Misinformation on Plainfield TV this week

Well, having just watched Bill Alstrom's commentary on the library referendum on Plainfield TV, I would like to correct some misinformation included in his statements. Mr. Alstrom says "The library seemed surprised by this as a survey done last summer showed strong support for a spending spree on a new fancy building and added staff positions." And continues "The library folks want to do another, more extensive survey of the residents to gauge future expansion. This might be a better idea than just making a few phone calls to library regulars in order to get the results they wanted." He also goes on to say that the library should have a web site that would allow residents to leave comments on the plans for future expansion.

The facts:

The library held two telephone town hall meetings with polls, one in July 2008 and one in January 2009. Constituent Town Hall Services, a non-partisan, approved vendor for both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, created the phone number list and conducted the telephone town hall meetings. The calls were placed to all households of registered voters in the library district, using the latest available registered voter list from Will County. The Library Board used a reputable vendor and accepted practices for conducting such meetings. Transcripts of the meetings are available on the library's website and here on my blog. The January poll returned 62% support (with a +/-5% margin of error) for a library expansion referendum on the spring 2009 ballot.

The library also conducted a random sample poll of registered voters in the Library District in December 2008. A statistically significant sample of 500 registered voters reporting that they were likely to vote in the spring election returned 68% support (with a +/-4% margin of error) for a library expansion referendum on the spring 2009 ballot. Victory Enterprises, the largest polling company in the Midwest whose clients include the Illinois Republican Party, updated the July phone list of registered voters and conducted the poll. The Library Board used a reputable vendor and accepted practices for conducting this poll.

The combined cost for these polls was less than half of the cost of the comprehensive survey done in 2006 that led to the expansion planning process.

The Library Board of Trustees decided to place the referendum on the ballot on January 26, 2009 in order to meet the statutory election deadline for placing a question on the April 7, 2009 ballot.

You can contact us by phone at 815-436-6639 or my direct line at 815-439-2874; in writing by mail or submissions to the suggestion box located at the Registration Desk in the library; by texting askppl to 66746; or via our website at www.plainfield.lib.il.us where you can contact us by IM or email. Your comments and suggestions are encouraged and always welcome.

Budgeting for the new fiscal year

As the staff and I work through the process of creating a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009.

The overall budget is estimated to receive a total increase of 4%, with the property tax portion held to a 1.05% increase on existing property in the district plus the amount received from new property in the district. That includes any newly-constructed property added to the tax rolls since the last tax year. The percentage increase is on the dollar amount collected. The tax rate for the district continues to decline.

Our mandated Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund contribution rate, the second largest single budget line outside of staff salaries, will increase nearly 10% next fiscal year, necessitating freezes or limited increases of 3% or less to all other budget lines. The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) is the pension fund for library employees. IMRF contribution rates and formulas are entirely controlled by state law. Until the recent downturn, IMRF was one of the only state pension funds to be fully funded. This increase in contribution rate is required to meet the state laws governing IMRF.

These budget constraints for the upcoming fiscal year have led me to request that the Board of Trustees freeze my salary for the upcoming fiscal year and instead to use those funds to maximize staff salary increases. Initial budgeting for FY10 shows that staff salary increases will have to be capped at 3% or less for the total salaries budget. Two years ago, the Board of Trustees approved a compensation plan that alternated annually between benchmarking of the salary schedule and merit increases. The upcoming fiscal year was to be the first year for merit-based increases to staff salaries. Because our staff has done an incredible job in dealing with huge increases in their workload in recent years - and especially in the past year - I felt it imperative to move forward with salary increases for the staff.

The preliminary budget will be presented to the Board of Trutees in May and finalized in June.

On hiatus

Well, blogfans, I am taking some vacation time. Director's Desk will be on hiatus until next week.

While I am away, I will be thinking about how to get a few more stacks into the building while still being ADA-compliant.

Don't forget - I want to hear from you, too! Send me your ideas, drop them in the suggestion box at the library, leave me a voicemail, whatever works for you. All commentary and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks to our volunteers

Tomorrow evening, there is an open house event to recognize the wonderful individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to the library.

Our volunteers spend their time on a wide variety of jobs that help us: from directing traffic at Summer Reading registration to babysitting kids for the Conversation Club participants to stuffing prize bags to doing data entry for grants. Without their dedicated service and support, the library could not do all of the things that we do for the community.

Thank you, volunteers, for your service to the library and your community. I deeply appreciate all of your help.

Help us decide what's next

Have you got a great idea for the library about services or space use? Let us know! I am open to all suggestions! You can give us your ideas in a variety of ways:

1. Write it down and drop it in the Suggestion Box near the Registration Desk.

2. Email it to me at the email address on the right or through the contact form on our web site.

3. Call me at 815-439-2874. Leave a voicemail if I'm not available.

I want to hear your ideas. The library is here to fulfill your needs. Tell me what we can do to improve.

From last night's Library Board meeting

For personal reasons, I was unable to attend last night's Board meeting. Lisa Pappas, our fabulous Assistant Library Director who keeps day-to-day operations running smoothly, filled in for me.

