May 2013 - Monroe County Library System

Director’s Office
115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604-1896
Phone: (585) 428-8046 Fax: (585) 428-8353 Patricia.Uttaro@libraryweb.org
TO: RPL Board of Trustees
FROM: Patricia Uttaro, Director
DATE: May 22, 2013
SUBJECT: Monthly Report – May 2013
Revised 2013-14 Central Library Budget Proposal (Agenda Item I.4)
Since Board approval of the Central Library budget in February, the State Budget passed with a
projected increase in aid to public libraries. While we have not received official NYS Aid guidance
from the NYS Education Department’s Division of Library Development, estimates allow for a
conservative projection of a 4% increase. The impact of State aid on the FY14 Central budget is
estimated at $14,500.
In addition, the City has chosen to participate in the NYS pension smoothing program, a multi-year
amortization schedule of retirement contributions. Basic parameters of the program are outlined at
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/employers/contribution_stabilization/.
The participation has reduced the Library’s projected retirement contribution for FY14 by $204,700
from February’s approved budget, which allows for the following adjustments:
1. Restoration of an eliminated FT Maintenance Worker (Facilities) position, vacated through a
mid-year retirement;
2. Creation of a PT Project Assistant (Communications) position, to assist with press and web
information and to support increased Central facility space rentals;
3. Reduction in utilization of the County fund balance by $107,000, to reduce fund balance
dependence on operations. A project plan to draw a portion of the balance will be included in
the 2014-15 Central budget proposal;
4. Reduction in FFRPL Central operating support of Digitization (reduce by $25,000) and Patent
Center (eliminate full $8,200). Support of these programs comes from a temporary boardrestricted
endowment and a single donor. It is recommended to evaluate re-purposing these
funds for Central Reorganization efforts.
In addition to these major changes, a number of expense changes occurred since February, including
page wages, worker’s compensation and internal service chargebacks, based on additional NYS and
City budget information. Revised benefit, expense and revenue summaries are attached.
Board Action Requested: Approval of the amended 2013-14 Central Library Budget.

RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Revised 2013-14 Community Library Budget Proposal (Agenda Item I.5)
Since RPL Board approval of the Community Library budget in February, the RPL will contribute cash
capital (based on number of employees) for a new payroll system ($64,000).
The City has also agreed to fund an increment request to establish a Security Intern program similar to
Central, utilizing part-time seasonal support from students in Career Pathways to Public Safety, a
SUNY REOC and City School District partner program ($27,000).
Remaining expense adjustments include wage and salary adjustments, internal service chargebacks,
and creation of a miscellaneous expense and revenue account ($20,000) to accommodate grants
received during the fiscal year. Revenue and Professional Service fees were adjusted for receipt of a
Community Foundation grant for school tutoring at Maplewood Branch ($7,000). Revised expense and
revenue summaries are attached for review.
Board Action Requested: Approval of the amended 2013-14 Community Library Budget.
Central Library Development Aid FY14 (Agenda Item I.6)
Enclosed is the proposed budget application for the expenditure of Central Library Development Aid
for the 2013-14 fiscal year, which incorporates an estimated 4% State aid increase. FY14 includes an
increase of $19,300 for e-materials, including continued participation in Overdrive and EBL. The
McNaughton popular book title lease program was reduced based on usage statistics and the pending
Media relocation to Bausch & Lomb as part of the Master Space Plan. The amount allocated for
reference materials remains unchanged, while the database allocation is increased to add Reference
USA as a system subscription. CLDA continues to fund promotional (e-newsletter) and mobile
applications for the system catalog.
Board Action Requested: Approval of Central Library Development Aid for the 2013-14 budget
cycle.
RPL Annual Report to the State (Agenda Item I.7)
Each year, RPL is required to submit a report on previous year actions and finances to the NYS
Division of Library Development. This report consists of various performance metrics and financial
information. A copy of the report is included with your packet. Highlights this year include:
2011 2012 Gain/Loss % Gain/Loss
Print Holdings 1,116,021 1,099,123 -16,898 -2%
Ebook Holdings 6,484 7,033 +549 +8%
Other Holdings 95,315 152,546 +57,231 +60%
Total Holdings 1,217,820 1,258,702 +40,882 +3%
Programs 4,178 4,816 +638 +15%
Program
Attendance 160,989 162,115 +1,126 +1%
Total Visits 1,730,818 1,786,794 +55,976 +3%
Registered
Borrowers 123,863 134,220 +10,357 +8%
Reference
Questions 330,325 339,138 +8,813 +3%
Circulation 1,404,581 1,456,004 +51,423 +4%
Web Visits 4,514,358 4,126,412 -387,949 -9%
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Board Action Requested: Approval of the RPL Annual Report to the State of New York.
