AdamsCountyLibrarySystemBoardofTrustees ADAMSCOUNTYLIBRARYSYSTEM REPORT TOTHECOUNTYCOMMISSIONERS December2003

SomeUnexpectedChallenges 2003hasbeenachallengingyearfortheCountyLibrarySystem.The operationalplanfor2003included2projects,interiorpaintingoftheGettysburg facilityandcarpetingthefirstfloorofthatbuildingaswell.Thepaintingwas accomplishedwithoutincidentduringthefirstpartoftheyear.Thecarpeting projectwasanotherstory. First,theinstallationofthecarpetingwasdelayedwhenthelibrary elevator,whichhadbeenrebuiltin2002,hadaseriousmechanicalfailure.The mainhydrauliccylinderfortheelevator,whichhadbeenevaluatedasingood conditionandgoodforthelifeoftheelevatordevelopedaleak.Forsafety reasons,thesecylinders,whentheyleak,arenotallowedtoberepaired,they mustbereplaced. Ouroperationalplanwasmodifiedtoincludereplacingthiselevator cylinder,thefirstoftwomajorunplannedandunbudgetedexpenses. ThenwhentheelevatorwasbackinoperationinMay,webeganthe carpetingproject.Uponremovingtheexistingcarpetingtilesinthefirstfloorof thelibrary,significantmoldandmildewwasdiscovered,andremediationwas required.Thisremediationprojectwasthesecondmodificationtothe operationalplanandthesecondmajorunbudgetedexpenseadministrationwas todealwithin2003. Theremediationworkrequiredthattheentirefirstfloorofthelibrarybe closedandhermeticallysealedfromtheremainderofthelibrary.Allmaterials werecleaned,placedonbooktrucks,shrinkwrappedandthenremovedfromthe

libraryandplacedinstorage.Next,allcarpetingwasremoved,andthefloors werecleanedwithbleachandspecialcleaners.Nextasealerwasappliedtothe concretefloor.Thentheareawasthoroughlycleanedandwasreadyforthe carpettobereinstalled. Thistimethecarpetwasinstalledwithoutincident.Ourbookswere returnedtoustheweekofMay18th,2003.Atthispoint,thelibraryhadspent nearly$65,000ofunbudgetedexpensesbetweentheelevator,theremediation, andcostsofadditionalcarpetingtoreplaceareasthatwehadnotplannedto replacethisyear. Thenthechallengewastogetourprogrambackontrack,andtomanage ourfinancialssothatwecouldrecoverasmuchofthecostoftheunbudgeted expensesaspossible.Werecoveredmostoftheseexpensesbynotreplacing staffastheyleftouremployment.Othercostswererecoveredbyreducing spendingoverawiderangeofoperationalactivities.Carefulmanagementof daytodayoperationsbroughtourexpendituresnearlybacktoouroriginal projections.

Accomplishments

TheFairfieldAreaCommunityLibraryopenedonJanuary7th,2003! Thishasbeenanextremelysuccessfulstartupforus,lendingmorethan 25,000itemsasofOctober31!Weareespeciallypleasedwiththe supportofthemunicipalitiesofCarrollValleyBorough,FairfieldBorough, HamiltonbanTownshipandLibertyTownship. UnitedCerebralPalsyComputerWorkstation.Thisworkstationfor individualswithdisabilitieswasgiventothelibraryinFebruary.The libraryhasbeenworkingwithUCPandtheAdamsCounty AssociationfortheBlindtomakethisequipmentavailableto residentswhomightbenefitfromitsspecialcapabilities. PlanningProcesscontinues.In2002,theLibrarySystemengaged

