7

COMMUNICATION & COUNSEL

 

 

Subject:                       Monthly Report

 

Prepared by:               Barbara Clubb, City Librarian

                                               

Prepared for:              Ottawa Public Library Board

 

Meeting of:                 December 13, 2010

 

Date of preparation:   December 3, 2010

 

 

OPL Mission Statement: Building a strong Ottawa community by supporting literacy and life-long learning, fostering inspiration and enjoyment and connecting people to each other and the world. (See Appendix A for Goals and Objectives)

 

1.    Goal A: Provide Responsive Services

 

Beaverbrook Branch: Approximately 70 grade 3 and 4 students from Roland Michener Public School visited the Beaverbrook Branch recently. The following is the feedback received from the teacher to Rosemary Morrison, the library staff member who conducted the visit: “It was definitely a worthwhile visit for our students. I appreciated having the library to ourselves and thought your presentations were very well organized and informative. I also think you have some valuable programs to offer on weekends, evenings, and through the summer. It's so important for kids to keep reading during their holidays!”

 

Report from Veena Balsawer, Beaverbrook Branch, on an Awesome Author’s Program:

 

What happens when you have 13 young aspiring authors and a published author in a room? A magic of words!

 

That’s what happened at the Beaverbrook Branch this Saturday afternoon, November 27, when Brenda Chapman came to do an awesome author’s workshop. It was a 45 minutes workshop, but it could have easily gone on for the whole day. Creative ideas and words were bouncing off the walls and the energy in the room was just beautiful. There were 9 girls and 4 boys who came in rushing, bouncing, and ‘flying’ through the door with their notebooks and their imagination. They were that excited. They loved the word games Brenda had for them and they were eager to share their ideas and questions with her. She gave them some great ideas and tips on how to plan and write a story. After the workshop, some children stayed in the library working on their stories. Some children asked to borrow books by Brenda Chapman and some asked for poetry books. The parents and the grandparents who accompanied the aspiring authors were very grateful that the library had organized this workshop.

     

 

 

 

 

 

Main Library: Positive feedback from a Main Library customer about Borrower Services staff:

“I don't have a question but rather a commendation for one of your staff. I regret I'm rather tardy in doing so, as this pertains to Thursday, March 25, 2010. Staff went above and beyond to assist me in finding a copy of "The Golden Mean" to sign out. He was working on the first floor, main sign-out desk. A very pleasant and helpful person. Thank you!”

 

 Received at Main library:

“This is a thank you to the OPL for offering the many excellent computer classes for seniors and anyone. Shayna (Keces) and Brian (Silcoff) (the ones I remember) have been patient with us students. I find them all very helpful, reducing my fear and anxiety about computer things, and enabling me to proceed more confidently to keep "connected."

 

To Jill Hawken, Business Librarian at Main:

“Thank you for updating me on the key online and print sources for business information. Your expertise as a business librarian is greatly appreciated.”

 

Nepean Centrepointe: After toddler time Tuesday morning, a patron, very enthused about the program, commented specifically on how good Kathleen Moore (Children Program & Public Service Assistant) was.  She said that Kathleen knows how to handle a crowd; knows how to present the program and is just very good. 

 

Ottawa Mission’s Stepping Stones Learning Centre for adult learners plus the Mission’s Day program: Alex Yarrow (Supervising Librarian) visited the Ottawa Mission’s Stepping Stones Learning Centre for adult learners plus the Mission’s Day program. Both visits were well received, and about 30 men learned about the library’s programs and services as well as receiving a free paperback. The men were welcoming, interested, and grateful for the personal connection to the library. On the same morning that Alex visited the Day Program, three men from the group came in to get library cards for the first time.

 

 

2.   Goal B: Develop Partnerships for Accessible and Efficient Service

 

ODSP Community Pass Pilot Project: OPL implemented phase 2 of the ODSP Community Pass pilot project.  Carlingwood, Cumberland and Sunnyside are now selling the passes.  The pilot project was first implemented in May 2010 at Beaverbrook, Centennial, Elmvale Acres, Greenboro, Hazeldean, Rosemount, Ruth E. Dickinson and St-Laurent branches and so far, it has proven to be a successful partnership and highly appreciated by the community.