Nomination of Wanda Martinez to RPL Board (Agenda Item I.8)
The Nominating Committee respectfully puts forth Ms. Wanda Martinez of 8 Treyer Street, Rochester,
NY, 14621to fill a vacant seat on the RPL Board of Trustees. Ms. Martinez has a long history of
community involvement including active participation in the 14621 Block Club, IBERO, community
garden projects, and her church. She is an active user of the Lincoln Branch Library, and an avid
reader. Ms. Martinez holds a BA from NOVA University and is retired from Xerox.
Board Action Requested: Acceptance of the nomination of Ms. Wanda Martinez to the RPL Board
and approval for submission of the nomination to the Mayor’s Office for consideration of
recommendation to City Council.
Report Items
Patricia Uttaro, RPL Director
CGR Report on Branch Library Use & Demographics – CGR analyst Kirstin Pryor will attend the
May 22 RPL Board meeting to present findings from the report and answer questions. The report has
been shared and discussed with Managers and Quadrant Leaders, with the primary takeaway being
“It’s a branch thing.” The report acknowledges the uniqueness of each branch. Some questions to
consider:
Number & types of branches or service outlets.
Location & hours.
Investments in collections or people?
Community partnership opportunities.
Policy & procedure standardization (fits with current MCLS project).
Evolving staff roles – Staff must be community minded, project managers, volunteer
coordinators & mobilizers, skilled in outreach & PR, and plugged into youth culture.
Broadly stated, in affluent areas, circulation is up, while in poor areas, circulation is down, but other
performance metrics, like computer usage, are up. A general demographic breakdown shows us:
Youth Services Heavy Use & Focus – Sully, Lincoln, Lyell, Wheatley, Maplewood
High Poverty – Central (50%), Lyell (45%), Wheatley (43%), Lincoln (37%)
Biggest increase in poverty rate since 2000 – Arnett & Maplewood
Highest Educational Attainment – Charlotte, Highland, Monroe, Winton
Less than High School – Central, Lincoln, Lyell, Wheatley
English is NOT 1st Language – Lincoln (42%), Central & Lyell (1/3 of customers), Sully &
Maplewood (1/4 of customers)
Refugee Settlement (4,000 since 2007 citywide) – Maplewood (1,800), Wheatley (1,000),
Highland (450)
A breakdown of performance metrics demonstrates: (top 3 or 4):
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Circulation – Winton, Monroe, Charlotte
Door Count – Maplewood, Sully, Lincoln
Internet Use – Maplewood, Wheatley, Arnett, Lincoln
Programs – Lincoln, Maplewood, Sully
Reference Questions – Wheatley, Maplewood, Arnett
Police Calls – Maplewood, Arnett, Sully, Lincoln
Three common themes emerged:
We are serving a more diverse clientele who speak many languages and our staff does not
reflect the diversity of the community we serve.
There is an increasing demand for one-on-one technology assistance.
Our libraries are considered safe places.
I am working on scheduling a meeting with Jennifer Leonard of the Rochester Area Community
Foundation in preparation for making a funding request to the RACF for a full strategic planning
process for RPL.
Literacy Navigator at Arnett – The Arnett Branch has developed a new partnership with Literacy
Volunteers of Rochester called the “Literacy Navigator” which provides help with paperwork, health
forms, school forms, job and housing applications, understanding your bills, and finding community
resources. The Navigator can help with paper forms or with computer forms. We recently learned from
Bob Mahar, Executive Director of LVR, that Arnett has been selected as the recipient of a Friend of
Literacy award for the program. Congratulations to Deb Leary, her staff, and the Navigator volunteers
from LVR who have made this such a successful program in the southwest.
City Services to Immigrants & Refugees – At the request of the Mayor, I have been compiling
information about city services to immigrants currently offered by the library, the Department of
Recreation & Youth Services, and the Neighborhood Service Centers. As you know, RPL has
partnered with Catholic Family Services on a grant through the Office of New Americans, which has
helped provide citizenship, ESOL, and literacy training at several libraries. My discussions with other
city staff have uncovered a number of areas that are ripe for collaboration, many involving improved
communication and language skills. This task blends well with the increased use of libraries by the
immigrant population, as well as with my participation on the Immigration Subcommittee of the
Catholic Family Services Board. The full report will be shared with the RPL Board at the June
meeting.
