no provision in the policy for domestic partner relationships.

The recently received Actuarial Valuation of the Retirement Plan shows that retirement liabilities are currently funded at 73.4%. To eliminate the unfunded liability, additional contribution will have to be made by the Library from 2008 onwards.

The career of a Library Trustee is often uncelebrated and carries little reward outside of a sense of serving the public good and helping ones community at the most fundamental level. This meeting signals the terminus of Elinor Dahmer’s and Mary Walsh’s service to Morton Grove and the Public Library. Their time on the Board has been invaluable to this library. They have guided it through times of change and worked to ensure it fulfills its mission to serve all of the Morton Grove community to the highest standard of the Library profession. Both have been an irreplaceable assistance to me in my first two years as Director. My performance and the Library’s response to changing conditions were better for their involvement. I, and the staff of Morton Grove Public Library, want to thank them both deeply for their service and wish them the best with whatever endeavors they undertake in the future.

I read a lot of blogs...

2007-04-13T16:09:00.001-06:00

I read a lot of blogs, not that I don't have anything better to do, but I can't afford books anymore. Anyway I have noticed most blog entries start with "I". Just like this one. It makes sense. The author is writing about his or her perspective on whatever topic they feel compelled to expound upon, mostly for the pleasure of writing and maybe for some strokes. That's a problem for me. I am not writing for me in this blog. I am writing for us - that institution known as the Morton Grove Public Library. Us isn't just the staff or the Board of Trustees, but also for the patrons and residents of the Village. Even if you do not use the Library (really you should it is good for you) what happens here is about you.

Now writing for "I" can be fun. "I" writing comes with the license to let "I's" thoughts go where they may etc., etc. But writing for an Institution, while possibly fun, is constrained. I mean really, much of what I would want to write about has nothing to do with the Library at all. Most "I" stuff just doesn't belong on the Library's blog.

So what I am going to write about is your Library. Some posts will be nuts and bolts about budget and goals and services, some will be about the rather interesting and diverse group of people who work here and very occasionally (when I can protect both the innocent and myself) the writing will be about the people this Library exists for, the folks who walk or roll in off the street.

Technologies change, the help remains the same

2007-04-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

By now probably a thousand libraries have linked to this video:

Libraries were introducing new technology long before the computer.

Playaways, Activity Room and Video Games

2007-03-23T12:17:00.000-06:00

Playaway Audiobooks come to the Library.

One of our most important goals is to make the library as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people. But we recognize that the very technology that makes it possible for us to distribute content easily and cheaply can be a real obstacle for some patrons. For example, while many patrons are using the MyMediaMall service of downloadable e-books and audio books if you don’t have a computer or MP3 device you can’t take advantage of it.

Our new Playaway Digital Audio book players could be just thing for you. Playaways are preloaded, single-title audio book players that are as simple to use as pressing a button. They circulate just like books and the only thing you need to supply is an AA battery and a set of headphones or ear buds. (And if you need either of those items, you can get them at the Circulation desk for a small fee.)

Our first collection includes Children’s, Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction and Language titles. If Playaways circulate as we expect them to, we’ll expand the collection. Come in and give one a try. They are simple, portable and free.

New Activity Room opens

As part of the ongoing effort to squeeze every last bit of public space out of this building, the Local History Room has been transformed into a bright new Activity Room. Primarily this space is for programs, story times and other Youth Services events. But it can be easily reconfigured for Teen and Adult purposes. Photos of a recent Playtime Class can be seen on the MGPL Parents blog here http://mgplparents.blogspot.com/

The Local History Collection is now housed in a more secure space on the other side of the Library.

Why Video Games in the Library?

We are sometimes asked why we provide video games to our younger patrons. Well, games are additional ways to tell stories and engage in learning. And because video games appeal to the traditionally under-served population of teenagers, we felt it was worthwhile to explore using them. The Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR) competitions, we’ve offered in the past year were a big hit with teens. The Playtstation 2 games, which we have recently begun to circulate, have been wildly popular, and we’re looking forward to hosting Guitar Hero competitions in the near future. Youth Services has recently added X Box games to the collection.

