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From Horse and Buggy to
Indy Racer
Hickory Public Library: 1996-1999
Contents
Introduction
New
Long-Range Plan
Improvement
of Technology
Fund-Raising
Increased
Operations Budget
Initiation of
Partnerships Plan
Implementation
of Advanced Technology
Grand Opening
Weekend
Roles
Strategies
Introduction
Hickory Public Library is a
municipal library system, operated as a department of the City of
Hickory, NC. Funding for the library comes primarily from the city, but
also from Catawba County and the State Library of North Carolina. The
library, located in Catawba County, actually serves residents in a
four-county area. The immediate population served for 1997-98 was
33,110. However, because of the City's unique placement at the
junction of four counties, the true population exceeds 300,000, with
160,000 within a ten-mile radius of the library. Circulation for
1997-1998 totaled 275,188. Circulation for the first eight months of FY
98-99 totals 216,532. The library's total budget has increased
substantially, as shown by this graph.
*1999-2000 projected
The library's locally funded regular
operating budget has made major strides, with a 46% increase coming in
1997-98, and increases continuing each year.
*1999-2000 projected
figures
Per capita spending from local sources
in 1998-99 was $31.56. During 1998-99 library staff totaled 29.28 FTE,
including the director.
Established over one hundred years ago
as a subscription library, operations were moved into the Elbert Ivey
Memorial main facility in 1952.
Elbert Ivey Memorial Library
Despite renovations, expansions, and
moving the audiovisual department into a separate building next door,
the library did not grow fast enough physically to keep up with demands.
The library also suffered from a gradual stagnation of its budget.
Eventually materials, personnel, and other key operations categories
fell below the levels necessary to maintain the library's
effectiveness within its community. Over time, citizens grew
disenchanted with library services. Many wealthier citizens found other
ways to fill the information, programming, and reading voids left by the
underfunded, understaffed, and weakened library.
Matters reached a crisis point in 1993
when City of Hickory and Catawba County governments began studying a
merger of their respective systems. Hickory citizen reaction to the
proposed future of city library services that emerged during the talks
was swift and dramatic. They soundly rejected what they perceived as a
severely limited vision for their libraries. Hickory residents angrily
insisted that city government not only keep its responsibility for
library services, but also substantially improve what everyone agreed
was a system in severe decline. The city government acquiesced and
agreed to build a new main library that would meet the needs expressed
by the citizens in those meetings and restore the library as an
important cultural and educational asset for the community.
A site selection committee was
established, and the search for the "perfect" library site was
underway. The committee came back to City Council with the
recommendation that a "cultural campus" be established by
housing the library on the same block with the Arts and Science Center
Center of Catawba Valley, creating a true center for the arts and
humanities. City Council took the recommendation to heart, and
approached the Arts and Science Center Foundation Board about the
possibilities. Corinth Reformed United Church of Christ actually owns
the property upon which the Arts and Science Center is located, but the
Foundation Board has a ninety-nine year lease on the block. Securing the
rights to build the library on the property required negotiation and
partnerships with both organizations.
Once the property rights were acquired,
a building program was designed and started in 1996 with completion
scheduled for late fall, 1997. Funding for the building program was to
come from the city ($4.1 million) as well as a $250,000 LSCA Title II
grant awarded by the state. City government agreed to cover their
portion without a bond referendum or raising taxes. These funds covered
only construction and furnishings. However city officials decided to
raise $1.1 million in private funds to cover technology ($500,000) and
materials ($400,000) for the new facility.
In 1994, ADA regulations forced the
closing of the basement of the only branch, Ridgeview, which is located
in a predominately minority neighborhood. This closing halved the amount
of usable space in that branch. As part of the agreement to build a new
main library, the city also agreed to fund a building program to replace
Ridgeview, again without bonds or a tax increase. That plan called for
the branch, housed in 1,000 sq. ft., to be replaced by a 4,000 sq. ft.
facility including a sorely needed meeting room. The City committed to a
total project cost of around $577,000. Construction on that building
began in July 1997 and was completed in late spring 1998.
Ridgeview Branch Library
City government and elected officials
announced to the public that they were committed to building
"state-of-the-art" library facilities in which were to be
provided "state, regional, and nationally recognized" programs
and services.
New
Long-range Plan
Anticipating the entire library
system's move into new facilities and accepting the challenges of
creating the dynamic library service promised by officials, a Planning
Process Committee composed of library staff and Library Advisory Board
members began rewriting HPL's long-range plan in July 1996. During a
meeting early in the process, a Board member asked the library director
to help the group understand the magnitude of the task. Director Philip
Cherry, having assessed the situation based on conversations with Deputy
Director Corki Miller, his own eight-year background in the Public
Library of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County and direct observations, put it
bluntly. "We are a good horse and buggy outfit that is being forced
to prepare for the Indy car era," he stated to a stunned Library
Board. They knew things were not good. However, they had no idea just
how far behind Hickory's library services had fallen, compared to
Hickory officials' future expectations. Ms. Miller agreed with Mr.
Cherry's assessment of the situation and detailed a number of ways in
which current staff and resources were terribly behind most modern
libraries. That meeting set the tone. During bi-monthly meetings
extending into the fall, the committee worked hard and narrowed the
focus of the plan to include the following six major roles, listed in
order of priority, to be filled by the library.
Reference
Library. The library intends
to meet the reference needs of the complete community, providing
information to all. It is also felt that all citizens in the area
should have access to information, both print and electronic.
Preschooler's
Door to Learning. The
library will continue to increase its holdings and programs to help
prepare preschoolers for their future by educating them and by
instilling a love of learning and reading in their fertile young
minds.
Supplement to
Formal Education. Having
established networks with six public school systems, Catawba Valley
Community College, Lenoir-Rhyne College, and area homeschoolers, HPL
plans to continue supplementing those systems by providing materials
and programming.
Center for
Lifelong Learning. Not everyone can afford to continue formal education. The library will
offer materials to help those citizens who wish to continue the
education process on their own. Various formats will be provided to
serve all styles of learning.
Popular
Materials Center. Not
everyone can afford to buy them, so bestsellers in all formats will be
available at the library for all citizens.
Community
Information/Activities Center. In addition to providing general reference information to customers,
HPL will provide community specific information to citizens in the
greater Hickory metro area. The library will become a first stop for
people seeking agency help or information, regardless of the nature of
the inquiry. Particularly in the Ridgeview community, the library will
serve as a center where community residents can come together. Meeting
space is available at the new main (100 seats) and branch (80 seats)
facilities. More programming, especially at the adult level, will be
provided at both locations.
