Ela Area Public Library District · Ela Area Public Library _____ Annual Report 2017-2018 3 Administration Matt Womack – Executive Director 2017-2018 was a terrific year. It included

Ela Area

Public Library District

Annual Report

2017-2018

Ela Area Public Library _____________________________ Annual Report 2017-2018

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Matt Womack / Executive Director

Erica Christianson / Assistant Director

Kevin Medows / Assistant Director of Discovery & Technology

Anne Belden / Adult Reference Department Head

Natalie Ziarnik / Children’s Department Head

Patti Paige / Circulation Department Head

John Carranza / Facilities Department Head

Christy Wagner / Outreach Department Head

Christen Wiser / Popular Materials Department Head

Valerie Stern / Public Information Department Head


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Administration

Matt Womack – Executive Director

2017-2018 was a terrific year. It included strategy, technology, service improvements, new

collections & classes, and exhibits.

Major Projects

The big projects this year were completing a new strategic plan, conducting a renovation to the

Children’s program room, and managing a migration to a new catalog.

The first of the main projects was the strategic plan. Among its highlights were an updated

mission statement, a refined list our core values, and the four pillars along which we organize our

annual goals.

Share the joy of discovery.

Fostering Curiosity

Promoting Innovation

Empowerment through inclusivity

Working in Collaboration Deliver enriching In-library experiences Provide world-class virtual services Engage our community Work together as a team

The second main project for 2017-2018 was the implementation of a new catalog. The Ela

Library is part of a 24-member resource-sharing consortium called CCS (Cooperative Computer

Services). You have probably seen items from nearby libraries listed this shared catalog.


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After an extensive review of options, the consortium voted in early 2017 to move to a new

software platform. We completed the migration in April 2018. We’re already enjoying its

features, like better usability on mobile devices, and are eager to use this platform to help

provide you with better services and greater access to digital collections in the near future.

The third of the big projects for 2018 was a renovation in the children’s program room.

Thousands of kids enjoy this room each year during story time, crafts, educational programs, and

fun events. We hadn’t remodeled it since our building first opened in 2002. It needed a facelift.

We created a re-designed space that has a similar look and feel to the main children’s area, but

with special features to help make programs engaging and efficient. We also improved lighting

in a few areas and added a new feature to the entrance of the Children’s department.


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Other Notable Activities

During August and September of 2017, we hosted a photographic exhibit titled “On the Trail of

the Monarch Butterfly.” It told the story of this amazing creature’s 3,700 mile annual journey.

We were able to feature this exhibit in the entrance area to the Children’s department.

During our strategic planning work, we realized that we needed to provide better assistance to

Spanish language speakers who visit us. Though we still have room to improve, we did make

some progress during 2018. We began to host regular Spanish story times. We also conducted

Spanish language instruction for staff to learn helpful phrases and conduct basic communication

in Spanish. Later in the year we developed a recruiting plan for hiring Spanish speakers at our

public service desks. We aim to have more Spanish speaking staff in the near future.

2017-2018 was a big year for our capabilities in virtual reality (VR). We launched Samsung Gear

VR equipment, a Google Expedition classroom suite of VR hardware, and began creating VR

content using a special VR camera. We included several classes and programs to inform and

encourage people to try this new technology.

We started a new podcast called Three Books. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out. It’s

essentially a radio show where our librarians and a guest talk about their 3 favorite books.


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Erica Christianson – Assistant Director

Eclipse Day – A Team Effort A major highlight of the year was the eclipse event. Staff realizing that this was going to be a

much bigger program than previously anticipated, collectively planned and strategized. When the

big day arrived, we were prepared and from the small details to the large, everyone worked hard

to insure that the event went as smoothly as possible. The day illustrated how truly well we work

together as a team.

ESL Tours & Conversation Café Our partnership with the District 120 Adult Education Department to offer weekly English as a

Second Language classes continued. In addition to providing a space for and promoting the

classes, we provide Library tours and instruction for the students. In April, a Conversation Café,

organized by the Library’s Outreach Department with assistance from our ESL teachers, was

held. The Café provides an opportunity for English language learners to meet in an informal

setting to practice speaking. This year we had 58 people in attendance.

Deliver Enriching In-Library Experiences GOAL: Hire Spanish speaking staff

In November, our new Security Monitor, Christian Lopez, started in his role and began

training. Christian, a fluent Spanish speaker, brings his friendly and open demeanor to his

work helping to maintain an appropriate atmosphere at the Library.

Work Together As A Team

GOAL: Develop Spanish Language Skills Among Staff

A FUNctional Spanish class for staff launched over the winter. Developed in conjunction

with the College of Lake County, the blended learning environment focused on staff

becoming functional rather than fluent speakers.

The goals of the program were for staff to:

Gain library transaction focused Spanish language skills

Feel confident in using patrons’ language of origin

Enhance their understanding and appreciation of patrons’ cultures

Empowered and engaged, many of the seventeen participants elected to continue meeting

weekly for conversation, accountability, and sharing of ideas.

GOAL: Foster Staff Development Opportunities

Over 3,300 hours of training time was completed which included new staff training, content

specific webinars such as “Social Media Analytics: What to Measure & Why”, conferences,

procedure review sessions, and team building events.


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A focus for the year was highlighting community partners, which we did during staff meetings

and training days. In November, seventeen staff members were able to tour and learn more about

Mt. St. Joe’s facility. It was a unique opportunity for staff to get to know some of our very

special patrons and an organization that has been a Library Outreach Department site for over

twenty-five years.

