Annual Report 2023

ANNUAL REPORT

Director’s Message

Hamilton East Public Library

Annual Report 2023

In 2023, Hamilton East Public Library underwent significant transformations. After twelve years of dedicated leadership, we bid farewell to our former director, Edra Waterman. During her tenure, the libraries saw dramatic change, including the introduction of a cutting-edge creative maker space, substantial renovation projects revitalizing both the Fishers and Noblesville branches, and the streamlining of essential library processes As a longstanding member of this community, I express my heartfelt gratitude for her service and as the new director, I will work hard to continue the tradition of delivering exceptional programs and services to our patrons.

Within the pages of this Annual Report, you'll find a comprehensive overview of the library's achievements throughout the past year The data and statistics presented herein stand as a testament to the unwavering commitment and hard work of our dedicated staff and volunteers. These figures quantify our efforts and narrate a compelling story of a library that embodies its mission to serve as our community's essential connector to information and ideas Above all, this document underscores the vital role we play within our vibrant community We extend our sincerest thanks to each member of our community for their continued support, which remains integral to our ongoing success story.

With appreciation

Melissa Loiselle LIBRARY DIRECTOR

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Craig Siebe President

Michelle PayneVice-President

Susan Crandall Secretary

Andre Miksha Assistant Secretary/Treasurer

Beth Sheller Board Member

Bill KenleyBoard Member

Kim Logan Board Member

MISSION

To be our community’s essential connector to information and ideas. A connected library in a connected community. BUDGET

VISION

Year in Review

2023 proved to be a big year for HEPL! We had 93,734 library cards in our database, and people used those cards 2,611,198 times to check out physical or electronic items. We have a community of readers! HEPL offers many additional services to our community, as well. People asked 38,033 questions of our staff at our service points, and people used our computers 29,174 times We hosted 1,628 programs in 2023, and 57,675 people came to those programs We are so thankful to be in a community that values their public library We look forward to providing even more services to our growing community in 2024!

questions asked at service points

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

Operating Tax Rate .0323

Total Local Government Revenue

$10,514,606

Total Operating Expenditure

$9,350,827

93,734 people attended library programs 57, 675

cardholders in library database

2,270,738 number of website visits

29,174 times physical or electronic items were checked out

24 FREE

771,438 items checked out per cardholder on average

38,033 programs hosted 1,628 times library computers were used

Innovation

Partnerships

HEPL is proud to work with so many great community partners, and 2023 provided ample opportunities for collaboration

We’ve partnered with:

Fishers Parks and Strawtown Koteewi Park on a monthly StoryWalk®

The cities of Fishers and Noblesville for outreach, farmers markets, and various drives

Conner Prairie for Library Card Signup Month

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!

We look forward to working with these community partners, and welcome new partners, in 2024!

The Ignite Studio staff was honored as the Arts Partner of the Year at Noblesville Creates’ (nee: Nickel Plate Arts) 11th Anniversary Gala in September. Since opening in 2018, Ignite Studio has

strived to support arts and art organizations in Hamilton County through a variety of programs, events, and services. We are so thankful to be recognized as a vital contributor to arts in our community and love working with local artists of all ages

“The Honors celebrates long-standing members of our organization and their exemplary commitment to the work we do. Thank you to HEPL for being such an impactful part of OneZone & our community!”

HEPL Gift Guide

For the 2023 holiday season, our staff curated a HEPL Gift Guide to help patrons find the perfect gifts to show appreciation for their loved ones From the local history buff to the kid who loves animals or the coffee-obsessed aunt, we provided personalized recommendations for anyone you could think of , all based on items from our awesome collection. At the library, we love giving recommendations, and our statistics show that our patrons found this service helpful.

increase in Newspapers com usage from Nov - Dec 2023 351%

increase in Noblesville Digital Media Lab usage from Nov - Dec 2023 42%

increase in A/V Studio usage from Nov. - Dec. 2023 15%

increase in Laser Engraver usage from Nov. - Dec. 2023 10%

2024-2028 Strategic Priorities

In 2023, HEPL formed a strategic planning steering committee whose main focus was determining how HEPL could best meet the needs of its service area community for the next five years.