MGPL 2007 Budget Line Item Explanation

2007-03-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

As required by State statute the Morton Grove Public Library annually produces a new budget to guide operations and services for the next year. Like the Village the Library operates on a calendar year fiscal cycle. The BUDGET NOTES document is produced to provide a simple narrative explaining each line item and, if appropriate, data on any change compared to 2006. Generally a large document like this is not published to a blog. However, I feel the importance out weighs the negatives.

How to read this document.

The budget is divided into two main sections - REVENUES and EXPENSES. REVENUES is further divided into line items each with a name and number such as "Replacement taxes - 3110". The name is just that while the number corresponds to the account number in the Library's financial system.

EXPENSES, because it covers a much larger number of items, is first divided into broad categories of spending - PERSONNEL and then into line items each with a name and number. For some categories the total is given instead of an amount for each line item.

MORTON GROVE PUBLIC LIBRARY

FISCAL YEAR 2007

BUDGET NOTES

REVENUES

Property tax receipts - 3100
$2,406,099
Set after necessary expenditures and other revenues
are projected. A 7.5% increase compared to 2006.

Replacement taxes - 3110
$20,000
Allocated by Village according to state statute; tax is
replacement for the personal property tax of 1976.
No change from 2006.

Fines - 3200
$24,000
Fees for overdue materials. No change from 2006

Lost Materials Payments - 3210
$2,800
Fees for non-returned materials. No change from 2006

Photocopy/Printing Receipts - 3800
$4,500
Fees for patron photocopies and computer printouts. No change from 2006

Miscellaneous Income - 3900
$0
Includes non-resident fees, determined by state formula. MGPL calculated fee for 2006-2007 is $273; account also includes fees for computer disks; replacement library cards. No change from 2006.

AV Rental Receipts - 3910
$1,200
Fees for rental of videos and DVDs ($1 for 1 wk. circulation) to non-residents. Changed from $15,000 in 2006. The application of this fee to resident borrowers was stopped in 2006.

Grants - 3920
$ 27,500
Includes per capita grant estimated at $1.25 per capita, allocated by the Illinois State Library. The typical grant amount is in the $28,000 range. For 2007 these funds will be used for two part time positions, one professional in Youth Services and one non-professional to assist with programs and public relations.

Interest Income - 3930
$56,192
Projected returns on funds deposited in Illinois Funds and other financial institutions. Increased from 2006, $31,192.

Book Sale Receipts - 3940
$4,000
Revenue from book sale conducted by library volunteers. No change from 2006.

EXPENDITURES

PERSONNEL
Total Salaries: $1,335,072
Includes $51,349 for salary increase (4%).

Professional Salaries - 4010
Salaries for full time professional staff. 12 FTE. Decrease from 2006, $15,318.

Support Staff - 4020
Salaries for part time staff. 17.3 FTE; 35 employees. Includes salaries of two part time staff from Per Capita Grant at $12,698 each ($25,396). Includes one new part time Reference librarian. Increase from 2006, $21,619, due to grant positions. Add one part time reference librarian, $16,00 with reallocated funds from 2006.

Custodial Staff - 4030
Salaries for Full time and part time custodial staff. 3.29 FTE; 4 employees. Decrease from 2006, $2,303.

Retirement - 4050
$125,000
Includes participation in retirement plan with the Village of Morton Grove or the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). Decrease from 2006, $35,280.

Health Insurance - 4060
$220,484
Based on broker’s projection, PPO and HMO coverage for 20 employees. Increase from 2006, $25,477.

Long Term Disability - 4070
$2,200
Coverage included as part of Village of MG plan for 22 full-time employees. No change from 2006.

Life Insurance - 4080
$2,182
Coverage for 22 participants. Increase of 5% from 2006, $104.

PATRON MATERIALS & SERVICES
Total Books: $155,000
Books--Adult - 5010
Books–Youth Services - 5011
Fiction, nonfiction, reference and other print materials for Adult and Youth Services. Decrease from 2006, $17,000.

