October Insights

 

Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen

LOCAL NEWS

Friends Day Reminder – Saturday, October 22!

Don’t forget to put it on your calendar.  If you need transportation to the Service Center in Issaquah, please call me at the Woodmont Library (253-839-0121).  More details about the program are given below in this newsletter.  Hope to see many of you there!

Friends Lifetime Achievement Award for Ed Heineman

Several Friends Awards are given out each year on Friends Day.  This year one of the recipients is Ed Heineman, long time member of the Kent Friends, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Ed has been a valuable member of the Kent Friends for 25 years.  He is a tireless worker at the annual book sale and for the past 15 years, has been in charge of the setup and takedown.  At the age of 85, he now recruits younger family members, his sons and grandsons, to help.  According to Rose Ann King, chair of the book sale, the problem with Ed is getting him to slow down.  He is the one who is always called when there is a problem or help is needed.

Ed will be presented with his award at the Kent Friends meeting on Thursday, October 13, by Jeanne Thorsen, director of the KCLS Foundation.  Congratulations, Ed!

Laptop Winner from Kent Library

The Kent Library celebrated with Anna Voloshina, age 10, as she accepted the very cool notebook computer that she won in the drawing at the end of the Summer Reading Program this year. She and her family, along with a few friends and her school librarian from Soos Creek Elementary, joined staff for the celebration which took place in the small meeting room Saturday, September 17 at 11am.  This is the first time that a student from the Kent Library has won the laptop.

KCLS Board Retreat

Library Advisory Board members and Friends are invited to attend the annual KCLS Board Retreat, which will be held on Friday, October 14, from 1-5pm at the Service Center in Issaquah.  The topic for this year’s retreat is Intellectual Freedom and the role of public libraries in a democracy.

If you have any questions, please contact Maria Hatcher at 425.369.3233 or mshatcher@kcls.org

SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST

The InfoToGo topic for October is Study Zone Online. This service allows students in grades K-12 to join an online Study Zone session for help in math, science, English and social studies. It is now possible to access online tutors from library computers or from home.


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

OPERATIONS

The Literacy Garden at the Mercer Island Library was unveiled this month. The Garden surrounds two sides of the Library and has spaces for story times and impromptu programs.The Pomegranate Center awarded a grant funded by Tully’s Coffee to create nature spaces throughout the community for people to gather and explore. Officials from Tully’s and thePomegranate Center recognized Library staff and community volunteers who worked on theproject.

KCLS and Seattle Public Library were the first two Library Systems to launch the Amazon Kindle Library Lending platform. Patrons report that downloading content works fairly well. Amazon is poised to launch a new version of theKindle later this year. It is bound to be a huge seller and increase the demand for library eBooks.

Last month, eBook and audiobook downloads increased 132%. Nearly 400,000 titles have been downloaded so far this year, increasing circulation in these categories by 126%. At the same time overall circulation continues to slow. Circulation declined 7% last month and 5% for the year. Holds placed were down by 12%, representing about a third of the 7% System‐wide decline in August. Circulation at the new KenmoreLibrary is still booming. Usage is 122% higher than last year. The Renton Highlands Library also stands out with a 35% increase in circulation over the prior year.

Karen Forys, Superintendent of the Northshore School District and 1999 Superintendent of the Year passed away in 2007 while still serving in the position. Her husband Ed was an avid library patron and the couple lived in Woodinville for 37 years. After Ed passed away, his family decided to fund a small renovation project at the Woodinville Library in the couple’s honor. The meeting room will be opened up into the Children’s area, which will greatly enhance the general reading and seating areas in the Library and make the meeting room a more integral part of the Library.

Last month, Information Technology Services (ITS) performed an Evergreen database upgrade. This month, ITS will install a new version of the software on Sunday, September 25. The new software will include many of the feature developments that staff has been working on the last few months.

The Technology Summit discussions that were held earlier this year are continuing with staff throughout the System. Technology Forums are being conducted in every Cluster and at the Service Center to brainstorm ideas for new technology programs and services to implement. Staff in each cluster will spend a morning talking about the five themes that emerged from the initial session, including using existing patron technology, leveraging the library catalog, supporting and building local communities, making KCLS services more accessible, and extending and repurposing existing programs and services for the digital age.


