To: March 7, 2018
North East Borough
North East Township
Erie County
From:
McCord Memorial Library
32 West Main Street
North East, PA 16428
814-725-4057 website: www.mccordlibrary.org email: mccordlibrary@gmail.com
McCord Memorial Library is dedicated to serving the North East and all Erie County areas by assembling, organizing, preserving, and making accessible books, materials, and evolving technologies to provide stimulation, education, and recreation for all citizens.
McCord Memorial Library Board of Directors
Dennis Priester, President Judy Schenker, Secretary Dave Kuchta
SueAnn Mills, V. President Colleen Bahm Ben Mosier
Kathy Buesink, Treasurer David Hatfield Marianne Phillips
McCord Memorial Library is open 54 hours a week, except during the winter months, from DST to EST, when we are open 50 hours a week. Our service area includes 10,609 residents in North East Borough and Township, though we serve all of Erie County. Funds we receive from our local governments are necessary to the McCord Library’s ability to operate efficiently. Below are statistics which demonstrate the activity and use McCord Memorial Library offers and benefits our residents receive.
Statistics January – December 2017
Circulation – adult/juvenile & databases: 77,227 Patrons: 8,357 Items: 40,291
Computer use/WiFi/Lab: 4,097 Holds/ILLs: 15,625
January 2017 McCord Memorial Library budget was approved at a projected $227,250
The budget includes areas for: Collection, Maintenance, Audit, Utilities, Computer,
Cleaning, Staff, Insurance, & other Miscellaneous expenses.
PROJECTED INCOME RECEIVED
GOVERNMENT ENTITIES 12-31-17
$ 16,000 N.E. Borough $ 15,750
$ 31,000 N.E. Township $ 32,696
$ 49,280 Erie County $ 36,959
$ 38,000 P.A. State Aid $ 38,802
$134,280 $124,207
As of 12-31-17: 92% government funding received.
2017 was a very busy year for McCord Memorial Library. We offered services, programs and many resources to our patrons. Special programs and incentives were also presented.
We receive designated grants from the North East Community and Erie Community Foundations
January
The first month of 2017, no fines or fees were charged for overdue books. This month we began using the new circulation system Polaris. All libraries, independent and the Erie County Library are on the same database. Our county libraries converted to the new and updated system with features and capabilities our previous system did not. We are now called the Public Libraries of Erie County (PLEC).
February Speaker Series sponsored by the Friends of McCord Memorial Library
2017 Friends of the Library February Speaker Series
- Feb. 4th—Forensic Science: Behind the Scene Look at the Erie Regional Crime Lab
Ted Williams, Forensics Specialist, will focus on multiple forensic disciples in use at the local crime lab and how assistance is provided to the law enforcement community.
- Feb. 11th—McCord Memorial Library, Then and Now 1916-2016
Sue Sveda, former Librarian Assistant at McCord, will share the earliest vision of the North East Free
Public Library Association in 1889 and how it evolved into the library we know and love today.
- Feb. 18th—Impact of World War I at the 100th Anniversary
Art Mills, Mercyhurst Professor, will discuss the impact of WWI on America and the world, as well as how the war affected our local community; highlighting local members of the famed 28th (Keystone) Infantry Division who fought in France.
- Feb. 25th—The Yin and Yang of Traveling in Japan
Natalie Waddell-Rutter and her family are North East residents who enjoyed a two week vacation in Japan, visiting places such as Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo. Join us for this fascinating family travelogue.
March
Our Friends of the Library group held one of their bi-annual books sales in March, one of our most popular fund raisers.
A new book club was formed, “The Daytime Book Club” meets every other 3rd Thursday of the month in the morning. Everyone is welcome.
The “Beyond the Words” book club meets every 4th Tuesday evening, always has a large following of readers.
The “Coffee & Colors” Program is offered every Tuesday morning. We have a few loyal attendees every week.
“Page and Screen” newly formed by a new staff member is a program for everyone. But mostly teens & tweens are attending. A book is examined and then the movie adaptation is watched. Discussion questions are answered as well as activities as available, delving into the meaning of said title.
April
National Library Week was celebrated in April. Library Workers Day was recognized as a day to celebrate contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support.
April is also Poetry Month, we hosted a Poetry Slam, while Haiku was the topic for 2017.
We offered a Painting Class which 20 people attended. This is a very popular event. We charge a minimal amount for supplies, everyone had a good time and may take home their creation.
May
We celebrated Children’s Book Week and we offered daily book drawings for children coming to
McCord Memorial Library. We received a generous donation of $1,500 from the Four Clubs
Association in North East. The funds are to be used to benefit children.
June
Summer Reading Programs (SRP) began. Below are some statistics and programs specifically offered for 2017 SRP. We had 3 programs: Adults; Tweens & Teens; Children.
Summer Reading Programs
Children 2017
Programs 46 offered, 403 children & 217 adults attended= 620 total attendees, Prizes: 373 distributed.
Some prizes given: Design-your-own posters, construction hats, The Cat in the Hat book bags, and toddler construction rubber duckies & inflatable hammers were particularly popular.
This was the second year time logs were required by the state. Time logs were difficult for patrons to remember to bring in for prizes.