Emerging Leaders, Future Directors Training – MCLS and the Pioneer Library System have
collaborated on a Harold Hacker grant to fund a three-day series of training for 12 staff from each
system who have potential to become strong leaders and directors. Thirty applications were received
for the 12 seats allocated to MCLS, which were reviewed by the Director and her senior managers.
Twelve participants were chosen based on essays written as part of the application process, knowledge
of the applicant’s abilities, and the potential for the applicant to become a leader or director in the next
five years. The final cohort of 12 includes: Greg Benoit, Gates; Betsy Dobles, Greece; Kristin
Gallagher, Fairport; Jason Gogniat, Central; Lyla Grills, Penfield; Cathy Kyle, Chili; Jennifer Lindsey,
Chili; Kirstra Otto, Winton; Alicia Reinhardt, Henrietta; Rhonda Rossman, Pittsford; Stephanie
Squicciarini, Fairport; and Bruce Tehan, Arnett. The syllabus for the training series will be available at
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
the Board meeting for your review. There is considerable interest from MCLS Directors and staff to
find a way to produce this type of training annually.
Digital Content Presentation, July 15 – The American Library Association established a Digital
Content Working Group in 2012, with Christopher Harris as a member. Chris is the Coordinator of the
Genesee Valley Educational partnership, and has agreed to update MCLS staff and trustees on the
work he is doing with the ALA group during a presentation at the Gates Public Library on Monday
July 15 from 2:00-4:00 pm. I believe Chris will share valuable information and insight to the group’s
work on behalf of libraries everywhere. The ALA working group is described as:
Supporting the “transformation” of libraries is a priority of ALA’s 2015 Strategic Plan, and the
rapid shift from print to digital content is one of the more dramatic developments now transforming
libraries of all types. New digital forms of information offer rich and extraordinary opportunities
for libraries to expand community access to information and to revolutionize in positive ways the
relationship between libraries and users. At the same time, these new forms of digital content pose
new challenges. As libraries struggle to meet the challenges of providing digital content in an
environment characterized by significant uncertainty and changing on a daily basis, there is a need
for an Association-wide group of experts, broadly representative of the many constituencies within
the library community, that can proactively address these digital content opportunities and issues at
the highest level and from both a policy and practical perspective.
To this end, the ALA Working Group on Libraries and Digital Content is charged to:
Advise the Association regarding opportunities and issues related to libraries and digital
content and the provision of equitable access to digital content for all.
Explore, analyze and share information on various options for expanding access to digital
content for libraries and the public and for overcoming legal, technological, policy and
economic barriers to equitable access
Suggest information and training that would be of use to librarians so that they can make
informed choices, serve as advocates for digital access, and design and support digital
services.
Advise the Association on efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of issues
related to access to digital content and the challenges to/role of libraries in providing equitable
access to digital resources.
Assist in the identification of strategies to influence decision makers—whether government
officials, publishers, other information service providers, interest groups, and others—to effect
changes that would assist libraries in better serving their communities.
Address specific issues such as Business Models, Accessibility, Privacy, Education for the
Library Community, Public Outreach and Publisher/Service Provider Relations through
working subcommittees, bringing in other experts and advisors as appropriate.
Serve as formal liaisons to various ALA and ALA affiliate groups (examples would include
the divisions, round tables, ethnic affiliates, and ALA Accessibility Assembly).
As appropriate, reach out to other organizations and experts in other fields in order to better
understand the broad technological, social and economic environments and trends and their
potential impact on libraries.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Central Library
David Creek & Sally Snow, Assistant Directors
Pride & Passion Exhibit – The Pride & Passion: the African American Baseball Experience opened
on Sunday May 5 to a standing-room-only crowd in Hacker Hall. Advertising for the exhibit was
produced with the help of the RPL Friends and Foundation, and included buses, banners on the light
poles outside of Central and a PSA donated by Dixon Schwabl. Opening day featured a keynote
address from former Rochester Mayor William Johnson, a devout baseball fan, and was capped off
with an electrifying performance by actor Greg Kenney, who portrayed Jackie Robinson in a unique,
one-man show. Central security guard Walter Williams, who played in the Negro Leagues when he
was a teenager, attended the opening and was recognized and honored by former Mayor Johnson.
Special thanks must be given to Anita Wahl and David Creek who helped Mr. Kenney overcome some
unforeseen car trouble and provided transportation for him during his stay. The Central Exhibits Team
did an outstanding job of putting this exhibit together and producing a first-rate opening event that
attracted hundreds of people to the Central Library. Team members are: Sally Snow, Anita Wahl,
Jessica LaManna, Jay Osborne, Kate Meddaugh, Nanci Rosenberg-Nugent, Inge Munnings, and
Corinne Clar. In addition to the Pride & Passion opening, the team also coordinated and created the
exhibit currently in the Lower Link Gallery, Rochester Baseball: From Mumford’s Meadow to Frontier
Field, and are planning for Library Night at Frontier Field on May 17.
