Wednesday, September 15, 2010









Insights is an email newsletter designed to keep you informed with local and System wide news and information. I will be sending them to you once per month.

Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen



LOCAL NEWS


Friends Sell Books & Bags


The Friends of the Des Moines Library will hold their Annual Used Book Sale on Saturday, September 11, from 10am-5pm and Sunday, September 12, from 1-3pm. Hardcover books will sell for $1 and paperbacks for 50 cents. Sunday there will be a bag sale—fill a bag and pay just $5 for everything in it!







The Friends of the Kent Library hold their Annual Book Sale the following week, on Friday, September 17, from 10am-5pm; Saturday, September 18, from 10am-5pm; and Sunday, September 19, from 1-3pm. Most books, both paperback and hardcover, sell for just 50 cents.


The Friends of the Woodmont Library are selling cloth book bags for only $8.00 each. The new bags, which were received in August, have an outside pocket, a zipper, and even a pocket for your water bottle. They will be available as long as supplies last at the Woodmont front desk. Go Green!



If you’re a book lover or a bargain shopper, don’t miss these sales! As always, the proceeds benefit our libraries by paying for many programs that the KCLS budget does not cover.


Fall Program Schedule begins:


September means the return of these popular programs at our libraries:


· Story Times for children, from babies and toddlers to preschoolers to families, in both English and Spanish.
· Study Zone, after school homework help for elementary school students and teens, with volunteer tutors.
· ESL classes for beginning level students who want to learn and practice the English language.
· Citizenship classes (Kent only).


Click here for the complete program brochures listing dates and times at your library.



Upcoming Meetings:


The Des Moines-Woodmont Library Advisory Board will meet Thursday evening, September 23rd at the City Council chambers to present their annual report to the Des Moines City Council. Time to be determined.


SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST


A recent Seattle Times editorial speaks to the important role that libraries are playing across the country during this economic downturn:


Public libraries: enablers of Americans' dreams
King County Library System is busier than ever, and our patrons depend on library services more than ever. Summer Reading program participation, attendance at programs and story times, computer usage rates and library circulation rates continue to soar. It is nice to know that during this time we also have continued support from our Friends, Guild and Advisory Board members—the programs and service that you help to support is being well-used by your local communities. Thank you for being there!



2010 Library Advisory Board Forums - Save a Date!


Please mark your calendar now for the date and location that works best for you.
Monday, November 8, 6-8:30pm – Kirkland Library
Tuesday, November 9, 6-8:30pm – Renton Downtown Library
Wednesday, November 10, 6-8:30pm – Federal Way Library


Value. Relevance. Results.
As official liaisons between KCLS, your cities, and your neighbors, Library Advisory Boards are the essential link connecting us all. We’re counting on you to share your knowledge about KCLS with the leaders and elected officials in your area, and to bring vital feedback to KCLS from the communities you represent. Join us for an evening of conversation. Light dinner generously provided by the KCLS Foundation. Please RSVP to klhansen@kcls.org or 425.369.3466.

 


The InfoToGo topic for September is Ask A Librarian. You can reach librarians online, by phone and in person for help with reference requests. There is even help available in Spanish. For more information on the current month’s InfoToGo card, click here.



The Summer Reading Program is winding down. This year, 47,162 readers participated in the program, representing an 8% increase over last year. A fifth grader from Mercer Island appears to be the top performer, having read 29,000 minutes in the first 51 days of the program. That’s eight hours of reading every day!

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S REPORT (To view the complete August report, please look here.) Library2Go service started this month. In the first three weeks, community library staff visited 72 locations and served 629 people. While there have been some glitches with the vehicles and some refinement of operating procedures, the staff reports that it has been a great experience. The reaction from the community has been even better. One Bellevue daycare provider asked staff, “Are you from heaven?”








