Director’s Office Monroe County Library System 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604-1896 Phone: (585) 428.8045 Fax: (585) 428.8353 [email protected]
TO: MCLS Board of Trustees
FROM: Patricia Uttaro, Director
DATE: January 25, 2016
SUBJECT: Monthly Report – January, 2016
Action Items
Coalition for Upstate Regional Broadband (CURB) Agreement (Agenda Item I.3)
The New York Broadband Program Office released a Request for Information on September 24, 2015 to support
the development and expansion of infrastructure to bring high-speed broadband access to underserved and
unserved regions of New York State. This RFI fits with the work undertaken by the Rochester Public Library,
the City of Rochester, and Rochester City School District to find a way to extend free broadband access to City
residents unable to afford home service. Initially, the discussion included a possible Wi-Fi hotspot loan program
pilot in the Northeast section of the City of Rochester; after some discussion with RCSD, the idea evolved into
free broadband Wi-Fi broadcast throughout the City from schools and other City-owned buildings. The RFI
from the Broadband Program Office seeks collaborative projects that affect a broad geographic range. The
Coalition for Upstate Regional Broadband (CURB) grew out of the discussions being held in Rochester, and has
resulted in the agreement proposed today. CURB is a voluntary agreement that builds a broad coalition of
partners across upstate who will leverage their resources to pursue funding that will allow the build-out of a
wide-ranging broadband network. Locally, the partners are: Monroe County, City of Rochester, Rochester City
School District, Monroe County Library System, United Way, and the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty
Initiative. Statewide partners are: City of Albany, Albany Public Library, Buffalo City School District, City of
Rensselaer, and Schenectady County. Inclusion in the coalition will position the MCLS to apply for funding that
could potentially result in a high-speed wireless network managed by MCLS and delivered to all member
libraries, as well as access to funding for Wi-Fi hotspot loan programs. The full agreement is included with your
packet.
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED: Approval of Coalition for Upstate Regional Broadband Agreement.
Report Items
Patricia Uttaro, MCLS Director
Communication
County Communication – Welcome letters to the new County Executive and new County Legislators were
prepared and sent during January. I am happy to share that MCLS Board Liaison from the Legislature, Matthew
Terp, has been appointed as Chair of Recreation and Education Committee of the County Legislature, which is
the committee that reviews library operations. Brie Harrison and I will meet with County Executive DiNolfo and
Assistant County Executive Michael Molinari in February to brief them on library operations and budgetary
issues. An informational breakfast for new County Legislators will be held on February 18 beginning at 8:30 in
the Gleason Auditorium. I will provide an overview of Central Library operations and the Monroe County
Library System. All Trustees are invited to attend. An agenda will be forthcoming.
Collaboration
Social Media Reach - During the month of December, I was contacted by Hope Decker from the Pioneer
Library System who asked if someone from MCLS would be able to provide a presentation to PLS staff on
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
2
managing social media. Assistant Director Snow and her assistant, Alicia Gunther, have agreed to develop the
presentation, which will be presented to Pioneer staff in February or March. The presentation will also be
offered to MCLS staff. In addition, Gunther has proposed a workshop for the 2016 New York Library
Association conference on “Managing Social Media Metrics.” Gunther has been learning more and more about
social media and measuring impact by attending workshops such as “Key Social Media Trends for 2016” and
“Metrics: What Librarians Need to Know” which will help us continue to understand how social media can be
used to connect with our patrons.
Staff Development
2015 Staff & Trustee Training - In 2015, MCLS facilitated or presented the following staff development
sessions:
1. Safe Zone Training – 15 participants
2. MCLS Trustee Roles & Responsibilities (2 sessions) - 36 participants
3. Usability Camps (2 sessions) – 65 participants
4. Technology Camps (2 sessions) – 113 participants
5. Technology Conference – 98 participants
6. Future of Libraries: Support Staff Conference – 53 participants
7. Writing RFPs – 7 participants
8. A to Z Database Training – 22 participants
9. CarlX Talks – 19 participants
10. Metrics Team –
a. Circulation Presentation – 26 participants
b. Collections Presentation – 48 participants
11. Active Shooter Training – 50 registered
Total participation in system-sponsored staff development for 2015 – 552
In addition to the sessions listed above, Assistant Director Snow arranged for webinar training for MCLS
member library directors after each Directors’ Council meeting in 2015. MCLS staff also continue to take
advantage of the excellent development opportunities offered by the Rochester Regional Library Council,
including the online, self-directed training product, Lynda.com.
Technology
ILS Review Progress – Two vendors were selected to provide scripted demonstrations for our intergrated
library software system – The Library Corporation/Carl (our current vendor) and Innovative Interfaces. Both
vendors gave their demonstartions in January. The system ILS Team will be reviewing the demonstratuin
scores, conducting reference checks, and crunching numbers over the next couple of weeks, in preparation for
making a recommendation to the MCLS Directors’ Council on February 3, then forwarding a recommendation
to begin contract negotiations to the MCLS Board in February or March.
Library Automation Services – Brenda LaCrosse reporting
Outputs
Processed 4 Content Filter blocking requests. 1 site submitted for vendor verification
Provided staff assistance with the Ektron CMS software for the MCLS website and ePortal
Continued regular monitoring of esync performance and indexing for MCLS website
Closed 158 Helpdesk tickets this period; 17 tickets currently open
Took action on 68 emails from Patron Inquiries account
Assisted 16 patrons through the overdrive.inquiries email account
Assisted 16 patrons and staff members through the webmaster account
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Created 3 new email accounts. Deleted 2
Approved 9 reviews in CatalogPlus
Distributed the MCLS weekly events newsletter via Constant Contact to 1,795 subscribers
Ran and distributed 66 CARL Report Requests. ( 19 custom)
Prepared 19 Monthly Reports
Added 19 bib records for the Gale Virtual Reference Database
Central library Wi-Fi usage – December 2015
MCLS Mobile Statistics – December 2015
Unique Users & Queries by Device
Device Users Queries Downloads
Android 933 69,443 365
iPad 463 31,287 141
iPhone 1,232 107,644 366
iPod 38 2,370 13
Windows Phone 5 356 -
TOTAL 2,671 211,100 885
Main Menu Channel Visits December
Search the Catalog 114,122
My Account 44,099
Digital Downloads 2,317
Photo Collection 1,336
Library Events 54
Library Locator 2,396
BookLook 208
Contact Us 76
Social Media 103
(Total) 164,711
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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2015 Goal Results – MCLS Staff
(Note: Goals proposed for 2016 will be presented at the February Board meeting, after the February 3 MCLS
Directors’ Council annual retreat.)