Staff Development Committee

Melissa Keegan took over from Terri Meyer in May as the co-coordinator of the Staff

Development Committee. Highlights of the year included:

o Staff Discovery Day: Teambuilding - October’s Discovery Day included trips to

Feed My Starving Children & Bernie’s Books (community partner).

o Staff Discovery Day: Polaris (March) The primary focus of the day was Polaris

training. We also managed to squeeze an intro to the new staff culture statement, a

chance to explore all areas of the Library with a “count your steps” walking map

of the building, an opportunity to participate in the Library League project for

March, and a Forge craft project. This was the largest staff training day on record

with a final count of 81 staff participating.

o Fall, Winter, & Spring Staff Meetings focused on community partners &

resources which included A Safe Place (domestic violence), Rimland (services for

people with autism), and Compsych EAP

o Screening of Mental Health Initiative videos.

Safety Team

The annual schedule of training was followed and completed. In March, the Team met

with the LZFD Deputy Fire Marshall, Tom Hardin, to review Library’s Tornado Safe

Areas. Revised info was pushed out to staff and Safe Areas map updated. Special

training for the year: Fire Extinguisher Training (26 staff participated)

Person In Charge Training

o Person In Charge Review (3x)

o Bloodborne Pathogen Training

o Library Security Webinar (RAILS)

Management Training

o Leading with Emotional intelligence – LLAMA Webinar

o Ela Managers Book Discussion – Fall, Winter, Spring (9,12,10 staff)

o How to Supervise Bad Attitudes & Negative Behaviors Webinar (7 staff)

o Keys to Coaching & Supervising Employees LLAMA Webinar (9 staff)

o Dealing with Difficult People / Fred Pryor Seminar (3 staff)

o Strategies to Recognize & Address Sexual Harassment - NSLS

o Elevate Illinois Leadership (1 staff)

o ALA Leadership Institute (1 staff)


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Assistant Director of Discovery & Technology

Kevin Medows

Deliver Enriching In-library Experiences

IT Systems staff were proud to play a role in the planning and implementation of the Children’s

Department renovations this year. Each member contributed something of value to the

discussion. The new AV setup in the Programming Room should add a new dimension of magic

to programming activities for young patrons, and the folly (vertical display monitor) grabs kids’

attention as they enter the Children’s area. Pretty neat stuff.

This year we started using Who’s On My WiFi software to help us get better analytical data on

the usage of our WiFi service. So far, we feel that we’re getting more reliable data regarding the

level at which patrons are accessing our network using their own devices. Another WiFi-related

improvement we made this year was the installation of a new WiFi access point in the large

meeting rooms. Going into next year, we plan to add a few more access points to make sure staff

and patrons have the reliable connectivity they need, for both conventional use and for library

programs.

Warren installed two new security cameras in the digital media labs to improve the footage in

those rooms. In addition to the cameras, we also improved the lighting in those rooms to increase

safety. We have made it so that a minimum level of light is maintained at all times, thereby

improving the effectiveness of the security cameras in those rooms.

Implement our ILS

You can’t think about all that went on in FY2018 without eventually coming to the database

migration to our new Polaris integrated library system (ILS). This project brought out the best in

staff, especially with regard to our Standard of Service, “Give more than is expected,” or our

Strategic/Action Plan goal, “Work together as a team.” Yep, there are a lot of gold medals to go

around to staff who gave it their all in preparing for, planning, training, and implementing

Polaris.

I was lucky to be involved in the early stages, and served as a member of a small database-

profiling group in several days of work at CCS in July 2017. Circulation and Discovery staff

then continued the profiling process with loads of database evaluation and submitting

specification forms to CCS for pre-migration preparation. Public services staff were regularly

consulted to ensure solutions that were patron-centered.

Our acquisitions (materials ordering) operation is now much more efficient because we’re

making the most of the functionalities of Polaris. Michelle lead the way in this effort, and has

brought use online with “electronic ordering,” which has taken our acquisitions productivity to a

whole new level. Orders are placed with our vendors, and the data moves seamlessly back and

forth between our two systems. Even the invoices are delivered electronically into Polaris.


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I was impressed by staff’s efforts many times throughout the migration process, but one thing I

come back to over and over was the general attitude of “all hands on deck” on the part of

Discovery & IT Systems staff which prevailed throughout the process. Everyone was willing to

contribute to the process, and frequently studied documentation on their own to make sure their

knowledge and skills were ready for life after “Go Live.” The amount of self-study was

extraordinary--staff were committed (down to their bones) to making the migration a success.

Chris solved a very tricky problem with printing hold-pickup slips using Polaris. Tanvee M.

helped the CCS consortium by providing Hindi language translations of several messages in the

PolarisPAC as part of CCS’s efforts to provide a culturally inclusive online catalog. Patrons of

all 24 libraries who are able to benefit from the Hindi language components will benefit from

Tanvee’s work. Brian C. was a major contributor in helping CCS to troubleshoot some problems

we experienced with patrons’ holds in the online catalog. See what I mean?: All hands on deck!

Several staff also went even more above-and-beyond, helping the CCS consortium itself by

serving on CCS technical groups, such as IT (Warren), cataloging (Laura, Brian, and Tanvee),

Acquisitions (Michelle), and Profiling and Database Management (Kevin). In other words, their

efforts helped other CCS libraries, and other CCS libraries’ patrons. It was a thing of beauty.

“Give more than is expected.” Check!

This was my fourth “go live” experience with an integrated library system migration, and I have

to say that this one was the smoothest of all of them. I feel fortunate to have been a part of the

project. CCS staff also deserve high marks for their attentiveness to our needs throughout the

process.

