Library Director's Report for July 2016

High program attendance, but no circ increase  – Holiday hours recommendation

Circulation

July circulation activity was 4,700.  This is 6.4% higher than last month, but not as much as an increase as we saw last year, being 15.3% lower than July of 2015.

Laptops: 3. Nooks: 4 (the new nooks have been well received).   Games: 27.

Unique Patrons

July 2016: on Aug 8, Upton Library had 2,238 items checked out to 915 unique patrons.

Digital Content Use

Transparent Language: 1 user learning Spanish.

Overdrive: eBook circulation to Upton patrons: 381, eAudio circulations: 220.

Wowbrary:   We have 166 active subscribers to Wowbrary. (-1)

New Patron Registrations:  29 new patrons registered in July.

New Items: We added 433 items to the collection in July.

Passport Applications:  processed in July: 1.

Programs
Library book group: 7 people met on July 27.
Senior book group: 7 people met on July 12.

Thursday storytime 2 sessions, averaged 5 children.
TinyTots lapsit 2 sessions, averaged 5 children.

Library Table: 4 visits, averaged 4 patrons and 10 items.

ESL classes: 1 classes, averaged 2 students.

Friends of the Library – next meeting August 11 at 11am.

Plans for Next Month
1) Rotate summer reading collection back to storage.
2) Two adult author talks / programs.

3) Staff summer vacations – Matthew will be gone from Aug 27 to Sept 4.

Special Events in July

Yoga Fusion July 6 – 13 attendance

Lil Folk Farm July 13 – 147 attendance

Nutrition Magician July 20 – 37 attendance

Pokewalk July 22 – 21 attendance

Wrestler Fitness July 26 – 10 attendance

Elephant and Piggie starring Miss Nicole July 28 – 55 attendance

Upcoming August Events

Stuffed animal sleepover – Aug 2

Tote bag decoration / summer reading finale – Aug 5

Abandoned Asylums author talk (Adult) – Aug 24, 6:30 in Town Hall

Red Cross babysitting class – Aug 26, tuition and registration required.

A Note about Circulation

Circulation was lower in July 16 than I hoped.  Compared to last year, we saw decreases in all categories except for Young Adult books, which increased because of our focus on the highschool summer reading titles.  All other activity measures are up; we had a high number of new patrons, and high attendance at summer reading programs, high usage of museum passes.  The fact that activity did not lead to an increase in circulation is puzzling.  We will continue to watch circulation trends.

Building / Grounds Maintenance

Bathroom renovations – Town Manager and I reviewed the work that needs to be done in the bathrooms.  Due to State law, we will need to follow a bidding and prevailing wage process.  TM suggested funding the project through a special article at the November STM.  We will try to have an accurate project cost to present at the town meeting.

ARIS Report – annual statistics on library services we supply to the MBLC

FY16 report is ready for Trustee approval.  Overall circulation is slightly down from FY15, holdings are slightly up.  No major changes in staffing or services.

Databases / Digital Resource renewals for 2017

We currently offer three local digital resources beyond those provided by the Mass Library System and C/WMARS.  They are due for renewal in the winter.

Newsbank - $655 per year.  Transparent Language (was BYKI) - $1,600 per year.  Universal Class - $1,350 per year.  I recommend renewal of Newsbank and Trans. Lang.  We should discuss the cost vs merits of Universal Class.

E-Commerce Funds

Through C/WMARS, patrons can pay bills and lost items online from home.  These funds are held by C/WMARS on behalf of the libraries, and we need to instruct them how to disburse the funds. 

We can either have them send us a check, or we can instruct C/WMARS to purchase general use ebooks with the funds.

Currently, our balance is $832.15.  We typically get $10-$50 per month as patrons make payments.  I recommend we instruct C/WMARS to use these funds for overdrive ebook content.

Holiday Hours FY2017

I am recommending the following holiday closings for FY17:

November 11, Friday              Closed for Veteran’s Day

November 23, Weds              Close early at 3pm for Thanksgiving eve.

November 24, Thurs               Closed for Thanksgiving

November 25, Friday              Closed for Day after Thanksgiving – unpaid holiday

December 24, Sat                    Closed for Christmas Eve / Christmas

December 31, Sat                    Closed for New Years Eve / New Years Day

July 4, Tuesday                       Closed for Independence Day