OTHER
This year, a record 76 KCLS staff members used a vacation day to participate in United Way King County’s Day of Caring on Friday, September 16. Two projects benefited from the energy and talents of this group: the Jubilee Reach Center in Bellevue, which provides services and after‐school programs for children, and Serenity Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation (SERR) in Maple Valley, which is dedicated to the rescue and recovery of horses.

Twenty‐nine volunteers helped out with painting and yard clean‐up at Jubilee REACH. By day’s end, the facility was sparkling and the grounds and gardens looked remarkably improved! The remaining 47 volunteers spent the day at SERR helping to fix fences, pressure wash stalls, groom and photograph horses, remove weeds and clear rocks. 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 LoanedExecutive for this year’s campaign. John Tun, a librarian from the Bellevue Library will work with companies and organizations on their Giving Campaigns through December.

KCLS is one of several partners to revitalize Northwest Bookfest. This two day event will be held October 1‐2 at the Peter Kirk Community Center adjacent to the Kirkland Library. KCLS and the KCLS Foundation are sponsoring several programs and author visits. Northwest Bookfest was held for several years in Seattle. Lagging attendance and lack of financial support caused the event to go dormant until it was resurrected by several writers and publisher groups along with the City of Kirkland and 4Culture, King County’s culture services agency.


Friends of the King County Libraries will descend upon the KCLS Service Center on Saturday, October 22 for the annual Friends’ Day event and celebration. This year’s theme centers around the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and activities and presentations will be organized in various pavilions. The main program will include a presentation by Book‐It Repertory Theatre about the Fair which gave us, among other things, the Space Needle and Seattle Center.

       

The Foundation is pleased to announce that bestselling author Lee Child will be the keynote speaker at the Literary Lions Gala on March 10, 2012. Child, a former television director in Britain, is the author of the popular Jack Reacher series. His new book, The Affair, will be available this week. As mentioned above, Friends Day is Saturday, October 22 and the Foundation will present its annual Friends of the Library awards. Six Friends will be honored this year, including:

 Leslie Stevenson‐Johnson, Friend of the Year, Burien Library Guild
 Ed Heineman, Lifetime Achievement Award, Friends of the Kent Library
 Noreen Johnson, Hall of Fame, Friends of the Covington Library
 Donna Jean McGee, Hall of Fame, White Center Library Guild
 Bob and Kris Nelson, Hall of Fame, Friends of the Covington Library
 Susan Nyman, Hall of Fame, Friends of the Vashon Library

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

The City of Enumclaw recently inquired whether KCLS is still open to Enumclaw annexing to KCLS. If the City Council decides to move forward, an election is envisioned for April 2012. If voters approve annexation, KCLS would take over library operations in May and the remainder of the City’s Library budget would be allocated to KCLS. The City’s current budget situation is very severe with only enough funds to keep the Library open two or three days a week.

The City of Bellevue is pursuing annexation of a pocket of unincorporated King County that is in the Eastgate area, which includes the area where the Newport Way Library is located. Annexation could lead to better infrastructure, including sidewalks along Newport Way that lead to the Library. The City requires that 50% of affected property owners sign the petition. To date, the City estimates that 30‐35% of the required number of signatures has been gathered.

More than 130 people attended the public meeting to kick‐off the new downtown Renton Library project. While there were a number of people who expressed concern with the new location for the Library, the meeting primarily focused on the design for the new facility. The architects received good input and City staff seemed to think the meeting went well.

Last month it was reported that the City of Federal Way is considering the appointment of a Library Advisory Board. Some of KCLS’ existing Advisory Boards are feeling the pinch of reduced City support. For instance, the City of SeaTac was investigating whether it could continue to support their Library Advisory Board but Board members at this month’s meeting indicated a strong interest in continuing. KCLS committed to provide administrative support as it currently does in several jurisdictions. Armed with that information, the City Clerk planned to talk with City Council members who raised the issue. KCLS expects to hear
a status report in the near future.

The Tukwila Library project is still on hold until the City sets forth its terms and conditions for the sale of the property for the new Library. As previously mentioned, the developer accepts KCLS’ general plan for the property. The architect was selected last year and the Council reviewed KCLS’ preliminary plan earlier this year and it was hoped that the project would be well into the design phase by now with construction beginning next year. A meeting with the Mayor and a Library Advisory Board member is scheduled for October 3. KCLS hopes that the Mayor can help get the project back on track.

The Burien City Council continues to discuss annexation of the remaining unincorporated area of North Highline. However, the Council has not yet set a date to make a decision whether to move forward or not.

