Keeping you up-to-date on what we are doing at the library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
AUGUST 24, 2009
Long Range Plan 2009-2012
The Menomonie Public Library Board began a planning process in early 2009 with the assistance of John Thompson, Director, Indianhead Federated Library System.
In addition to the data already available to them, the Library Board sought to gain information from the community. A series of five focus groups were facilitated by John Thompson and Ted Stark, Director of the Menomonie Public Library. The groups consisted of Library Board members, Library Staff, seniors, parents, community leaders, and teens. The comments from the participants provided the framework for this plan.
Library Board
Judy Ganzemiller
Richard Morrison
William O’Neill
Mary Orfield
Bernice Sutliff
Lee Smalley
Jerry Traxler
Carmen Trimble
Barb Welch
Library Director
Ted Stark
Goals and Objectives for 2009-2012
Goal 1: Provide all library patrons regardless of age access to collections, programs and services to meet their work, school, cultural, civic and personal needs.
- Objective: Collaborate with community organizations to expand library programs
- Partner with the Mabel Tainter Theater, Dunn County Historical Society, and Menomonie Area School District to sponsor community programs.
- Objective: Enhance programs designed for youth
- Increase hours for children’s staff.
- Increase the number of storytimes provided.
- Expand number of outreach visits to daycare and schools.
- Objective: Develop and enhance programs designed for teens
- Increase hours for teen coordinator
- Increase number of teen programs offered.
- Expand membership on Teen Advisory Board.
- Develop after school program with Menomonie Middle School
- Objective: Enrich programs offered for adults.
- Increase hours for adult programming staff
- Offer a broader variety of adult programs, including musical and cultural events.
- Enlist outside sponsors for events.
- Conduct annual community wide read program.
- Create book discussion club for adults.
Goal 2: Increase community awareness of the library and its services.
- Objective: Create a comprehensive awareness/PR plan for the library.
- Annually, conduct two events specifically designed to increase awareness of the library.
- Work with library staff and IFLS consultants to create a PR plan.
- Work with local media to place stories about libraries and library service.
- Create outside banners to advertise programs.
- Improve signage on building.
Goal 3: Seek sufficient funding for library programs and services that meet the needs of the community
- Objective: Seek government support to ensure a strong financial foundation for the library.
- Work with city and county officials to educate them on the value of public library service to their constituency.
- Provide decision-makers with timely information on local library service and use.
- Create strong advocates for library service.
- Objective: Partner with the Friends and the Foundation to seek support for special projects and collections.
- Seek out new strategies and techniques to increase annual giving.
- Educate boards on library issues and needs.
- Encourage involvement of boards in library activities.
- Board member and librarian attends at least one workshop annually on fundraising, planned giving, or non-profit governance.
- Objective: Seek grant funds for special projects and collections.
- Participate in grants being offered by IFLS and the State Library.
Goal 4: Enhance the library as a community space where patrons can learn and grow
- Objective: Gather information for continued development of library programs, services and facility needs.
- Tour area libraries to help determine the vision of the new library space
Goal 5: Continue to provide library patrons with excellent service.
- Objective: Provide an adequate number of well-trained staff and volunteers.
- Create new Library Programming Specialist full time position.
- Encourage each full time staff member to attend at least two training/CE activities per year.
- Host one training event per year for all library staff.
- Encourage all part-time staff to attend at least one training/CE activity per year.
- Objective: Implement new technologies that enhance customer service.
- Keep abreast of new developments in the use of technologies in libraries.
- Seek public support and funding for increased use of work saving technologies.
- Maintain network and computer infrastructure. Establish hardware replacement schedule.
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AUGUST 19, 2009
Summer Reading Program Report
Report from Children's Services Manager Jodi Bird
Summer Reading:
What a great summer we had! Signups for Summer Reading were up slightly this summer, from 274-283, but what was up was attendance at the weekly events. In 2008 we averaged about 156 people at our programs each week. This year we averaged 194. Up significantly from last year. We held 7 different events this year with the most popular being Mad Science, Bill the Juggler, the Zoomobile and the Spoonman. Dairy Queen was nice enough to donate soft serve ice cream and Kwik Trip donated bananas so the kids we treated with banana splits at the last event. The library gave away 80 free books this summer. This is the final prize children can receive for the summer reading program. Participants must have read 21 hours to receive a free book. Last year 27 kids got free books.
Summer Story Times:
Our story times numbers were also significantly up this summer. We offered one story time per day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for 8 weeks (24 different sessions). We saw a total of 808 people for an average of 34 people per session (children attend with a parent or caregiver). This was up from the 556 people we saw last summer.