 

Alta Vista and Vanier will later join when renovations are completed.  At that time OPL will have a total of 13 branches selling ODSP community passes!

 

New Businesses and the OPL: A young entrepreneur is just starting a jewellery business called “Lia Sophia.” At her first event with two other young entrepreneurs, the proceeds from the raffle part of the program were designated for the Ottawa Public Library. A total of $220.00 was raised and has been allocated to support a branch program featuring Aboriginal storytellers for Family Literacy Day in January. Although Family Literacy Day is actually January 27th, this particular event will take place on January 23rd.

 

Open house at Richmond Library: An open house was held at the Richmond Branch on Friday December 3rd from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This was an opportunity for residents in the community to meet library staff and to enjoy some refreshments.

 

 

 

Federal-Provincial Grant: The Ottawa Public Library is the recipient of a $60,000 federal-provincial grant, being funnelled through the Ministry of Culture. The funds will be used to implement a needs assessment survey to provide Library with current data on how well the Ottawa Public Library is meeting the needs of Ottawa’s Francophone community. The Project’s overall objective is to promote and strengthen Francophone participation in community life through library usage.  Results will inform the development of a new francophone services delivery strategy that will be shared with Ontario public libraries serving Francophone communities.  

 

Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre 35th Anniversary: On November 20th, the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre (OCCSC) celebrated their 35th anniversary of servicing newcomers in Ottawa. The OCCSC is one of OPL's community partners in the Library Settlement Partnerships Program (LSP). They provide newcomer services in 4 OPL branches as well as participating in system-wide newcomer events. The anniversary gala was well-attended. Max Keeping and Joan Sun acted as masters of ceremonies. There were greetings from Mayor-Elect Jim Watson, MPP Royal Galipeau, and MPP Yasir Naqvi, as well as representatives from OCCSC.

 

 

 

  

 

Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre 35th Anniversary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.    Goal C: Develop our Places and Spaces

 

Nepean Centrepointe: The refurbishment of the Children’s library at Nepean Centrepointe

(new carpet, painting) has been delayed until Jan 2011.  A delay in the delivery of the carpet forced moving the date from mid December. During this refurbishment the branch will stay open with service only on the Main floor with the Children’s library and the 2nd floor closed.  The 2nd floor is closed because all the books and other materials from the children’s floor are being stored on the 2nd floor. Circulation holds and the Main floor collections will all be available and returns from the Children’s library and the 2nd floor will be available to browse in the meeting room adjacent to the branch lobby.  Internet service will not be available on the 2nd floor or the Children’s library.  This will take place from Jan 7 to Jan 15th, 2011.

 

Infrastructure Stimulus Funding (ISF): In August 2010 OPL received word that additional funding might be available under the ISF program. Immediately OPL pulled together a list of projects that would be good candidates for additional ISF dollars. OPL submitted three projects: renovations to Ruth E. Dickinson Branch ($550K); landscaping for new Greely Branch ($75K) and exterior accessibility enhancements to the Vernon Branch ($150K).  

 

 

At the November 2010 OPL Board meeting, staff were questioned as to the status of these potential projects and reported that they had not heard that OPL had secured funding. Staff also expressed concern that some projects were weather dependent and that time was running out should funding be made available. Based on this update, staff were asked to develop a list of alternate projects that were not “weather dependant” and that would not require months of preparation. Trustee Holmes suggested that a strategy should be put into place to request funding for other projects.

 

Staff did prepare a list of projects, however, on November 19th, OPL received confirmation that $700K had been approved for two ISF-2 Projects: Ruth E Dickinson at $550K and Vernon Branch Ramp/Porch at $150K. Staff have begun work immediately on these two projects as the March 31, 2011 timelines required for completion is fast approaching. However, as of December 2, 2010 OPL received word that the Prime Minister announced that all ISF project deadlines would now be extended to October 31, 2011 on the condition the work has begun prior to March 31st! We are determining if we can submit Vernon as well as additional projects because of the new extension.

