THE HOYT LIBRARY

 2008 ANNUAL REPORT

FEBRUARY 18, 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DIRECTOR’S REPORT/OVERVIEW                                                                      3

CIRCULATION REPORT                                                                                        6

ADULT CIRCULATION STATISTICS                                                                   8

NEW PATRON AND TOTAL PATRON REGISTRATIONS                                  9

CHILDREN’S/YA REPORT                                                                                    10

CHILDREN’S STATISTICAL REPORT                                                                12

REFERENCE REPORT                                                                                           13

ANNUAL REFERENCE STATISTICS                                                                    16

TECHNICAL SERVICES REPORT                                                                        18

TECHNICAL SERVICES STATISTICAL REPORT                                              19

DEVELOPMENT REPORT                                                                                      20

2008- TRANSITION TO A NEW ERA FOR THE HOYT

In January 2008, the planned addition for the Hoyt was put on hold pending approval of a gaming grant applied for by the Municipality of Kingston on behalf of the Hoyt.  Kingston was eligible for a grant as the town was contiguous to Plains, Pa,  a township that welcomed the Mohegan Sun Casino.  A gaming tax created money available for public projects.  Paul Keating prepared the grant with support letters from nearby communities that the Hoyt serves, input from myself and a letter of support from the District Consultant for the Wilkes-Barre Library District, Mary Ann Yonki.  

In February 2008, a public meeting was held at Luzerne County Community College to gauge support for various proposed projects under evaluation from the state hoping to receive a grant administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).  The Mayor Kingston ,  the Hoyt Library Director, and concerned citizens spoke on behalf of the need to fund this project to rebuild the Hoyt.  Many supporters including board members and interested citizens came to support the Hoyt. Their impassioned and reasoned explanations provided sound support for awarding the grant for the Hoyt project.  What was quite impressive was that several people who were advocating for their town or organization’s own grant were quite vocal in endorsing the Hoyt project.  This was a rarity since everyone was competing from a rather limited pot of funding.  This unsolicited support certainly helped to persuade the grant reviewing committee.   This meeting was a positive step toward making the drawings of the Hoyt library a reality.

On Friday, March 14^th,  a press release stated that the Municipality of Kingston was awarded $1.8 million dollars to rebuild the Hoyt Library.  With the insurance money totaling $2.2 million,  the project could now proceed as originally designed.  A Hoyt Library Building committee meeting was held with the end result being for an authorization to proceed with the building process.  To ensure that the project would be built as designed,  the Municipality of Kingston requested a $272,000 line of credit from Pennstar bank.  This money would provide the final financing needed to balance the project budget and ensure that renovations such as painting and repairs would be made to the existing library building.  The Hoyt Library Board approved the obligation of $272,000  to Kingston should it be needed.

During the summer, the Hoyt Library board along with the library director interviewed furniture vendors to prepare for the furnishing and shelving needs of the Hoyt’s new and existing building.  In August 2008,  J.P.Jay Associates was selected by the board to furnish the library.  August 2008 was the month that 25,000 books were returned to the Hoyt from storage in two warehouses.

On September 5,  2008,  an official bid opening ceremony was held at the Kingston Municipal building.  The bids for new addition consisted of: general construction, electrical, plumbing, sprinkler system, and HVAC.  The bids were lower than anticipated which was good news for Kingston and the Hoyt.  The lower than anticipated successful bidders enabled a contingency fund to be used for unforeseen expenses before having to use the $272, 000 line of credit.

In October 2008, the end of era occurred with the demolition of the 1987 addition of the Hoyt Library.  This demolition was undertaken to make way for a new addition to be completed in the summer of 2009.  The new addition would have two floors.  The first floor was devoted to space for the Young Adult and Childrens’ sections.  The second floor was to be used for the Reference and non-fiction sections.  The original building will be adapted to house the fiction, periodicals and audio-visual collections. New study rooms and programming areas would be created with the new floor plan.  While Casaccio Architects would still be the architect of record,  Borton-Lawson would be assisting with attendance at some of the construction meetings. 