While these roles represent the essence
of the long-range plan, the committee understood that the library's
success in any role would rest on four fundamental strategies:
- Strengthen programs/expand
collections;
- Increase access to those programs
and collections;
- Increase public awareness of the
library's programs, collections, and services;
- Develop and strengthen
partnerships with other community agencies/organizations.
The completed plan was presented to
City Council and approved by them on February 4, 1997. A full copy of
the plan and a progress report can be found on the library's web site.
The Library Board also restructured
itself to better serve the citizens of Hickory. The Board expanded to
eleven members, composed of six Ward representatives, three at-large
representatives, and the presidents of both Friends of the Library
groups.
Improvement
of Technology
Library management understood that
technology would have to play a critical role in the execution of the
long-range plan. By July of 1996, HPL had already taken two important
steps toward a greater reliance on computers and networked systems in
the delivery of library services. An automated system was added in
1994/95 through an LSCA Title I automation grant. The system chosen was
Dynix, based on its intuitiveness and company history of customer
service. This system enabled staff to begin looking more closely at
statistics and at collections in an effort to better identify customers,
trends, and areas of interest. The system also provided better access to
library collections for patrons. In 1995/96 library management added a
few computer workstations, some of which shared elementary networking
capacities.
However, a greater "rollout"
of new information technologies was planned for the opening of the new
main facility. The plan was later refined and expanded, and Ridgeview
was included. Among the issues addressed in the refinement and expansion
process was that of support. City officials and library management
agreed that due to the complexity of library systems today, a new
technology support position would be created and the occupant hired
would be assigned almost exclusively to the library.
The new plan focused on adequate patron
workstation access, sufficient data and computing speeds, and
preservation of growth capability for future applications. The new plan
called for thirty-nine networked workstations in the new main building
and another eight to ten networked workstations for the branch. These
linked networks were to provide access to a number of CD-ROM and
Internet-delivered vendor databases, as well as direct Internet
browsing. In addition to these, there were to be several stand-alone
workstations on which would be mounted word processing and tutorial
products.
Children enjoy the computers at Ridgeview Branch Library
The computer area in Adult Reference Department at Patrick Beaver
Memorial Library
The computing and data
speed concerns were reduced when the technology team secured T-1 level
access from each library building to the City's wide-area-network. To
further improve speed, the team placed high-grade category 5 cabling
from the telecommunications room to the areas designated for the new
workstations. The team also terminated the category 5 wiring at
strategic points behind walls to allow future expansion of computing
systems. This plan was not only executed fully, but expanded yet again.
This time library management included the use of debit card technology
as a necessary cost recovery and accounting management tool.
With both long-range and technology
plans in place, library management and the Library Advisory Board turned
their attention to marshalling the funds needed to provide the dynamic
services implied in each plan. All involved understood the two plans
would play central roles in the process. They knew these would serve as
"prospectuses to new investors," primary marketing tools to
the general public, and justification tools for traditional funding
sources.
Fund-raising
Having decided during the initial
construction planning phases to forego the use of a professional
fund-raising company, city officials committed to working closely with
library management and the Library Advisory Board to pursue the private
giving goal of $1.1 million. Together the parties formed a fund-raising
task force that worked from August 1996 through October 1997 to meet the
goal. The task force made presentations to numerous company officials
and private citizens throughout the area. The group submitted grant
applications to local and national foundations. They announced plans to
create a library foundation as part of the drive. Members provided the
press with ample background information about the needs of the new
facilities and actively campaigned before civic organizations throughout
the area. The efforts paid off beyond anyone's wildest imagination.
In the spring of 1997, NationsBank
became the first major donor to the fund-raising effort by giving
$200,000 over a four-year period for Ridgeview-based programming. This
gift was followed closely by an announcement from Alex Lee, Inc. and the
George Family Foundation of a $250,000 two-year donation for technology.
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation's announcement of a
$300,000 donation for materials and technology rounded out the spring
activities.
During the summer, Sprint and Alcatel,
two of Hickory's major telecommunications companies, gave equipment
and labor donations that totaled $100,000.
Sprint's employees volunteered their time to pull all the cable
throughout the new library
The area's furniture giants,
Thomasville Furniture Industries, Hickory Springs Manufacturing, Lane
Upholstery/Lane Venture, Hickory Chair, and Lane Companies of Catawba
County contributed a total of $37,000 to fund-raising efforts. Other
small gifts trickled in through August.
In August 1997 fund-raising efforts
took a surprising turn. The task force received word that the Don Beaver
family wished to meet with the Mayor and library director about the
possibility of a major gift in exchange for a naming opportunity. (Mr.
Beaver owns several minor league baseball teams, and is a part owner of
the Pittsburgh Pirates.) The family's son Patrick had been killed in a
tragic boating accident over the July 4th holiday on Lake
Hickory. During the meeting the family expressed a desire to see the new
main facility named after Patrick, and was informed that the naming
opportunity required a gift of $1 million or more. The family stated
that they intended to pursue the naming opportunity. The same day of
that meeting, Director Philip Cherry received a call from the accountant
representing the Ralph W. Hutton family. This call, a follow-up to an
earlier call, was to inform Mr. Cherry that the family had decided to
give the library $200,000 over three years to establish a children's
materials endowment. That one day, a Thursday in mid-August, represented
the initial steps of what would eventually total over $1.2 million in
donations to the library. Terms for the Beaver gift were settled upon by
September and the entire gift was delivered in October. To date, the
fund-raising campaign has produced over $2.1 million in private,
corporate, and foundation giving to the library. The importance of this
giving cannot be overstated. It has allowed the library to move forward
in the overhaul of services and resources.
Increased
Operations Budget
The Library Advisory Board and library
management did not let the regular funding sources off the hook. After a
long winter campaign and working in conjunction with the Ridgeview and
Main Library Friends, the Advisory Board and library management
convinced the city, county, and others to increase the budget from
$844,064 to $1,232,175. This increase of 46% included among other things
fourteen new staff positions, including a marketing/volunteer
coordinator, four professional librarians, and nine part-time
assistants. It was intended that these new positions would greatly
improve the quality of services and access. The new budget also
reflected a greater focus on training, marketing, programming, and
electronic services. The finalized budget left library staff and others
who participated in securing the funds excited about the possibilities
ahead.
Over the late spring and summer months
of 1997, library management went about the task of hiring new employees
and planning for the new facilities. After successfully recruiting,
interviewing, and hiring people to fill the new positions, management
turned its attention to developing its partnerships, selling the new
long-range plan, selecting new electronic services, and selecting the
important technology components to advance services in the new
buildings. These activities overlapped each other going into the fall
months of 1997. During this period some critical developments occurred
outside those related to fund-raising.
