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Director’s Office Monroe County Library System 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604-1896 Phone: (585) 428.8045 Fax: (585) 428.8353 [email protected]
TO: MCLS Board of Trustees
FROM: Patricia Uttaro, Director
DATE: March 17, 2014
SUBJECT: Monthly Report – March, 2014
Report Items
Patricia Uttaro, MCLS Director
Collaboration:
World Book Night Update – The system team planning for World Book Night 2014 has met and is
working on a variety of projects for the event on April 23. Givers are listed on the WBN Rochester
website – http://wbnrochester.com – along with information about the books being given this year. The
Friends & Foundation of RPL is a major partner this year, providing t-shirts for givers and helping
coordinate a READ poster campaign that will be unveiled the week before WBN. Posters in the style
of the American Library Association READ posters will be done featuring local people, including
Mayor Warren, many of our state legislators and local politicians, and others. The posters will line the
windows on the first floor of the Bausch & Lomb Public Library building along Broad Street and
South Avenue. Additionally, the FFRPL will purchase and have installed streetpost READ banners
that will surround the Central Library.
Training & Development:
Ready to Read at NY Libraries – I continue to participate on the advisory council for this statewide
grant. The focus of the grant for 2014 is training a cohort of trainers across the state on best practices
in early childhood literacy. Tonia Burton, Anne Hicks (Henrietta), and Shelley Matthews (RPL) will
be our trainers, and have their first session in Albany at the end of March. Tonia, Anne, and Shelley
will train local librarians in areas such as:
Community Needs Assessment
Strategies for Successful Outreach
Promoting Early Literacy
Creating Early Learning Spaces
Every Child Ready to Read, Part 2
Serving Young Families
My participation on this advisory council is to review and analyze the results of the training, and
advise the State Library on future directions for the project.
Let’s Talk Conference – The first MCLS support staff conference, “Let’s Talk,” was successfully
delivered on February 26-28. More than 100 staff attended over the three days, which focused on
communication: with patrons, with each other, and with directors. Chad Cunningham, a Clerk at the
Gates Public Library, developed the grant and led the team that put the conference together. The team
included Declan Ryan (Gates), Ashley Armstrong (Gates & RPL), Arlene Rose (Webster), Cynthia
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
2
Dana (RPL), Kristin Shepherd (Henrietta), Linda Dingman (Henrietta), Gunjan Mathur (Pittsford),
Aubrey Huber (Gates), and Jen Jacob (Gates). The conference was funded through a Harold Hacker
grant and received unanimous positive evaluations from all participants.
Communication:
Toronto Public Library Impact Study – A copy of this study will be sent to you with this packet
electronically, but not in print due to its length. The study has some merit in determining the economic
impact and value a library brings to a community. There is much to be learned from this process, and I
am considering asking Center for Governmental Research to review the process used in Toronto to see
if it could be easily adapted for MCLS. I would be interested in reactions and questions from trustees
once you have an opportunity to read the Toronto report. Would such a study have value in Monroe
County?
E-Newsletter Change – In 2008, MCLS began using a product called “BookLetters” to add staff
selected content in newsletter form to the MCLS website. These newsletters could be viewed online or
subscribed to by patrons. Recent analysis of the use of the newsletters by patrons revealed a low
number of subscribers and online visitors. At the same time, several town libraries began using a
product called “Constant Contact” to develop regular e-newsletters for a lower cost and better
distribution model. Discussion with MCLS member library directors resulted in an agreement to
discontinue BookLetters in favor of Constant Contact, which will provide each member library with
the ability to develop and distribute their own e-newsletter. Purchase of Constant Contact, however,
depends on the final amount of state aid received by the system this year, which we will know when
the state budget is finalized.
Central Doll Collection Website – The Central Library Children’s Center has been home to the George
W. Cooper Doll Collection since 1940, when students from School #43 donated the collection they had
amassed through an international exchange program developed by their School Principal, Mr. George
W. Cooper. Recently, through the efforts of Arts Librarians Nanci Rosenberg-Nugent and Melissa
Manczuk, each doll in the collection was photographed and the photos developed into a mini-website.
