Library Director’s
2004 Annual Report
Looking to the
Future
Library Staff, Volunteers and I are quietly preparing to
move to the new location at
Team Effort
The Department of Public Works has monitored the progress of construction and is now assisting with the move. The Library Trustees and I are consistently satisfied and pleased with the quality of work and attentiveness of the Staff of the General Contractors, JK Scanlan. Gary Delius, former MIS Director, has managed the computer and telephone wiring of the new site on a volunteer basis. Finally, on a daily basis, I marvel at the dedication of Bill Ingraham, the Clerk of the Works. Bill continues to monitors each step of the Library construction, ensuring that the Town’s interests are protected. On several occasions, Mr. Ingraham has provided the key to solving a complicated problem.
Library Services
With the introduction of the Virtual Catalog http://www.clamsnet.org/ Library patrons
are now directly requesting material from virtually any Library in
The Library Trustees,
Supporters and Friends
In May, Arthur Pike left the Board of Library
Trustees due to term limits, having served nine years. Arthur’s contribution to the Library has been
immeasurable. He has Chaired the
Long-Range Planning Committee, advocated both locally and on a State-wide level
for Library funding, provided thoughtful guidance and a willing voice on all
levels of the pursuit of a new Library facility, and has always been a
sympathetic ear. Arthur continues to
serve as a member of the Capital Campaign Committee and as a member of the
public. Besides his title “Old Eagle Eye”earned from his role as Board Secretary, Arthur is now
known as Library Trustee Emeritus.
Sandra Fay joined the Board of Library Trustees last
May.
The Library Trustees have stepped up to the plate in order
to make the move to the New Library as simple as possible. The Trustees are working with the Friends and
Supporters to help coordinate a massive volunteer effort consisting of the
following Teams: the Moving Team, the ID Team, the Communications Team, and the
Utilities Team. The Trustees continue to
monitor and implement Library policies, including the new non-Resident fee for
Library cards. In addition, Library
Trustees attend and contribute to the weekly construction meetings on the
job-site. For me, the Trustees make
serving the Town a pleasure.
The members of the Supporters of the Provincetown Public
Library continue to fund the expenses of the Capital Campaign, which means
that every dollar that is donated to the Building Fund goes directly towards
the
I
continue to marvel at the professionalism, knowledge and dedication of the
Library Staff. In addition to their
day-to-day activities, Library Operations Director Karen MacDonald, Children’s
Librarian Renee Gibbs-Brady, and Part-time Library Circulation Aides Andrew Aull, Gwen Eiger, Martha Hyams, Jean Jarrett, Mary Smith, Nancy Sirvent, and Linton
Watts are participating in helping prepare for the move. Our Custodian Brian Cowing keeps our building
tidy and, more importantly, helps keep the building’s increasingly clunky
infrastructure functioning.
The
contributions of the Front Desk Volunteers, Lee Ciliberto,
Carol MacDonald, and Cj Noyes, enable Library Staff to perform additional
“behind the scenes” work that never seems to get done. Technical Assistant
Elaine Quinn resigned this summer to move to
Dick Caouette and Wendy Willard were able to work on special projects this year because of the Council on Aging’s Senior Tax Program. Dick is working with the Library Director and Library Intern, Agnes Imecs, on a Library Services and Technology Act Grant to digitize the older (pre-1960) issues of the Provincetown Advocate.
Statistics
Each one of these statistics represents work performed by
Library Staff and Volunteers ranging from finding the material for the patrons
(both within our walls and beyond), preparing the item for loan and delivery,
checking the items out and back in, and re-shelving the materials when
returned. Library patrons borrowed
49,752 items this year. The Library
borrowed 8,947 titles for the use of
33,270 volumes. 94,127 individuals visited the Library during Library hours which are:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Noon–8:00 Saturday
Wednesday
Children’s Librarian Renee Gibbs-Brady ran an extremely popular and successful Children’s Program this year. 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 grateful to these organizations for their trust and generosity in lending us their space. The theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program was “Explore Other Worlds @ Your Library”. In addition, a series of weekend Winter programs and activities were planned by Karen MacDonald, Martha Hyams, Gwen Eiger and Renee Gibbs-Brady through a LSTA funded grant entitled “Mother Goose Asks Why?”. Through this grant, a dozen science-related kits containing books and science projects are now available for families to borrow.
This year, the Library received $53,767 in grants and gifts. These funds include
$2,700 as part of a three-year Operational Support grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council; $7,719 from the Massachusetts Family Network for the “Birth to Three” Program for Children and their Families; and $40,000 from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for a grant to digitize the Provincetown Advocates. Library patrons also contributed $3,262 in Library late fees, $1,400 for Non-Resident Fees and $400 to the Gift Fund.
Respectfully Submitted,
Debra DeJonker-Berry,
Library Director