Contents
Introduction
Collaboration and Cooperation
Library Goal
Programs and Services
Partnerships
Equitable Access
Library Goal
Programs and Services
Partnerships
Community Engagement
Library Goal
Programs and Services
Partnerships
Summary
Introduction
In 2014 the Houston Public Library Association received the following four provincial grants:
- Operating Grant - $12147.00
- Literacy Grant - $9405.00
- BC OneCard Grant - $7400.00
- Resource Sharing Grant - $2310.00
This money, a total of $31,262.00.00, was used in a variety of ways to enhance our programs and services and to support our general operating expenses.
Serving a relatively small community of only 3200 people, the Houston Public Library (HPL) has a long history beginning in the 1920’s. For nearly 40 years library services were maintained by dedicated volunteers. On January 28, 1965, the Houston Public Library Association was incorporated under the BC Library Act and began receiving municipal and provincial support for its services to the community. Over the past 49 years, HPL has continually grown and expanded, a reflection of its vital role within the District of Houston and the surrounding Area G of the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako. Today, HPL occupies a 495 square meter, municipally-owned and maintained building that was expanded in 1999 through the efforts and support of many local individuals and businesses.
Like many small libraries, HPL continues to face an array of challenges. The Houston Forest Products sawmill closure in May of 2014 put the library’s request for a funding increase from the District of Houston in jeopardy. In an eleventh hour coup, faithful patrons rallied to advocate for the library and the result was a unanimous decision by Council to grant the request. The resulting increase, however, only reduced the deficit budget, but it did stave off having to reduce operating hours and/or staff for now. These remain very real possibilities for HPL unless better and stable funding can be secured in the very near future.
Keeping up with technology is yet another difficulty that HPL faces on a regular basis. Currently the library has only three functioning Public Access Computers remaining. One was removed in January; andanother will likely be removed by July. Unless funding can be secured to replace them, we will have only the two newer computers this summer.
The demand for technological services is increasing rapidly. Public Access Computer and wi-fi use increased 40% in 2014 over the previous year. Fax/print and photocopy use increased 14%. The mill closure is a contributing factor, as is the influx of low income and income assistance families to the community. The library struggles on a daily basis to meet the needs of the unemployed wanting to access government forms on line, fax resumes and conduct job searches, as well as the increasing demand of low income patrons wanting to access the Internet for personal reasons.
The Houston Public Library Association celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year with a reception that was attended by 57 guests and highlighting the changes that HPL and libraries in general have gone through over the past half-decade. Only 20 years ago, we were just beginning to think about automation; now it is the backbone of the services that HPL provides.
Collaboration and Cooperation
Library Goal
In the spirit of collaboration and cooperation, HPL has been actively and enthusiastically involved in the development of Interlibrary Connect. In 2014, we sought to work with the North East and Kootenay Federations, and Sitka to further expand Interlibrary Connect.
Programs and Services
In 2012, HPL took a leading role in the Interlibrary Connect pilot project in which we helped develop policy and procedure for processing Inter-library Loan requests through Evergreen within the NCLF region. In 2014, Interlibrary Connect continued to increase in capacity, filling 75% of all ILL-type requests within the North Coast Library Federation by June. This impressive level of service prompted the North Coast, North East and Kootentay Library Federations to initiate serious discussions about the next steps for Interlibrary Connect: namely going inter-federational with the program.
With enthusiasm and interest for Interlibrary Connect at an all-time high throughout the province in both participating and non-participating libraries, fall, 2014 seemed the perfect time to move forward. Sitka was approached in August with a surprising result: all action on Interlibrary Connect development ground to a halt. While we had no definitive explanation for the delay, we were left to deal with the fallout that has resulted in a loss of faith in the program by some libraries.
There are certain challenges for Sitka in implementing inter-federation service, therefore, the Sitka support and development team has indicated that it wants assurance from the province that it supports Interlibrary Connect. Mixed messages from the Branch, however, along with delays in responding to us, contributed to a high level of frustration in the later part of the year.
The system has proven,and continues to prove, its value. 75% of all of the ILL-like resource sharing that took place within the North Coast Library Federation in June of 2014 was the result of Interlibrary Connect. The benefits to both staff and patron are myriad. A few of the more significant ones are:
- Interlibrary Connect is efficient, taking less than a quarter of the time to process an individual request than through Outlook On-line.
- Interlibrary Connect is eco-friendly. It virtually eliminates the need for paperwork.
- Interlibrary Connect is intuitive. Patrons find it and use it without even realizing it.
- Interlibrary Connect is seamless. Patrons can place a hold on an item they want 24/7 from anywhere in the world through their library’s web site.