Patricia Uttaro, Director
Communication
Understand portal issues and improve access and use – While issues still exist, the portal structure has
been mapped and is ready for some minor updating. This work will continue in 2016.
Assist with Metrics & Analytics team – The team successfully fulfilled its charter, and is now preparing
a final report to be delivered to the MCLS Directors on February 3. This report will be shared with
MCLS Trustees at the February Board meeting.
Assist with Policies team – This work was given less priority by MCLS directors, but will be continued
in 2016 as the Director’s Office begins to rebuild the MCLS Policies & Procedures Manual.
Collaboration
Continue participation on Ready to Read at New York Libraries Advisory Council – While the initial
grant application for this project was not funded, work continued in 2015 with multiple training sessions
offered for the training cohort and two conference calls for the advisory council. As a result of my work
with this group, I was appointed by the NYS Governor to the NYS Early Childhood Advisory Council. I
was invited to be part of the New York State team that attended the national BUILD conference in
Pittsburgh in September, and attended one meeting with the ECAC in Albany in December. (The Build
Initiative is a multi-state partnership that helps states construct a coordinated early learning system that
responds to the needs of young children from birth to five and their families, so that children are safe,
healthy, eager to learn and ready to succeed in school.)
Assist FFRPL with final stages of Collections to Community campaign – I gave several presentations
throughout the year during which I introduced potential donors to the Central Library and the
Collections to Community campaign.
Sally Snow. Assistant Director
Communication
Guide creation of RPL website and consult on MCLS website redevelopment - Website redevelopment
was postponed until after the ILS review and selection, given the potential workload for Library
Automation Services.
Coordinate use of Constant Contact within MCLS - Member libraries have been using Constant Contact
newsletters to market directly to patrons since February of 2015.
Planning
Begin Long Range Planning process for MCLS - This is currently in progress. Trustee focus groups are
taking place and priorities will be chosen at the February Directors’ retreat. Draft plan will be presented
to the MCLS Board and Member Directors in May, then shared with member boards through
September. The Plan of Service must be submitted to New York State Education Department in
October.
Guide planning and preparation of Arts move to Rundel and merger of Arts & Literature Divisions -
This is currently in progress. The program outlines were completed and the final floor plans are being
developed. Construction is expected to start April/May with completion in October. The Arts
collection will be temporarily housed in the stacks during the construction period. A full update on the
project will be presented at the January Board meeting.
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Guide digitization evaluation and planning process with Director of Historical Resources - The focus of
the program has turned to finding ways to make accessible our current catalog of images and address the
backlog of uncataloged images. New images will be scanned on a project by project basis. Contractor
Brandon Fess is currently doing an evaluation of the digitizing program, including best practices for
digital storage, archiving and sharing.
Staff Development
Continue providing MCLS trustee training - System trustee trainings were held in April and May of
2015; Attended the Library Trustees Association Conference in May for new info on not for profit law
and open meetings.
Coordinate and track training offered to MCLS staff - New director orientations and trainings were held
monthly; Addition live and webinar based trainings were offered monthly. (See Staff Development
section above.)
Brie Harrison, Finance Officer
Communication, Collaboration & Technology
New E-rate Cycle Set Up – 5 year services, capital cycle of equipment upgrades, Broadband discussions
Status: Complete. Three-year cycle in place for Category 2, five-year contracts in place for internet and
digital transmission
Master Space Plan – Complete Design Phase 2, 3 and determine budgets and funding sources (City
Cash Capital, Endowment balances, FFRPL)
Status: Phase 2/3 funding complete - $400K transfer from FFRPL, Robach $100K forms submitted,
NYSED DLD grant received. Project to be bid February 8th
ILS Preparation: RFP process, training/CARL discussion cycles, libraryweb.org redesign in advance of
changes
Status: all activities completed with exception of website redesign. CARL Talks to continue in 2016 and
regularly scheduled by LAS
MCLS Office – Sally Snow reporting
Outputs
Member contacts: 84
Ebook/magazine circulation: 3,458
Engagement: 4,501
Page Likes: 32
Likes, Shares, Comments: 1,206
Check-In’s – 10
Calendar Engagements: 2,560
Profile Visits: 329
New Followers: 7
Engagements: 13
Mentions: 12
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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New Followers: 30
New Likes: 372
Comments: 8
Tumblr
New Followers: 7
Notes: 104
Constant Contact Newsletter: 1,297 readers
Google+: 5,565 visitors
YouTube Channel: 172 views
Collections Manager (Jeff Levine Reporting)
NewsBank
This research product provides access to millions of newspaper articles and video clips from local,
state, national and international news sources. We are currently taking advantage of a one-month
trial and I have asked both Business and Local History to review its content. Two features that might
prove useful are the access to several local newspapers including Brockport, Brighton, Penfield,
Henrietta and Webster. There are also two excellent products for genealogists called American’s
Genealogy Bank and America’s Obituaries and Death Notices and I have scheduled an online
training session with Jay Osborne on January 7th.
Sage Stats
We are also participating in a one-month trial of this statistical data base which provides data in
diverse fields including business, science, geography, health, intellectual property, religion and many
other areas. Using various filters, the researcher can combine search terms to expand or contract
parameters to retrieve exactly the type of statistical data needed. Currently the Business and Science
floor are testing its value.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Promotional materials in the form of posters and bookmarks for this data base were distributed to all
MCLS libraries.
