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BULLETIN
October - December 1999- Diane J. Chrisman Named B&ECPL Director
- Public Invited to Express Views on Library's Future
- 2000 Budget Means More, Better Service
- B&ECPL Marks Technology Services Milestones
- Grand Island Memorial Library Marks 10th Anniversary
- Board Approves Contract Library Construction Requests
- Card Catalog Sale Marks End of an Era
- Technology Training Get High Marks
- Milestones of Science Video Unveiled
- B&ECPL Well Represented at 1999 New York Library Association Conference in Buffalo
- Reception/Book-Signing Celebrates Publication of Victorian Buffalo: Images from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
- Newsworthy
Diane J. Chrisman Named B&ECPL Director
On December 30, the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo &
Erie County Public Library announced the appointment of Diane J. Chrisman
as the Library's new director. Chrisman had served as interim director since former
director Daniel L. Walters departed to accept the post of Executive
Director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library System in November 1998. Her appointment
takes effect January 3rd.
During Chrisman's tenure as interim director B&ECPL launched its World Wide Web site, introduced Internet access to all of its 52 locations and tackled a number of daunting tasks associated with the Library's strategic planning efforts. B&ECPL Chair Rebecca L. Mahoney said, "This is a critical moment in the history of our library system. Diane Chrisman brings stability, continuity and integrity to the most delicate phase of our planning process. Her tact, intelligence and common sense will be considerable assets as we strive to articulate our planning objectives and secure the understanding and endorsement of the community."
Chrisman's selection follows a fourteen-month national search conducted by the library recruitment firm of Dubberly Associates of Atlanta, GA under the close supervision of the Library Board. In November, six semi-finalists visited Buffalo, toured the system and interviewed with the Board. Two finalists, Chrisman and David Karre of the Four County Library System, appeared in a public forum on December 9th. Each made a brief presentation and responded to questions and comments from the audience.
Mahoney stated: "Every candidate we considered - from within our own staff and from around the country - is a professional of outstanding caliber; however, Ms. Chrisman's credentials and her performance as interim director make her the Board's overwhelming choice. We are confident that we have a first-rate director to lead this Library into the twenty-first century."
Chrisman will be the fifth director since B&ECPL's incorporation as a county-wide system in 1954, and the first woman to lead the library since its original formation more than 163 years ago. Today, with an annual operating budget of $30 million, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library includes a major central library, mobile and outreach services and 52 locations across a 1000 square-mile county, circulating 8.5 million items per year to a regional population of 950,000.
Chrisman is a native Western New Yorker, currently residing in Orchard Park. Prior to her appointment as interim director she held the senior administrative post of Deputy Director of Public and Support Services. Previously, she served as B&ECPL's Coordinator of Work with Children and held management positions in B&ECPL's Order Department, Young Adult Department and Branch Division. She is active in local community organizations, including Buffalo Sunrise Rotary, Zonta Club of Buffalo and Working for Downtown. She is a member of the American Library Association, the Public Library Association and the New York Library Association and has chaired or served as a member of many professional committees. She received her BA in Liberal Arts from the University of Vermont and her MS in Library Science from Simmons College.
During the public forum on December 9th, Chrisman expressed her commitment to the Library and to its planning efforts. "These are exciting times for the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library," she said. "I want to complete the work we have just begun. The tasks are challenging, but the opportunities are limitless."
Public Invited to Express Views on Library's Future
Board Announces Community Meetings to Discuss
Strategic Planning Report
The Board of Trustees of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library invites the public
to express its opinions on the strategic planning report developed by the consulting firm
of Aaron Cohen Associates. Since the delivery of the report at the end of
1998, B&ECPL has been analyzing its contents and developing a work plan to determine
the feasibility and suitability of key recommendations. Among those recommendations are
fewer, better libraries; a regional approach to organization and service; heightened
emphasis on innovative children's programs; and seamless, quality library services not
constrained by municipal boundaries.
Even as the Board proceeded with its review of the planning report, it was conducting a recruitment program to secure a director to succeed B&ECPL Director Daniel L. Walters, who resigned in November 1998 to accept a position in Las Vegas, NV. With the permanent appointment of Diane J. Chrisman on December 30th, the Board is prepared to embark on a series of 22 public meetings designed to solicit feedback on the proposed strategic plan.
