ANNUAL REPORT Fiscal Year 2009

FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY

Did you know?ANNUAL REPORT

Fiscal Year 2009July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009

Fletcher Free Library offers so much to so many. What brought you to us this past year? Maybe you came by to a First Wednesday

or Booked for Lunch talk or to discover an amazing treasure at the Annual Book Sale. Perhaps you are new to this country and you visited us to improve your Eng-lish speaking and writing in one of our popular ESL classes. Maybe you wanted to learn how to write Japanese calligraphy or you just needed to “move and groove” with Christine and your little ones on a cold and rainy morning.

Whatever the reason you came through our front doors—which may have in-cluded simply needing a good place to read a good book—we are thrilled that you did and we thank you. We are honored that you are the most important part of what makes Fletcher Free thrive and alive!

As the newly appointed Board Chair of the Fletcher Free Library and the Library’s Co-Directors, we are delighted to present our Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report ( July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009). The theme of this year’s report is “Did you know?” Even as involved as we are with Fletcher Free, we are continually pleased to talk about and share “one more thing” that Fletcher Free does for the community or provides as a service. These facts and figures illustrate the richness of our offerings and demon-strate why so many love coming to Fletcher Free.

The facts also show just how important our programs are for the greater Burling-ton community. In an era where tightening budgets are still the norm, we are chal-lenged to find innovative ways to grow with you, to serve an expanding variety of needs. As we look forward to the future and to new ways we hope to serve you, we thank you for being part of Fletcher Free. We also invite you to share with us your thoughts as we shape the future of Fletcher Free together. We are always in need of more great volunteers—and ideas! Please join us. Above all, we hope this “Did you know?” report enlightens you and brings you and your friends back through our front doors again and again.

Letter from the Board Chair and the Co-Directors

Library Board Chair Sarah Faye Cohen and her faithful friend, Rigicohen@champlain.edu

From left, Co-Directors Amber Collins, Robert Resnik, and Robert Coleburn acollins@ci.burlington.vt.usrresnik@ci.burlington.vt.usrcoleburn@ci.burlington.vt.us

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Did you know?

FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY

mision statement

TABLE OF CONTENTS Special Recognition & Thanks 2

Did you know? 8

Circulation News 10

Youth News 11

Board Update 14

Statistical Highlights 15

Where Our Support Comes From 15

Services & Marketing 19

Get to Know the Staff 21

The Fletcher Free Library serves the evolving educational and cultural needs of the Greater Burlington community. Our urban public library offers a welcoming place for people to gather and to learn. A trained staff helps patrons locate the materials and information they need for work and pleasure.

library board of commissioners 2009-2010

Daniello Balon Trustee Deborah Barnum Commissioner Peg Boyle Single Commissioner Megan Cannella At-Large Position Sarah Faye Cohen Board ChairRobert Coleburn Co-DirectorAmber Collins Co-DirectorDeborah Emerson Commissioner Rebecca Goldberg CommissionerNatalie Hill Mayor’s Youth Appointment Eric Lindstrom Trustee Doug Montgomery Trustee and Vice-ChairAnne Nixon At-Large Position Robert Resnik Co-DirectorMike Schultz Trustee

COVER ART: A beautiful painting of Fletcher Free presented to the Library by talented local artist Bob Vogel

Special Recognition & Thanks

DID YOU KNOW?The Friends of Fletcher Free Library donated approximately $10,000 to the Library in 2009? The mission of the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library is to encourage support for the Library, raise money for its needs, promote cultural and literacy programs, and spon-sor educational and enrichment programs for all ages. Their motto is “Good Books Need Good Friends.” As anyone knows, Fletcher Free has many “Good Books” and we are deeply grateful to the Friends for being such “Good Friends” to the Library.

At the last annual meeting, Jody Kebabian stepped down from her long-held office as President. For eight years, Jody has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Library and we are grateful for her service. Current leadership hails from newly-elected President Neil Stout and new vice-President Adrienne Donohue, along with returning secretary Brenda Kissam and treasurer Jane Gross. The Library thanks these officers for step-ping up to these leadership roles.

In the past year, support from the Friends benefited major projects including lease and maintenance of the public copy machine, honoraria for the Library’s Children’s Author Series, sponsorship of the First Wednesdays and Booked for Lunch series, and sponsorship of the Burlington Book Festival. Friends also enjoyed being part of Kid’s Day by staffing the booth at the May waterfront event and promoting the 2009 Summer Reading Program in a number of ways.