Currently, as of the date of this report, the Hoyt addition is being enclosed with a second floor concrete slab being poured by the end of February.  By the end of February, the building will be fully enclosed with a target date of completion being set for the summer of 2009.

Despite the flurry of important activity, the Hoyt was still operating as a library. The accomplishments of our staff and departments were commendable and important to note in this annual report.  The reports from the following departments: Circulation, Childrens/YA, Reference, Technical Services, and Development demonstrate that despite being a smaller library in terms of size, collection and staff, service and materials were still able to be offered to our customers for 2008.

The circulation of the Hoyt for 2008 was 71,840 items, and increase of 44.6% from 2007.  Despite all of the non-damaged collection returning, the library still only had approximately 5000 books that the public could checkout.  Almost 40,000 books were stored in the 7000 square feet of the Hoyt’s basement.  Books still dominated the largest percentage of circulation at 39%, but DVDs provided a strong 28% in circulation.  The total circulation and inventory ratio amounts to about a 10:1 circulation turnover, meaning every item is associated on average with being checked out ten times.  At the end of 2008, the total registration for the Hoyt service area was 15, 047 with 953 new members being added in 2008.  There were 77,228 people who entered the Hoyt in 2008.  This amounts to a slightly over a 1:1 circulation ratio to library visits,  meaning that for every person entering the library there was one item checked out. 

The Children’s department total circulation for 2008 was 15,610 items, an increase of 34,42% from 2007.  The Children’s circulation comprised 21.73% of the total circulation of the Hoyt for 2008.  Considering the fact that there were approximately 1000 items to borrow,  the circulation is impressive with a 15 times circulation turnover for the Children’s/YA collection.  Despite continuing to be in close quarters,  334 children joined the library this year.  There were 460 children and 101 adults that participated in the state summer reading program this year.  There were 606 children and 175 adults that participated in other summer reading programs.  The outreach children’s programming to the local daycare centers totaled 198 visits reaching 2963 children.    Despite the small space, there were 1445 reference questions answered by the Children’s/YA department.  There were 1284 items added to the collection in 2008.  Due to the limited space, parts of the collected were weeded and rotated to ensure maximum circulation. 

There were 3083 completed Interlibrary loan transactions, a 98% increase from 2007.  Despite the limited physical collection,  the ILL service enabled our customers to get the materials that they wanted in a timely manner.  As shown by the ILL figure, customers continued to choose the Hoyt for materials even if we did not physically have them but could get them for our users.  The number of reference questions asked totaled 9,784, an increase of 101%.  Despite the number of reference questions doubling, there were 479 questions that were not answered.  While this reference fill rate amounted at 95.1% completion rate, the large number of unanswered questions (4.9%) is mainly contributed to our collection being unable to be accessed due to the space limitations of the existing library.  Requests for a book or books on a topic that the Hoyt owned  were not always readily available as they were in storage or downstairs.

The Technical Services department added 2300 items to the collection in 2008.  This number was 48% less than last year. This reduction in addition items to the Hoyt’s collection was intentional as space was limited.   The Technical Services department was instrumental in overseeing the return of the library items from off-site storage.  Technical Services also undertook a re-labeling of the entire fiction collection to label each book by the FIC code and the author’s last name.  This labeling project will greatly assist the locating of fiction materials in the new addition.  Technical Services also added 307 memorial books to the library’s collection.  The number of items available for each item type at the end of 2008 is only an estimate.  Now that the collection is back at the Hoyt, the electronic files can be deleted for those items that were not physically found.  An accurate number of items available will be obtained in March 2009 when the electronic catalog is updated.  Until that time the estimates are as follows:

The Development department did not conduct an annual fund drive in 2008, but continued with a capital contents campaign.  By the end of 2008, the Development department consisting of Jane Manganella, had raised over $231,000.  As of February 2009, the total stands at $403, 432.79 and includes a $150,000 approved grant from Luzerne County.  This current figure will be able to pay for the shelving and furniture for the new addition and existing library.  The fact that this money was raised in such a difficult economic climate is a testament to the hard work of Jane Manganella and the loyalty and appreciation of our library customers and users for what the Hoyt does for the communities that we serve.

