Director’s Blog

For more than 80 years our mission has been to provide the best services possible. I hope you feel we were successful in doing so in 2012. Thanks to our community’s support, the library was able to reopen on Sundays, purchase many more materials, invest more heavily in electronic books and magazines, and offer more programs than ever before. Our community responded in record numbers.

Last year the library circulated 2,269,798 items, an increase of 17.14%. Over 45,000 people attended programs of all kinds, representing an increase of 25.53%. And, our website had 1.9 million visitors. Thank you for your continued support of one of America’s finest
libraries.

This year, a rejuvenated Youth and Teen area will welcome children. The Activity Center will be enlarged, a permanent Homework Help Center will be added and the Teen Center will receive touch-ups.

In Adult Services, the Technology Center will be renovated with new flooring and lower walls at the computer stations, to improve airflow. Two new Online Conference/Skype stations and a 3D print station will be installed in the department.

Throughout the year we will be replacing outdated HVAC systems with more efficient ones, beginning in early spring with the 1965 and 1979 units.

As we look forward to another outstanding year, we invite you to experience all that your library has to offer.

The old adage “If you’re not moving forward; you’re moving backward” has never been truer than it is in today’s rapidly changing environment. To ensure the library’s continued movement forward, we have been conducting an extensive market analysis, examining who uses the library, how our patrons use the library, and the technology trends that affect future library services.

We are excited about the progress of the study and want to extend our deepest appreciation to the nearly 4,000 residents and stakeholders who contributed to the success of this important study. Our customers and the citizens of Westerville gave their time, energies and talents to provide us a map to the future.

As the lyric of George Harrison states, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Thanks to the input of thousands of residents, we know the road we will be traveling and the destination. We look forward to sharing the results of the study and traveling the road to the future with you.

Summer reading kicked off May 30 and is in full gear. Thousands of children have enrolled in the Dream Big… Read! program. They will read thousands of hours this summer, earning the chance to decorate stars for our library “sky” and receive their choice of a book thanks to sponsorship by the Friends of the Library.

Nearly 500 individuals have registered in the adult version of the program, along with hundreds of our faithful Outreach patrons. All will enjoy reading and chances to win rewards generously donated by many Westerville businesses.

We are deeply grateful to our teen volunteers who donate many hours of their summer vacation to help register children and administer the program. Their generous contribution of time and energy helps make this one of Ohio’s most active and successful summer reading programs.

Your library provides many wonderful programs throughout the year, but none are as important for lifelong learning as your public library’s summer reading program. This introduction to reading at such an early age helps dramatically with early childhood development, preparing children to be ready to learn as they enter school.

So, if you have not done so yet, please enroll your child and help us Dream Big…READ.

On March 4, the library celebrated our re-opening on Sundays. Over 1,000 people came to the library,  with large numbers attending a magic show complete with balloon animals, enjoying music in the atrium and picking up a magnet as a reminder of our new hours. We are excited about our ability to re-open on Sundays and thank you for your support of your library last November.

The library now has the capacity to solve several long overdue facility problems. A comprehensive roof study is underway to address our frequent roof leaks. In addition, we are evaluating the need and cost of replacing the two oldest HVAC systems. The original system was installed in 1955, and the 1981 unit was installed with our first expansion project. A more energy-efficient and cost-effective system will provide significant annual savings for the library.  Finally, we are planning a redesign of our Youth Department to provide a better and more engaging environment for early childhood literacy and development.

These projects and improvements are possible because of our great community support.  We are humbled by our past success and excited about our future.

Thank you, Westerville!

For over 80 years, our mission has been to provide the best services possible to the citizens of the Westerville Public Library district. Your passage of the levy on November 8 allows us to continue that great tradition. We are extremely grateful to you and wish to extend our deepest thanks for your support as we look forward to finding new and innovative ways to serve our community.

Now we are rolling up our sleeves and working to deliver on our promises to you. We are interviewing prospective staff in preparation for reopening on Sundays beginning March 4. Our Sunday hours will be 1-6pm, year round. You can also look forward to many more materials to choose from as we have restored our book budget and increased it by nearly 40%.

As we enter the new year, we reflect on yet another busy year at the library. Once again, our circulation surpassed 2 million items; more than 1.8 million visitors came to our website; we served the library needs of 102,788 cardholders; over 35,000 people attended library programs and our Library Link program delivered nearly 20,000 requested items to students at Westerville schools.

Our library is once again rated one of America’s finest libraries, thanks to your support in 2011. We are humbled by our past success and are excited about our future.

Everyone associated with the library wants to extend their most heartfelt appreciation to our community for yesterday’s election results. Everyday we strive to provide the very best services we can to an outstanding community. These election results reaffirm the community’s appreciation for what we do and the trust you have in us. For that we are truly grateful.

Your trust is something we take very seriously and is why we remain one of the most cost efficient libraries, not only in Ohio, but nationwide. We live in an excellent community, and the Westerville Public Library is just one of our community assets, along with our city government and our great schools. Westerville is indeed a remarkable place in which to live and work.

Make no mistake; Westerville’s standing is because you the dedicated citizen understands the importance of community and investing in our future. We deeply appreciate your continuing support and fully understand our responsibility to you the taxpayer.

For the past 80 years, our mission has been to provide the very best services in the most cost effective manner possible. Your vote today reaffirms our promise to uphold that great tradition. All of us are humbled by your support and pledge our continuing commitment to you.