Health & Safety Committee - David Creek met with the Health and Safety committee on April 10 th to
review procedures for addressing serious patron misconduct. An incident involving sexual misconduct
occurred recently in Teen Central, and staff did not respond appropriately and were not aware the topic
was covered in the Central Patron Relations Manual. Creek reinforced with Division Heads that staff
needs to be aware of the manual and its content. They will begin the process of reacquainting staff with
the manual at subsequent staff meetings.
Local History Division
Christine Ridarsky, Director of Historical Resources
Workshops, Programs, and Tours
Held three sessions of the popular Sunday Family Detectives Club, led by Barb Koehler, with
total attendance of 70 people, 19 of whom were first time attendees.
The Office of the City Historian hosted a meeting of the Monroe County historians at the
Central Library on April 10. Sixteen municipal historians attended.
32 people attended the April installment of Rochester’s Rich History on April 21.
Hosted two groups of 7th graders from World of Inquiry School 58 in the Division for research
in primary source materials on April 29 and 30. Thirty students attended.
Outreach
Michelle Finn gave a presentation to 15 people on the Rochester Voices web site and app
development process at the MCLS Technology Conference on April 8.
Finn also presented on Rochester Voices at the RPL Southeast Quadrant meeting on April 24;
approximately 18-20 staff members attended.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Finn and Ridarsky met with RCSD Social Studies coordinator, Steve LaMorte, to discuss a new
Local History course to be implemented in city schools beginning in the fall of 2013.
City Historian’s Office staff continued to coordinate Retrofitting Rochester, a weekly column
in the Democrat and Chronicle, with the help of volunteer contributor Emily Morry.
Division staff continued to post weekly blog entries (http://rochistory.wordpress.com/) and
regular posts to Facebook and Tumblr.
Collection Development/Management
Local History Division staff and consultants continued to work on two grant-funded projects to
rehouse, arrange, and describe manuscript and special collections (Barb Koehler and Mary Jo
Lanphear). The following collections were rehoused in April: Philosophers Club (5.66 cu. ft.),
Rochester City Club (2 cu. ft.), Women’s City Club (0.33 cu. ft.), Monroe County Library
Club (0.66 cu. ft.), Midtown Plaza Memorabilia (0.33 cu. ft.), Goler Papers & Letterbooks
(2.33 cu. ft.), Misc. Glass Plates Negatives & Lantern Slides (0.33 cu. ft.), Rochester Health
Bureau (0.33 cu. ft.), W. O. Marshall Correspondence (0.2 cu. ft.), Better Housing Authority (1
cu. ft.), Children’s Alliance (0.33 cu. ft.), Monroe County Defense Committee (1.33 cu. ft.),
Anah Babcock Yates (0.66 cu. ft.), Monuments & Markers, (1 cu. ft.), Goler Scrapbook (0.33
cu. ft.). A total of 17 cubic feet was rehoused in April.
In addition, archival consult Mary Jo Gigliotti processed, arranged, and described the Rochester
Community Players Collection (12.35 cu. ft.). This process took much longer than anticipated
due to the unexpected presence of hazardous silver nitrate film, which needed to be positively
identified and segregated. Cheri Crist supervised all of this work.
Crist also deaccessioned three collections, comprising approximately 40 cubic feet: 1) the
Cooper Genealogy Collection and 2) the Donald Poste Genealogy Collection, both of which
were assessed by a member of the Rochester Genealogical Society prior to deaccession, and 3)
the Provident Loan Society of Rochester, N.Y., Inc., ledgers, which were transferred to the
Monroe County Office of the Historian. Crist retained significant items from the Cooper and
Poste collections, such as pamphlets and softbound publications that were beyond the
division’s scope, and offered them to Baltimore County and White Plains public libraries and
Bossard Memorial Library, all of which gladly accepted them. She also researched
approximately 10 tintypes and daguerreotypes to determine the family origins of those pictured
and offered the pictures to geographically appropriate libraries and historical societies.
Crist also sent letters to 50 area schools and universities requesting their latest yearbooks. This
resulted in donation of 10 yearbooks from three institutions, which were accepted and
processed into the collection.
Rochester Voices
Historical Researcher and Deputy City Historian Michelle Finn’s time this month was devoted
to uploading content to Umbraco (the Content Management System being used for the
Rochester Voices Web site), consulting with Corinne Clar in Graphics on the design concept,
and keeping in touch with NimbleUser staff via our weekly check-ins.