 

 

4.    Goal E: Be an Accountable and Innovative Organization

 

Child and Youth Services Committee of the Ontario Public Libraries Association: Jane Venus (OPL Manager, Children & Teen Services) sits on the Child and Youth Services Committee of the Ontario Public Libraries Association. She is pleased to announce that the committee has been awarded the “Trailblazer Award” from the Canadian Coalition on the Rights of the Child http://rightsofchildren.ca/ .

This award is for their work in creating two documents: Children’s Rights in the Public Library:

http://www.accessola.com/data/5/rec_docs/319_Children%27s_Rights_in_the_Public_Library.pdf

Teen Rights in the Public Library: http://www.accessola.com/data/5/rec_docs/729_TeenRightsOLA-1.pdf

Plans are being made for the award to be presented at the upcoming OLA Superconference.

 

 

Algonquin College: Anna Mould, Manager, Staff Development and Service Excellence; Josephine Norton, Manager, Public Services, and Joann O’Brien, Supervisor, Acquisitions, spoke to Library Technician students at Algonquin College about working at the Ottawa Public Library.  This outreach presentation was conducted in advance of the Library Technician work placement (currently running), where six students are spending three weeks

at the OPL. The Staff Development and Service Excellence team led the students through a one-day orientation to OPL, which included information on health and safety.

 

Employee Engagement Survey: In late November, OPL rolled out the results of the Employee Engagement Survey conducted last fall.  In addition to reviewing the results, employees were encouraged to participate in an online Idea Generation Initiative to provide input into action planning for the three areas for improvement. 

 

The Staff Development and Service Excellence team also completed the design of the Customer Service Excellence training material.  The material has been approved, sent for translation, layout and printing, with complete roll-out to employees to take place beginning in Q1 of 2011.

 

Two leaders among us: OPL recently nominated four individuals to participate in the Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute (NELI), a national leadership program for young librarians. Participation in the NELI provides a unique opportunity for professional librarians to share with peers and mentors a five day experiential and theoretical learning situation in Canada. Participants explore and experiment with such leadership concepts as vision, risk taking, creativity, communication, change, power, and styles of leadership -- all within a context of self-exploration, evaluation, and development. The Institute also provides an opportunity for those attending to develop integrated professional networks. Two OPL employees were selected to take part in it out of more than 100 applicants from across Canada. Alexandra Yarrow, Supervising Librarian at Rideau, was selected to participate in the 2010 which is taking place December 2-7 in British Columbia. Tara Wong, Coordinator of Digital Services, was selected to participate in the 2011 NELI (exact date to be determined).

 

Canada/Ontario/Ottawa Library Month There was a great deal of activity throughout the city in October as we celebrated the month with many of our partners for Library Month. Here is a list of the activities that took place in October at the OPL:

 

Big Wheels: Kids explored large vehicles of all kinds including trucks, buses and emergency vehicles in a hands-on way and met the drivers at Nepean Centrepointe.

 

Library Awareness Month Proclamation: Mayor Larry O’Brien declared October 2010 as Library Awareness Month in the City of Ottawa. He presented Councillor Jan Harder, Chair of the OPL Board, with a framed proclamation.

 

pot-pourri 2010 book launch: The Friends of OPL launched pot-pourri, the published work of winning authors from the 2010 Awesome Authors contest, at the Main Library.

 

Lunch and Learn: A speaker series during which business experts share their knowledge.