This year has been quite a busy year with the preparation for and the process of building a new addition.  This has all be integrated relatively seamlessly with the daily operations of the Hoyt and the services we offer.  I would like to thank Paul Keating, Mayor Haggerty, and the Kingston Council who have supported the project from the beginning.  Kevin Whitney, the principal architect at Casaccio,  Stan Hedrick and Tony Bevilaqua, at Sordoni Construction Services,  who have been very easily to interact with on a daily basis have made the project run well.

The Hoyt Library Board closed 2008 with the retirement of Sally Lottick from the Hoyt Board. Sally served on the board for ten years and as President for two of those ten years.  Her love and concern of the library was evident and appreciated. Chris McLaughlin will succeed Sally Lottick as President for 2009. 

I would like to thank the Hoyt Library Board for their support of both the library and me.  My thanks also goes to the Hoyt staff and volunteers who make the library the welcoming and essential community resource that it is.

Respectfully submitted,

David Marks

Executive Director

CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2008

The Hoyt Library adult circulation department continued to provide courteous and efficient service despite the on-going challenges presented by our greatly reduced circulating collection.  All efforts were made to satisfy patron requests for library materials not available at the Hoyt Library.  There is no cost for this service.   

Finding display space for new acquisitions has been a challenge.  Metal shelving salvaged from the children’s department was installed in all available areas in the adult department.  Portions of the fiction and audio visual collections were re-located, creating some shelf space for the expanding collection.   In order to create additional shelf space for the growing DVD collection, it was necessary to temporarily relocate part of the video collection in a basement storage area.  Duplicate copies of fiction and non-fiction books can also be found there.  This “basement circulating collection” can be retrieved by department staff whenever necessary to fulfill a patron’s request.  

All books in storage facilities since our roof collapsed in February of 2007 were returned this year.  Circulation department staff and volunteers (four adults, four high school students and two college work-study students) spent countless hours examining the books for water and moisture damage and scanning barcodes.  This was done in collaboration with the Children’s Department and Technical Services. Books deemed in good condition were cleaned, sorted and placed in sturdy storage containers in the basement.  They remain there and are unavailable for circulation until the completion of the new addition.  Their return to the circulating collection is anxiously awaited by the staff and library patrons.

 Fund raising activities were conducted by the circulation department.  Used books (mostly paperbacks and donated duplicate copies of recent best sellers), Hoyt Library canvas bags, and soy candles and other donated Mia Bella products were sold.  Lack of storage space prevented the library from accepting most book donations.

 As of December 31, our service area patron total was 15,047.  During the year, we registered 953 new patrons.  Of that number, 415 reside in our service area which consists of all the municipalities in the Wyoming Valley West School District except Larksville and Plymouth.  The Hoyt Library has always been a vital institution valued by its patrons, but it is increasing so in this time of economic uncertainty.  Citizens who never had a card before joined the library to borrow items they normally would have rented or purchased in the past.  Our public use computers were busier than ever as patrons searched for jobs, filled out applications online, sent email to family, friends and businesses, and conducted research that may have enriched and improved their lives.  Home computers, internet and telephone services, newspapers and periodicals have become unaffordable luxuries for many patrons.

Total circulation was 71,840; an increase of 22,160 items.  Interlibrary loan requests approximately doubled from the previous year.  Note in the following table the large increase in the circulation of DVDs, Books on CDs, Music CDs and Playaways (MP3 players):

In preparation for the completion of the construction and the relocation of some departments, meetings were held in order to review and update policies and procedures.  Some new policies and procedures created were necessitated by the impending changes.  The Reference and Children’s Departments will occupy the completed addition.  Most of the adult circulating collection will remain in the original library except for the non-fiction books.  Non-fiction books will be relocated to the second floor reference area.   Meetings and discussions are continuing into the new year.  Each department will implement their new polices and procedures when the library reopens next year.