Children’s Center Collection Analysis
An analysis of the circulation of material from the Children’s Center was completed. Some of the
more significant findings are;
o 89% of the total collection was used during 2014 which compares very favorably to other
collections studied.
o Turnover rate of the most popular area, “popular fiction/non-fiction” was over 5 circs per title.
o “Juvenile fiction” and “popular fiction/non-fiction” had the over-all highest raw number of
circulations and the highest total percentage of circulations, 27%.
The analysis also provides a guide as to how best to allocate funds based on demand, and which part
of the collection has seen the highest demand per title which can help when examining collection wear
during the weeding process. Also, where few titles are owned within a category, this may be used as a
guide for future collection development. After the completion of the study, I met with Kathy and
Tonia to discuss the results and plan to follow-up within six months to see how successful the
circulation analysis was by measuring changes in collection use.
Technical Services (Gabe Pellegrino reporting)
Special Orders placed during the month
Dimitri House Stories - local interest title for Branches & Central
World Book Encyclopedia – Arnett Branch
Teen pamphlets from Channing Bete – Arnett Branch
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Several foreign language titles – Literature Division
Out-of-print graphic novel replacements – Arts Division
Great Courses – last minute order for Literature Division
Raising a Reader – materials for Children’s Center
Lithuanian Books
A large order of Lithuanian titles has been purchased by consultant Rimas Chesonis, via the
Gervikas Grant.
Cataloging
Original cataloging for 13 Russian titles for Winton branch.
Worked with LAS to have 651 field (Geographic Subject) appear in the public catalog display
and be hyperlinked to allow extended searches.
Created several generic bibliographic records for Central equipment and town special loan and
hot book-type materials
Programs and Events Attended
OCLC Webinar; “Future Directions for WorldCat Discovery” on December 16 attended by Jeff
Levine, Dee Mrak, Betty Spring, Rebecca Grant, and Rob Pierce. We were pleased to find that
OCLC is listening to us and will pursue a version of FirstSearch that will still be useful to our
staff and patrons, rather than forcing it to be embedded within the new WorldCat Discovery
with more steps for users. After listening to suggestions from OCLC members, OCLC staff has
determined that there are two kinds of users: those who want a wide variety of results from
multiple sources (typical of college researchers) and those who want very specific results
(library staff and seasoned library patrons). Providing a new version of FirstSearch on a modern
platform can satisfy the needs of the second group, while the broader searches will be covered
by the WorldCat Discovery layer.
Shipping (Frank Russo Reporting)
Delivery & Sorting - The department processed 487 Hold totes and hauled 6,135 total totes in the month of
December. This is a 5.6% decrease in Holds and a 2.0% decrease in overall volume for the month of
December when compared to the numbers from December 2014. There were delivery delays due to truck
repair and preventive maintenance service. Part-time Shipping Aides were allowed to work later in the day to
make up hours lost during the holiday and were able to prevent any backlog of items.
Central Departments - Highlights
Sally Snow, Assistant Director
Local History (Christine Ridarsky reporting)
Materials usage
Rolls of Microfilm: 293
Microfiche (NYS Vital Records): 244
Books: 188
Directories: 36
Newspaper Clipping Files: 86
Photographs (boxes retrieved): 11
Pamphlet Files: 6
Scrapbooks: 3
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Archives/Manuscript Collections: 1
Maps (non-bound): 7
Programming
The division’s programming team—comprised of Librarian I Cheri Crist, PT Historical Researcher Amy Pepe,
and Retrieval Aides Lisa Carbone and Margaret Chatterton—met (December 2) for the first time since new team
members were assigned in November and has begun exploring several new ideas. Building upon the director’s
call to engage those in the younger demographic and take the library to the community, the group discussed the
possibility of developing programs that could be taken on the road, such as trivia nights, virtual geocaching, and
other activities targeting this group. Following the meeting, Pepe began researching and sharing information
with the team about geocaching and has started to develop a proposal for a historical scavenger hunt across
Rochester. She has suggested that participants could compete to decipher clues that would lead them to different
historical sites around the city where they would be required to take and submit photographs of themselves.
Programs presented in December:
Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga tribe, presented “Stories for the Longhouse” as part
of the Rochester’s Rich History series (December 19) (11 participants). Ground talked about the history
and culture of the Haudenosaunee people and took questions from the audience before performing three
stories in Native American oral tradition.
Staff Genealogist Barb Koehler presented the third session in the T.G.I.S. series, a demonstration and
discussion of the genealogy website Heritage Quest (December 26) (17 people).
Exhibits
Local History Exhibits Team members Finn and Library Assistant Emily Morry installed a new exhibit in the
division in December. Featuring items from collection, “Greetings from Rochester: Exploring the Past through
Postcards” looks at the history of postcards and what they can tell us about the people who used them and how
they saw the place and time in which they lived. This exhibit will be on view through May, 2016. News of the
exhibit is proving very popular on the library’s social media outlets. For example, the post about the exhibit that
Finn wrote for the division’s WordPress blog, “Local History ROCs!”, attracted nearly 200 (virtual) visitors the
week it appeared (December 14-20, 2015). This seems to bode well for the success of the exhibit itself. You can
read the blog here: https://rochistory.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/new-exhibit-in-local-history-2/.
Meetings/Outreach:
Local history staff continued to represent the division on several Central teams and to participate in a variety of
outreach activities. In December, this included:
Librarian I and Division Supervisor Jay Osborne continued to represent the division on the Central Exhibits
Team and met with that group twice this month (December 1 and 8).
Osborne and Historical Services Consultant Christine Ridarsky met with retired University of Rochester
Librarian/Archivist Karl Kabelac to discuss resources, including a series of local history bibliographies, that
Kabelac has developed over the years and materials that he has donated to the division and how they might
be put to better use (December 1).
Ridarsky met (December 2) with Jim Kuhn, director of the University of Rochester’s Department of Rare
Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, and Peter Scribner, president of the Rochester Community
Players, to discuss plans for an exhibit on the topic Shakespeare in Rochester in April, 2016 as part of the
community-wide celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The decision was made to host
two separate exhibits, one at the UR focusing on campus performances activities and one at the Central
Library with a broader community-wide focus. Ridarsky plans to recruit a college intern to assist with
research and exhibit development and will be visiting the UR library in early January, 2016 to determine
what items the library may wish to borrow from the collections there. Pepe will also work on the project.