This is the first time, to my knowledge, that each doll in the collection has been photographed
individually and assembled into a website. You can view the site here -
http://www3.libraryweb.org/dolls.aspx?id=484074. This is a wonderful effort to communicate a unique
and lovely piece of the Central Library collection to the community.
Technology:
Edge Impact Study – I completed the Edge assessment for RPL, including the Central Library. Our
initial assessment score was 635 out of 1,000 total points. I will be reviewing the assessment with the
library’s management team to make sure I answered the questions correctly. We have until March 31
to make changes. Clearly, we have some work to do, especially in the area of Organizational
Management revolving around staff development and services to special needs populations. A copy of
the initial assessment will be included with your packet.
Pittsford is also doing this assessment, and Greece has also expressed interest. The benefit of this
assessment is that it shines a light on areas that we need to work on, and, eventually, will benchmark
our libraries against others in the country to identify strengths and weaknesses in service delivery.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
3
ILS Committee – Brie Harrison and Brenda LaCrosse are forming a small team to begin researching
integrated library system software (ILS) currently available to library system the size of MCLS. The
system contract with The Library Corporation for the Carl ILS expires December 31, 2016, so we are
beginning to look at and evaluate what is out there. Staff from all levels and libraries will be called on
to identify potential products and research pros and cons; at the same time, they will be talking to
patrons and identifying strengths and weaknesses of the Carl system. This will prepare us to release a
Request for Proposal in 2015 or early 2016 asking for bids from qualified vendors.
MCLS Office
Sally Snow, Assistant Director
MCLS Statistics & Outputs
System Circulation – 593,901 (-62,625)
Ebook circulation – 24,927
VIP Pass Circulation (2013-present)
GeVa – 88
George Eastman House – 366
Genesee Country Village & Museum – 318
Rochester Museum & Science Center – 490
Memorial Art Gallery – 435
Total for all VIP Passes – 1,609 (2013-present)
Website Statistics:
Unique Visitors – 67,715
Total Visits – 150,201
Total Page Views – 288,567
Most Requested Pages:
o Home Page
o Hours
o Advanced Search
o Download
o Kids
o Ebooks
o MCLS Library Listings
o Databases
o Central Library
MCLS Mobile Statistics – February 2014
Unique Users & Queries by Device
Device Users Queries
iPhone 458 38,634
Android 451 33,155
iPad 303 23,471
iPod 48 4,765
Browser 8 38
Windows Phone 0 0
TOTAL 1,268 100,063
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
4
Library Automation Services Statistics:
Closed 223 Helpdesk tickets this period; 35 tickets currently open.
Took action on 70 emails from Patron Inquiries account.
Assisted 26 patrons through the overdrive.inquiries email account.
Assisted 57 patrons and staff members through the webmaster account.
Assisted 16 EBL patrons.
Created 19 new email accounts and removed 1
MCLS Office Outputs
Email / phone - 341
Member contacts – 82
Suggestions, comments, feedbacks – 259
Complaints - 8
Policy - 63
Miscellaneous - 27
Collection - 38
Reports - 123
Blocked websites – 93 (42 returned mail)
Communications Outputs
MCLS Web Stories Created - 18
MCLS Cold Call Inquiries and Contacts - 22
RPL Facebook re-posts and links - 25
MCLS Twitter Posts and RT’s - 131
Other RPL/ MCLS Social Media mentions - n/a
Twitter Followers - 1,237
Twitter Following - 527
MCLS/RPL Photos/Albums Created & Archived - 9
Community Print/TV/Press/Media Mentions - 21
Graphics:
46 new projects with 90 elements
164 printing requests
44,685 copies printed
Central Library
David Creek & Sally Snow, Assistant Directors
Good Food Collective at Central – Creek is meeting this this month with Brian MacDonald, the new
Pre-Box Manager at the Good Food Collective, who wants to discuss making Central an official drop-
off location for the Collective’s pre-boxed shares. Each location is required to have at least ten
members in order to participate. He will be dropping off promotional materials and discuss setting up
information sessions. Participants purchase a “share” of produce, which is delivered weekly through
the Good Food Collective network. Spring, Summer, and Fall shares typically include foods like
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
5
greens, vegetables, and fruits, many of which are organically grown on area farms. The Arnett Library
was a pick up point last year with great success.