Downloadable Books – 5012
$4,100
Includes MyMediaMall, AskAway (24 hr. Reference), Digital Past, NorthStarNet and E-Books Access charges. In 2006 this line included only MyMediaMall. Decrease from 2006, $1,900.

Periodicals - 5020
$28,700
Added publications balanced by dropped and ceased publications, allows for new titles while maintaining same spending level. Decrease from 2006, $1,500.

Total Audiovisuals: $50,700
Adult - 5030
Includes audiobooks on CD and MP3 audiobooks and popular and classical music CDs. No change from 2006. Add $2,500 for PlayAway audio books.
Youth Services - 5031
Includes CD-ROMS, compact discs, kits, audiobooks and Circulating video games. Increase from 2006, $1,000. Add $2,500 for PlayAway audio books.
Microforms - 5050
Includes ongoing filming of current issues of MG Champion by Illinois State Historical Library; and microfilming of Time magazine. Decrease from 2006, $600.
DVDs - 5100
Expenditures for VHS and DVD movies. Circulating video games for Teen collection. Decrease from 2006, $1,500.

Total Programs: $34,500
Adult - 5300
Includes funding for entertainment & educational programs, computer training programs and summer reading programs; incentives, prizes, consumables/refreshments, and teen activities. Decrease from 2006, $2000. Add $2,000 to restore to 2006 level.
Youth Services - 5301
Includes funding for special outside presenters, prizes and refreshments. No change from 2006. Add $2,000.

Photocopier Acquisitions & Maintenance - 5400
$12,000
Reflects contractual leasing costs and supplies for 3 copiers. No change from 2006.

Computer System - 6090
$51,163
Includes SIRSI annual maintenance; LAN maintenance; various software upgrades; computers replacements. Decrease from 2006, $9,837.

Database Access Charges - 6300
$77,396
Includes funding for OCLC’s international bibliographic database and various reference databases. Decrease from 2006, $3,203.

OPERATIONS

Total Maintenance: $72,000
Building & Grounds Maintenance - 7010
Includes expenditures for elevator maintenance, exterminator, emergency services, electrical, landscaping, plumbing, janitorial/cleaning supplies, snow removal, carpet cleaning, parking lot and leased parking. Increase from 2006, $4,000.

Equipment/Machinery Maintenance - 7030
Includes contractual maintenance of HVAC system, alarm system, sprinkler system, car, and fire extinguishers. No change from 2006.

Equipment/Furniture Acquisitions - 7040
$32,000
Includes expenditures for miscellaneous equipment and office furniture, shelving, office chairs, etc. Decrease from 2006, $3,000. Add $5,0000.

Utilities - 7060
$18,700
Includes water and gas expenses. Increase of 10% from 2006.

Insurance - 7080
$35,462
Includes multi-peril package and worker’s comp. Increase of 10% from 2006.

Library Supplies - 8000
$28,000
Includes expenditures for office supplies (stationery, pens, binders) and library supplies such as book covers, labels. No change from 2006. Add $4,000.

Telephone - 8010
$12,500
Includes costs for key telephone system ISDN line; 2 business lines; long distance; 1 cellular phone. Increase from 2006, $1,500.

Postage - 8020
$11,000
Includes mailing of newsletter and various public information items, such as correspondence, overdue notices, MatchBook, etc. No change from 2006.

Printing - 8030
$33,000
Reflects costs for newsletter and printing of data mailers, new service brochures, etc. Increase from 2006, $5,000.

Continuing Education/Meetings - 8050
$19,000
Includes funding for various meetings/conferences–NSLS sponsored CE, ALA Conference/ Chicago, PLA Symposium, Reaching Forward Conference, Illinois Library Conference, and SIRSI SuperConference. No change from 2006. Add $4,000.

Memberships - 8080
$6,000
Includes institutional, trustee and administrative memberships in library associations, LACONI, and the MG Chamber of Commerce. Increase from 2006, $2,000.