Ridarsky met (December 2) with Paul Brew, an adjunct professor at Genesee Community College, to
discuss volunteer opportunities and potential student internships in the Office of the City Historian.
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Pepe met George Payne, of Gandhi Earth Keepers International, and Bill Self, of The Leadership Factor, to
share historical information about the Lower Falls and discuss their goal of having the falls designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site (December 3). Pepe will continue to serve as a resource for the Lower Falls
Heritage Project as it progresses.
Finn attended the Digitizing Steering Committee Meeting at RRLC, where she discussed and provided input
on digitization efforts in the Greater Rochester area (December 3).
Ridarsky attended a meeting of the Roc Shakespeare 400 steering committee (December 4) to discuss
exhibit planning (mentioned above) and other opportunities for library and Local History & Genealogy
Division collaboration. She also participated in second meeting of this group via conference call (December
9).
Ridarsky met with Kathleen Britton, director of the Rochester Medical Museum and Archives, to discuss a
proposed submission to the Rochester History journal and to consult on a proposed grant application
(December 4).
Ridarsky attended a meeting of the newly formed Rapids Cemetery Preservation and Restoration
Committee, which she chairs (December 9). The committee was formed in November to develop and
implement a proposal to restore Rapids Cemetery and memorialize veterans buried there. The committee
includes representatives from the 19th Ward Community Association and several veterans’ organizations.
Work in the cemetery is expected to start in Spring 2016.
Ridarsky continued to represent the City on the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Collections
Committee and attended one meeting of the group (December 15).
Librarian I Cheri Crist continued to serve on the Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative Advisory Group
and participated in a meeting via conference call (December 15).
Osborne and FFRPL Director Ned Davis attended a meeting (December 16) of the local chapter of the Sons
of the American Revolution (SAR) to discuss a proposal by a prominent member of that group to create an
endowed fund to support the digitization of specific resources relevant to the organization’s mission of
preserving sources of information and promoting research on the American Revolution and the soldiers who
fought in it. The conversation was broadened to different ways SAR and the Local History & Genealogy
Division might collaborate on mutually beneficial projects. We look forward to deepening our relationship
with this group irrespective of the outcome of their internal debate about creating an endowed fund through
the FFRPL.
Ridarsky met with County Historian Carolyn Vacca to review and discuss the work of officially appointed
government historians in Monroe County, as well as to update each other on ongoing and proposed
partnerships and projects (December 16).
Finn and Ridarsky visited RIT to tour exhibit spaces and see the Kate Gleason exhibit, to which Local
History & Genealogy staff had contributed (December 17). While there, they discussed possible future
collaboration between RIT and RPL on various history-related projects, including the 2017 and 2020
women’s suffrage centennial celebrations.
An article that Koehler submitted to the Rochester Genealogical Society in November was published in that
organization’s quarterly newsletter in December. It promoted T.G.I.S., requested additional docents,
reported on the success of the Discovering Your Roots conference in October, solicited freelance
researchers, and highlighted new books in the division (both purchased and donated).
Ridarsky was a guest on WXXI 1370 AM’s Connections, where she was asked to briefly discuss her
favorite book of 2015 (interview recorded December 16; aired December 30). The book she chose was The
Spirit of New York by Bruce Dearstyne. You can listen to the segment here:
http://wxxinews.org/post/connections-rochesters-favorite-books-2015-part-1.
Staff and contractors from POST magazine visited the division (December 23) to photograph a deed signed
by Ebenezer “Indian” Allen in 1798. The item will be featured in an early 2016 issue of the magazine that
will focus on historical treasures in the city.
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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Collections Development/Maintenance
Clerk Hope Christansen was inundated with 186 gift items in December. Three collections/items are of
particular value to the division:
Eighteen volumes of the original Rochester Historical Society Publication Fund Series, vols. I–IX,
XIV, and XV (the Index for volumes I–XIV), Volumes XVI, XVIII, XX–XXIV, dating from 1922
to1948. All these books are in excellent condition.
A collection of 157 books deaccessioned by The Strong, mostly in good condition. These include
128 versions & editions of Rochester City Directories from a variety of publishers; three volumes of
Dau’s Rochester Society Blue Book, 1901–1902, 1916, and 1918; 18 other Rochester Blue Books, and
four Rochester telephone books, including a Bell Telephone Co. List of Subscribers for 1902
and Rochester Telephone Corporation Telephone Directories for 1920, 1921, 1926. Although the
divisions already had copies of many of these books in our collection, many were worn and may now be
replaced or supplemented with the new volumes, which in most cases are in excellent condition.
A copy of the Rochester Song Book, donated by Warren Guyon, of the City’s Environmental Services
Department, who had rescued the volume from disposal. When Crist examined it, she found that not
only was it inscribed by author/compiler Kendrick P. Shedd, a beloved German language professor at
the U of R, but that it also had a photograph of Shedd adhered inside it. Crist cleaned the book and sent
it to cataloging with instructions to add a local note to the record about the inscription and photograph.
You can read about this find on the division’s blog: https://rochistory.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/saved-
from-the-dustbin/.
In all, the division received 309 gift books and 17 newly purchased books during the second half of 2015.
Christansen also continued to rehabilitate the division’s newspaper clipping collection, replacing another 30
folders and contents labels in December, bringing the total number completed to more than 110. Crist continued
to make progress on the backlog of small ephemera; 44 items were assessed, classified, stamped with our mark
of ownership, and integrated into the pamphlet file this month. PT Page Ginger Brewer-Bennett spent most of
December shelf reading and shifting materials in outer stacks. In the process of shifting and cleaning, she
located and correctly reshelved three books that had previously been missing.
