2015
Library develops new Strategic Plan, elects new Board of Trustees leadership for 2016 A Report from Library Leadership
A new strategic planning cycle began in 2015, led by outgoing Board of Trustees President Patrick Moore. Input was collected in a professionally-facilitated summer workshop with Trustees joined by representatives of library staff, patrons, the Friends group, and the MidHudson Library System. A board task force organized that input into the new 20162018 Strategic Plan, which emphasizes three major goals. Those goals were assigned to three teams of Trustees for implementation beginning in 2016:
Community Engagement Team Chris Ferrero, Chair Seth Jacobs Michael Nolan Financial Resources Team Rocco Martino, Chair Sue Blodgett John Merlino Physical Plant Team Judith Smith, Chair Patrick Moore Barbara Zawadzinsky
At year’s end, Judith Smith was elected to replace Pat Moore, who had served eight years as president and several years before that as treasurer. Judi had previously led the Board during the library’s transition to a Public Library District, almost a decade ago. The new Strategic Plan calls for upgrades in community engagement, financial planning, and capital improvement
Gloria Goverman is Library Director, and Judith Smith is President of the Library Board of Trustees
The full slate of officers elected for 2016: President: Judith Smith Vice President: John Merlino Treasurer: Rocco Martino Secretary: Chris Ferrero
Because you don’t know what you don’t know...
Keep “reading” with Talking Books Sometimes you have a problem that creeps up on you, and you just accommodate it. Outgoing Board of Trustees President Pat Moore (top row, center) is congratulated by, left to right, Trustees Barbara Zawadzinsky Judi Smith, Sue Blodgett, Rocco Martino, John Merlino, and front row, SethJacobs, Chris Ferrero., Michael Nolan.
Foot hurts? Don’t walk as much. Allergies? Stay inside more. Large print books getting hard to read? Read less.
Fond Farewell...
Sam Patton retires from Board after 48 years of service to Library Sam Patton retired in 2015 from the Board of Trustees, which he had joined in 1968. He helped shepherd the library through two moves, first from the tiny historic chapel that is now a Sons of Italy hall on Route 376 to temporary quarters over the former town highway garage, where he welded supporting I -beams so the floor wouldn’t collapse under the weight of the books. In 1988 he
helped move the library to the facility it now occupies. He served the board as president during its last major expansion in 2000, which doubled library space to its current size. After a 31-year career with IBM, Patton was elected supervisor of the Town of East Fishkill in 1992. He has served on the boards of Wappingers Central School District and the Cornell Coop-
Throughout a busy life, Sam always upheld the value of libraries to a community. Few have given more. We are a better place for it.
erative Extension. He also served on the Mid-Hudson Library Board of Trustees for 10 years, and on the New York State Library Trustees Association board, teaching at Trustee Institutes and editing its statewide newsletter for seven years.
What? Read LESS? No way! Let us introduce you to the Talking Book and Braille Library. TBBL is a New York State program available to every resident who is, for whatever reason, unable to read in the traditional way. This is not just for the elderly – any age, any reason. Think kids. Think veterans. If you are dyslexic, or can’t hold a book due to arthritis, or have low vision, you’re eligible. Come to the library for an application, or download it from www.nysl.nysed.gov/tbbl/. By mail you get a book reading device, headphones, and audio books on a flash drive. No fines, no fees – just great books you download from their enormous database onto your own flash drive. Want a demo? Stop by and we’ll show you how it works, including the phone app—which is a thing
East Fishkill Community Library
EAST FISHKILL COMMUNITY LIBRARY
Meet our Newest Board Member One of his earliest memories is being perched on his father’s handlebars, bicycling to the library. So as an adult with his own children, Michael Nolan was destined to serve his local library. In late 2015, a vacancy occurred on the Board of Trustees, which faced a workload that necessitated a full board membership. A capable person was needed to serve out that vacancy before running for the board in Fall 2016. Michael accepted that role. Beginning his career as a copywriter, he has worked for
Scholastic, Doubleday Direct, and March of Dimes. For about 10 years he has been at Citigroup, currently specializing in email marketing. Michael’s children are now 11, 12 and 13, but were at one time regulars in Ms. Cathy’s programs, and Michael guesses they still must be one of the top “borrowing” families in town. “I can think of few ways of volunteering in the community that would be more satisfying.” - Michael Nolan
SERVICE BY THE NUMBERS
IN 2015 YOUR LIBRARY:
StoryWalks® encourage outdoor reading and exploration of the library’s unique gardens, even when the building is not open. Readers of all ages have been spied jumping, clapping and stomping along with the characters in Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard and Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop by Anna Dewdney.
