Advocacy plan

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Wendy Wiseman PaigeS553 Public Library ManagementSeptember 11, 2012

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Advocacy Plan for the Shelby County Public Library

Description of the library system

The community served

Advocacy plan

Specific budgetary challenges faced

The Shelby County Public Library is a community resource located just west of the public square in Shelbyville at 57 W. Broadway Street.

This is a view of the ground-level entrance added in 1966 as part of a $150,000, three-floor addition to the library that included a children’s room.

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Photo by W.W. Paige

This view of the SCPL highlights the original Carnegie building, one of 164 received by the state of Indiana. A total of $20,000 was granted by Andrew Carnegie to a request made in 1901. Land was purchased across from the city’s high school. The library was completed in 1903 and soon offered 10,000 volumes.

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Photo by W.W. Paige

Prior to the Carnegie library opening, the high school, built in 1896, had a room for a library. Through monetary and book donations as well as a small city tax levy, a library was opened in 1897 with 1,000 volumes. Miss Ida Lewis was the first librarian. From that point until 1963, the Central School Board governed the public library.

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Photo from http://www.shelbycountyindiana.org

http://www.stats.indiana.edu/

Starting in April of 1963, the direction of the library shifted to the newly created and independent board, the Trustees of the Shelbyville Public Library. This board was comprised of seven citizens charged with the responsibility of overseeing the library’s use of public monies.

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Photo by W.W. Paige

“I really don’t know how they were appointed in 1963, but today two are from the City Council, two from the County Council, one from the Shelbyville Central School Board, one from the county school boards, and one from the County Commissioners,” Executive Director Janet Wallace explained. “They serve four-year terms, and they can’t serve longer than 16 years. I have someone who will have served her 16 years.”

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A bookmobile was purchased in 1968 to serve the county residents and schools. With the formation of The County Contractual Library District in 1970, the seeds were planted for the official county-wide system in 1975: the Shelbyville-Shelby County Public Library.

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Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-CountyIN-Mobile-Library-Bookmobile

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-County%0BIN-Mobile-Library-Bookmobile

These days the bookmobile visits Boggstown Community Park, the Flat Rock Fire Station, Old Marietta Market, and Shelby's Crest Apartments & Town Homes.

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Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-CountyIN-Mobile-Library-Bookmobile

The Local History Room opened in 1973. Genealogy gained an expanded area with the library addition in 1995. By 1998, the growing collection required space to be rented in the town hall. In just the last decade, homes behind the library were purchased; some were demolished for parking, but one was renovated for the Genealogy and History Division.

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Photo by W.W. Paige

The story of the Shelby County Public Library, the new name that came along with a new circulation system and website as well as a

branch library in the summer of 2012, is one of growth. Carnegie East was “born” in 2007 with the purchase of an 1887 building next door to the library where two public meeting rooms and a computer lab are finished. The Genealogy and History Department and a Friends of the Library bookstore will complete the renovation.

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Photo by W.W. Paige

“We had monies in the LIRF (Library Improvement Reserve Fund) to purchase the building,” Director Wallace explained, “and the Library Foundation helped us. too. There was no dissension from the board. They were excited that we could obtain the property.”

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Photo by W.W. Paige

With a population of 44,337 (2011) to be served, the SCPL has 21,654 registered borrowers. Hours of the main branch:Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Photo from www.myshelbylibrary.org

http://www.myshelbylibrary.org/

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What’s in the collection that draws in 149,948 visits a year?

Print Materials 132,339

Electronic Books Just added!

Audio Materials 3,443

Video 7,676

Print Subscriptions 132

Electronic Serial Subscriptions 5

State Licensed Databases 35

Other Licensed Databases 3

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What’s the circulation look like?

Annual Adult Circulation Transactions 482,117

Annual Children’s Circulation Transactions

186,264

Annual Reference Transactions 26,645

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What services or programs bring in the crowds?

Internet Computers 25

Users of Internet 39,375

Total Library Programs 957

Total Kid's Programs 746

Total Audience at all Programs

14,958

Total Audience at Kid's Programs

8,962

After a request from the community of Morristown, SCPL opened a branch inside of its school. The branch is open to the public after the school day.

Hours:Monday-Thursday: 3:15-8 p.m. Friday: 3:15-5 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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StaffingExecutive Director Janet Wallace, with 30 years of service at the library, has been guiding the SCPL since 2002. Sheis the 7th director since the library startedin 1897.

