Director’s Blog

Dear Westerville Library Patron,
This year the Westerville Public Library is celebrating 80 years of service to our community. We invite you to support the Library and create a lasting tribute by purchasing an engraved brick for the Library courtyard.

An engraved brick or a large paver can place your name and message in stone, celebrate a holiday or important event, and be given as a gift. This is a unique opportunity to extend Father`s Day wishes, applaud a graduate, congratulate newlyweds and more. Interested? More details can be found on the Westerville Library’s Foundation page.

The sale of the engraved bricks contributes to our mission: helping to provide for the current needs of the Library during this time of reduced funding, while building a strong foundation for another 80 years and beyond.

We hope you will attend the Library`s 80th Anniversary Reception, Saturday, Aug. 21. Music in the atrium and a magic show will begin at 1pm, with the unveiling of the newly engraved bricks at 2pm. Enjoy cake and a peek at pictures of the Library through the years, too. Orders placed by July 7 will be part of the unveiling.

Thank you in advance for your continuing support of our community treasure!

Don

Congratulations to the Board and Library Staff! Library rankings have been released for 2010 and once again, the Westerville Public Library is ranked among the country’s Best Public Libraries in the Hennen Library Rankings Index.  The 2010 Edition rates 7,930 public libraries in the United States using the latest federal data.   Libraries are rated, scored and ranked on 15 input and output measures. The Westerville Public Library is ranked 8th among libraries in the 50,000-100,000 population range. This is the 7th time in 10 years that the Westerville has ranked in the top ten and the 12th consecutive year that Westerville has ranked above the 90th percentile, or in the top 10% of all libraries in the US. Again, congratulations to the Library Board, our staff and most importantly congratulations to the citizens of the Westerville Public Library District. Don

Another record year for the Westerville Public Library! I want to give my thanks to a great staff and Library Board. Their energies and dedication have made the library successful through a very difficult financial year! I also want to give a special thanks to the citizens of the library district for their continuing support and library patronage. You make the difference!

For all of the 2009 highlights, check out our Annual Report!

As many of you know, I have investigated the Executive Director opening in Lexington, Kentucky.

You are also probably aware that I was not offered the position in Lexington. It is
certainly one decision I am glad I did not have to make. While I love Kentucky, it became
increasingly clear to me that I love Westerville just as much. I cannot overly express my
appreciation to all of you for your understanding and patience throughout this process. Your
encouragement and support has meant a lot to Elaine and me.

As I went through the interview process in Lexington and had the opportunity to talk with staff,
customers, and the Board, it was apparent to me how fortunate we are in Westerville to have such a quality staff and Library Board that are always engaged and dedicated to quality customer service.

That is more rare than most of us realize.  I am excited about the reality of finishing my career at one of America’s finest libraries in one our nation’s finest communities.  Again thank you for your understanding and support!

Don W. Barlow

Director

I want to take this opportunity to once again express the library staff’s appreciation to our customers!  The Westerville Public Library weathered the storm of drastic budget cuts from the decline of over 32% in state revenue. Thanks to you, we did not experience the 52% cut originally targeted at Ohio Libraries.  In one 48 hour period, over 36,000 of our customers contacted our legislator and the Governor’s Office to protest the draconian cuts, resulting in 20% of those cuts being restored.  THANK YOU!

We appreciate your patience and understanding, as the library had to close on Sundays to meet the challenges of losing nearly $900,000 in revenue.  We are committed to re-opening Sundays and even expanding those hours as soon as our budget permits.  Enough of the bad stuff!

In 2009, your library continued to grow in unprecedented fashion. The Westerville Public Library continues to be the fourth busiest library facility in Ohio and one of the busiest in the United States circulating over 2,199,000 items in 2009. Over 72,000 items were borrowed or loaned to other libraries throughout the state, through OhioLInk, SearchOhio and Library Link.

36,786 people attended the 1,492 programs held at the library, or offsite or at one of the 26 school locations in Westerville.  357,745 items were picked up at our DRIVE-UP window/Reserve Room.  WOW!

All of this was accomplished with 13 less staff members than in 2008!  I cannot overly express my appreciation and deepest respect for each and every staff member.  They accepted the challenges before us and met those challenges each and every day. They did so with enthusiasm and a determination and dedication that can only be admired.  The people of Westerville are very proud and grateful to have such dedicated public servants.  I am truly blessed to call them my colleagues!

Thank You Westerville for yet another Outstanding and record breaking year!

Don W. Barlow

Director

Interested in avoiding long lines during peak hours? Want to check out all of your items in one location? Tired of making the long trip down the hallway to our Reserve Room? We have a solution for you!