The Board discussed doing a comprehensive community survey. The concept of a PC-based survey, with postcard, newsletter, and press release notification to residents of the URL for the survey, was the favored approach. They are carefully considering what information they want to gather before moving forward.

In response to the change in the requirements for notary public services from Public Act 095-0988, the library will no longer offer notary services for real estate transactions, including but not limited to refinancing or other types of real estate loans, purchases, sales, beneficial interest in land trusts and deeds. Notary public services will continue for documents such as tax forms, passport applications, and petitions for political office.

The proposed Downtown Plainfield Historic District's possible effect on the Library's future expansion at its present location was discussed. The original 1941 library building would be the focus for the Library's inclusion in the Historic District. The process for review of plans and demolition permits for future library expansion would remain the same, regardless of the creation of the Historic District. As a tax-exempt entity, there would be no tax advantages for inclusion in the Historic District for the Library.

I was grateful to receive feedback from Library Trustee Dr. Pat Miller that I was mentioned by name by the speaker at a recent Library Trustee training event she attended on technology privacy issues and record keeping, as an example of a forward-thinking library director.

Brainstorming!

How do you fit five gallons into a three gallon bucket?

That is the question facing library staff today. They are brainstorming yet again on how to use the space we have more effectively. Of course, there are major budget constraints on the brainstorming.

The same Special Reserve Fund that is used for capital expenditures like renovations, purchase of property and new computers, is also the only source of emergency funds (like for last year's replacement of an HVAC unit). The library is contracted to purchase the Route 59 parking lot from the Village of Plainfield in 2010, so some of it is earmarked for that purpose. The main source of revenue for this fund is impact fees from developers - of which there have been very few in the past year so it is not being replenished. In the past, the Board was able to transfer the remaining general fund balance into the Special Reserve Fund at the end of each year. However, double-digit cost increases in mandated funds like the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and liability insurance fund outstripping revenues, that general fund balance is now transferred to those funds to prevent deficits.

Staff is watching the bottom-line carefully as they discuss changes that would free up space and maintain or improve service.

Feel free to make suggestions - we're open to all ideas during this process.

Stay tuned for announcements of changes ahead!

Today is National Library Workers Day!

NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. Your local library workers dedicate themselves to serving the community everyday. They educate, captivate and connect you with the informational and recreational resources you need. They work evenings and weekends to ensure the library is open when you need it. They check in, check out, and renew thousands of items each day. They answer your questions in person, by phone, by email, by instant message, and even by text message! They help you find a tax form, with the copier and with the fax machine. They read stories to your children, help you find a good book, and teach you to use a computer. They maintain web pages with links to get you to the information you need fast. They do all of this to serve you, their community.

You can thank your favorite library worker here by adding them to the "Galaxy of Stars" at the American Library Association's National Library Workers Day website. Show them how much you appreciate everything they do.

Worlds Connect @ Your Library!

National Library Week is April 12-18

This week celebrates the contributions libraries make to our communities. Join us all week for various festivities honoring the ways in which the Plainfield Public Library connects you to the world. The Library’s mission is: Educate-Captivate-Connect, and that’s what we do every day, whether you visit the library electronically or in-person.

Come to the Library during this week for a free “thank you for being a patron gift” and to enter the drawings for two fantastic prizes: A Spa Celebration, donated by Paul Joseph Salon and Spa of Naperville, valued at over $100.00 and a Dinner Celebration, donated by Tommy Nevin’s Pub, which includes dinner for two and a movie theater gift package. Please pick up your free thank you patron gift while supplies last at the Library’s Main Registration Desk.

Thank You, Citizens Referendum Committee!

I want to make sure everyone knows how wonderful all of our volunteers and supporters are! Thank you all for your hard work on the campaign.

The volunteer Citizens Referendum Committee actively supported and campaigned for this referendum. Co-chairs Vicky Polito and Barbara Ebeling led the committee. Other volunteers included: Cheryl Basso, Nancy Bennett, Jana Bruen, Dennis Fink, Mina Green, Nikki Kaysen, Kristy Kipka, Mary Anne Michaels, Jim Racich, Elsbeth Ritz, Anthony Scala, Mary Stevens, Dawn Strand, Janet Swatek, Tammy Tunac, Jim and Mary Anne Waldorf, Bill and Pam Wilson, and Erica Wood-Bedi.

The Village of Plainfield and Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 both passed resolutions of support for the expansion plan. Representative Tom Cross, Senator Linda Holmes, Village Trustee and Mayoral Candidate Bill Lamb, and Village Trustee Jim Racich expressed their support in letters to editors of local newspapers. Community organizations, parent-teacher organizations and local service organizations hosted presentations and provided information to their members. Thanks to all who opened their doors to us and allowed time at their meetings for presentations!

20% increase in use becomes the norm

And we thought library use was up last year! So far, each month of 2009 has seen an average incraese of 20% for checkouts, computer sessions, questions answered and more. March was no exception: nearly 58,000 items were checked out. 4,200 computer sessions were logged on public PCs at the libary. Over 2,500 questions were answered at the Reference and Readers Services Desk. More than 450 people got a new library card.

