Wauconda Area Public Library District

 

Library Facts and Figures

Annual Report

 

Fiscal Year 2002 / 2003

 

The following report covers the time period of July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003.

 

 

Board of Library Trustees

Other Library Information

 

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Administration

• Hired as necessary to ensure continuous staffing of all service desks so there is always be someone on hand to help library users find what they need

• Established line of credit as financial safety net in case of late tax bill

• New/Revised policies: Patron Behavior, Video Security Confidentiality, Personnel

• Staff In-Service Training Day, covering revised Emergency Preparedness and Procedures Manual, customer service, and the importance and diversity of each staff position

• All staff meeting covering the relevance of the U.S. Patriot Act to library services

• Established IRS Section 125 participation with NSLS program

• Trustee Training sessions at each Board Meeting

• Music on Hold for telephone system, providing pleasant music for callers on hold

• Established/hired positions of Business Manager and Administrative Assistant

 

 

Public Relations

• Patron Appreciation Reception and daily "Coffee Hour"

• Library Card Sign-Up Month and Business Partnership including 85 local businesses

• Friends of the Library “Thank You” luncheon

• Hosted Business After Hours reception with the Wauconda Area Chamber of Commerce

• Participant in the “First Class Community” initiative with the United Partnership for a Better Community

• Welcome Packets for all new patron

• Hosted Annual School Librarian Breakfast

• Book Cart Drill Team participated in Homecoming Parade

• Three editions of FOCUS, the library newsletter, were distributed to every household and business in the library district

• Food for Fines

• Voter registration

• Notary Public

 

Building and Grounds

• Building exterior and columns repaired and painted

• Enclosing the “Quiet Study Room” so that it truly is a quiet place to study (with Tom Featherstone’s help)

• Installation of video security system

• Installation of a public address system

• Installation of a feature film projection system in the Genevieve Lincoln Community Meeting Room, including “surround sound.”

• Furnishing improvements to office areas

• More lighting in front of the building for improved safety and security

• Seal-coating and striping the library parking lot with an additional handicapped space near the front entrance

 

Adult Services

 

The Adult services staff presented 122 programs and activities for adults and young adults this year, including 19 book discussions, six live music events, reading clubs for adults and teens, 13 feature films, three field trips, 36 instructional programs, and including 47 events for young adults.  Of the many programs presented, highlights include:

• Greatly increased the number of DVD's, resulting in 27.9 % increase in video checkouts

• Increased the number of Adult / YA programs by 50%, resulting in 167% increase in attendance

• Summer 2002 Reading Club, “Free to Read @ Your Library”

• Summer 2003 Reading Club, "Light! Camera! READ!"

• Winter Reading Club, “Jazz Up Your Winter - READ!”

• Annual Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale

• Field trip to Ravinia

• Field trip to Riverdance

• Field trip to a Chicago Cubs game

• Teen Poetry Slams

• Young Adult Advisory Boards

• Composting Awareness (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County)

• North Suburban Teachers and Librarians Tour

• Annual School Library Staff Breakfast

• National Library Week “Red Hots” game

• Summer 2002 “Freedom Scavenger Hunt” game

• Summer 2003 “What's the REEL Story?" game”

• AARP Tax Assistance

• WHS Sophomore Research Paper Tour

• High School Literary Criticism Research

 

There were numerous decorative and instructional displays throughout the year, including some outstanding art exhibits in the Genevieve Lincoln Community Meeting Room and two dozen special book displays featuring special sections of the library’s collection.

 

Progress was made in “weeding” unused, obsolete or worn out books from the fiction and nonfiction collections. 

A DVD collection was established and is growing rapidly.

 

Children’s Services

The Children's Services staff presented 205 programs for children, which included over 115 sessions of preschool storytime, reading clubs, book discussion clubs, and numerous special events and activities. Attendance and participation increased by six per cent compared to 2001-2002; nearly 16,000 children enjoyed programs at the library this year. Some of the program highlights include:

• 2002 Summer Reading Club:  Reading Rocks!

• Win With Reading (in support of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award sponsored by the state of Illinois )

• Annual Teddy Bear Picnic

• Happy Birthday, Dear Author Club

• Jim Gill Concert

• Author Jim Aylesworth Visit

• Milwaukee Zoo Visit

• Magic Show

• Mother Daughter Book Club

• Drop-in Craft Days

• Reading Patch Club

• Drawing Classes

• National Children’s Book Week activities

• 2003 Family Reading Club: There’s Snow Better Time to Read Together

• Clowning and Puppetry Shows

• Books for Holiday Gift-giving Booktalk

• National Library Week activities

• 2003 Summer Reading Club: Lights! Camera! READ!

• Big Ticket Program sponsored by the Daily Herald

The circulation of Children's materials increased in several notable areas: videos (+4%), CDs (+9%), CD-ROMs (+18%), and books (+6%). Over seventy book and audiovisual resources displays were created to make elements of the Children's collections more accessible, and twelve bibliographies were developed to promote various high-interest areas of Children's holdings. A new circulating collection, Children's DVDs, enhanced the audiovisual resources available to young children. Several collection maintenance projects were undertaken to remove old, inaccurate, and damaged materials in the following collections: Juvenile Nonfiction 900s, Easy Readers (fiction and nonfiction), Paperback Picture Books, Board Books, and the Fire Safety Books.

The Children's Reference desk was extraordinarily busy this year, handling nearly 30,000 requests for information, reference, readers' advisory services, and equipment assistance.

Circulation Services

• Check-outs, check-ins and renewals totaled 812,398

• 1,903 new library cards were issued

• 79,831 information transactions were handled by phone or in person 

• $32,752 in fines were collected

• 150 voters were registered at the library

• 39 notary public transactions

 

 

Library Automation and Technical Services

• Replaced/upgraded LAN server and upgrading LAN to Windows XP throughout library , allowing for more powerful, more user-friendly access to resources

• Replaced 35 of the remaining 5-year-old computers with new ones 

• New web-based library catalog installed, providing easier, more effective access via any Internet browser

• Greatly improved library web site and Internet services, increasing usage by 107%

 

 

Library Holdings

 

 

 

Library Usage Highlights

 

Highlights of library usage statistics as compared to the previous year:

• Total circulation is up by 10%

• While VHS video checkouts have increased by 2%, DVD checkouts have increased by 148%

• Music CD checkouts have increased by 9%, including  26% increase in "Gold star" CD checkouts and a 15% increase in Children's CD checkouts

• Circulation of adult books decreased by 3% this year, while circulation of Young Adult books increased by 29% and Children's books by 6%

• Library web site traffic increased by 98%

• Adult program attendance increased by 167%

• Interlibrary loans to other libraries increased by 21%

• Total reference and information transactions increased by 19%, including a 43% increase at the Adult Services reference desk and a 17% increase at the Children's reference desk
  
  

 

Financial Highlights

 

*  Population figure is based on the 2000 Census.  Actual population has 
    increased, but exact figures are not known at this time. 

** Lower tax revenue figures reflect late tax billing for FY03.

   Tax extension for FY03 was up 19.7% over FY02.

 

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