Exhibits
Rochester: The Cradle of American Nursing continued through the end of the month.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Volunteers
Five volunteers and interns assisted with projects in Local History and the Office of the City
Historian this month, contributing a combined total of 95 hours. Their contributions included
writing articles for the Democrat and Chronicle’s Retrofitting Rochester column (Emily
Morry), reviewing articles for Rochester History (Paige Doerner), processing and arranging
archival collections (Lori Bartkovich and Aimee Pfeiffer), and identifying and rehousing a
photographic negative collection (Tim O’Connell).
Continuing Education:
APHNYS conference, Liverpool, NY (April 17-20) (Ridarsky, Finn, Ludwig)
MARAC conference, Erie, PA (April 24-27) (Crist)
Outreach Department
Larry Taylor, Outreach Coordinator
Selected, pulled, charged, and delivered 1,097 materials for 17 stations.
Selected and delivered 188 materials to 13 in-homes.
Conducted 3 Job Information Center programs for 54 people.
Conducted 1 Job Information Center program for 15 inmates at Monroe Correctional Facility.
Met with the activities coordinator for The Brightonian to go over her responsibilities regarding
being ready for pick-up and delivery of our materials. We have been having issues with that
station recently.
Attended Reference USA webinar.
Sarah Lydon from Syracuse University began interning with us on March 5th. She is working
on developing the reading guides for our book discussion kits and promoting the kits.
Attended Greece Lion’s Club meeting and received two checks totaling $3,000 for our large
print/CD book discussion kits.
Received 7 LP and CD copies of our large print/CD Book Discussion kits. We now have a
total of 14 kits.
Attended Outreach Conference Call of outreach coordinators across New York.
Along with Carolyn Johnson and Darlene Richards developed a policy to minimize disruptions
of the work time of the 4th floor clerks by the other staff so that the clerks could more
efficiently deal with their increased workload. Met with the staff person that mostly
necessitated this new policy.
Chaired the first of our two annual COSAC Advisory Committee meetings.
Youth Services
Tonia Burton, Children’s Services Consultant
Programs
The Children’s Center hosted a wide variety of programs this month. We kicked off April with
Adventures in Chemistry and Physics presented by Tim Wilson and Deb Janes from Kodak. Later in
the month we had two Edible Books storytimes, 31 emerging readers reading to the dogs from Tail
Waggin Tutors, and thanks to the Arts Division and Judy Schewe families enjoyed music from the
Harley Gamelan Ensemble, and made crafts to honor Earth day.
In addition to our new schedule of outreach to the Metro YMCA and TLC a Adventures in Daycare we
were also able to help out a local Music Therapist and family. The therapist usually conducts her
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
sessions at Hochstein, but the school was closed during the spring break week so she began looking for
a downtown location to offer her session. She called the Children’s Center for suggestions and since I
know how important it is for children receiving therapy to not miss a session, I was happy to offer the
Secret Room. Not only did it help out the therapist but the family had their first visit to the Central
Library!
Summer Reading:
We secured the following donations to be used during the 2013 Summer Reading program for all
MCLS Libraries:
Tops - $100 gift card
The Strong Museum of Play- One free Child admission (w/ purchase of adult entry)
(Genesee County Village- 4 admission passes, secured in March)
Food coupons from: Applebee’s for kids and teens, Brugger’s, Burger King, McDonald’s for
kids and teens.
The Summer Reading program brochure is in development and will be distributed widely again this
summer.
We also formed new collaboration with WXXI for the summer. They will offer libraries free Clifford
and Curious George costumes and crafts for summer reading program events, and we created booklists
to coincide with their weekly theme and television schedule.
YOUmedia Grant
We hosted our first YOUmedia program, thanks to a grant and E-Line Media who presented the
Video Game Challenge Workshop- Get in the Game. See Central’s FB page for photos!
We also held our very first Teen Forum. The goal was to share what other YOUmedia sites
around the country are doing. Some sites do a little of everything, while others focus on music.
We will focus on film. The forum was also a vehicle to solicit participants for the Youth
Council, which is a key component to the project. More than 30 teens attended and enjoyed
pizza, while about a dozen serious teens stay for the duration of the presentation. Several
lessons were learned already, the first being serve the food last.
In the coming months staff will make site visits to Bronx DreamYard and Miami YOUmedia
sites.