Engage our Community

We had some challenges with our outdoor digital sign this year. The problem appeared to be a

severed data cable between the sign and the building, preventing the uplinking of new sign data

for display. Fortunately, we implemented a low-cost solution that should keep the sign

operational for some time come while the library considers whether it’s time to investigate a full

upgrade to the latest in sign technology.

In other Community Engagement activity, Deb and I enjoyed attending and presenting at the

volunteer luncheon this year on the “life after the library” of materials withdrawn from the

collection. Deb also highlighted our all-staff training day, which included a field trip to volunteer

at Bernie’s Books, to whom the library gives a large number of children’s book discards. It was

nice to be able to give attendees a glimpse of what happens to library materials when they move

on to the next “chapter” in their lives. As always, a huge thank you to all our great volunteers.

We are glad to call them members of our EAPL family!


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Adult Reference Services

Anne Belden

Reference Desk

31,777 questions were answered in-person, by phone, email, and instant messaging this year. Our

question totals in the “Reference” and “Technology Assistance” categories were up very slightly

versus last year, as our research and technology expertise continues to be appreciated by our

patrons.

We have continued our Roaming Reference service this year. We answered 305 questions via

roaming this year. Roaming Reference has increased our visibility and accessibility.

We performed 3,456 notary services this year, an increase of 6% from last year’s total. We had a

record-breaking month in June: 672 notaries were performed, which is our highest monthly total

ever by a wide margin. Patrons consistently comment that they appreciate our notary services.

Goal: Work Together as a Team

Personnel and Training

The Adult Reference department had a stable year and experienced only one personnel change:

our Reference Librarian/Computer Specialist, Brian Wilson, left in October due to a relocation.

We replaced him with Scott Lemerand. Scott has worked with us for many years as a former

Computer Aide and computer class instructor, so he was able to move into the role seamlessly.

The Reference Department was busy with continuing education this year. We spent a total of 537

hours on continuing education, which is an increase of more than 109 hours over last year’s total.

We were active with conference attendance: Anne and Gus attended the Illinois Library

Association annual conference and Melissa and Renée attended the Public Library Association

annual conference. Carol and Nancy attended the National Genealogy Society Annual

Conference. Nancy also attended the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference.

A great deal of our training time was dedicated to our new Polaris ILS. Anne and Dave attended

several training sessions at CCS and then trained other staff members at a semi-annual Staff Day,

as well as individually and in small group sessions.

Members of the department also participated in the library’s FUNctional Spanish course, Mental

Health training, and the Managers’ Book Discussion and Genre Study groups. As always, we

also attended a variety of webinars and local seminars.


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Goal: Deliver Enriching In-library Experiences

Study Rooms

The Adult Study Rooms were used 9904 times. This year, we spent some time analyzing the use

of study rooms, conducting both a patron survey and a data-driven study.

Study Room Survey: From September 1-29, we conducted a brief patron survey asking patrons

what they like and dislike about the study rooms. We received several suggestions for

improvement; the most commonly requested changes were whiteboards and recycling bins in all

study rooms. We were able to implement those changes in early 2018. Patron response to the

study room survey was largely positive, and we received several wonderful comments:

“It has been a great resource and so has the Ela Library. You folks do a great job!”

“Best library for study rooms in the area!!”

“The staff is kind, helpful and very accommodating. I am grateful for the use of the study

rooms.”

Study Room Study: From March 26 to May 6, we counted the use of our rooms by Ela and non-

Ela cardholders, and we counted the number of people we turned away. Patrons checking into

the rooms were 62% Ela and 38% non-Ela cardholders, and we had to turn away patrons only

7% of the time. Based on these results, we decided not to change our procedures or rules at this

time, but we do plan to keep an eye on room use and reevaluate as necessary.

Digital Media Labs

The Digital Media Labs were used 737 times this year, remaining steady as compared to last

year.

Digital Media Lab help appointments were in demand this year. We gave 52 total appointments.

For the first time, the most popular topic was iMovie; 33% of our appointments were devoted to

that. Some of these appointments were for staff: most departments used the Media Labs and

iMovie to edit their department videos for the board, and Reference staff helped them as needed.

The perennially popular topic of VHS to DVDs was the second most requested task, taking 29%

of our appointments. Scanning slides, negatives, and photos came in third with 23% of

appointments.

Early in the year, Reference staff trained members of the Popular Materials department on using

the Media Lab equipment and Garageband to record the “3 Books” podcast.

In May 2018, we opened the Digital Media Labs to non-Ela cardholders. We are pleased to offer

this resource to registered cardholders outside of our system.

Virtual Reality

We were excited to be able to offer virtual reality (VR) to our patrons this year. In August, we

rolled out Samsung Gear VR headsets for use in the Digital Media Labs. The headsets contain a

variety of apps, games, and VR experiences. Patrons go through a brief certification appointment

with a librarian and can then use the headsets any time they wish. They have been enjoyed by a


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variety of patrons, one of whom commented, “Awesome! Would definitely come do it again and

will recommend it to my friends. Thanks!”

This fall and spring, we offered a variety of virtual reality programming. We offered both

structured programs and casual drop-ins with the Samsung Gear VR and with a set of Google

Expeditions, which are headsets that offer a shared group virtual reality experience.

We have also created a number of 360-degree videos using a Ricoh Theta S camera. They are

posted to our YouTube page. The videos were created to be viewed using our VR equipment, but

they can also be viewed on computers, phones, and tablets.

In October, Gus and Anne gave a presentation on virtual reality at the Illinois Library

Association annual conference. It was attended by around 80 librarians. We have also been

contacted individually by a number of libraries interested in learning more about our VR

program

Wi-Fi Hotspots

We launched 10 Wi-Fi hotspots on July 1 and they become immediately popular; within a week,

they were all checked out with a waiting list. We added additional 8 hotspots in November. Our

patrons love them, especially to take on vacations.

