FY 2020
season of changes
summer artist in residence - Laura Wolf HCLS hosted its first Artist in Residence with local art educator and painter Laura Wolf, who hosted open studio hours at Miller Branch. Customers watched her paint a variety of Maryland native birds and had the opportunity to create vinyl window clings to help prevent bird strikes on glass.
july
overheard at library: Kid: “Guess what - I know a famous person!” Adult: “who is that?!?” Kid: “Ms. Wolfe, my art teacher. she is on a magazine cover and I KNOW HER!”
summer meals In partnership with Howard County Government and Howard County Public School System, HCLS served nearly 10,000 free meals and snacks to students over the summer. The program filled the nutritional gap some children face when school is not in session. HCLS was one of 15 sites throughout the county.
august
HiTech STEAM Carnival More than 1,100 children and their families filled the East Columbia Branch parking lot for the HiTech STEM Carnival. The event featured more than 20 activities, more than half of which were created by students summer HiTech classes. Student-created games and activities included: • arcade games, skee ball, ring toss, pinball • a horserace challenge with six consoles • a 6-foot tall K’nex roller coaster • a catapult • dump tanks HCLS also partnered with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to hold Ten80 Racecar Engineering camps. County Executive Calvin Ball waved the flag at the Ten80 final race, and presented two certificates of recognition: one for the HiTech STEAM Carnival, and one for the NSBE, Jr. First Generation Chapter of Columbia.
a parent said: As a parent, what has been most meaningful is that [my son] has found both his passion and his tribe within the “High Tech” community. a student said:
This is epic!
october
Longest Table More than 200 people attended this third annual event in September on the campus of Howard Community College. The outdoor event began with a social hour, featuring an interactive art project by the Columbia Art Center, games, and a pop-up library. Guests shared dinner and conversation about their talents, skills, and passions, as well as their hopes and dreams for their community. When asked what they would do as a result of the conversations at the event, responses included: • Probably volunteer a lot more and get more involved in the community. • Read a couple of the books folks recommended! Hopefully continue the dialogue.
september
Stay in touch with some new friends.
Acclaimed and awardwinning author Nikki Grimes read from her newest book, Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir to an appreciative audience. Her memoir, in the form of a powerful collection of poems, details the highs and lows of her early life through adulthood. A customer commented: What a wonderful evening - up close and personal with a prodigious talent and truly amazing woman. Words matter and books rock in HoCo!
This taught me how to learn to listen without judgement.
Community Conversations
HCLS held 27 community conversations and connected with nearly 600 residents some events open to the public at branches and others held with community groups to make sure we heard from a broad and inclusive cross section of our community. Community groups included HCC’s Student Government, PFLAG, a cross section of organizations serving the Chinese American community, and more.
november
Nikki Grimes
Meet the Authors
december january
Nicole Chung discussed her critically acclaimed memoir, All You Can Ever Know, a moving chronicle of growing up as a Korean child raised by adoptive white parents. Zach Smedley spoke about his breakthrough young adult novel, Deposing Nathan, which gives voice to LGBTQ teens. Lawrence Lanahan discussed his book, The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimore’s Racial Divide, which chronicles how the region became segregated and why its fault lines persist.
Edith Meyer Cord spoke about her book, Finding Edith: Surviving the Holocaust in Plain Sight, the story of her life as a young Jewish girl in Western Europe and Vichy France during World War II.
Community Mural
What gives you pride in your community?
Following a series of conversations with East Columbia residents, HCLS President & CEO Tonya Aikens unveiled a mural at HCLS East Columbia Branch in February. The colorful panels feature images that visualize how residents responded to the question, “What gives you pride in your community?” Images include local high school mascots, the East Columbia Branch, first responders, local residents, and the People Tree. Artist Anson Asaka worked with the community to represent their ideas artistically. When he is not painting and drawing, Asaka works as a civil rights attorney for a prominent advocacy organization.