Professional Services - 8130
$15,000
Includes funding for financial assistance; payroll services and increased legal counsel. Increase from 2006, $1,000. Add $4,000.

Consultant Services - 8140
$24,000
Includes funding for actuary and misc. consulting. No change from 2006. Add $14,000 to fund special projects..

Miscellaneous - 8150
$500
No change from 2006.

Facilities Planning/Building - 8160
$30,000
Reserve for building renovation and/or new construction. Not paid from levy.

Reserve for Extraordinary & Emergency Expenditures - 8170
$33,000
Decrease from 2006, $10,000. Add $3,000.

SPECIAL TAXES

FICA - 9010
$105,237
Social Security/Medicare contributions. Increase from 2006, $859. Add $1,000.

Annual Audit - 9020
$4,000
No change from 2006.

Tort Liability - 9030
$17,000
Includes auto, directors & officers, umbrella and surety bond coverage. No change from 2006.

Director's Report to Library Trustees for February 2007

2007-03-16T14:18:00.000-06:00

February has shaped up to be a pretty busy month for MGPL. While the statistics are down from January, February is traditionally a quiet month, it was still the best ‘slow’ month over the last 26. A review of the total monthly circulation counts since January of 2005 reveals a steady increase in loans since January of 2006.

The part time Reference Librarian position has been posted.

The Director and Colleen Ringel attended the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Networking Mutli-Chamber Luncheon, an excellent opportunity to talk with local small business owners and gauge their understanding of library services and ascertain their information needs. My conversations with some 20 owners revealed they have little understanding of what their local public library can offer, but they are willing to try anything that can give them an edge in marketing or improving their business. Over the next six months the Library will experiment with ways to better serve the Morton Grove small business community.

Blogs as a means of electronically communicating with out having to use the established medial outlets have been around so long even the major political parties have picked up on the techniques. MGPL has sprouted several blogs of its own recently. There is one for most every library interest group – Teen Blog, Tech Services Blog (staff only), MGPL Parents Blog, MGPL Almost Teen Blog, MGPL Reference Blog (staff only) and Sunshine Times Blog (staff only). This is a great trend as it allows staff to directly communicate with quickly and effectively. Patrons can also respond via the blogs.

With all this experimentation underway some basic order is needed. A committee of Katy Opderbeck, Natalya Fishman and Colleen Ringel are developing guidelines for branding the public blogs so they are identifiably MGPL products. Policy is being developed establishing areas of responsibility and content control. The draft policy will be presented to the Board for approval at a future date. Establishing a policy to govern and protect patron e-mail (and other electronic) communications with staff is also called for.

The ‘Activity Room’ is nearing completion and will be open to the public by the end of next week. While primarily intended for Youth Service and Young Adult Services other teams may make use of the space if called for. Once this task is complete planning will begin on the second floor changes.

The seating of the new Board will be an opportunity to address financial, managerial and long range planning issues. Fund raising, personnel policies, department organization, the role of the Library in the Morton Grove community and its impact on replacing or remodeling this building can be address now that the building can support current demands.

Several items concerning internal operations are in New Business. Your guidance will be very helpful.

Statistical Summary

Total circulation for February was 23,475 down from 26,984 last month, a 13 % decrease. February 2007 total circulation exceeded February 2006 by 11%.

Adult circulation for February was 11,474 down 18.2% compared to last month’s 14,028. It is up 9.5% compared to last February.

Youth Services circulation is up 12.4% compared to February of 2006. However the 11,975 items circulated is a 938 item decrease over last month.

The Reciprocal Borrowing Program (RBP) accounted for 3,868 items loaned to other communities or 16.5% of total circulation for the month. This is a decrease of 1,005 items compared to January. RBP circulation for February 2006 was 4,247.

Patron registrations for February are almost exactly the same as last month at 8,646 active cards, with 76 new and 102 renewals. This represents 38.5% of the Morton Grove population with active cards. While new registrations were up in February the total number of card holders increased by just 10 people.

Adult reference activity was down 6% (90 questions) compared to last February with 1,363 questions. It is also down compared to January 2007 by 342 questions.