B&ECPL Chair Rebecca L. Mahoney said, "We've had preliminary discussions about these proposals with public officials and community leaders over the past several months. Now we're bringing this to the most important audience of all - the general public. We promised we would not adopt our plan until we had given the community an opportunity to express itself, and that opportunity begins in January."
The full schedule of meetings appears at right. The Library invites the public to attend whichever sessions are most convenient. Meetings have been scheduled in nearly every part of Buffalo and Erie County, with an emphasis on locations where the planning report recommends changes in facilities or services.
Each session will include a brief presentation of the highlights of the report followed by a period for questions and answers. Copies of the plan are available for examination at every public library in Erie County and on the B&ECPL web site.
2000 Budget Means More, Better Service
Characterizing it as, "the best budget in years,"
B&ECPL Chair Rebecca L. Mahoney expressed her thanks to departing
County Executive Dennis T. Gorski and to members of the Erie
County Legislature for a 2000 library operating budget of $29.9 million - 3.8%
more than the 1999 operating budget.
"This budget allows us to sustain every service and every position included in the 1999 budget," Ms. Mahoney exclaimed, "and it contains some added benefits that will mean better service to the people of Buffalo and Erie County. Focus groups and surveys have told us that residents want more new books and access to a wider array of media and electronic resources. This budget will put those resources in the hands of the taxpayers who have requested them. We couldn't be happier."
Year 2000 benefits include a $515,000 boost in the materials budget, which will enable libraries to purchase many more books, CDs, videos and system-wide electronic resources. The funds will allow an across-the-board increase of 5% in every library's purchasing power; $50,000 to supplement popular reading collections; and $136,000 for competitive grants to encourage collection development pro-jects that benefit the entire system or regional clusters of libraries working collab-oratively.
A separate appropriation of $212,000 will replace an early 1970s vintage bookmobile, which translates into improved services to areas that have no stationary libraries to serve them. An additional $300,000 will fund needed repairs at the Central Library on Lafayette Square.
The 2000 budget also includes supplemental funding for the new Clarence Public Library,
scheduled to open late in 2000, and transitional funds for the new Collins Library, also
slated to open before the end of the year.
North Collins Library Opens. On Saturday, October 23rd, the North Collins Public
Library celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting and reception. Shown above,
left to right, are North Collins Library trustees Tom Mudra and Marian Vanni,
B&ECPL Director Diane J. Chrisman, North Collins Supervisor Thomas
O’Boyle, Erie County Legislator Frederick J. Marshall and B&ECPL Chair
Rebecca L. Mahoney.
B&ECPL Marks Technology Services Milestones
With the installation of equipment and software at the Lake
Shore Branch of the Hamburg Public Library in early November, all 52 B&ECPL locations
now provide network access to the online public access catalog (OPAC), to the Internet and
to an array of Microsoft applications that enable patrons to do word processing,
spreadsheets, presentations and much more. Roll-out at Central will continue into 2000,
but as 1999 closed, every branch and contract library could offer the public a consistent
level of state-of-the-art technology services scarcely imagined only a year ago.
On November 12th, the library's World Wide Web site registered its 250,000th visitor. Since the debut of the site in the final days of 1998, one quarter of a million people from Western New York and around the globe have visited B&ECPL digitally.
Naturally, Erie County residents aren't the only ones who have found much to applaud in B&ECPL's web site. Recently, a phone call from the Cleveland Public Library extolled the virtues of the online training information available on the site. As Cleveland Public Library contemplates how it will deliver comparable services to its customers, it has been investigating similar sites across the USA and considers B&ECPL's among the best it has found.
On examining B&ECPL's site during the fall 1999 NYLA conference, visitors from the Steele Memorial Library of Elmira asked if they could emulate B&ECPL's model as they develop a comparable training center of their own.
Periodic e-mail messages indicate that the general public continues to be impressed. Digital visitors from around the world are finding B&ECPL's home page on the Internet a refreshing and rewarding stop on the Information Superhighway.
Grand Island Memorial Library Marks 10th Anniversary
The Grand Island Memorial Library was the place to be on
Saturday, October 23rd, as both children and adults gathered to enjoy tours, games,
storytelling, food and more. The special event was held in recognition of the library's
10th anniversary at its present location on Bedell Road in Veterans Park.
