THE ONE HUNDRED FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CITY OF NEW BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS for the year JULY 1, 1992 - JUNE 30, 1993 BOARD OF TRUSTEES NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY Mayor Rosemary S. Tierney, Chairperson, ex-officio Elsie Fraga, Vice-Chair Roberta Barnet Very Rev. Constantine S. Bebis Carl Cruz Rose Ferreira Dr. John Fletcher Dr. James R. Hayden Michael Hogan Elsie Souza Rosemary Medeiros, Director 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 2 LIBRARY EMPLOYEES RSCAL 1993 NAME TITLE/ LOCATION CLASSIACATION Rosemary Medeiros Director Director Vicki Lukas Coordinator of Technical Services Librarian Ill Paula Wallace Coordinator of Reference Services Librarian Ill Gail Roberts Coordinator of Youth Services Librarian Ill Vacant Head of Circulation Services Librarian Il Paul Cyr Curator of Special Collections Librarian Il Joao Aguiar Casa da Saudade Branch Head Librarian Il Sharon Pinho Buttonwood Branch Head Librarian Il Yvette Boisclair Asst. to Reference Services Librarian Librarian | Pauline Bolduc Reference Services Librarian | Dale Easton Reference Services Librarian | Carol Bellefeuille Acting Head of Circulation Services Pre-Professional Maria J. Carvalho Acting Branch Head of Howland-Green Pre-Professional Olivia Melo Acting Branch Head of Wilks Pre-Professional Joan Barney Reference Services Library Assistant Il Philip Dimor Technical Services Library Assistant Il Ernestina Furtado Asst. to Curator of Special Collections Library Assistant Il Maria Melo Administration Office Lib. Asst. to Director Ruth Vital Administration Office Bookkeeper Tammy Arruda Buttonwood/Howland-Green Library Assistant | Rita Chapdelaine Circulation Services Library Assistant | Donna Cordeiro Circulation Services Library Assistant | Elisabeth Figueiredo Casa da Saudade/ Wilks Library Assistant | Patricia Lapan Circulation Services Library Assistant | Patricia Melo Technical Services Library Assistant | Andrea Monteiro Youth Services Library Assistant | Janice Pina Howland-Green Branch Library Assistant | Maria Robertson Circulation Services Library Assistant | Dineia Sylvia Casa da Saudade/ Wilks Library Assistant | Maria D. Gil Wilks Branch Lib. Asst. 1/20 hrs Jeanette Harrison Buttonwood Branch Lib. Asst. | 720 hrs MaryAnne Nelson Buttonwood Branch Lib. Asst. 1/20 hrs. 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 3 NAME TITLE/LOCATION CLASSIACATION Kathleen Correia Technical Services Library Aide II Kymisha Pina Main Library Page Claribel Cordero Wilks Branch Page Rebecca Crowley Buttonwood Page Amenata Dent Main Library Page Paul Horvitz Main Library Page Janine Prescott Main Library Page Sandra Santos Casa da Saudade Page Nicole Rosa Howland-Green Page Joseph “Leo" Bastarache Branch Deliveries Van Driver James McDonald Main Library Monitor Daryn Roderick Howland-Green Monitor 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 4 EASTERN REGION EMPLOYEES ASCAL 1993 NAME TITLE/LOCATION CLASSIACATION William Schneller Head of Interlibrary Loan & Librarian Il Sub-regional Services Dolores Henry Reference Services Librarian | Beverly Gracia Technical Services Library Assistant Il Eileen Michaud Interlibrary Loan Library Assistant Il Pauline Sylvia Robillard Interlibrary Loan Library Assistant | Sergio Costa Interlibrary Loan Page Thomas Medeiros Interlibrary Loan Van Driver 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 5 INTRODUCTION To the Honorable Rosemary S. Tierney, Mayor, members of the City Council, and members of the Board of Library Trustees, | respectfully submit the Annual Report of the New Bedford Free Public Library System for July 1, 1992-June 30, 1993. This System consists of a main library and four branches, Buttonwood Community, Casa da Saudade, Howland-Green and Wilks Branch Libraries: Our mission is threefold: 1. To provide excellence in library services and materials to the citizens of New Bedford. 2. To help the community obtain information to meet personal, educational, and professional needs with particular emphasis on youth and reference services. 3. To be a repository for local recorded history and art. To fulfill its mission to the highest degree possible, New Bedford has been a member of Southeastern Automated Libraries (SEAL) since 1987 that in essence provides our community with access to the holdings of 15 area community libraries plus Bristol Community College. In addition, the New Bedford Free Public Library is the Sub-regional Headquarters for the libraries of Acushnet, Assonet, Carver, Cuttyhunk, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, Somerset, Swansea, Wareham and Westport. Funding for this service is provided by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners through the Eastern Massachusetts Regional Library System. As Library Director, |, Theresa Coish, was appointed in August 1993. This report details the events of one year prior when Rosemary Medeiros served as Director. After seven yearso f dedicated service and leadership, Ms. Medeiros retired in July 1993 to spend more time with her family. In terms of commitment to the community, Ms. Medeiros was a strong role model who brought forth those same qualities in her staff. She left behind a legacy that has served New Bedford well. SERTOV OURI CCOMMEUNI TY As expressed in the library's mission statement, service to New Bedford's youth is one of our top priorities. During FY93, 141 preschool reading programs were held as well as 46 library programs. In addition, 72 school classes visited. Gail Roberts, Coordinator of Youth Services, also went out into the community, speaking in person and on the radio, to parents, teachers, and school children on the importance of reading, Ms. Roberts has a strong knowledge of children's literature and represented the library well. Even if only a portion of these children become infected with the joy of reading, then we have done our job and met our goal: to stimulate the joy of reading at an early age. 