Provincial Library Grants Report 2014
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Introduction

Creston is a small community nestled in the Purcell Mountains between Nelson and Cranbrook. According to the 2006 Census, Nelson-Creston had the second lowest average before tax income of all other electoral districts in BC, at $49,458. Creston is a retirement destination, and the average age is approximately 5 years higher than the provincial average. Major employers include the Columbia brewing plant, two small sawmills, and public service. Attracting families and economic growth are two of the town’s major priorities.

Creston Valley Public Library adopted its current strategic plan in 2013. The plan includes increased service and programming for families and seniors, stronger relationships with local businesses and community organizations, and much-needed facilities upgrades. Our expanded children’s and teen services have made a significant impact on how the library is used and viewed within the community, and we have developed enduring partnerships with Lower Kootenay Band, Creston Valley Farmer’s Market, Creston and District Community Resource Centre, Town of Creston, Chamber of Commerce, and other community agencies. We have renovated our children’s area, built a teen space thanks to a grant from Columbia Basin Trust, and updated the front exterior of the building to provide outdoor seating areas and better take advantage of the natural beauty around us.

Government Priorities, Goals, Programs and Services, Partnerships

In this section choose 3 out of the 5 Provincial priorities and tell us how your library used the grants that you received to meet them. Indicate what library goal, programs and/or services, and partnerships you may have that support the provincial priority, and describe as well what outcomes were achieved.

Government Priority: Community engagement and planning. For example, actively supporting community priorities and initiatives, and building collaborative community partnerships.

Library Goal that supports the priority:

From Strategic Plan: “Maintain current partnerships and explore additional partnerships with other community organizations.” “Continue to actively seek out partnership opportunities with local organizations, with an emphasis on literacy and agricultural-based projects.”

This goal is in progress.

Outcomes:

Outcomes below relate to a specific program, “Baby Goose”, described in the following section. The program is a partial community response to Early Development Instrument (EDI) Wave 5 results which showed a “critically different increase in vulnerability” rate in Creston, including significant increases in vulnerability in social, emotional, language and cognitive, and communication sub-areas. The report led the library and other partners (through the Creston Valley Early Years Committee) to look at ways to address this vulnerability. “Baby Goose” is just one of several mechanisms which the Committee used to address this vulnerability.

Twice annually, “Baby Goose” participants are asked to fill out a short feedback form.

  • 26 of 26 respondents stated that they and their child enjoy the songs and rhymes learned at Baby Goose.
  • 26 of 26 agree that attending Baby Goose has increased their awareness of library services, programs and collections.
  • 26 of 26 agree that meeting other parents has increased their sense of community.
  • 18 of 26 agree that they read with their child more since coming to Baby Goose. (Others noted that they always read with their child anyways)
  • 26 of 26 agree that attending Baby Goose is an important part of their child’s social development and acquisition of early literacy skills.

Comments from parents:

“(My child) loves coming to library and singing songs. I didn’t know how important songs and rhymes were for babies until we started coming here.”

“I’ve noticed a huge difference in how (my child) interacts with books and wants to read with us. Before she wasn’t really interested. Now she can’t get enough!”

“It’s so vitally important for infants to have this exposure at an early age. This program is very, very important to our family and community.”

“We have noticed a big difference, even over the past year, in how much there is to do in Creston for parents and babies. Before, there wasn’t really anything. It just seems that the town started to care more about us. Keep up the good work!”

Programs and/or Services that aligns with the priority:

In late 2012—coinciding with my arrival as Chief Librarian—the library began offering a weekly Babytime program, similar to those offered at other libraries in BC. While attendance was encouraging, there were challenges, including: lack of coordination and opportunities for referral to other community programming, lack of professional knowledge sharing (I planned and facilitated the program on my own), lack of opportunity for parents to talk and share experiences together within program framework, practical challenges such as presence of older siblings, and just a general feeling that the program was meeting a too narrow range of needs within the community.

In 2013, the library, with support from other community partners, received a grant from Columbia Basin Trust to run a trial program based on Parent-Child Mother Goose Program (PCMGP). The trial lasted for 20 weeks, and gave me the opportunity to work with a co-facilitator (sharing knowledge, an extra hand for older siblings). The program included a healthy snacktime, during which time facilitators and parents could talk and share experiences.

In 2014, I approached the Creston Valley Early Years about working together to ensure that the program is financially sustainable and filling an important role within the community’s broader programming. The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy stepped up to provide financial support for the second facilitator on an on-going basis.