ShareFest – Creek has been talking with Andre Primus of RocShare, an organization that promotes the
concept of a Sharing Economy. ShareFest, a three-day event, will work to introduce people to the
sharing economy resources around them, and to introduce people, organizations, and nonprofits
involved in the sharing economy to each other. Primus is looking for a location to host day three,
which would be a gathering of movers and shakers of the local economy, with roundtable discussions
and networking. Creek is working with Mr. Primus to determine if there is an opportunity for a library
to be involved.
Advocacy – Creek and Ove Overmyer attended Advocacy Day in Albany and met with Mark Johns,
Bill Nojay, Harry Bronson, David Gantt’s Aide, Joseph Robach, Ted O’Brien, Michael Nozzolio and
George Maziarz. The consensus was we have a very good chance of getting the $4 million cut from the
governor’s budget restored, with the possibility the Senate may add another $5 million, bringing total
New York State Aid up to $90 million. Thanks to both Creek and Overmyer for representing MCLS at
this important event.
In addition, Creek, Jeff Baker (Chili), Jen Lenio (RPL South Coordinator),Overmyer, Bruce Tehan
(Arnett) and Jill Wynn (President of Chili’s Board of Trustees), met with State Senator Michael
Razenhofer on February 24 at Arnett to thank him for his member item support for libraris in his
district. Arnett purchased eight computers, two laptops, Google Nexus 10 with Wi-Fi, furniture and a
Balt Mobile Locking 10-Unit Laptop Charging Station. The computers were operational when the
Senator visited.
Outreach – (Larry Taylor reporting)
1. Selected, pulled, charged, and delivered 792 materials for 16 stations.
2. Selected and delivered 289 materials to 23 in-homes.
3. Did 353 reference queries, mostly readers advisory.
4. Conducted 1 JIC program for 3 people.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
6
5. Gave a presentation for 22 PRIME clients on what the Central Library has to offer for job
seekers.
6. Set up and organized 1 Basic Resume workshop for the Get Hired Workforce Development
Grant attended by 2 people.
7. Set up and organized 1 Resume Development Lab workshop for the Get Hired Workforce
Development Grant attended by 3 people.
8. Attended Adult Services Meeting to talk about how libraries can obtain and promote the digital
talking book players from Albany and discussed how individual libraries can download audio
book from BARD (Braille Audio Reading Downloads) for their blind and low vision patrons.
Emphasized that I am always available to show how to utilize BARD. Attended by 18
librarians.
Local History – (Christine Ridarsky reporting)
Local History continued to make progress on the Rochester Voices website. We have scheduled
a go live date of March 20 and will have a launch party at the Genesee Community Charter
School on March 28 for our partners and contributors, including the two classes of students we
have worked with from GCCS and the Young Woman’s College Prep School. We also signed
agreements with:
o Janan Guillaume, a web consultant, to guide future project development.
o RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios, to hire students to develop educational games and
interactive for the web site.
Staff of the Office of the City Historian researched and wrote four articles for the Democrat &
Chronicle’s Retrofitting Rochester series.
Finished editing and design of the Fall 2013 issue of Rochester History, titled “125 Years of
Rochester’s Parks,” and sent it to the printer; it was expected to be available from the printer
for distribution the first week of March.
Local History opened a new exhibit, “Forging Alliances,” on loan from the Gay Alliance of the
Genesee Valley, which traces the history of the LGBT community in Rochester. Staff also
planned two associated programs that will be held in March.
Presented four sessions of the Family Detectives Club with a total attendance of 80 people.
Hosted 8 women from the Monroe Golf Club’s Garden Group, who visited the Division to find
out more about flowers and gardening in Rochester in the 1910s and 1920s (February 13).
Hosted a tour of women from Brentland Woods, an Episcopal home (February 21).