A short ceremony and a colorful account of the library's history opened the celebration. Library staff provided tours of the facility, including recently introduced PC workstations where patrons can peruse the on-line catalog, surf the Net or use an assortment of productivity applications from word processing to spreadsheets.
The party was topped off with cake and refreshments as guests toasted the library for its successes in the past decade. B&ECPL Chair Rebecca Mahoney and Director Diane J. Chrisman joined Legislature Chairman Charles M. Swanick in extending congratulations to Grand Island trustees and staff for ten years of exemplary service to their community.
The successful celebration was made possible thanks to area businesses, including Occidental Chemical and Tops Friendly Markets.
Board Approves Contract Library Construction Requests
By a unanimous vote on November 18th, the Buffalo & Erie
County Public Library Board of Trustees approved a request from the Denio Memorial Library
to construct a 7,600-square-foot library to replace the town's current facility in the
Village of Akron. The existing library, which serves the Town of Newstead, opened to the
public in 1940 in a John Street building that dates back to 1917.
"This is really very exciting," Sally B. Stapleton, president of the Akron library board, told Buffalo News reporter Charity Vogel. "We're going to focus on technology and on our children's collections. Fully 50 percent of our circulation now is to children."
The construction project received a major shot in the arm in 1998 when US Representative Bill Paxon pledged $1 million in federal funds before he retired from Congress. Although total construction costs are not firm yet, the new library is expected to cost approximately $2.4 million, Stapleton said.
The Town of Newstead is responsible for funding the construction of the new building, just as local municipalities have for comparable projects elsewhere in Erie County. B&ECPL Director Diane J. Chrisman said, "The local library board is poised to raise funds to buy more books, materials, furniture, and other necessities for the new library; however, the Library System is prepared to petition the County Legislature on the town's behalf for money to help finance the opening-day collection.
On October 21st, the Board approved a request from the Town of Collins to construct a new 8,000 square-foot library to replace its cramped quarters in the basement of the Collins town hall. Additional funds required to support the operation of the expanded facility will be derived, in part, from a transfer of Erie County funds from the Gowanda Free Library, which is situated in Cattaraugus County. Funds not required for operating costs of the new library in 2000 will be allocated to opening day expenses.
Fund raising and other developments proceed in the Town of Clarence, where a new library is expected to open by the end of 2000.
GIVING TO A GOOD CAUSE...
Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Dennis Gabryszak presents a check in the amount of
$250, raised at the Supervisor’s annual summer picnic, to the Julia Boyer Reinstein
Library. From left: Julia Boyer Reinstein librarian John Nowak, B&ECPL Chair Rebecca
Mahoney, and Dennis Gabryszak.
Card Catalog Sale Marks End of an Era
Public Enjoys Opportunity to Own a Piece of History
On Saturday December 18th, a public auction to liquidate approximately 130 used card
catalog cabinets took place at the Central Library.
With the arrival of the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library was looking for new owners for its used card catalog inventory. The units varied in age, size and number of drawers. Many were constructed of oak, maple, or other hardwoods, a few of metal.
Auctioneer Kim Bronstein of the Bronstein Group, the firm that has handled Erie County surplus auctions in recent years, offered interested buyers the opportunity to bid on some individual units and on quantities.
The cabinets provide unique storage for notions, fishing tackle, trading cards, recipe files, hardware, miniatures, audiocassettes... and a variety of other items!
The sale earned B&ECPL nearly $9,000.
Technology Training Gets High Marks
The second series of public training sessions concluded in
November with high marks from the participants: 3.8+ on a 4-point rating scale. Booked to
capacity weeks in advance, classes in Computer Basics, Word, and Internet Searching
attracted 288 persons during the Fall series for a total of 663 persons trained since the
debut of the Central Library Training Lab in May of this year. So far, technology training
has attracted a cross-section of adults, about 55% of whom were "seniors" (55+
in age); women participants (53%) only slightly outnumbered the men. The next session is
set to start January 18-22 and will include a new module entitled "BEACON and
Beyond" featuring some of the Library's online databases.