Special Collections
Crist continued to move special collections materials from old metal cabinets in a staff hallway into the climate-
controlled stacks, per the recommendations of a preservation study commissioned several years ago. Collections
that were relocated in December include: The Brandon Family papers, Burroughs Audubon Nature Club
records, Alling DeForest records, and the Fred W. Townsend collection. Crist also assessed Lyceum Theatre
programs for the years 1904–1917, cleaning and repairing the most deteriorated ones as she went
Digital Projects
Consultant Brandon Fess continued the research that will contribute to development of a strategic plan for the
library’s digitizing program. He provided Finn and Ridarsky, as well as LAS staff, with a list of possible
features for a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) (aka Digital Information Management System, or
DIMS), helping us to determine which features would be most useful in managing RPL’s digital collection. LAS
and Finance will be taking this information into consideration as they evaluate and select a new Integrated
Library System (ILS) in early 2016.
Library Assistant Renee Kendrot continued to work through the backlog of digital files. This month she finished
processing the following item and sent it to Betty Spring for cataloging: “Demonstration: Rochester Number,
Volume 12, 1923.”
Staff have also been preparing five City Directories (1941–45) and several runs of bound and unbound
newspapers for transfer to Biel’s for digitization early in 2016. The City Directory scanning project will be
funded by a $4,500 grant from RRLC’s Technology Fund (RBDB); the newspaper scanning project will be paid
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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for out of the FFRPL Preservation Fund. In addition, Biel’s is currently scanning 11 newspaper clippings
scrapbooks. We expect to be able to make those available to the public online by summer.
Rochester Voices
Historical Researcher Michelle Finn prepared two activities to be posted to the Teachers-Instruct page in the
Classroom Connections section of the Rochester Voices website. The first, “Rochester History Timeline,” uses
one of the timelines from the site to help students gain a better understanding of key historical events that took
place in Rochester between 1789 and the present. The second, “Downtown Rochester Map Quest,” asks students
to explore a digitized plat map from Rochester Images to answer questions about the physical layout of
downtown in the year 1900 and to compare this historical snapshot of the city with Rochester today. These
activities will go live on the site the first week of January 2016, pending review and approval from Ridarsky.
Library Assistant Emily Morry continued to develop content for the Latino Oral History Collection, and the
collection is nearly ready to be launched. Ridarsky will be finalizing a Memorandum of Understanding with
Nazareth College, which owns the collection, and developing appropriate credit lines early in the new year so
that the collection can go live as soon as development is complete.
Office of the City Historian
The staff in the Office of the City Historian continued to work on several ongoing projects, two of which are
expected to ramp up in early 2016:
As noted in the Meetings/Outreach section above, Ridarsky is chairing a committee that has formed to
plan a restoration and commemoration project at the Rapids Cemetery in the 19th Ward. It is the only
one of the city’s four pioneer cemeteries that does not have a marker designating it as such. Our goal is
to: 1) identify the veterans buried in the cemetery and install a sign or marker listing their names, 2) hire
a gravestone restoration specialist to train and work alongside City staff and volunteers to properly
repair and reset fallen and/or damaged stones, and 3) develop an educational program to accompany the
project to involve RCSD and college students and cemetery neighbors.
Ridarsky continues to serve on a City committee that is working with the Washington Square
Neighborhood Association. Although that committee did not meet in December, PT Historical
Researcher has begun researching the history of Washington Square Park in preparation for the
rededication of the WWI cannon in the park in 2017, as well as a related article proposed for Rochester
History journal. (She also began research for an exhibit on Shakespeare in Rochester in anticipation of
the April Quadricentennial of Shakespeare’s death.)
High Falls Interpretive Center & Museum
The High Falls Interpretive Center & Museum closed for the winter at the end of November. PT Historical
Researcher and High Falls site manager Amy Pepe continued to supervise SUNY Brockport intern Elizabeth
Malave in developing a plan and content for a Sam Patch exhibit and reading nook that will be installed in the
center before it reopens in March 2016.
Social Media
Local History ROCs blog (https://rochistory.wordpress.com/):
Views: 634
Visitors: 279
Most views initiated in the United States, followed by the U.K. and Canada. The majority of traffic to the blog
was referred by Facebook (340 views), followed by search engines (115 views) and Local History’s web page
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
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(21 views). The November and December statistics are interesting in contrast. The increase in the number of
views and visits more than doubled from November to December. The referrals from Facebook rocketed from
11 to 340, and the views per visitor increased 28 percent from 1.75 to 2.25. This may be attributable to the work
Alicia Gunther has been doing to boost the library’s social media presence. Overall, The Local History blog
posted 24 articles in 2015 and received 4,300 views. We expect to post more regularly in 2016.
Interns & Volunteers
Docents from the Rochester Genealogical Society (24 hours) assisted six patrons with some very
involved research. We consider our partnership with RGS and its docents’ engagement critical to our
patrons’ continued success in unraveling their more complicated genealogical knots.
SUNY Brockport Intern Elizabeth Malave, under Pepe’s supervision, finished her proposal for a Sam
Patch exhibit and reading nook at High Falls (3 hours) and completed her internship on December 13.
Student intern Anthony Canty (67 hours) from Project SEARCH completed his internship rotation on
December 18. We will miss his cheerful attitude and enthusiasm.
Volunteer Kate Queary (2.5 hours) continued to inventory Ephemera Case H and will soon begin to
inventory the backlog of items that is entirely new to the collection.
Volunteer Nancy Martin (15 hours) rehoused and processed 163 negatives from the Harold W. Lara
Collection, bringing the total completed in 2015 to 1,888. Martin volunteered a total of 206.75 hours in
the division in 2015.
Project SEARCH intern Anthony Canty (67 hours) continued to remove dust from materials and
shelving, pull clipping files that were torn and in need of replacement, and move the clippings to new,
acid-free file folders. Canty’s last day in Local History was December 18.
The Genealogy Round Table of Monroe County did not meet in December. The group will resume its
work indexing and processing previously donated GRT files in January 2016.
Children’s Center/Literacy (Tonia Burton Reporting)
MCLS Consultant:
Conducted Every Child Ready to Read 2 training for MCLS Children’s Services staff. Librarians, aides,
clerks, and AmeriCorps Volunteers attended.
Contacts Made:
Niki Grimes - setting up 2016 Author Visit to Rochester.