Initiation
of Partnerships Plan
The library solidified its partnerships
at each of its new locations. The new main facility is located on a
"cultural campus" with the Catawba County Council for the
Arts, Hickory Museum of Art, Western Piedmont Symphony, Hickory Choral
Society, and the Catawba Science Center. There are also two special
education programs on the campus. The Catawba County School System has
its alternative school program located next to the new main library.
High Hope, an education program for children with mental or physical
disadvantages, operates an infants through preschool facility on the
block. This campus was officially named the S.A.L.T. Block in the fall
of 1997. S.A.L.T. stands for "Science, Art, and Literature
Together." The S.A.L.T. Block had already applied for and won the
North Carolina Governor's Business Award based on the successful
partnership among cultural organizations, city government, and business
to create a center for the arts and humanities. Although this award was
made in 1996, the application's major thrust was the library's
forthcoming move to the "Block".
The "Block" members began
planning integrated programming for the new main library grand opening
in January 1998. Regular monthly meetings were held to plan this
programming and promote the growing partnership opportunities. In April
the coalition submitted its first joint grant application for
programming to the Projects Pool Committee, a North Carolina Council for
the Arts funded program administered by the Catawba County Council for
the Arts. The grant request was funded at 60%. The library contributed
the difference from its newly won budget. By November 1997 the
partnership had finalized plans for a weeklong celebration of the grand
opening.
 The
Western Piedmont Symphony String Quartet entertains at the Grand
Opening.
Like the new main structure, the
Ridgeview Branch facility shares a "campus" with other
important neighborhood anchors such as the Ridgeview Center and
Brown-Penn Recreation Center. Other community partners in this
neighborhood include the F.A.C.E.D. Center (Family And Community
Enrichment Development Center) and Community Ridge
Child Development Center. Library staff members, in conjunction with
these and other partners, began actively seeking ways to provide
services that are not presently available. Plans for a community-wide
celebration for the new Ridgeview facility grand opening began growing
out of the efforts to partner within the community.
Happy children leave the Ridgeview Branch Grand Opening.
Implementation
of Advanced Technology
Over this same period, library
administrators and city officials started investigating debit card
technology among other computer-based applications for the new library
environments. This investigation entered into the formal bid process in
the fall and winter and produced one of the biggest achievements for the
Hickory Public Library to date. In December 1997, the City of Hickory
selected Diebold, Inc. of Canton, OH to provide a $343,000 debit card
system for the new libraries. Diebold, a billion-dollar plus company
dominant in financial security systems and ATM machine technology, was
also a major player in the college campus card systems marketplace. It
had over 300 installations of campus debit card systems in universities
around the world and had recently turned its attention to the public
library marketplace. The achievement in the bid award that excited both
company officials and library management so much came from the type of
debit card system proposed by the company and accepted by the city.
Diebold proposed a "smart card" solution instead of the more
common magnetic stripe technology found in most library debit (sometimes
called "vendor") card systems. By accepting the proposal,
Hickory Public Library became the first public library in North America
to install a smart card system. As such it instantly became a closely
watched project by both other public libraries and the technology
marketplace. The company made a public announcement on January 12, 1998
through a release to all the major financial news services. The Wall
Street Journal picked up the story as a front-page article on
January 29, 1998.
The announcement hit with a bang.
Public libraries from all over the country began calling Diebold and
Hickory Public Library to get further details. The company reported that
it received over fifty leads from libraries, based on the Wall Street
Journal article and press releases. Staffs from both organizations
were bombarded with questions from other library personnel during and
immediately after the PLA convention in Kansas City, Missouri March
10-14, 1998. Forbes and The Charlotte Observer were
among the print media to request interviews with participants in the
project. In fact, The Charlotte Observer reporters still
actively follow the story. At the beginning of 1999 the library's card
project was mentioned in a lead story of The Charlotte Observer Business
Monday on smart card deployment in the region. A request for information
came from a library science student in New Zealand, who included the
H.E.L.P. card in her masters project on the applicability of smart card
technology for public libraries. The Hickory project was featured in a
February 1999 Card Technology article about smart card
applications in public libraries. Southern Living mentioned the
card in its March 1999 Carolina Clipboard section. Staff became so
overwhelmed by questions and requests for tours that a portion of the
library's web site was dedicated to the smart card system. You can now
take a virtual tour of the system or read the answers to frequently
asked questions from the comfort of your own workstation.
The system is in place within the new
main facility and the Ridgeview branch. It includes a number of
attractive features. It is a true online system. This means patrons who
lose their cards can find out from staff the exact balance on the card
at the time of the loss and transactions are processed in real time. It
has a photo ID component. Patrons who are converted to the new cards had
their pictures placed on the front of the cards. This reduces the
opportunity to use a stolen card in a fraudulent manner to check out
library materials. The card allows library staff to immediately recover
printing-related costs. The system includes card reader devices that are
attached to every "output" device in the library - including
copiers, workstation printers, and microfiche-microfilm reader/printers.
 Card
readers replace coin boxes on all print devices, including copy
machines.
While the above-mentioned features are
attractive, more needs to be said about what really makes this system so
different and unique from other systems in the market today. The true
differences can be summarized in a single phrase. It is the chip!
The smart card contains a 486mhz,
8-megabit microprocessor chip that allows a system administrator to
encode multiple types of programming, not currently available with
magnetic stripe technology. This chip, which is more durable and more
counterfeit-proof than the magnetic stripe, allows library staff to add
programming as new possible applications for the card reveal themselves.
It allows for a greater degree of demographic data collection through
which staff can better determine patron needs and habits. It is capable
of being completely reprogrammed without reissue of each card. The chip
also allows for multiple departments' usage, maintaining separate
accounts for each.
It needs to be said that the library
was also buying the greater expertise, research and development, and
multi-environment experience of a Fortune 500 company. As such, the
staff felt confident that it had formed a relationship with a company
that was providing a large technology platform to carry the library into
the next century.
An example of this occurred during
installation of the system when company engineers and library staff
began talking about the problems of Internet authentication. Diebold
engineers constructed an Internet authentication solution immediately
upon reaching a thorough understanding of the problem. Now the new
patron cards (with chips reprogrammed) contain a check field that the
system program searches to verify that patrons have signed the library's
Internet usage agreement, or in the case of juveniles, that parents have
signed the usage agreement and given the child permission to use the
Internet. The two sides are in discussions now to add workstation
time-management programming to the chip, and to use the base platform as
the center for the library's entire security system.
Library staff mounted an aggressive
campaign to get the word out about the new cards. First, instead of
creating some nondescript design for the card itself, staff approached
the local minor league baseball team, the Hickory Crawdads, for
permission to use a beautiful composite photograph of a night game at
the home stadium. Library administration used the connection of library
Advisory Board member, Marty Steele, who at the time was serving as the
general manager of the team. Library management thought that using the
Crawdads would be beneficial for another reason. Million-dollar plus
donor, Don Beaver, and his partners own the team. Interestingly enough,
Crawdads management is now talking with Diebold about using the system
at the stadium. Library management truly believes this card is one of
the most attractive patron cards in the market today, and may even
become a hot collectible item in years to come.