In addition, in part under the library’s leadership, members of the Creston Valley Early Years began to take a more collaborative approach to planning, promoting and offering programs and services for parents and babies in the Creston area. Results of this approach included:

  • Adjusting programming days and times to ensure maximum access to programs;
  • Developing joint promotional materials, a “one-stop shop”, so that parents could learn about the variety of programming offered throughout the community;
  • Having facilitators of various community programs visit each other’s programs twice a year to introduce participants to the variety of programs available and put faces to names.
  • Continued collaboration on the Books For Babies program, including the recording of a CD featuring local early childhood facilitators for inclusion in the baby bags;
  • Working together to put on special events for babies and caregivers, beginning with an annual “Baby Picnic” to coincide with World Breastfeeding Week.

Partnerships that support the priority:

Partners for the initiatives above include:

  • Columbia Basin Trust and local funding administrators (Town of Creston, RDCK Areas A, B, C)
  • Breastfeeding Mamas – Creston
  • Pregnancy Outreach/Dots for Tots
  • Creston Valley Family Place (CAP-C/Success By 6)
  • Interior Health
  • Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy
  • Members of the Creston Valley Early Years Committee

Outcomes that were identified:

Outcomes for “Baby Goose” are noted above. A priority for 2015 will be to look at ways to evaluate our broader collaborative efforts. This will be accomplished together with the Creston Valley Early Years Committee. We also hope to see our successes reflected in the next wave of the EDI.

Government Priority: A focus on collaboration and cooperation between libraries and other partners. For example, the development of shared service models and resources which extend or improve seamless access.

Library Goal that supports the priority:

From Strategic Plan: “Ensure a wide variety of current materials in a variety of formats to meet the ongoing cultural, intellectual, and recreational needs of the community.” “Develop partnerships and resource sharing with local organizations to link the community to all available resources.”

Primary action taken under this goal was to migrate to Sitka. Secondary actions were to participate in Kootenay Connect (resource sharing service) and Shelf-Ready Pilot Project.

The goal of migrating to Sitka (form Mandarin) was twofold: to provide better management software for staff and patrons, and to enable greater resource-sharing opportunities with other libraries.

We have not used any formal patron or staff OBE methods for Sitka ILS. We continue to work with Sitka to ensure that the system is meeting staff and patron needs, and to show leadership within the Sitka community to develop greater functionality and usefulness, such as through beta-testing the Self-Check Module.

We have not used any formal patron or staff OBE methods for Kootenay Connect or Shelf-Ready Pilot Project. Regarding Kootenay Connect, the numbers speak for themselves: 77% increase (2500 additional items) in interlibrary loans during the first full 12 months of service. The shelf-ready project will continue to be evaluated for the duration of the pilot period.

Programs and/or Services that aligns with the priority:

Migrating to Sitka has enabled greater resource sharing opportunities.

Kootenay Connect enables patrons to place holds on items through the catalogue from all participating libraries, essentially creating a shared collection. It also reduces the amount of staff interface in the ILL process, and has reduced the number of items borrowed/lent through Outlook Express. By reducing the amount of staff interface, we have been able to significantly increase the number of total items borrowed and lent without significantly increasing staff time.

Creston is one of a handful of libraries in British Columbia that participated in the Shelf-Ready Pilot Project, organized by the BC Libraries Coop. The project aims to reduce cataloguing costs by having a single person at the Co-op input records on behalf of all libraries that purchase a particular item. If this system were to be adopted by libraries throughout BC, the savings due to reduced duplication in cataloguing would be enormous. The project also involves outsourced processing of items, with the goal of greater standardization across libraries and, ultimately, decreased costs as a result of this standardization. It also enables us to get books out to patrons faster than ever. Creston has been an enthusiastic proponent of the shelf-ready project.

Last but not least, migrating to Sitka has resulted in greater ease of access for patrons travelling to other libraries in BC. As Creston patrons are already in the Sitka database, the other library can simply scan the Creston library card to bring up the up-to-date patron record. It is faster and easier for all involved.

Partnerships that support the priority:

  • BC Libraries Coop provides the Sitka software management and support.
  • Kootenay Library Federation provided a grant to assist with the migration cost, and an additional grant to support Kootenay Connect.
  • Libraries Branch provides a grant to support interlibrary loans (including Kootenay Connect) and BC OneCard use.
  • The Friends of Creston Public Library provided a donation to assist with the migration cost.