Gave a bus tour of the Cobbs Hill Park area to approx. 30 seniors from the Brighton Senior
Center (February 27)
The consultant working on our Documentary Heritage Program Grant finished processing and
developing a finding aid for the League of Women Voters Collection and began work on the
Urbanarium Collection.
Tested several forms of new electronic equipment, including three overhead patron scanners,
one flatbed scanner, and two digital microform readers with the goal of selecting equipment to
be purchased for the new Walter F. Becker Digital History Center that will be funded by a
generous donor (via the FFRPL). We hope to have our purchases in place and be able to
dedicate the center this Spring.
Filled 15 Life Record orders
High Falls Center & Interpretive Museum updates:
o 285 visitors
o Closed February 21-28 for winter break
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
7
o Hosted more than 60 high school and college students on two separate field trips: RIT’s
English Language Center’s International Immersion Program (approximately 30
international students) and the Solvay High School 9th
Grade Honors Class (32 students
and chaperones) (both February 12)
o Opened the Center the evening of February 9 for RIT’s “Big Shot” event; 39 people
visited the Center that night.
o Installed a temporary exhibit, “Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button” (on loan from
the Local History Division of the RPL); promoted same through the reactivation of a
button blog and the blog of the Local History Division
o Hosted a meeting of “Visit Rochester” staff and volunteers (February 12); made cross-
promotional plans for the coming year.
o Jeff Ludwig continued to supervise St. John Fisher intern Corinne Giller in planning an
exhibit on the history of the Center.
Youth Services – (Tonia Burton reporting)
Take Your Child to the Library Day kicked off the month of February, with activities in the Children’s
Center and all around MCLS on Saturday February 1. More than 115 patrons filled out postcards in
support of libraries that were delivered to state representatives on February 26. Central Graphics
created and printed bookmarks and postcards for participating libraries. More than 130 families came
to the Central Library for crafts, library cards, and a magic show.
As an outgrowth of Take Your Child to the Library Day, RPL began offering a Pre-K library card for
children ages 3-5, which will assist parents in developing regular book sharing habits with their young
children. This is a limited card that allows very young children to borrow up to 2 children’s books at a
time.
General Children’s Center News –
The Tail Waggin’ Tutors program was featured on CityWise (Channel 12) and Time Warner News.
We had 16 programs that brought 677 patrons into the Central Library. Patrons enjoyed magic,
learning about the cello and playing the cello, Tops Cooking School offered Beach Treats, Tohper
Holt energized with two music shows, and the Sunday People in Your Neighborhood series
featured a local pediatrician who answered kid’s questions and brought a variety of her “tools” so
the kids could play doctor.
We had 14 outreach opportunities and reached 203 children with storytimes and a Lego program.
Several MCLS staff also had the chance to attend a Lancers game and talk to 216 people about the
services MCLS offers. This game capped off a MCLS reading program that awarded one lucky
winner a limo ride, shirt, tickets, and a seat on the bench during warm ups. Before the game,
recognition was given to the MCLS Children’s Librarians for their dedication to literacy in our
community. Anne Hicks, Stacey Martin and Jason Poole represented the MCLS Children’s
Librarians on the field while Gina Wells and Jane McManus worked at the MCLS table.
ImagineYOU Update - The ImagineYOU (YOUmedia team) traveled to Nashville for a conveying of
YOUmedia teams from across the country. The team presented a five minute video created by teens
with the help of Justin Ortiz, ImagineYOU video mentor. The video was an interview of the
ImagineYOU team and teens and highlighted the goals for the program. IMLS and Urban Libraries
Council staffs at the convening were very happy to see the progress we have made and that we are
working with teens from the inner city. Working with teens from the inner city has been a challenge in
other cities but is one of the main goals for this project. Upon returning to Rochester, Burton presented
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
8
a brief talk about ImagineYOU at the MCLS Emerging Tech workshop. At this time the lab is just
about complete. We are awaiting the animation stand to be set up and some software downloads to be
complete.
General Teen Center Updates
Two GEVA programs that connected teens with theatre and moved them to tears and laughter
were offered in February thanks to the FFRPL.