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, October 13, 12 noon at the Burien Library.

The next Finance Committee Meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 25, 4pm at the Renton Library.

The next KCLS Board of Trustees Meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 25, 5pm at the Renton Library.

 

September Insights

Community Liaison Contact: Carol Van Baalen



LOCAL NEWS

The Friends of the Kent and Des Moines Libraries are having their annual used book sales in September. The Des Moines Library book sale starts Friday, September 9th and proceeds through Sunday September 11th @ Des Moines Library. The Kent Library Friends’ book sale starts Friday, September 16th and proceeds through Sunday September 18th @ Kent Library.

Kent, Des Moines and Woodmont Libraries will start their fall programming the week of September 12th. This includes Study Zone, ESL, citizenship, computer classes, story times, book groups, Game-On!, and others.

At Woodmont Library teens are invited to join the Manga and Anime Club at Woodmont. New Baby & Young Toddler Story Times have been added at Woodmont library. For adults an, “Effective Resumes for the New Job Search” presentation is scheduled for Sept. 22nd.

Des Moines Library is offering a “Tween Iron Chef” competition on September 30th, and for adults a, “Midlife Career Changing in the New Economy” presentation is scheduled for September 19th.

Upcoming Meetings and Dates:  Library Advisory Board Report to the Des Moines City Council will be September 22nd.   The KCLS Friends Day is October 22nd.

SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST

The InfoToGo topic for September is Little Pim, a KCLS database which provides language learning lessons for children.


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


OPERATIONS

Earlier this year, the Washington State Legislature cut $84 million from community and technical college budgets. It has been reported that in addition to tuition increases, there might also be reductions in basic skills classes such as GED, citizenship and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. KCLS partners with community and technical colleges to offer these programs. Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs, including ESL, are not revenue generators and often the $25 student fee is waived. Despite this, ABE will not receive disproportional cuts. However, KCLS lost partnerships with Bellevue and Shoreline Community Colleges due to low enrollment and budget cuts for offsite classes. Partnerships with Cascadia, Green River and Highline Community Colleges are currently unaffected due to high enrollment and KCLS’ ability to pay the student fee. The landscape for larger organizations that have traditionally provided these services is mixed. Goodwill offers free ESL classes in Bellevue, Burien and Shoreline and is expanding services, as most of their funding comes from store sales. Jewish Family Services, which offers free ESL classes to low‐income residents in East King County has maintained their programs but a large part of their support comes from eastside cities that are having significant budget issues. Hopelink is offering more ESL classes in workplace settings as part of the Washington Workforce Initiative but they are decreasing citizenship classes which are tied to community grants. Similarly, smaller
organizations are eliminating programs as funding declines.

The federally funded Literacy*AmeriCorps program is being sustained for another year. Literacy*AmeriCorps staff support many of the ESL and citizenship programs KCLS offers, which are likely to be in even greater demand throughout the County given the
conditions mentioned above.

At last month’s Board meeting, Federal Way staff members talked about programs and services they have been working on since the implementation of Future Services in the Federal Way cluster. One such program was the Flavors of the World
Cultural Fair at the Federal Way Library on August 20. The
event attracted more than 1,000 people and featured story times in Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian and English, the Ukrainian American  Club Choir, Colombian folk dancers and a Chinese Lion Dance group. In other Federal Way news, based on a recent meeting with the Mayor of Federal Way, Cluster Manager Donna McMillen reported that there is growing interest among city officials to appoint a Federal Way Library Advisory Board.

The 2011 Summer Reading Program is winding down. A total of 45,324 kids signed up for the program through the first three weeks of August, representing one of the highest turnouts ever but still about 1,800 fewer than last year’s record‐setting total.


KCLS saw another drop in circulation last month, down 7% compared to July 2010. Year-to‐date circulation is down about 5%. The decline is consistent across the System and is mirrored by a 38% decline in KCLS catalog hits. On the other hand, there has been an
18% increase in hits to kcls.org and Audio Book and eBook downloads are running 139% higher than last year. The first 19 days of operation at the new Kenmore Library saw a 150% increase in daily circulation compared to a year ago.

Facilities Management Services (FMS) solicits rebids of major service contracts every three to five years. This year, bids were solicited for art maintenance, vehicle maintenance, janitorial services, HVAC services and landscape maintenance. Art maintenance is tied to prevailing wages and therefore costs have increased. Bids for HVAC and landscape services have come in nearly $200,000 per year lower. FMS will report on all categories during the 2012 budget process.

