The Haldimand County Public Library has a lot of books.

158,000 books, to be exact.

But the Library’s books are only a small part of its story. For most users, the real library experience – and the real value of the library – lies not in navigating well-organized

bookshelves, but in taking advantage of those things which have no barcode, no dustjacket, and no due date.

The Library impacts Haldimand County residents in many ways:

By contributing to the local economy

By enhancing quality of life

By providing community development opportunities

Macro Economic Impacts Sharing Customer Capital. Like a tourist attraction, the Library draws people to our towns and business districts. A trip to the Library to borrow items, attend a program, or use its wireless is often followed by visits to local businesses.

150,200 visits in 2014

Creating Customer Demand. Materials borrowed from the Library encourage users to explore ideas, develop new interests and delve into hobbies, which in turn can result in demand for local products and services.

Inviting New Residents. The Library is frequently one of the first places a newcomer visits when moving to Haldimand County. Library staff play an important role in informing them about local services, resources and amenities. 1,445 new library members in 2014.

Total membership: 14,420

“Part of the reason I moved to Dunnville was the library and its staff. Thank you for all that you do, and are.” - HCPL Facebook follower

Saving Residents Money. Books can be expensive. So are movies and magazines. The latest video game can cost as much as $80 while home Internet services can cost over $500 a year. Users can access all of these things at the library, regardless of income. It costs dollars to run libraries, but by sharing library resources, residents save many dollars more.

353,000 items borrowed in 2014 including 77,000 movies, 3,200 video games and 37,503 digital downloads (ebooks, songs, magazines)

At an average of cost of $18 per item, that’s a total value of almost $6.4 million.

14,052 public computer uses 52,877 interbranch item transfers /

5,709 wireless access uses exchanges

Over 350 hours of technology assistance, including help with eReaders and laptops.

Micro Economic Impacts Assisting the Local Workforce. Finding a job can be difficult. It can be particularly challenging for individuals who cannot afford Internet access or computer equipment to conduct their job searches and print or email resumes. Advancing within an organization or launching your own business enterprise can be equally challenging. The Library offers Haldimand County’s workforce resources and help along the way:

● Gale Small Business Database, with thousands of

professional articles

- ● Learning Express and Career Cruising

online sites, connecting 263 users in 2014 to professional development resources.

Over 2,000 business-related books and eBooks on starting, promoting, and managing businesses, entrepreneurship, project management, job hunting, human resources, accounting and marketing.

Fostering Creative Arts. Creativity, whether in literature, music, art or technology, is not limited to the realm of hobbyists. It is, instead, an economic driver and a valuable local commodity. Our future designers, authors, musicians, game developers, builders and artisans need sources of inspiration and expressive outlets and the Library offers many.

Library resources and “Today’s economy is fundamentally a creative economy … programs encourage residents, advanced nations are shifting to information-based, both children and adults, to knowledge-driven economics and creativity is express their creativity in a variety of the key driver” – Economist Richard Florida, author venues: of “The Rise of the Creative Class”.

794 LEGO Club participants

177 Poetry Contest entrants

78 Ukulele Club participants

65 Art Exhibit attendees

45 Author Visit attendees

2014 Library Operating Budget

Expenditures

Salaries/Wages/Benefits $1,107,895 Supplies $ 48,354 Services $ 161,715 Interdepartmental Charges $ 24,696 Transfers to Reserves * $ 296,904 *includes collections

TOTAL EXPENSES $1,639,564

REVENUES Municipal Levy $1,467,468 Grants $ 90,810 *Federal & Provincial Fees / Recoveries $ 40,025 Donations $ 8,925 Other (Fines, etc.) $ 32,336

TOTAL REVENUES $1,639,564

Quality of Life Impact Learning Opportunities Library resources, both print and digital, can have a transformative power. They can be used to gain knowledge – even a level of expertise – that helps residents succeed. Clubs and special programs afford additional opportunities to gain proficiencies and learn from others in our communities.

