Dover Town Library

TOWN LIBRARY REPORT 2005

"Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future."
~ Ray Bradbury

2005 was a year of significant achievement and honors for the Dover Town Library. In October the Library was recognized for its excellence as it was ranked first in Massachusetts and fifth in the nation in its population category of 1,460 libraries by the Hennens American Public Library Ratings. This prestigious award reflects the significant use and solid financial support of the Library by the town and its citizens, and we are proud to have received such a noteworthy national honor.
An upgrade of the Library’s interior was begun in 2005 with the addition of new tables and chairs to the Adult Area. This new technologically adaptable furniture, along with updated shelving for our expanding Audiovisual collection, was purchased with a combination of municipal funds and donations to the Board of Library Trustees’ 2004 Annual Appeal. The interior upgrade will remain a priority in the coming year as plans are underway to replace the aging lounge furniture in the Adult and Children’s areas.
A generous gift from the Friends of the Library enabled us to install Wireless Internet access in the Library during the summer months. WiFi access allows patrons to use their own computers to access the Internet anywhere in the Library building and has already become a heavily-used and popular service, appreciated particularly by students, people who work from home, travelers, businesspersons, and a wide variety of library users.
Our final significant achievement for 2005 was the launch of our new Library website in November at http://library.doverma.org. Designed with funds donated to the 2005 Trustees Appeal, it is hoped that the clear and attractive site will serve as a primary portal for the public to access their Library and information needs far into the future.
Board of Library Trustees
In May 2005, voters returned incumbent trustees Kate Haviland and Diane Sampson to office for new three year terms in a contested, three-way race. Library Trustees continued their active role in promoting and supporting quality library services in 2005 through their regular participation on the Board as well as their attendance at library advocacy events such as the Metrowest Legislative Breakfast and Library Legislative Day at the Massachusetts State House. The accolades and awards received by the Library are a result of the dedication and hard work put forward by this group throughout the year, and the town of Dover is very fortunate to attract such dedicated volunteers to serve.
PERSONNEL
In August, Assistant Director Michelle Sampson resigned, after five years of service, to become the director of the public library in Milford, NH. Michelle’s competence, friendliness and knowledge will be missed by patrons and staff. She was ably replaced in late August by new Assistant Director Jane Granatino. Jane brings over 15 years of experience in both public and academic libraries, a new Masters Degree in Library Science, and an infectious enthusiasm for all aspects of the position. She immediately set to work creating a Teen Advisory Board, hoping to better serve that segment of our users through new programs and materials. Excellent customer service continues to be a hallmark of the Library, largely due to our committed and professional staff.
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
Without the strong financial support of the Friends, the Library could not begin to offer such a wide array of quality programs and materials. Their most important fundraiser, the Holiday House Tour, continues to raise nearly $20,000 each year, largely due to the hard work of long time Tour chairs Madge Casper and Michele Keleher and their dedicated team of volunteers.  Friends President Cathy Mitchell and her Board worked hard to expand membership and participation through such activities as a Library Open House in September, as well as regular Membership coffees. In addition to their underwriting of such popular offerings as museum passes, business subscriptions, bestseller leasing, the Meet the Author series, and all of our children’s programs, the Friends also funded generous grants for the purchase of Adult audiobooks, Young Adult materials, and both nonfiction DVDs and books on the animal kingdom for the Children’s collection.
PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Beautiful music filled the Community Room in January when the Library hosted the Paula Young Concert, featuring the Hudson Quartet. The performance was partially funded by a grant from the Dover Cultural Council. The popular Meet the Author series resumed after a short hiatus with the February appearance of renowned author Elinor Lipman, who entertained the audience with her humorous insight into contemporary relationships. In March, Stephen Puleo, author of Dark Tide, recounted the amazing story of the Boston Molasses flood in the early 20th century. National Book Award nominee Kate Walbert read to an attentive group from her book, Our Kind, in April, and May brought a large and appreciative crowd to hear Tom Perrottta read from his witty satire of suburban life, Little Children.  The Series broke for the summer in June with a provocative talk by Susan Linn, author of Consuming Kids: the Hostile Takeover of Childhood, on the continuing difficulties facing parents in a modern world.  When the Series resumed in the Fall, appreciative audiences heard history professor Norman Desmarais discuss his book on the Revolutionary War, Battlegrounds of Freedom, enjoyed an inside look at the writing business with thriller author Peter Abrahams, and got a fascinating peek inside the Boston underworld with criminal turned bestselling author Richard Marinick, author of Boyos. Thank you to the Friends of the Library for their continued support of this popular program, and to the Wellesley Booksmith for the sale of books at each event.
In April, the Trustees and Friends collaborated again for a second “Thank You” event for library donors, inviting our significant supporters for a festive evening as the Library was transformed into a mini-Fenway Park. This year’s special guest was author Stewart O’Nan, a renowned novelist and co-author, with Stephen King, of Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season.  Still basking in the glow of the World Series win, Library supporters donned Sox clothing and caps, ate peanuts and crackerjacks, and talked baseball long into the night with the very engaging O’Nan. Food and beverages were generously donated by local merchants, and recognition was once again awarded to our many generous financial supporters.
Library book groups for both Fiction and Nonfiction lovers continued to meet regularly through 2005, reading titles that ranged from the serious, such as Adam Hochschild’s Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves, to the not so serious in Jennifer Haigh’s tale of a “serial marrier”, Mrs. Kimble. The Library would like to give special thanks upon her resignation to former Dover resident, Eleanor Cary, for her nearly ten year leadership of the Fiction Book Group.
YOUTH SERVICES
Services and programs for children, teens and families were both extensive and highly popular throughout 2005. Among the highlights:

