Arvin A. Brown Public Library

2016 Library Report to Town

ARVIN A. BROWN PUBLIC LIBRARY

2016 LIBRARIAN’S REPORT

2016 was a year of growth at Arvin A. Brown Library.  Our circulation rose nearly 20%, the largest increase in usage we have seen in the past 10 years!  This is thanks partly to the new statewide Interlibrary Loan Courier service started this year.  We provided over 200 books (that’s nearly double from last year!) from other libraries around the state for our patrons seeking to read through an author’s series or study up on a subject that our collection does not cover.  We have always provided this free service, but our new system has made it even more convenient to meet the reading needs of our patrons.  This service is subsidized by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  Another area of growth this year is the in the use of ListenUp Vermont, our downloadable audio and eBook service.  Circulation of these digital titles exceeded 550 checkouts this year, the highest number since 2009 when we first introduced this service.

We had some really great children’s programs again this year including Card and Board Game Day, presentation from Four Winds on animal skulls, crafts and activities and a game of life size Candyland.  We offered two after school programs (7 sessions each) – “Tinkering” and “Cats of All Sizes”  We offered a Red Cross Babysitting class which was very popular.  We participated in “Cailey’s Closet” which offers free prom gowns to area students and travels to a number of libraries throughout Franklin County.  We had a hugely successful summer camp.  We have been partnering with the Richford Health Center for over 20 years.  This year campers borrowed 621 books from the camp library, that’s more than ever before. Many children chose reading in the shady dugout “library” at the park as their cooling off/quiet time activity.  The campers read for a total of 45,300 minutes (that’s 755 hours!), both at home and at camp.

Thanks to a Dollar General Grant we sponsored some great guests at camp like the Big Blue Trunk, Summer Encore, “Animal Athletes” from the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and a rollicking performance from Modern Times Theater. The grant also provided some new equipment for future programming like a tent, tunnel and parachute to incorporate more movement into our early literacy programs.  The grant also covered the cost of supplies for summer creative craft activities.  Thank you Dollar General!

Our free drawing class continued to meet once or twice a week throughout the year. You can see the class projects displayed on our downstairs walls. The Richford Conservation Commission to held their program with Bridget Butler speaking on Ravens and Crows at the library.  We had a successful author talk. We also participated in Riverfest activities and the Richford Elementary School Community Day.  We had a lot of fun with a new fundraising event – “Derby Days Auction” on Kentucky Derby Saturday, which was a fun new way to raise funds for our library. Thanks to the hard work of the trustees and your generosity we raised about $7,000 through the Derby and our other fundraising events in 2016 including Hometown Follies Bake Sale and our Annual Fundraising Letter. This amount covers most of the costs of our new books, books on CD, magazines and online resources.

As always we would like to thank the the Richford Beautification Committee for keeping our grounds so beautiful through all the seasons, including the beautiful wreaths at holiday time.

Many of our services are available over the internet. You can download audiobooks to burn to CD or use on your MP3 device. You can also borrow FREE eBooks for your iPad, kindle, Nook or other device.  Our library catalog can be searched from home. You can log into your own account and place a hold on the books the book you’d like to borrow.

Other useful resources available online are included in the Vermont Online Library.  You can get help writing your resume, start your own business, learn to speak a foreign language, read the New York Times (or thousands of other newspapers or magazines), refer to a Chilton’s Car Repair Guide or help your children with their homework. Heritage Quest is a free genealogical database. Universal Class is an educational service providing high quality FREE online courses for patrons interested in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. There are more than 500 online courses to choose from – all classes come with continuing education credit. Digitized copies of the Richford Journal and Gazettes are available to view online through our website.

Don’t forget – we have State Park and Historical Site passes and an ECHO Museum pass which will give you free or reduced admission.

We are always interested in suggestions for new materials and program topics.  Keep up with our latest news and links to the audiobooks and databases at our website http://www.aabrown.org.  Find us on Facebook too.

Hours: Monday and Friday 10 – 5, Wednesday 10 – 8, Saturday 9 – 1

Phone: 848-3313    Email: arvinabrown@gmail.com

2016 STATISTICS

Total Circulation of the Year 10,815

Patron visits 7,480

Average number of patrons per week 144

Registered patron – Adult 923

Registered patron – Child 317

New patrons in 2016 123

Accessions to the Collection 582

ILL Borrowed from other libraries 234

ILL lent to other libraries 177

Average hours of computer users per week 13

Average number of computer users each week 19

Programs offered 84

Total program attendance 1553

Holdings

Adult Audio 201

Adult print material 6,708

Adult Video 1,270

Child Audio 49

Child Print Material 4,378

Child Video 300

Young Adult Print Material 552

Other 37

Magazine Subscriptions – Purchased 45

Magazine Subscriptions – Purchased 18

Available through ListenUp Vermont

Downloadable Audiobooks 4,041

Electronic Books 7,621