BUILDING AND GROUNDS

General Roofing replaced the flat section across the peak of the roof.

Local mason, Jason Dean, replaced sections of the concrete sidewalk, patched stairs and laid a new walk for the service entrance.

The Board continued to work with Whitford and local engineers to determine the best way to repair the leaks in the terrace, auditorium and cupola.

CHILDREN

Programs included:

·11 school tours (252 people)
·93 preschool story times (1,283 people)
·Six-week summer reading with 23 sessions (1,586 kids)
·6 craft sessions (410 kids)
·4 summer story times (118 people)
·Mr. Beau Clown (145 people )
·Tree Trim and Christmas  party (85 people)

CIRCULATION

The library loaned 124,830 items.  This included:

·36,758 adult books
·42,384 videos/DVDs
·31,201 children’s books
·10,991 cassettes/CDs
·3,044 periodicals
·452 other

COLLECTION

The library owns:

·22,618 adult fiction books (22%)
·40,057 adult nonfiction books (39%)
·19,903 children’s fiction books (19%)
·10,837 children’s nonfiction books (10%)
·2,991 audio (3%)
·3,847 videos/DVDs (4%)
·3,256 other (3%)

GRAND TOTAL OF 103,509

COMPUTER USE

Over 8,000 people used the computer workstations to access online databases and the Internet.

The library offered four computer classes:  Basic Computer and Windows Training, Getting Started with Email, Searching the Internet and the World Wide Web. 136 adults attended 27 classes.

GIFTS

Tax dollars account for less than 25% of the David A. Howe Public Library’s income.  Gifts to the Friends, the general fund and memorials help the library to have a balanced budget.  The largest gifts came from the estates of Doris Young and Ella Shear.  Doris and Tex Young helped to start the Friends of the Library in the 1967.  The American Legion donated $5,000 toward building projects.  The Monday Club donated $3,500 toward the kitchen, books, materials and projects. (See complete list of donors and gifts).

GRANTS

The Manley Memorial Trust donated $12,000 for a microfilm reader/printer system which includes a desktop microfilm scanner, image scan software, personal computer and laser printer.  The digital image enhances the readability of the newspapers on microfilm. Other grants included:

·$2,996 from the sponsor incentive grant,
·$1,600 for Bookshares,
·$844 from e-rate, which subsidizes telecommunications.

LIONS CLUB

The Lions Club members did an extreme makeover of the kitchen, which is used by numerous groups for receptions and teas.  They transformed the room with new oak cabinets, double stainless steel sinks, appliances, electrical wiring, marbled pattern flooring, lighting and a fresh coat of paint.

The Lions continued the annual tradition of the “Fantasy of Lights” on the library lawn.

MEETINGS

PERSONNEL

Full Time:

Mary Jacobs, Director
Lois Bulger, Children’s Librarian
Allison Midgley, Technology Coordinator
Melody Fanton, Principal Clerk
Darlene Sherwood, Senior Clerk

Part Time:

Liz Buchholz, Kevin Clement, Peter DiBiase, Rick Dodd, Ann Giddings, Ursula Gray, Sheila Kalkbrenner, Ann Kemp, Louann Pawlak and Floyd Reynolds

PUBLIC RELATIONS

·Featured in PBS special “Our Town:  Wellsville, NY”
·Book cart drill team
·Radio spots
·Monthly theme book displays
·Bi-monthly tours for 43 people
·Monthly newspaper column in the Wellsville Daily Reporter
·Pennysaver ads
·Promotional giveaways

READING PROGRAM

289 adults participated in the third annual six-week summer program.  The winners of $25 gift certificates to various downtown businesses were Debbie Wright, Betsy Kent, Barbara Savins, Melissa Sahm, Francine Cuykendall and Catherine Anderson.  Participants increased 40% from the previous year.

TECHNOLOGY

All library computers are connected via a partial T –1 line to the main server at the Southern Tier Library System (STLS).  This offers high speed Internet and access to the automated circulation  software, SIRSI Unicorn, which was upgraded this year.

To comply with a Supreme Court ruling, STLS installed Internet filtering software.  The filter blocks visual depictions as specified by the Federal Children’s Internet Protection Act.

In its long-range plan, the library replaces five computers every year.  We installed the new computers in late fall.

TRUSTEES

Donald Comstock, President

Genevra Miller, Vice President

Tom Brown, Treasurer

Penny Canfield, Secretary

VOLUNTEERS

Thirteen volunteers donated 929 hours shelving books and videos, sorting periodicals, mending books and doing a variety of clerical work.  That is a 22% increase over last year.

Louann Pawlak, Coordinator

H. M. Bateman, Ann Brocci, Linda Cook, Liz Heywood, Erland Kailbourne, Lynn Kaufman, Sue Knight, Nancy Lewis, Anne Recio, Bette Robarts, Al Vossler, Judy Winslow

WEBSITE

The website had a total of 23, 735 visits during the year, a 7% increase over 2003.