For Black Pearl Sings we had 19 teens and adults who were very interested to hear about WPA
music ethnography and one 8th
grader took her chaperone to task at the performance, saying
“Why’d you bring us to a play that makes us cry?” That is the power of performance!
For Clybourne Park Delores Jackson-Radney lead a spirited table read (17 teens) that made
some teens realize they might have a “hidden” talent for being dramatic.
Teens were celebrated Chinese New Year’s with traditional crafts and discussion about culture
& the Chinese Zodiac and participated in Iron Chef Battle: Snack Monster!
During February Break we entertained a crowd of 37 teens with a creative cuisine competition.
Secret ingredient: Curly Kale! This featured teams that used a mix of healthy (grapes) and less
healthy (Peeps) snacks…and the bravest teens tried wasabi for the first time.
Art/Literature – (Marty Steinhauser reporting)
Our Brown Bag Book discussion this month was about the book The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This
book was chosen for “If All of Rochester Read the Same Book,” the Writers and Books program.
Eowyn Ivey will be at the Central library on March 20 to read from and discuss her book. Nine people
attended the lunchtime series this month.
The “Caution: Artist at Work” program took place on Saturday, Feb 15 from 1-3 p.m. and featured
Randy Pollok and the Rochester Ukulele Support Group. A lively musical presentation with many
musicians performing took place. Several people got to try playing a ukulele. Twenty two attended
the program.
Collage Contest:
The Arts Division made the decision to do away with the
picture file as we saw a decrease in its use over the years due
to the numerous images that can be found on the web.
Before we did away with the files entirely, we selected images
that would be valuable to other Library Divisions. Historical
images dealing with Civil Rights and various wars were given
to the History Division. The Arts Division also kept pictures
of ethnic costume that we still get questions about. The
Monroe Branch chose many folders of pictures to use for lending to patrons and to do programs.
The Division then had a collage contest for the public. Patrons could gather images from our files,
makes collages and submit them for the contest. We had a number of entries and library director Patty
Uttaro offered three prizes. First prize was $50.00 and a set of PrismaColor Pencils. Two other prizes
of $25.00 each for honorable mentions were awarded. Entries were kept on display in the division
until March 5.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
9
Film Presentations - We had two film presentations this month:
(Art) The Horror! In the Library film series continued with a showing of “The Thing,” the
classic 1982 horror film directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell on Sat., Feb. 22
from 1-3 p.m. in KGA Auditorium. It was attended by 22 people.
(Lit) Only the Best: Academy Award Winning Films: “Gigi” was shown to an audience of 22
people. This 1958 American musical romantic comedy starring Leslie Caron, Maurice
Chevalier, and Louis Jourdan and directed by Vincent Minelli won several Academy Awards:
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Song amongst several others. It was
shown on Sat., Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in KGA.
Literature’s Write Your Life: A 6-Part Writing Series continued and had 10 people attending on
Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10:30-noon in Rundel Auditorium. This program has been a success and we
intend to continue having Jennifer Blanchard do additional writing programs in the near future.
Our Poetry for Lunch series was held four times in February with a total of 23 people attending. We
may need to substitute a new leader for a little while because Kitte Jospe, who has been doing a
wonderful job, may have to tend to ailing parents.
Everybody Dance Now series: This month we had the English Country Dancing group perform in
Austen era costume to an audience of 33. Many participants of all ages learned several dances and
were not shy about participating.
The Self-Published Book Festival, held at the Central Library on Saturday, February 8, was very
exciting and a great success. This festival was the culmination of almost six months of work by a team
of 10 librarians from Central and the Branches. The festival included four educational programs,
designed to help people learn more about different aspects of self-publishing. The programs, held in
both auditoriums, covered topics such as Self-Publishing Basics, Marketing Strategies for the Self-
Published Author, and Self-Publishing an eBook. A panel discussion on self-publishing, featuring four
self-published authors with diverse backgrounds and experience, was one of our most popular
programs.