● 92 Library Living participants ● 80 Babysitting Course graduates ● 287 Mango Language online learners ● 894 class visitors ● 30 PAWS for Reading participants ● 130 Genealogy Workshop attendees ● 96 eReader instruction sessions ● 260 one-on-one computer tutorial sessions

Family Time He may not remember which picture book he chose that day. She may not recall what DVD she selected for family movie night. But both will always treasure the time they spent with their family … at the library.

The Haldimand County Public Library is the perfect place for families to be together, whether browsing the collections, participating in programs, or making friends with library staff.

● 286 Tales for Twos participants ● 23 Family Literacy Day participants A visit to the local library is one of ● Over 600 Heritage Day attendees the most affordable and in Selkirk and Dunnville convenient getaways available.

Mental Fitness

Reading: more than just a “good thing” to do: The act of reading creates cognitive stimulation, prevents the brain from losing power, and can slow the progress of dementia. It can reduce stress by distracting individuals from worries and focusing on other ideas and places. Reading leads to vocabulary expansion and improved articulation by exposing individuals to new words. It improves memory by encouraging readers to recall characters, places, conversations and facts. It also improves analytical skills as readers sort out plots, assess writing styles, and put chapters together to make sense of a story or idea. Reading also improves focus and concentration. In a world of sensory overload, reading is one of the few activities requiring undivided attention.

● 531 Book Club attendees The advantages of ● 1,910 StoryTime participants physical fitness and a ● 753 Summer Children’s & Teen healthy diet are well known. Reading Club members But equally important to our

well-being is keeping our minds active, fed and growing. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

Haldimand County offers physical fitness opportunities through its parks, pools and arenas -- and mental fitness opportunities through its libraries.

Personal Time In today’s busy world, it can be hard to find personal time. A loud or busy

household isn’t always the ideal environment for study or immersing oneself in a new novel. The library was designed with peace and relaxation in mind – a home away from home. There’s even a fireplace. The Library is one of the few public spaces where residents can enjoy indoor comfort and stay as long as they want. Library users curl up with a good book on a comfortable library chair as a way to escape and unwind. They take a break reading through one of the library’s newspapers or playing chess with a neighbor. They browse the library’s music collection and get lost in a new CD, or get caught up in family tree research using the library’s wireless connections.

Community Development Impact: Social Opportunities

One of Haldimand County’s greatest strengths is its sense of community. Sharing experiences and knowledge with our neighbours, valuing one another’s opinions, and appreciating our differences contribute to the County’s well-being. Hundreds of residents came together with enthusiasm at their library in 2014, learning about each other and filling our spaces with ideas and understanding.

In addition to hosting many clubs and social activities, the Library booked its meeting rooms in 2014 to dozens of local organizations and agencies which saw the Library as the perfect gathering place.

● 2,604 Children’s Summer & Holiday Programs participants ● 461 Scrabble Club attendees ● 38 Coffee Club participants

● 247 Knitting Club participants ● 64 Downton Abbey Tea Party attendees

● 28 Divergent Teen Party participants ● 271 Facebook followers

Community Development Impact: Local Pride To ensure delivery of high quality service at the Library and demonstrate

County pride in public resources, Library staff received the following

training opportunities in 2014:

● Strategic Planning

● Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation

● Emergent Literacy ● eBooks, Publishers & Public Libraries

● Library Building Projects ● Effective Public Library Leadership

● Mango for Young Patrons ● Family Literacy Initiatives

● Library Advocacy Strategies ● Ukulele & Minecraft Programming

● AED/First Aid/CPR ● Outreach Communications ● Economic Impacts of Public Libraries

● OverDrive App ● Infographics Applications ● Social Media & Libraries

● Health & Safety ● Workplace Mental Health ● Windows 7 / Office 2013

● Interlibrary Loan Procedures

Community Development Impact: Local Pride Public libraries are often viewed as a reflection of civic commitment to attractive, welcoming public spaces and high quality public service and of the community’s shared “wealth.” An extension of community pride felt for libraries is the level of donations to and volunteerism at those facilities.

2014 Donations: Monetary donations: $8,926 Friends of the Dunnville Library donations: $5,900 Collections donations (3,337 items added): $38,612 Volunteer hours * 6,925

(*roughly $76,200 at minimum wage)