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Document #7Board of Library Trustees MeetingSeptember 23, 2009

T

HE

C

HIEF

L

IBRARIAN

’

S

R

EPORT

L

IBRARY

N

EWS

H

IGHLIGHTS

S

EPTEMBER

23,

20091.

T

HE

J

OY OF

R

EADING TO

B

ABIES

Did you know that singing to infants is a way to prepare them for reading? Over 50staff members, mostly those who work with children, took early literacy training thissummer with Saroj Ghoting, a nationally respected expert. Ms. Ghoting demonstratedwhy and how Library staff should instruct parents and caregivers about theimportance of singing, talking, and reading to their babies and toddlers. Elevenneighborhood libraries will conduct 6-week series on Saturdays and evenings forparents called “STAR: Sing, Talk and Read—Learning Parties (or Breakfast Clubs)for Parents and Their Tots.” Generous private donations

will fund the series at eightlibraries. Participants will receive free books and other early learning tools.

2.

L

EARNING TO

S

PEAK

F

ARSI AT

DCPL

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library teamed up with the Global LanguageNetwork, a nonprofit language services provider, for a summer pilot program thatoffered free foreign language courses to D.C. residents. For two hours a week, thosewho were interested could learn Farsi, Spanish, or Russian, taught by volunteers. Thepilot program is being evaluated to determine whether the classes will be continued.

3.

W

ATHA

T.

D

ANIEL

/S

HAW AND

S

EATON

E

LEMENTARY

M

EET IN

C

YBERSPACE

The manager of Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Interim Library, Eric Riley, and the librarianat Seaton Elementary School, Pat Kyle, worked with four of the school’s students todevelop a Wikipedia page for the Shaw neighborhood’s Shiloh Baptist Church. OnJuly 30

th

, Eric and the students used Skype to teleconference with Pat Kyle while shemade a presentation about the project to an audience at the Building LearningCommunities Project in Boston. The students were also able to share theirexperiences of working on the project at their neighborhood library with the audienceof educators.

4.

L

AMOND

-R

IGGS

R

EACHES OUT TO

Y

OUNG

F

ATHERS

Stephen Lilienthal, Librarian at Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library, met with teenfathers who attend a class at the Brentwood Recreation Center sponsored by theYouth Technology Institute. He emphasized the importance of reading to children andthe wide variety of books that are available to children of all ages. He also talkedabout the ways to do personally useful research, such as job searches and how towrite a resume.

5.

DCPL

J

OINS

P

ARKS AND

R

ECREATION TO

H

OST

E

ND

-

OF

-S

UMMER

B

ASH

A city-wide, end-of-summer/back-to-school celebration drew hundreds of teens to theRiggs LaSalle Recreation Center on August 14

th

. The event was planned by DCPL’sSummer Youth Employment Program Teens and the Teens of Distinction. Theevening’s MC was DCPL’s Trauvello Stevenson. Program highlights were “ProjectRunway,” a competition to design Library t-shirts, and an open mic for singers, poets,

Document #7Board of Library Trustees MeetingSeptember 23, 2009and others. Prizes were awarded. Several DCPL staff were there all evening to help.No one was ready to leave when the program officially ended at 10 PM!

6.

“I

NSIDE

-O

UTSIDE

”

MLK’

S

P

OPULAR

L

IBRARY

The Popular Library Division at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library makes themost of its first floor, highly visible location to attract passers-by. But the Pop Librarystaff decided to get out there themselves once a week. Every Wednesday from Maythrough September, from noon to 2 PM, the staff sets up a table at the corner of 9

th

and G to greet people on their lunch hours, register new customers for library cards,and promote their upcoming programs. The Pop Library staff also promotes theTuesday evening film series that typically draws 40-70 viewers.

7.

M

EDIA

O

PPORTUNITIES

I was invited to talk on the Kojo Nnamdi Show in August. Mr. Nnamdi was interestedin the general impact of the recession on DCPL, and in the Library’s successes,including the increase in circulation and the new buildings scheduled to open nextyear. On September 15

th

, I appeared on the Fox News morning show to talk aboutHomework Help, databases, and books designed to help children of all ages performwell in school. I was televised in the new Teen Space at MLK, which allowedviewers to see the first room created at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library forYoung Adults, along with its many computers and great collection.

8.

N

EIGHBORHOOD

L

IBRARIES

D

ISTRIBUTE

F

REE

S

UMMER

M

EALS

Washington Highlands and Capitol View Neighborhood Libraries hosted mealdistributions this summer. Free breakfast and lunch, provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation, were served each day. At Washington Highlands, about 2,700meals were distributed during June, July, and August. At Capitol View, the numberwas approximately 3,470 meals. Children are the principal recipients in this program,but disabled adults are also eligible if they meet specific requirements.

9. M

RS

.

T

HURGOOD

M

ARSHALL

V

ISITS

S

OUTHWEST

L

IBRARY

Southwest Neighborhood Library welcomed Mrs. Thurgood Marshall this summer.Mrs. Marshall stopped by to see the display that honored her late husband. Shegenerously gave the library a candy dish with the Supreme Court crest that had beenin Justice Marshall’s office. Members of the three-week Teen Camp Library programat Southwest were present to meet Mrs. Marshall. (The Camp Library programaveraged 120 teens each day!)

10.

DCPL

G

IVEN

H

IGH

M

ARKS BY THE

O

FFICE OF

U

NIFIED

C

OMMUNICATIONS

The Office of Unified Communications is the city agency that oversees all other cityagencies with regard to business customer service performance. Key determinants of their evaluation are staff responsiveness to letters, phone calls, e-mails, and face-to-face contact with the public. The Library was ranked fourth, with a score of 4.955 outof a possible 5 for the third quarter of 2009!

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