Many of Library2Go’s stops are in residential areas that are quite a distance from the nearest community library and it is clear that most of these kids would never be able get to the library on a regular basis otherwise. Library2Go is truly an extension of KCLS. Newcastle and Duvall Library projects.



 

Staff is working hard to prepare for the conversion to Evergreen next month. Much of the work is focused on functional development of the circulation, online patron catalog and collections management systems. System hardware is installed and staff is challenged to fix as many bugs as possible before the “Go Live 2010!” on September 20. Information Technology Services will be focused on a continuous process of improvement to refine and enhance the system after the launch date. More than 1,000 employees have attended circulation training sessions over the last month and seem excited to use the new system.


GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

KLCS was pleased that the City of Burien included library-related questions in their recent Community Assessment Survey. The survey showed that 85% of Burien residents who responded use a public library and two thirds of those residents use the Burien Library most frequently. The survey also found that 60% of library users prefer to access library resources at the library while 32% prefer to access resources and services online. Of those respondents who do not use the library, 43% reported that "nothing" prevents them from using the library more frequently. Another 11 percent indicated they do not know why they don't use the library more frequently. The responses are consistent with data that indicates that 75-90% of people in KCLS' service area use a library. Since there is no historical information about the preferred method of use, it is safe to assume that online use is growing commensurately. In any case, it is further evidence that implementing the
Future Services Strategy is consistent with usage patterns in the community. The City of Burien included KCLS in their study at no charge and their cooperation is appreciated.

KCLS attended the Tukwila City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting on August 23. The committee decided that, in light of the absence of a viable developer for Tukwila Village, they will hold onto six acres along International Boulevard and continue to market the property. At the same time, they expressed interest in having KCLS explore the possibility of building a library as the first phase of development. Members of the Tukwila Library Advisory Board spoke In favor of allowing KCLS to move forward on the project. Derek Speck, Economic Development Director for the City of Tukwila will present the history and current status of the project at the August Board of Trustees meeting. KCLS has initiated a request for qualification statements from architectural firms and the architectural selection committee will include representatives from the Tukwila Library Advisory Board.

The newly appointed Renton Library Advisory Board members will be introduced to the Board of Trustees at the August meeting. KCLS continues to work with the City of Renton to review site options for the Renton Downtown and Renton Highlands Libraries and to align information and conclusions with the City’s planning staff.

At the request of the Enumclaw Library Board, KCLS met with the Board, the City Administrator and three City Council members to discuss potential annexation. Bette Anderson, Manager of the Auburn/Algona- Pacific/Muckleshoot cluster and former Renton Public Library Director joined KCLS administrators to share her experience with the Renton annexation and to answer questions about transition details.

KCLS Capital Improvement Plan Projects

 

View all at
http://www.kcls.org/bond/ or sign up here to receive automatic updates on the KCLS Capital Improvement Project!

The new Lake Hills Library will open on Saturday, September 11. While recognizing the historical significance of the date, KCLS wants to give the public the opportunity to gather together to open the Library. The morning’s program will include an acknowledgment of both.

At the nearby Newport Way Library, the project schedule has been extended due to the discovery that faulty duct work that wraps around the entire perimeter of the building, as well as the roof, must be replaced.

The Bellevue Library Parking Garage project is being reviewed by the City of Bellevue. KCLS is hopeful that the project will be permitted in time to start construction in March after Literary Lions has taken place. The original plan to provide access to the building’s underground parking garage by way of Ashwood Park has been met with opposition from residents of two adjacent condominiums who object to the amount of traffic that will be generated on the small street that separates their buildings and leads to the Park. KCLS architects are working on other ways to route traffic to the parking garage and will present alternative designs at a public hearing conducted by the City on September 21.

Upcoming Dates Events and Projects
The next Planning Committee Meeting takes place on Thursday, September 16, 12pm at
Foster Library.

The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, September 28, 4pm at Skyway Library.
The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on, Tuesday, September 28, 5pm at
Skyway Library.