The Friends continue to generate nearly $125 a week from the Book Stall located across from the Circulation Desk and made approximately $500 from the Summer Book Sale. Last year, the Friends brought in $8,500 from the fall 2008 Book Sale and will likely bring in approximately $8,000 from the most recent fall 2009 Book Sale.

Recent memberships and renewals totaled nearly $2,500, almost all of which has been renewed by the current 80 members and families. Looking ahead, the Friends are pleased to purchase three benches for a new landscaping project and to cover ex-penses associated with an upgrade to the staff room. Friends, you do so much for the Library and we thank you!

Fletcher Free would not be what it is today without the tireless efforts of many individuals and businesses. We thank the following groups for their tremendous dedication to the Library’s mission in Fiscal Year 2009.

Friends address BiblioFiles during a recent mailing party

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PLEASE JOIN THE FRIENDS! The Library Board and the Friends work cooperatively supporting Library services. The Library is grateful for individual support to the Friends as well as support made directly to the Library. In the end, all funds and efforts benefit Fletcher Free. The Friends meet on the first Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Library Conference Room. Visitors are cordially invited to attend. New active members strengthen the Friends and are welcome to join at any time. For more information, please contact Friends President, Neil Stout, at nrs@burlingtontelecom.net.

DID YOU KNOW?That Fred Hill deserves some special attention?

Fred Hill has done a tremendous amount for Fletcher Free. He knows Fletcher Free well, first as an employee, and since retiring, as a volunteer who has donated countless hours to numerous projects. Fred has decided to “retire” again and we will miss him a great deal. Fred, thank you for your dedica-tion to Fletcher Free.

Below, please find a bit more about Fred, in his own words.

“Born six years before Pearl Harbor but further east, in Tulsa, Oklahoma; reared a

little further yet in Bartlesville. Acquired personality traits of the old oil country that have bewildered younger northeasterners for thirty years. Learned science, my first interest, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology but apprenticed in commercial photography (my third) in Boston, 1965; practiced it solo in Burlington, 1970 – 1989, more or less. Good photographer, middling businessman.

Worked as a FOS (Field Operations Supervisor) on the 1990 census. In 1991, thanks to Lorrie Colburn, found an amazing new home at the Fletcher Free Library, full-time to 2003 and voluntarily to 2009 (retired twice, probably too soon both times).

Having reflected daily on good fortune of living downtown without car or TV, but with the space and window light for photography (3 exhibits at the Library, including one in fall 2009), now sit staring out the back window, wondering where the good times have gone and watching Handy’s truck tow cars from the private lot outside. Wouldn’t get these things, living in the boondocks, boy!”

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DID YOU KNOW?That a number of businesses and special individuals have stepped up to support Fletcher Free? Thank you to these special partners!

• Fletcher Free gratefully acknowledges a $12,500 bequest from the estate of Li-brary outreach patron Arline Watkins. This generous gift was utilized to pur-chase new furniture, including two new workstations for the Library’s computer center.

• IBM Corporation of Vermont partnered with Fletcher Free to open the public access computer center and has donated approximately $100,000 worth of com-puter equipment since that time. In August 2008, IBM of Essex Junction do-nated 15 computers to support public access and staff computing at the Library.

• A grant received this year from the Hannaford Supermarkets Charitable Foun-dation in the amount of $3,000 was used to support the Library’s 2009 Summer Reading Program.

• Worn carpeting in the Youth Services Pic-ture Book Area has been replaced, funded by private donations including funds from the Bergeron Foundation, the Brenner Founda-tion, Chris Tebbetts, Lillian and Bruce Venner, Rose and Ivan Pels, Anita and Gary Embleton, and Amy Pickering.

• A beautiful and colorful rug was purchased for the Youth Services Area in July 2008 with funds generously donated by Joanna Cole and Sarah Flynn.

• Our Annual Books for Children Gift Cam-paign was made possible through our partner-ships with the VNA, the Sara Holbrook Cen-ter, the King Street Area Youth Center, Head Start of Chittenden County, and our partici-pating bookstores, Crow Books and the Hop-kins Bookshop.

• The Library has been a major partner and events venue for the Burlington Book Festival since the Festival was launched in 2005.

• Free passes to state parks are now available to card-carrying Library patrons thanks to a partnership with the State Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation.

• Other organizations that generously donated passes to Library patrons includ-ed: Echo at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Rokeby Museum, Birds of Vermont Museum, and Shelburne Farms.