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 6 To support our second priority, reference and research, new technologies in the form of eight public access computer terminals and three CD ROM work stations were acquired. Paula Wallace, Coordinator of Reference Services, reported that staff responded to 32,902 references, research and genealogical requests. At the main library, 5,839 visitors researched their family genealogies and local history in the Special Collections Department. Paul Cyr, Curator, also went out into the community and presented lectures on genealogy and maritime records. In the process he gave visibility to our extensive collection as well as his professional expertise. As an offshoot of reference and research service, the Interlibrary Loan Department, supervised by William Schneller, handled 15,932 requests to gather materials for our patrons both in New Bedford and the New Bedford Sub-region. This reflects a 19% increase over last year. Another research gem of the New Bedford Free Public Library System deserving of recognition is our Portuguese branch, Casa da Saudade, which is the only Portuguese library of its kind in the country. Staff at this library provides a unique reference and research service both in person and through the mail. As with other library departments, the resources of the collection and the professional expertise of the staff are particularly noteworthy. Circulation statistics reflect a growing demand for services as reported by Carol Bellefeuille, Acting Head of Circulation Services. In comparison to one year prior, there was a 13% increase in FY93 with 379,665 resources utilized from our collections. This trend has been especially noted at the Wilks Branch Library which is the only library serving the far north end of the city. Olivia Melo, Acting Branch Head reported that use of the collection at this branch alone has risen by 14%. Preschool programs were heavily attended and one adult program on Native American heritage had an attendance of more than 250. In the west end of the city, the Buttonwood Community Branch Library has been very active, with an increased demand for library service, specifically preschool story hours. In the words of Sharon Pinho, Branch Librarian, "Leading the new generation on the path to literacy is one goal our library shall always maintain." Howland-Green Branch was also busy in FY93 as reported by Maria Jose Carvalho, Acting Branch Head. An ever growing and actively used Hispanic collection is housed there. In addition, two area nursery schools use the facility heavily. Sixty-five preschool story hours were scheduled for 1060 little visitors. Again, the long range benefit of this experience for these youngsters cannot be over emphasized. Two adult programs were also held with Ms. Carvalho representing the library proudly at the annual Hispanic Festival. Last but no means least, Casa da Saudade, also in the south end, was particularly busy in 1993 ANNUAL REPORT - NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY - PAGE 7 the afternoon when school is dismissed. It's not unusual to find school children either checking material out or using resources in-house. _!n addition six adult programs were scheduled in FYSS for a total attendance of 255. Size-wise, Casa da Saudade may be the smallest library but its impact is many times greater than its square footage. UIS F To meet the demands of our patrons, 11,881 materials were added to our collections as reported by Vicki Lukas, Coordinator of Technical Services and Automation. Of these 1,703, were gift items for which we are always very grateful to receive. Ms. Lukas also utilized the sound booth at the Buttonwood Community Branch to record “Senior Scope" for the visually impaired. In addition, we received 1,430 government documents as a government depository library. Clearly our library could not be what it is without this on-going behind the scenes activity. MEETING ROOM USE The meeting rooms at the Buttonwood Branch, Howland-Green, Wilks and the Trustees Room at the main library were heavily used by both city departments and non-profit organizations. During FY93, 394 meetings were held in library facilities. CONCLUSION The New Bedford Free Public Library System remains committed to the community and the sub-region. Library service to youth is our first priority because our goal is to foster literacy. Based on statistics, the community supports our efforts and wants more. Reference and research is our second priority and, again, statistics reflect that the community is using library resources at an ever growing rate. To meet these needs, adequate funding is crucial. As set forth by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, 12% of our library's operating budget must be spent on materials in order for the library to remain certified and continue to receive state funds. In accordance, $153,655.28 were spent for this purpose in FY93. In the municipal budget, the library was allotted only $30,000.00 for materials, which left a big gap to be filled. Our responsibilities were met by using both income from the library's trust funds and a portion of the state aid money received. Therefore, although the library does receive funds separate from the municipal budget, most of those funds are earmarked for specific purposes that are absolutely necessary for us to remain in business. Let there be no doubt that, there is a corollary between the quality of life a community offers and the level of public library service available. 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