Library Director’s Annual
Report
Two
significant events affecting the future of the Provincetown Public Library
occurred this Spring. In April, the
voters at the Special Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved the Board of Library
Trustees’ proposal to reuse the Heritage Museum building as a library, and
voted to support the project with $1,050,000!
In June, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded a
Massachusetts Public Library Construction Grant of $1,878,456 for the
project! We are proud that the
Provincetown Public Library is one of only 10 libraries to receive this
grant. The Board of Library Trustees
and I are now busily working with the members of the Library Capital Campaign
Committee to raise the balance of $1,072,000 by June. It’s not too late to make
a donation or pledge to this important and worthwhile project.
I
am looking forward to serving the community in a new library building that has
the space to satisfy the demands of all of our library patrons. The architectural rendering prepared by the
staff of Tappé Associates this summer offers a glimpse of what the new library
on the corner of Commercial and Center Street will look like. The new library will offer residents all of
the following in a restored historic building:
a 75-seat Community Meeting Room with a sound system
and electronic equipment for purposes ranging from presentations to films;
gallery space for local artists to offer rotating exhibits; permanent space for
display of some of the town’s important art collection; a current collection of
more than 40,000 books and other library materials that will be easy to reach
and attractively shelved; an attractive display of the library’s collection of
many periodicals; the best collection of books on modern American art on Cape
Cod; computers and other technology in spaces designed for their use; small
conference and quiet study rooms; an expanded large print collection; a local
history collection of more than one thousand volumes and room to protect this
material on the town’s important heritage; an expanded literature collection;
comfortable seating and work space; space designed for children and youth of
different ages and sizes and for the collections appropriate to their age
levels; a children’s activity room; rest rooms designed for residents and
visitors; an elevator to make the building fully accessible; and a secluded
outdoor reading garden to escape from the Summer crowds.
The
new library will also offer residents and visitors an opportunity to immerse
themselves in the Town’s history through embracing and interpreting the model
of the Rose Dorothea and through
using the historic front entrance to display brochures and walking guides about
the town’s history.
It
has been an exciting year for the Provincetown Public Library. I am grateful to have such a dedicated and
hard working volunteer board as the Board of Library Trustees. Chairman Jim Cole offers a calm and
effective presence at meetings and on projects. Marcia Fair, Vice-Chair and Chairman of the Capital Campaign
Committee, continues to energetically and methodically bring her fund raising
and grant writing expertise to the forefront.
Arthur Pike spearheaded the work on the Library’s new Five-Year
Long-Range Plan. Maghi Geary and Anita
Berman continue to keep the community up-to-date with library news and offer
their insights on the community’s library needs.
I
would like to thank the members of the Supporters of the Provincetown Public
Library for their hard work, energy, creativity and enthusiasm in the quest for
a new home for the library. Last year,
they provided a brilliant spark for all of us.
I would also like to thank the Town Manager for developing a plan that
was credible to the voters and to thank the Board of Selectmen for supporting,
encouraging and believing in the library.
The members of the Capital Campaign Committee offer a fresh outlook on
fundraising. With their help, the
library will raise the last 25% needed for its new home!
Many
changes have taken place this year as well.
The Library welcomed Karen MacDonald as Assistant Library Director. Karen has a Master of Library Science Degree
from Syracuse University and has experience as a public librarian and as a school
librarian at several Cape Cod institutions.
Karen is providing more “hands on” assistance to library users and is
streamlining many of the “behind the scenes” library operations. Brian Cowing came on board as custodian and
keeps the library sparkling. Mary Smith
joined the library staff as a Senior Aide, bringing patience, hard work and
precision to our team.
Assistant
Director Lu Hetlyn retired this year. Lu served the Provincetown Public Library
for more than ten years and is responsible for professionally organizing the
collection, helping to bring the catalog online through CLAMS, making
Inter-Library Loan Services available to our patrons, and our collection to a
wider audience, as well as countless other improvements. We wish Lu the best of health and happiness
for her future. We were very saddened
by the passing of library volunteer Nita Sawyer, who helped keep the library
ship shape for many years.
I
would like to thank the library staff and volunteers for continuing to do
everything to see that library patrons' requests are fulfilled and that
operations proceed smoothly, particularly as I find more and more of my time is
devoted to fund raising and grant writing.
