Friends & Partnership Contact:
Carol Van Baalen
BILLBOARD
Last night the Board of Trustees accepted my resignation from the King County Library System effective February 1, 2014,
as I have accepted the position of CEO of the Calgary Public Library
in Alberta, Canada. Simultaneously, the Board announced the appointment
of Julie Brand, Community Relations and Marketing Director, as Interim
Library Director while the search for a new Director is underway.
I have very mixed feelings about this transition. The Calgary Public Library is located in a vibrant and growing community and the Library is poised to be an integral part of the city’s future development. I am honored to have the opportunity to play a role in that. On the other hand, I am leaving the King County Library System after 25 years of exciting growth and will miss all the relationships that have developed over those years.
By every account, KCLS is an amazingly successful organization. Even before being recognized as Library of the Year, our patrons strongly endorsed KCLS through their unparalleled use of our libraries and financial support of our capital and operating budgets. Our community partners confirmed that success by aligning many of their programs and services with KCLS.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at KCLS for letting me be a part of this great Library System. I’d also like to recognize our current and past Board members, KCLS Foundation Board members, Library Advisory Board members, Friends of the Library, and all the volunteers who have helped make KCLS what it is today.
I am lucky to have had a chance to be a part of this special organization and am confident that KCLS will continue to be the talk of the town in Library world. I will miss that, and all of you.
It has been the ride of a lifetime.
Cheers,
Bill
Bill Ptacek, Director
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
In early November, the City of Tukwila’s Board of Architectural Review
(BAR) enthusiastically approved the design for the new Tukwila
Library, in December they approved the plans for the related Tukwila
Village project operated by the Senior Housing Assistance Group (SHAG).
KCLS and SHAG are now negotiating the final sales
price and apportionment of infrastructure costs. Construction will
likely begin in summer 2014.
King County Library System was a Literacy*AmeriCorps partner site
from 1994 until the program was discontinued in 2012 due to lack of
funding. Earlier this month, KCLS learned that federal funding
guidelines have changed and the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy
Council (formerly the lead agency of the program) is planning to apply
for a grant to renew the program. KCLS was contacted by the Director of
the Council and has expressed its interest in participating as a partner
site once again. The program, if refunded,
would not begin until fall 2014.
OPERATIONS
The KCLS Answer Line has been transformed into “Ask KCLS.” Staff members moved from the Bellevue Library to the Service Center in Issaquah on December 10 without interruption in service. Hours of operation have been modified to reflect lower demand for telephone assistance in the evenings and increasing demand from online traffic during the day. New hours are Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm and Noon-5pm on Sundays
The KCLS Answer Line has been transformed into “Ask KCLS.” Staff members moved from the Bellevue Library to the Service Center in Issaquah on December 10 without interruption in service. Hours of operation have been modified to reflect lower demand for telephone assistance in the evenings and increasing demand from online traffic during the day. New hours are Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm and Noon-5pm on Sundays
Renovation of Library Connection @ Crossroads is almost finished.
The project is a complete refurbishment of the facility and includes
showcasing the operation of the Automated Materials Handling equipment
to the public. The front and back entrances
have also been upgraded to conform to new Mall standards. The Library
has been closed since the Bellevue Library garage opened in September
and is scheduled to re-open on December 30.
Circulation remains flat compared to2012. This still positions
KCLS to circulate more than 22 million items in 2013. Downloads
increased 41% year-to-date and accounted for more than 1.7 million uses.
The most notable upward trend was at the Bellevue
Library, which had an 18% increase in circulation over last year now
that the new parking garage has opened. Circulation at the Enumclaw
Library more than doubled in November compared to the same month last
year.
As was noted at last month’s Board meeting, Director of Finance Linda Glenicki
will be leaving KCLS early next year. Linda joined KCLS twelve years
ago after a very successful career at Microsoft and other private and
non-profit organizations. KCLS was
fortunate to have her talent and expertise during this important period
in the history of the System. KCLS has hired CFO Selections to help
KCLS identify qualified candidates for this key position and the
recruitment process is well underway.
OTHER
On December 5, a crowd of more than 700 packed Town Hall in Seattle to hear Ree Drummond, New York Times bestselling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier. Ree’s website —thepioneerwoman.com — receives over 30 million views each month and showcases her cooking and photography, and provides anecdotes about country life. She also hosts a cooking show on the Food Network.
This Meet the Author event was part of KCLS’ adult program
series, A Place at the Table and was hosted in partnership with
University Books. KCLS’ Public Programming Coordinator Deborah
Schneider, who introduced the event, received enthusiastic applause
when she mentioned the food donation component of A Place at the Table
(APATT). Patron gifts of food now total over 28,000 lbs. which has been
shared with KCLS partner agencies Food Lifeline and Hopelink. Many who
attended remained for nearly three hours
to get their books signed and have a photo taken with the well-known
author and Food Network celebrity. It was an exciting conclusion to a
year of programs, promotions and events around APATT.
LOCAL NEWS
If
you’re resolved to begin the New Year with a more active, healthy
lifestyle, it’s easy to get started at your library. Throughout 2014,
find ideas, inspiration and tips on simple ways to add more movement and
healthy options to your life through the new adult
program series, Start to Fitness. Here’s what’s happening locally
during January and early February:
Evaluating Diets: what science says about trendy diets like
Paleo, Wheat Belly and Gluten Free, presented by Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Sunday, January 19, 1pm at the
Kent Library.
Walking in Balance, presented by foot expert Erich Sach.
Thursday, January 23, 7pm at the Woodmont Library.
Healthy Knees, presented by Astrid Pujari MD, author of The
Healthy Knees Book. Wednesday, January 29, 7pm at the Woodmont Library. Sponsored by the
Friends of the Woodmont Library.
Feeding Your Immune System, presented by Nick Rose, MS Nutrition
Expert for PCC Natural Markets. Saturday, February 8, 1pm at the Des Moines Library.
For a complete list of programs in the series, pick up a brochure at your library, or check online at:
www.kcls.org/fitness
