“The library is like a candy store where everything is free.” ― Jamie Ford, Songs of Willow Frost
Welcome to our Annual Community Report!
We hope to give you a look at the things your library has been up to over the past year. In 2022, we welcomed a return to normal programming after COVID19 restrictions began to lift. Our numbers dramatically increased with the development of new programming and the return of patrons.
It was great to see our community back again, especially for seasonal events like the Easter Parade, Summer Reading Program, Trunk or Treat, and our Holiday Party, as well as our Reading Challenges.
Some Stats from 2022…
- HLM loaned out 5,924 items.
- We have 11,941 individual items on-site.
- Our website recorded 38,996 visits, with 15,419 WiFi sessions.
- We added 1,408 items to our holdings.
- Overall visits to our location tallied 6,876, including events, support groups, and patron visits.
- Total on-site program attendance was 1,925.
- The library offered 252 individual program sessions.
- Our total operating fund is $84,952, including gifts and endowments, fund raising, investment income, and local public funds.
- HLM is a proud to say we are a fine-free library.
(Figures reported from New York State DLD Bibliostat 2022 Annual Report.)
We Blushed a Little…
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle was our goal for the year. Our policy became “use it up,” and this guided our purchasing practices, especially for craft supplies and articles for special events, as well as available space in our building.
Amongst our process improvement actions, we streamlined our system for holding books for patrons, and reclaimed sixteen bookshelves through an improved book sorting system throughout the library.
On October 10, at the NCLS Annual Meeting, we were recognized for our efforts with the Award for Library Improvement, selected from amongst 65 members of our library system.
Battle of the Books
Three tenacious teams from Madrid-Waddington Central School battled it out in the Battle of the Books challenge, last May. The competition was fierce, but everyone did a fantastic job! Special thanks to MWCS advisors Bill Gotsch and Tina Kowalchuk, who mediated the event, and worked with the teams leading up to the Battle.
The teams were: The Terrible Four (1st Place), The Marauders (2nd), and The Bookworms 2.0 (3rd).
Programming
Our regular programming includes a weekly Story Time and Craft with Mrs. Paige, monthly Book Club and Across the Fence, and quarterly Reading Challenges, in addition to special holiday events and the Summer Reading Program.
We are Readers!
Covid19 restrictions continued to ease in January, 2022, and we were thrilled to begin to welcome our community back. Our incentivized reading programs have fast become a seasonal tradition.
Snowman Reading Challenge – 290 books read!
Summer Reading Challenge – over 900 books read!
Thanksgiving Reading Challenge – 515 books read!
All of our reading challenges included every age group, and in 2022 we saw a welcome uptick in Young Adult participation.
Spring Sprang!
Over 35 kids participated in the Easter Bonnet competition with a parade around town.
A visit from the big guy himself!
We Trunked and Treated
Over 60 kids and kids-at-heart dropped by….
…. and ate popcorn, and watched videos
Summer Reading Program
Forty-three community members signed up for the Summer Reading Program, “Oceans of Possibilities.” Over 900 books were read, and a total of 122 program sessions were offered. Total program attendance was 348, which was pretty amazing!
Thanks to Randy Vanpatten for the amazing chalk drawings!
We looked at ocean life through virtual reality glasses…
We had a REALLY big beach ball!
Our Summer Reading Challenge Winners!
And we LOVED Miss Angie’s Music and shadow puppets! (Thanks, MDMS!)
Local writer Lua Garman shared six fantasy stories with us…
We did AMAZING origami…
Sea creatures were everywhere!
Across the Fence
Begun in late 2020, this popular program features a community member who brings their own unique knowledge of a subject to our community. All of our presentations were in-person and livestreamed on Facebook.
A few highlights from 2022 included…
Sam Miller, author;
Memoir Reasons Why I Left the Amish Community
Mark Deon, local writer,
“How to Write”
Heidi Ames, SLC Grants Manager,
“Grant Writing 101”
Enhancing Security… Thanks to 2021 DLD Grant
Thanks to a 2021 grant from NYS Division of Library Development, we were able to install security cameras in the main library, Community Room, and outside areas. We also upgraded our fire alarm system, and installed a generator capable of ensuring essential services are powered during electrical failures. We were awarded 75% of project costs, with a 25% match.
NCLS & HLM… A great partnership
We resumed two deliveries per week
Dylan and Randy…
These guys are the secret sauce for what makes NCLS work. They deliver books from our 65- member libraries so our community has access to 65 times the books!
Our staff
Kathy Paige,
Early Childhood Education
1995-present
Julia Gomez,
Technological Services
2006 – present
Deborah Chase-Lauther
Director
2020 – present
Thank you to Leo Fitzgerald, Custodian!
Our Board of Trustees
Trustees of a library in New York State hold an important role. In addition to approving budgets, state reports, and programming, they also ensure the Division of Library Development standards are upheld as reflected in policies they approve. Thanks to each of them for their invaluable community service. If you are interested in serving on our Board of Trustees, please contact a board member or the Director.
(Left to right)
Emily Huntley, Treasurer
Allison Barkley, Trustee
Susan McAvoy, Vice President
Jennifer McAvoy, President
Jennifer Coakley, Secretary
A special thanks to Bryan Huntley, who served from 2021-2022.
Thanks to our Community Partners
It takes a community… and Madrid has one of the best. We have so many people to thank for helping to make our events great and our programming meaningful. Here are just a few:
Town of Madrid, Highway Department, Madrid Volunteer Fire Department, Madrid Dam Music Series, Main Street Market, Stewarts, and Half-Dozen Bakery.
Thanks also to Kevin Finnegan for our sandbox last summer, Cathy Gwinn for her support of our programming, and Anna Campbell, for procuring grant funding for events like
Miss Angie’s Music
What’s Ahead in 2023?
- Our new NCLS online catalogue – Vega – will be up and running on April 26. We think you’ll like the changes as much as we do!
- We have some big surprises planned… lot’s of renovation happening in our Community Room, and a new teaching kitchen is planned for opening late summer – early fall. Again, thanks to the NYS Division of Library Development grant.
- Our Summer Reading Program is themed “All Together Now” and we can’t wait to share our planned reading challenge and activities.
- We will be updating our community on our 2021 Strategic and Long Range Plan.
Without you, our community, we could not do what we do. You all play a role in our success and we are proud to be Hepburn Library of Madrid.