Youth Services reference activity for the month was 817, up 11% over last February. YS answered 1,109 questions in January of 2007.

Morton Grove residents made 88 Interlibrary Loan requests (down by 15 from last month. Other libraries requested 129 items (down by 14 items from last month) from MGPL of which 60 were filled.

Online Database use, as reported by the vendors, was 1,109 users or sessions conducting 3,170 searches. Broken down by user type, 148 in-library users conducted 423 searches, 800 patrons connected remotely for 2,288 searches and staff signed on for 161 sessions and 461 searches.

Adult Internet PC usage was 691 compared to 773 in January and down -7% compared to last February. One Internet PC station was out of service for the month and is the most likely cause of the reduction in use. Youth Services Internet use was 171, down from January’s 194 and up 99% from February 2006. YS Mac/PC usage was up 40% from last year at 286 signups.

Website hits from non-staff users were 151,373 for the month (down from January by 22,012.) This is an average of 5,4063 hits per day, a 4% increase over last February.

MyMedialMall downloads were 37 for the month, up from last month by 5 with 69 year to date. Registration now totals 154 with 9 patrons joining in February.

MatchBook Select now has 740 subscribers: Children & Teen (182), Adult (454), Miscellaneous (104). Subscription increases by category are: Overall – no change, Children & Teens – no change, Adult – no change and Miscellaneous – no change. MatchBook Kids now has 31 registrations.

Program attendance was 712 for Adults, 1,429 for Youth Services totaling 2,141 for the month.

First Floor Remodeling Completed!

2007-03-06T15:55:00.000-06:00

After several months of furniture and computers moving around the first floor, we are pleased to say the construction is done. The first thing people notice is the brightness and spaciousness of the Internet Computer area. Then they realize that the Library has a cheerfulness that is reflected by the surrounding and the staff.

The remodeling project began on October 1, 2006 when we closed off the old Magazine Reading Room and began demolition of that space and the adjoining office space. The dark paneling was removed from the walls, and the entrance to the Reference Room was opened up with the removal of the heavy doors.

By the end of the year, the walls had been painted a light off-white, carpeting laid in the Internet Computer and Reference Desk area, and the Computers returned to their original area. In early January, the Reference Desk had been relocated to the opposite wall and staff began to move into their new workspace.
Now we are remodeling the old office spaces that some of our staff occupied for so long to provide a new Activity Room for the Library to use for programs and work on a new small meeting room for programs and meetings will start soon.

Downloadable Books and Videos

2007-03-06T14:30:00.000-06:00

By the time you are reading this the Library will be well on the way to implementing a new service allowing patrons to download digital books for either reading or listening.

This is a chance to respond to the changing demographics of our community and provide wider access to the Library. The explosion of transit oriented housing and the increase in juvenile circulation indicates a shift to a younger and busier population. This part of the population not only wants more immediacy in service delivery, they are much more comfortable with online activities. Checking out digital or audio books from the Library’s webpage, using your own computer, PDA or MP3 player, seems a good fit with this demographic. The Library can be closed or you can be on the far side of the planet (or home in your pajamas) the materials are available at any time.

This latter benefit—not having to come to the Library building—addresses a growing concern of the Library—the fact that there are still segments of our community that are not using or being reached by the traditional library approach.
Thus our goal is no longer simply to get bodies in the door to benefit from our services, it must also be to get patrons the materials they want or need when or where they need them.

A consortium of local libraries runs the service we are looking at and we can join for such a minimal cost that our current book budgets remain unaffected. Every digital or audio book circulated is, in effect, a second copy that makes the paper copy that much more available. Since the online collection is chosen by the participating local libraries the titles should be desirable to the Morton Grove population. And for those residents with a library card, the service is free.

Digital/audio books are now a well developed, mainstream, product that has proven valuable to many library communities around the country. The service makes sense economically and in terms of reaching out to an underserved and important population without negative impact on existing services or collections. This really is something that offers great promise and is worth a try.