Hickory's H.E.L.P. card, with NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett
After creating an
attractive card, a library team and Diebold representatives devised a
clever marketing campaign. The campaign named the new card the H.E.L.P.
card - short for Hickory ELectronic Patron card.
The campaign kick-off featured a library lobby banner with the statement
"H.E.L.P. is on the way" along with a color picture of the new
card. Local NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett agreed to allow his H.E.L.P. card
to be used in marketing. The card system was activated May 4, 1998. On
that day library administrators, Diebold officials, Hickory Crawdad
management and players, and Conrad the Crawdad were present. In
preparation, on Friday, March 27, 1998 library officials arranged a
photography session with local media. At the session, media photographed
Ivajean Keener, the library's 20,000th patron as she
received the first new card. Media present included reporters and
photographers from the Hickory Daily Record, Hickory News, Charlotte
Observer, and local TV station, WHKY TV14. The card was presented by
City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Z. Ann Hoyle who represents Ward
Four, a seat previously held by the late Ralph Starnes, Ms. Keener's
father.
Diebold Executive Vice President Dave Bucci places value on the
first card - the card presented to Ms. Ivajean Keener, the library's
20,000th patron.
The impact of the H.E.L.P. card on the
City of Hickory cannot be understated. Late in 1998 the City's elected
officials launched a new technological strategic plan to create a
"connected community." The plan came from the realization that
with headquarters of three of the world's primary fiber optics and
cable manufacturers and the regional headquarters of a major telephone
company, the Hickory region has the building blocks to recreate the
technology villages present in places such as Blacksburg, Virginia and
Ennis, Ireland. Connected communities utilize advanced
telecommunications development coupled with deployment of allied
advanced technologies to provide residents and businesses with increased
access to electronic services/commerce. Connected communities are
developed through very close working relationships with government,
industry, education, health and human services, and cultural
organizations. Because of its expansion of electronic information
services and especially its introduction of smart card technology into
the local environment, the library now stands at the center of the
community-wide effort to turn Hickory into a connected community. Over
the next year the library's card system will be used to support or
model smart card expansion into transit, parks and recreation, Lenoir-Rhyne
College, and possibly public schools.
Grand
Opening Weekend: Partnerships' First Success
In January of 1998, the new Patrick
Beaver Memorial Library - main facility of the newly renamed Hickory
Public Library - opened for business.
 Patrons
try out all the new equipment during the Grand Opening.
The first phase of the new era of
service for the Hickory Public Library had begun. The grand opening
event was marked by a four month long publicity campaign leading up to
the actual event. The publicity campaign included numerous television
news segments and newspaper articles covering the library move, new
services planned, profiles of some key employees, public reaction to the
new buildings, the fund-raising efforts, library partnerships,
activities and programs at the other S.A.L.T. Block agencies, and
efforts to sell the old facilities. The new marketing/volunteer
coordinator, along with other staff, created and implemented a strategy
of timed press releases designed to constantly tantalize the public.
To add elegance and prestige to the
weekend's events, library staff and city officials planned a black
tie, invitation only Donor Dinner for Friday, January 9, 1998 to honor
those who gave so generously to the fund-raising efforts. The dinner was
underwritten by contributions from Bank of Granite, Central Carolina
Bank, First Union National Bank, Wachovia, and Centura Bank.
 The
donor dinner was a formal affair of recognition.
Each donor was
recognized and given a small token of appreciation by Mayor William
McDonald.
The guests of honor, in addition to the
donors, included United States Congressional Representative Cass
Ballenger, the executive directors of each of the S.A.L.T. Block
agencies, city officials, Library Advisory Board members, Ridgeview
Construction Project Committee members, and others. The principal
speaker was the honorable Betty McCain, Secretary of Cultural Resources,
State of North Carolina.
Congressman and Mrs. Cass Ballenger with Secretary McCain at the
Donor Dinner.
The strategies to build up excitement
worked beautifully. Approximately 3,000 people attended the grand
opening of the new main library facility. News coverage included a
multi-page insert in the Hickory News and multiple articles in
both the Hickory Daily Record and The Charlotte Observer.
The crowd anxiously awaits the grand opening.
Citizens stayed from beginning to end
of the four-hour event. Music filled the air as numerous groups
including the Hickory High School Band, Western Piedmont Symphony Brass
Ensemble, Suzuki School of the Arts, and Hickory Choral Society
performed. The Western Piedmont Symphony Brass Ensemble accentuated the
ribbon cutting ceremony by playing Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for
the Common Man." Additional entertainment included performances by
a clown, juggler, magician, and balloon artist.
 The
children were entertained by a clown, in addition to other performers.
As planned by the Block partners, there
were lead-in and concurrent events during the grand opening weekend
festivities. The weekend began with the Library's Donor Dinner on
Friday night. It continued with Saturday programs that included Western
Piedmont Symphony's "Pops in Space" family concert; Hickory
Community Theater's performance of the short play, "Parked;"
and Catawba Science Center's lecture "Movies: The Real
Story."
For Sunday's grand opening, the Arts
& Science Center held a reception, the Hickory Choral Society
presented selections from their Great Britain Tour, and the Green Room
presented highlights from "Oliver." The Catawba County
Historical Association, Catawba Science Center, Hickory Landmarks
Society, and Hickory Museum of Art presented concurrent exhibits in the
Arts and Science Center. All these events were tied by the common theme
of arts and literature. The official grand opening activities concluded
the following weekend with the closing of grand opening related exhibits
and still more programs. The Catawba Science Center closed its
exhibition "The Dawn of Sound," Hickory Museum of Art closed
"Visual Verbal: Text in Contemporary Art," and on Friday and
Saturday, January 16th and 17th, Acoustic Stage
presented concerts by Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck.
Overall the grand opening weekend was
said to be one of the most exciting things to happen to the city in
anyone's recent memories. People talked about that weekend for the
next two months and the public helped set new library attendance records
over the next several weeks.
In June, citizens were privileged to
witness the grand opening of the new Ridgeview facility. A construction
committee of community members working with architects and consultants
planned this branch. Composer-in-Residence Mark Scearce wrote a special
composition, "Tribute" for the Grand Opening, which was
performed by the Western Piedmont Symphony. After the ribbon cutting,
citizens enjoyed touring the new facility, with demonstrations of
technology, the Western Piedmont String Quartet, a clown and magician,
and Youth Alive, a student group from the Catawba Science Center who
demonstrated and explained exhibits set up in the building.