Library staff and patrons were happy to witness the beginning of the library construction project in October.  As the   construction advances, the level of excitement and anticipation rises. Everyone is looking forward to the completion and dedication of the “new” Hoyt Library.

Helen M. Youells

Circulation Supervisor

HOYT LIBRARY

ADULT CIRCULATION STATISTICAL REPORT 2008

BOOKS:           28,020                 

VIDEO CASSETTES:  3,125   

 DVDs:  20,455                            

 AUDIO CASSETTES:  1,430   

 BOOKS ON CD:          1,912       

 MUSIC ON CD:           1,198 

 DIGITAL AUDIO BOOKS:     90               

 TOTAL ADULT CIRCULATION:   56,230

CHECK OUT & RENEWAL STATISTICS FOR ADULT & CHILDREN'S

ADULT CIRCULATION:                    56,230     

CHILDREN'S/YA CIRCULATION:     15,610                 

TOTAL CIRCULATION for 2008:     71,840     (Increase of 44.6%)

TOTAL CIRCULATION FOR 2007:     49,680

                                                 NEW PATRON REGISTRATIONS – 2008

                                               TOTAL PATRON REGISTRATIONS – 2008

Librarian’s Report 2008

Children’s/YA Department

The Children’s/YA Department of the Hoyt Library strives to provide an environment that fosters intellectual growth and social interaction through a media of print, audio-visual and computer materials.  Throughout the year we conduct a variety of programs targeting preschool children and their parents, school aged children and young adult patrons.  We strive to make a significant contribution to the quality and accuracy of materials available to our patrons.  Realizing that our young patrons and young adult members will be the library supporters of the future we believe that it is in the best interest of the community for the library to encourage a love and appreciation for books and library services from birth through the young adult years.

A total of 334 children and young adults in our service area became members of the library for the first time.  As of Dec.31, 2008, the number of children/YA registered in our service area stands at 4,630.  The total circulation of all materials from the Children’s/YA Department in 2008 was 15,610:  13,597 J materials and 2,013 YA materials .The breakdown of these circulation statistics is: Total 12,336 books: 11,470 J books and 866 YA books; 706 videos: 667 J videos and 39 YA videos; 32 audiocassettes:  30 J audiocassettes and 2 YA audiocassettes; 1,875 DVDs: 1,292 J DVDs and 583 YA DVDs; 614 music CDs:  99 J CDs and 515 YA CDs, and 47 books on CD:  39 J books on CD and 8 YA books on CD.     This figure represents 22 % of the total library circulation for the year 2008.

2008 was a very challenging year in the Children’s/YA Department.  Children’s/YA programming was affected by the roof collapse due to the much smaller available space.  Our temporary activities room became a storage area for the books that were salvaged. Fortunately we were able to hold a Parent/Child Workshop, Spring Story Hour, National Library Week activities and a Summer Reading Program before the books in storage arrived.  Fall Story Hour was cutback to include only 8-10 children and two sessions were conducted in the Children’s Library.   Our Program Facilitator continued and expanded visits to area daycare centers through our Daycare Outreach Program. In 2008, 2,963 children were serviced by our Outreach Program.

The library participates in the statewide summer reading program held yearly from early June through mid August. A total of 1,342 children, young adults, and adults attended Summer Reading programming in 2008.  460 children/Young Adults and 101 adults participated in summer reading at the library.  There were 606 children and 175 adults that participated in other summer programs.