Milestones of Science Video Unveiled
Legislature Chairman Charles M. Swanick,
Majority Leader Crystal Peoples, trustees of the Library, the Library
Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation attended the premier of a 30-minute
"Milestones of Science" video on November 8th. Frank Frost of
Frank Frost Productions and Robert Aubry Davis of RADMAN Productions were
on hand to demonstrate the audio and web site projects, both of which are currently in
development. Trustee Emeritus Roland Benzow was honored for his many
contributions to the Library and the Library Foundation, especially for his key role in
negotiating the Milestones agreement with the Museum of Science.
B&ECPL Well Represented at 1999 New York Library Association Conference in Buffalo
Many B&ECPL professional staff presented or attended
programs at the NYLA conference held in Buffalo, October 27-31. From electronic service
questions (evaluation, filtering, statistics compilation, Internet policy, etc.) to
broader concerns related to the future structure and funding of public library systems,
the conference provided a catalyst for discussion about a wide spectrum of important
issues.
Hats off to Linda Perkins and Bev Federspiel who coordinated volunteers (including many B&ECPL librarians) who staffed the Local Arrangements Table. Also deserving recognition are the staff who planned programs and participated as panelists: Pat Monahan and Cynthia Van Ness (Special Collections), Cynthia Hayes (BS&T), Dawn Stanton (Graphics Department), and Rich Peters (Amherst) and the staff who provided tours of Central including Pat Blackett, Betsey Higgins, David Pfeiffer, Jennifer Childs and Elaine Kopecky.
Some attendees learned on-camera interview techniques at WGRZ-TV as part of a Public Awareness Committee program entitled, "Lights! Camera! Action!" coordinated by Assistant Deputy Director Michael Mahaney. Weekend anchor Mike Corbin posed a variety of questions designed to test the reactions and responses of library professionals who haven't had formal media training but might have to deal with the media on the job.
The Ram Van was a popular attraction at the Conference. More than 200 attendees toured the vehicle and were impressed with the outreach services provided. At the Ethnic Services Round Table, the Department of Extension Services presented an exhibit that showcased B&ECPL's multicultural and outreach services.
The Library also hosted a number of leadership meetings, including the Public Library
System Directors Organization (PULISDO), the Central Library Directors and the Childrens'
Services Coordinators.
B&ECPL business librarian David E. Pfeiffer, center, tours the Central
Library’s closed stacks with guests representing libraries from across New York
State.
Reception / Book-signing Celebrates Publication of Victorian
Buffalo: Images from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
In the Central Library's Mason O. Damon Auditorium on October
28th, Cynthia Van Ness (Special Collections librarian and local history
buff) addressed a gathering of friends, staff and patrons who had come to celebrate the
publication of her book on nineteenth century Buffalo, which utilizes steel engravings,
woodcuts, and lithographic images from the Library's collection. Although the book
includes a few of Buffalo's surviving "architectural superstars," the focus is
on ordinary, everyday buildings and scenes from Buffalo's past. B&ECPL trustees had an
opportunity to examine the publication at the October Board meeting, and several placed
orders for autographed copies. Easily recognized by its distinctive cover illustration of
the old Buffalo Public Library, the softcover book is available for $12.95 in local
bookstores.
On
November 19th and 20th, beloved American children’s book author and illustrator, Steven
Kellogg, visited the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library in celebration of
National Children’s Book Week. Shown above with B&ECPL Director Diane J.
Chrisman and 7-year-old grand-nephew Matthew LeFauve, Kellogg autographed
hundreds of books for children and their parents after each of three presentations. The
free lectures were made possible by The Library Foundation of Buffalo & Erie
County, Inc. through a grant from the Patricia H. Garman Charitable Lead Trust.
Newsworthy
Sharon Holley, (Branch Division/Urban
Services,) is one of four representatives from Buffalo who attended the first meeting of
the Freedom Trail Commission in Albany on November 1st. At the session, commissioners
reviewed the study done by the Schomburg Library on ways to introduce the Freedom Trail in
New York State for tourism, education, research, preservation and development.
Mary Schiffauer (Learning Center) was interviewed by Douglas Usiak of the Independent Living Center for broadcast on the Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service Program in December. The 5-minute spot that showcases library services available for persons with disabilities also will air on WXRL/AM and WECK/AM.