 

Starting a Business: Michael Burnatowski, Manager, Entrepreneurship Centre

 

 

 

Financial Statements for Business Plan Success: Stéphane Savage, Chartered Accountant, BDO

 

Marketing – What Works: Anthony Snippe, President, Creative Unity

 

Recruitment to Support Your Business: Panel discussion: Diane Johnson, professional recruiter with johnsonexecsearch.com, Chuck Hofley, human resources lawyer with Hicks Morley LLP and Dominique Jones, VP human resources, Halogen Software 

 

Communicate to Connect With Your Clients: Marion Grobb Finkelstein, Professional Speaker and Communication Catalyst of Marionspeaks.com. This presentation was followed by a 90-minute networking event.

 

Orléans 15th anniversary: The Orléans branch celebrated 15 years at its current location with special programming. The official celebration took place on Saturday, October 23.

 

·         October 19

Kids Lit Gala: OPL celebrated the gala’s 10th anniversary this year with ten local authors and illustrators representing the year in which they originally participated.

 

Teen Author Week: OPL, in collaboration with the Ottawa International Writer's Festival, hosted its first Teen Authors Week, sponsored by the Friends of OPL.

 

Library Settlement Partnership Celebration: Partner agencies, clients and community members shared information and socialized to celebrate the success of the provincial LSP program in Ottawa.

 

Doug McNab Commemoration: At a special ceremony at Carp, OPL commemorated the contributions of Doug McNab, a longtime volunteer and advocate for the West Carleton library branches.

 

Project Bookmark: A dedication of two plaques commemorating the spot where a passage from Elizabeth Hay’s book ‘Garbo Talks’ takes place (Bronson bridge and the canal area). Visit www.projectbookmarkcanada.ca for details of the program.

 

5.    Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association

We’re looking for someone: The Friends are looking for a well-organized, people oriented volunteer to coordinate and manage our 16th Annual Mammoth Used Book Sale on April 16th and 17th, 2011. Applicants must be available between January 4th and April 30th.

If you’re interested, or know of someone who might be, please contact Shirley Felker at: vpoperations@ottawapubliclibraryfriends.ca

 

 

Exceeding Expectations: The November 20th half price sale at A Good Read, located at the Stittsville library branch, was a great success! Sales of books bumped the bookstore's profits over its predicted earnings for the year. And over at Second Editions, the Nepean Centrepointe branch team is celebrating its most profitable year ever! We’re lucky to have such dedicated volunteers.

 

 

6.    Ottawa Public Library Foundation

 

Fundraising:

 

Direct Mail:

·         Holiday appeal to ~2,000 donors in-home by second week of December

 

2010 Literary Evening:

 

Donor Cultivation Event at French Embassy for Francophone Community:

 

OPLF Web Presence:

 

 

7.    From Our Past

 

RICHMOND - An open house is being held at the Richmond branch of the Ottawa Public Library this Friday, Dec. 3 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is meant to be an opportunity for residents in the community to meet library staff and to enjoy some refreshments. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Karen Craig has been managing the Richmond branch for just over a year now, having taken over from the retiring Sharon McMullen.

The Richmond library will soon be reaching its 40th anniversary of service to the Richmond community. While the inaugural Richmond library opened in Jan. 1972, its roots really go back to the year before, 1971, when a community library board, with Nancy Smith as chair, was formed with the goal of establishing a lending library in the community.

Arrangements were made with the then-Carleton Board of Education for this community library to be housed at the South Carleton High School library on a temporary basis. The long-term plan was to establish a permanent public library building in Richmond.

 

After opening in Jan. 1972, the Richmond library was operated for its first eight months of existence solely by the efforts of volunteers. It was only in Sept. 1972 that Muriel Gingras was hired as a library assistant.

In 1972, the first year of operation, total circulation was 3,910, with a membership of 342.

In 1973, circulation grew to 8,624 with a membership of 715. This circulation and membership matched an increase in the hours of operation of the library.

The amalgamation of the villages of Richmond and Stittsville with rural Goulbourn township in 1974 resulted in the creation of the eight-member Goulbourn Township Public Library Board with representations from Stittsville, Glen Cairn, rural Goulbourn and Richmond. John Harrison and Jim Scammell were the inaugurual Richmond representatives on this new library board.