• The Library received a Cultural Facilities Grant from the Vermont Arts Council. The grant provided funds to replace the inefficient and outdated lighting in the

Special Recognition & Thanks

Children enjoy a beautiful new rug purchased with funds generously donated by Joanna Cole and Sarah Flynn

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Pickering and Fletcher Rooms with new state-of-the-art LED lighting which is significantly more energy-efficient.

• After a special appeal was made to local businesses in spring 2009, generous sup-port came in from Main Street Landing, Newcastle Corporation/Hard Copy, and Montgomery & Merrill PC.

• KeyBank Foundation has made a special gift which will be used to fund a Com-puter Literacy Class for non-native speakers in early 2010. Please read more about this dynamic gift in the Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report.

• Fletcher Free is grateful to have received a $1,721 Resource Sharing Grant from the Department of Libraries to help defray the cost of providing Inter-Library Loan service.

• A special Paul Post grant received in spring 2009 was used to purchase award-winning children’s books.

• A $3,250 Community Block Grant from the Office of Community and Econom-ic Development was used to help pay for the Library’s vital Outreach VISTA position.

Volunteers & Other Good FriendsDID YOU KNOW?Over 70 people volunteered last year helping with everything from mending books to taking care of the flower planter in front of the Library? The Library thanks all of our dedicated volunteers.

• 29 volunteers helped Library staff mem- bers Rebecca Goldberg, Christine Dema- rais, Megan Butterfield, and Trisha Irving with the Summer Reading Program. • Bonnie Acker has taken care of the flow- ers and planters for approximately two de- cades. When she is not tending to flowers and to making things beautiful, she is also an accomplished artist. Bon- nie, thank you for making Fletcher Free so colorful.• One group of volunteers from Champlain College made an especially big mark this past year. Without the Champlain volun-

teers the Reference Librarian would have been left to manage a busy public ac-cess computer center as well as the Reference Desk. The 14 volunteers, working a total of approximately 500 hours, allowed the Library to deliver a higher level of service to the public.

Some of the beautiful flowers cared for by dedicated volunteer, Bonnie Acker

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• Special thanks to Elise Whittemore-Hill who generously donated her time and tal-ents to help with the layout and design of this Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report.

• Thanks to local artist Frank Gonzalez who has been so generous with his time and tal-ents this year. Frank’s regular Creative Tues-days programs always bring in a big crowd, and he is also responsible for the design and creation of a special Champlain Quadricen-tennial parade float incorporating Samuel de Champlain and educational philosopher (and Burlington native) John Dewey.

• Our recent AmeriCorps VISTAs Cara Lovell and Nicolle Lavallee both spent their time at Fletcher Free developing Teen Services and Outreach/ESL programs respectively. In doing so with great energy and enthusiasm, both attracted many new patrons to the Library.

• Youth Services librarian Beth Wright Redford has taken a job as a librarian in the Richmond School Department after nine years at Fletcher Free. Among many other things, Beth is famous for her popular Thursday story hours and for plan-ning the programming and promotion for the Library’s Summer Reading Pro-gram. She is sorely missed!

• When long-time Library friend Marcella Chapman passed away at the age of 100 last October, she left us with more than fond memories. Without her drive and dedication, the Library’s ailing Carnegie building almost certainly would

have been demolished in early 1974. Marcella and other Library friends worked nonstop circulating petitions and writing letters until the building was entered into the National Regis-ter of Historic Places in August 1974. We are all beneficiaries of Marcella’s faithful dedication to the Fletcher Free Library.• Members of the Vermont Lake Mon-sters once again volunteered their time by talking to children about playing baseball, answering questions, and telling high-flying stories.

Special Recognition & Thanks

Frank Gonzalez and two assistants share their skills making the float for the Champlain Quadricentennial parade

Cara Lovell, left, and Nicole Lavallee, right, contributed a great deal to Fletcher Free as recent AmeriCorps VISTAs

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Summer Reading Program SupportersDID YOU KNOW?Over $14,000 in money and services was donated by businesses, organizations, and indi-viduals to support Summer Reading Program 2009?