•Six librarians work within the system•Seventeen support staff members help with circulation, computer labs, shelving, and other general duties

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Funding

Revenue from Local Government $ 671,044Revenue from State Government $ 25,070Revenue from Federal Government $ 0Other Revenue $ 493,494

Total Operating Revenue $ 1,189,608

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My contribution as a taxpayer is not enough: The tax rate for 2012 in Moral Township, Shelby County, is .0295 or $39.02. This is one penny off from the national average. Once I’ve checked out two or three hardback novels, I’ve certainly used my share of what I paid in. Realizing this fact alone has made me add a line to my personal budget to make a contribution to the library’s foundation this year.

In 1986, the Shelby County Public Library Foundation, Inc. was established to support the public library by providing funding for “library items beyond the reach of the operating budget”. The Foundation has three priorities: building/ renovation, special projects/initiatives, and equipment.

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Photo from The Shelby Democrat, December 24, 1903.

The Friends of the Library was organized in 1975 to supplement funds and service for library programs and projects. Some of the events sponsored by The Friends include the Cold Read Competition, the Summer Reading program, Book Sales, the Spelling Bee, the Frightening Fun-Filled Festival, and theChristmas Tea.

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This is an illustration on an old penny postcard that is featured on the library’s Facebook page. The library was constructed from Indiana Limestone and features original woodwork inside. From www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-County-Public-Library/88592527671

http://www.shelbycountyindiana.org/


Sources

Find the Data. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://library.findthedata. org/l/19899/Shelbyville-shelby-County-Public-Library>.

McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. Introduction to Public Librarianship. New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2011. Print.

Shelby County, Indiana. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www. shelbycountyindiana.org/>.

Shelby County,IN Mobile Library (Bookmobile!). Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelby-CountyIN-Mobile-Library-Bookmobile/160106254047035>.

Shelby County Public Library. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www.myshelbylibrary.org/>.

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Sources Continued

Shelby County Public Library. Web. 7 Sept. <http://www.facebook.com/ pages/ Shelby-County-Public-Library/88592527671>.

Wallace, Janet. Face-to-face interview. 29 Aug. 2012.

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Shelby County is one of the “doughnut counties” to Marion County. Located southeast of Marion, Shelby County covers 412.6 square miles and has a total population of 44,337 (2011) people.

Named after the first governor of Kentucky Isaac Shelby, who defeated the British in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the county was organized in 1821.


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Diagram from http://www.stats.indiana.edu

http://www.city-data.com/county/Shelby_County-IN.html

Made up of 14 townships, the county has its governmental seat in Shelbyville, located 22 miles from Indianapolis. It is the largest city in the county with 18,063 citizens.

Other towns in the county that include school systems are Morristown and Waldron. Fairland, Flat Rock, Boggstown, and Pleasant View are also in Shelby.


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Diagram from http://www.shelbycountyindiana.org

Two interstates cross through the county: I-74, which almost splits the county diagonally, and I-65, which cuts through the southwest corner.

US Highway 52 runs through the northeast corner of the county connecting Indianapolis to Hancock and Shelby counties.


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Map from http://www.city-data.com/county/Shelby_County-IN.html


The county is also serviced by state roads 9, connecting the northern and southern parts of the county right through the center, and 44, that slices the county east and west through the center. Both state roads access I-74. In addition, SR 244 connects Shelbyville to Rush County, and SR 252 connects SR 9 to Johnson County.


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Map from http://maps.google.com

The people of Shelby County are predominantly white, with the largest minority being Hispanic at 3.7%. African Americans make up 1% of the population.

The average household contains 2.5 people.

Forty-four per cent are city and town dwellers; 56 per cent live in the country.


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Diagram from http://www.city-data.com/county/Shelby_County-IN.html

While the median age in Shelby County is around 40, almost 20,000 residents are considered to be older adult to seniors. Shelbyville has a very active Senior Center and three assisted-living centers.


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Many people who live in Shelby County work in surrounding counties. Shelby does offer some jobs in manufacturing, education, health, social services, and government. Many acres of land are still farmed in Shelby County.


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Shelby County ranks in the upper third in the state in regard to per capita personal income. However the poverty rate is nearly 13%.


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Shelby County is doing better than the rest of the state in regard to unemployment at 7.1 per cent, but that translates to slightly more than 2,000 unemployed people.