A Swashbuckling Evening in the Stacks
Nearly 600 attended Howard County’s premier winter event to raise $111,000 for HCLS’ educational initiatives
february
Pandemic Pivot
march
When HCLS closed in mid-March for the COVID-19 pandemic, staff quickly began working remotely to continue assisting customers. Within days, instructors launched online STEM classes for students, staff expanded AskHCLS to phone and web chat, and HCLS lent sewing machines from its DIY collection to a local manufacturer to make cotton face masks and gowns for first responders. The executive leadership team began drafting a playbook to detail a phased reopening process, conducting branch site visits, and aquiring personal protective equipment (PPE). The health and safety of staff and customers was, and remains, at the forefront of all decisions. The community engagement team created a COVID-19 web portal (with resources around food, mental health issues, unemployment, housing, utilities, and more) and began
partnering with the COAD to assist with addressing immediate community needs. We bolstered and promoted eContent, including eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital magazines, newspapers, movies, professional development classes, and resources for small businesses. Book discussion groups, film discussion groups, and author events brought people together virtually, fostering connections to people in isolation. By the end of June, HCLS branches began offering contactless pickup of materials. “I just wanted to say thank you. These are tough times, and you have managed them well by setting up this efficient and easy pickup system. I know the work you are all putting into this on the back end--please know that the front end appreciates your time.” -- Rich
april
may
spring Customer Connections chapter chats Staff write reviews of books, movies, and other materials, as well as post news about HCLS, classes, and events in this blog which launched in May. Popular posts include a review of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and an explanation of how to access newspapers via the library.
created while isolated Looking to provide an outlet for the community’s creative impulses, Created While Isolated debuted shortly after pandemic stay-athome orders went into effect. Folks from all walks of life in Howard County posted on May 6 shared photography, poetry, art, and thoughtful perspectives about life during difficult times.
on demand classes As closures lengthened, HCLS took steps to continue to provide education for all in new ways. The Library’s YouTube channel hosts hundreds of hours of instructor-led classes for all ages, from reading stories to preschoolers to hosting author events for adults.
ask hcls expands Customers can talk to staff in a variety of ways, including the usual phone lines and email addresses. We added a chat feature to the website, where the community can ask questions, seek recommendations, and check on their library accounts with a staff member.
podcasts We produced more frequent episodes of our HiJinx podcast to address COVID, racial injustice, distance learning, community responses to needs exacerbated by the pandemic, and other topics.
summer Dual Pandemics racial injustice On June 2, President & CEO Tonya Aikens issued a powerful statement against racism, along with statements from the Board of Trustees and Friends & Foundation of HCLS. Aikens stated in part, “... HCLS condemns racism, hatred and violence. HCLS invites you to join us in committing to and engaging in an educational pursuit for justice..” Staff began educating themselves through REAL (Racial Equity at the Library) Conversations and reviewing internal and external policies while also providing myriad resources to the community, including speaker events.
contactless pickup
june
Beginning June 29, contactless pickup began at all six branches. Staff follow Centers for Disease Control and industry recommendations to safely receive and quarantine returned materials.
statistics
COLLECTION Items borrowed:
7,025,059
RESEARCH ASSISTANCE Interactions: 1,193,180 CLASSES & EVENTS Attendance (all): Children’s classes: Teen classes: Adult classes: Number of classes: OTHER Volunteer hours: Card holders: Physical visits: Website visits:
188,850 109,040 33,987 23,768 8,184
8,276 238,275 1,413,471 1,736,091
HCLS/Grants/Gifts MSDE
FINANCIAL Operating budget
$24,586,077
Revenue Howard County MD Dept. of Education HCLS/Grants/Gifts
87% 4% 9%
Expenditures Instruction 49.5% Customer Service 23% Curriculum 12% Other* 15.5% *Operations, Administration, Other
Howard County Other
Curriculum
Customer Service
Instruction