The Library expresses great thanks to the following friends for their generous support of our Summer Reading Program 2009. Our success is your success! Thank you! Ben and Jerry’s Community Action TeamBorders Books and MusicBruegger’s BagelsChittenden County Transportation AuthorityCrow BookshopDollar GeneralFed Ex/Kinko’sThe Friends of Fletcher Free LibraryFrank GonzalezHannaford Charitable FoundationLake Champlain ChocolatesLake Champlain Shoreline CruisesNorth Star SportsOakland FoundationVermont Department of LibrariesVermont Lake MonstersVery Merry Theatre CompanyVermont Elder Law and Trust GroupWalmart

Youth Librarian Rebecca Goldberg and some of her younger friends enjoy time together

‘Children Gather Round’ comes to Fletcher Free to teach children about the art of Native American drumming during Summer Reading Program 2009

Members of the Vermont Lake Monsters sign autographs and an-swer questions as part of Summer Reading Program 2009

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Did you That over 70 countries were represented by over 100 students in Fletcher Free’s weekly English class throughout the 2008 calendar year? That the free Wednesday night English class has been running consistently for seven years—since November 2002? That the Library has books for adults in over a dozen languages including Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Italian, Somali, and Swedish?

That Fletcher Free appreciated a budget increase from the City to some important line items?

That 259,120 people came through our front doors in 2009?

That the Library has twelve free public access computers for public use that al-low people to surf the internet for information, work on resumes, and do word processing?

That our latest non-traditional circulating collection items are Kill A Watt Meters? They allow you to monitor and reduce energy usage by identifying appliances that use excessive energy and to reduce your carbon footprint.

That the Library welcomes refugees and immigrants to the community by offering English Classes, Citizenship Classes, and Computer Literacy Classes? A laptop with Rosetta Stone software and handouts in many languages explaining Library services are also available for use in the Library by these patrons. In addition, the Library offers free 3-month library cards to anyone in Chittenden County involved in literacy classes.

That the Library is working to reduce mailing and postage costs? Upon receiving a patron’s e-mail address, the Library will notify borrowers right before books become due, saving our patrons fines and saving the Library paper and postage. Fletcher Free is also urging patrons to sign up for the online version of BiblioFile, the Li-brary’s monthly newsletter. More than half of our BiblioFile subscribers now receive it online, providing the Library with substantial savings and a greener footprint.

That if Fletcher Free doesn’t own the book you can’t wait to read and it’s out-of-print, you just need to ask Nga Pham at the Circulation Desk, and we’ll get it for you using Inter-Library Loan?

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know?That you can borrow gardening tools just like you do books? Need a shovel or a broom? Come to Fletcher Free! Our collection of gardening tools is housed next to the Local History Room.

That you can renew books and place holds through our website at www.fletcher free.org? At this site, you can also gain access to databases, reader’s advisories, monthly newsletters, events, and more.

That from 4/1/09 to 6/30/09 alone, the web site traffic to www.fletcherfree.org was 22,409 visits? That is a 24.5% increase in web site visits over the same period last year.

That one of the major “behind the scenes” improvements this year was the acqui-sition of a new remote server for the Library’s computer system? This means less system and backup hardware to worry about in the Library and a safer and more secure computer circulation system.

That Phases 2 and 3 of the capital improvements to the Library grounds will include relocation of the flagpole, new plantings, the repair of the ground lights outside of the Library building, and foundation, slate, and brick work on the his-toric Carnegie Building?

That the Library’s 4th Sing-a-long CD is scheduled to be released in time for the 2009 holiday season?

Champlain College students devised video games for kids with Cystic Fibrosis and asked young Library patrons to give the games a try and to share their feedback

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circulation news

DID YOU KNOW?When your information and education needs go beyond Google, you need to look no further than the Fletcher Free Library?

In CIRCULATION NEWS, we are pleased to announce a powerful new lineup of online databases. We have what you need no matter what kind of information you are seeking. Some of the new offerings include the following:

Mango Languages — An online language-learning system teaching conversa-tion skills for a wide variety of languages. Mango uses real-life situations and actual conversations to teach a new language more effectively.

Consumer Reports — The Fletcher Free Library’s account with Consumer Re-ports Online gives you premium access to product reviews and ratings on cars, ap-pliances, electronics, and much more.

LexisNexis — Over 6,000 individual sources make LexisNexis Library Express one of the richest resources in the library. News and business coverage encompass-es newspapers, periodicals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires, blogs, cor-porate directories, and financial information.

Morningstar — Morningstar analysts offer independent opinions on 1,700 stocks, 2,000 funds, and 300 Exchange Traded Funds.

In addition, thousands of audio books have been downloaded online by Library patrons using the Fletcher Free’s subscription to NetLibrary. Fletcher Free sub-scribes to a number of other databases covering the Burlington Free Press, poetry, book reviews, and genealogy.

For information about how to access any of these easy-to-use resources, please call our reference desk at 865-7217.

A young reader chooses a book to

take home

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youth news

DID YOU KNOW?1,185 kids participated in Summer Reading Program 2009?