theservicesofaconsultingfirm,theIvyGroup,toassess communityneedsandcommunitysatisfactionwithregardtolibrary service.TheworkonthisCommunityAssessmentSurveywas completedinOctoberof2002andweareevaluatingthedata.Carl Kohn,VicePresidentoftheACLSBoardofDirectorshasbeen coordinatingplanningprocessexercises,basedonmodels publishedbytheAmericanLibraryAssociation.Thisdatahasbeen acontinualreferencepoint. UseoftheLibrary.Throughout2003wenoticedasignificant increaseinthecustomeruseofthelibrary.BytheendofOctoberof thisyear,theLibrarySystemhadcirculated21,000moreitemsthan thepreviousyearatthattime.Thisyeartheaveragenumberof visitsperdayattheCentrallibrarywas475.And,asoftheendof October,thesystemasawholewasexperiencinga5%increasein use.AtOctobersend,over429,000itemshadbeenloanedputting thelibrarywellontracktomatchorexceedtherecord479,636items loanedduring2002. ThesatellitelibrariesinLittlestownandFairfieldhaveshownoutstanding circulationthisyear.Littlestownscirculationismorethan13%greaterthis yearthanlast.TheFairfieldLibraryhadalreadyloanedmorethan25,000 itemsbytheendofOctober! LibraryCards.Morethan42,000countyresidentscurrentlyhold librarycards. InternetUse.SystemwideuseoflibraryInternetterminalsremains briskwithover20,000recordedusagesasofOctober31st.

ComputerClasses.Anotherextremelyimportantserviceofferedby thelibraryinthepastyearisComputerTrainingClasses.Todatein 2003weoffered168classes,whichwereattendedby1008 customers.Allclassesarefreeofcharge.Againin2003ourstaff

providedclassesattheCentralLibrary,theLittlestownLibraryand theEastBerlinCommunityLibrary.Classeswerealsoheldatthe newFairfieldAreaLibrary.Additionallyoneofourvolunteers providedclassesattheNewOxfordAreaLibrary.Thisisa tremendousopportunityforCountyresidentstolearnbasic computerskills,inafriendlyaccessibleenvironment,withoutcost.

LookingAhead Inpreviousyears,wenotedhowfortunatewehavebeenthatourincome hasgrownsignificantlyoverthepast4to5yearperiod.Aswelookforwardto 2004,itnowappearslikelythatthelibrarysoverallincomewilldecrease significantly.ThecurrentstatebudgetreducesStateAidtoLibrariesby50%. Thisisareductionofmorethan$400,000forthelibrarysystem.Thisisthefirst significantreductioninincomethelibrarysystemhasfacedsince1995,andthe budgetapprovedbytheAdamsCountyLibrarySystemBoardofTrusteesfor 2004reflectsthisdecrease. ThefinancialsupportoftheAdamsCountyCommissionershasprovided thesolidfinancialfoundationnecessaryforthelibrarytoimprove,expand,and maintainatruecountywidelibrarysystemprovidingqualitylibraryservice.Until thisyear,LibraryStateAidfundinghasbeenreceivedindirectproportiontothe localfundingthelibraryreceives,andbecauseofthesolidfinancialfooting providedbytheAdamsCountyCommissioners,theLibraryin2002&2003 receivednearlyadollartodollarmatchinfundingfromtheLibraryStateAid program,makingtheStatearealpartnerinfundingtheAdamsCountyLibrary System.Whilethisisnotthecasein2004,theimportanceofmaintaining thecountyfundingatthecurrentlevelisparamount.LibraryLawrequires librariesreceivingStateAidtomaintainorexceedtheircurrentleveloflocally fundedexpenditures.WerefertothisastheLocalFinancialEffortrequirement orLFE.LibraryLawalsospeakstothemaintainingorexceedingthecurrent leveloflocalgovernmentfundingtocontinuetoqualifyforStateAidtoLibraries. Ourcollectionsoflibrarymaterialscontinuetogrow,andremainofhigh quality.Wehavedevelopedoutstandingcollectionsforalibraryofoursize.Use

