Annual Report
Impact of Budget Cuts
Amherst readers and researchers encountered closed doors at the Town Libraries in FY 2004, as budget cutbacks resulted in reduced staffing and hours of service. A cut of eleven hours at the Jones and branch libraries combined meant 10% fewer hours of service per week than the previous year.
- Overall library borrowing declined (-6.6%) from 565,257 loans in FY 2003 to 528,116.
- Use of children's materials suffered a drop of -12% while borrowing of materials for adults decreased by -3.4%.
Demand for information assistance, however, remained constant.
- 40,568 requests for help during fewer hours of service.
- The number of visitors and researchers using the Special Collections department declined slightly from 3,071 to 2,993 (-2.5%) despite the loss of 6 hours open to the public (-15% of the previous year's schedule.)
The decrease in hours did not reduce the demand for meeting space.
- Groups and individuals used meeting rooms and galleries 509 times for cultural events and discussions.
- Library staff and the Friends of the Library sponsored 320 educational programs attended by 8,500 people.
Materials
Demand for audio and video/DVD titles continued to grow this year, comprising over a third (37%) of all loans at Town Libraries. Vinyl LP recordings have become a thing of the past. The few remaining LP's were removed to make room for an expanding CD collection. As a result of a class action lawsuit, the recording industry donated 750 music CD's to Town Libraries.
Federal grant funds under the Library Services and Technology Act expanded the library's books, magazines, and video collections in Chinese, Korean, Khmer, and Spanish. A "Welcome!" sign in English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tibetan now greets visitors at the front door, and multi-lingual brochures were distributed at schools and groceries to encourage library use. Audiences loved the four Asian language films and story telling featured in September. "I am homesick and these movies were wonderful for me," a new library user commented.
Genealogists found better information resources on the new "Ancestry Plus" database. This web-based service provides easy access to two billion name records, census data, family histories, naturalization and immigration files.
More than 21,000 people signed up to use library computers for personal work and research in FY 2004.
Programs
Fifty "Get a CLUE!" basic computer skills classes were filled with folks who were just getting started on the Internet.
The hot topic of "Identity Theft" was addressed at two panel discussions, featuring Sue Hugus from Munson Library and speakers from the Amherst Police Department and Greenfield Savings Bank. An extensive tip sheet on Identity Theft became one of the most frequently used pages on the library's website.
The ESL Coordinator worked with sixty-nine students to match them with volunteer tutors, leaving others on a waiting list. Requests for citizenship application packets and preparation classes increased, as more refugees actively pursued naturalization.
The Special Collections department showcased the musical elements of Emily Dickinson's poetry with performances by folksinger Sean Vernon and a lecture-recital by mezzo-soprano Virginia Dupuy who was accompanied by poetry reader Doris Abramson, and pianist Shields-Collins Bray.
Gardeners came for the programs, tours, bulbs, and dried plant arrangements during the day-long celebration "Bringing the Garden In," sponsored by the fantastic Friends of the Library.
Book collectors picked up professional advice from four "Colloquies on Old Books," another very popular Friends lecture series.
Other Programs:
- Burnett Art Gallery openings
- Lectures on herbal health care
- Children's science experiments
- Dr. Seuss' 100th Birthday party
- "Sing with Your Baby"
- Story times in English and Spanish
- Louise Minks' talk on Harper's Ferry in the Civil War
- Prof. William Matthews' lecture on Irish History
Donations
Many thanks to all who volunteered or donated materials or financial support to the Library. The Library couldn't work without your help!Charles Johnson generously enlarged the Clifton Johnson collection by donating manuscripts, family records and 577 original drawings and other artwork. Clifton Johnson (1865-1940) wrote, illustrated and edited over 100 books depicting New England folklore, children's stories, and travel books.
In addition, Wally Swist generously donated a collection of his published poetry, manuscripts, and editions of works by Robert Francis. Swist is currently poet in residence at Fort Juniper, the Robert Francis house, and has had a long association with the Jones Library.
Other Donors included:
- 103 library volunteers
- 600 donors who contributed $33,620 to the Library's Annual Fund Drive
- The families and friends of Helen Smith and Robert Esposito kindly contributed memorial book funds.
- Contributions from Margaret Holt's estate
- Contributions from Judy Simpson in memory of Dudley H. Towne
- Greenfield Savings Bank
- The Harp Restaurant
- Dave's Soda and Pet Food City
- The Ha Ha Sisterhood Improv Group
- Lucy Wilson Benson made a generous donation in honor of John L. Roberts who retired from the Board of Trustees after 17 years of service to the Jones Library
The staff and Trustees sincerely thank Trustee Roberts and Trustee Arthur Quinton, who also retired in FY 2004 after 14 years of service to the library. Reference Librarian Polly Peterson retired after 31 years at Jones Library - Best wishes!
Numbers
Endowment market value as of June 30, 2004: $7,816,685
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