In YOUTH SERVICES NEWS, we are pleased to report that 2009 was a successful year filled with programs to foster the literacy and development of our community’s youth. Our biggest event, Summer Reading Program, was, once again, a flying success.

The theme of this year’s program was “Be Creative @ Your Library.” The theme provided a great opportunity for children to showcase their creative talents. On day one, 243 children entering kindergarten through 8th grade signed up at Fletcher Free. Each child agreed to read at least 15 minutes a day over the summer and to track their progress in a log book. Once kids reached an hour mark, they received their Be Creative t-shirts featuring the beautiful artwork of children’s book illustra-tor David Catrow. 8 adults and 21 teen volunteers encouraged and supported the kids throughout the summer.

Summer Outreach Assistant Trisha Irving met hundreds of kids eager to read around Burlington, visiting 14 camps, free lunch sites, community centers, and schools, thereby bringing the Program to kids who needed it the most. While the numbers are exciting, the pictures and quotes tell the whole story.

“When you open a book, it’s like having a new adventure. Because I read so many books during the Fletcher Summer Reading Program, I had a summer full of new adventures. And kids love adventures!”

—Rachel

“I participated in the Summer Reading Program for the first time. It was great. I read for more than 400 hours. I think this program really en-courages kids to read and next summer I’m going to read over 600 hours so that I have a better chance at winning a prize!”

—Gabriello

“The Summer Reading Program is a fun way to read and it’s especially fun to get prizes, too!” —Sarah

“It’s really fun because I love to read and you get a chance to win a bike.” —Elliott

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“I usually read a lot myself, but I think the Summer Reading Program is a great idea because it inspires kids who don’t usually read to read more.” —Lyle

“I liked reading books and telling people about the books I read. It was fun.” —Magnus

“It’s fun to pick out books you’ve never read before, but you’ve heard they are good…My favorite part was I actually won a bike and I could give my old one to Henry Huggins!” –Anders (Note: Anders had been reading Beverly Cleary’s Henry and Beezus. Throughout the book, the character Henry Huggins is incredibly determined to get a bike!)

youth news

Several snapshots taken during Summer Reading Program 2009 depict the fun and

love of reading at Fletcher Free

Summer Reading Program raffle winner Anders Klinkenberg smiles proudly as he accepts his new bike

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Celebrating Champlain’s 400th at Fletcher Free

Many Champlain Quadricentennial-related pro-grams were incorporated into this year’s Summer Reading Program. The goal was for area kids to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival on the lake that now bears his name. Fletcher Free also hosted a special lecture by Plattsburgh State University history professor Sylvie Beaudreau on Champlain. Another special feature of the Library’s “quad year” was the creation and jour-

neys of a life-sized Samuel de Champlain puppet, construct-ed by Library fiber artist extraordinaire Christine Demarais. Monsieur de Champlain has been lodged at the Fletcher Free Library this past summer and has been spotted traveling all over the Champlain Valley, making guest appearances in the

Quadricentennial Parade, aboard local lake-going vessels, in the annual Kid’s Day parade, at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Addison County, Vermont, and on a very special visit to Westport, New York for the Westport Summer Heri-tage Festival and an exciting meeting with a puppet of his Dutch counterpart, the ex-plorer Henry Hudson.

SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2009 IN NUMBERS

Number of Participants 1,185Number of Sites in Burlington 14Number of Books Donated 450Number of Volunteers 29Number of Volunteer Hours 408Number of Contributing Organizations 20Amount of Money/Services Donated Over $14,000

Christine Demarais creates the Library’s very own Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain and Henry Hudson enjoy the day together in Westport, New York. The life-sized puppets were created for the summer’s 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s explora-tion of the Hudson River and Samuel’s exploration of Lake Champlain

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Board Update

Composed of Commissioners appointed by the City of Burlington and others cho-sen by the Board itself, the Library Board is primarily an advocacy group which meets monthly to hear recommendations from the Library staff.

Having led the Board since 2006, former Board Chair Mike Schultz stepped down this past year. The Library is extremely grateful for Mike’s dedication and time and for leading the Board and the Library in challenging economic times. We are delighted he will continue to serve on the Board and give of his time and exper-tise to the Library’s mission.

We are equally grateful to new Board Chair, Sarah Faye Cohen, for assuming the new leadership role. Sarah has stated that she is excited to be leading the Board at a time when there are so many new and active members. She has already begun to challenge Board members to share their future vision of Fletcher Free with each other and to think of innovative ways to achieve those goals.