Judy Iacuzzi - Toy Library Association Conference planning- April 17, 2017 This conference will be
held in Rochester, with MCLS and The Strong as sponsors.
Jennifer Cathy - Regional Director Community based Services, Hillside Children’s Center to discuss
Raising a Reader and AmeriCorps Volunteers.
Olivia West - Planning for financial literacy for Americorps.
Lisa Hiley - EnCompass to plan for AmeriCorps literacy training.
Jennifer Raynor- mentoring.
Collection
Tonia and Kathy Wolf met with Collections Manager Jeff Levine, who analyzed the way our collections are
being used. It was an enlightening and validating experience. We now know, rather than suspect, that we are
spending our money appropriately, with most of our funds going toward J Fiction, Preschool, Popular, and
Comics. It will be especially helpful to allocate more of our Non Fiction funds to the 500s and Folktales.
Programing
Planning for the Read Against Racism programs with FFRPL and Teen Central continues to make
progress.
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
13
Lego Lab continues to draw eager children; they especially love looking at their creations in the display
place throughout the month. This has also served as a great promotional spot!
The annual Noon Year’s Eve Party was attended by over 100 patrons. This year, we enjoyed a visit from
Elephant & Piggie (famous characters from Mo Willems’ award winning early reader books). Children
made noise makers, played Elephant & Piggie Toss Across, and an Elephant & Piggie Movement game.
We were able to give away books too! After the event many people went up to the Children’s Center to
visit the Secret Room, use computers, and hang out.
AmeriCorps (City Project) This is the first full month with our new Volunteers and it was busy! The Volunteers assisted in Central
Library’s Wee Read. This was a good experience for the individuals new to working with children and allowed
them to see all the elements of a storytime with families. Training is very important to ensure the volunteers are
gaining and building on their skills.
They attended training on:
Early Childhood Development- Training done by Rochester Child Frist Network
What WXXI has to offer! – Cara Rager spoke about the tools PBS Kids offers online, on tv, and
programming that she offers for parents. We discussed collaborations (what they are, how they work),
and how she can help our volunteers serve families. Training done by Cara & Tonia
Volunteers attended system-wide training for Every Child Ready to Read 2-Training done by Tonia
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
14
Active Shooter Awareness - Training conducted through City of Rochester
How to choose a picture book and intro to the importance of play - Training done by Tonia
Volunteers working with Raising a Reader and Early Childhood Education performed their first storytime at
Friendship Children’s Center. Friendship allowed our volunteers to team up in pairs and do a storytime for their
3 – 4-year-old classes. This was great practice and everyone had a great time. The staff at Friendship gave Tonia
helpful feedback.
Many of the volunteers also joined the Sully and Lyell branches for their gingerbread house events, Lincoln’s
Christmas party for the community, and the Noon Year’s Eve event at Central and were a great help!
We are just beginning to get on solid ground with this new project. As expected, there are many obstacles when
working with individuals trying to get out of poverty. Our volunteers have been dealing with eviction notices,
and cancellation of SNAP and other services they need to survive. Rebecca Sheldon from the City’s Department
of Recreation & Youth Services has worked with the volunteers and contacted DSS to be sure they do not lose
their services. There are other issues too for our volunteers, but part of this program is to help them overcome
their personal obstacles (mental health, education, lack of family support seem to be the main topics). There is a
lot of time involved in this part of the project and we are noting the need for people that are trained in the above
areas to work with our volunteers. As we go through this project, we are learning a great deal about the
community we serve and it will help us as we grow.
Teen Services
Programs:
Librarian Xandi DiMatteo hosted two Get Crafty Programs - 19 youth
The Youth Design Council Holiday Party - 19 youth
21 youth participated in Music Production with Joe Mangano
Outreach:
12/9 School No. 5
12/15 School Without Walls
Contacts:
12/5 Alfred University ArtForce Five - Dan Napolitano
12/14 U of R Charleston Houge
12/22 World of Inquiry School
12/30 RCSD School Board Member Mary Adams
December was a month of celebration at Teen Central: afternoons were spent playing games, making
decorations, or enjoying the annual winter party cake. We had a Youth Design Team kick off meeting and party.
Comic fans were fascinated and challenged by the Super Season's Greetings display and contest that featured
red, green & blue super characters (heroes & villains).
We also had a former teen (Ramon Reyes) devote himself to creating challenging questions and answers for
NerdWorld Jeopardy which will occur in January. Everything pop culture and nerdy will be celebrated!
Amen Ptah attended 3 LRNG webinars and continues to work on a presentation for community stakeholders to
inform them on LRNG. Amen, Dr. Reeves, Mary Adams, and Jeff Smink will attend a LRNG Summit in
Chicago February 2-3. Amen also worked with Safe To Be Smart staff on planning the Ebony 50th project.
Teen Central was featured in an article in the current Geva Spring Guide! See
http://issuu.com/gevatheatrecenter/docs/geva_guide_spring_2016
Business and Social Science Floor (Darlene Richards reporting)
Programs
First Wednesdays - December 2, 2015 – Veteran accountant Ralph Toscano presented "The
Importance of Good Recordkeeping in a Small Business, Especially for Schedule C Tax Filers" to 37
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
15
attendees. The program covered the legal issues facing today's small business owner. Emphasis was on
the need for the documentation of business records and an example of the tax responsibilities of the
self-employed.
Cyber Security - December 8, 2015 - Jennifer Byrnes attended the program sponsored by the
National Cyber Security Alliance and Logical Operations. The talk educated consumers and
businesses about the need to add layers of security to their everyday online activities. The event is part
of STOP. THINK. CONNECT., a national global cybersecurity awareness campaign that encourages
all Internet users to be more vigilant about practicing safe online habits. The program took place at
RIT.
Grants Research at Central - December 7, 2015 - Darlene Richards met with a patron from Catholic
Family Center who was referred to her by Dave DeVito, associate Vice President of Mission
Advancement. Darlene showed her websites to search for grant seeking and how to search the
Foundation Directory Online.