Thank you so very much!!

Don W. Barlow

Executive Director

Westerville Public Library has once again been recognized nationally as a “Star Library” and awarded a 5-star rating—the highest possible—in the LJ Index of Public Library Service 2011, released yesterday by Library Journal.

The LJ report scored 7,513 public libraries and identified 262 star libraries nationally – with only 85 receiving a five-star ranking.

Scoring is based on 2009 data from Institute of Museum and Library Services that includes library visits, circulation, program attendance and public Internet computer use. The score is also figured according to annual operating expenditures. Our total score is 2nd best in the country, within the range of over $5 million and under $10 million.

What do you think makes the Westerville Library exceptional?

How is the Library Funded?

The Public Library Fund (PLF) is funded with 1.97% of the total tax revenue received by the State of Ohio and divided among the 251 public libraries in Ohio. While the PLF remains our primary source of funding, the amount of revenue it provides continues to fall. State funding of public libraries has decreased by over 22% in the past two years, 40% over the past decade.

In 2010, the PLF provided 51.4% of all revenue received by our Library. The Westerville Public LIbrary tax levy provided 42%.

2010 Revenue:

What are the Library’s expenditures?

2010 Expenses:

What are the proposed State Budget cuts?

Monthly distributions of the Public Library Fund so far this year have shown some growth, but Governor Kasich’s proposed State 2012-2013 biennium budget, reduces PLF revenue by another 5%. As a result, our Library would see an additional loss of about $261,316.00 dollars, over two years.

How will this budget cut affect the library?

This 5% cut is on top of a 40% reduction in State funding since 2000. Over the same time span, the number of items borrowed grew by 26%. The Library has already reduced hours, cut staffing, frozen salaries, reorganized the Library, postponed or cancelled capital improvements. We are currently looking at how best to make up this additional loss of revenue and are considering every option including reducing hours.

What is the Library’s funding outlook?

The Library continues to maintain strict control over expenses, and, in anticipation of further funding reductions, currently has a number of open jobs which it is not filling. Until State revenue stops declining, adequate Library funding remains at risk.

As we see continued growth in usage during these challenging economic times, it is clear that our Public Library is more valuable and relevant to the children and families of Westerville than ever before. We are committed to continuing to provide excellent library service to all residents of Franklin and Delaware County, as required by Ohio Law with reduced funding, but some difficult decisions will have to be made to operate within our budget.

This November 8th is a critical election for the future of the Westerville Public Library!  The 42% reduction in State Funding has had a significant impact on your library.  Since 2007, the library has reduced staff, implemented a salary freeze in 2010, closed on Sundays, drastically reduced our materials budget, and made many other significant reductions in the budget that are not always noticeable to the public.  Without the successful passage of Issue 19, the library would lose 100% of its local funding, which is already the lowest in Franklin County.  In fact, the library would still be the third lowest locally funded in Franklin County even with the successful passage of Issue 19.

I think most of you would agree that the Westerville Public Library is an exceptional library and one of the assets that make Westerville an exceptional place to live and work.  We have done our part in making the Westerville Public Library one of the most cost efficient libraries in Ohio and indeed the nation.  We have been nationally recognized as such!  We have worked very hard to make the necessary reductions while minimizing the impact on the public.

However, we can simply not absorb the loss of our local funding without making draconian cuts in staffing, hours of operation, programs, materials and services that our community needs and expects.  Please help us by supporting Issue 19.  Place a yard sign in your yard to show support, talk to your neighbors about the importance of maintaining a strong library in Westerville.  Most importantly, please vote YES on November 8th. You and our community deserve a quality library!

Thank you for your Consideration and Support!

Don W. Barlow

Director

On Tuesday, November 8, our citizens will be asked to help protect the hub of information, learning and activity for our community – the Westerville Public Library. A replacement levy is needed to ensure that hours, materials and services are brought back to normal levels, after suffering reductions due to continuing cuts in state funding.

The circumstances are dire. The library has endured reductions in state funding since 2007 that total a mind-boggling $1.6 million. Cuts of at least $300,000 are coming over the next two years. Without the levy, the library will lose over 42% of our present operating budget.

We’ve put cost saving measures into place. Making a critical move to conserve costs, the library had to close on Sundays. The library has suffered cuts to staffing, purchase of library materials, maintenance, programs for all ages and more.

How have our patrons responded? Since 2007, circulation has increased by more than 16%. The number of library users has risen by 19%, climbing to over 100,000 registered cardholders.

How have we managed our spending? The library remains one of the most cost efficient libraries in Ohio. Our cost per circulated item is $2.34 – lower than any other Central Ohio library.

What is needed to protect the library from further cuts and to bring back the reduced services? The November issue replaces our .8-mill levy first passed in 2002 and adds 1.2 mills to help balance the budget to meet your needs. This 2-mill levy will cost an additional $3.06 per month, per $100,000 of assessed home value.

The wording Protect Our Library has been selected to represent the call for support on November 8. It is perfect. Without the replacement levy, the library will lose over 42% of our present operating budget, creating even deeper cuts to staffing, library hours and materials. Those services are the heartbeat of our library and are in desperate need of your protection.

The library levy request will be listed as Issue 19.

Please visit the Protect Our Library levy website for details.