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Almost 65 per cent of Shelby County housing units are owner occupied, with a median value of $126,400. Nearly 26% of the county’s housing units are renter occupied, with a median rent of $540.


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Shelby County has an active community with activities slated throughout the year. Many of these activities are centered in or around the public square. The three-day Bears of Blue River Festival is held in August every year.


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A monument on Shelbyville’s Public Square commemorates Charles Major’s novel The Bears of Blue River, which was set in the town. (Photo by W.W. Paige)

Sources

“Overview for Shelby County, IN.” USA Counties in Profile. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www.stats. indiana.edu/>.

Shelby County Indiana. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www.co.shelby.in.us/>.

Shelby County, Indiana. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www. shelbycountyindiana.org/>.

Shelby County, Indiana. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://www.city-data.com/county/Shelby_County-IN.html>.

Shelby IN. Web. 6 Sept. 2012. <https://maps.google.com/>.


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Shelby County Public Library faces the same overall budget challenges as all Indiana public libraries: the property tax cap! In 2010, the legislature passed a law to cap homes at one per cent, rentals at two percent, and businesses at three per cent.


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“There’s always the challenge of funding versus lack of funding,” said Janet Wallace, executive director of SCPL. “It seems like the percentage going to the library goes down every year.

“About forty per cent of my budget has to come from other sources. We thrive on grant money.”


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“For some time,” Wallace said, “patrons have asked about eBooks. I tell them, ‘They are coming!’”

On August 31, patrons could start checking out eBooks.

“It takes time. It takes patience.”


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When asked about a county economic development income tax like Shelby’s neighbor to the north, Hancock County, Wallace replied, “I would think there is the risk that other library funding could be cut. With Hancock County’s being different, it wouldn’t have the help of the lobbyist to fight for the whole. I would think the library would constantly have to be on guard and have the individual legislators fighting to keep the monies coming.

“I really don’t know if that is the way to go or not—I know our way isn’t working as well as I would like it to,” she concluded.


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Sources

“Indiana Property Tax Cap Amendment, Public Question 1 (2010).” Ballotpedia. Web. 1 Sept. 2012. <http://ballotpedia.com/>.

Wallace, Janet. Face-to-face interview. 29 Aug. 2012.


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“Public awareness campaigns across the country are focusing on how libraries contribute to communities by offering early childhood opportunities for learning, assistance for job seekers, reading fun in the summer so students return to school ready to learn, and a resource for infinite opportunities for lifelong learning.” --Sally Reed Gardner, “Amalgamating for Advocacy.”

Shelby County Public Library is right on target as it contributes to the community in all these ways and more. But Executive Director Janet Wallace knows there is more to be done, and she’s leading the way.

Advocacy plan

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My approach to advocacy for SCPL is three-pronged under the banner of “We Are Family.” It will serve to connect a community that is now underserved as well as accomplish the number one item on Director Wallace’s Wish List: finishing the remodeling of Carnegie East, which will house the Genealogy Department, in two years instead of the projected four.

“We are pursuing grants and seeking individual and corporate donations to fund the remainder of this project,” Wallace says on the library website.

Advocacy plan

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With the growth of Genealogy and History at each addition or renovation of the SCPL, that department is clearly an important part of the library. Currently housed behind the main library in a separate building, the plan is to bring it “home” to the Carnegie East Wing.

To accelerate that plan from four to two years requires a big push in public awareness. With the theme “We Are Family,” I believe it can be accomplished.

Advocacy plan

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Gorman says in “Library Advocacy, “…organized library advocacy must be carried on within the structure of a planned and coordinated campaign.”

With that precept in mind, now is the time to start planning for the “We Are Family” campaign to get a big push with a concert by Shelby County’s own country music star, Matt Mason. Mr. Mason, CMT's Next Superstar in 2011, comes to Pleasant View every year for the Heritage Day celebration, which happens to be Saturday, September 15.

Advocacy plan

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By networking with someone who knows Mr. Mason’s mother, I feel assured that I will have accessibility next weekend to talk with Mr. Mason about becoming a library advocate. I would be using ALA’s Cultivating Your Local Notables toolkit. I will jump ahead in the 10 steps a bit by talking to Mr. Mason now, but access to him is the key. Knowing that he ALWAYS comes to Pleasant View during this time of year is also good information to have. Pleasant View is a small town, and Mr. Mason has always been willing to give back to his community, his extended “family.”

