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Connecting you to a world of ideas. |
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Annual Report 2004-2005 |
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 Facts @ a Glance• The Sioux City Public Library houses 197,852 books and recordings in The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library, Morningside Branch and Perry Creek Branch. • Last year 22,952 new items were cataloged, stamped, stickered and readied for public use, while 30,548 outdated or damaged items were withdrawn. • Sioux City Public Library currently has 34,315 active library card holders, 40% of Sioux City’s residents. • A total of 791,372 items were checked out or used in-house last year, an average of 2,248 per day. • 337,900 visitors came into the Library while 260,000 virtual visitors logged in from remote locations. • 12,443 children and adults attended 479 Library sponsored events. • The Library’s two public meeting rooms were booked 455 times for an attendance of 7,582, including 129 sessions over the Iowa Communications Fiber Optic Network. |
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Betsy Thompson, Library Director |
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The purpose of strategic planning is to envision a common future based |
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A Day in the Life of the Sioux City Public Library |
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6 a.m. The business of providing welcoming facilities begins at The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library with the arrival of maintenance staff. Books that patrons requested or returned the day before are loaded for delivery to the branch where the next patron will use them. 7:30 a.m. In the Library’s Technical Services department Pat prints notices alerting patrons that items they requested are available for checkout or that something they borrowed is overdue. Last year 16,176 notices were mailed. Nearly 5,000 patrons chose to receive their Library notices via email.  9 a.m. Patrons race to the daily newspapers and Internet workstations as The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library opens.9:30 a.m. The van begins its route to local daycare centers, delivering books to teachers and students. Staff brought over 6,000 books and 147 story programs to 3,300 children attending daycare, who might not have had access to the Library otherwise. 10 a.m. Readers head straight for the new books when the Morningside Branch opens. System-wide, new books accounted for 15% of all checkouts. 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, a North Dakota University medical student reports to Reference and Reader Services for her proctored test. Library staff proctored 45 tests for distant learners last year. 11 a.m. Library storytime begins. A shy 2-year-old clings to his mother at the Morningside Branch while at the Perry Creek Branch experienced 3-year-olds enjoy a story with their peers; 101 storytimes were attended by 2,954 children and their parents. 11:30 a.m. UPS delivers a shipment of new DVDs and books-on-CD. Last year 22,952 new books and recordings were cataloged, stamped, stickered and readied for public use. 12 noon A businessman stops in to read the current issue of Fine Woodworking during his lunch hour. The Library subscribes to 237 magazines and newspapers. 12:30 p.m. Returning The Kite Runner, a grandmother doubts she’ll find another story “as good as this one.” While the patron reads a picture book to her 3-year-old grandchild, the librarian accesses NoveList, a premium fiction database, and discovers that a similar book is on the shelf, much to Grandma’s delight. 1 p.m. All computers are in use and a line has formed for the Internet workstations. During the year 63% of visitors used a computer during their library visit. 1:30 p.m. At Perry Creek Branch a middle-schooler is pleased to find Harry Potter in the leased collection; the waiting list is quite long for other copies. 2 p.m. Children from a daycare center gather on the floor by the picture books, excited to begin a tour of The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library as staff nurture a love of books in curious minds. 2:30 p.m. “I got the job.” A patron stops in to thank the librarian who, weeks earlier, helped him find a sample letter asking a former employer for a job reference. 3 p.m. “I’m on my way,” says Jim into his cell phone. Wanting information on the maiden voyage of the Sioux City Sue, he asked for the April 1993 Sioux City Journal. Turning to the online index, the librarian finds that the article appeared June 2, saving Jim hours of searching through rolls of microfilm. 3:30 p.m. “LOOK, Dad—SpongeBob!” Browsing for old favorites and new titles is easy for this youngster since the children’s audio books are now shelved together. (continued on next column) |
4 p.m. The after-school rush is in full swing. Children in Youth Services select from the Library’s 122 interactive multimedia CDs, or sign up for the Internet. Others ask staff to help them find a book on dinosaurs, Dragon Ball Z, or the latest in the Charlie Bone series. |
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Vital InfrastructureIn July 2004 Sioux City Public Library began offering wireless Internet service at The Wilbur Aalfs (Main) Library. This enhancement added yet another layer to the electronic infrastructure that keeps staff and patrons connected. Technical expertise and visionary planning are needed to maintain the 8 networks, 15 routers, 6 servers, 78 computer workstations and other components that enable the Library to keep pace with patron needs and vendor requirements.Software upgrades and new licensing agreements gave Library card holders access to additional premium databases from home computers. These resources included the Auto Repair Reference Center for do-it-yourselfers; the Testing and Education Research Center for learners at high school level and above; and Heritage Quest, for genealogists. In May 2005 new hardware replaced an online catalog so old (in computer years) that tech support no longer existed. Upgrading Library database software in June brought faster access to catalog information and set the stage for future expansion of the integrated system. Staff expect to merge Sioux City Public Library’s website and catalog into one homogeneous unit with the next release.
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Library Board of Trustees
2004-2005 Budget Summary
(not audited) |
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Mission: The Sioux City Public Library
provides equal access to a world of ideas and information for community
enrichment. We value the public’s trust; diversity in the Library’s collection of materials; quality service provided by expert, skillful staff who are responsive to the changing needs of the community; and, supporting individuals in their enjoyment of reading and their lifelong pursuit of learning. As the Sioux City Public Library fulfills its mission: • Patrons will receive efficient, effective and friendly assistance from Library staff, one-on-one or as part of a community group. • Patrons will discover Library resources that anticipate and satisfy their needs for information, enjoyment, and enrichment. • Patrons will experience convenient access to Library services in welcoming environments, both physical and virtual, that let them pursue their reading, listening, and viewing interests. Strategic Plan • Areas of
Emphasis 2005-2009
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From
the Director 
11:30 p.m. The Library Systems Administrator prepares the computer room for new hardware, so that the Library’s 34,315 active card holders—and virtual visitors the world over—may check out the happenings at the Sioux City Public Library.