The library’s front desk and on call staff and volunteers – Lee
Ciliberto, Jean Jarrett, Carol MacDonald, Arno Masters, C.J. Noyes, Elaine
Quinn, Priscilla Randall, Mary Smith, and Linton Watts – always deserve
recognition and thanks from the community for their hard work, dedication and
flexibility. Lacey Carter and Wendy
Willard worked hard shelving all the material that was returned. We are indebted to the Council on Aging’s
Senior Tax Program for funding Lacey and Wendy’s hours. Our gardens were once again kept beautiful
by volunteer Pebo Bohannon this Summer, and the hard working staff of the
Town’s Building and Grounds Division built sturdy brick planters for our
gardens to grow in next Summer. On a
hot August day, the Staff of the Building and Grounds Division also erected a
beautiful new sign explaining the fund-raising plan for the new Library and
with this simple message: “Future Home of the Provincetown Public Library.”
Children’s
Librarian Renee Gibbs-Brady again ran an extremely popular and successful
Children’s Program this year. The
annual spring play, “The House on Pooh Corner,” was held at St. Peter the
Apostle Parish Hall. Melissa Becker
directed the four superb performances.
Storyteller Linda Schlecter helped run the “Zero to Three” Program at
the Community Center (in the off-season) and at St. Mary of the Harbor (in the
Summer). We are again extremely
grateful for the trust that all three organizations place in us when they allow
us to use their space. The Summer
Reading Program was heavily attended this year. Last Summer, the library sponsored seven programs each week. The generosity of the Friends of the Library
and of members of the local business community makes this series possible.
Volunteer
Sandy Fay helped me to wade through the intricacies of new fundraising
software. Rachel Crosby maintained the
library’s computers. The Friends of the
Library continue to fund the Introductory Windows and Internet Workshop being
led this year by Laine Quinn and Jean Jarrett. The Library Staff is looking forward to working with Lynn
Stanley and Sheila McGuinness this winter to offer two poetry series. A Massachusetts Cultural Council grant makes
these series possible and also allows the library to purchase some equipment
for town and community use, including the digital video camera for ProvincetownGov
University and the portable lectern available for community groups to borrow.
Statistics
The library staff continues to serve the increasing needs of the community. This year, residents borrowed 49,694 items, a 10% increase over last year. This year, the library staff added 1,667 items to the collection, which now contains 29,620 volumes. The excellent quality of the library’s collection is again reflected, for a third year in a row, by the fact that the library is a Net Lender of material for Inter-Library Loan. This year, the Library borrowed 3,780 items to satisfy the needs of patrons for material our Library does not own and loaned 4,971 volumes of materials to other Libraries for use by patrons from other communities. Each one of these statistics represents hard and challenging work, both of a professional and physical nature, done by library staff and volunteers. This work includes finding the material for the patrons (both within our walls and beyond), preparing the item for loan, checking the items out and back in, and re-shelving the materials when returned.
More
and more library patrons are also helping library staff by searching for and
requesting material from home through the online catalog located at http://www.ptownlib.com or http://www.clamsnet.org. They are also using electronic services such
as the “Ask the Librarian” feature of the Library’s web-page by asking
questions via electronic mail. On
average, the Library handles a dozen such requests per week and expects the use
of this service to increase.
This
year, the library received $99,126 in
grants and gifts. These funds include
the $27,000 three-year Operational Support grant from the Massachusetts
Cultural Council; $8,781 from the Massachusetts Family Network for the “Zero to
Three” Program for Children and their Families; and $6,331from the
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners through the Certification and Net
Lender Programs.
The
library has established a book fund in Memory of Mary Louise Monks and a
Building Fund in Memory of Library Trustee and Provincetown School Teacher Miss
Mary Lewis. The Selectmen established a
new Library Building Gift and Grant fund with the Town. Library Trustee Arthur Pike investigated and
set up two additional funds, an Endowment Fund and a Short-Term Building Fund,
with the Community Foundation of Cape Cod.
The
September 11th tragedy brought to home the importance of public
libraries nation-wide and perhaps more so in our geographically isolated
community that has such close ties to New York City and Washington D.C. Patron requests for material on the Middle
East, terrorism, and biological warfare are now daily occurrences. Daily newspapers, always heavily read, are
now so much in demand that the staff frequently has to purchase a second
copy. The use of the Internet and the
importance of electronic mail to our daily users and visitors during this time
cannot be understated both as a means to stay in touch with loved ones and as a
means to stay on top of world events. Immediately after the tragedy, the town’s
foreign workers greatly appreciated the opportunity to let their families
overseas know that they were safe, and residents appreciated the convenience
and affordability of making sure their family and friends in devastated
neighborhoods were safe.
There
are so many individuals who in countless ways have contributed to the success
of this library whom I want to thank. I
am also grateful for the opportunities for professional and personal growth
that coming to Provincetown has offered me.
When I think back eight years, I often marvel at the many things I have
learned from each of you. Provincetown
is truly one of the most special places on Earth. I am thankful to have this opportunity to serve this inspiring
community.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Debra
DeJonker-Berry,
Library
Director