Strategic Priority 1: Access

People will find appealing and accessible library materials, spaces, and services they need and want

Strategic Priority 2: Community

Everyone is welcome in the library and will find people, resources, and services that reflect a broad range of individual interests and needs

Strategic Priority 3: Engagement

People will know what the library has to offer and receive accurate information about library services in places they frequent and from trusted sources.

Strategic Priority 4: Capacity

The Library will expand to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse and growing community. 36% increase in Sublimation

Printer usage from Nov.Dec. 2023

Innovation

Improving Access, Expanding Possibilities: Library Renovations Update

In 2023, we celebrated several renovation milestones at both the Noblesville and Fishers libraires.

Noblesville Library Main Entrance Ribbon Cutting

In March 2023, we celebrated the reopening of the main library entrance with a ribbon cutting This near completion of Phase 1 renovations brought our patrons and the community great updates, including improved traffic flow and expanded parking, increased access to green spaces, outdoor amenities for all ages, plus an updated front façade, meeting rooms, and lobby.

Fishers Library Main Entrance and Expanded Parking Lot Opens

In May 2023, we officially opened the new main library entrance, as well as our newly expanded north and east parking lots! These renovations focused on more pedestrian-friendly access and gathering spaces, improved traffic flow. At this time our south entrance and parking lot closed for the next project phase, which focused heavily on integration of the south entrance with the Nickel Plate trail, and public art installation, set to be unveiled in Spring 2024

Crossroads Discovery Center 2023 Progress

The Indiana Room is now the Crossroads Discovery Center! Our team was hard at work this year creating a reimagined experience of genealogy and local history at our Noblesville location. We worked with exhibit designers from Trivium Interactive to develop a hands-on experience to teach visitors how to get started doing their own genealogy research We’ve added new technology including scanners, conversion equipment, and audio recording equipment, and we ’ ve made improvements to our archives space to preserve local history for future generations. Opening in 2024, this makerspace for genealogy will help patrons discover their story.

Fishers Library Lobby

Fishers Library TeenZone

Fishers Library New Entrance

Fishers Library Expanded Parking

Noblesville Library Lobby

Noblesville Library Lobby

Discovery

Summer Reading Program

The theme of the Summer Reading Program in 2023 was All Together Now and staff hit the ground running with ideas. Both libraries were uniquely decorated and played host to elaborate prize stations

This was our second year of the new points system with Beanstack! Patrons were challenged to earn 100 points by logging books, days, minutes, and pages read, completing activities and writing reviews. Patrons were pleased with our prize choices, which ranged from small trinkets, to free books, to great raffles!

Summer saw a few standout programs as well One of them being a Noblesville Library Bluey Party that attracted over 150 people to the children’s outdoor space. Participants played games and participated in crafts and activities related to the very popular children’s TV show. We even saw both kids and adults dressed up for the occasion

2,615,221 pages read

1,758,167 minutes read

30,327 badges earned

82,622 books read

Seed Library

The Seed Library continues to be a remarkable success at HEPL. We checked out 68,232 packs of flower, herb, vegetable and fruit seeds at both our Fishers and Noblesville locations (as well as at outreach events and collaborating with local organizations, schools, nonprofits, etc.) which is a 22% increase from last year. We are grateful for how well this initiative continues to expand each year.

"I really enjoy the seed program and the gardening classes. Thank you for offering this! I've been doing it for many years and we always look forward to looking through the new seeds to make our picks each year. The kiddos each get to make their own pick for a plant, which is so fun and a great tradition for us."

"We love the seed library! It's a great way as an adult to offset the cost of having a garden and to try new varieties. It's also a great way to get kids interested in gardening by letting them choose some seeds to try."

Discovery

Bicentennial

Through a multi-year partnership with Hamilton County Tourism, the library was able to support efforts for the Hamilton County Bicentennial celebration Jessica L , CRDC Genealogy and Local History Librarian, spent part of her time during 2022-2023 as the Bicentennial Coordinator. This allowed her to help communities all around the county plan celebrations related to the Bicentennial and its themes. Over the entire year, there were around 50 events in all nine townships, four of which were put on by HEPL related to the four townships in the library's service area There was also a traveling exhibit that went to 30 locations, pop-ups at farmers markets and festivals, a book published, and more. Over 15,000 people attended Bicentennial events.

