(The following is a presentation made to the Acton Board of Selectmen on Monday, October 20, 2008, for an update on the state of the library.)

The Acton Memorial Library Board of Trustees is a body composed of three elected trustees and six corporate trustees. It meets monthly and carries the responsibilities of setting policies and overseeing library operations.

I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Board this evening. It helps create a direct communication link with the Board of Selectmen and provides a public opportunity for the Trustees to briefly provide the Selectmen and townspeople with an overview of our interests and activities. I will focus my comments on new things at the Library, ongoing operations, and needs going forward.

Acton was given the Library building as a memorial to the men from Acton who fought in the Civil War. Over the years, the Library has amassed a large and varied collection of Civil War artifacts and paper memorabilia. Last April the Library opened the long-awaited Civil War exhibit housed in the 1890 section. This exhibit has drawn interest from town citizens, people from out of town and school children. We expect that the information displayed will play an important part in the school curriculum on the Civil War. The exhibition would not have been possible without the aid of funds from the Community Preservation Committee.

We are finding that this exhibition has resulted in an increase of information from families who had Civil War veterans. These contacts frequently lead to more artifacts and letters. If you had not had the opportunity to experience the Civil War exhibit, I would like to extend an invitation to the Board. We can arrange a group tour for the Selectmen or make individual arrangements. Also, I would like to bring your attention to a supplemental CPC finding request for the Civil War Exhibit. We are requesting $14K for an audio station, recording/editing of 16 information tracks, additional lighting, improvement to visuals, and additional signage.

Every year the Library hosts a poetry reading by a nationally known poet. This event has blossomed into an opportunity for high school poets to read their works before a receptive audience. In spring, 2008, more than 800 people heard Pulitzer Prize winner, John Ashbery read during either the evening or the school day events. The group who works on the poetry reading event recently became incorporated and received 501c(3) status.

The library continues to hold art exhibitions in the Meeting Room that were started when the new building opened in 1999. Again, these exhibitions have become popular not only for residents but also for people from nearby towns.

Other library activities include Children's story times, school visits, the summer reading program, computer classes, tours for seniors, archaeology programs and meeting room use. The Library has tried to fulfill its role as a community center for special events. But the main purpose is still one that we carefully put first: a place for life-long learning.

The Trustees also completed the Library's Long Range Plan. This effort was required by the Board of Library Commissioners and gives the Library the ability of applying for state and federal grants. We turned to the community, holding focus sessions and a workshop to complete the plan. This ensured that the Trustees were aware of the needs and service desires of the community. The Trustees and staff are now implementing the goals and objectives of the Long Range Plan.

One of our greatest needs is to address the problem of staffing within the Library. Our staff handles a far greater circulation rate than bigger libraries within the Minuteman system, with far fewer people. The Library staff is experiencing burn-out and becoming overwhelmed by the important work that they cannot do and service is suffering because of it.

I would like to spend a few minutes talking about the Library, how it stands in respect to other communities in the State or the Minuteman Library Network and on the current status of the Library's operations.

In Fiscal Year 2007, the latest figures available, the Library's circulation averaged about 26.3 library materials per resident. This was the THIRD highest circulation of the 35 Minuteman Library Network's communities and 14TH in the state. This circulation figure has been rising every year. For example, in FY 04, the circulation for the year was 435,000 and by FY 08, the yearly circulation has risen to over 594,000.

Nor do we have any signs of that figure decreasing: the circulation in July of this year was almost 59,000, the highest in the Library's history. The circulation number is not the number of people who enter or leave the library: it is the number of Library materials that pass over the checkout desk. And for every item that passes over the checkout desk, there are a multitude of Library functions that must occur, from decisions on what materials to order, ordering them, cataloging and shelving them-in fact, about half the work of a library takes place behind the scenes. Speaking of circulation statistics is only the apex of the staff functions involved. The Library, in FY 07, had the 8th highest workload of all the public libraries in Massachusetts. I would like to invite the Selectmen to be a "Library Assistant for a Day" (or a couple hours) to experience Library operations first hand.

We receive a large amount of support from Acton citizens. We have over 100 citizens of all ages who volunteer in a wide variety of Library functions, providing the equivalent of 1.5 FTE in help. For their service, we are most grateful to our volunteers and we greatly appreciate their commitment. The Library also makes heavy use of senior tax program workers.

Using the increased materials allocations in recent Town budgets, we are working on improving our collections. For example, in 2007, we circulated fewer items that were borrowed from other libraries than we did in 2006 even though our circulation went up over 20,000 items.

I trust that the previously mentioned items provide an understanding of library operations as well as town resident's needs and how they interact with the Library and use their resources.

The ever increasing use is a sign that the Library is a vital Town service and one that is appreciated by so many in the town. It is a service that all of us can and should be proud of.

As a final note, the AML Director, Marcia Rich has asked for 1.75 FTE new people in this year's budget process. We hope that the Selectmen and the Finance Committee will understand the importance of these modest increases to the continued high level of service offered by Acton's Library. The Board of Trustees supports this request and would appreciate your serious consideration.

In closing, I would like to thank you again for the opportunity to address the board and provide a summary of Library activities. It is an opportunity, were it to occur once a year, that can establish a closer communication link and provide a direct interchange of information.

Thank you.

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