In the spring of 1975, this new Goulbourn Township Public Library Board decided that the time had come for Richmond to have a library building of its own. Various alternatives were considered before it was decided to purchase a portable classroom available in Belleville for $5,700. Goulbourn township council gave permission to place this portable classroom among the trees in what was then Centennial Park on Perth Street at the west end of the village.

Wintario grants were sought and citizens and community groups in Richmond donated to fundraising efforts.

The new Richmond library branch was formally opened on Oct. 23, 1976 when Goulbourn mayor Betty Hill cut the ribbon. Total cost of this new Richmond library facility was $51,386, of which $39,725 was covered by donations and grants.

Ten years later, in Nov. 1986, a newly expanded Richmond branch of the Goulbourn Township Public Library was officially opened, with then Goulbourn township mayor Anton Wytenburg cutting the ribbon. This involved a new 1700 square foot addition to the library plus the renovation of the existing structure, giving a hwole new appearance to the branch.

Total cost of this expansion and renovation was $171,000. Goulbourn township council contributed $17,000 annually for three years. A group known as The Friends of the Richmond Library raised about $30,000 as the community portion of the fundraising. One of the group’s fundraising endeavours was selling “square feet” in the new addition for $65 each. The names of all those who contributed were included on a list erected in the branch.

Wintario provided a sizeable grant to round out the funding for this expansion and renovation.

Circulation at the Richmond library in 1982 was over 25,000 items annually.

With the creation of the new amalgamated city of Ottawa in 2001, the Richmond library branch became one of the 33 library branches in the new city’s library system

John Curry, December 2, 2010: Your Ottawa Region.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.   Upcoming Events of Interest

 

·         Next OPL Board Meeting                                     Jan 17/11, City Hall

·         Family Literacy Day in Canada                            Jan 27/11

 

 

 

 

 

Submitted by:

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Barbara Clubb

City Librarian and CEO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ottawa Public Library Strategic Work Program is based on the Library’s, mission, goals and objectives approved by the Board of Trustees. These are:

 

Mission: Building a strong Ottawa community by supporting literacy and life-long learning, fostering inspiration and enjoyment and connecting people to each other and the world. 

 

Goal A    Provide Responsive Services

 

A1     Focus on our future leaders: engage and support key groups who will influence Ottawa’s future success: youth, newcomers and entrepreneurs and small business, seniors and job seekers

A2     Catch up: build our print and electronic collections to address the gap between growing demand and current supply

A3     Be virtual: enhance technology-based access and services

A4     Good reads and the right information: support life-long learning, literacy and reading for all

A5     Stay ‘open’ for our citizens: provide more and better hours of service

 

Goal B    Develop partnerships for accessible and efficient service

 

B1     Add value: leverage public investment by working with other city departments and partners on key initiatives

B2     Be a window to the City: extend public access to City information and services through the Library’s 33 branches, mobile services and website

 

Goal C    Develop our places and spaces

 

C1     Care for what we have: implement upgrades and improvements in existing branches

C2     Build community – fill the ‘holes’:  develop new branches to support growth and address service gaps

C3     Reduce the barriers: enhance accessibility to our services through physical and technology upgrades

C4     Go green:  Demonstrate environmental leadership in all future facility development

 

Goal D    Build a New Central Library

                       

D1     Transform our future and preserve our past:  Develop a new Central Library as a civic and cultural focal point, which supports the City’s goals of being inclusive, creative, innovative, proud and liveable

 

Goal E     Be an Accountable and Innovative Organization

                       

E1      Develop our people: ensure effective staff and volunteer development, including the Board, the Friends and the Foundation

E2      Use technology wisely:  Utilize the power of technology to extend our services, make connections with our citizens, and realize ongoing efficiencies

E3      Measure what matters: implement a new approach to performance measurement that informs our continuous improvement and more accurately reflects the value-added roles the Library is playing

               E4      Tell our story:  build increased awareness of what the Library has to offer and report on progress to the public and taxpayers