The Young Adult Book Club and Advisory Board continued to meet at various times throughout the year.  Several field trips were also a part of the group’s activities. The Young Adult Advisory Board is concentrating on efforts to make the new addition more young adult friendly. They are extremely interested in having an impact on the services that we provide to the youth of the community.  The library also participated in Pennsylvania’s “One Book, Every Young Child” program by hosting a special book reading of Up, Down, and Around.  State Representative, Phyllis Mundy was the guest reader. In 2008 a total of 1,075 children and young adults and 662 adults attended programming conducted by the children’s/YA library. (includes summer reading statistics).

The Outreach program presented programs and provided books to a total of 2,963 children and 571 adults (includes summer reading statistics). 198 visits were made to the participating centers.

Collection development is given top priority in the Children’s/YA Department; but was adversely affected in 2008 due to a lack of space in the Children’s/YA Department and because of a shift in priorities to get over 30,000 items returned from storage; scanned and organized in the basement.  Numerous review sources are utilized by the Children’s Librarian in determining the development of a user friendly and comprehensive collection of materials.  In 2008 a total of 1,284 items were added to the Children’s/YA Section.  This total represents:  1,128 books, (988 children's, 140 young adult), 16 videos, (13 children’s, 3 young adult), 33 CDs, (5 children’s, 28 young adult), 50 DVDs, (43 children’s, 7 young adult), 52 book on CD, (4 children’s, 48 young adult), and 5 reference books, (3 children’s, 2 young adult)  added to the Children’s/YA Library shelves. The Children’s/YA collection now totals 26,610; 24,719 books and 1,891 non-print items.

1,445 reference questions were answered by the staff of the Children’s/YA Department in 2008.

Power Library Database searches:  SIRS, 877; FACTS, 34   Total:  911

Staff development activities are encouraged on a regular basis in the Children’s/YA Department.  Workshops are regularly attended on computer use, children’s programming, young adult programming, general library services, summer reading and future developments in programming centered around the state program, “One Book, Every Young Child.” Staff members also attended a Child Abuse Workshop, A Spanish Outreach program, Mother Goose on the Loose, and a Gaming Workshop.

549 items were discarded from the collections. This figure represents 240 J non-fiction, 171 J fiction, J 100 non-print; 13 Y/A non-fiction, and 23 Y/A fiction, 2 non-print.  A main cataloging focus for 2009 is to have all materials that were destroyed in the roof collapse removed from the OPAC system and evaluate areas of the collection that need to be restored. 

We look forward to 2009 bringing continued growth and interest in several areas; our YA Department, an expanded audio-visual collection and continued in-house and outreach programs to involve families in early learning. 

A special thank you to Alison Lesinski and Carol Dalmas and for their continued effort in conducting children’s programs and developing outreach programs.  Recognition also goes to Jeannette Bartlow and Christina Marvin for their help with circulation desk duties, story hour preparations and keeping the environment in the Children’s/YA Department user friendly.  

I would also like to extend a special thanks to Elaine Lacina, Tech. Services, Children’s, for her help in compiling the statistics for this report and keeping up with the cataloguing of new books as much as possible. A great amount of time was spent working to get an accurate count of the Children’s/YA materials that were returned from storage.

Respectfully submitted,

Maryann C. Hovan

Children’s/YA Librarian

                                   CIRCULATION STATISTICS FOR JUVENILE/YA

CHILDREN’S/YA DEPARTMENT

2005, 2006, 2007

CHILDREN JOINING THE LIBRARY – (New registrations in service area)

            2006                            2007                            2008

              486                              289                              334

CIRCULATION OF CHILDREN’S/YA MATERIALS

            2006                            2007                            2008

            40,865                        11,613                         15,610

          +17.4%                       (-71.58%)                     +34.42%

ATTENDANCE AT CHILDREN’S/YA ACTIVITIES

            2006                            2007                            2008

            4,904                            3,498                           2,518 ( includes 781 Outreach

                                                                                             Summer  Program Participants)

           +104.67%                    (-28.67%)                     (-28%)