ofthematerialscontinuestogrowatasteadyrate. Whileinthepastourincomeincreased,sohavethedemandsuponthe librarybythepublic.Wehaveseenourlendingofmaterialsgrowatan outstandingrate.Lendinghasincreasedbyover62%since1995.Atthesame timethatdemandforourbooks,magazinesandotherlibrarymaterialshas increased,wehavehadtodealwithdemandformoreelectronicresourcesand havefounditnecessarytoinvestandreinvestintechnologyinordertoprovide meaningfullibraryservices.Weexpectthisgrowthtocontinue,eventhoughwe expectourincometobesignificantlyreduced. Our2004budgetmeetsallstandardsexceptthestandardsforcollections purchases.Giventhe$400,000cutback,wehavereducedourexpendituresfor librarymaterials,andwillrequestareleasefromthatstandardforthisyear.Itis administrationsunderstandingthattheStateLibrarywillapprovecutbacksinthis areabecauseofthedrasticcutsinStateAid. Weunderstandthatotherstandardswillremainineffect,andthatwaivers willnotbegrantedinthoseareas.WedomeetthestatestandardsforLocal FinancialEffort,whichinitssimplestformtranslatesasmeaningthatwemust notspendlesslocallyraisedmoneythanwespentin2003. Aswenotedeachpreviousyear,wearepleasedandproudoftheLibrary Systemssuccess,andhopetheresidentsofAdamsCountysharethispride. Wecontinuetolookforwardtoimprovingtheservicesweareabletooffertothe citizensofAdamsCounty.ThesupportoftheCountyCommissionersremains bothinvaluableandverymuchappreciated. Respectfullysubmitted, Trustees,AdamsCountyLibrarySystem

STATISTICALSUMMARY JANUARY1,2003DECEMBER31,2003

24,106INTERNETUSESATTHELIBRARY 1,113,127HITSONTHEACLSHOMEPAGEONTHEWORLDWIDEWEB! 43,151COUNTYRESIDENTSHAVEVALIDLIBRARYCARDS 1168RESIDENTSHAVETAKENFREECOURSESINOURCOMPUTERLAB 4229RESIDENTSHAVEREGISTEREDFORNEWLIBRARYCARDSIN2003

MATERIALS LIBRARYHOLDINGSASOFDecember31,2003 ADULT: 99,629 CHILDREN: 56,586 156,215

NEWMATERIALSADDEDIN2003TODATE 16,756 COLLECTIONSIZEGREWBY5%IN2003 CIRCULATION

SYSTEMWIDECIRCULATIONHASINCREASEDBY6%YEARTODATE 508,035ITEMSHADBEENLENTBYDecember31,2003 CUSTOMERSUSINGTHELIBRARY

165,539CUSTOMERVISITSHAVEBEENRECORDEDINTHEGETTYSBURG FACILITY BYOURPEOPLECOUNTERSSINCETHEBEGINNINGOFTHEYEAR. THISIS482AVERAGEVISITSPERDAY!

Objectivesfor2003
Objective:Publicawareness.TheLibrarySystemintendstoexplore additionalmediaoutletstoinformthecommunityofourlibrary services. ENDOFYEARSTATUS:ACLSpurchasedradioadvertisingfor26 weeksfromWGETradio,andcontinuedtopurchaseprintadvertising asappropriate. Objective:LongRangePlanning/PlanningProcess. In2002,theLibrarycontractedwiththeIvyGrouptodoassessmentof ourcustomersneedsandexpectationsforservices.In2003thelibrary willusetheresultsandrecommendationsoftheIvyGroupsworktore examinethe5yeargoalssetoutin1997andtodevelopastrategyforthe 5yearperiod2003through2008.ENDOFYEARSTATUS:CarlKohn, VicePresidentoftheACLSBoardofDirectorshasbeencoordinating planningprocessexercises,basedonmodelspublishedbytheAmerican LibraryAssociation.WorkingwiththeCommunityAssessmentdata,small groupsoftrusteesandstaffhavebeenworkingtogethertoprepareanew 5yearplan.Asummaryreportofthisactivityisexpectedtobedelivered totheAdamsCountyLibrarySystemBoardofTrusteesinJanuary2004. Objective:HistoricalSocietyPartnership.TheLibraryandthe AdamsCountyHistoricalSocietywillworktogetheronaprojectto digitizephotographsrelevanttothehistoryofAdamsCountyand