Outcomes that were identified: Describe any outcomesthat were identified and achieved using outcome based evaluation methods.

We may look into using patron surveys to assess Kootenay Connect and ILL awareness and ease of use. Shelf-Ready services will continue to be assessed in-house from financial and work-flow perspectives.

Government Priority: A focus on equitable access to library services for all British Columbians, including efforts to extend library service, both physical and digital, to under-represented populations (e.g. Aboriginal users and visually impaired)

Library Goal that supports the priority:

From Strategic Plan: “Expand program offerings to better reach segments of population under-represented in current programming.”

This goal is still in progress.

In 2014, we had a number of projects and programs under this priority, including employing a Lower Kootenay Band Liason staff person during the summer, working with Therapeutic Activation for Seniors (TAPS) to facilitate a weekly bookclub, working with The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) to enhance services for sight impaired, developing small French and Chinese language collections, among others.

I will indicate outcomes for highlighted programs in the Outcomes section below.

Programs and/or Services that aligns with the priority:

1. Lower Kootenay Band Liason staff position

In 2013, the library worked with Lower Kootenay Band to develop a Lower Kootenay Band (LKB) staff position at the library. Funding was provided by an economic development grant through LKB. In an effort to secure stable funding in 2014 and beyond, the library and LKB approached Columbia Basin Trust. Unfortunately, our funding application was rejected. We also approached Young Canada Works, who also turned us down. Finally, the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC) stepped up and provided partial funding for a 6 week position. LKB and the library shared the costs not covered by KNC.

The successful candidate split her time between shadowing various staff members and working on various projects relating to LKB community and culture, including public workshops on sturgeon-nose canoe building, children’s Ktunaxa language poster, writing for LKB newsletter, Ktunaxa storytelling at Summer Reading Club, and more.

2. National Network for Equitable Library Service

The library registered for the NNELS accessible digital library system for the print-impaired. Staff received training on how NNELS works, and the service was promoted through posters and community partners. The library supplemented this by purchasing a Daisy Reader and creating a referral document for CNIB and NNELS services.

Outcomes that were identified:

1. Lower Kootenay Band Liason staff position

The goals of the position were to:

  • Create greater awareness of library programs and services among LKB members;
  • Provide opportunities for LKB members to have direct input into library service and program development;
  • To have local indigenous culture and knowledge reflected in our facilities, programs and service model;
  • Provide opportunities for young First Nations people to gain library work experience and job skills.

Building community relationships and trust, and developing a community-led approach to librarianship are long-term, on-going objectives. We plan to have a booth at the 2015 YaqanNukiy (LKB) Pow Wow, at which we will survey attendees about their awareness of library services and programs, and try to get a sense of how members of LKB identify with the public library.

In the meantime, I will end with a quote from Chief Jason Louie from the canoe unveiling event:“I am very proud of the work that we have done as a collective to promote & make our library thrive. The canoe will stand the test of time & will be a symbol of humanity.”

2. National Network for Equitable Library Service

To date, this initiative has been slow to get off the ground. There has been little to no interest in NNELS or other services for sight-impaired. Our goal in 2015 is to take action to identify community organizations and partners through which we can reach out to potential users of the services. Having a framework of services and processes in place is a good starting step.

Summary

2014 was the second year of a 3-year Strategic Plan. During the year, we completed or set the ground work to complete most of the items identified in the plan. We made significant improvements to our facilities, creating a more welcoming environment for patrons and visitors of all ages. We continued to build on our community connections, developing stronger partnerships with a number of key community organizations. Building stronger relationships with schools proved to be a greater challenge than expected, and will continue to be a priority through 2015. We also hope to build stronger relationships with the business community, which we believe is a key to ensuring stable funding in the future. We accomplished many of the “Core Service” goals in the Strategic Plan, including increasing evening hours, developing better book display areas and collection management procedures, improving library wayfinding, and implementing an updated staffing model which will meet the library’s service needs for the foreseeable future.

In 2015, we will continue to work on the goals set out in the Strategic Plan, and begin the process of developing a new plan for 2016 and beyond. We will create stronger procedures for identifying board needs and recruiting members to fill these needs. Financial accountability and transparency will continue to be priorities, and we will work hard to keep our funders and our community informed. We will continue to follow the community-led model of library and community development in all areas of service.