Your Library – A Great Value
Letter from the President and Director
Value. It can be as simple as a numerical calculation or as complicated as defining a personal philosophy. No matter how you characterize it, we’re all looking for it, particularly in today’s difficult economic environment. Whether buying groceries or getting a car repaired, we all want the best return on our investment. Our library isn’t free – we all know it’s funded by our tax dollars. Think for a moment about what an amazing value it is. Every book checked out from the library saves you perhaps $25 – that’s money you can use for something else. Likewise for each DVD rental, each program attended and each audio book downloaded. Let’s not even add up the license costs on the databases you can access through the library.
East FIshkill Community Library 348 Route 376 Hopewell Junction, NY 12533 845 221-9943 voice 845 226-1404 fax Monday – Thursday 10 – 8 Friday 10 – 6 Saturday 10 – 5 Sunday Closed
If you’re paying an average $60 per year in library taxes, that works out to purchasing three to six books or one-half year of a basic Netflix subscription or 1.5 months of cable TV. For that $60 you can have the equivalent of your own Barnes and Noble, your own Blockbuster, your own college professor at your disposal! Have four people in your family? Maybe one person has low vision and uses only large print books? Another is a commuter and uses audio books? Maybe one person loves beach reading while another wants college-level lectures. All that, and more, are accessible through this library. Where else can you meet the diverse needs and tastes of everyone in your household? Our community is luckier than most – we have access to some of the greatest resources on earth right here in East Fishkill. So for library users, it comes down to this: the way we determine value is by looking at the quality of our life. And a huge part of that is how we use our public library. By any measure, the East Fishkill Community Library is a GREAT value. Pat Moore Gloria Goverman Board President Director
GOING DOTTY! Have you ever discovered a book series that you really, really love? And then you come to the library only to find out that your author has written several series and you’re standing there looking at ALL THOSE BOOKS on the shelf and you’re just not sure which one is the next one in YOUR series. Maybe it isn’t even on the shelf? So you start pulling books out, looking inside and it turns out that the publisher lists all the books ALPHABETICALLY, like that’s really going to help anyone?? So you have to trudge over to the catalog and you really have to get to the grocery store and all you wanted was just one book and this has turned into work and you end up leaving without the very thing you came for?
Living the Library Life
Music & Movies Makeover!
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Over the course of the last year, we made some changes aimed at making your life a little easier. Our music collection, which has been growing and branching out into new genres, had become too large to house in the little plastic bins. It was also getting really hard to find the musical gem that you were looking for – Beethoven was cheek-by-jowl with Rufus Wainwright and while you may just love them both, it was a bit tricky finding just the right CD for your mood. The librarian staff researched the best way to organize our collection and, after rejecting a few formats, decided that the easiest and most user-friendly method would be to group items by genre. We developed a color-coded system, bought some dividers and were good to go. Except that there was no really good place to put all the CDs in their new glory. We had some grant funds from Sen. Stephen Saland and after taking a hard look at the CD/DVD area, we decided to buy new cantilevered steel shelving with pull-out browsing bins for the music collection. Many of our patrons had noticed that the area also had insufficient lighting, so our custodian installed new bright lighting. We rearranged all the audio books, CDs, DVDs and eliminated the VHS collection.Voila! Instant makeover!!
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In 2010 we started two video projects: First, in order to share Miss Cathy with the world and to help some of our younger patrons in the pre-school and toddler age groups enjoy a good story even when they can’t come to the library, we filmed Miss Cathy. See her on the library’s web page and watch from home any time convenient to you! Now bad weather or a cold won’t get in the way of enjoying story time! We also started a program highlighting outstanding services, projects and people. We call it Library Life – because when we do our jobs right, libraries change lives. So far we’ve interviewed several artists, the new executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System, the president of the East Fishkill Library board and have featured a new database or two. These are also on our website and can be viewed any time. If you have a topic you’d like to see included in this series, just drop us a line.
Source of Funds Tax Appropriation State/County Fines Grants Donations Interest & Other Income
• • • • • •
2010 $697,694 $387 $25,665 $$12,739 $25,249 $761,734
Use of Funds Human Resources Administrative Library Material & Information Systems Utilities & Maintenance Bond Expense Bond Principle
2010 $465,713 $93,330
• • • • • •
$94,970 $50,675 $12,046 $45,000 $761,734
Well, it’s happened and we don’t ever want it to happen again! So this is what we’re doing: For every fiction series in the library we’re adding a color coded dot to the label. Each dot has a number showing which book in the series it is. So if you just LOVE Elizabeth Peters, all of the Amelia Peabody books will be in order numerically. All of the Vicki Bliss books will be in order numerically. And they’ll be next to each other but separate. You will be able to locate the exact book you’re looking for and if it’s not there, you’ll see that too. For those of you who have ever wondered how we tackle a project as large as this one, we can only say, “One book at a time” using several dedicated, wonderful, detail-oriented volunteers. This entire project (and it’s huge - we’ve already dotted about 7,000 books) has been done completely by volunteers.
Ebooks, Playaways & MP3s, OH MY!