Outreach:
This was our 4th summer of reading to the students who attend summer school at Oaklawn Elementary. Each week Colleen went to Oaklawn and read to over 200 students.
This was our second summer of participating in River Heights Elementary School’s grant for a summer reading program at their school. Two times a week Debbie went to River Heights and shared stories with a group of approximately 14 students for 30 minutes.
Also this summer Colleen and I continued to go to two different day cares, Hand in Hand Daycare and Bouncin Babies and Kool Kids, to share stories, songs and fingerplays. Once a month all year long we go to these daycares and share stories and other information about the library. This fall we will be going to three different daycares, Bouncin Babies, Monkey Business and Sunshine Learning Center.
Young Adult:
Colleen hosted many events for teens this summer. All events were held on Thursdays and were well attended. The most popular events were Yuck Night, Candy Making, Guitar Hero, and Water Games Night (even though this event was held on a cold summer evening). As of the writing of this report no final numbers have been acquired.
We look forward to planning our next summer reading event which will be titled
Make a Splash: READ.
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AUGUST 18, 2009
Library receives grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Opportunity Online Grants Will Help Public Libraries Improve Quality of Free Computer Access Used by Millions of Americans
Program to Help Generate $3.7 Million in Local Funding for Public Technology Access in 11 States
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today $6.5 million in grants to help public libraries in 11 states increase and sustain free, quality public access to computers for their patrons. These Opportunity Online hardware grants will help libraries upgrade and add public computer workstations for patrons in communities with high concentrations of poverty and where a library’s public computers are at risk of becoming outdated with limited capacity for users.
Menomonie Public Library will be receiving 10 computers over a two year period beginning in 2010 from this grant. This is the second grant the library has received from the foundation. This is a great benefit for us as our budget would not support the purchase of this many computers and many of our public access computers are now getting very outdated and need to be replaced. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have given hundreds of millions of dollars to public libraries in the United States. Many small libraries would not have public access computers for Internet access if it were not for the efforts of the foundation.
“In today’s economy, more than ever, public access to technology in libraries is a critical resource for people who are working to improve their lives and regain financial stability,” said Jill Nishi, deputy director of U.S. Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “But this valuable public benefit that opens the door to opportunity for millions of people is at risk. Communities must commit the funds libraries need to ensure they can keep pace with local demand for high-quality computer and broadband access.”
“A rising unemployment rate in our county has stimulated even more demand for the technology resources at our library,” said Nick Slone, a librarian at Garnet A. Wilson Public Library in Waverly, OH, which is eligible for the grants. “Many people in our community without Internet access elsewhere now come to the library regularly—even daily—to take courses and search for jobs online. If it weren’t for the library, these people would simply not be able to use the Internet as a tool to find new opportunities in this tough economy.”
Since 80 percent of library funding comes from local sources, libraries eligible for the Opportunity Online hardware grant program are required to match the Gates Foundation funds with local dollars to show they can sustain investments in technology access in the future. The Gates Foundation expects that its investment will leverage $3.7 million in local funding to support technology access in libraries.
"Public libraries have been leaders in helping bridge the 'digital divide' in our state, and throughout the country," said Jesse White, Illinois secretary of state and state librarian. "Libraries enable millions of people to find important information online, search and apply for jobs, and benefit from technology tools they would never be able to access elsewhere. The Opportunity Online grants will help Illinois libraries build the support and momentum to sustain high-quality technology services for all our community members for years to come."
To date, the foundation has invested $350 million in grants and support to install and sustain computers in libraries and train thousands of library staff in all 50 states and U.S. territories. This will be the last round of grants given by the foundation to fund computer upgrades for U.S. libraries with vulnerable technology, but the foundation continues to support libraries through investments in programs, research, advocacy training, and public awareness efforts that will help libraries sustain high-quality online access for patrons in partnership with their communities.
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Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
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AUGUST 18, 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife in theaters now. Read the book.
Time travel novels
With The Time Traveler’s Wife hitting the big screen on August 14, many readers will be turning to the novel that inspired it. Author Audrey Niffenegger crafted the wildly inventive tale of Henry and Clare, a seemingly normal Chicago couple actually at the mercy of Henry’s far-from-normal condition: a genetic predisposition to travel forward and backward in time within his own lifespan. If readers crave more true love transcending the bounds of time, don’t miss the popular Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander (scheduled to be made into a film in 2011), Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes.
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