There has been a noted and notable increase in resource sharing in some libraries that can be directly attributed to Interlibrary Connect. This translates to both good and bad news; it’s good that more patrons are enjoying better access to the material they want/need and it’s bad that a strain may be put on the provincial Resource Sharing Grant budget because of this. However, this is clearly a sign of not only the success, but the further potential the system holds. It is obvious that Interlibrary Connect has the capacity to serve Sitka libraries extremely well and needs to again become the priority it once was for the province.
Partnerships
It is difficult to talk about partnerships when what appears to be a breakdown in communication seems to have severed the relationship between the key players in the continued development of Interlibrary Connect. The promise of a planning meeting has not been fulfilled. The federations have been left dangling without any clear idea of where the province stands in relation to continuing the efforts to have Interlibrary Connect reach its full potential. The BCLC and Sitka have indicated that they are still in full support of the project, but are waiting also for their issues to be heard and some sign from the province that the needed support is there.
In the meantime, the North Coast, North East and Kootenay Library Federations under the leadership and guidance of Katherine Anderson, Joanne Richards and myself, Toni McKilligan continue to work together to give support to the current Interlibrary Connect libraries and provide information to other libraries that are interested in the project.
Equitable Access
Library Goal
Equitable access to information continues to be a high priority for HPL and the goal continues to be to ensure that people get the material they want and need as efficiently and quickly as possible. In 2014, this goal was focused on local service and resulted in the creation of a unique classification system that allows us to arrange material in manner more consistent with a bookstore layout.
Programs and Services
In late 2013, Sara Lewis and I undertook one of the biggest projects that we have ever done. We started the process of creating a unique classification system that we called Elements Classification. Basically, Elements consists of eight broad categories that are further broken down into smaller groups and, where necessary, specific sections. These groups and sections are the “elements” that make up the broad categories.
Using colour-coded labels and four-digit classification numbers, Elements makes finding information fast and easy. It also groups similar and related topics more closely than DDS does. For example, Families is where everything parenting from conception right through the teen years can be found. Baby names are with baby information rather than genealogy.
What we are finding is that people looking for information in the broadest sense of a topic are finding everything they need and more. Non-fiction titles that had become dust collectors are now circulating again. Many people are checking out more items because they don’t have to hunt for related topics.
Feedback from staff and patrons is positive. Patrons like that they don’t have to rely so heavily on the OPAC. They are quickly directed to the areathe information they are looking for is and there they tend to browse more. It’s wonderful to see people looking, acting and feeling so relaxed in the stacks!
Partnerships
The Elements Classification project did not involve any partners outside of HPL. However, we are developing documentation that explains the system and will be making it available to interested libraries in the near future.
Community Engagement
Library Goal
Sustainability is a hot topic in Houston where food security is an issue for a significant portion of the population. In an effort to assist in raising awareness about food security and encouraging local food production, HPL launched the Make It Sow Seed Library in spring of 2014. Our goal was simple: increase food production literacy through the sharing of heritage seeds and community oriented workshops.
Programs and Services
The Make It Sow Seed Library provides heirloom seeds for free to patrons and guests of the library. The seed packages are checked out as non-catalogued items to track statistics. In 2014 patrons checked out 280 packages of seeds including: kale, spinach, peas, beans, carrots, cilantro, beets and tomatoes. One strain of tomatoes, Pollock Tomatoes, was developed by a local gardener as a hardy, high-yield plant and is gaining notoriety among organic gardeners throughout the province.
Accompanied by gardening and food-production workshops, the Make It Sow Seed Library is helping local gardeners learn more about food security and sustainable living practices. The workshops, include Planting Methods, Composting, Vermi-composting, Soil Building, Seed Saving and Preserving Your Harvest.
People are encouraged to save seeds and return them to the library. We have received returned spinach, tomato and pea seeds so far.
Partnerships
The Make It Sow Seed Library is a joint initiative of HPL and Healthy Options for People and the Earth (HOPE) Society, with support from Andy Pollock (local gardener) and generous contributions of seeds from Salt Spring Seeds on Salt Spring Island. This rewarding relationship has influenced a burgeoning community of small-scale food producers who are working together cooperatively to share in growing good and wholesome food that is sold at the local market and, to some extent, donated to the local food bank. More than any other project, the Make It Sow Seed Library is having a very positive ripple effect throughout the community and beyond.
Summary
The Houston Public Library focuses on patrons: their experience and satisfaction. Serving the entire population, from cradle to grave, every walk of life, every race, every creed, equally, HPL maintains an ethic of inclusion for all. While some programs may target specific age ranges for content appropriateness, gender or race-specificity is not a consideration when designing them. Singling out groups according to belief, or ethnicity tends, we feel, to foster discrimination and bigotry. It is our aim to help every citizen feel welcome and to find joy within the library walls.
The grant funds we receive from the province of BC, Ministry of Education, are used to nurture a whole and healthy community to the very best of our ability. It is difficult to express our gratitude for the dollars that assist us in serving the community, but we are immensely thankful for the support afforded us with these grants, and we will continue to utilize them to support the community as a whole.
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