Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October 2013




Friends, Associations, Guilds & Partnerships Contact: Carol Van Baalen

We look forward to seeing you on Friends Day! RSVP at kcls.org/friendsday/
 
LOCAL NEWS . . .
 
Kent Library will host a Naturalization Ceremony for new U.S. citizens on Monday, October 28, at 2pm.  Several local dignitaries are expected to attend, and the ceremony is open to the public.  The Friends of the Kent Library will provide refreshments after the ceremony.
 
For a complete list of programs at your library, click here: http://www.kcls.org/programs/library_programs.cfm
 
 
The Woodmont Library Garden had another successful year.  Programs for children included how to build a composting bin, complete with worms, and an informative presentation about bees and honey, as well as several planting and harvesting parties.  New this year were several programs for adults, including Kim Richmond, from the Des Moines Sonju Community Garden, and Tom Watson, EcoConsumer for the Seattle Times.  This picture was taken during a visit to the garden for bean picking at the end of an Infant / Toddler Story Time.  Special thanks to the Friends of the Woodmont Library, who sponsored the garden programs again this year.
 
 
 
 
Upcoming Meetings:
Friends of the Des Moines Library                                Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 dinner meeting at Lago Azul in Des Moines

Friends of the Woodmont Library                                 Thursday, October 10, 6:30pm

Friends of the Kent Library                                              Thursday, October 17, 12 noon
 
Meetings are held at the respective libraries, unless noted.  New members are always welcome!
 
 
KCLS System Highlights
 
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
As a result of the many partnerships King County Library System has developed over the years, KCLS will have an important role in the implementation of the new Affordable Care Act. As previously reported, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange selected Public Health Seattle-King County (PHSKC) as a lead assistance provider to ensure that all King County residents enroll in qualified health insurance plans. Representatives from PHSKC will provide one-on-one assistance in twenty-nine KCLS libraries during open enrollment from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014. Much like the rollout of the State’s benefit portal a few years ago, the State of Washington and other public agencies turn to the public library to get the word out to communities across the County about important new services.
 
KCLS once again rules the world of library “sortation.” For the third year, KCLS Materials Distribution Services (MDS) staff in Preston competed against their counterparts at the New York Public Library (NYPL) to see which System could sort the most items in one hour. Both Library Systems use the same Automated Materials Handling equipment and in fact NYPL studied KCLS’ sorting installation in preparation for this year’s contest. KCLS won the contest in 2011 and NYPL won in 2012. I am pleased to report that with a production hour of 13,122 items, KCLS has won back the Lyngsoe trophy from NYPL! Rumor has it that MDS staff will be rewarded with authentic New York cheesecake.
 
Good news on the technology front. KCLS’ mobile outreach vehicles are being refitted with hardware and software that will vastly improve connectivity. This will yield immediate results as the Mobile Learning Labs will begin to be deployed next month. It will also improve the ability to check out materials and register new patrons on Library2Go vehicles.
 
BiblioCommons, the long-awaited catalog improvement, has moved through the testing phase and into the training phase for staff members at community libraries. A soft launch of the service is scheduled for later this year with a full roll out anticipated after Thanksgiving.
 
Circulation in the month of August increased 3%. The new Bellevue Library garage is having an impact as circulation at that Library increased 12%. More importantly, the number of items checked out (119,000) is getting close to the 125,000 figure that was common before the garage project reduced patron’s access to the building. In the same cluster, circulation at the Lake Hills Library increased 30% due, in part, to the closure of Library Connection @ Crossroads for renovations. There was also a 47% increase in eBook downloads, which is a trend that has remained consistent over the last year. The number of holds placed is running at the same level as last year and indicates that patrons are becoming more comfortable placing holds on eBooks.
 
The following announcement went out to all KCLS staff on Wednesday, September 18 regarding the new KCLS Foundation Director:
It is not often that we have a change in the membership of KCLS’ Administrative Planning Team (APT). However as you know, Jeanne Thorsen, KCLS Foundation Executive Director is retiring at the end of September. As you also know, much of what KCLS does and can do is shaped by the ability to raise money and seek partners for our work. The KCLS Foundation Executive Director is critical to both and Jeanne has played an important role with APT for nearly 14 years.
There was an extensive recruitment effort to find Jeanne’s successor. Members from both the KCLS Foundation Board and Administrative Planning Team interviewed four very well qualified candidates. From that pool, I am pleased to announce that Elizabeth Castleberry has been selected as the next Executive Director of the KCLS Foundation.
Beth has 18 years of experience in fundraising and development. Most recently, she has served as the Chief Development Officer for Global Partnership, a Seattle-based non-profit that expands opportunities for people living in poverty. She also held development positions at the Washington State University Foundation, Seattle Symphony, Junior Achievement and served as Deputy Director of Development at Seattle Public Library Foundation from 1999 to 2004.
In her spare time, Beth is a board member for a number of outstanding community organizations. She was a founding board member of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation and, perhaps most importantly, is a 15-year veteran of the Lit Chicks book club.
In order to wrap-up commitments in her current position, Beth will join KCLS November 1 at which point she will plan to visit as many libraries and departments as possible prior to the end of the year. As she makes her rounds, I am sure she would love to hear any ideas or suggestions from staff members.
Beth joins a great team and an outstanding Board that has a great history of success. Please join me in welcoming her to the KCLS Foundation.
Study Zones continue to grow in popularity with more students and volunteers participating each year. Now in its 14th year, a new logo and promotional materials have been designed to call even more attention to this great library program.

The King County Library System Capital Bond Report has been updated with photographs and descriptions of the library projects that were completed this past year. The report is available on the bond project Web page. You may also view it by clicking here.

UPCOMING DATES
KCLS Friends Day, Saturday, October 26, KCLS Service Center
Board Meeting, Tuesday, October 29, 5 pm, KCLS Service Center