HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 1, 1996COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
PUBLIC LIBRARY
820- 40th AVENUE N. E.
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN 55421-2996
PHONE: (612) 782-2805
FAX: (612) 782-2804
II.
III.
TO:
FROM;
SfJBJECT:
CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
Columbia Heights Public Library Board of Trustees
M. Rebecca Loader, Library Director~.
October Operational Report
DATE:
November 1, 1996
Significant Accomplishments
A. The Library Board met on 10/1 with four members present.
B. Marsha conducted 25 storytimes during the month with a total attendance of
473 children and 181 adults.
C. The Friends met on 10/7 with 6 members present.
D. The joint City Council/Library Board budget meeting was held on 10/15 with
13 in attendance.
E. Marsha conducted a field trip for the Fourth Baptist Christian School on
10/21 with 32 students and 8 adults present.
Departmental Goals
A. Polish-American Heritage month was celebrated during October with a display
in the East Room of the library.
B. The Board attended the Volunteer Recognition Dinner on 10/3 at Murzyn Hall.
C. Jeanine attended a class on Windows 95 on 10/10.
D. Public Works laid new sod in the backyard on 10/14.
E. Kelly and Jeanine attended the Municipals Banquet on 10/17.
F. The staff judged the fire safety posters on 10/23.
G. Jeanine participated in a cable shoot on 10/25.
H. Becky attended a meeting with Anoka County Staff on 10/29 about Dectalk (phone
renewal) and printers for the pac terminals.
I. Marsha attended a meeting on 10/31 on Summer Reading Club.
J. A survey was taken the week of 10/28 for the annual report attendance figures.
Issues and Problems
none
September
Circulation 1995 1996 LIBGIS 1995 1996
Adult 5439 5441 Reference 2296 2383
Juvenile 4388 5609 Dir. A 179 218
'9827 11050 Dir. B 37 35
Work days 25 24 Work days 25 24
recycled paper
On October 17, I attended the 1996 Fall Munici-pals Meeting held at the Maplewood
Community Center. After a brief business meeting where it was decided that the City
of Columbia Heights will be hosting the Fall 1997 Meeting, we went on to our speakers.
Our speakers for the evening were Sergeant David Thomalla, Maplewood F'olice
Department, and Officer Paul Paulos of the St. Paul Police Department. The topic for
the evening was "Gangs...Where We Are At...Where We Are Going...An Introduction of
Gangs, Their History, and a Look at Current Gang Activity and What the Future May
Hold." Both officers have extensive knowledge and experience on gang activity within
the city limits, as well as surrounding areas. They talked about the gang problem they
have in Maplewood, citing two separate incidents, both of which involved kids. One of
which resulted in death, and the other where the young man is now paralyzed. Gangs,
they stated more than once, have no boundaries. No one city is exempt from this
growing problem. The evening was quite an eye-opener for me, and I appreciate the
opportunity to attend this Fall Meeting.
KellY Jar~e'Olson
Clerk-Typist II, Library
On Thursday, October 17, 1996, I attended the Municipals Fall Meeting and Banquet at the Maplewood
Community Center. There was a short business meeting. The Board asked for volunteers to host the
spring and fall banquets. Columbia Heights has volunteered to host the fall 1997 banquet and will begin
making plans in the near future. The speakers for the evening were two police officers speaking on the
topic of "Gangs". The two officers, one from the Maplewood Police force and the other from St. Paul,
gave a brief history about gangs, what to watch for in your child, and what is happening in our cities and
suburbs. They emphasized that gang activity is talcing place everywhere, and that gangs do not
acknowledge boundaries. Although they may not live in the suburbs, they can and do perpetrate crimes
there. No one is "safe" or immune from this problem. They included stories about crimes that gangs
have committed in Maplewood, and the types of situations police officers have had to deal with.
Although I would not say that the topic was enjoyable, it was very eye opening and informative.
submitted by: Jeanine M. Schmidt
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
M. Rebecca Loader, Library Director
Marsha Tubbs, Children's Librarian
November 1, 1996
CHILDLIB Summer Reading Club meeting of October 31, 1996
The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 31. The first item on the agenda was an evaluation of the past
Summer Reading Club. Registration is down 10% across the county. Questions were raised regarding the possible
reasons. Answers varied but included: a) Parents unwilling to take on an additional "chore" such as recording books read
or weekly trips to the library, b) No incentives (Kathy B. responded that reading club incentives within ACL would not be
a viable option in the near future), c) A "club" means something different for children - implies a school activity, perhaps
it's time to change terminology. Suggestions given were "Summer Reading Activity", "Summer Reading Fun", "Summer
Reading Buttons", etc.
Scho. ol visits to promote Summer Reading Club were dis. cussed ACL discontinued school visits a few years ago. The
decision was made to visit one area school per library this coming Spring. We will continue wave pool tickets and
Planetarium passes provided both are options for Summer 1997. The Planetarium reported 1,600 children visited in 1996,
nearly 400 were ACL residents.
Summer Performers were discussed. The Clogging Troupe received a great review from NTN Librarian Kay Marszalek.
Two performers were considered questionable - Cheryl Sawyer and James Gerholdt. These two were not of the same
caliber level as other MELSA performers.
Storytimes sparked something of a debate. ACL is considering changing their current format for storytime. I was asked
to give input as to the variety/number/content of COH storytimes. Discussion followed and a committee was established
to look into possible changes. I volunteered as a committee member and was accepted as an ex-official member.
There was some further discussion regarding purchase of paperback books and miscellaneous business, meeting
adjourned at 4:25.