Field Trips

In January of 2023, Youth Services and Ignite Studio launched a new Field Trips experience with a Preview Day. At this preview, HEPL Board of Trustee members, community leaders, as well as school librarians from both HSE and Noblesville were able to see the various “ menu ” of options that school groups and homeschool co-ops could choose from

During these hands-on learning experiences, students participate in a literacy-based activity, learn how the library works behind-the-scenes, explore the youth department with a librarian as their guide, and experience a hands-on maker activity in Ignite Studio. The Field Trips are for students in grades Pre-K through 12 and are designed around Indiana’s Academic Standards to provide an interdisciplinary experience Currently, they are offered at our Fishers Location.

Local Author Fair

The annual HEPL Local Author Fair took place on April 15 at the FORUM Events Center in Fishers, with space for nearly 60 author and organization 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 Writers could hone their craft in one of the three free writing workshops led by local writers and instructors Bryan Furuness, Chadwick Gillenwater, and Scott Murray held in spaces adjacent to the exhibit hall.

A special thank you to the Friends of the Library who donated funds in support of the event!

Ignite Studio

Addie Hirschten served as Ignite’s Maker-inResidence in Summer 2023. A contemporary impressionist painter, Addie invited patrons to explore a variety of art making techniques including plein air painting, puppet making, realistic drawing, and landscape painting Her capstone community project “Symbols on Circles” invited patrons of all ages to choose a personal symbol, design it in black, and display it on colored paper cut in the shape of a circle. During Fall 2023, Rue Sparks joined Ignite as our Maker-in-Residence. As an author/illustrator, Rue’s work blended text and visual imagery as they explored zine making, sketching, drawing, and self-publishing with patrons Their capstone community project invited patrons to submit art, poetry and short stories to a community anthology. Together they offered 59 classes, workshops, and open studios to 426 patrons.

Rue Sparks

Addie Hirschten

Books Build Bridges Equity

Books Build Bridges is a community read program hosted by Hamilton East Public Library each fall to build community through shared experience, provide diverse reading opportunities, and engage our community with noted authors

This year ’ s featured books were classic stories reimagined. For adult readers, the featured book was Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev. For teen readers, the featured book was Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. And, for children, the featured book was A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat A limited number of these titles were made available for free to the public

All three authors gave a small individual talk about their book, their work, and their life as an author. They then came together for a panel to discuss writing and taking classic tales and reimagining them The panel was moderated by a past Ignite Artist in Residence, Rue Sparks After the panel talk, patrons then had the t it t t th th d t th i

“The only reason that my child got into reading was because of Books Build Bridges and meeting Kelly Yang at the 2022 event.”

“We were blown away at the quality of the event, look forward to more author events in the future. ”

BOOKS BUILD BRIDGES

Disability Awareness Month

For Disability Awareness Month in March, we hosted Rachel Deaton with the Autism Society of Indiana for a virtual Autism Family Waiver Workshop and held our ongoing Neurodivergent Teen Hangout giving neurodivergent teens the opportunity to connect with their peers

The Ignite Studio held several programs to support Disability Awareness Month, including:

Drop-In Activity: Klee Scratch Art (inspired by artist Paul Klee) Paper Basket Class for Adults with IDD with Teaching Artist Yuki Darrow Calming Collage Class

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 donation drives for hats, mittens, socks, facial tissue, and more for township trustee offices We also partnered with the Indiana Diaper Bank to collect diapers for families in need and with HamCoLove, a local nonprofit that strives to end period poverty in our county.

Thanks to community donations, we collected:

2,388 diapers 1,747 period products 1,000 wipes

One of the popular programs for the Season of Giving was Crafty Teens: Felted Ornaments where teens made seasonal ornaments to keep or give to family or friends

SEASON Giving OF

Both locations hosted two letter writing campaigns patrons wrote 300 letters to troops, veterans, wounded heroes and first responders for Operation Gratitude; another letter campaign to support and encourage folks in local assisted living facilites delivered a little over 200 letters from community members!

