Friday, November 30, 2012

December 2012









Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen

LOCAL NEWS

December Meetings:

Thursday, December 6, 11:30am          Kent Friends of the Library Holiday Luncheon
                                                          At the Kent Senior Center.  No business meeting.

Wednesday, December 12, 7pm           Des Moines Friends of the Library

Thursday, December 13, 6:30pm          Woodmont Friends of the Library


Des Moines Library Advisory Board Vacancy

Virg Staiger will retire from the City of Des Moines Library Advisory Board at the end of 2012.  Virg joined the board back in 2007 and has served two three-year terms.  With his knowledge of local and state politics, he has been a valued member of the 5-person board for the past six years.  Thank you, Virg!

Virg’s retirement leaves a vacancy on the board for a three-year term beginning in January of 2013.  Interested applicants can pick up a form at Des Moines Library, Woodmont Library, or Des Moines City Hall. Application forms can also be printed from the city web site.  For more information, please call Carol Van Baalen at the Woodmont Library, 253-839-0121.


Service Awards

Two staff members from the Des Moines – Kent – Woodmont cluster will be honored at the KCLS Service Awards reception on Wednesday, December 5.  Jackie George, from the Kent staff, has been with KCLS for 30 years, and Barbara Hefford-Anderson, from the Des Moines staff, for 25 years.

Deborah Sandler, from the Woodmont staff, will receive the 2012 Catalyst Award for the Woodmont garden.  The Catalyst Award is given for the best innovative program of the year, selected by a committee of her peers.  “The Committee was particularly impressed by the scope of the services that were developed around the garden. Not only were all ages included in the suite of programs, the topics themselves demonstrated a commitment to a diverse audience.”


December Program Highlights

Winter Nature Journal with Molly Hashimoto
Saturday, December 8, 2:00pm at the Kent Library.  Ages 12 and older.
Sponsored by the KCLS Foundation

Peace & Joy in Song Concert
Saturday, December 22, 2:00pm at the Des Moines Library.  All ages.
Program and refreshments sponsored by the Friends of the Des Moines Library.

Holiday Magic with Jeff Evans
Wednesday, December 26, 2:00pm at the Kent Library.  Ages 5 and older.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Kent Library.

For a complete list of programs at your library, click here http://www.kcls.org/programs/library_programs.cfm or open the attachments with this newsletter.


Use the QR code or go to kcls.boopsie.com on a mobile device. Try the demo. Get ebooks, find events, search the library, or manage your account.  Start using KCLS on the go!




SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS

FROM THE NOVEMBER DIRECTOR’S REPORT

OPERATIONS

In the midst of election week, KCLS held four public budget hearings and more than 75 people attended. Library Advisory Board forums were held in advance of two of the hearings and participants had a chance to learn more about CommunityConnect, the web-based tool KCLS is using to capture demographics and lifestyle patterns that staff can use to develop programs and services that better serve the interests of patrons.

KCLS continues to lead other public libraries across the United States in the number of eBook downloads. During recent contract negotiations, KCLS learned that OverDrive, the company that provides most eBook content to public libraries, is making progress with several publishers to overcome their resistance to sell digital content to libraries.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Voters decided on two measures on the November 7 ballot that had implications for KCLS. Residents of the West Hill area, otherwise known as Skyway, rejected annexation to the City of Renton by a 56% margin. A second public meeting for the Skyway Library is scheduled for Thursday, December 6.

The measure to annex the North Highline unincorporated area to the City of Burien failed by an even wider margin of 65%. After the election, KCLS contacted the City of Seattle to gauge the City’s interest in the area. Mayor McGinn has toured North Highline but the annexation issue has not surfaced as a priority for his administration. Given these developments, staff will present recommendations for library service in North Highline to the Board of Trustees in November.

OTHER

KCLS was notified last week that it was named a “Five Star Library” in the 2012 Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. Library Journal recognizes those libraries whose levels of service delivery distinguish them among their peers. Libraries are divided into peer groups by expenditure category. In the over $30 million category, four other libraries in addition to KCLS received five-star ratings: Cuyahoga County Public Library, Seattle Public Library, Multnomah County Library and Columbus Metropolitan Library. KCLS has not received “star” recognition in past years because some of the data used in the index had not been provided by KCLS in past statistical surveys.




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!