CHILDREN’S OUTREACH FIGURES

       2008

       3,534

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

            2006                            2007                            2008

             976                             2,287                            1,284

            (-29.73%)                    +134.32%                   (-43.86%)

Reference Department Annual Report 2008

We are anticipating our new building and especially the new location for the Reference Department and the new Computer Center.  The Department will be located on the second floor of the new building. This will be the future for the Department; however, 2008 had the Department operating in the present area which is very confined.  Although the library operated on a smaller scale, the Reference Department was extremely active. In the past, the principle way to assist patrons was mainly on a one to one basis. At present we have many avenues and we are busy using the different resources to accommodate our patrons.           

We remember the past as we accommodated patrons; however, we must use and be versed in the new technology as the Department did in 2008.  This past year showed that the department was a vital part to the complete organization of the library.   Our statistics show how busy we were.

Reference Materials and Statistics:

The Reference Department has maintained its print collection which is vital in answering the requests of its patrons.  The budget was sufficient in allowing me to maintain a well rounded collection. I did some weeding and was able to order new material to keep the collection current to meet the needs of our patrons. However, towards the end of the year, a weeding of the entire Reference Collection was undertaken with a deadline of February, 2009.  This would allow an easier move  to our new location. I accomplished weeding to the 500’s and will complete the job by March 1, 2009.

Reference statistics have shown an increase.  This shows that the print collection is still used significantly as well as the other types of reference materials offered.

            See Reference Statistics for 2008.

Electronic Update:

The computers in the Reference Department were used heavily.  We did not allow our patrons to facilitate our computer lab.  The books we had in off-site  storage were returned and we now house part of our collection in the computer lab.  We had 9 computers on the main level in the Reference Department for the public to use. There was such a demand that we removed two of our OPAC computers and added two of our computers from the lab. We now have 11 computers in the Reference area for public use.   

We also have an Internet use policy which the public has to abide by.   When customers have questions or problems accessing information electronically, the reference staff is always available to assist them.

At the present time there aren’t any computers in the Children’s Department for children and young adults to use.  They are using the computers in the Reference Department.  Between children, young adults, and adults the section is very busy.

Patrons can print in black and white and color.  A scanner is also available for public use.

The Hoyt’s web page is under the direction of the Reference Librarian.  The Web page is constantly being updated and allows patrons the use of remote access to all our databases.  The web page also informs the public and serves to market the library resources. The library’s web address is www.hoytlibrary.org .

Ask Here PA is Pennsylvania's statewide live chat reference service and is a free service to all residents of Pennsylvania, offering live reference chat 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. This service also offers nationwide coverage.  The Hoyt provides coverage 5 hours a week which includes 2 hours of nationwide coverage.

WiFi Service was first accessible in 2008 at the library. Patrons can bring in their laptops and connect to the World Wide Web.

In 2008, the Reference Department provided the technology the public requested and the staff had the technological knowledge to meet the needs of its patrons.   

Interlibrary Loan:

This service was used a great deal during the past year.   Since the library lost most of its circulating collection, we were able to borrow most items patrons needed. It was a useful resource for our patrons especially in 2008.  During the past year if material could not be found within the library, we requested material through the county, state or nationwide. 

We also lend items statewide upon request.  Even though the majority of our collection was depleted or in storage, we did lend material that was still on our shelves.

This service allows patrons to save time by gathering their sources from one library instead of visiting many.

            See Reference Statistics for 2008.

Additional Reference Material:

The Reference Department also has other information to accommodate the patrons, such as:

                        A Collection of Telephone Directories

                        Comprehensive Pamphlet Information

                        World Maps

Magazines       

Newspapers

College Catalogs

Tax Information:

Federal, State and City tax forms and information for the 2007 tax year were available for the general public.  A substantial number of questions were answered, and forms were provided. In addition to the printed information we can also retrieve forms and instructions electronically.