Director Philip Cherry welcomes the audience
A maximum capacity crowd toured the new facility.
Now that the history of the Hickory
Public Library's journey to its present situation has been told, a
number of questions related to this nomination have to be addressed.
What are the results of this journey to date? How has the public's
image of library services changed? How successful and accurate have the
long-range and technology plans been? What has staff been doing with the
new resources provided by the increased budget and private funding? What
kinds of things have staff members done to continue marketing the
library now that a new main facility has been opened? What difference
has this made to the public, the greater Hickory community, area
organizations, and other state and national libraries?
Library management believes that, with
the help of the Advisory Board, it has selected a set of roles and
strategies that will benefit any library in the country. Management also
believes that it has been the precise execution of these roles and
strategies that has allowed the library to reposition itself at the top
of services to people in the area and reclaim intellectual, educational,
and programming territory it was forced to abandon decades ago. The net
result has been that the library is now leading an educational and
cultural renaissance throughout the Catawba County region. Allow us to
examine each role and strategy in detail.
Roles
Reference Library.
Materials in all formats have been
added to the library in both locations. Professional librarians have
been added to the Information Services Department to assist patrons both
in the library and on the telephone. E-mail is also becoming a method of
asking for assistance from library staff. NCLIVE, a bundled database
product created through a State Library/UNC/Community College/Private
Universities and Colleges partnership, was brought on-line during
National Library Week 1998. Demonstrations and classes were offered
throughout the year to assist patrons in the use of these and other
electronic databases. The State Library is currently negotiating to
obtain remote access for NCLIVE databases for all involved agences, and
as soon as the contracts are signed, HPL will begin offering this series
of databases to customers who have home computers. In addition,
discussions are underway about adding an electronic tutorial to the
library's web site. Other computer classes are being taught by the
Information Services Staff on almost a weekly basis, and are offered at
varying times to allow all customers a chance to attend. An interactive
form to suggest materials for the collection is now available on the
library's web site.
Genealogy and local history materials
are also being selected for inclusion in the library. Census records
from all neighboring states have been added to the complete collection
of North Carolina census records. We are also creating new source
materials. Library staff and volunteers did indexing of the Shuford
Funeral Home records, dated 1908 to 1957, and indexing of various
genealogy resources is a continuing project for library volunteers. A
genealogy workshop brought customers from all over the region to learn
about African American and Native American genealogy.
Our statistics show that we are doing
something right in the area of Reference, as the number of reference
questions answered increased by 54% in 1997-98 and by an amazing 557% in
the first half of 1998-99.
Preschooler's Door
to Learning.
The governor of North Carolina has been
very instrumental in establishing Smart Start, a statewide initiative to
assist preschoolers. With HPL taking the lead, the Catawba County Public
Library and Hickory Public Library have teamed up to produce a model
program in collaboration with Smart Start. The libraries now receive
over $150,000 in Smart Start funds to provide story times and quality
materials to daycare centers, computers and programs for preschoolers in
all local public libraries, bilingual materials and language education
materials to families who have recently immigrated to the United States,
and training and resource materials for daycare providers and parents
throughout the county. HPL's experiences with establishing Smart Start
services were recently covered in the Winter 1998 issue of North
Carolina Libraries.
Smart Start and the interest from
donated funds have provided a dramatic increase in the Youth Services
budget. Multiple copies of heavily used books are being added on a
continuing basis, and new collections have been started, including a
circulating toy collection and foreign language materials. Discussions
are underway to establish a complete English as a Second Language
program for preschoolers and their families.
Three new programs have been added to
Youth Services aimed at preschoolers and their parents. Babytime is a
new series aimed at infants up to 18 months and their parents. Music,
fingerplays, puppets, and other items are used to teach parents how to
interact with their children. Kids Make Music is now taught at the
library by Kindermusik® certified instructors. Stay-at-home
parents often have trouble connecting with others, so the library has
also started occasionally offering programs called Mommynet. Mommynet
offers new arrivals in the Hickory area a tour of the library as well as
a chance to meet and network with other parents.
Again, our figures show we are being
successful with our role as a Preschooler's Door to Learning. 64% more
programs were offered in 1997-98, and attendance was up 26%. Circulation
of children's materials overall was up 5% in 1997-98, and 34% in the
first half of 1998-99.
Supplement to Formal Education.
Library staff members maintain close
ties with media coordinators in the Hickory City Schools. Monthly
meetings are held to share news and ideas. Based on those meetings and
other communications, additional copies of materials are added as
needed.
On the post-secondary level,
Patrick Beaver Memorial Library houses a collection of materials for
Pfeiffer College's outreach program, and we provide a site for classes
and internships from Appalachian State University's Library Science
program. We also have a good working partnership with Lenoir-Rhyne
College, providing joint programming and meeting the needs of their
students. Our children's collection allows the college to offer Early
Childhood Education classes without investing in a large collection of
children's literature themselves.
Probably our most anticipated addition
is in the process of coming on-line at the present time. The Patrick
Beaver Learning Resource Center is becoming a reality, a service to all
those in the Unifour area who suffer from learning differences. The
center's mission statement says its purpose is "to assist area
children with learning differences within the Patrick Beaver Memorial
Library". A collection of materials has begun, and recently a
director was hired for the center. Already a parents' support group is
meeting monthly, and Director Debra Collins is establishing contacts
with other providers and interested parties to determine what roles the
library's center can fill. This center, with its own advisory group,
has a written mission and vision statement, and will become a very vital
part of the library within the next few months.
Center for Lifelong Learning.
The Career Enhancement Center continues
to grow, providing materials in all areas of career growth. Materials
are available in all formats covering topics such as resumes,
interviewing skills, learning a foreign language, and new computer
skills. Multiple copies of test guides are also provided in this area.
Circulation in the Career Center increased 1,339% in 1997-98 and 113% at
mid-year in 1998-99.
HPL has established contacts at the
Chamber of Commerce, Employment Security Commission, Small Business
Centers at the local community colleges, and other area business groups.
These contacts allow us to determine which services should be offered,
and which materials are needed. As a result of these contacts, the
library has offered programs in finance ranging from first-time home
buyers to starting an investment club.
Popular Materials Center.
Large increases were made in the
Popular Materials areas, thanks to Opening Day Collection funds.
Multiple copies were purchased as needed, and all formats were
represented. Customer demand for audio books brought an additional
infusion of money to enhance that specific area.
The commercial database, NoveList, was
included in NCLIVE by the State Library, and is used to recommend titles
to patrons. Bibliographies are also being developed to assist patrons in
finding "someone just like Stephen King," etc.