After a recent Board retreat, ideas were flowing and, looking ahead, a major fo-cus will be on utilizing committees and sub-committees to strengthen the Library’s mission and outreach directives. The three standing committees of the Library in-clude Collections, Development, and Board Recruitment. In addition, the Board and Co-Directors plan to initiate a public information campaign that will include expanded Marketing, Advocacy, and Outreach to the community. Three “ad hoc” committees by the same names will guide this effort. The Board aims to engage more with community and city offices and to bring new individuals and groups into Fletcher Free—and simultaneously make the mission of the Library more visible to the entire community.

In other Board news, following the lead of the Burlington School District and the United Way of Chittenden County, two organizations that have created public statements about their respective commitments to diversity and equity, the Board is also pleased to be writing a new Diversity Statement to strengthen the Library’s belief in advancing diversity initiatives.

Looking ahead, Board members will explore the possibility of adopting a similar statement to bolster the Library’s sustainability efforts, particularly as they relate to the City’s greening efforts. A goal is to offer increased talks, programs, and events on ways our entire community can live in a more sustainable way.

Sarah and her fellow Board members encourage all Library patrons and friends to join the Board meetings which are open to the public. Please join the Board on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 5:15 p.m. in the Local History Room of Fletch-er’s Carnegie wing to learn more about Board efforts and to share your thoughts and ideas about the bright future of Fletcher Free.

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where our support comes fromThe Co-Directors and the Board of the Fletcher Free Library work within the City’s organizational and financial structure. In difficult economic times, we continue to utilize our ingenuity to control costs while maintaining excellent service. The three primary sources of funds for Fletcher Free are as follows:

• City of Burlington – The Library is a City Department and receives operating money from the City’s General Fund. The Library does not receive any regional or state funding.

• Grants – The Library applies to foundations annually for grants to fund renova-tions, services, projects, and programs.

• Donations from Individuals and Businesses – Gifts, including bequests, help pay for books and other materials in our collection, projects, and programs. The Board sends solicitation letters once or twice a year. The Library is deeply grate-ful to individuals who donate cash or stock, include the Library in their will, join the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, donate books, CDs, and DVDs, and volunteer. We are also grateful to local businesses and foundations that support our efforts in numerous ways. Thank you!

STATISTIC FY07 FY08 FY09

Hours of operation per week 65 65 65

Staff hours worked – full time equivalent 18.2 18.2 18.2

Volunteer hours 9,382 10,885 10,104

People through the front door 251,258 253,063 259,120

Members 14,066 14,095 14,665*

Items in the Fletcher’s collection 131,069 135,963 137,499

Items checked out and/or renewed 338,314 360,197 399,147

Outreach deliveries 332 400 367

Inter-Library Loan transactions (borrowed & loaned) 2,243 2,566 3,161

Computer Center log-ins 65,982 65,400 68,428

Adult & Youth questions 31,172 28,695 30,505

Adult & Youth Programs 355 462 564

Summer Reading Program (for summer just after end of Fiscal Year end date) 891 1,190 1,185

*Of our 14,665 total registered users, 579 users are nonresidents

STATISTIC AL HIGHLIGHTS

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Capital funds from the City’s budget were used to put in a new sidewalk, left, on the eastern side of the building where no sidewalk previously existed in this ‘before’ photo, right. Other City funds were used to re-caulk all of the windows in the Library’s newer wing.

Additional funds come from a variety of sources, as follows: • The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library is a separate non-profit organization

devoted to supporting the Library. The Friends raise money through member-ship fees and book sales, advocate for Library programs and services, help pro-duce mailings, and run programs such as “Booked for Lunch.” They support the Library as needs arise in a multitude of areas, including:

– Equipment, office supplies, building renovations – Additional help for building and grounds maintenance – Special needs (such as staff travel and scholarships to professional conferences) • Children’s Sing-Along Music CDs – Three recordings have been produced over

the past 10 years, featuring Robert Resnik with Carol Scrimgeour and Gigi Weis-man. Sales of the children’s CDs for FY09 totaled $1,802. Proceeds from the CD sales are used exclusively to fund children and adult programs. The production of a fourth sing-along CD is in process.

• Dedicated Book Tax – A ½-cent tax provides most of the funding for the pur-chase of new books and other items such as books on CD and DVDs. This figure amounted to $173,639 in FY09. The Library’s collection continues to benefit from this tax passed overwhelmingly by City voters in March 1995. $173,040 is the amount from the book tax that is available in the Library’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget.