Activities Sponsored In the Reference Department:

                        Feed-A-Friend

                        Toys-For-Tots

                        Displays

Conclusion:

The Reference Department of the future will be different from the Reference Department of the past. During the past few years, the Department has gone from all sources in print to offering a combination of print and electronic formats for our library customers.  2008 has been a remarkable year. The Department has been extremely active as statistics show, however it has been in a transitional stage.  We will be leaving our present area and will be relocating to our new area.  We will be leaving the past and moving towards the future. 

Hopefully during the past year we provided our patrons with expert assistance in locating the most useful information with our many resources.

I would like to thank Sheila Murtha, Jeannette Bartlow, Charles Kraintz and David Marks for making 2008 a successful year.   

My Staff and I look forward to relocating to our new location and assisting the public in 2009.

Respectfully submitted,

Diane M. Rebar

Reference Librarian

Annual Reference Statistics

2008

Interlibrary Loan

            Total number of completed transactions:                          3083

            Books borrowed by Hoyt:                                                 343

            Books loaned by Hoyt:                                                        40

             System ILLs borrowed:                                                  1352

             System ILLs loaned:                                                        337

            Photocopies borrowed by Hoyt:                                            0 

            Photocopies made by Hoyt:                                                  0  

            OCLC:                                                                            271

Cassettes borrowed by Hoyt:                                              15

            Cassettes loaned by Hoyt:                                                  23

            CDs borrowed by Hoyt:                                                     36

             CDs loaned by Hoyt:                                                         33

             Video Cassettes borrowed by Hoyt:                                 252

             Video Cassettes loaned by Hoyt:                                      204

             DVDs borrowed by Hoyt:                                                107

             DVDs loaned by Hoyt:                                                      65

             Play-a-ways borrowed by Hoyt                                           2

             Play-a-ways loaned by Hoyt                                               3

             Cancellations/No Locations:                                            227                                                                                                 

Questions

             Number of people asking reference questions:                   9,377               

            Number of reference questions asked:                                        9,784   

            Number of reference questions answered from our sources:        9,262

            Number of questions referred to Osterhout Free Library:                 43  

             Number of questions not answered:                                             479

Computers

             Heritage Quest–Number of Searches (grouped by System and

                 can not be broken down by individual library):                           N/A

            Live Homework Help—Number of students served: (grouped by

                 System and can not be broken down by individual library)           N/A

             NewsBank— Number of Searches                                                 69

Number of AskHerePA questions                                                  346

Number of times the Internet and Word Processors were used:    19,179

OPAC – Number of User Keyed Searches:                                  9,262

Web Site (Hoyt) – Number of hits for 2008:                                60,529              

Library Databases (Power Library)

            Number of searches for AP:                                                                         12              

            Number of searches for EBSCOhost:                                                      15,675

            Number of searches for Gale:                                                                       18

            Number of searches for Grove:                                                                     11

            Number of searches for Wilson:                                                                   41

            Number of searches for Oxford:                                                                   46

            Remote Access total logins:                                                                     1,518

Proctoring

           Number of Students Proctored:                                                               27

Technical Services Department Annual Report, 2008

Technical Services was a busy department in 2008.  In addition to cataloging and  processing new materials for the public to use,  the department was instrumental in inspecting, and checking in books that were returned to the library from off-site storage.  The other large project was the re-labeling of the entire returning fiction collection to denote the location and the author’s last name.  This project was started in 2006, but was only for new books.  The return of the entire collection was a good time to re-label the collection.  After the existing collection was re-labeled, the returned collection was labeled during the same time period that the physical inspection of the books took place.

There were 2300 items added to the adult collection in 2008.  The 2300 items consisted of:  1847 books, 7 audio cassettes, 3 videocassettes, 44 musical compact disks, 288 DVDs,  and 111 books on disk. 

The budget for the adult circulating book collection was $26,000.  The budget for the Adult audio-visual (AV) department was $6,000.   

There were a total of 1596 items deleted from the adult circulating collection. The number of deleted items were as follows:  1561 books,  29 videocassettes, 6 DVDs.