Programming

Many department members were involved with programming this year. Each month, Carol

facilitated the Genealogy Interest Group and Renée facilitated the Great Decisions Group; both

groups are popular with a dedicated following.

Melissa facilitated a wide variety of business and finance programming. Some of the most

popular include How to Start Your own Etsy Business, Digital Estate Planning, and Property Tax

Savings 101. Her Money Smart week programming, from April 21-28, brought in more than 100

patrons.

Renée facilitated several college- and career-oriented programs; her ACT and SAT practice

exams were in high demand and filled up every time they were available. Other well-received

topics included Job Interview Skills for Teens and 5 Ways to Maximize Your College Visit.

Computer Classes

Dave, Scott, and our outside computer instructors presented 104 computer classes that were

attended by 838 patrons.

We continued to offer our senior basics classes and Microsoft Office classes. They remain

popular, especially our classes on Microsoft Excel. We also added new classes on several topics:

Geocaching, Google slides, iMovie for iPad, Online Security, and Productivity Apps, and

Snapchat.

Our computer classes garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews from attendees. Our class

instructors have been called “patient, helpful, courteous, and fun.” After an Excel class, one

patron commented, “Just want to say thank you for helping me come closer to my dream.”


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Goal: Provide World Class Virtual Services

Anne worked this year on the Library’s Communico project, learning and helping to configure

the software for use as a new online events and room reservations platform. There were a

number of challenges, but working with the vendor, we plan to release the software to the public

in late 2018.

The Reference department was very busy with the Polaris ILS migration. Anne served on the

CCS PAS technical group and PAS Polaris migration advisory group. Dave served as the

“Library Lead” for CCS, coordinating training with the consortium. Dave and Anne arranged for

CCS staff to present on Polaris at our March Staff Discovery Day, and Dave taught an

instructional session for public services staff that same day. All of Reference worked hard to help

patrons adjust to and learn the new Polaris ILS in April 2018.

Goal: Engage our Community

Melissa continued to represent the library on the local Women In Networking group, attending

meetings regularly and talking about library services whenever possible.

Members of the Adult Reference department represented the library at the Foglia YMCA

Corporate & Community Challenge in September. We participated in the Trivia and Escape

Room events, coming in second and first place, respectively.

Gus, Anne, and Scott continued to serve on the Social Media committee, planning and

generating content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Dave continued to serve as

the library’s front-end webmaster, posting information to the website as needed.

Interesting Reference Question of the Year

What is this bug?

Occasionally, we end up face-to-face with a critter that a

patron would like us to help identify. In May 2018, it was a

large insect inside a water bottle.

Fortunately, one of the librarians at the desk was an insect

lover. She was happy to hunt around and determined that

this is a Ground Beetle.


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Children’s Services

Natalie Ziarnik

Action Plan Goals:

Deliver Enriching In-Library Experiences

Complete Children’s Program Room Renovation The room turned out beautifully and, for the most part, the construction unfolded in a

very timely manner. The new cabinets and counters are well-made and solidly attached to the

walls. The closets are carefully designed so that we can store tables and chairs inside them. We

love having two different floors—one side, rubber-vinyl, for messy art projects and the other,

carpeted, for storytimes. When the wireless is working well, the new technology is wonderful

and easy to use. We have requested new hot spots in the room so that connectivity is consistent.

And the lighting, after all these years, is now sufficient, even spectacular! This makes a huge

difference in the feel of the room and in visibility during projects and programs.

Promote and Host the Monarch Butterfly Exhibit

August through September, we hosted On the Trail of the Monarch Butterfly, a traveling

exhibit produced by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. After exploring the photography

panels, visitors had the option to watch an accompanying film and/or to attend art and science

programs related to butterflies. Our space accommodated this exhibit really well, and we hope to

bring in more like it.

Explore Storytimes in Languages Other Than English

In the winter, we hired a local bilingual resident to provide storytimes for our Spanish-

speaking population. Her Thursday morning sessions offered a welcome and comfortable place

for those who speak Spanish as their first language as well as those who would like to learn the

language. We also hired a local teacher and translator to offer monthly Polish storytimes in the

fall of 2018.

Eclipse Day

Celebrating Eclipse Day, August 21, 2017, was not on our action plan, but it was such a

momentous day for patrons and staff that I must include it in this report. Well over 1,000 people

came to the event. They stood in line for eclipse-watching glasses from NASA and stayed to

watch the sky together. Ice cream treats were available, and we also had live streamed news

shows inside on large screens so patrons could see how the eclipse looked in other parts of the

country. The day was filled with community spirit, and it was great to see people “camping out”

for a couple of hours in front of the library, sharing glasses and excitement as the sun and moon

because visible and invisible, joined together and separated.


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Provide World Class Virtual Services

Learn Polaris capabilities and options Much of the spring was a challenge to our online search capabilities as we learned how to

use LEAP. Even after quite a bit of training, we continue to experiment to find the most efficient

way to do searches; often, this is by using the public access catalog instead, which does not

require placing as many limits to find a requested item. We are sure this will become easier in

the next year, and, in the meantime, everyone’s knowledge of search strategies has been

increasing by leaps and bounds.

Engage Our Community

Work with District 95 as it develops plans for new school libraries

During the past year, we learned that renovation plans for the school libraries is not

planned for quite some time. We continue to be supportive by providing materials to classroom

teachers and to support school librarians as they advocate for what their students and teachers

need.