OTHER
KCLS was invited to speak at the Gale Cengage Learning national sales meeting in Las Vegas. Gale Cengage Learning supplies many of the online reference resources KCLS uses and is also the company that owns Library Journal, which presents the Library of
the Year award. Their sales force was interested in hearing about all of the recent developments at KCLS, especially Future Services. Many of the smaller libraries they work with are having a difficult time time transitioning from traditional library services
and programs and KCLS serves as a model for many of their clients. I was pleased to inform the audience that KCLS plans to use the $10,000 it received for being named Library of the Year to support Study Zone services in KCLS’ community libraries.

Outreach Services submitted a proposal for a $100,000 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to plan a prototype library learning lab for middle and high school students to increase educational achievement through the use of digital
media. Given that the grant is considered a “planning grant,” KCLS has formed consultative partnerships with Microsoft Research, Brainfuse, University of Washington and the Tukwila, Federal Way, Highline, Bellevue and Northshore School Districts. Grant recipients should be announced later this year.

Foundation board members, KCLS Trustees, library leaders and their guests enjoyed the KCLS Foundation’s annual summer reception, which included a tour of the new campus of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Planning is under way for the 2012 budget, including discussions with major granting organizations and internal review of programs and activities.

The Literary Lions Gala will be held March 10, 2012 at the Bellevue Hyatt. More details will be available soon.


The KCLS Foundation will host the internationally popular Jez Alborough at a special fundraising breakfast on September 29. Mr. Alborough, who lives in London, is the author and illustrator of over 45 children’s books, including the Eddy and the Bear trilogy, Hug and other immensely popular books. The Foundation is also sponsoring his appearances at the Sammamish and Covington Libraries and the Northwest Bookfest at the Kirkland Library. For more information, visit www.kclsfoundation.org.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

The City of Enumclaw has not had any further deliberations on the topic of annexation to KCLS. In discussions with the City, KCLS indicated a preferred timeline that would minimize the length of time between an annexation vote and the effective date of tax
collection. Because of that, the City does not plan to even begin considering the issue until the early part of next year. The Enumclaw Library received a minimal materials budget primarily funded by a grant from the local Rotary Club and assessed values in the Enumclaw area declined by 15.2%, one of the steepest drops in all of King County. A cross‐use study was conducted and indicated that cross‐use is approximately level. The study will be presented to the Board at the August meeting.

The City of Burien continues its deliberations about annexing the remaining unincorporated area of North Highline. The City Council reviewed a financial analysis of a potential annexation prepared by Berk Consulting. The City Council had a robust
discussion and will continue talks at their next meeting on August 22. Further discussions on the topic are scheduled for September and October so it is unlikely that a decision whether to proceed with annexation will be made before November. If the Council decides to put the issue on the ballot, a vote would not occur until late 2012. KCLS staff will update the Board on these developments at the August meeting.

Planning for the new Renton Libraries is moving ahead rapidly. The first public meeting to present initial plans for the Renton Library is scheduled for September 13 at the Renton Pavilion Event Center, which is located directly across the street from the new
site. Undoubtedly there will be a lot of comments about the change in location and City officials will be on hand to address some of the public’s concerns. KCLS’ architects will facilitate a discussion about the design elements of the new library and will gather input from the audience. There are no new developments in the City’s attempt to acquire the adjacent property where the Roxy Theater is located. The Renton Highlands Library will be part of a mixed use development. In initial conversations with the developer selected by the City, KCLS has learned that City officials would like to build about 100 housing units on the site. It is difficult to imagine that the site can contain that many housing units, a library and the necessary parking to accommodate both. In the meantime, KCLS is trying to clarify the roles of the respective architects involved. KCLS’ architects were selected to design the entire library. The developer envisions that their architect will design the entire exterior and KCLS’ architect will design the interior. That assumption may not be shared by the City of Renton.

KCLS has not yet reached an agreement on land acquisition for a new library at Tukwila Village. As reported last month, the developer is willing to sell KCLS a portion of the property but it might not be theirs to sell as the City has retained ownership of the site. City officials have not yet revealed how KCLS can obtain the property or indicated a price. Instead they are focused on design issues and that has delayed KCLS’ ability to move forward on the project.

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, September 15, 12 noon at the Burien Library.

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

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