Special programs were presented every week mainly held on Thursdays after Picnic in the Park. The Erie Zoo, guitar & singing with Lori Burke, kid’s yoga with
Chelsea McQuaid, butterfly masks with Tamara Maas, live Monarch stages with Maria Blakeslee, and the Usborne Read-a-Thon with Joy Switala were our programs.
Story times:
The building materials from Lakeshore Learning were immensely popular. The PA One Book kit “Whose Shoes” involved thematic career play. Butterflies, the Cat in the Hat, construction, our bodies, and the zoo were popular weekly themes.
Christian Missionary Alliance Daycare (CMA):
Special Story Times were scheduled on Wednesdays for the preschoolers before public story time. The toddlers joined our Thursday public story time. Early Connections Preschool: (First Baptist Church) Story time offered to them before public story time. These program changes worked out well.
We began the program the week after school gets out for the summer, people seem to expect a SRP and are easier to remind while in school. Finishing the first week of August seems to work well also. A free book was the registration prize.
Numbers were down this summer, perhaps due to a combination of reasons. It rained during half of the Thursday events, so Picnic in the Park was moved into the Baptist Church reducing participants that might normally go to the library. Parking was limited due to park construction. The elevator was broken for one month, limiting baby stroller and handicapped access.
Summer Reading Program
Tweens & Teens 2017
Build a Better World
Registered 75; and reading logs used. We offered 13 Teen & Tween programs during the 8 week SRP.
Grand Prize Drawing. 29 patrons earned 105 chances for the $50 Millcreek Mall gift card – Liam Kilgas; $25 Millcreek Mall gift card – Samantha Abate winners.
Food Sponsors McDonald’s – registration coupons; Little House of Donuts – free donut; The Bean – half price cookie; Straw Hat – free small cone; Michael’s Pizzeria – free pepperoni ball.
Product Sponsors – NINE Thrift Store – dead t-shirts; Harborcreek Tennis Team – dead tennis balls; Helping Hands Sewing Group – fleece prep.
Special programs: Cardboard Cosplay and Fabric Crafts.
Adult Summer Reading Program-Build a Better World
34 people participated in the adult program and we offered 8 special programs for the public, we had thought a Game Night would be fun. We sent 3 Operation Paperback boxes to military families with MML paying the postage.
July
We began a new program this month. Lego Club meets every Thursday @ 3:30. Many donations of Legos, and a lot of interest for various age groups. Parents were very enthusiastic as were the children. Having programs like this encourages families to come to the library. This has continued to be a very popular program continuing to the writing of this report.
August
We held an open house at the end of SRP, as an awards ceremony and wrap up of events and programs.
We also participated in Erie Gives as a community fundraiser for McCord.
September
North East held its annual Wine Fest and McCord was part of the volunteer squad. Many people
volunteered for our library and as a result our contribution garnered the library funds to help in our
operation.
October
We held our second Friends book sale of the year. Our Friends of the Library give the funds raised to help with the operation of the library.
Teen Read Week was celebrated in October. Teens who came to the library to check out books were given daily prizes and were entered to win the grand prize of 2 tickets to the Erie Playhouse.
November
Another new program was offered to our aspiring writers, called NaNoWriMo. National November
Writing Month. Participants worked toward a goal of writing 50,000 word novels by November 30.
Of the 85 regional participants, 2 participated in McCord sponsored programs. The 85 regional participants interacted with the library through an online forum provided by the hosts of NaNoWriMo.
We began our Annual Appeal this month also, “Harvest of Good Reading”. Every year we launch this as our major fund raiser. All funds received are used to fund the operation of the library.
December
Last month of the year, we were offered the opportunity to wrap presents at Boscov’s to raise awareness as a nonprofit and raise funds as well. We had many wonderful volunteers and raised funds for the library (interesting time meeting the public at the Millcreek Mall!).
2017 ANNUAL CHILDREN’S LIBRARY REPORT:
- There were 206 story times and programs in 2017; 1627 children and 853 adults = 2,480 attendees.
- In January, the PA One Book, Every Young Child kit “If You Were a Penguin” was utilized.
It included book-related activities, games.
- In February, the Reading Dogs visited for Valentines stories.
- “The Cat in the Hat” read to story time classes during Dr. Seuss’ birthday in March.
- April is “Week of the Young Child”, and the Reading Dogs returned.
- Children’s Book Week in May involved a book swap. One gently used children’s book was
exchanged for another.
- The last week in May, N.E. Davis School Kindergarteners were given tours and stories were read.
- October’s Fire Prevention Week with Fuller Hose, VFD, field trips and costume parties were observed.
- On voting day, November 3, we had an Usborne Book Fair, earning $150 in free books, followed
by a visit from the Reading Dogs.
- Homemade Christmas piñatas completed the year
McCord Memorial Library is very busy especially during the warmer or summer months. Summer Reading Programs are full of activity with programs and parents trying to keep their children reading to maintain competency during their summer break. The rest of the year we are also engaged in the many projects and programs. We offer reading and listening materials, as well as many other services to the public.
Website: mccordlibrary.org
Phone: 814-725-4057
Respectfully submitted:
Mary Kieffer
Library Director