Work Together as a Team

Develop Spanish language skills among staff

Natalie, Pam, and Sarah participated in the amazing and intense Spanish class offered at

the library last winter/spring. The class provided an effective background in the language and

also enabled us to learn and practice phrases we can use on a daily basis with patrons. Our

comprehension of the language has greatly increased, and we enjoyed getting to know staff

members from other departments who were also taking the class.

Changes in Staff:

This year has brought many staffing changes to the Children’s Department. Stephanie

Wojciechowski had a baby in January and decided to return half-time instead of full-time. We

hired Jillian Lehr, who had been an intern with us during the summer of 2017, to work half-time

to make up for the hours Stephanie was no longer working. Barb Kalchbrenner retired in May

2018, and Michelle Bourgeois, who had previously been a Teen Librarian here, returned from

Germany and took on the position of Arts and Technology Librarian. Sarah Prokop left the

department in March, and we are looking for a full-time librarian to take her place, hopefully

starting in the fall of 2018. Although we’ve had a lot of change in staff this year, we currently

are very fortunate to have a kind and dedicated team, arguably the strongest we’ve had in years.


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Statistical Summary 2017-2018

Storytimes:

Meetings: 112

Attendance: 1576

School Programs:

Elementary School Visits: 42

Attendance: 1765

Kindergarten Visit Theme: Grocery Store

Preschool Visits: 18

Attendance: 220

School Materials Requests: 342

Items Sent to Schools: 4220

Reading Clubs:

Summer 2017 (July): 2,522

Winter 2017-2018: 204

Summer 2016 (June): 3,130

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: 75 new members; 24 members completing program

Arts and Crafts Classes:

Meetings: 22

Attendance: 729

Science and Technology Classes:

Meetings: 25

Attendance: 609


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Activity Table:

Projects: 48

Estimated Use: 14,040

Other Programs:

Meetings: 114

Attendance: 8414

TOTAL PROGRAMS: 385

TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 33,308

General Reference Questions: 1,802

Readers’ Advisory: 8,508

Technology Assistance: 1,972

Other (primarily about programs and directions): 4,274

TOTAL QUESTIONS: 16,556

STUDY ROOM USE: 391


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Circulation

Patti Paige

Personnel

Circulation had many changes this past year. In July, Cathy Philippsen and Deneen Miller

joined the Circulation staff as Circ Assistants along with Daniel Polites as a Circulation Page.

Due to health issues, Deneen had to resign in October. In September, Ashley Cushman resigned

to go to school in England for her Masters in Information and Library Science. Wendie

Torchedlo retired in November after 13 years in the Interlibrary Loan Department. Pam Hanson

replaced Wendie. Also in November, Lorraine Cook, Christine Hoang and Jessica Staedter

joined Circ as Circ Assistants. In December, after 42 years of service, Yvonne Taylor retired.

She volunteered at Ela for 20 years before starting as a Circ Assistant in 1996. In June, Christine

Hoang resigned to work on her Master’s Degree.

Activities

Circulation

Goal: To be trained and ready to Go-Live with Polaris The Polaris migration has consumed much of our time in Circulation and ILL. In July and

August, several surveys were filled out for item and patron settings, preferences and

considerations. Once the test server was up and running in September, Lori Sollenberger and

Patti Paige started testing all of the Circulation functions in LEAP. In October, Lori and Patti

attended a 2-day Polaris led Circulation training session. We then held two Circ Staff meetings

to introduce the Polaris LEAP application. Everyone became acquainted with LEAP on his or

her own. In March, Circ had a 2-hour hands-on training session to prepare for Go-Live in April.

Once we were live, Lori, Patti and Laurie White split procedures and processes to make sure

everything was working correctly. By the end of May most of the kinks had been worked out

and Circ Staff were very comfortable with LEAP.

Fishing poles, telescopes and portable DVD players have been very successful. During the

summer, all fishing poles were checked out and there was a waiting list for telescopes and DVD

players.

Goal: New patron packet

Valerie Stern and Patti Paige worked together to produce a packet containing information for

new patrons. They have been very successful.


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Interlibrary Loans

ILLINET Survey – Interlibrary Loan and Reciprocal borrowing statistics for Fiscal Year 2016-

2017.

Total number of items requested by Ela: 40,775

Out of state: 51

In State: 40,724

Total number of ILL requests received by Ela: 35,896

Total number of Materials loaned via reciprocal borrowing: 100,400

Meetings and training

Circulation staff attended 103 meetings and training sessions.

We had 60,296 interactions with patrons.

45,826 at the Checkout Desk

14,470 at the Drive-up


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Facilities Department

John Carranza

It has been a successful year and I’m so grateful to be part of it. I’ll point out some of the

highlights of the repairs and maintenance work.

During the year we made repairs to the chiller, boiler room, humidifiers, air handler units,

plumbing, and parking lot. We also made some electrical upgrades and purchased new snow

equipment for our tractor.

We replaced two fan motors and blades on the chiller outside. A complex part of the project

included repairing the end bell on the cooler, which it took a few days to disassemble, send off

for repair, and then and reinstall. The A/C system in the server room had some work done as

well. A representative from Carrier updated the software on circuit boards for the chiller.

The water tank for the domestic water was replaced. The hot water pump in the boiler room was

repaired. An actuator was replaced on boiler #1 and a coupler was replaced on pump #8 in the

boiler room. There have been a lot of repairs done to the domestic water pressure pumps. It may

be time to consider replacing the pump altogether. Humidifiers 1, 2 and 4 contactors and heating

elements were replaced. Repairs were done to air handling units 1 and 5. All the HVAC work

was done by MPC.

Service Plus Electric helped us replace our old light fixtures in the parking lot. The new LED

lights will use 75% less electricity and the bulbs should last longer. We also installed new light

fixtures were in the quiet study area on the second floor.