Memorial books continue to be popular, this year.  We added 307  memorial books to the collection in 2008.  The books are listed on the library’s webpage (www.hoytlibrary.org.)    Names of the deceased or honorees and materials are listed there.  Memorial books are shelved in the commemorative section for six months, after which time, they are shelved with the regular collection.

The Technical Services Staff is comprised of Ann Braithwaite, Alison Lesinski, and myself.  Our volunteer George DeCurtis, Jr. assisted us this year with the labeling of the fiction books.  The goal of the technical services staff is to process new materials for circulation within two to three days, and this goal we consistently reached in 2008.

Carrie L. Murray

Head of Technical Services

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE—ANNUAL REPORT 2008

After a delay of 18 months the Development Committee launched the Toward Tomorrow Capital Campaign for $1 million Dollars on September 15, 2008, with a luncheon for major donors at the Westmoreland Club.  This would be the first phase of a two-part capital campaign; the second being the community phase scheduled for late October. 

A crucial requirement for the success of any capital campaign is the demonstration of community support evidenced by a substantial amount of seed-money at the beginning of the campaign.  Therefore, long before the public launch of the campaign, the Development Committee was hard at work to raise a significant and solid financial base to prove community and Board support.  Phone calls, letters, news releases, and open letters to the community were utilized to raise awareness to the situation even though no action was yet visible on the site of the collapsed library.

In March, April, and May of 2007, the Development Director researched and wrote 23 grants; and also began organizing the Development Committee into chaired groups.  Attorney and Mrs. Arthur Piccone (Art and Sandy) agreed to serve as Co-Chairs, with Attorney Joseph Giovannini and Kevin Blaum, serving as Foundations Co-Chairs, Attorney Mary Beth Vender and Cheryl DeHaut serving as Events Co-Chairs and Joan McGuiness Blewitt assisting the Director in everything else that had to be done.  The Director of the Library works with all committees within the Development Committee. 

Between February 2007 and February 2008, nearly $100,000 had been raised from grants private sector organizations, and from community donors. The efforts of the Development Committee were wonderful and consistent; and without their dedication we would not have raised that very important financial base necessary for any capital campaign.

By September, 2008 we had all of the graphics and architectural renderings necessary to launch a capital campaign.

In October and November an open letter to the Community was published in local newspapers and a Com-Cast cable network of ads played for the next three months.  The public relations committee solicited the media in getting our story out to the community and regional news.  In January of 2009, another letter and “wish list” for naming opportunities was placed in local newspapers.     

Throughout the year, communications with major donors, foundations, corporate administrators, press, and the community-at-large was maintained.  Thank you letters were written and sent to each and every donor.

The effort was gratifying and successful and the financial base continued to grow.

In August, 2008, it was decided by the Development Committee and approved by the Board, to move the proceeds collected thus far to the Franklin Security Bank, Wilkes-Barre.  This bank was selected because they agreed to give us a 4% interest on a high-yield savings account.  This account stands alone in a separate bank allowing for clear tracking and reporting of all proceeds and also satisfies audit procedures for 501 (C) (3) organizations.

We continue to implement the original plan…To solicit Major Donors, Corporate CEO’s, Local Regional and National Foundations, Community Leaders, Local Businesses, and the Community-at-large.

We continue to keep the Library and its needs before the public.  The events we have announced or plan to announce in the near future include:  An All-Scholastic Art Show; Luncheons, receptions, and tours of the Library; A Founders’ Day Reception and Open House, Naming of Rooms and Areas Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies; and a Walk/Run for Literacy.

We have had successes in funding that have exceeded our expectations and indeed seem miraculous in this economic climate. 

We have in proceeds thus far (February, 2009)

$253,432.79 in cash flow

$150,000.00 in an approved grant

$403,432.79 TOTAL and counting.

Respectfully Submitted:

Jane Manganella, Director of Development        

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