makethesephotographsavailableviatheInternet.Thisprojectwill befundedbyagrantfromtheStateLibrary,receivedlatein2002. ENDOFYEARSTATUS:Equipmentpurchased,andtheprogramis underway. Objective:FairfieldLibrary.OpenandestablishtheFairfieldArea CommunityLibraryasavitalcommunityinstitution.Thisnew facilitywillopenonTuesdayJanuary7th,2003withanopenhouse andextendedhours.ENDOFYEARSTATUS:Successful.The FairfieldAreaLibraryhasbeenopensinceJanuary,andhasbeen wellreceivedbythepublic. Objective:Bookmobile.Evaluatecurrentbookmobileserviceand planforsubsequentyears.Evaluateneedforasmallervehicle,and/ orvehicletoprovidespecializedservices,i.e.todaycares,nursing homes,etc.ENDOFYEARSTATUS:Evaluationprocess,ongoing. Purchasewillneedtobedeferreduntilfundingsituationisresolved.

Objectivesfor2004

Objective:ManagetheStateAidCutback. TheAdamsCountyLibrarySystemwillreceivea$400,000cutinState Aidappropriationfor2004.Oneofthechiefchallengesforthecoming yearwillbetomanagethiscutback,andminimizethedamagetopublic service.TheLibraryBoardhasalreadydecidedthatthiswillbedonewith nocutbackinhoursorfacilities. Objective:Publicawareness. Continuetopurchaseradioadvertisingfor26weeksfromWGETradio, andcontinuetopurchaseprintadvertisingasappropriate. Objective:LongRangePlanning/PlanningProcess. Completethe5yearplan.Begintothinkthroughoperationalplansand strategiesthatwillmeetthosenewgoalsandobjectives. Objective:HistoricalSocietyPartnership. ContinuetoworkwiththeAdamsCountyHistoricalSocietyonthisproject todigitizephotographsrelevanttothehistoryofAdamsCountyandmake thesephotographsavailableviatheInternet. Objective:Bookmobile. Continuetoevaluatecurrentbookmobileserviceandplanforsubsequent years.Evaluateneedforasmallervehicle,and/orvehicletoprovide specializedservices,i.e.todaycares,nursinghomes,etc.Thisisan ongoingobjective.Obviouslypurchasedecisionswillneedtobepushed backuntilourfundingsituationisimproved. Objective:OneBook/OneCounty. IncooperationwiththeMusselmanLibrary,GettysburgCollege,offera reading/discussionprogramtoallofAdamsCounty.Thiswillgiveall whochoosetoparticipateachancetoreadanddiscussonebook,share theexperienceandparticipateinrelatedactivities.

RETURNONINVESTMENT2003
AdamsCountyLibrarySystemService:HowMuchIsItReallyWorth? TheAdamsCountyLibrarySystemisinthebusinessofmakingbooks, informationandrelatedmaterialsavailabletotheresidentsofAdamsCounty, andtoofferculturallyenrichingprogramstoCountyresidents.Ifourcustomers hadtobuythematerialsandservicesavailabletothemin2003fromtheAdams CountyLibrarySystem,theywouldhavepaidanestimated$10,372,900 Forexample: 479,000+booksandmaterialswereborrowedfromtheLibrarySystemin 2003.Atanaverageretailcostof$20thesewouldhavecost: $9,580,000 41,000books,periodicals,andnewspaperswereusedinlibrariesbutnot checkedout. Atanaverageretailpriceof$10thesewouldhavecost: $410,000

55,000referencequestionswereansweredinpersonandbytelephoneby thelibrarystaff.Ifthelibrarycustomerhadtopay$5foreachinquiry, thecostwouldhavebeen: $275,000

1,008residentstookfreecomputerclassesatthelibrary.Atacostof$50 perclassthisrepresentsavalueof: 50,400 10,000childrenandadultsattendedlibraryprogramsin2003. Ata$5admission,theseactivitieswouldbeworth: $50,000 $

1500childrenparticipatedinsummerreadingprogramsin2003. Ifeachhadpaida$5registrationfee,thiswould havecost: TotalBenefits $7,500

$10,372,900

ThesearejustsomeoftheservicestheAdamsCounty LibrarySystemprovidedduringthefiscalyear. Thevaluewasmuchmoretomanyusersthan theincomethelibraryreceived fromState,CountyorLocalMunicipalsourcesin2003.

TaxpayersInvestmentin2003 $1,719,628 ReturnonInvestment $8,653,272

(Dataasof11/03)