Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Finding Money for College

Want to Attend College? Need Help Paying for it?

Come to a free workshop to learn how! Finding Money For College, presented by Douglas Breithaupt of the College Planning Network, will be presented at the Woodmont Library on Saturday, December 4th, 1:30-2:30pm.

The workshop is open to any teen, parent or adult interested in learning about financial aid. No registration necessary.

Sponsored by the Woodmont Friends of the Library.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Insights November 2010





Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen
LOCAL NEWS
Job Search Classes in November

Help us get the word out about Job Search classes to be offered at all 3 of our cluster libraries in the month of November. 

“The New Job Search in the New Economy” will be presented at Woodmont Library on Tuesday, November 9 from 10:30am-noon, and again at the Kent Library on November 9 from 7-8:30pm.  The presenter will be Ducan Burgess, Director of South Seattle Community College WorkSource.  Registration is not required for this program.

“Effective Resumes for the New Job Search,” a hand-on workshop that focuses on developing a resume that will get past the 10-second screen, will be offered at Des Moines Library on Tuesday, November 9, 6:30-8pm; at Woodmont Library on Monday, November 15, 4:30-6pm; and at Kent Library on Tuesday, November 16, 7-8:30pm.  Class size is limited for this, so please note that REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.  Call your library to register.

“Effective Networking for Employment,” presented by Tanner Phillips from WorkSource Affiliate South Seattle Community College, will be at the Woodmont Library on Tuesday, November 23, from 10:30am-noon.  Registration is not required for this program.



Construction News:  The expansion of the Woodmont parking lot is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 15.  The expansion will add 24 spaces to the south end of the parking lot.  Approximate length of the construction project is 3 months.

Upcoming Meetings:

The Des Moines – Woodmont Library Advisory Board will attend the Board Forum / Budget Hearing on November 10, 6-9pm, at the Federal Way Library.  This will take the place of their regular November meeting.


SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS FROM OCTOBER


The 2010 Friends Day Celebration on October 23 was a huge success, with 108 in attendance. Special Guest, Governor Christine Gregoire, spoke to the Friends viavideotape and declared it King County Library System Friends Day by special proclamation. Guests enjoyed breakfast and giveaways (sponsored by the KCLS Foundation) and were treated by Bellevue Library Cluster Manager Chapple Langemack to a preview of Take Time to Read (more below). Friends thoroughly enjoyed the engaging speaker, Sam Green, former Washington State Poet Laureate, and author of several volumes, including Vertebrae. The Foundation presented awards to this year’s winners: Friends of the Library Hall of Fame, Marcia Seip (Friends of the Woodinville Library) and Donna Tonella (Friends of the Covington Library); Friend of the Year, shared by Karen Edwardsen and Laura Lipton (Friends of the Lake Forest Park Library); and the Lifetime Achievement Award, Anna Denton (Burien Library Guild). Many thanks to all who participated and helped create this event.


Take Time to Read launched on October 24 in conjunction with National Take Back Your Time Day. ReadingChairs will be located in libraries and notable local figures will serve asReaders in Residence to show their support by sitting in the chairs and reading. Quick Reads Shelves will be stocked with books and magazines and will be placed in twenty locations throughout KCLS’ service area. Bellevue Cluster Manager Chapple Langemack is leading the project with support from the KCLS Foundation.
Give yourself or someone you care about a Gift of Time to read.  Pick up a free gift card at any community library and indulge in the pleasure of reading.  Learn more at http://www.kcls.org/taketimetoread.









The InfoToGo topic for October is Book Talk. Book Talk is the KCLS blog for readers, powered by your favorite librarians writing about books for adults, teens and children. For more information on the current month’s InfoToGo card, click here.

For several years KCLS has been conducting Tech Connect programs at community libraries to acquaint patrons with various technologies the System has to offer. As an Annual Service Priority, the Covington Library added a different spin by holding “Kidz Connect @ Covington Library” on September 25. Children and their parents were guided through different technologies geared specifically for kids. Over 250 participants enjoyed musical and comedy entertainment and gave the Saturday afternoon event rave reviews.


 FROM THE DIRECTOR’S REPORT (To view the complete October report, please look here.)


Evergreen, the new KCLS catalog open source software system, has gotten the full attention of KCLS staff and many patrons. For some, the system is working fine. Others are having difficulty logging in and have experienced slow response times. This is obviously having an impact on patron service. Specifically, things are a bit slower just because it is new. Also some patrons’ pin numbers have been changed to the last four digits of their phone number. Staff has to assist patrons to find those pin numbers before they can log into computers or use Self Checkout. On top of that, the speed of the system for each transaction is slower than what we need it to be. Given a transaction volume of 23 million items per year, delays of a few seconds are critical. The good news is that almost every issue that comes up can usually be solved and our IT Department is working hard to make it better every day. In the meantime, KCLS will launch a campaign to keep the public informed on how it is going. “We are Working On It!” will be prominently displayed in libraries. More detailed information will be available through Answer Line and on the KCLS website and of course, from staff in the libraries. This ambitious and necessary transition could not happen without the patience and strong service ethic of KCLS staff members. While we know it will keep improving, it is difficult for our staff to encounter patrons who are unhappy and in some cases upset by a new, changing and at times suboptimal technology.


GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
KCLS has had two meetings with City of Renton officials to discuss site options for the Renton and Renton Highlands Libraries. While a consensus has been reached on a plan of action for downtown, a decision remains on the location for the Renton Highlands branch. This month KCLS will meet with the Renton Library Advisory Board to go over the Service Area Analysis (SAA) and will give an update to the City of Renton’s Council of the Whole on November 1.

As mentioned last month, the Enumclaw City Council voted to begin the process of annexing to KCLS. The City Administrator has indicated that the proposition will likely be placed on the ballot April 26, 2011. KCLS has suggested that Renton’s inter-local agreement would be a good template for
spelling out roles and responsibilities between the City of Enumclaw and KCLS, should the voters approve the issue. According to the City Administrator, many Enumclaw residents already use the Muckleshoot and Black Diamond Libraries and are quite familiar with KCLS.

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 Projects!




More than 300 people attended the Newcastle Library groundbreaking on October 20. The contractor is selected and Mayor Dulcich said he would focus on getting the final building permits approved so that the project can get underway. In the meantime, representatives from neighboring
Chase Bank and McDonalds have expressed concern that the project will block access to their businesses from 129th Avenue SE. KCLS will request a construction easement until Phase One is completed. A road across the back of the property is planned during Phase Two.


Three architectural firms were interviewed for the Federal Way 320th Library project. In addition to KCLS staff, the interview panel included Federal Way City Councilmember Jeanne Burbidge, City of Federal Way Economic Development Director Patrick Doherty, Robin Corak from the Multi-Service Center and HeeJung Lee from the Korean Parents Association. The panel selected SRG Partnership. Although SRG has never worked with KCLS, they have extensive library experience and the panel felt that they offer a fresh design perspective. SRG Partnership should be under contract by the end of October. Since no other alternative sites have been identified for the Library, SRG will conduct a site analysis of the current location and move directly into the design process.


The City of Bellevue has formally weighed in on the issue surrounding access to the underground parking lot at the Bellevue Library during next year’s garage expansion project. Many neighbors were concerned about using NE 11th street as a point of access and egress. The City agreed to an alternative plan that allows garage access from NE 10th Street and egress to NE 12th Street. The plan is being finalized and KCLS hopes to be far enough along with the permit process to be able to bid the project in January and start construction after Literary Lions in March 2011.

The Duvall Library project should have been under construction by now but KCLS has encountered some legal issues with the ground lease. The Church’s lender, Frontier Bank, was recently seized by the FDIC and their holdings were acquired by Union Bank, which is based in California. Provisions of the lease require that the Church obtain a Subordination & Non-Disturbance Agreement from existing lenders before KCLS can proceed with construction. Union Bank has not yet responded. In the meantime, construction bids came in over estimate so KCLS will rebid the project with revisions to the plans in order to bring the project in line with the construction budget. That process will begin after all negotiations with the Duvall Church and Union Bank have been finalized. City of Duvall Mayor Ibershoff has been very helpful in working with Union Bank to minimize further  delays.


EVENTS


You’re Invited! KCLS Preliminary Budget Hearings
KCLS is holding community meetings to discuss proposed strategic plans and budget allocations for the coming year. These community meetings are important forums for public discussion where you can help shape the future of the King County Library System.

Please join in the conversation:

Monday, November 8, 7:15pm
Kirkland Library
308 Kirkland Avenue, Kirkland 98033
425.822.2459
Tuesday, November 9, 7:15pm
Renton Library
100 Mill Avenue S, Renton 98057
425.226.6043

Wednesday, November 10, 1:30pm
Bellevue Library
1111 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue 98004
425.450.1765

Wednesday, November 10, 7:15pm
Federal Way Library
34200 1st Way S, Federal Way 98003
253.838.3668




For more information contact Maria Hatcher, 425.369.3233, mshatcher@kcls.org.

2010 Library Advisory Board Forums - Save a Date!
Please mark your calendar now for the date and location that works best for you. Each forum time incorporates attendance at an evening Preliminary Budget Hearing.
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
Light dinner generously provided by the KCLS Foundation. Please RSVP to klhansen@kcls.org or 425.369.3466.


Upcoming Dates

The November Planning Committee Meeting was cancelled due to the Budget Hearings.
The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, November 30, 4pm at White Center Library.
The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, November 30, 5pm at White Center Library.
The December KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, December 14, 5pm at Service Center.