2006 Annual Report
Seekonk Public Library
2006 Annual Report
The use of library services continues to grow in Seekonk. Our customers borrowed 253,122 items, and we registered 776 new customers. The amount collected in fines and fees that turned over to the town's General Fund was $25,136.59. Fines remain at fifteen cents a day.
FY2006 was a year of recovery. The Town Meeting restored Library funding to meet the minimum appropriation requirement to the penny. This still did not bring the Library’s hourly staffing back to 2003 levels. Hours of operation were not restored until August because of the late Town Meeting in July.
The Library received a grant from the Bristol County Commissioner and used this grant to install a wireless network in the building. With this in place, we began swapping out very old desk top computers for laptops. The Board of Library Trustees wanted to create more floor space for additional shelving. Because the restored budget did not fully restore all of the services from 2003, this grant also provided money for staffing to begin providing basic computer classes for the public. These classes are a basic service because if you do not have basic computer skills, you cannot use our electronic catalog.
The Dale Family Trust granted us money to use towards creating a new Teen area located closer to the front of the Library for better scrutiny. The Dale Den is now equipped with new seating, which was purchased with Dale Family Trust monies. This new seating area has really been a fun attraction to our customers. 50’s style diner seats and tables have added a more comfortable feeling to The Dale Den, and we’ve noticed that when the after school crowd aren’t using that area, senior citizens, tutors and students, and daytime customers are using the seats and tables to their full advantage.
This move also allowed us to expand the Large Print collection. This new area is better lit and allows us to double the size of that collection.
The Youth Services Department offered 151 children’s programs, which were attended by 3,561 children and their families. 282 children and their families registered for the 2005 summer reading program.
The Adult Services Department saw an 11% increase in the number of questions answered with 4573. The library’s website (www.seekonkpl.org) recorded 34,984 hits on its homepage over the course of the year. New electronic databases were offered by the library this year to give our patrons 24/7 access to information from our website. Xreferplus provides full-text content from a hundred reference books covering a broad range of topics. Auto Repair Reference Center provides repair information for automobiles made from 1946 – 2006. Also added was Price It! an antiques and collectibles database allowing users to search for prices currently on eBay and other collectibles trading places. We made it easier for patrons to reserve museum passes we hold by adding Tixkeeper to our website. They can choose a date, see which passes are available, and reserve one anytime.
Adult programming resumed this year. There were 35 programs held with 635 people in attendance. Our patrons were very happy to see the return of computer instruction classes. We held 51 classes for 309 participants. This year we used 8 laptop computers for our classes making it easier to set up and dismantle the computer instruction room.
In order to provide more space in the library our Electronic Information Center was dismantled and the eight computers were replaced by eight additional laptops that circulate from the Adult Services Department to be used within the library. This is proving very popular with our patrons as they can sit wherever they wish in the library.
The library added approximately 8,200 items to its collection last year. This amount includes both print and non-print media; purchased as well as donated items. The library’s total collection of materials is slightly over 99,000 items.
The Seekonk Library Trust continues to work to grow the library endowment. The Trust raised $13,545.00 for this year. A $5,000 grant from the Dale Family Trust allowed us to strengthen our services to teens.
As of June 30, 2006 the remaining balance of the Smart Memorial Trust was $34,460.86
The financial situation of both the Commonwealth and the Town in fiscal 2006 posed a tangible threat to maintaining the excellent service provided by the Library. The Seekonk Board of Library Trustees, aided by the tireless efforts of the Library staff, continued to implement their strategic plan to provide the best possible library services to the residents of the Town.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michael Durkay, Chairman
Seekonk Board of Library Trustees