The afternoon Book Fair was held in the Kate Gleason Auditorium, and featured 32 self-published
authors from the Rochester area who were selected from over 100 authors submitting work. The
authors’ books included an outstanding array of novels, short-story collections, poetry, memoirs, and
non-fiction. Our authors were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet other self-published authors in
the community, as well as to interact with the public. It was truly exciting to see this talented group of
local writers having a venue in which to promote and sell their books.
We had 170 people attend the various programs, with an additional 100 people attending the Book
Fair.
Some of the comments we received on our evaluations were:
“Excellent – let’s do this again.”
“These presentations were more than helpful; they were outstanding.”
“Great speakers – lots of good advice.”
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
10
“Very nice to talk with the individual writers. There was something for everyone. Please do this
again.”
“Wonderful way to gain information, inspiration, and contacts.”
“I wasn’t even going to stay for the afternoon. It was all so good I stayed and am glad I did.”
We received such wonderful feedback that we would like to host a Self-Published Book Festival again
in the future. The University of Rochester has expressed some interest in partnering with us the next
time around, which is very exciting. We hosted this festival on a tiny budget of $300. We hope to
gain additional funding next time around to make it even bigger and better.
Business/Social Science, Science/History – (Carolyn Johnson reporting)
“When to call 911” was the Got Health series topic for February. Monica Seaman, MS, RN, Nurse
Educator for the Emergency Department at the University of Rochester Medical Center, spoke about
what happens when someone makes a call and what to expect in the emergency room.
In addition to the regular monthly orientation to the Foundation Center materials, Darlene Richards
arranged for a special program titled “Winning grants: what do funders want?” The program
discussed strategies that address funders' concerns in order to increase the competitiveness of
proposals. The presenters were Robyn Miller and Edie Steele, both professional grant writers. Robyn
Miller has been a regular user of the Grants collection and has proven valuable in making other grant-
writers aware of the materials here. The program was attended by 37 people
There is still a great deal of confusion about the transition to the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary
Completion) from the GED as the means for obtaining a high school equivalency diploma. Sandra
Erickson prepared a handout listing contact information and websites for obtaining information about
the process. This was sent to member libraries for use with their patrons.
In recognition of the Go Red for Women campaign by the American Heart Association, Sandra
Erickson put together a special “BookLetters” selection of books from both 3d and the 4th
floors
covering health, diet, cooking, and personal stories.
Steve Nash was able to attend the monthly meeting of Chapter 20 of the Vietnam Veterans to bring the
group (about 90 in attendance) on the activities of the Vietnam Learning Center at the library. He also
displayed a presentation board of pictures and information for the veterans to view. It was also an
opportunity to distribute the new tri-fold brochure describing the display on the 3d floor.
Carolyn Johnson and Jennifer Byrnes attended the information session on the Center for Urban
Entrepreneurship in their temporary location in the Rochester Educational Opportunities Center on
Chestnut. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is focusing its activities on companies that are in the
stage after their initial startup and are looking to move to a higher employment level. Since the Center
does not expect to have their own library, this seems to be an opportunity for partnership with the
Business Division. Ebony Miller, Program Manager / Managing Director met with Jennifer to learn
about the resources here.
Lee Harris Hecht, a “talent mobility firm,” brought a group of 12 displaced executives to the Business
& Social Sciences Division to learn about the in-house and remote resources useful in an employment
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
11
search. Carolyn and Jennifer demonstrated the databases available from the library website and those
available just at the Central Library.
Carolyn Johnson and Deb Nevin arranged for a representative from the local Social Security
Administration to attend a system Adult Services meeting. The purpose was to provide background
information on the new myssa online portal where people can obtain information and access services
without having to go to a SSA Office.
International Trade was the topic of the small business “First Wednesday” program for February. The
speakers included Leah George, Managing Director, International Trade, Greater Rochester
Enterprises, Tim McCall, Director, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, and
Virginia Smith, Branch Manager, U.S. Small Business Administration. Despite the poor weather
outlook, 34 people attended.
Jennifer Byrnes presented at a class in the Entrepreneurship program of the Urban League. Stephanie
Miles, the director of the program asks the library’s small business librarian to speak each time the
program is run. She also met with Gayle Jaegel of the Young Entrepreneur’s Academy on a
partnership to provide the participants with some techniques on library research for business
information that would be useful once they leave the program.
