HEPL Annual Report 2022

Director’s Message

At the Hamilton East Public Library, we believe strongly in our guiding principles of Innovation, Discovery, Equity, and Access. These principles were formed by significant community feedback during our last Strategic Planning process, and we consider them daily when we make the choices that shape the library service we offer to our community. In fact, the document you’re reading right now has been built with the goal of showing how we’ve lived out those guiding principles. In other words, we hope to take this opportunity to be accountable to the people who live and work in our library district and who generously support us with their tax dollars. We take that responsibility to our patrons very seriously, and we are deeply thankful for the opportunity to serve them every day. As we look back and take pride in our work for the last year, we also look forward to even better things in the future.

IDEAS Live Here.

Edra Waterman, Library Director

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Michelle Payne Vice-President

Dr. Ray Maddalone Secretary

Craig Siebe Assistant Secretary/Treasurer

Year In Review

As you might expect, librarians pay very close attention to how people use the library! Every year, HEPL compiles a statistical report that shows how people used our collections and services. In 2022, we had 91,924 library cards in our database, and people used those cards 2,729,157 times to check out physical or electronic items. In other words, the average library card was used to check out almost 25 items per year. That’s an item every two weeks – and that’s a lot of reading!

Of course, there’s more to do at the library than checking out materials. People asked 37,019 questions of our staff at our service points, and people used our computers 29,488 times. We hosted 1,398 programs in 2022, and 28,134 people came to those programs.

Each of those numbers represents thousands of people who made time in their lives to come to the library, and we are very grateful to provide services that are valued by the community. We look forward to serving even more next year!

MISSION

To be our community’s essential connector to information and ideas.

VISION

A connected library in a connected community.

BUDGET

Our goal is to provide the best possible services with the financial support that the public entrusts to us.

Operating Tax Rate .0360

Total Local Government Revenue

$9,450,405

Total Operating Expenditure

$8,452,754

91,924 cardholders in library database

37,019 quetions asked at service points

people attended library programs

1,398

programs hosted

29,488

28,134 times library computers were used

25 items checked out per cardholder on average

2,729,157 times physical or electronic items were checked out

Laura Alerding President

Tiffanie A.H. Ditlevson Board Member

Micah Beckwith Board Member

Andre Miksha Board Member

INNOVATION

Partnerships

In 2022, HEPL had the opportunity to partner with many organizations through programming, initiatives, outreach, and more. HEPL values its many community partners, and we strive to be an engaged and dynamic contributor to the Fishers and Noblesville communities.

We’ve partnered with

• Fishers Parks and Strawtown Koteewi Park on a monthly StoryWalk®

• The cities of Fishers and Noblesville for outreach and farmers markets

• Plum Prairie historic district in Noblesville

• IDES for meal packing

• Serve Noblesville for community service

• Versiti Blood Center of Indiana for blood donations

• Hamilton Southeastern Schools

• Noblesville Schools

• Homeschool groups

• Noblesville Chamber of Commerce

• OneZone Chamber of Commerce

• Hamilton County Leadership Academy

• Nickel Plate Arts for Comic Book in a Day

• Noblesville Diversity Coalition

• The Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability

• Fishers Arts and Culture Commission

• Fishers Arts Council

• and many more!

One thing is for sure, we love collaborating with our partners to better serve our community!

HEPL provided 100 packs of seeds of three types of native flowers, including purple Anise hyssop, for landscaping use in the Plum Prairie historic district in Noblesville.

“Community partnerships, like the one that Versiti Blood Center of Indiana has with HEPL, are critical to saving Hoosier lives. Without the help of our dedicated blood drive hosts we could not host the lifesaving community blood drives we do.”

Season’s Savings

In November 2022, we launched a Season’s Savings campaign to demonstrate all the cost savings the library provides for our community. This included promotions for Black Friday and Giving Tuesday and unsual items to check out or use, such as museum passes, digital media lab equipment, databases, and more! Every year, the community gives to the library through tax dollars, and we’re grateful for this support that enables us to provide materials and resources for our Hamilton County community.

16% increase in Ignite Kit circulation

Teen Writing Challenge

Teens love having their voices heard. What better way to make that happen than to have a writing contest! Stephanie Clark from Noblesville East Middle School’s Media Center said that many students reached out to her once she promoted this program.