Popular programming has also been a big
part of filling this role. In 1998, the library hosted two Center for
the Book programs. In late Spring HPL hosted the Choices for the 21st
Century program, "Defining Our Role in a Changing World".
This program was held in conjunction with the local League of Women
Voters. In the fall, the library offered a well-received Let's Talk
about It series of five programs entitled "Faith Differences
and Different Faiths" which looked at faith in popular fiction. In
November Michael Parent performed for library audiences as part of the
international Tellabration! (a night of adult storytelling). Grammy
Award winner David Holt invited the audience to sing and clap their
hands as the feature performer for the one-year anniversary celebration
of the new main library in the first week of February 1999.
 David
Holt with Zeb Holt and Bucky Hanks
The Sojourner Truth Book Club continued
to play a major role at the Ridgeview Branch Library, reading and
discussing multicultural materials. Blues guitarist and buck dancer
Algia Mae Hinton appeared at the Ridgeview Library with guitarist
Lightnin' Wells as part of African-American History Month. Other
special programs have been performed by the Grey Seal Puppets, Hobey's
Golden Rod Puppets, Mark Daniels, Healing Force, and the Cat in the Hat.
See Appendix B for a complete listing of programs offered and programs
planned.
The Cat in the Hat reads aloud to children as part of the national Read
Across America on Dr. Seuss's birthday.
Statistics related to the
role of popular materials center are compelling. While adult fiction
circulation declined in 1997-98, there was a 42% increase in the first
half of 1998-98. Audiovisual circulation increased 29% in 1997-98 and
102% at mid-year in 1998-99. Videotape circulation increased 26% in
1997-98 and 96% thus far in 1998-99.
Community
Information/Activities Center.
The library is becoming a valuable
first stop for people seeking agency help or information, regardless of
the nature of the inquiry. The community resource module has been added
to the Dynix system, and will be added to the web page in the very near
future.
A calendar of events is now available
on the library's web page, and updated at least weekly. A complete
cultural calendar for the Hickory Metro area is in the planning stages.
The calendar will reside on the City's web page, but be maintained by
library staff.
Particularly in the Ridgeview
community, the library provides a center where community residents can
come together. Meeting space is available at the new main (100 seats)
and branch (80 seats) facilities.
Patrick Beaver
Memorial Library meeting room
More programming, especially at the
adult level, is being provided at both locations. Many more local
government agencies, area nonprofit organizations, and community groups
are using the meeting spaces at the libraries for important community
and regional discussions. Patrick Beaver Memorial Library alone is
averaging 6-7 outside groups per week in the meeting room. Some of the
groups who have used our meeting spaces include Western Piedmont Council
of Governments, Habitat for Humanity, Lenoir-Rhyne College Nursing
School, Catawba County/Hickory City Schools, North Carolina Arts
Council, United Hmong Association, US Census Bureau, Social Security
Administration, investment clubs, professional financial planning
seminars, League of Women Voters, Pregnancy Care Center, Council on
Adolescents, Amnesty International, Catawba Valley Community Foundation,
and Hickory Chapter of Starfleet Trekkies.
In addition, library staff and City
management have used the meeting room space to host many events. Some of
those programs included State Library workshops, the Northwest North
Carolina Library Association Legislative Breakfast, a Regional Library
Trustee workshop, and a meeting of the National League of Cities
Transportation Committee. On April 22, the library will be hosting a
formal reception for the President of Moldova, Petru Luchinschi, who is
coming to open a consulate and sign a Resolution of Intent to form a
Sister City agreement between Hickory and the capitol of Moldova.
Patrick Beaver was chosen for these events because it is the showcase of
the Unifour area.
Strategies
Strengthen programs / Expand
services
Library staff has ensured the selection
of quality materials for the new facilities. Staff used $300,000 of
donations to purchase online resources as well as print and audiovisual
materials. They have weeded the collection and restructured the
periodicals and standing orders lists. Library managers have written and
submitted over $1 million in grant applications for funds to initiate
services, purchase equipment and materials, and expand adult and
children's programming. Since fund-raising officially began, the
Hickory Public Library has been awarded over $600,000 in grants for
these purposes.
For example, in the fall of 1996
library staff submitted a $40,000 grant proposal to the State Library to
provide the base collection for a Career Enhancement Center. The State
Library awarded HPL $38,500 of the requested amount. The CEC as it is
called today became a reality and is used on a daily basis by people who
are exploring career options at various stages of their work lives. It
also provides training materials in audio, video, and print formats for
such diverse areas as supervision, quality training, and computer
training. Usage of the CEC continues to grow monthly.
Another grant proposal of $50,000 was
submitted to the State Library for an opening day collection at the
Ridgeview Branch Library. The State funded $25,000 of that request, and
materials were purchased for opening day of that new branch facility.
Still another successful grant proposal
saw the Volunteer Action Fund of American Express Foundation fund a
series of Western Piedmont Symphony String Quartet "Rug
Concerts" for the library. The goal of these concerts is to bring
quality music to young children in the community.
Parents and children
are enthralled by the Western Piedmont Symphony String Quartet
Library management also made a
commitment to securing permanent funding for adult and children's
programs. It pushed the idea of creating a library foundation just in
time to be eligible for NationsBank's donation of programming
endowment funds. Management also ensured that $150,000 of the funds
raised from private sources would be matched with the NationsBank gift
to create an overall programming endowment of $350,000.
Increase access to those
programs and collections
Library technology staff working
closely with service staff created a computer network that provides an
array of resources to a great number of people. New features are added
regularly. Children's author and business consultant Alice Boggs Lentz
says, "As an author, I was distressed when our household
computer--and my writing equipment-failed. As one whose work has for
years focused on international issues and emerging economies, I was
hampered when at home we lost access to the Internet. The Hickory Public
Library's computers meant I could continue my work on both
fronts."
In the fall of 1997, using lessons
learned from a four-hour training course, Deputy Director Corki Miller
developed a library web page. She worked numerous hours over the next
two weeks - first creating a prototype; then perfecting the final
product. The Elbert Ivey Memorial Library web page was first unveiled to
the Library Advisory Board at the next monthly meeting. City
Councilwoman Pat Moss was also present at that meeting. Ms. Miller's
presentation left the attendees stunned by the awesome potential of this
technology. Some of those present were seeing Internet web page
technology up-close for the very first time. Ms. Miller and Director
Cherry took advantage of this opportunity to exemplify what library
staff could bring to the public in the new environments. Since that
rather humble beginning, the web page has grown by leaps and bounds. In
addition to normal offerings, HPL's web page includes such items as
virtual tours of both new facilities, library policies, monthly listings
of new materials added to the collection, photographic memories of
programs, area historic and recreation sites, and a monthly calendar
which is updated at least weekly.