• Payments for Services – Non-resident library cards, printing, lost books and fines provided $67,699.44 in revenue in fiscal year 2009.

• Volunteers – Fletcher Free is deeply grateful for a vibrant group of dedicated vol-unteers. Some volunteers are supported by other groups, such as Work-Study, AmeriCorps*VISTA, Department of Corrections, and other special employment programs, while others volunteer to fulfill certain community service require-ments or simply to do something special for their community.

• Endowment Fund – Started in 1873 with a $10,000 contribution from Mrs. Mary L. Fletcher and her daughter, Miss Mary M. Fletcher, the Library’s en-dowment is now managed by the Vermont Community Foundation. Each year, 4½% of the past three-year average of the fund value is allocated for distribution or reinvestment. The Board decides whether to spend or reinvest this income; it is designated for spending only on books. As of June 30, 2009, the fund was

where our support comes from

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valued at $227,519.31, a loss of approximately $64,000 over last year’s figure. Vermont Com-munity Foundation stated that the decline in the fund’s value is due to annual grant-making losses as well as unrealized investment losses as a result of the market collapse in late 2008 into early 2009. We are pleased to report that since June 2009, the fund’s value increased ap-proximately $25,000, about 10%.

• In-Kind Contributors – This past fiscal year, many in-dividuals, volunteers, and businesses donated products and services to support a wide variety of Library services and events. We are thankful for this commitment to our efforts.

When we receive donations totaling over $500 in memory of an individual, we pay tribute to that individual by mounting a brass nameplate on the red marble Book Fund Memorial displayed by the front entrance. This tradition was started in 2000 by Charlotte and Herb Mandel and their family in memory of Nathaniel Lash. In addition, the family may request that memorial bookplates be placed in new library books of a genre of their choice.

Thank you for remembering loved ones through supporting the Library and re-membering the Library in your estate plans. We are grateful to family and friends for honoring their loved ones in such a meaningful way. Memorial donations in fiscal year 2009 totaled $1,742 and were made in loving memory of the following people:

Marcella Chapman Dr. Kenneth Ciangoli Elizabeth Cody Elsie W. CoxCorinne Crawford May Alice EastmanHenry Mack Joan Green Sugarman

In 2009, 325 gifts were made to Fletcher Free totaling $56,360.97. We appre-

ciate this strong show of support by our friends in the community. While these figures illustrate a decrease in previous years’ numbers, we are confident that we will rebuild our support in the near future. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that over half of U.S. charities experienced a drop in donations in the months of March, April, and May of 2009 in addition to a drop experienced in the time from October 2008-February 2009. While this trend may continue in 2010, Fletcher Free is determined to redouble our efforts to build our number of supporters and gifts. Financial assistance in this form is critical to the Library, and we thank our supporters for their steadfastness!

Staff members Susan Bevins, Judith Janone, and Anita Danigelis receive a Union Longevity Award

book fund memorial

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where our support comes from

$90,000

$80,000

$70,000

$60,000

$50,000

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0

500

400

300

200

100

0

Donations from individuals

Donations from businesses, organizations, and foundations

First time donor this FY

Donated this FY and before

Note that individual donations in FY07 include a bequest of $29,167

DONATIONS TO THE FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY

DONORS Individuals, Businesses, Foundations, and Organizations

FY07 FY08 FY09

FY07 FY08 FY09

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The Fletcher Free Library is the largest public library in Ver-mont, located in the largest city in Vermont (population of about 38,000), within the most populated county. Our 14,665 members are mostly Burlington residents who support the Library through their taxes; members who do not pay taxes in Burlington (there are 579) pay a small non-resident fee. Non-resident seniors receive a discount.

You don’t need a library card to use the Library. Our build-ing is open to everyone and is a popular destination for tourists. With free access to the use of our collection within the build-ing and internet access at the Computer Center or via our WiFi network, the Main Reading Room provides a safe, quiet place to work, read, and relax.