Grants Research at Central - December 18, 2015 - Darlene met with a patron who had been referred
to her by Dennis Williams, Site Supervisor of Sully Branch. She gave her brief introduction to the
Foundation Directory, Information about Score, and also showed her Foundation Directory Online to
Individuals. She followed up with her by giving her some websites that focused on grants for artists.
Meetings/Other
Grantwriters Network Meeting - December 9, 2015 - Darlene Richards attended the holiday lunch
for the Grantwriter’s network, where she met two new members: Sam Corrigan, a grant writer from
Center for Disability Rights, and Sarah Vince, Assistant Director of Institutional Grants & Sponsored
programs at St. John Fisher College. She learned that Jonathan Hoose, formerly a grant writer with the
Center for Disability Rights, is now working for the Wilson Foundation. Darlene contacted him about
possibly doing some type of program in the New Year from the Grantmaker’s point of view.
A.M. Best Database Demonstration – December 3, 2015 – Darlene Richards, Jeff Levine, Linda
Halliburton and Jennifer Byrnes met with the A.M. Best sales representative and saw a demonstration
of the Best Library Center database. The database is included with the current A.M. Best print
subscription and will be set up in the division. A.M. Best is known for its financial strength ratings of
insurers and up-to-date insurance industry news
New York State Department of Taxation & Finance Staff – December 7, 2015 – Linda
Halliburton, Darlene Richards and Flo Morris met with Suzanne Reusch to discuss hosting the
Department of Taxation’s Facilitated Self Assistance (FSA) tax program in the Business & Social
Sciences Division several days a week during the upcoming tax season. The Division hosted this
program at Central Library last year in the Rundel Building. With the FSA program, Department of
Taxation staff guides library patrons to prepare and file their own federal and state tax returns using
computers and software supplied by the Department of Taxation. A contract to be signed by the
Department of Taxation specifies the requirements and responsibilities for using Central Library
Building space was emailed to Suzanne. Suzanne’s target date for program startup is the end of
January and will include a press release.
Rochester Professional Consultants - December 10, 2015 - Jennifer Byrnes attended the Rochester
Professional Consultant's Network holiday dinner at the Towpath Cafe. The Business Division
receives many referrals from RPCN, and they have proven to be a valuable community partner.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Holiday Luncheon – December 11, 2015- Jennifer
and Linda were invited to attend the SCORE annual holiday luncheon at Midvale Country Club as
Score guests. MCLS board member Gary Brandt was also in attendance. Democrat & Chronicle
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
16
reporter Todd Clausen gave the keynote address. It was a good opportunity to connect with SCORE
small business advisors and the other guests, which included bank representatives and other
individuals from nonprofits and government agencies involved with assisting individuals who are
starting businesses.
Science and History Floor (Alla Levi reporting)
Programs and Displays
Re-Think Your Drink! Do you know what’s in that bottle? This program was presented by Michelle Weiler, an Eat Smart Nutrition Educator from the Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Monroe County. Its focus was an examination of common drinks that we
consume, and how so many of them contain natural sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup vs. 100% fruit
juice. 20 people attended.
Got Health? Stressed Out: Is your life feeling out of balance?
Linda Potter, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the University of Rochester’s Healthy Living
Center spoke about stress, what are its signs and what are the healthy ways to manager it.
30 people attended this program.
Mitten Tree (Bundle up with a good book)
This program, coordinated by Alla Levi, ran from November 10th through December 21st, 2015. This
year she worked with Shelley Mathews so that each set of mittens and other items collected were
bundled with a book and distributed to over 300 Rochester City School District homeless children.
The Science and History floor highlighted its collection of popular circulating periodicals to alert
patrons that these items do circulate.
The Photonics Display panels will be displayed on the floor through 2015. There is also an additional
set on the first floor of the Bauch & Lomb Public Library Building.
Both our Vietnam Learning Center and the TV housed in the new Science/History meeting spaces
continue to attract a following screening DVDs both on the Viet Nam Conflict and Science and related
topics.
Literature and Art (Martin Steinhauser Reporting)
Poetry Oasis – December 3, 10, 2015 – Kitty Jospe, Leader -The lunchtime poetry
appreciation/participation get together continued through December with 14 people in total attending 2
sessions this month.
Pop-Up Craft Party: Pomander Ornaments – December 4, 2015 – Eight participants used punched-
paper flowers and pins to create a beautiful pomander-style ornament. Every ornament was different,
and there were some very creative takes on the basic theme!
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
17
Artist-At-Work: Peggy Martinez (Watercolor painting) – December 5, 2015 – The “Artist at Work”
demonstration on December 5 featured painter Peggy Martinez, who also set up an exhibit of her
beautiful, watercolor flower paintings in the Arts Division’s Riedman Display cases. Six people
enjoyed watching her paint. One woman stayed for the full two hours; Peggy gave her paper, brush and
paint, and helped her to practice. Peggy discovered some books in our collection that she plans on using
to help her students at A Different Path Gallery in Brockport, where she teaches painting.
Writing Our Stories – December 5, 2015 – The final session of Writing Our Stories took place with 5
people attending the last session. Additional writing programs are being planned for 2016.
A Little Lunch Music: Linda Taggart and Friends – December 9, 2015 - Fifteen people attended a
concert given by the hammered dulcimer group Linda Sniedze Taggart and Friends. Linda and her
friends played a selection of American folk songs and Christmas carols. They also talked about the
history of the hammered dulcimer and allowed audience members to try their hand at playing one. One
lady thanked the musicians very much for the relaxing music, saying it was just what she and her baby
needed.
Pop-Up Craft Party Holiday Workshop: Holiday Earrings – December 11,
2015 – On December 11th, the Arts Division hosted another Pop-Up Craft Party
attended by 15 people. This time, patrons made holiday-themed earrings. We
provided earring kits and showed them how to make simple drop earrings. Some of
them asked questions about the materials used and expressed a desire to make some
as gifts. We had a couple show up and ask if they could join. They were very
excited that we had enough extra kits for them to each make a pair.
Making Glittery Rubber Stamp Gift Tags – December 12, 2015 –Local paper
crafting artist Karen Burke brought holiday supplies for patrons to make gift tags.