245% increase in museum pass circulation

Teens submitted 69 poems and fantasy-themed short stories for the library’s two Teen Writing Challenges in 2022. With so many creative entries, the judges had a difficult time determining the winners! A group of Teen Advisory Board members and HEPL staff voted on their favorites, and 3 winners were chosen for each Challenge. The winners were ecstatic! Their works are available to read on the library’s blog.

“My daughter has been able to make friends who share the same interests as her by attending the clubs and teen activities.”

Improving Access, Expanding Possibilities: Library Renovations Update

In 2022, both libraries saw significant progress on renovations to create more pedestrian-friendly access to our buildings, including updated lobbies, outdoor gathering spaces, and additional parking.

At the Fishers Library, our feature architectural glass structure and grand staircase were both completed in the new main lobby, and new multi-purpose rooms are nearing completion. Work progressed on our north and east lots to significantly increase available parking, and a new balcony space was completed to provide visitors with space to take in some fresh air while reading. Work also began to build a pedestrian connection to the Nickel Plate Trail which will feature a public-art installation funded in partnership with the City of Fishers.

The Noblesville Library likewise saw significant progress renovating the main entrance and lobby, including a new skylight and improved lighting. In the fall, we were thrilled to re-open our north entrance to

the children’s department with its updated outdoor programming space (see page 16 for more information).

Last year’s renovations also provided necessary maintenance for our aging buildings, including new chillers and air handlers, windows, modernized elevators, and new roofs.

We know that construction is disruptive, but as one patron recently told us, “Even with the construction, I feel like the library is still an accessible place to get books, study, and work on projects.” This is why we’re here - to provide access to the resources our community needs – and our renovation projects are designed to help us do that even better in the years to come.

Architectural glass structure and grand staircase completed at Fishers.

Skylight and lighting installed at Noblesville.

Fishers

Noblesville

North and east parking lots paved at Fishers.

New entrance to Noblesville youth department opened

Rendering of new North entrance and parking areas of Fishers Library. Rendering of new South entry of Fishers Library.

Rendering of new interior entrance at Fishers. Sitework on main entrance of Fishers Library.

Rendering of new front entrance of Noblesville Library.

Construction crew at Noblesvile Library with green HEPL construction hats for kids.

Sitework on new Children’s Pavilion at Noblesville. New outdoor teen space at Noblesville Library.

DISCOVERY

Summer Reading Program

The theme of the Summer Reading Program (SRP) in 2022 was “Oceans of Possibilities,” and staff hit the ground running with ideas. Both libraries were heavily decorated and played host to elaborate prize stations. At Noblesville, patrons got to step aboard a pirate ship, and in Fishers, patrons dove under the sea!

This year, we premiered a new look for SRP: a points system! Patrons were challenged to earn 100 points by logging books, days, minutes, and pages read, as well as completing activities and writing reviews. Engagement was high all summer long with 4,198 readers participating in the challenge and logging 1.9 million pages read. Patrons were also pleased with the prize choices which ranged from small trinkets to free books to great raffles!

“I love all the free programming at our library and all the very kind librarians. Thanks for all you do!”

Seed Library

Our popular Seed Library program checked out more than 56,000 packs of seeds in 2022. Our communities continue to tell us how much they love the 140+ types of vegetable, flower, herb, and fruit seeds we offer for free during a time of continued increasing food prices. We’re most excited by this quote we received from a survey: “I really think the seed library has brought my family together. My aunt, my brother all pick out seeds from the seed library and get really excited to show each other what we got. Then, we text all the time to show each other our plants’ progress and drop by to check on the gardens. It’s the best!” We’re so thankful to see how a small bag of seeds can have such a tremendous impact on the relationships we have with one another.

“A big thank you for having the Seed Library. I absolutely loved this. It’s a learning opportunity for me, and I am showing my toddler something she can carry with her as she grows. Great family bonding time.”

DISCOVERY Local Author Fair

Much excitement surrounded the return of our annual HEPL Local Author Fair on April 10! This was the first HEPL author fair since 2019 and the first time HEPL hosted the event offsite. FORUM Events Center in Fishers provided space for 40+ author booths. This event allows HEPL to support local authors by connecting them with patrons of all ages and to give those patrons a chance to chat about what inspired their writing, purchase their works, and have their books signed. Authors networked with each other and had the opportunity to speak with local Beyond the Pen podcast creator Maccabee Griffin and record a segment for the show. The Friends of the Library donated funds in support of the event, which provided the participating authors, staff, and volunteers with a commemorative t-shirt. Feedback from the authors indicated how much they enjoyed meeting folks at their booths and the special treatment they received from the library staff members and volunteers.