Serve Noblesville

A dedicated group of HEPL staff members participated in the Serve Noblesville Service Projects on June 21st. HEPL was represented with two separate groups cleaning up the trails at Forest Park as well as packing meals at International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES) to help those in need around the world

Access

Fishers Library Introduces New Entrance, Expanded Parking Lot, and Pedestrian-Friendly Access

In May 2023, we officially opened the new main library entrance at the Fishers Library, as well as our newly expanded north and east parking lots! These renovations focused on more pedestrian-friendly access and gathering spaces and improved traffic flow At this time, our south entrance and parking lot closed for the next project phase, which focused heavily on integration of the south entrance with the Nickel Plate trail, and public art installation, set to be unveiled in Spring 2024.

Home Delivery Redesigned Website Launch

We were thrilled to wrap up our website redesign and launch our website that included a new url - making it easier to remember, our updated events calendar that makes finding out about and registering for library programs a breeze, a mobile-friendly experience, including a newly updated mobile-responsive library catalog, new reservation system to book time to use Ignite Studio equipment, an interactive virtual tour of the Ignite Studio, and a more streamlined, intuitive, and convenient library website experience overall!

hamiltoneastpl.org

Events Calendar Migration

In November, we launched our new events calendar and meeting room reservation software, Communico. The new software not only provides greater visibility of all library events but is also more user friendly for those who are looking to register for programs and reserve meeting room spaces. Since the launch, feedback from patrons and community members has been very positive

2023 ushered in the capacity for Access Services to expand our Home Delivery Service to a broader group of patrons. This service offers patrons who are physically unable to get to the library the opportunity to take advantage of our materials from home. The Home Delivery Lead worked with a team of HEPL volunteers to make deliveries in our service area The volunteers involved reported they highly enjoy the face-to-face interactions with patrons as well as the feeling that they are providing a valuable service to people who otherwise would not have access. This robust service to our patrons was definitely result of a team effort!

HEPL on the Move

In 2023, HEPL participated in nearly 100 events throughout Fishers and Noblesville and reached over 20,000 people! From food pantries and schools to farmer's markets and festivals, we promoted all of the free services and programs available at the library. Regardless if the event was big or small, we're grateful to visit anywhere throughout our service area to promote all the wonderful opportunities available at our libraries!

HEPL ON THE MOVE Access

2024 Highlights

Fishers Library Ribbon Cutting Celebration & Public

Art Project Unveiled

2024 brings the completion of renovations at the Fishers Library and the unveiling of "Knowledge," a public art project in HEPL’s newly renovated pedestrian plaza located in the heart of the Nickel Plate District!

Crossroads Discovery Center Grand Opening Celebration

This year also wraps up renovations for our Crossroads Discovery Center (CRDC), a secondfloor space at the Noblesville Library, formerly known as the Indiana Room Come discover your story!

New App

We’re excited to launch our new and improved mobile app, which puts everything the library has to offer right at your fingertips!

Outreach

Vehicle

We can’t wait to take our new outreach vehicle out and about, which will elevate our outreach experience, allowing us to meet our community right where they are!

Library Foundation

In 2024, we’ll officially launch a Library Foundation We look forward to connecting with our community in new ways!

Welcoming

Week

Coming September 2024! During Welcoming Week we will celebrate our vibrant, multicultural community and the ways HEPL’s mission, vision, and guiding principles are put into practice yearround. Join us for cultural and civic programming, guest blogs, and more during Welcoming Week.

Thank You HEPL Volunteers!

HEPL’s volunteer corps contributes vital support to library staff. In 2023, the volunteer program grew to more than 300 active volunteers who contributed almost 3,100 hours of service. Our volunteers often tell us how much they enjoy getting to know staff and supporting them with library services and programs They are some of our best advocates in the communities we serve, and HEPL staff have enjoyed the opportunity to work with them

Library Information

Noblesville Library

One Library Plaza

Noblesville, IN 46060

317.773.1384

Fishers Library

Five Municipal Drive

Fishers, IN 46038

317.579.0300

Ignite Studio

317.579.0331

Crossroads Discovery Center

317.770.3236

Hours

Monday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM Friday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

@HamiltonEastPL

@HamiltonEastPL

@hamitoneastpl

@Hamilton East Public Library

@Hamilton East Public Library

Noblesville

Fishers