Broadcast live on December 7th, Adelphia Cable's hour-long public affairs program, Speak UP! included librarian Chris Moesch (Children's Department) as one of its panelists. The focus of the show was the controversy surrounding one parent's objection to the reading of the popular Harry Potter books in a local school. Mrs. Moesch very effectively articulated the importance of the parent, the educator, and the public librarian (and the different roles each plays) in nurturing a child's interest in reading.
In addition, Mrs. Moesch and the Central Library's successful Club Kaboom program are featured in Talk It Up! Book Discussion Programs for Young People, an upcoming publication of the New York Library Association (NYLA).
Irwin Pastor, President, CEO of Pepsi-Cola Buffalo Bottling Corp. has donated 78 copies of Before the Blade: the Complete Story of Buffalo's First Professional Hockey Team, Buffalo Bisons, written by Buffalo author Tim Warchocki. Every library in the System benefited from this generous gift of the long-time owner of the Buffalo Bisons.
Random House, one of the many vendors represented at the 1999 NYLA Conference in Buffalo, donated all material not sold to conference attendees to B&ECPL. Among the most significant items donated is an autographed copy of the current best selling novel about Buffalo and the Pan-American Exposition, City of Light by Lauren Belfer.
Bemoaning the lack of an accessible forum for local authors, B&ECPL retiree Gay Baines and friend Mary Ann Eichelberger have founded July Literary Press, a small publishing company that has produced its first book, "Storms," which includes their short stories and poetry, some of which had already appeared in The Buffalo News poetry page and in other publications.
Each year as the snow begins to fly, we pause to express our gratitude to B&ECPL's award-winning gardener Tim Tuminno and to those whose generosity enable him to acquire seeds, bulbs and other supplies to make the Central Library landscaping so beautiful. This year's donors include: Kathryn Vedder (Foundation), Mary Mogilski (Processing), Jim Cottrell (Catalog), Marie Stetz (Maintenance), Joe Cich (Maintenance), Cathy Cich (C-Cat), Michael Miechowski (Security), Sue Pirson (14th floor Rand Building), Adam Hellmann (Boiler Room), Sarah Martin (Stacks).
On December 1st, B&ECPL's Coordinator of Work with Children, Linda Perkins, presented a workshop entitled "If You Feed Them, They Will Attend!" featuring Sharon Holley (Extension Services), Gwen Kistner (Audubon) and Donna Locker (JBR) as presenters. Co-sponsored by B&ECPL and the NIOGA Library System, the session was held at the North Tonawanda Public Library.
On October 20th, the Lackawanna Public Library presented a Halloween program entitled "Scary Stories Told in the Cemetery." The evening featured storytelling by Mickey Szymanski and Lackawanna Library Director Sal Bordonaro, followed by refreshments in the museum. Prior to the program attendees gathered in Howard's Cemetery behind the library to hear the story of why the cemetery is located on library property. As an added attraction a hearse from the Ray O'Connell Funeral Home made an appearance in the parking lot. Seventy-three participants had a great time at this popular program, which is becoming an annual Halloween event in Lackawanna.
Eric Pearlstein, the principal of Boston Valley Elementary School in Hamburg, made a deal with students that for every page they read, he would walk one foot. When the pages were tallied, Principal Pearlstein had to walk 18.3 miles - so he has decided to hike from Hamburg to the Central Library in downtown Buffalo. He started his trek on October 12th and arrived at Central on the l3th - just in time to greet two busloads of 4th and 5th graders who had enjoyed a field trip to the Buffalo Philharmonic. Upon their arrival the students were treated to tours of the library and an opportunity to check out some materials before they boarded their buses for the trip home.
Hennen's American Public Library Rating Index has ranked the Amherst Public Library 12th among 312 facilities serving a population of 100,000 to 250,000. Congratulations to Director Mary Bobinski and to the staff and volunteers who have worked so hard to earn this recognition!
Librarian Jack Edson (Hamburg) has been made a life member of the Hamburg Historical Society in recognition of work he has done for the society, including creating HHS displays for the Erie County Fair for the past nine years.
At its final session of 1999 the Erie County Legislature
unanimously adopted the Library Protection Act for another one-year term.
We thank the Legislature for its continued support and look forward to further successful
collaborations in the year ahead.
October - December 1999