Message to the community from Luren
E. Dickinson:
In
researching the history of Shaker Library during our 75th anniversary year, we
have come across many interesting facts about our operations, facilities, and
people who have worked here. Perhaps one of the most striking things we have
noticed is that, despite changing formats and technology, libraries have faced
the same problems over the years.
Courtesy
of Cleveland Public Library’s archivist, we received an annual report from one
of their west side branches that stated “the first thing which strikes a new
comer. . .is the large number of young people that come to the branch. On a busy evening both adult rooms swarm
with boys and girls from 15 to 20 years.
The majority of them have {sic}cards and use {sic}them but as they come
to the library almost every night, there are many evenings when they do not
come for books or for study. They cannot understand why questions of vital
interest to them and their friends cannot be discussed long and loud in the library.”
Were these rowdy teens from the 80s or 90s?
Maybe the 60s or 70s? No, that
report was from 1928!
Funding
was an issue then, too. A librarian complained about an old desk “made up of
odds and ends,” staff turnover and the need for experienced employees, and flat
circulation statistics, all of which sound familiar 85 years later. She also
opined that “dreaming of a new building seems farther away each year and we
must console ourselves with new fresh paint and new furniture.”
Cuyahoga
County public library directors have reached consensus that it is in our mutual
best interests to pursue funding avenues at the state rather than the local
level. The statewide Public Library Fund reached its high water mark in 2008,
and there has been little growth since the early 1990s. Shaker Library will
receive the same amount of state dollars in 2012 and 2013 as we did in 1992 and
1993. Meanwhile, inflation and the state budget have grown by more than 50%!
Nevertheless, we are committed to adapting, not increasing the burden on the
community, while still maintaining the high level of service residents have
come to expect. Shaker’s library tax is
the second lowest among library districts in the county with 3.37% of property
taxes going to the library, which is 36% below the county average!
We
eagerly anticipate more young people at the library during the coming weeks as
we roll out our Summer Reading Program, “Dream Big: Read!” featuring programs
for children, teens, and adults.
Everyone can sign up with our new online registration system beginning June 4
and begin reporting their progress with the touch of a button—even while out of
town! The program continues through August 1. Of course, we welcome those who
wish to report the old-fashioned way -- in person. All of our summer reading programs are generously funded by
Friends of the Shaker Library.
Children
from birth to age 12 can join the children’s summer reading program and visit
the library to collect stickers and prizes. The Teen program, “Own the Night,”
is for youth ages 13-18 and features weekly drawings for gift cards to
GameStop, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, or Starbucks. For every 25 hours of reading reported, teens earn a ticket for
the Grand Prize drawing of a new Kindle Fire. Adults, ages 18 and older, can
also take part in “Dream Big: Read” and will have the chance to win a Kindle
Touch.
The
city Centennial’s Shaker Reads: One Community, One Book continues
throughout the summer. Our librarians will lead a discussion at 7 PM Monday,
June 18 at Woods Branch. I hope you will borrow a copy of Tracy Kidder’s book, Home
Town, and join in a communitywide discussion of what gives a town a sense
of home.