Paul J. Enterprises, the night cleaning company, has improved a little this year. I still have to pay

very close attention to their work. I meet with the supervisor monthly and discuss the areas

where they need to do better work. When the cleaning is not done as expected, then I have to do

it myself in the morning. I’ve been trying to work with them because the quotes from

competitors have been almost double the cost.

Ringers Landscape has been doing a good job and is responsive to our requests. When the grass

doesn’t need to be cut I let them know in advance and they skip that week, and there is no fee for

it. That’s a good way to control the costs. The irrigation system has been maintained by

NatureScape Design Inc. and there were some small repairs done. It has been working as

expected.

Roberto and Sons did a good job during the snow season. This coming winter they will plow the

parking lots again. We purchased new snow removal equipment to attach to our tractor, so we

should be able to clear the sidewalks while the contractor focuses on the parking lot.

International Fire Equipment Corp. tested the sprinkler wet system, fire alarm system, and

conducted fire pump testing. The 5-year internal obstruction and 5-year internal control valve

inspection, annual maintenance and testing of the fire extinguishers was done and passed.


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The fire pump relief valve had a water leak and was replaced by American Backflow and Fire

Prevention. It was tested and the pressure is back to normal.

Toilet flush valves were replaced in most of the washrooms, and the sink water faucets that were

leaking were also replaced. Replacing light bulbs throughout the building was completed. The

carpets were also cleaned. Pothole patching was done twice in the parking lot. Other

maintenance included some repairs on doors, meeting room set ups, cutting dead branches and

doing some tree trimming to keep the cost low so we don’t have to hire a contractor to do it. This

year we have not had any burglar alarms after we deactivated a faulty sensor.

We scheduled a preventive maintenance on the generator, sliding doors, fire doors, HVAC

system, fire alarms and sprinkler systems to prevent big repairs and keep the cost low. We also

have to think about some of the costs of repairing equipment that may be a bit too high and may

be better to replace the equipment.


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Outreach Services

Christy Wagner

Outreach Services had new opportunities this year to expand our community reach and enrich the

level of service we provide to patrons in our community. Listed below are three new initiatives

that we began during the last year.

Goal: Engage Our Community Creation of an on-site book discussion group at Azpira Place begun by the Outreach

Coordinator.

Developed an on-site Intergenerational story time at Zurich Meadows apartments.

The children’s choir of St. Francis deSales school provided a musical revue at Lexington

Nursing Center coordinated through our department.

Goal: Deliver Enriching In-Library Experiences Our Senior Book Discussion group “traveled” to the International Space Station (ISS)

when viewing it through the Goggle Expedition goggles in a Virtual Reality experience.

Over 50 programs were planned and hosted by Outreach Services during the last year,

from a Showcase of Chinese Culture that featured dancers and musicians from the local

Fenghua Chinese Academy to tasty cooking programs to author events and historical

portrayals. (two of our popular events, Lady Churchill and the Chinese Showcase are

pictured at the end of this report).

Additionally we have created 10 Caregiver kits that can be used by those in a caregiving role

whether at home or in an institution. Each unit has materials to enjoy together; books, videos,

music, a list of caregiving resources and the 24-hour Alzheimer’s Association hotline number.

Themes of the Caregiver kits include: Our National Parks, Route 66, Chicago sports teams,

Broadway Hits and America the Beautiful. They are now available for inter-library loan.

Finally, it was an honor to be recognized by large print publisher Thorndike Press at their annual

sales conference in Detroit, Mi. for our work with senior book discussion groups. This

relationship with Thorndike Press and Outreach Coordinator Christy Wagner illustrates the

importance of personal relationships in our work with our patrons, co-workers and vendors.


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Historical actress Lynn Rymarz performs as Lady Churchill and below, the Chinese folk dancers from Fenghua Chinese Academy in Lake Zurich.


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Popular Materials

Christen Wiser

Information Desk + Readers’ Services + Teen Services + Forge

Personnel

During the summer of 2017, we welcomed Selicia Applegate and Kourtney Collette on board as

Information Desk Assistants. Laura Budd was promoted to Information Desk Assistant from her

Passport Agent position in the fall of 2017. Selicia accepted a full time position at Palatine

Public Library in December. Gretchen Stroner replaced her position in January 2018. Brianne

Saab also joined us as a Makerspace Assistant when a third position opened up to allow Alexis

Renderos to attend Robotics competitions in the spring. Amanda Novak stepped into a full time

Popular Materials Librarian position upon completing her MLIS coursework. Julie DeReu and

Gretchen Stroner are also enrolled in MLIS programs.

Reader’s Services and Information Desk

This year the department focused on increasing visibility of Reader’s Services to patrons. Becca

and Christen started the Three Books Podcast which has reached readers all over the world!

Amanda joined the Reader’s Services team full time and made wonderful contributions. Her

book displays were a major hit. The Books & Brews team continued to partner with Broken

Earth Winery in Long Grove and is a patron favorite. This fiscal year we tracked the amount of

readers who benefit from Gully’s Book Club services. Those numbers were not tracked before

and wow! 130-200 patrons were served each month with great reads. This spring we said

goodbye to the F.A.N.Club service when the consortium transitioned to Polaris. It was a much-

loved service but also a very expensive and inefficient process for the desk staff. We have been

training patrons to create Saved Searches in the PowerPac that will update them each month if

their favorite author has a new book available in the catalog! Staff tackled the change in ILS with

humor and picked up on the new system quickly. They did a great job. Speaking of technology,

Christen and Becca also sat on the Communico committee led by Warren Dawkins and provided

input on the new room reservation/program software to replace Evanced. The new system will be

simpler for Info Desk staff to use and a much prettier experience for patrons.