“Thank you so much for giving my friend the blessing of a dream fulfilled. A few months after the Local Author Fair, she was taken by her rapidly advancing lung cancer. She passed away content, having fulfilled her life’s dream of being a ‘real’ author - in part because of you.”

Indiana Room

Did you know that the Indiana Room archives stores 1,500 cubic feet of historic materials and over 100 pieces of art and framed photographs? As we prepare for construction improvements in 2023, we spent a significant amount of time in 2022 inventorying items and re-homing them into archival-grade containers to make sure they were preserved for future generations. Along the way, we discovered interesting stuff, including the Richwine Collection, donated by Linda Richwine Klotz in 2014. These materials relate to the construction of the Richwine Apartment building in downtown Noblesville in 1915. State-of-the-art for its time, these records detail purchases such as window screens, Murphy beds, the distinctive yellow bricks, and correspondence between George Richwine and multiple vendors. This is an invaluable collection to researchers of Noblesville history.

“Thank you for creating a safe space in the community for people to work, learn, research, and grow as people.”

Now, the Indiana Room is ready to take action when new collections arise. When construction crews discovered a 1986 time capsule buried beneath our Noblesville entrance last year, the Indiana Room was the first line of defense in preserving these messages from the past. Items hearkening back to 1986 included Summer Reading Program materials, the library budget from that year, a letter from the then-director, and pictures of the library board and staff, among other things. Now, these items are kept for posterity in our archives.

Ignite Studio

Fiber artist Megan Benson learned how to weave on an heirloom four-harness loom that originally belonged to her husband’s grandmother. When she first applied to be Ignite Studio’s Maker-in-Residence, we immediately saw her potential to make an impact on our community of makers. Though she wasn’t selected that year, we invited her to teach with us. Patrons loved her class on frame loom weaving. She finally joined us as Maker-in-Residence in fall 2022, making her our first ever weaver. During Megan’s time with us, she led community projects, taught patrons how to work with floor looms, and explored weaving with recycled materials. She even brought her antique floor loom to the Fishers Farmers Market, where she demonstrated weaving patterns. Nostalgia was evoked when visitors tried their hand at the pattern. Grandparents told grandchildren about memories of their ancestral looms and the special woven items made on them. Aspiring weavers were intrigued by Megan’s contemporary style and enrolled in her classes. Patrons were transfixed as they watched Megan press the treadles and run the shuttle through. In her time with Ignite, she truly became a part of the fabric of our community of life-long learners.

EQUITY

BOOKS BUILD BRIDGES

Books Build Bridges is our annual community read initiative that culminates in visits from the featured authors. Our children’s author was Kelly Yang, a multiple award winner and NY Times bestselling author. Kelly regaled over 300 people on the day of her visit, sharing her story of growing up in a motel like the main character of her book Front Desk. She also shared her writing tips with the budding writers at the event. Following Kelly’s presentation, staff witnessed some younger patrons literally jumping for joy! Kelly was so gracious in taking time to speak with every single person in the book signing line. In fact, library staff had to tell Kelly tactfully that the line was moving a little too slow due to her being so kind to everyone.

“POV: When you grew up at the library as a kid, and the library makes a LIFE SIZE display of your book. These librarians give me hope...It was quite possibly the best day of my life. Thank you Hamilton East Public Library!” -Kelly Yang

“Thank you HEPL for bringing Kelly Yang to Fishers! Listening to one of my most favorite authors today was inspiring to say the least!”

Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was the featured author for adults and older teens. More than 100 patrons gathered to listen to Jamie talk about his novel set in Seattle after the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II when Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps. One patron in attendance shared that his grandparents had lived in one of these camps for several years, and reading Jamie’s novel prompted the patron to ask his grandparents for details about their time spent there—a topic that their family had avoided for so long.

DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH

Deaf educator, Michelle Cleary, did an incredible job creating engaging and interactive sessions on learning American Sign Language for teens and adults. One attendee was a 4th grade teacher who was excited to use what they learned with one of their ASL students. “When will there be more classes?” is always an amazing question to hear at the end of a program. Lots of patrons who attended the Intro to ASL series asked just that! All together, HEPL hosted 10 programs in honor of Disability Awareness Month.

“As a result of participating in Books Build Bridges, I will read books I wouldn’t have otherwise and open my eyes to others’ experiences.”

EQUITY

SEASON OF GIVING

Near the end of each year, many in our community turn their focus to celebrations and times of giving. In November and December, HEPL celebrated that spirit of giving with our “Season of Giving” initiative. Both locations hosted meal packing events in partnership with IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service), as well as item donation drives for hats, mittens, socks, facial tissue, and more for township trustee offices. We also partnered with HamCoLove, a local nonprofit founded by a former library staff member, that strives to end period poverty in our county.

One of our popular programs for Season of Giving was “Hot Chocolate in a Jar” for teens, where attendees could make a sweet gift for a loved one (or themselves!).

8,352 meals packed at Fishers

10,368 meals packed at Noblesville

SERVE NOBLESVILLE

HEPL staff participated in Serve Noblesville during the week of June 21– 25. This unique opportunity allowed us to not only serve our neighbors in Noblesville but also assist refugees displaced by the crisis in Ukraine. Our local work involved cleaning up brick sidewalks that had become overgrown with grass and weeds. The weather was sweltering, and the work was hard, digging out weeds that hadn’t been touched for years. However, once we saw the grateful faces of those we had helped, along with the dramatic before and after pictures of the sidewalks, it made the back-breaking work that much more gratifying.

Our other project involved packing meals with International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) for those impacted by war in Ukraine. Many of us recoiled at the terrible atrocities taking place overseas and wondered how we could help. Our staff volunteers marveled at the fact that after only two afternoons, we were able to pack thousands of meals that have been shipped to Ukraine, Poland, and Romania!

“HEPL took one of the most difficult projects in clearing out weed and grass overgrowth from the brick sidewalks in Noblesville. Both days were some of the hottest of the year, and HEPL staff did great getting a lot of sidewalks clear!”

- Patrick Propst, President of Serve Noblesville

ACCESS

NOBLESVILLE YOUTH SERVICES ENTRANCE

The highly anticipated wait is over! In October 2022, our newly remodeled Noblesville Youth Services entrance was opened! Patrons are now able to walk down our ramp that features Indiana native leaf imprints, make some music with drumsticks on our metal flower petals, take a snack break at some of our picnic tables, or read together outside on our new grassy knoll. The outdoor space leads into our Youth Services department. There, patrons can use the space as a one-stop-shop should they not want to venture upstairs, as the area provides a place for returning materials, checking out materials, and even holds pick up! As warmer weather hits in 2023, patrons can look forward to outdoor programming!

MICROLIBRARIES

It’s hard not to love exploring a library. Wandering the stacks, discovering new favorites when vibrant covers catch our eyes, encountering forgotten stories our beloved first grade teachers shared, sharing those same tales with our children and grandchildren, and enjoying a space devoted to learning, creativity and literacy. We love providing that space and those experiences for our patrons each and every day in our Fishers and Noblesville locations. To bring that experience outside our buildings, we have partnered with community organizations to provide small, take-and-return libraries in offsite locations. The Microlibrary program (initially funded by an LSTA grant from the Indiana State Library) currently has

three locations: Hamilton County Sports Complex, Nature’s Pointe Cooperative Preschool, & Prevail, Inc (all in Noblesville). We provide a rotating selection of books, and any visitors, clients, or families of our partners can borrow and return materials directly at the partner site - no library card required! There is strong engagement at each location and our partners, like Naheed Tahir at Nature’s Point Cooperative Preschool, share the joy: “We love the microlibrary!”

If you know of a great location for a Microlibrary, contact Molly Mrozowski, mrozowskim@hepl.lib.in.us, as we are looking to grow this program in 2023.

ACCESS

HEPL ON THE MOVE

Our outreach initiative, HEPL on the Move, takes library services, information, and activities to schools, farmers markets, community events, parks, businesses, clubs – anywhere we can set up a table - connecting with nearly 12,000 people in 2022. By far, the most common thing people say to us is, “Our family loves the library!” At one event, a mother of teens cried as she told staff what a profound impact the library had on her family when her children were toddlers. We also had the chance to connect with those in the community who are not yet library patrons and invite them to visit us.