All of those news stories about the boom in library use during a recession are true!

Referendum Fails

Voters today turned down the plan to expand the downtown library and build a branch on the north side of the district.

In this time of economic uncertainty, the community was not prepared to support the expansion plan. The library will continue to provide the best possible service to our community.

We have many fantastic volunteers and supporters to thank for their hard work on this campaign.

The volunteer Citizens Referendum Committee actively supported and campaigned for this referendum. Co-chairs Vicky Polito and Barbara Ebeling led the committee. Other volunteers included: Cheryl Basso, Nancy Bennett, Jana Bruen, Dennis Fink, Mina Green, Nikki Kaysen, Kristy Kipka, Mary Anne Michaels, Jim Racich, Elsbeth Ritz, Anthony Scala, Mary Stevens, Dawn Strand, Janet Swatek, Tammy Tunac, Jim and Mary Anne Waldorf, Bill and Pam Wilson, and Erica Wood-Bedi.

The Village of Plainfield and Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 both passed resolutions of support for the expansion plan. Representative Tom Cross, Senator Linda Holmes, Village Trustee and Mayoral Candidate Bill Lamb, and Village Trustee Jim Racich expressed their support in letters to editors of local newspapers. Community organizations, parent-teacher organizations and local service organizations hosted presentations and provided information to their members.

Discussion of next steps will begin at the April 15 regular meeting of the Library Board of Trustees.

VOTE today!

There are several hotly contested local elections on the ballot today! Remember to vote - every vote counts.

An experience I will never forget from early in my career was being involved in a library referendum that failed by 6 votes. As the group that had gathered to watch election night results sat talking afterwards, we discovered that among us, we could quickly name at least 10 people who supported the referendum but had failed to vote that day. If you think your one vote won't make a difference, you are mistaken.

Exercise your rights as a citizen. Vote today.

Question of the Day: Do you think this will pass?

I think it is up to the voters of this Library District to decide.

The Board of Trustees, Library staff, expert consultants, staff of other government entities, local elected officials, and you, the citizens of the district all had input on the plan over the last 2 1/2 years. You told us what you wanted in a survey, participated in telephone town hall meetings and focus groups. We've had architects, financial planners, and a building consultant help us along the way.

If it passes, there will be more opportunities to give input as the building plans are finalized. The Library received great feedback regarding the telephone town hall meetings and will likely utilize that format again to gather input.

If it fails, the plan will be re-examined and the Board of Trustees will decide on the course of action.

Question of the Day: How long will it take to construct the new libraries if it passes?

When the referendum passes, it will take 18-24 months from groundbreaking to opening day of a new library. Finalizing the plans before groundbreaking will also take several months. The minimum estimate is 24 months from the day it passes to opening the new libraries. During that time, the Library will move to a temporary location.

Question of the Day: Who supports this expansion plan?

This expansion plan has broad-based community support from individuals and community organizations.

The Village of Plainfield and Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 both passed resolutions of support for the expansion plan. Representative Tom Cross, Senator Linda Holmes and Village Trustees Bill Lamb and Jim Racich expressed their support in letters to editors of local newspapers. Community organizations like the Plainfield Soccer Association, numerous parent-teacher organizations and local service organizations like the Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, and Rotary International have helped to get the word out to residents by hosting presentations and providing information to their members. Earlier this year, the Plainfield Township Park District expressed its support and intention to partner with the Library District on future projects. The Plainfield Enterprise newspaper published an editorial in support of the plan.

A volunteer Citizens Referendum Committee actively supported and campaigned for the referendum. Co-chairs Vicky Polito and Barbara Ebeling led the Committee. Other volunteers included: Cheryl Basso, Nancy Bennett, Jana Bruen, Dennis Fink, Mina Green, Nikki Kaysen, Kristy Kipka, Mary Anne Michaels, Jim Racich, Elsbeth Ritz, Anthony Scala, Mary Stevens, Dawn Strand, Louise Svehla, Janet Swatek, Tammy Tunac, Jim and Mary Anne Waldorf, Bill and Pam Wilson, and Erica Wood-Bedi.

Question of the Day: Can staff parking be moved further away so there are more spaces closer to the building for patrons?

This question is more to do with today's configuration than the expansion plan, but I wanted to address it here. Today, the Library only owns the "little lot" up to the hedge to the north of the library. The larger parking lot just to the north of it is owned by the Village of Plainfield. Eleven spaces, or about 1/3 of the Library-owned lot is designated for the 55 staff members of the Library. Because there is no loading dock or service entrance, the staff entrance on the north side of the building and the spaces near it, are the loading area for Library use.

In the expansion, a loading dock and service entrance would be added, removing this from the main parking area. Also, the staff entrance for the downtown Library will be on the Illlinois Street side of the building, while the main patron entrance would face Route 59 and the expanded Route 59 lot. The Library is contracted to purchase the Route 59 parking lot from the Village in 2010, which would allow for the creation of staff spaces in that lot.