Teen Central
Teen Central is a destination for many School Without Walls students. We are occasionally asked to be
a community expert when a student works on their senior capstone project. This year a staff member
was asked to be a community expert to a young woman who would write a novel about zombies. She
has a fresh concept about zombies (which is really saying something!) but she recently got behind in
her deadlines. Teen Central is where she reaches out to for support: it is where her friends meet to
encourage her, and it is a place she can come for constructive advice that is free of judgment. This
student has been accepted to several prestigious small colleges, and with help from the teens and
librarians at Teen Central, she’ll get back on track to start college this fall.
Arts & Literature
Marty Steinhauser, Divisional Manager
Mary Housel-Demanchik, painter and book artist, presented for the Caution: Artist at Work
series Saturday, April 20, 2013. Twelve attended.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Harley Gamelan Ensemble at KGA performed for a joint Arts/Children’s program Saturday
April 21. Seventy-five attended.
A new series called Art Happenings @ 115 South presented “Make Your Own Book:
Bookbinding Class,” Saturday, April 27 in the Arts Division.
The Foreign Film Saturdays series featured Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni,
Saturday, April 13th in the Kate Gleason Auditorium. Thirty people attended.
In a joint program by Arts and Literature/Media, the High Falls Film Festival Kick-off Event
featured His Girl Friday, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, directed by Howard Hawks.
Thirty-five people attended Sunday, April 14.
The Brown Bag Book Discussion group discussed Canada, by Richard Ford, Wednesday, April
24 in the Rundel Auditorium.
Business, Science, & History
Carolyn Johnson, Divisional Manager
Got Health Program for April: “High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer” – 22 people attended.
This series will take a breather over the summer starting again in September. For the next year,
the Center for Community Health will set the topics for the entire year so that there can be
better publicity and planning.
The April Small Business Development Center program was on time management. Thirty
people attended.
In addition to the regular monthly small business program, the division had an additional
program April 17th on “Selling on Ebay: The Basics for Small Business.” Twenty-three
people attended.
The Business Division created a special book display for Earth Day.
Kate Meddaugh & Jay Osborne spent several days in Alexandria Virginia at an official training
for Patent Center with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This was especially important
because of the imminent change to a new classification system and the change in practice from
“first to invent” to “first to file” for patent protection.
Steve Nash and Deb Nevin put together a personal photographic and memorabilia display on
the Second World War: “Eyewitness to WWII.”
Ongoing: Vietnam War dvds and display; monthly orientation program for the Foundation
Center materials created by Darlene Richards; New Book displays, including focused display
on materials on education and new books for teachers.
Circulation
Cynthia Dana, Circulation Supervisor
Edna Rivera and I attended the Latino Conferencia sponsored by the Rochester City School
District. Three hundred Hispanic parents attended; we gave away pencils and literature in
Spanish about joining the library, and answered questions.
Central Reorganization
Jeff Levine, Reorganization Manager
Supervisory and Training (Ana Suro)
Ana and Jeff met to review the results of the task identification for the Science and History Division
and will be meeting with staff members on May 22nd to prioritize tasks and ensure that they support
both the goals and their strategies.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Communications (Sally Snow)
The Communications Team will meet on May 22nd to continue working on Central’s portion of the
new e-portal.
Technology and Physical Space (Brie Harrison)
The cost estimates of the Master Space Plan are currently under review. The New Media Team has
begun meeting to work on its program development which will include defining the space of the area,
areas of interaction, staffing needs, and collection display and layout. This information will assist the
architects, once there’re selected, to help with this project. The final report will be due in early June.
Customer Service (David Creek)
The team plans to roll out the Customer Service Model at the July All-Staff Meeting which will
include promotional items such as buttons and bookmarks highlighting the customer service model and
the Central’s Library’s slogan “Think Yes”. A customer service video produced by the staff is also
planned.
Reference and Collections (Jeff Levine)
The team met on May 7th to review EBL (EBook Library) circulation statistics and has suggested that
3% of the adult non-fiction budget, approximately $8,000 be used to continue with this e-book
platform.
Branch Libraries
David Creek, Assistant Director
Branch Administration
Melanie Lewis, Community Services Librarian
Facilitated implementation of Rochester Children’s Film Festival in nine Branches and Fairport
Library
Resumed weekly programming at YMCA Lewis Street location
Began Central Info Desk Training with Jason Gogniat
Completed All City H.S. project (RCSD/RPL collaboration)
Supported Maplewood Family Science Day program
Provided Librarian coverage at Sully Branch on April 25
Participated in two community literacy programs: WXXI Science on Saturday April 13, 2013
and March of Dimes Mother’s Program Saturday April 20, 2013
South East Quadrant
Jennifer Lenio, Quadrant Leader
I attended the Monroe Avenue Quality of Life meeting on April 24. It was a very positive and
productive meeting—people shared their events for the Show on Monroe festival on June 1. Monroe
Branch will hold its Big Book Sale, hosting a classical guitarist and collaborating with the YMCA on a
bike rodeo for families. Other activities along the avenue include a community lunch and dinner and
street buskers. On May 3, Monroe hosts an art exhibit opening of landscape photographs by Libby
Hsiao. Holly Rockwell from the Monroe Village Farmers Market approached Mary Clare Scheg about
starting a Mini Seed Bank in the children’s room, which will start simply with a few seed packets. This
project will support the growing interest in urban farming and self-sustainment growing in the city.
