About Us The community we serve…. The majority of our patrons are Decatur City residents, while the second largest Serving the city of Decatur for over 100 years! component live outside the city in Morgan Decatur Public Library….a very brief history County. • First library building completed in 1904 as a Carnegie Library Later….. Decatur City Ordinance Number 443 - adopted December 16 th , 1946 Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Decatur, Alabama, as follows: That there is hereby established by the City of Decatur, Alabama a free public library for the use of the citizens of the city as authorized by Code of Alabama of 1940, Section 285 of Title 55. (current city ordinance section 13-1) • In 1963, the library joined the Wheeler Basin co-op while still distinguished as Decatur Public Library • Current building constructed in 1974 • Separated from the Wheeler Basin co-op in 2008 2
Budget FY 2015 through FY 2020 Increased costs & expenses • Mitigating challenges! Books, Materials, Digital, & Online Resources up 17% • General Expenses up 33% -building maintenance -contents insurance -vehicle insurance -hardware-technology -phone services Income impacts County appropriation & TVA funding Severe drops and fluctuations between both Down 19% overall Downsizing • Eliminated one-third of our work force • Consolidated departments and staff duties • Optimized our service hours 3
What we’ve done Our local residents have busy lives, a variety of information and educational needs, and we are here to meet them! Streamlining Launching Our Operations Meeting New Services Community Demands • Automating paper driven • Improving online • Assessing outcome & impact processes access to library • through regular statistics as well Restructuring behind-the- materials & services surveying scenes tasks • Emphasizing • • Eliminating antiquated practices Utilizing a data-driven decision convenience for model to continually strengthen as well as wasteful steps patrons • patron services Updating techniques & cross • Enhancing the overall • Supporting the early-literacy, training staff end-user experience • educational, technology, Improving efficiency & • Providing quality workflow on the business side information access, and enrichment customer service to the needs for all residents of the as well as our front line community that we • Decatur community from babies to Reducing costs serve pre-K, students of all ages, adults, and seniors. 4
New Services, Convenience, Access! Making Decatur Public Library more convenient and accessible than ever! We migrated 221,809 bibliographic, item, patron, and transaction records to new open source library software and implemented several new features. As a result, patrons can now: • Receive library notices via text or email • Place reserves for materials on our shelves online - library staff will pull them, and notify users when the items are ready for pickup the same day! • Place holds on DVDs for pickup • Reserve on-order titles in advance! • Apply for a library card online! • View your library account online to view checkouts, renew materials, create reading lists, and much more! 5
Get those new books on the shelves! Getting new materials and resources in the hands of the public FASTER! • Automating book, audio book, & DVD ordering • Reducing materials processing by pre-loading multiple catalog records at one time • Cross training staff to check invoices and cataloging accuracy RESULTS • Books, audiobooks, & DVDs are out of the box and on the shelves within 24-48 hours of delivery • We have bestsellers and high demand items before the publishers’ “street date” just as large retail bookstores 6
We moved our entire website as well as email to an upgraded content management system and implemented a much needed domain name change: • Old website address: www.decatur.lib.al.us • Old email address: director@decatur.lib.al.us • New website and email: mydpl.org director@mydpl.org • User friendly interface for patrons & staff • Best of all: IT’S EASY TO REMEMBER!! Offering a wide variety of online resources myDPL.org and information for local residents with active lives. 7
So what IS all the Hoopla? Decatur Public Library’s newest online service! • Over 600,000 titles available • Web or Mobile • You can stream titles instantly through your desktop browser or our mobile app. • If you use our mobile app, you can also download titles to your device for offline playback later, where Wi-Fi may be unavailable. Titles are automatically returned and removed from your device at the end of the lending period. • Works with major streaming TV providers 8
Thanks to a Library Service & Technology Act grant we were able to purchase a second self-checkout kiosk to place near our busy Youth Services area! • Parents no longer have wait in lines to check out materials for their family • Children LOVE the technology & the empowerment to checkout out materials on their own (parents love this too!) • Using RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology, patrons can check out an entire stack of books at one time! Check this out! • Staff are free to provide more qualitative service to patrons needing help with research, technology, and other inquires. No more waiting in line! • The LSTA grant also enabled the purchase of additional RFID pads allowing for faster direct checkout assistance from staff at our Public Services as well as Youth Services desks. 9
Literacy & Dividends for Future Success! Studies have shown that children who read (or are read to) 20 minutes or more per day, consistently score in the 90 percentile or higher on standardized tests and perform better academically. Why? Because they are exposed to over 1,800,000 words per year. Early Literacy Programming FY 2018 Creating a strong foundation for our students… • 88 programs • This year DPL held 14 library tours for • 2,069 attended 735 students who learned about library • 23,950 easy reader books circulated! programs, print & online resources, and most importantly that our services are FREE! • Ongoing materials exchange with teachers • Outreach to parents through PTA events 10
SUMMER What we did this JUNE & JULY 2019 23,461 VISITS TO THE LIBRARY 63 Programs & Events 4,063 people attended 41,448 items borrowed 4,285 reference questions answered! Kids registered for books read DPL’s Summer 12,540 internet sessions Reading Program 9,763 digital downloads 11
Programming!! It’s not just for kids! Readers & Writers Jubilee WWI Veterans Day Program • 21 local authors 100 th anniversary of WWI • • Panel featuring NYT Best-selling authors Linda Howard & Linda • Integrated ceremony honoring the 18 troops Winstead Jones whose families received memorial certificates • 10 workshops focused on the craft and business of writing for from France multiple genres • 130 attended • Local author meet & greet: patrons were able to interact with • authors firsthand Several local officials as well as community leaders participated • 507 attended: we had visitors from across the region including Tennessee, Cullman, Birmingham, Mobile, & Florida! 12
… and more programming! And even more … • Craft of book art folding • Art of Indian Henna • Adult Reading Challenge Book Clubs • Christmas Open House • Family Movie Night Topics & Programs Extravaganzas • Forrest Emory Burleson and Charlie Williams: An Adventure in Friendship and Educational Service • Where There’s a Need: The Spiritualism and Philanthropy of Daisy Nolan, from Old Town to Decatur and Beyond • Morgan County Courthouses • Project Apollo: One of Man’s Greatest Achievements • The Al Keith Band • The Tennessee River and Northwest • The Life and Times of Andrew Jackson • Movie Night & Discussion Panel • James Longstreet: General Lee’s “Old War Horse” • John Dersham’s My Alabama 13
As well as a wide variety of services for adults! 348 63 class computer classes attendees in FY 2018 2,162 adults attended 55 programs in FY 1,163 2018 Adult patrons borrowed 53,428 print patrons received books in FY 2018 20,931 reference free tax help at questions answered DPL in 2019 for our adult patrons through our RSVP in FY 2018! program partners 14
We’re growing! 7% FROM FY 2017 18% DPL FY 2018 REFERENCE QUESTIONS ANSWERED FROM FY 2013 23,817 20,101 114% DPL FY 2019 TITLE RESERVES FROM FY 2013 4,570 2,134 15
… and growing! 204% FROM FY 2013 380% FROM FY 2012 16
We’re everywhere! Connecting with the community outside our doors! DPL Outreach FY 2018 53 Visits To 31 Local organizations Attended by 6,553 people 17
Cultivating partnerships DPL maintains over 51 partnerships throughout the community and engages in continual outreach programs outside our doors. 18
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