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Forge

3D Printing services were extended to all patrons regardless of library district. The impact on

printing workflow has been minimal but we have made several out-of-district patrons very

happy! Patrons enjoyed a variety of experiences in the Forge, from handlettering to 3D designing

Star Wars X-Wings. But perhaps the best treat was Alexis’s robot wars!

Teen Services

As usual, Teen Librarian Becca Boland hosted fantastic programs for teens. She started a Book

Match passive readers advisory service, as well as a great new service that provided hand-crafted

reading experiences for teens. Each month ten teens

received a personalized Book Box. It was a smash hit!

Becca also spent the year blazing trails into the middle and

high schools! The partnership between the school librarians

and Ela Library is stronger than ever. She led book

discussions at Middle School South each month for 6th, 7th,

and 8th graders. She joined the high school librarians to

assist with author programs and teen poetry clubs.

Passport Services

During FY 2017-2018, the Information Desk processed

4,323 passport applications. We experienced a 35%

decrease in processing from FY 2016-2017 and 42% from

FY 2015-2016. While the number of applicants decreased,

the amount of reference and reader’s advisory statistics have

increased! We are still busy, but now library patrons find the desk much more approachable and

less hectic. This is the progress we wanted to see.

Public Libraries that have come on board in 2018: Cary, Crystal Lake, and Lake Bluff.


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Three Books Podcast

Becca and Christen launched the Three Books Podcast in

the fall of 2017. Their interviews included library staff,

authors, poets, moms, and rock star librarians. From

September 2017 - July 2018, the podcast received almost

2000 plays! There are listeners on nearly every continent.

One of the action plan items was to increase readers

advisory interactions each month and the podcast has

increased the digital reach by 200 listeners a month. The

feedback from listeners has been positive and

constructive!


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Public Information

Valerie Stern

Public Information Staff

Valerie Stern, coordinator; Bonnie Daichendt/Elizabeth Frozena, public information graphics

assistant; Terri Meyer, adult program coordinator; and Jennifer Nickels and Dianne Rose,

graphic artists.

The Public Information staff continues to collaborate with staff and other department teams. PI

staff spearheaded many of our events, assisted with the development of Forge programming and

with numerous outreach opportunities. Valerie, Bonnie and Dianne coordinated many of our art

displays throughout the Library. Dianne and Jennifer continue to fulfill the growing demand for

more graphics-related work. Programming continues to increase. As a result, graphic requests

were significantly higher this year.

Staffing Changes

Two long-time PI staff retired this year. In January, we said farewell to Bonnie Daichendt. Adult

program coordinator Terri Meyer retired in April. New hire Elizabeth Frozena joined our

department in mid-May as Bonnie’s replacement. The position changed slightly with more of an

emphasis placed on graphic experience. Elizabeth has been a welcome addition to PI. She has

solid art experience and knowledge as well as excellent pc skills. With the steady flow of

graphics work requested, her expertise has been an asset.

We are still in the process of hiring for the adult programmer position. The position has changed

slightly with the addition of a few more hours and the added responsibility of Forge

programming.

2017-18 Highlights

4 Star Library Award

We proudly re-launched publicity for our Star Award in November. Publicity included a web

slide and LCD as well as news release to announce the recognition.

Exhibits

This past year we featured the exhibit – “On the Trail of the Monarch Butterfly.” Located in the

Children’s Department, the exhibit included banners, posters and web images. We featured a full

spread of the exhibit in our summer edition of Footnotes.

Summer Reading

New this year a log for our adult/teen summer club was included in each issue of Footnotes.


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Solar Eclipse 2017

What a success! This library-wide event spearheaded by Children’s had a huge turnout. PI

prepared the publicity and arranged for the Good Humor Truck to be on hand. Approximately

1500 good humor treats were distributed. Many positive responses about the event.

Library Card Sign Up Month

The Popcorn Jester helped us celebrate this annual event. The food truck was parked in front of

the Library from 3-5:30pm on one of the last Fridays of the month. Anyone with a library card

received a tropical drink or a container of fresh donuts. If you didn’t have a card, circ staff was

on-hand to register new cards.

Outreach and Community Partnerships

While we continue to serve in traditional ways, we continued to strengthen our emphasis on

collaboration with businesses, local villages, agencies, community organizations and even other

libraries.

Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce

We continued to support our Library district by participating in community events

throughout the year, including the Chamber’s Business to Business Expo at Lake Zurich

High School.

This year I served on the Chamber’s Expo committee, marketing committee (meetings

held monthly) and as a director at large for the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce

Board (meetings held monthly). Melissa Keegan also represents the Library at W.I.N.

(Women in Networking) meetings.

Once again we had some nice giveaways at our Expo booth. We distributed Culver’s

sundaes to anyone who “liked” the Library on Facebook or “followed us” on Twitter.

Artist Melaine provided tattoo art for several hours during the event. We gave away 500

cups of Culver’s custard throughout the day and gained over 100 new “likes and

followers” on our social media sites. Stylus pens were also distributed as a freebie to new

followers.

We continue to include Library news in the Chamber’s weekly enews blasts, as needed.

The Chamber offers this service to us free, and it’s a great way to reach business owners

in our community.

The Chamber has also utilized our meeting room space for frequent educational lunch

seminars.


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Community Partnerships

Community partnerships with local businesses such as Starbucks, Culver’s of Lake Zurich,

District 95 and Learning Express have enabled us to promote and give incentives to our patrons

during special events held throughout the year.

Ela Township Day

The Outreach Department represented the Library at this inaugural event. The Library

had a booth and distributed information.