When reserving items in our online catalog, simply choose “Self-Serve Reserve” as your pickup location, and your items will be placed on our new reserve shelving around the corner from the Circulation Desk (in the library’s atrium.)

Once you’re ready to check out, simply stop at the Self-Serve Reserve shelves, find the items with your name on them and proceed to the self-checkout machines. Our self-checkout machines are fast and easy, which means more time to browse and less time standing in line!

Don’t have time to stop in the library? No problem! Simply choose “Drive-Up Reserve” when reserving items in our online catalog and your item will be placed at the library’s drive-up window on the north side of the building. Yes, it’s that easy!

Questions? Feel free to contact us!

Due to the recent $84.3 million cut in state funding for libraries, the Library budget must be reduced by an additional 11%, an overall 32% reduction so far this year. After much consideration, the Library Board of Trustees has approved the following measures to reduce the budget by an additional $900,000 total.

Reductions and cuts will include:

• Close Sunday Hours Effective August 9. Sunday is the most expensive day to operate. With staffing reduced, closing Sundays will provide staff needed for the remainder of the week.
• Reduce Personnel Expenses. Continue the hiring freeze which has reduced staff by 11 so far this year. No salary increases for staff will be given. Reductions in health care costs for staff are being prepared.
• Cut Maintenance Costs. Cancel cleaning contract. Discontinue meeting room set-ups to allow staff time for janitorial duties. Reduce HVAC servicing.
• Reduce Spending. Cut marketing budget by 60%. Reduce communications budget.  Cut back supplies.
• Reduce Materials Budget. Reduce purchases of books, periodicals, media and electronic databases.

Because the Westerville Public Library is fortunate to receive local levy support, the reductions have made limited impact on services to the public. The Board, administration and staff will strive to maintain these services.

Thank you for your continued support!

Your messages of support for your library helped convince Ohio elected officials to reject the massive cuts that had been proposed.  Thank you for your support.  However, the state budget that passed July 13 cut another 11% out of Ohio’s Public Library Fund.  Added to the 20% drop in funding for libraries the first six months of this year, these new cuts now mean a 31% loss of state funding, with potential for another 4% reduction.

Unfortunately, the Westerville Public Library cannot absorb a 31% reduction in state funding without making some difficult decisions related to maintaining services for our customers.  We are currently finalizing the plans for reductions and cost-saving measures that we will share with you shortly.  The Library Board of Trustees and library staff deeply appreciate your patience and understanding as we address the continuing and unprecedented cuts in funding.

Find out more about how you can help.

Thank you for your emails, calls and letters to the Governor and state legislators!

Your messages of support for your library helped convince Ohio elected officials to reject the massive cuts that had been proposed. The state budget that passed July 13 included additional cuts of $84.3 million to Ohio’s Public Library Fund over the next two years. Although that is not the $227.3 million originally proposed, the cuts that were approved this week, added to the 20% drop in the Public Library Fund the first six months of this year, will result in a 31% loss of state funding.

Unfortunately, the Westerville Public Library cannot absorb a 31% reduction in state funding without making some difficult decisions related to continuing the level of services our customers depend upon. We are currently finalizing the plans for service reductions and other cost-saving measures that we will share with you shortly. The Library Board of Trustees and library staff deeply appreciate your patience and understanding as we move forward in addressing the continuing and unprecedented cuts in funding.

Your continued awareness and powerful support are extremely important to your library. Please voice your need and appreciation of the services and benefits your library provides. Thank you very much for your support.

Please see this article from the Columbus Dispatch and the Ohio Library Council’s website for more information.

On Friday, June 19th, the Governor proposed a cut in the Public Library Fund of $227.3 million in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 as part of his plan to patch the $3.2 billion gap in the state budget that must be filled by June 30th.  This will mean a more than 50% cut in funding for many of Ohio’s public libraries.

This would result in drastic cuts in services, staff and hours of operation. While the state is experiencing an 18% reduction in revenue, the cut would be especially devastating for Ohio’s public libraries. Keep in mind that not a single library closed during the Great Depression.

We are encouraging all of our patrons to contact Ohio legislators and the Governor’s Office on behalf of Ohio libraries before June 30th. Let them know what your library means to you! Contact information is listed below.

Not sure what to write? Check out this sample letter.

Governor Ted Strickland
614-466-3555

Senator Bill Harris, President of the Senate
614-466-8086

Senator David Goodman, 3rd District
614-466-8064

Representative Kevin Bacon, 21st District
614-466-6030

Representative Marian Harris, 19th District
614-466-4847

Representative Nancy Garland, 20th District
614-644-6002

Representative Kris Jordan, 2nd District
614-644-6711

For more information on the budget proposal, please refer to this article from Library Journal, or the Save Ohio Libraries website.