RESOURCES:• Library books, audio books, and materials for adults and children• Outreach deliveries to those unable to come to the Library• Inter-Library Loan both to our members and from our collection• Online catalog, with links to best-seller and other lists• Reference research from in-person, phone, and online inquiries• Online databases (non-member access within the Library only)• Free Public Access Computer Center• Free Public Wi-Fi Internet access• Meeting room space available to the public at no charge

FY09 REGULARLY-SCHEDULED PROGRAMS*:• Art Exhibits• Book Discussion groups (Library and Flynn Center)• “Booked For Lunch” speaker series (coordinated by the Friends of the Fletch-

er Free Library) on the third Thursday of most months from noon to 1 p.m. in the Fletcher Room

• Computer Workshops• Citizenship and English as a Second Language Classes and Conversation

groups• “First Wednesdays” monthly humanities lectures series on the first Wednesday

of the month from October through May provided by the Vermont Humani-ties Council and the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Vermont Department of Libraries and supported by the Friends. All lectures are free and start at 7 p.m.

services & marketing

A happy reader at Fletcher Free

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• Youth Services programs include the following: – Family Sing-A-Long, Moving & Grooving with Christine, Music with

Robert, Mondays with Megan, Creative Tuesdays – Library Learning Adventures for Homeschoolers, Teen Book Groups, Teen

Advisory Board, and Teen Video Gaming Tournaments – Summer Reading Program*There were also many one-time-only programs, especially for youth

MARKETING: HOW WE ATTRACT USE OF OUR SERVICESBy devoting resources to distribute information about the Library, we are reaching out in an effort to connect with our community.• BiblioFile is the Library’s monthly newsletter. Adult and Youth programs and events are listed, as well as Friends of the Fletch-

er Free Library news, book reviews, and other items of current interest at the Library. It is mailed or emailed to donors, Friends, city councilors, legislators, media, organizations offering posting locations, schools and libraries, and avail-able for anyone to pick up at the Library.

• The Library’s website (www.fletcherfree.org) devotes a page for Adult and Youth Programming and Events, another page for Library News, and another for the Library News Archives, going back to 2004. There are also youth and teen blogs (fletcherteens.blogspot.com and fletcherkids.blogspot.com) which serve to keep our youth up-to-date on Library activities they may enjoy.

• Press releases via email advertise Adult Programs, art shows and openings, and other events.

• Youth Services program announcements are mailed to 60 schools, organiza-tions, and media.

• Flyers advertising programs, art shows, and events are posted in the Library.• Tours are given to students, who are encouraged to become members and use

the Library.• Videotaped events are broadcast by two local television stations: Channel 16

(RETN, Regional Educational Technology Network) and Channel 17 (Town Meeting Television).

Megan Butterfield waves to the crowd

she sees regularly in her role in

Youth Services

services & marketing

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hired

Chris Beneke, Circulation, Page* 2006George Bennis, Custodian 2008Susan Bevins, Acquisitions 1978Doug Chamberlain, Acquisitions, Payroll 2001Lorraine Colburn, Circulation Chief, Selector** 1987Robert Coleburn, Co-Dir., Ref. Librn., Syst. Admin., Selector** 1992Amber Collins, Co-Director, Selector** 1967Anita Danigelis, Ref. Librn., Cataloging, Selector** 1983Christine Demarais, Youth Services 1996Tenzin Dhondup, Circulation 2003Megan Butterfield, Youth Services 2007Emer Feeney, Circulation 2008Susan Fensch, Circulation, Page* 2004Sammie Friedman, Acquisitions, Accounts Payable 1993Rebecca Goldberg, Youth Librarian, Selector** 1994Judith Janone, Cataloging 1981Annie Morse, Computer Lab Monitor, Reference Aide 2003Ruth Murphy, Reference Librarian 2002Nga Pham, Circulation, Inter-Library Loan 2001Robert Resnik, Co-Director, Reference Librarian, Selector** 1990Barbara Shatara, Outreach, Reference Librarian, Selector** 1998Toni Taginski, Circulation 2006 * Pages are responsible for shelving library materials ** Selectors choose which library materials to buy

The Fletcher Free Library is a Department of the City of Burlington, and as such is governed by the Mayor.Library Board of Commissioners: An advocacy group that meets monthly with the Co-Direc-tors and reports to the City Council annually. There are four Trustees who are elected by the cur-rent Trustees and must reside in Chittenden County. At-Large Trustees (non-voting advisors) may be elected, too. There are six Commissioners (who must be Burlington residents) appointed by the City Council, Mayor presiding. One of them is an Employee elected by the Employees of the Fletcher Free Library. Another is appointed by the Mayor and has been a representative of the Burlington youth population. Co-Directorship: In 1992, Directorship of the Library was split among three Co-Directors, two of whom carry responsibilities of Librarians as well as sharing directorship duties.

A recent photo of the Fletcher Free Library staff

get to know the staff

Fletcher Free Library235 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401

(802)863-3403 TTY relay 711

www.fletcherfree.org

Samuel de Champlain rides his bike at Fletcher Free as part of Summer Reading Program 2009