Programming such as story hours, gardening and crafts, will be built around the concept.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
As part of the Friends to Friends grant for 2012-2013, Young Adult librarian Jen Nesbitt partnered
with the Monroe YMCA to host a teen talent show on April 20th. It was a fun and successful event that
attracted six teen contestants and their families, for a total of 35 people. The talented teens gave us
quite a show, and several family members expressed appreciation for the opportunity for their children
to shine. We enjoyed the company of Patty Uttaro, Kevin Loughran, and one of our Monroe Friends,
Yi Ju Bott, who participated as one of our three judges and had the difficult task of picking the three
winners! Based on the positive feedback we received, this program may become an annual event in the
future.
Guest artist Susan Stair, sponsored by Young Audiences, worked on a mural project at Highland. Over
the course of eight weeks, the children designed the mural, painted the background, and added the
foreground elements through collage. The end result was called “The City of Imagination and
Dreams,” and has brightened up our children’s section with its vibrant colors and energy. 78 kids
participated over the eight weeks.
Highland had two poetry programs this month, one for teens and one for children. The teens used
collage materials to cut out phrases and pictures to form poems. The children also created poems, but
they used other activities to get inspired. One choice was to select some words from a bucket and try to
weave them into a poem. Others drew a picture and then surrounded it with words or phrases to make a
poem. They were very creative and the poetry was great. (15 kids)
Barb Nichols, Site Supervisor at Winton, met with Nathanial Sniatecki, the Boy Scout working on
developing the nature trail in Winton’s back lot, and Elsie Cleary, the neighborhood volunteer leader.
They discussed the project in general, and their visions of what they wanted to accomplish. Nathanial
later gave Barb a written document he submitted to the Scout Council, outlining the purpose and steps
of the project. He has some funding, but Barb promised to pursue some funding through the library
(Branch Administration, BRAD, Foundation). The project is estimated to take about four months.
On April 2nd, Jeanne Slocombe had a program called Beach Balls Rain Down from the Sky that drew
91 (!) people. This extravaganza of fun for preschoolers and their siblings featured Topher Holt.
On April 18th, an overflow crowd (30+) attended a screening of the best eight short films from the
Rochester International Short Film Festival. Selected as the ‘best of the best’ from 2007-2011, they
ranged from 7 to 25 minutes.
North East Quadrant
Joan Lee, Quadrant Leader
The Friends and Foundation hosted “A Conversation on Race” at the Lincoln Library. The event was
well attended by the community. A committee member shared with Linda Rock, Director of
Community Programing, that Lincoln’s event was “the best yet.” I was pleased that the northeast
community supported this event.
There was a huge demand for use of our meeting and tutor rooms this month. There were 58
reservations for the month of March. Lincoln continues to collaborate with the Jordan Health Center by
hosting the “Baby Café” for young mothers. In March the Center added a second meeting. The social
group of mothers offered to support and provide helpful information about breastfeeding. It also
provided an opportunity for parents to visit the Toy Library.
I attended the Joseph Avenue Business Association meeting.
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
The Children’s room and lobby area at Lincoln were given a much needed and long-overdue face-lift.
The children’s room was painted in a rainbow of beautiful and vibrant colors. The community room
walls received minor touches and the floors were cleaned. All of the lobby walls received a fresh coat
of paint. Kudos to David Burton and several Community volunteers from Oasis for their hard work.
I’ve received many compliments about the fresh look. This was the first phase of my plans to give
Lincoln a fresh look this year. My next wish list item is to have the badly stained and worn carpet
replaced. The original carpet was installed in 1995.
North West Quadrant
Shelley Matthews, Quadrant Leader
April at Maplewood was extremely busy! We had a very successful Science Day. We had a few less
children but more parents and the children who did not have parents were escorted by the SUNY
Geneseo Students who have been tutoring them this semester. Even though we were down by about
eight students, we felt that the students who did attend learned more and had wonderful questions
about the science projects.