Darlene Richards worked directly with a number of organizations on foundation/grant information
including: Urban Choice Charter School, SUNY Brockport, His Branches, Chili Library, Mendon
Library, St. Ann’s Community Foundation, Sojourner House, Ohio State Central Ohio Tech College,
Full Circle Home, Urban Choice Charter School, Original Soap Box Derby.
Central Library Reorganization
Jeff Levine, Reorganization Manager
Technology and Physical Space (Project manager, Brie Harrison)
(Team members: David Bamann, Joe Born, Corinne Clar, Xandi DiMatteo, Brenda LaCrosse, Jay
Osborne, Gabe Pellegrino, Christine Ridarsky, Judy Schewe, Gene Siembor, Cara Suskie)
1. Phase 1, Reynolds Media Center update:
a. Off-site storage for media has been mostly completed with 20 ranges of shelving installed
by Maintenance in C2
b. Bids for Phase 1, the Reynolds Media Center are set to go out this month.
c. Computers currently located in BLB1, will be relocated the week of March 23rd
. Two pods
will move to BLB3, and one will be relocated outside of the Computer Lab on BLB1.
Staffing plans to support these computers is now completed.
d. Construction is set to begin on the Reynolds Media Center in May, however, the City’s
Purchasing Department can slow the award process so this date is still questionable
according to Brie.
e. Newspapers will be distributed from BLB Circulation until the Media Center opens, then
will be relocated to Rundel Circ.
f. A soft opening is scheduled for June
2. Phase 2 and 3 update:
a. RFP’s for Phase 2 and 3 are currently being drafted by the City’s Architectural Services.
An outside architectural team will be retained to provide programming.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
12
b. Depending on funding, these two phases may be done simultaneously.
c. Brie distributed the proposed project schedule through August 2014.
d. Tonia and Marty will meet with Brie later this month to discuss what programming input
should be forthcoming from their staffs in advance of the architect consultant coming on-
board.
e. The goal is to produce a preliminary program statements by July 2014
3. Literature space update:
a. As of February 24th
, 2014, Andrew Coyle has cleared about 20 ranges in the south-west
corner of the literature collection which will hold Literature’s large print books once they
are shifted from Hacker Hall.
4. Children’s Center
a. On February 18th
, Gabe Pellegrino received notification from Baker and Taylor that account
numbers for both fiction and non-fiction titles had been established which will enable the
direct shipment of materials to the Children’s Center. They are still awaiting quotes for the
addition of Cutter numbers and as of this date, March 3, 2014, shipments have yet to arrive.
The Children’s clerk, Matt, will monitor the flow of materials and will track the additional
time it takes to process the material and how long it takes to get new material on the shelf.
Supervisory and Staffing (Project Manager, Ana Suro)
(Team members: Gail Boldt, Cindy Dana, Sue Meyers, Darlene Richards, Jan Buckner)
Workflow analysis continues for the Circulation/Router/Link staff. A meeting to review tasks will be
held on March 13th
.
Customer Service Team (Project Manager, David Creek)
Team members: Andy Coyle, Cindy Dana, Alla Levi, Carol Moldt, Melanie Lewis, Mary Fraser)
February 20th
, rollout of video number 4, “Know Your Documents”
February 25th
, team met to discuss next program; will not be a video, but rather a group
discussion with Phil LaPorta difficult customer service moments”
On February 26th
, the RPL Board viewed the first customer service video, “Delivering
Excellent Customer Service”
Reference and Collections Team (Project Manager, Jeff Levine)
(Team members: Xandi Dimatteo, Nanci Rosenberg, Dennis Williams, Bob Scheffel, Cathy Wolf,
Carolyn Johnson, Marty Steinhauser, Melissa Manczuk)
As of the end of February 2014, over 200 journals have been marked for de-accessioning. Currently,
Jeff and Donna are checking for title changes and whether or not titles are still being received by the
Divisions or if they are no longer subscribing (dead). For “live” titles, space will have to be allotted in
Stacks for future use. Dead journals may be shelved without the need to leave additional space.
