Library Director’s Annual Report
2006
Reflecting on the
first complete calendar year in our new Library building, I am immensely proud
of the many accomplishments made by the Library Staff, Trustees, Volunteers and
members of our community at large and will attempt to describe many of them
below. Over the coming months, the Library Trustees and I will work towards
raising the funds necessary to complete the Library’s renovation, including the
repair and reinstallation of the belfry, restoration of the intricate façade,
landscaping, painting and completion of the Lower Level.
This summer, the
Library often felt as though it was the hub of a major railroad station instead
of a quiet public Library. The
completion of a temporary stairway access way
from Commercial Street brought an unanticipated leap in visitor
statistics. The total number of patrons visiting the Library was 149,486 last
year!
The Library held
several series of Reading and Book Discussions including a Short Story Read
Aloud series, led by Library Operations Director Karen MacDonald and Volunteer
Joan Barron. The Supporters of the
Library and The Wired Puppy hosted “Genius Loci,” a Winter series of readings
by Karen Krahulik, Norris Church Mailer and Mary Oliver. This Summer, the Library co-hosted a series
with Mark Leach and Now Voyager Bookstore.
The authors represented included Bill Schneider, Jonathan Silin, Stephen
McCauley, Harlyn Aizley and Alex MacLennan.
For Women’s Week, the Library hosted author Sandra Faiman-Silva, and
Karen MacDonald presented a special Story Hour “Bed-time Stories for Women of
All Ages.”
In May, the Library
hosted a traveling exhibition from the archives of the James C. Hormel Gay
& Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library. The exhibit offered a
unique look into the Hormel Center collection and demonstrated how important
archives are to maintaining the legacy of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender communities. Reproductions of photographs, documents, and objects
provided residents and visitors alike an extraordinary historical perspective
on the LGBT community.
The Pilgrim Monument
prepared two interpretative panels and one exhibit case to coordinate with the
Lipton Cup Celebration on June 14th. These panels help Library Staff present the Rose Dorothea model,
the Lipton Cup, and the story of the fishing industry to the public in a
concise way. In addition, the Seamen’s
Bank Long Point Foundation funded the restoration and re-framing of three
original photographs of the Rose Dorothea and the Fishermen’s Cup race
from the Heritage Museum Collection.
These photographs are now permanently hanging in the Library.
Karen MacDonald’s
years of research and collecting were rewarded when the Massachusetts
Foundation for the Humanities recommended funding her grant request for $5,000
to produce an educational short-film about the Rose Dorothea. We look forward to a preview in the Spring.
The Library
partnered with and received support from many local organizations and
Boards. Of special note is the support
from the Visitors Service Board enabling the Library to hire Richard Days to
help maintain the public Rest Rooms.
Steven Borkowski,
Peggy Prichett and the Provincetown Art Commission continue to install
masterpieces from the Town Art Collection on the Library walls. To date, there are nineteen paintings that
have been restored and reframed.
Storyteller Linda
Schlecter continues to lead the “Born to Read” Program, funded through a grant
from the Cape Cod Children’s Place, at the Library in the winter and at St.
Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church during the summer. Volunteer Maria Andrews was a great help to
Library Staff by organizing supplies and providing another set of hands. In addition, Renee Gibbs-Brady, Susan
Packard and Volunteer Sarah Frisco offered Story Hours for children on
Wednesday and Saturday mornings. This
year, the Summer Reading Series theme was “What’s Buzzing at your Library?”
Children’s Librarian Renee Gibbs-Brady, Susan Packard and Gwen Eiger
collaborated to present “the Bug Club” on Monday evenings in the summer. The Summer Reading program was generously
funded by the Friends of the Library.
On Friday mornings at the Library, Staff Member Martha Hyams offers a
very special Story Hour for Beth Francis’ Kindergarten class.
The increased demand
for technological services put a heavy strain on Library staff and on the
equipment itself this summer. As a
result, the Friends and Supporters of the Library funded a complete upgrade of
all the public and Staff computers. MIS
Staff Beau Jackett and Lynne Martin judiciously evaluated each computer to
determine if the equipment could be upgraded with additional memory or should
be replaced. In addition, they upgraded
the Library’s wireless network and installed PC Reservation software on each
public machine. The Library Staff is
looking forward to being able to provide more access this summer while knowing
that the Reservation software will control time slots so that every patron has
fair and equal access to the equipment.
Statistics
No annual report
would be complete without a presentation of statistics. The collection contains 32,973 items. There are 4,790 registered borrowers. 149,483 people visited the Library to borrow
materials, attend one of the 176 children’s and 56 adult programs offered.
Thank You
It is impossible to
list and thank every person, including Staff, Trustees, Senior Aides and
Volunteers, who help make this new Library run so smoothly. Thank you to the
Friends of the Library for their weekly Summer Lower Level Book Sales; the
Supporters of the Library for funding the Capital Campaign; Alexandra Smith,
for organizing the Tax Form Center and the new Friends’ Lower Level Book Sales;
Front Desk volunteers Lee Ciliberto, Marian Roth and Jeannette Bragger; Ann
Cartwright and Robin Robbyns for organizing the local history files; Sandy
Fay, Bob Gaudreau and Deborah Lee
Ambroseno for their help with computer design, Maghi Geary and the Provincetown
Florist for the flowers and so much more; Elspeth and Tony Vevers for their
research on the Town-owned art collection housed in the Library; and Anna
McGovern, Ken Wozniak, Margaret Richter,
Michael Leger, Erin Oliver, and Channing Wilroy for shelving.
Chair Marcia Fair
retired from the Board this fall. While
the new Library building is the result of the generosity and hard work of so
many, Marcia’s service to the Library and this project stands alone. She gave to the building project and the
Library her time; her expertise in fundraising, grantwriting and project
management; her determination and her very good practical sense. Besides the
many professional skills she taught me, Marcia showed me how to be patient, to
listen better and to be strong. Marcia
continues to volunteer helping with the Capital Campaign and to serve on the
Trustees Building Committee. The
Library is a richer place because of her.
I continue to be
grateful to the Library Trustees, Staff, Volunteers and Patrons whose belief
and support for both this Library and Community make coming to work each day a
pleasure.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Debra DeJonker-Berry
Library Director