The library's web site receives over 8,000 visits per month.
This past year has seen some
outstanding additions to the library's World Wide Web offerings. The
card catalog is now available electronically via the library's web
page. Recently the first primary source material was added. Funeral
records from the now-defunct Shuford Funeral Home of Hickory are
available on the web site, alphabetically by the deceased's name.
These records span 1908 to 1957, and include great information for
genealogical researchers. More of these primary sources will be
forthcoming as staff uncovers other materials to add.
The library's web page has been so
successful that in March 1999 the library was designated by the City
Manager to take over the maintenance of the entire city's web page.
Library management successfully
recommended to the Advisory Board and City Council that hours of
operation be extended for both facilities to better reflect user
patterns and desires. Library management crafted new Internet usage and
meeting room policies and procedures to provide both quality access and
safeguards to these important services. We mentioned earlier the use of
capabilities within the new library patron card to equalize access.
After occupying the new facility, some
ADA issues arose that had not been addressed thoroughly. While the doors
of the facilities are ADA-accessible by code, new mechanisms are being
added to the doors to further assist disabled customers to enter and
exit the building. Magnification devices have been added to many of the
computer monitors to aid the vision-impaired.
Access to the library's programs and
services is being addressed in many directions. With the creation and
continued development of the Patrick Beaver Learning Resources Center,
staff members hope to enhance access to the world of reading for those
suffering from reading comprehension difficulties.
Increase public awareness of
the library's programs, collections, services
Predictably, marketing has become a
major component of library services at HPL. As we stated earlier, a
full-time marketing professional was added to the staff in September
1997. This allows a greater, more focused presentation of library
information to the public. Before the creation of this position, there
was no single individual whose responsibilities allowed adequate time
for total marketing efforts. In the effort to increase public awareness
of library activities and resources, our marketing/volunteer coordinator
immediately established relationships with all area media. Since her
arrival, articles and press releases have appeared constantly - almost
daily at times - in the major newspapers. The area TV stations provide
extensive coverage of new programs and service announcements. The
largest public radio station for the Charlotte metro area, WFAE, has now
begun public service announcements of our offerings - a first for this
library. Hickory Daily Record staff asked the library to provide
a weekly column, which is done on a rotating basis by nine members of
the library staff. This column covers all areas of library service.
(Some examples are included in the supporting materials.) The increase
in visibility has benefited the library as shown by our 13.95% increase
in circulation in 1996-97, the 3.3% increase in 1997-98 (although we
were closed a full six weeks for moving), and the 34.59% increase at the
mid-point of 1998-99. Community response through participation and
comments shows the library's improvement in this area. In the first
week in January 1998, The Charlotte Observer named the
Hickory Public Library as one of the top news stories for 1998, and the Hickory
Daily Record in January 1999 published an editorial entitled "A
Year to Savor: Our Libraries Exceeded All Expectations." Complete
copies of these articles are available in the supporting material.
Develop and strengthen
partnerships with other community agencies/organizations
We have talked about this to some
degree at earlier points in this narrative. However, specific mention
should be made of special collaborations that have produced outstanding
results and warrant further attention.
In the spring of 1997, Lenoir-Rhyne
College English professor Rand Brandes came to the library seeking
support for his writers series entitled "In Their Own Words."
This program was entering its tenth season. In the past nine years, the
program had brought to the community writers such as Jill McCorkle,
Doris Betts, Dori Sanders, poet Billy Collins, Kay Gibbons, Reynolds
Price, and Fred Chapel. For the tenth season and to help celebrate the
new Ridgeview Branch, Dr. Brandes wanted to bring one or two noted
African-American authors to Hickory for joint Lenoir-Rhyne and Hickory
Public Library programming. Library Director Philip Cherry agreed to
partner and together the two men submitted a grant in the State and
local Arts Councils' Projects Pool process. The grant received funding
in the amount of $8,000. The library and college worked out an equitable
split of the matching costs and proceeded. The pair chose Ernest Gaines
(Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Gathering of Old Men)
and J. California Cooper (Family and In Search of Satisfaction)
as the two authors for the joint programs.
Ernest J.
Gaines
The authors came to Hickory March
27-28, 1998. They received a hero's welcome that included extensive TV
and newspaper coverage. On the morning of the 27th, Mr.
Gaines met with Lenoir-Rhyne students and at noon an invitation only
reception for the two authors was held at the new main library. Friday
evening before their first program, both authors were served dinner at
the home of College President Dr. Ryan LaHurd. Saturday programs were a
short dedication ceremony on the grounds of the new Ridgeview facility
and book readings at the adjacent Brown-Penn Recreation Center. During
their stay and performances, Mr. Gaines and Ms. Cooper entertained
audiences totaling around 350 people. By the time they left, both had
received a key to the city and other tokens of appreciation from the
Mayor and fans.
The same collaboration is continuing,
with two programs planned for the month of April 1999. During National
Library Week (and National Poetry Month), poet Kay Stripling-Byer will
be discussing current trends in poetry and reading from her works at the
library during her two-week residency at Lenoir-Rhyne College. The major
program in 1999 will occur April 20 with the appearance of noted
historian and author Shelby Foote. During Mr. Foote's stay in Hickory,
other events relating to the Civil War are also planned. There will be a
Civil War reenactment on the S.A.L.T. Block by the 26th
Regiment, North Carolina Troops Reactivated, and North Carolina authors
and historians John Shelton Reed and Dale Volberg Reed will speak at an
invitation-only luncheon in Mr. Foote's honor. Area school groups as
well as the public are eagerly awaiting this April 20 program.
Shelby Foote
26th Regiment, North Carolina Troops Re-Activated
The library and Writers Series leaders
are already researching future author visit collaborations.
In the fall of 1997, the Hickory Museum
of Art, Western Piedmont Symphony, Lenoir-Rhyne College Music
Department, and Hickory Public Library collaborated on a joint grant
proposal to the Meet the Composer Foundation in New York. The purpose of
the grant was to bring a composer-in-residence to Hickory and Catawba,
Alexander, Burke, and Caldwell Counties for a three-year period
beginning in January 1998. The underlying purpose of the project is
twofold: (1) to expose the various constituency groups in the area to
music in its varied forms and (2) to use music to bring all the arts
alive in our community. In January 1998, the local partnership was
informed that it was being awarded one of six residencies in Round Five
of the program. The six winners included San Francisco, California; two
in New York (Chinatown and Manhattan); Los Angeles, California (Watts);
Seattle, Washington; and Hickory, North Carolina. Hickory represents the
smallest city ever to receive a residency. Patrick Beaver Memorial
Library hosted the April 19th kick-off event to introduce the
composer, Dr. J. Mark Scearce, and allow him to present some of his
works to the community.