These issues will be important when the Upper Stack collection is shifted.
At the February MCLS Board meeting, funding was approved to join the Empire Shared Collection
group. Jeff will meet with the consortium on March 17th
.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
13
MCLS Town Library Reports
Jeff Baker, MCLS Town Library Liaison
Brighton Memorial Library – The library’s Tech Tutor program is extremely popular and will be
expanding. Their book sale was a big success.
Brockport Seymour Library – Brockport has hired Abby DeVuyst as the fulltime adult librarian.
Chili Public Library – The library received 110 Impact Survey responses. The national survey is an
initiative from the University of Washington with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
It investigates how patrons use computers and the Internet at libraries. The Tech Tutors program is
extremely popular and will continue to grow to meet the demand. The Rotary Club of Gates-Chili
donated $100 for a Teen Summer Writing Program.
Fairport Public Library – The library’s proposed renovation will be on the town’s May 20th
ballot if
it is approved by the planning board and library board. The library has invested a lot of time training
their teen volunteers for a new Teen Tutors program.
Gates Public Library – The library’s thin client/virtualization project is being installed thanks to
financial support of Senator Joseph Robach. The library’s new logo and website should be ready in
April.
Hamlin Public Library – The harsh winter has caused construction delays of the new facility.
Henrietta Public Library – The town departments are showing their support of library programs by
offering assistance with banners, tables and encouragement. Three staff members will participate in an
upcoming health fair. Their Tech Tutor program is so popular that the library is expanding the
program.
Ogden Farmers’ Library – The library has a new logo. The library also has a “Print on Demand”
service available by Zazzle.com which prints their logo on a variety of items (cell phone, hats, etc.)
Parma Public Library – The Parks and Recreation is stepping up with ideas and support of library
projects. The library hosted a Winter Wonderland Break with Splat the Cat, face painting, balloons
and fun for everyone.
Penfield Public Library – The library will host Eowyn Ivey, the author of “The Snow Child” on
March 19th
as part of A collaboration with Writers and Books “If All of Rochester Read the Same
Book.” This exciting program will help launch the successful Penfield Library “Spring into Art”
series.
Pittsford Community Library – Over 1,000 people responded to the online Impact Survey.
Rush Public Library – A Tech tutors program will be available at the library. The Town’s Accessor
will set up a computer in the library with software so the residents can access their property
information. The library had a party to celebrate its 100th
anniversary; the big gala is planned for
June.
MCLS Director’s Report – March, 2014 (Continued)
14
Selected Meetings & Outputs – Director (February 22 - March 10, 2014)
Brie Harrison, David Creek, Ned Davis, Sally Snow, Ana Suro - one-to-one meetings (monthly)
Central Library All-Staff meetings (monthly)
City Senior Management Team meetings (weekly)
RPL-MCLS Management Team meetings (weekly)
Jeremy Cooney, Mayor’s Chief of Staff – one-to-one meetings (weekly)
Let’s Talk: Communicating with Library Patrons MCLS Support Staff Conference
at Chili Public Library
Let’s Talk: Communicating with Library Colleagues MCLS Support Staff Conference
at Pittsford Community Library
Let’s Talk: Communicating with Supervisors and Library Directors MCLS Support Staff Conference
at Webster Public Library
Literacy Coordinator, Shelley Matthews at Maplewood Training Center
Anthony Mascioli Bequest – Program Planning with Scott Fearing, Gay Alliance of the Genesee
Valley; Curtis Hill and Samuel Nicolosi, SUNY College at Brockport; Laura Garrison and Kathy
Reed, WXXI; Ned Davis, FFRPL
Mayor Warren’s Early Learning Commission
MCLS Board
MCLS Directors’ Council at Greece Public Library
National League of Cities grant conference call
National League of Cities webinar
New York State Assemblymember Steve Hawley at Barclay Elementary School, Brockport
Roc the Future Conveners at Monroe Community College
Roc the Future at United Way
RPL Board
Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC) Advisory Committee
Rochester School Library System Storytelling Festival at St. John Fisher College
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