Young Audiences had two programs. The first was an eight week course on story telling. Our students
did well in telling stories from their childhood or folk tales from their own nations. The second
program was twice a week for four weeks and the children completed a mural. Young Audiences has
been a blessing because with shrinking Visiting Artist Program money and with costs rising it has
given us quality programming.
The first day of Spring break we had the developmentally disabled play a drumming circle with us.
They brought their own instruments and additionally ones for us and we all played music together for
an hour. It was lively and noisy but we really enjoyed it.
Fallsview Academy began tutoring with money provided by the school district. It has helped us out
tremendously.
We had 31 children participate in Clean Sweep and collected 31 bags of garbage and four old tires!
South West Quadrant
Deb Leary, Quadrant Leader
Adult Highlights: The Arnett staff shared their reading recommendations with the community, and
patrons responded with enthusiasm by checking out several of the picks throughout the month! We
also celebrated National Poetry Month with a display featuring some of the best poets of our time.
Arnett participated in World Book Night on April 23 by giving out 20 free copies of "The No. One
Ladies Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith to excited patrons. We focused on giving the
books to those who were primarily checking out DVDs, trying to inject a little reading into their
routine!
The computer class continues to steadily grow. There is a core group of six to seven people who show
up consistently. It's a group of learners who actually retain the information taught, and it is a pleasure
to work with them!
We were given Honorable Mention in the RRLC Love your Library Competition! Not necessarily an
'Adult' highlight, but it is still very exciting and we are proud to have the honor!
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Children's Highlights: The most popular kids’ program this month was Book Book, Bawk Bawk:
Chickens in the Library! presented by clerk, Ceola Lester-Bacot. For this program, Ceola brought in
two of her chickens and taught about them and what it is like caring for them while living in an urban
environment. The program was enjoyed by many kids and adults. An Earth Day activity, Tail
Waggin’ Tutors, LEGO Club, and the Children’s Film Festival were also well attended April events.
Arnett’s new Literacy Aide, Prudence Anderson-Leusch, started on April 8. She has a lot of
experience working with kids and is off to a great start.
The Mobile Dome Planetarium came to Phillis Wheatley Library during school break in April. 20+
excited children went inside the dome to look at and learn about planets and stars.
World Book Night was a huge success at Wheatley. We were happy to be able to give books away to
all the age levels: "Devil in a Blue Dress" for adults; "Looking for Alaska" for teens and "Middle
School" for kids. Families, immigrant families, teens and children all came to receive one of the 60
free books we had to give away.
Selected Meetings & Outputs – Director
Staff Coffee (informal staff discussion)
Assistant County Executive, Jerry Helfer
Voice of the Customer sessions (City of Rochester)
City Senior Management Team meetings
MCLS/RPL Management Team meetings
MCLS Directors Council
Kirstin Pryor, CGR
Central All-Staff meeting
Brie Harrison, Sally Snow, David Creek, Ned Davis, Ana Suro monthly one-on-one meetings
Central security guard, Antoinette Davis
Charlie Benincasa, Kortney Gagliano, Jon Cox, City Finance Review
FFRPL Edible Books Festival
Imagine.Create.Innovate speaker dinner
Imagine.Create.Innovate technology conference (2 days)
Catholic Family Services Board Meeting
Mayor Thomas Richards, budget review
Deputy Mayor Len Redon
New York Association of Library Systems (NYALS) conference call
ACT Rochester Report Card Update
Bob Franklin, Chris Wagner, City/County budget review
FFRPL Executive Committee meeting
Ad Council Communications Audit kickoff meeting
TLC/CARL conference call
Patrick Malgieri, Rochester Historical Society
New MCLS Directors Roundtable meeting
Central Library Reorganizaiton Steering Committee
Former MCLS Directors luncheon
MCLS trustees Thompson & Kharbas
Carolyn Johnson, Ana Suro, Jeff Levine – Business Division workflow review
Central Library Idea Patrol
Urban Libraries Council – The Digital Shift webinar
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RPL Director’s Report – May, 2013 (Continued)
Central Division Heads meeting
FFRPL Board meeting
Urban Libraries Council – The Edge: Technology Benchmarks webinar
Central personnel meetings
MCLS System Services & Operations Committee
Monroe Talent Show
Smarter Partnerships: Making Collaborations Work to Boost Student Achievement in Rochester
Matt Kruger & Andrea Tillinghast – MCLS UX Committee conference call
ROC the Future conveners meeting
RPL/MCLS joint board meeting
Kathy Nixon
City Services to Immigrants
National Stand Against Racism presentation
City Quad Leaders
Greg Benoit, Gates Public Library Director
NYALS Think Tank conference call
RPL Board Committee on Rochester Historical Society
Emails sent – 1,256
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