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managed the third-highest circulation in the 66-library Mid-Hudson system ... AGAIN!
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Had second-highest circulation in downloadable eBook and eAudio in Mid-Hudson system
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presented 586 programs with attendance of 9,746
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answered 17,710 reference questions
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provided 14,450 public computer sessions
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hosted 66 nonprofit groups for 370 meetings in the library's meeting rooms
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tallied 83,271 visits to our web page
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and counted more than 128, 644 visits to our library! East Fishkill Community Library
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Children’s Corner with Ms. Cathy
Storytime, Crafts... and Learning Reading books to your kids when they’re small is delightful. Cuddling up in a big chair, looking at pictures, sounding out words and sharing stories creates beautiful memories. It also gets those brain cells buzzing! When your child comes to the library, the reading experience is a little different, partly because it’s a group setting and partly because our goals may be a little different than yours. When we plan activities for your children we don’t grab a few books that we like, read them to the group and call it
a day. We treat our library like a classroom, and we like to build upon themes to extend a book’s or activity’s appeal and impact. While you may think kids are having fun tossing lightweight scarves about, it’s also giving them practice with hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. When they learn a rhyme about the weather, it’s piquing their interest in the world around them. Counting, colors, even “shaking out the sillies”... They are all fueling your child’s brain with lots of school readiness skills! We have lots of ways to enjoy reading and activities with your child that build numeracy and literacy preparedness. Layering these activities may feel to your child like the chewy nugget in a candy, but it’s pure cognition nutrition.
LIBRARY FRIENDS GROUP INVITES YOU TO JOIN! The Friends of the East Fishkill Community Library are a diverse group of enthusiasts who enjoy doing more to support their library. The Friends sponsor many volunteer activities that raise funds and maintain the health and vitality of this important Community asset. If you would like to find out how you can contribute, please call the Library at
(845) 221-9943
Library Programs Appeal to Residents of all Ages
Cindy Dubinski, Adult Services Librarian, Adult Programming and Gallery Wall Coordinator
A total of 586 library sponsored programs— with attendance of 9,746 kept our meeting spaces thoroughly booked in 2015.
A CCE educator also taught an Energy Saving Seminar with free samples of money saving & energy saving devices for attendees.
Here are some highlights:
Finding new jobs - A partnership with Dutchess County helped many residents find new jobs in 2015. Dutchess One Stop Field Coordinators led workshops and one-onone sessions attended by 112 people in 2015. One-onone sessions helped individuals with resumes and and online job searching. The workshops focused on issues such as Using Age to Your Advantage, Identifying and Describing Your Skill Set, and Interviewing Skills.
Art & Music—The Riverbank Banjo Band Concert attracted more than 80 attendees in April. Among the most popular monthly Showcase and Gallery Wall features was an exhibit by the East Fishkill Recreation Senior Art class. Their reception in June was attended by 90 neighbors and friends. Heatlth & Wellness— The weekly Stretch Class led by town resident and former dancer Brigitta Mueller draws an average of 20 participants and has become so popular we now have a required monthly signup to allow enough room for people to stretch! Home & Garden— The Library partnered with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, whose Master Gardeners led two popular presentations for home gardeners: “Dividing Perennials” and “12 Easy Herbs for Garden and Patio”.
Community Stitchers This is the tenth year this group has been meeting at the Library. They make more than 50 quilts a year and donate them to Hudson River Housing. Visit the Events Calendar at eflibrary.org for a complete list of special programs and ongoing groups such as Brain Games, chess and photography clubs, book groups, homework help, and more!
East Fishkill Community Library
Thank you for another great year at East Fishkill Community Library! EAST FISHKILL COMMUNITY LIBRARY 348 Route 376 Hopewell Junction, NY 12533