She showed patrons how to cut the tags into various shapes and
add glitter, sequins, bells, and rubber stamp designs to them. This program was part of the ROC the
ARTS series. Upcoming classes: Learn basic drawing techniques and arm knitting.
Brown Bag Book Discussion – December 16, 2015 – This month’s selection was The Storied Life of A.
J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, From Amazon.com: “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense,
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
18
but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect
glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child. 15 people attended the book discussion this month.
Pop-up Craft Party: Holiday Workshop- Origami Ornaments – December 19, 2015 – Eight crafters
learned basic origami folding skills, and followed patterns to make three different ornaments.
Participants were able to take the instructions with them after the program, and several said they would
continue to make more ornaments at home.
December 2015 - The “Wonderland at
Central Holiday Ornament Display,” and
“Library Ornament Hunt” added holiday
cheer to the Central Library during
December. Ten new ornaments, and several
from past years, were displayed throughout
the library buildings. All were handmade,
and submitted by individuals or nonprofit
organizations. Below is a photo of a group of
artists from ARC of Monroe’s Community
Connection, who made an incredible
Gingerbread House that was hung in the
Children’s Center. A glittery mobile was
made by artists at the Mental Health
Association’s Creative Wellness program.
Visitors who took part in the “Library
Ornament Hunt” searched for 15 of the
ornaments in both buildings to receive a prize. By the end of December, 58 people had participated in
the ornament hunt, and 110 people voted for their favorite ornament. The “people’s choice” winners
were ARC of Monroe, Mental Health Association, Beverly Hettig and Pat Gallante who will each have
a bookplate placed in a library book of their choice.
Meetings/Other
Kirstra Otto reports: In 2016, the Arts Division is undertaking a new series of programs under the
banner "Craft It Forward @ the Library." These programs will bring participants together to create
hand-made items that will then be donated to different agencies/charities/organizations in the
community. Our first program will be in January 2016, when we will make sewn or crochet "mice" for
shelter cats. We have also just secured a partnership with Willow Domestic Violence Center (formerly
Alternatives for Battered Women), for whom we will be doing a blanket square drive over the summer
and a "blanket bee" in the early fall. All of the blankets we produce will be donated to women and
children in Willow’s care. We are aiming to have quarterly programs in this series.
Exploring the Territory: White People Look at Race and Racism – December 9, 2015 – Marty
Steinhauser attended this program presented at the NCBI Upstate NY by April and Frank Starpoli.
Participants explored their past and our experiences around race and racism. What racial attitudes can
you identify in yourself: how you were influenced by the images and messages you grew up with?
I will attend a follow-up session in January as well.
WLP blog – Andy Coyle reported that there were 2986 views in December on the blog he maintains on
the Literature page of library web.org: http://worldliteratureandphilosophy.blogspot.com/
MCLS Town Library Highlights
Betsy Gilbert reporting
Brighton –The Brighton Memorial Library is continuing with the redesign project. Bids were opened and
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
19
contracts are being awarded. The Alice B. Wilson Literary Awards Contest is in process for students who attend
school in Brighton from grades 6 – 12.
Brockport – Seymour – The Seymour Library staff is working on an upgrade of the air conditioning system.
The Library has a club for students called BRATS - Brilliant Readers Active in Teen Service Grades 6-8, as well
as a Teen Book Festival Book Group.
Chili – The Chili Public Library is now offering wireless printing. Assemblyman Harry Bronson came to the
Library and told stories to kids. Mary Poppins came to the Library for a special story time.
Fairport – The Fairport Public Library continues to fine tune services in the renovated library. Wireless
printing has been added. The portal into the Children’s Room has been completed. Stack lighting is still in the
process of being installed.
Gates – The Gates Public Library had a visit from Mary Poppins also.
Greece – The Greece Public Library has added new individual study furniture for the Quiet Study Area. The 16
units are equipped with electricity and an adjustable workspace.
Irondequoit – The new Irondequoit Public Library building has received an award from the Public Works
Association. The Genesee Valley Chapter selected it as “Project of the Year” in the structures category.
Ogden – Ogden Farmers’ Library will be burying a time capsule, which will be opened in 100 years.
Penfield – The Penfield Public Library held a Human Book Library Project.
Webster – The Webster Public Library will be closed from 1/25-1/30. It is expected that the Library will reopen
on 1/31, with the entrance relocated to what is now the back of the library. This is the first phase in their
renovation project.
Selected Meetings & Outputs
Director Uttaro (December 11, 2015 – January 15, 2016)
Brie Harrison; Sally Snow; Ana Suro – one-to-one meetings (monthly)
Tolley Reeves - one-to-one meetings (weekly)
Children’s Services Consultant, Tonia Burton (monthly)
RPL Literacy Coordinator, Shelley Matthews (monthly)
Central Library All Staff (monthly)
FFRPL Executive Director Ned Davis (monthly)
Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Jeremy Cooney one-to-one meetings (monthly)
MCLS Directors’ Council (monthly)
MCLS System Services and Operations Committee (monthly)
MCLS Board of Trustees (monthly)
RPL Board of Trustees (monthly)
RPL-MCLS Management Team (weekly)
City Senior Management Team (weekly)
Roc the Future Executive Director, Jackie Campbell
Brockport Middle School Librarian, Pamela Bigsby
NYS Division of Library Development Consultants, Carol Desch and Mary Beth Farr
Gates Public Library Director, Greg Benoit
MCLS Board Chair, Dr. Laurence Guttmacher
RPL Circulation Supervisor, Cynthia Dana
Patron, William Danecki
City Innovation Team Leader, Henry Fitts
Rochester City Council Member Swearing in Ceremony
Fairport Rotary (presentation)
Independent Consultant, Mary Starpoli
PULISDO conference call
City Council Member, Carolee Conklin
The Library Corporation vendor, ILS Scripted Demo (2 days)
MCLS Director’s Report – January, 2016 (Continued)
20
Rochester Business Alliance Womens Council ATHENA Award Reception
Independent Consultant, Jeff Smink
International Sister Cities of Rochester Board meeting
Innovative Interfaces vendor, ILS Scripted Demo (2 days)