Composer-in-Residence Mark Scearce
During that same week, one of the
composer's pieces was performed by the Western Piedmont Symphony, and
Dr. Scearce was featured in the spring performance of the Lenoir-Rhyne
concert band. Other programs have followed in a very consistent pattern
since that beginning program, and have involved schools in all four
counties as well as the partnering organizations and the community.
As a result of the Meet the Composer
residency, the Western Piedmont Symphony Orchestra was named recipient
of a Chamber Music America Rural Residency Program planning grant.
Hickory Community Theatre approached
the library and Lenoir-Rhyne College with the idea of partnering to
bring British Shakespearean actors to the community. This collaboration
produced a wonderful program at the library with five of the actors
doing readings to a very appreciative audience, classes for college
students and a quality performance at the Theatre.
 British
Shakespearean actors read before an enthusiastic audience at the
library.
Hickory's minor league baseball team,
the Crawdads, has been a major partner with the library. As mentioned
earlier, they cooperated fully with the H.E.L.P. card project. Every
summer they partner with the library to provide reading incentives
during the library's annual summer reading program. This year, the
Crawdads are also helping celebrate National Library Week by offering a
ticket discount to all library cardholders for all games during that
week.
Youth Services Librarian Hannah Owen and Conrad the Crawdad join forces
to announce plans for National Library Week.
Other partnerships have included
working with the North Carolina Bar Association and four North Carolina
law schools to offer a job fair for law students and prospective
employers. This was the first time a job fair involving all four schools
had been held in the western part of North Carolina. HPL teamed with the
League of Women Voters to offer the Center for the Book's series,
"Choices for the 21st Century: Defining Our Role in a
Changing World". This four-part series gave participants the chance
to discuss the broad question of our nation's future role in the world
and how decisions about it affect our domestic priorities.
A major partnership involving
government, education, non-profit agencies and community citizens
occurred when Building Community from Diversity became a solid group.
The library participated in planning meetings, discussions, seminars,
and served as a partner in the Festival, held March 18-20, 1999 on the
S.A.L.T. Block. During the Festival, a Western Piedmont Symphony String
Quartet Rug Concert was held in the library, featuring music from around
the world. The library also hosted exhibits from other countries and
cultures.
Students visit the Diversity Festival exhibits in the library's
meeting room
HPL is also becoming a leader in
forming partnerships with other local libraries.
The North Carolina State Library, in
conjunction with the community college system, the university system,
and the consortia of private colleges in North Carolina, last year began
providing a wonderful array of electronic resources to their
constituents. The plan was for all locations to "unveil" this
product, known as NCLIVE (North Carolina LIbraries
for Virtual Education) during National Library Week, and
regions were encouraged to work together to promote this great new
service. Hickory Public Library staff contacted librarians at all the
libraries in the Unifour region (4 county libraries, 1 private
university, 3 area community colleges, and 1 area health education
library) to plan the marketing and unveiling of this new resource. At
the initial meeting, Hickory Public Library staff heard a startling
admission. Only one of the other libraries in the area was going to be
ready for the April unveiling. The common reason for not participating
was that these libraries could not provide sufficient computing support
for this large project. At a later statewide meeting of NCLIVE
representatives, discussion turned to standards established for
libraries in their usage of NCLIVE. State officials told those attending
that Hickory Public Library was the only library in the
state at that time meeting the computer per capita standard.
Information Specialists Carol Camenga and Buddy Spoon cut the ribbon
to unveil NCLIVE.
Hickory Public Library has moved
forward very rapidly, but there are no limits to the organization.
Future planning is continuous, and thus far involves some of the
following. A partnership with the Girl Scouts is being investigated to
begin Mother/Daughter Book Clubs in both library facilities.
Tellabration will become an annual event at the library, hopefully
featuring all local storytellers in 1999. The library would like to
offer another Center for the Book "Let's Talk about It"
series in the fall, and plans have begun for themed programming during
late 1999 and all of 2000, all falling under the umbrella topic of
"Exploring the 20th Century." Continuing
partnership opportunities are being developed with Hickory Community
Theater and the Writer's series of Lenoir-Rhyne College. A Junior
Friends of the Library group is being organized to assist with the
Summer Reading Program. Young teens age 12 and up will assist with
registration, crafts, refreshments, and other library-related activities
such as sorting and shelving books. The initial informational meeting
will be held as part of National Library Week.
Program planning is not the only
on-going topic. New services are being explored. The library would like
to offer extensive services in the area of English as a Second Language,
and discussions are already underway with the local Smart Start agency.
The community colleges and public school systems in the area will also
be brought into discussions and planning for this service. Technology is
also advancing. Policy decisions are now being made on using e-mail to
send overdue materials notices. HPL would like to serve as a test site
for use of smart card technology with materials self-check equipment.
Checkpoint has already approached the library to express their interest
in this project.
The Hickory Public Library has moved
from the horse and buggy age to the Indy car age virtually overnight
through:
- government and corporate
commitment;
- major private support;
- creation of an exciting and
attainable long-range vision;
- identification and implementation
of advanced technologies;
- initiating and expanding multiple
partnerships;
- tenacious development of
programming; and
- an unrelenting marketing effort.
City government officials feel they are
meeting their stated goal of meeting the needs expressed by citizens at
meetings in 1993, and they are proud that the library has been restored
as an important cultural and educational asset for the community and the
entire Hickory Metro area. Library Advisory Board members are also very
cognizant of the effects of the library on the community. Board member
Bill McBrayer says, "I think it speaks volumes to have a library of
this magnitude in the size community in which we live. This shows the
continuing support of our citizens and the proactive leadership style of
our city leaders to provide such a state-of-the-art vehicle for
learning." Susan McDonald of the Advisory Board believes, "The
Hickory Public Library has become the core for learning within our
community. No longer does the library 'house books', it is where
learning is taking place! From genealogy to technology, from creative
library programs to linking community resources together for programs
outside the walls of the building, our library is reaching far into
places within our community that have never been met before. Perfect
examples are the Beaver Learning Resource Center for learning disabled
students and the Smart Start programs. The library is the heart
of Hickory." Kate Thompson, president of the Friends of the Hickory
Public Library and a member of the Catawba Valley Association for
Realtors, states, "I am impressed with what the library has done to
change the face and character of the community. The library has made it
a more desirable place to live."
It has been our continuing desire to
not only improve library service in the Hickory area; but also to reveal
lessons that can benefit local governments and other nonprofit
organizations facing the challenge of rebuilding services.
This is especially the model we hope to
set for small libraries throughout America. We want people to know that
a library does not have to be in a large metropolitan setting and have a
budget equal to that of a small city to have a massive impact on its
community. It all starts with community vision.
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