YEAR IN REVIEW, 2013-2014

The Lillie M. Evans Library District just wrapped up our fiscal year of July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014.  From completing our carpeting project to hosting the Lincoln Exhibit, it was a very busy year for us.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Our Friends of the Library group once again had a very successful book sale.  As a result, they purchased additional Ellison die cutters, an Ellison cart, a rug for the class visits, and an audio system for the meeting room. They also continued their sponsorship of an additional entertainer for the SRP, help with the Teen SRP grand prize, SRP refreshments at the pool party, and a gift card for the Holiday Homecoming raffle.
• We completed our final carpeting phase in August.  Once all the upgrades were complete, we shifted the adult fiction and non-fiction collections. All the non-fiction, fiction, large print, playaways, biographies, and young adult fiction were also moved.  The Turner picture was reframed as per our interior designer’s recommendation, and we had our open house on September 11^th. Both Senator Darrin LaHood and Representative David Leitch attended. 
• Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War exhibit was a very successful collaboration with the Princeville Heritage Museum.  It was on display from April 7, 2014 through May 9, 2014.  We had a total of 1,278 visitors and 23 class visits. We were very fortunate to secure grant funding for this exhibit.  It was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office and was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  In addition, we were able to secure funding for 2 of our programs through grants from the Illinois Humanities Council.  The Museum hosted the opening reception and our programs included:  Illinois in the Civil War presented by Tom Emery, Black Jack Logan: Civil War General, Senator, King-Maker with Brian “Fox” Ellis, the Anti-Slavery Movement in Black & White presented by Jeanne Schultz Angel, and by far our most successful program, Mrs. Lincoln’s Tea & Salon with historical impersonator, Debra Ann Miller. Thank you to the Princeville Heritage Museum & especially, Julie Delbridge for all the time and effort provided and to everyone who attended and supported this exhibit and programming.
• This year the extreme weather conditions impacted on our statistics.  We had to close the library on January 6^th due to weather, and we cancelled several programs due to the closure of Princeville CUSD for weather related reasons. Additionally, storms and continued inclement weather definitely had an impact on patron visits.  Our overall circulation was up a little over 1% from last year, but our attendance was down 5% overall. Our total materials circulation for FY14 was 48,485 which averaged 4,040 items/month.
• We added a Fabric Crafts and Fiber Arts show in November/December. This was a non-juried show but was fun and looked great in the library.  We had 50 pieces on display. It was up during Holiday Homecoming and the Princeville Woman’s Club Home Tour.  Unfortunately the weather was not good for the home tour, but we still saw 28 people that evening.
• This was our second year that we hosted the redesigned Art Show during Heritage Days.  This year we made some additional changes by expanding the drop off and pick up times, adjusting the hours during Heritage Days, and provided more time for set up and judging.  The opening reception was on Friday, June 20^th and we had over 80 people attend.  In addition to the Heritage Days hours, the Art Show continued to be on display during our regular library hours through July 5^th.   We had 21 artists participate this year and 61 pieces of art exhibited. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating art and artists in our community!
• We are working on our long range planning.  It’s hard to believe we just completed our last 3 year plan.  Thank you to everyone who attended our focus group or filled out our library survey.  We’ve completed the FY15 plan and are finishing up with FY16 & FY17.  We are also updating our Technology Plan and working with a consultant to identify building needs.
• Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System (RAILS) completed their long range planning process in 2013-2014.  In fall 2013, they received a grant from the Illinois State Library to start an eBook consortium using Baker & Taylor’s 360 Axis. This collection, eRead Illinois, only includes ebooks but RAILS has structured it to be sustainable after the grant funding ends.  Even though we have joined eRead IL, we continue to participate in the Alliance Digital Media Library (ADML) which is supported by Overdrive and provides ebooks and audio books.