Farmers Market

Once again, we were excited to add this to our promotional outreach duties this summer.

We attended monthly June through September and tried to promote two or three different

resources/services during each visit. The booth was interactive with games, prizes and

raffles for younger folks and we included more information about resources for older

users. Overall, it was great exposure for the Library. A nice venue to talk to our patrons,

answer questions and showcase new and popular services.

Lake County Fair

Ela was one of six libraries we partnered with for this annual event in July.

Always a fun time, the Fair was a nice spot to showcase the value of public

libraries. We hosted the booth during the week (Thursday morning) and greeted many

families. We saw lots of Ela patrons this year – which is always nice!

Author Events/Writing Series

Every year we support local and national authors by hosting various book talks, book

discussions and author meet and greets. In 2017, we hosted latino author Reyna Grande.

She discussed her memoir The Distance Between Us.

The Library continues to support the author and writing series Inside Writing and

Publishing held every spring in partnership with several north suburban libraries.

Workshops included Writing Tips From Bollywood Films, Coping with Your Inner Critic

and a Songwriter Workshop.

Award-winning Latina author Reyna Grande discussed her book The Distance Between

Us. Attendees learned about the immigrant experience and what millions of people in our

country face on a daily basis.

SWALCO

In April, we held our annual Reuse a Shoe program. Our Library collected approximately

350 pairs of athletic shoes for recycling during the month. The shoes were delivered to

SWALCO in May.

Food for NO Fines/Mitten and Hat Tree

Both events are held in December and generate many donations. The Library’s Warm Up

Lake Zurich group also knits many items for the tree. Food collected is distributed at our

local food pantry and the mitten and hat collection is distributed to local agencies in the

area.


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Back to School Supplies Collection – Joanie’s Closet

We partnered with District 95 and Joanie’s Closet for this back to school supplies drive.

The Library was one of three collection spots in the community.

Little Free Library (Foglia YMCA)

For several years we’ve partnered with Rotary Club of Long Grove, Kildeer and

Hawthorn Woods to help stock the LFL at the Foglia YMCA.

Community Events

Throughout the year, we participate in community events sponsored by the Village of

Hawthorn Woods and Ela Township. From providing a craft to hosting a storytime, we

assist at many of their events.

Media Relations/Graphics/Publicity Highlights

Brochures and website and for Polaris, new online catalog

Posters, signs, web images for strategic plan

Mobile Hot Spots, Money Smart Week, Three Books Podcast

Forge Kits, RGB Digital

Inside Writing and Publishing Brochure & Publicity

Star Library Award

Library Card Sign Up Month, Teen Book Boxes, Adult Book Match

Business cards for various databases/online resources

Updates to Popular Materials Book Displays, Librarian Favorites, Shelf Talkers and Staff

Picks signs

Library news in their monthly PTO newsletters.

Continue to work with local newspapers, LZHS Bear Facts newsletter, the Chamber of

Commerce and surrounding Villages for press coverage.

Social Media

We continue to increase our usage of social media. Current platforms include Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Our social media committee meets frequently

to monitor activity, schedule posts and review statistics. We are continually exploring

new ways to use these platforms to gain followers and interact with our users.


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Volunteers

Our annual volunteer meeting was held Friday, October 27. Over 25 volunteers and staff

attended the lunch and meeting. Our agenda for the lunch included presentations by Matt

Womack, Kevin Medows, Anne B., Becca and Christy Wagner. Those volunteers recognized

with service awards were: Emma Gerosa and Tim Jackson for 20+ years of service; Marcia

Hammond, 15 years; and Mary Beth Santi, 5 years. Historian Jim Gibbons presented a lecture on

Alexander Hamilton and his legacy.

Displays

Our lobby display cases continue to get use from local organizations. Under new leadership, the

Ela Historical Society has used several of our cases to highlight local history. These displays are

a welcome addition! They now have a permanent display on the 2nd floor.

We continue to use the cases to promote special programming and/or events such as Warm Up

Lake Zurich, Mitten Tree, and the Garden Club plant sales.

Our outdoor digital sign continues to be an asset. It has been a useful, publicity tool for

promoting not only events but services too.

Our LCD TV and screensavers on all PCs continue to be excellent tools for promoting programs

and new services. Screens are updated weekly.

Book-a-Brick

We continue to install bricks once a year in the fall. Our traditional summer push for selling

more Book-a-Bricks was a little slower this year. Twelve bricks were purchased and installed

last year.

Programming/Special Events

On the Trail of the Monarch Butterfly (May-August 2017) This exhibit featured

amazing photographs of over 50,000 monarch butterflies on their migration journey from

Canada to central Mexico.

Green Your Routine (May 2018) Once again, this community event was a huge success

thanks to Opportunity Secure Data Destruction and AVA Recycling. We also offered

electronics recycling and the response was terrific. All food donations received were

donated to our local food pantry.


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Ela Area Public Library District

2017-2018 Board of Trustees

Cindy Blank, President (5/2019)

Eric Corzine, Vice President (5/2021)

Kathy Caudill, Secretary (5/2019)

James Stamoolis, Treasurer (5/2021)

Jeanette Stanonik (5/2019)

Susan Malohn (5/2019)

Ken Fuller (5/2021)

Matt Womack, Executive Director

Work: (847) 438-3433 ext. 119

Fax: (847) 438-9290

Email: [email protected]

Erica Christianson, Assistant Director

Work: (847) 438-3433 ext. 218

Fax: (847) 438-9290

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Documents

Ela Area Public Library District · Ela Area Public Library _____ Annual Report 2017-2018 3 Administration Matt Womack – Executive Director 2017-2018 was a terrific year. It included