Advocacy plan

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When I begin at step one, I will share with the director of the library that I have made an inroad if we want to pursue Matt Mason as a library advocate because he considers Shelby County to be his family, his home. From there, I would continue to follow the steps in order to cultivate him and see if there are other notables who could join the “We Are Family” campaign as the plan moves forward to bring the Genealogy Department into Carnegie East.

Advocacy plan

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With Wish List number one item, the Genealogy Department underway with the “We Are Family” campaign, I would then tie into the idea of legacy funding using the guidelines spelled out in ALA’s Planned Giving: Encouraging People to Leave a Legacy toolkit. Genealogy is about family. Many people in Shelby County have lived here all their lives. and their families still live here. This is a community that young people might leave, but then they come back when they are established and want to raise their children in the way they were raised.

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With nearly half the population of Shelby County in the aging category, it is important to talk to the seniors about planned giving not only to help bring about the completion of Carnegie East for the Genealogy Department but also to fund the future needs of the library to be that “resource for infinite opportunities for lifelong learning” that Gardner talks about. In addition, since the Genealogy Department provides housing for documentation dating as far back as 1822 for Shelby County and surrounding counties, it is also important to encourage seniors to consider leaving their documents to the library.

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The final part of my “We Are Family” campaign involves bringing Waldron Junior-Senior High School into the Shelby County Public Library system as the second branch library. Waldron is separate from Morristown, but it is under the same school superintendent.

I would work with the literacy group in Morristown who wanted the public library in its community to approach Waldron. Since the same superintendent and the same school library media specialist are involved, it would seem that this might be a seamless transition.

Advocacy plan

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Currently Waldron is underserved. The bookmobile does not even go there. Since the bookmobile no longer has to travel to Morristown with the branch library now open, I think it is key that Waldron gets that slot on the schedule to start to build an interest in library services.

Now that the Shelby County Public Library has opened one branch library, it has a template from which to work, making this second “branching” an efficient one, having learned what went well and what needs tweaking.

Advocacy plan

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“We Are Family” will take at least two years to complete. There are three parts to it, but they neatly fit together under the umbrella of family.

1. Bring the Genealogy Department to the completed Carnegie East wing by using our notables to build awareness regarding library funding.

2. Continue to support the Genealogy Department and the library through legacy funding, targeting our senior population who may have valuable documentation to contribute as well.

3. Connect Waldron with the county through its own branch library.

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Advocacy plan

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“We Are Family” will be promoted through the library website, through the email newsletter, and through the local daily newspaper. The library will continue to seek grants for such programs as the current one, “Making Sense of the American Civil War: A Reading and Discussion Series in America’s Libraries,” that has drawn in a room full of people older than 40 the last two Saturdays. “Infinite opportunities for lifelong learning” will continue at the Shelby County Public Library.

Sources

“Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit.” American Library Association. 2 Sept. 2012. Electronic. <http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/toolkit>.

“Cultivating Your Local Notables” American Library Association. 2 Sept.2012. Electronic.<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/localnotables>.

Detroit, L. B. “Save the Troy library: Adventures in reverse psychology.” (2011, November 15). Video. < http://youtu.be/nw3zNNO5gX0>.

Gerding, Stephanie. “Advocate for More: Focus on Legislative Funding.” Public Libraries. 46.2 (2007): 36-39. Print.

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Sources continued

Gorman, Michael. “Library Advocacy.” A presentation at the 52nd National Conference of the Associazione italiana biblioteche. (2005, November 23). Electronic.

“McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. Introduction to Public Librarianship. New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2011. Print.

Monroe County, NY & City of Rochester, NY. (2012, January 15). “Libraries matter: See the light.” Video. <http://youtu.be/Zta6ePjRWOM>.

Planned Giving: Encouraging People to Leave a Legacy.” American Library Association. 2 Sept. 2012. Electronic. <http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/frontlinefundraising/legacy_>.

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Sources continued

Reed, Sally Gardner (2009). “Amalgamating for Advocacy.” American Libraries. 40.3: 34–36. Electronic.

“Resources: Advocacy University.” American Library Association. 2 Sept. 2012. Electronic. <http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity>. Wallace, Janet. Face-to-face interview. 29 Aug. 2012.

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