• The Summer Reading Program continued its innovative and popular path with the 2005 theme “Letters of the Alphabet”. Readers and those being read to worked their way through the alphabet, A to Z, earning badges and prizes along the way. Over 683 children participated, with 1,421 badges being earned and 6,521 books being read. A special partnership with the Franklin Park Zoo enabled children participating in the Program to vote for which endangered animal they would like the Dover Town Library to “adopt” for the coming year…the jaguar was the overwhelming choice and a donation was made toward conservation efforts on behalf of our Dover readers!
• Library programs such as Laptime, Storytime, Babytime and Story/Craft continued throughout the year, with a Lego Club being added to the regular offerings. In addition to these, a variety of special events added to the fun: a special program with the animals from Zoo New England,  the always popular Big Truck Day in August, two Family Movie Nights in July and October drew large appreciative crowds, a visit from “Lucy the Read Dog” helped to teach children the gentle art of reading to a happy dog, and, in December, the Community Quilts program distributed quilts decorated by children at the Library to 10 Dover seniors. Rounding out the year, a special partnership with the Learning Center for the Deaf resulted in the delivery of over 50 new, special gifts donated by Dover families.
• The Friends of the Library Saturday Childrens Performances continued to draw large crowds for fun for all ages. This year, the performers included Sparkey’s Puppets, Mime Robert Rivest, Alex the Jester, singer John Root, with a special appearance by the Rainforest Reptiles in December. These performances are free of charge and made possible by a generous gift from the Friends of the Dover Library.
• Library services to Teens ramped up in the Fall of 2005 with the formation of the first Library Teen Advisory Board, under the guidance of Assistant Director Jane Granatino. The Board meets monthly and suggests new books, movies, music and other materials for the Library collection. Programs underway and being planned include a Chocolate workshop, a self defense class, author visits, a Teen Area “makeover” and much more.

SUMMARY

2005 was a banner year for the Dover Town Library, a year of national recognition for our commitment to excellence. With circulation and other measures of use continuing to rise, with regular progress being made toward the newest technologies such as Wireless Internet access, with a dedicated and professional staff, Trustees and Friends organization,  and with a solid combination of public and private financial support, the Library will continue to fulfill its mission as a cultural and information center for the town of Dover long into the future.

LIBRARY STATISTICS FOR 2005

State Aid to Libraries Award                  $9,218
Dover Cultural Council Grant                 $  500

                                                          2005                              2004

Circulation                                           150,207                             146,862
Reference Questions                             14,164                               12,918
People Using the Library                       85,465                               85,200
Items Loaned to other Libraries             16,884                              16,164 
Items Borrowed from other Libraries      13,379                               11,763
Holdings                                             62,546                               62,930

Dover Town Library 508.785.8113
56 Dedham St, Dover, MA 02030
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