Ignite Makers-in-Residence make appearances at the

farmers markets, showcasing their art, which invites marketgoers to ask questions. Maker-in-Residence Megan Benson brought her loom to the market and a staff member observed, “Seeing the loom brought up nostalgic feelings in many of the older marketgoers. Grandparents would stop with their grandchildren and talk about memories of a loom in the home and items they had grown up with that were woven...one young boy spent a considerable amount of time asking questions about the workings of the loom, watching Megan press the treadles and run the shuttle through. She then let him try it on his own. People’s faces lit up just watching Megan work.”

“The library makes us really happy! This is my favorite place in Fishers!”

WHAT’S COMING IN 2023

Crossroads Discovery Center

Genealogy and local history lovers in Hamilton County know the Indiana Room as a go-to source for help researching their family stories. As we envisioned the future of the Indiana Room, HEPL staff wanted to create more opportunities for discovery in this space. In addition to offering reference materials and research help, the Indiana Room is planning to expand its services. This will include new equipment and technology to support genealogy research, permanent and rotating exhibit spaces, oral history recording studios, and improved archival storage. With these changes comes a new name—the Crossroads Discovery Center. In this reimagined space, we hope patrons will discover or rediscover their passion for searching for family histories and learning about local history.

Construction Continues

2023 will bring several milestones in our ongoing renovation projects. In Noblesville, our new main entrance is set to open sometime this spring, and patrons will be able to enjoy new outdoor spaces around the library – including our all-ages patio, as well as dedicated outdoor areas for children and teens. Meanwhile, our 2nd floor will close for the construction of our Crossroads Discovery Center. In Fishers, we expect to open our new main entrance on the north side of the building sometime in spring or early summer, with construction moving to the south side of our property at that time. Renovations will include a refresh of our south entrance, a walkable plaza between the Nickel Plate Trail, the Library, and the Amp featuring outdoor seating, programming spaces, a large-scale public art installation, and additional parking.

Art abounds on the streets of Fishers. You may have noticed new murals and sculptures popping up across the community due to the work of the Fishers Arts and Culture Commission (FACC). The library is honored to be partnering with the FACC to install another new and exciting piece of public art on our Fishers campus. Created by the team of Roberto Delgado and Rude Calderon based in Los Angeles, CA, this dynamic work consists of three elements. The first element is a stone sculpture carved from onyx, limestone, and sandstone. The second element includes sculptural stone benches inlaid with ceramic tiles representing popular titles from HEPL’s collection. And the final element is a series of ceramic tiles screen-printed with various images selected from Hamilton County throughout time that will be inset into our sidewalks. The piece represents the community’s love of literacy and honors our shared history, as it connects the library to the ecosystem of public art developing across the city of Fishers.

THANK YOU!

HEPL’s volunteer corps has provided vital assistance to the library: finding items that our patrons have on hold, helping our residents practice their English language skills, entering historical cemetery and yearbook records, and assisting staff members produce high-quality programs. In 2022, the program grew to 76 volunteers of all ages and walks of life, contributing 2,049 hours of service. Many regularly tell us that volunteering here brings them joy and a sense of purpose, as well as lifelong learning and a chance to connect with others. They are some of our best advocates in the communities we serve, and HEPL staff have enjoyed the opportunity to work with them. Thank you also to our Friends of the Hamilton East Public Library for sponsoring several of our most popular programs this year!

Public Art Installation with Fishers Arts and Culture Commission (FACC)

@Hamilton East Public Library

@Hamilton East Public Library

Library Information

Noblesville Library

One Library Plaza

Noblesville, IN 46060

317.773.1384

Located just north of the intersection of Conner Street (S.R. 32) and Cumberland Road, near Noblesville High School.

Fishers Library

Five Municipal Drive

Fishers, IN 46038

317.579.0300

Located in the Municipal Complex, just north of 116th Street, near the Nickel Plate District Amphitheatre.

Ignite Studio at HEPL

317.579.0331

Located in the lower level of the Fishers Library.

Indiana Room

317.770.3206

Located in the Noblesville Library.

Hours

Monday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Friday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Fishers