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We always say libraries are more than books! Magazines, DVDs, audio books – those are now staples of your public library’s inventory. As technology changes, our stock changes too. For example, we also carry convenient and portable Playaways. These are dedicated mp3 players that are prerecorded with one book. You can wear them around your neck on a lanyard (included) and listen with headphones (ear buds are available for $1) or use an adapter to play them over your car speakers. For those of you who use your own MP3 players, we have downloadable audio books - more than 900 titles purchased jointly by the Mid-Hudson Library System and the member libraries. Many of these are playable on iPods and it’s a great way to keep books in your life even if you can’t make it to the library. Likewise, we also have downloadable eBooks – more than 400 titles to date. And you may have heard the good news from amazon.com recently – Kindle will soon be an added format! And we have recently introduced another new format – audio book in mp3 discs. The benefit is that the book is more compressed and now most titles fit on one disc. These can only be played on mp3 players. As technology changes, libraries have to pick and choose carefully since titles are available on multiple formats and we need to decide how many copies to buy. Paper, mp3, mp3 disc, downloadable eBook and downloadable audio book are all competing for the same dollars (hmmm, now might be a good time to think about making a contribution to the Friends…). These decisions are crucial for us to stay current and to meet your needs as effectively as possible so we keep an eye on emerging technology, as well as technologies that are no longer in use. This year we said goodbye to our VHS and books on tape collections. Adieu, Old Technology – thank you for serving us so well.
Kid Stuff
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The East Fishkill Community Library has one of the busiest story time schedules in the area, both in terms of the number of classes and number of children served. In 2010 we held over 240 classes and served over 4,000 children! For a while, it became so busy that Miss Cathy found it increasingly difficult to do the crafts and stories and songs that she just loves to do with the little ones. We needed to find a way to limit the number of children in each class to allow for the kind of fun and enriching experience we strive to provide for them. After trying a first-come, first-served approach, which clearly did not work, we finally decided to introduce registration for some classes, with preference for East Fishkill patrons (and tax-payers!) The registration process went smoothly although, to our surprise, some of the classes we scheduled had to be canceled due to underenrollment. As it turned out, we didn’t have to turn anyone away. That is something we never want to do! The story time cycles remain unchanged – January/ February, April/May, July/August, October/November. We continue to offer a mix of registration classes and drop-ins.
DATABASES
All of the libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System have access to a number of databases, but did you know that the East Fishkill Library buys three databases that are available only to East Fishkill residents? Our librarians are always on the lookout for ways to serve you better and with these databases it’s as if we’re able to bring our entire reference collection to your home to use at your convenience. The databases are A to Z – The USA, Learning Express and Credo. They allow us to expand our reference collection on an ongoing basis with multiple simultaneous remote user access. That means that the entire content of each database is available to each and every one of you every minute of every day.
Ya’ Gotta Have FRIENDS!
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When the East Fishkill library made the transition to a public library district, we were no longer allowed to fundraise and needed some help. Enter The Friends of the East Fishkill Community Library! This group of hard-working volunteers got together and formed an FOL (Friends of the Library) group in record time, got their 501(c)(3) designation and have been fundraising very successfully ever since. They are now starting to use the fruits of their labor to enhance the library in ways that our operating budget has not allowed – two items currently in the queue are a Wifi Center and an expansion of the art gallery. Join the Friends! If you’re interested in joining the Friends and/ or volunteering your time at one of their worthy fundraisers, visit them at www.befriendyourlibrary. org. Give them a try—they put the F-U-N in fundraising!!
And There’s More!
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2D scanners Once again, new technology on it’s way to the library. We’ve ordered a 2D scanner. If you have a smart phone and use the CardStar or Keyring app to load in your store cards, our new scanner will be able to read your library card! Nook The library now owns two Nooks available for East Fishkill patrons to take home. Each one is loaded with about 10 books and will be available for three weeks. Watch for more info coming soon! Two New Eagle Scout Projects The library has already been the lucky recipient of one Eagle Scout project. Several years ago, Michael Lynch and his crew made the beautiful winding path that leads from the side entrance to the patio. This summer, we’re hoping that two more Eagle Scout projects come to fruition. The first will be to extend the winding path from the patio to the Nan Cross Memorial Garden. The second will be to design, build and install seating in the patio. Stay tuned for updates on our web page and facebook page. Social Networking Our facebook page now has a personalized URL – you can find us at www.facebook.com/eastfishkilllibrary.
BOOK SALES In addition to our regular booksale held the third weekend in August, we’ve added a spring book sale too. Twice the opportunity to buy great books at rock bottom prices while you help your local library thrive. Check our webpage and facebook page often!
About the Library’s Gardens Years ago, before the expansion, as you walked through the front doors of the main entrance to enter the building, you’d walk through one of the loveliest gardens in the area. That garden was designed and maintained by Mary Alice King, volunteer. Ms. King is a gifted gardener and she has tended this garden for about ten years. The love, hard work and skill show. Take a short stroll through the path and sit in the gazebo under the flowering ikeba and clematis. Enjoy the fern leaf peony, phlox and iris. Relax on the benches provided by Sabellicos and McHouls and enjoy the full experience. Outside the rotunda, you’ll find the Nan Cross Memorial Garden. Nan was the director of the library for many years and after she passed, through the fund-raising contributions of many donors we were able to install this beautiful garden, designed by
Jen Stengle. The Nan Cross Memorial Garden can be enjoyed by walking on the gravel paths or viewing from inside the library. You’ll see buddleia, dwarf weigela, aronia and iris, among others as well as some magnificent dogwoods. While it’s true that gardens can be enjoyed from a distance, the best way to experience a garden is to walk through it and use all of your senses. Listen to the bees, smell the roses and look at the gems that are tucked away, hidden from plain view.