Upcoming Dates

The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, December 11, 4pm at the Service Center.

The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, December 11, 5pm at the Service Center.

Friday, November 9, 2012

November 2012

 



Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen


LOCAL NEWS

Book Clubs for Kids

Do you know any 9-12 year-olds who love to read?  The Kent and Woodmont Libraries have started new book clubs just for this age group.  Both groups meet monthly after school at the library.  Here are the November dates:






Owls Book Nook Club       Monday, November 12, 4pm at the Kent Library.  This month’s book is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.
Tween Book Club            Thursday, November 29, 4pm at the Woodmont Library.  This month’s book is 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass. 

Copies of the books are available at the library front desk.

There are also monthly book clubs for adults at the Des Moines, Kent, and Woodmont libraries.  Check out the attached flyers or call your local library for details.

Get Ready for the Holidays

EReader Demos:  Thinking about buying an eReader for someone on your gift list this holiday season?  Not sure which one to buy?  The library can help.  Come to an eReader demo and try out a variety of eReaders on the market – Kindle, Nook, Samsung Galaxy, iPad.  eReader demos are scheduled for the following dates:


Tuesday, November 13, 3pm at the Des Moines Library
Saturday, November 17 & 24, 10am at the Kent Library
Thursday, November 29, 7pm, at the Kent Library
Monday, December 3, 3:30pm at the Woodmont Library

Green Holiday Ideas
Sunday, November 18, 1:30pm at the Des Moines Library
Presented by Tom Watson, EcoConsumer columnist for the Seattle Times.

For a complete list of programs at your library, click on this link http://www.kcls.org/programs/library_programs.cfm or open the attachments with this email.
 



Choose Mango Languages for adults or Little Pim for kids. Choose from among over 40 world languages. Download the app! Provide your email address and choose a password to track your progress.


 

SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS


OPERATIONS

The Newcastle Library will open on Saturday, December 8. Electrical and other utilities have been run to the building and materials for the collection are due to arrive in early November.

KCLS’ Social Media strategy has included an ad campaign for KCLS’ Facebook page, resulting in the number of “Likes” increasing from 6,200 to 9,700 in just a few weeks. On Twitter, award-winning author Neil Gaiman showed his support for KCLS and the principles of intellectual freedom.

REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking announced that KCLS is a recipient of the 2012 Estela and Raúl Mora Award for exemplary efforts promoting El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros. The award will be presented at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Conference in Seattle.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

The November 6 election will include two annexation measures which will have implications for KCLS’ Capital Improvement Plan. North Highline residents will decide whether or not to annex to the City of Burien. If the measure passes, the vicinity around the White Center and Boulevard Park Libraries will clearly be in KCLS’ service area. Residents of the West Hill area of Renton will also be voting on annexation to the City of Renton. If that measure passes, the new Skyway Library would likely be permitted by the City of Renton rather than King County.

On September 15, the newly renovated and expanded Auburn Library opened to accolades from the community. The Library is located in Les Gove Park.

OTHER

KCLS staff members once again took a vacation day to participate in United Way of King County’s Day of Caring on Friday, September 21. This year, 18 staff members performed general maintenance, clean up and landscaping at Camelot House in Duvall, which serves developmentally disabled adults. Another group of 54 helped out at the Serenity Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation farm in Maple Valley, which is dedicated to the rescue and recovery of horses. Day of Caring is the annual kick-off event for United Way’s Workplace Giving campaign and KCLS is proud to once again sponsor a Loaned Executive for this year’s campaign. Jennie Westlund, a librarian from the Renton Library will work with other organizations on their Workplace Giving campaigns through December.
  
Friends Day was held on Saturday, October 20 and was aptly named “Welcome Aboard the FriendShip” to follow a fun nautical theme. More than 100 Friends from across the System enjoyed food and camaraderie while “cruising” different “Ports of Call” (workshops) focused on increasing membership, fundraising, storytelling and program funding ideas. Popular local author Robert Dugoni was on hand to talk and the KCLS Foundation honored outstanding members of the Friends of the Library organizations. Congratulations to all the recipients.
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!

Upcoming Dates

The next Planning Committee Meeting takes place on Thursday, November 15, 12pm at the Burien Library.

The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, November 27, 4pm at the Service Center.

The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, November 27, 5pm at the Service Center.