Pouce Coupe Municipal Library

Provincial Library Grant Report 2014

Submitted by: Courtenay Johnston, Library Director Box 75 Pouce Coupe, BC V0C 2C0 250-786-5765

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Introduction

The Pouce Coupe Public Library serves a population of approximately 740 people, as well as the surrounding rural area, through a single branch facility that is located in the same building as our elementary school and community centre. In the past ten years since the library has moved to this location, the library and community has benefited in several ways. Being located in a much larger facility allows us to offer a more extensive collection of books, library materials and programs. It benefits our patrons and visitors as we are more visible being located along the main corridor into Pouce Coupe. Pouce Coupe has limited recreational opportunities and few community gathering places. The library acts as a welcoming place where entry and membership services are free of charge. The library is a source of entertainment and stimulation for children and adults alike and is often referred to as being the “best hidden treasure”. People of all ages gather here to access information for various purposes such as employment, continuing education, public internet access, printing and fax services, children's programming, author readings and recreation. Challenges for us have been finding new board members for our library due to the restrictions in the Library Act. Not having a public transit system in our community also makes it hard for parents and caregivers with large families to get to and from the library during cold and particularly bad weather. One of our major accomplishments in 2014 was the completion of our new Library Policy Manual. Having a well-laid out policy and procedures manual has helped attract informed members and allow us to operate more efficiently and effectively. New members are also quickly oriented to the library by reviewing the manual. Additionally the Pouce Coupe Library Board has worked extensively on creating its “Strategic Plan”. The library has identified its primary goals for the years 2014 – 2016 to be: 1) help fuel Pouce Coupe’s passion for reading, personal growth and learning 2) identify resources and programs that meet community needs 3) cultivate collaborative partnership and promote community engagement 4) enhance and strengthen technology, be a resource as well as a go-to place to encourage and support the use of innovative technology.

Government Priorities, Goals, Programs & Services, Partnerships ______

Government Priority 1: Focus on Collaboration and Cooperation:

This is a priority for us and part of the Provincial Grant was used for staffing and for supplies. We have one regular pre-school program – Doodle Bug Story Time, where children are introduced to books, reading, stories, interactive play as well as the library itself. In 2014, we purchased pre-school interactive toys and learning materials as well as spent funds to increase our children's book collection. We feel that reaching children at a young age is a key to their success and development throughout their life. In 2014, we offered the Summer Reading Club for the community through support from Literacy and Libraries that brought in 67 children. We also had a summer teen reading program in the library in July and August having a respectable turnout of 8 teen readers over the 7 weeks. Our library supports the Books for Babies program by assembling books, CD’s and brochures packages that are then distributed to families with new babies in our community. In 2014 we were able to provide four newborns with these wonderful packages. We also participate in the Welcome to Kindergarten Program. Our staff works with the kindergarten teacher in our elementary school to ensure the children have a smooth transition to school thus creating a firm and stable beginning. The attendance for this event varies depending on the enrolment numbers each year for our school.

Government Priority 2: Community Engagement and Planning

A part of our Strategic Plan we are working towards a collaborative partnership and promoting community engagement. The Pouce Coupe Library plays a key role in our village as a community hub and participates in many local events and engages community members in library services, educational programs, children’s programs, and provides assistance to access municipal and government services.

The library has an ongoing connection with the local elementary school. We support student’s love of reading by encouraging them to explore the new releases and programs held in the library. We also provide the classrooms with weekly book requests. Our library board and staff participate in several community events such as July 1st celebrations, “Welcome to Kindergarten”, “National Aboriginal Day”, the “Annual Museum Harvest Tea and Bake Sale” and “Christmas Tree Light-Up”. Every Halloween, our library creates a Haunted House that is open to everyone in the community. Admission for this event is a donation to our local food bank. Our major fundraiser for the year, the “Wine for Books” dinner and silent auction always draws a sell-out crowd. Proceeds from this event help provide educational programs for all ages, new books and furniture, word processing and internet service and last but not least it helps with our summer reading club that is held throughout the summer for the children and teens in our community.

Our library provides many volunteering opportunities for a variety of skill levels (technology, computer use, book reviews, program development, Board Trustees to name a few.) This enables community members to actively give back to their community in the area they are passionate about. In addition, our library continues to offer a special program that delivers books directly to patrons unable to come in to the library facility due to health reasons. Government Priority 3: Accountability and Transparency

We completed a Strategic Plan in 2014 that will help us to stay on track with emerging trends in our community spanning the next three years. We use this regularly to help guide our Library Board and staff members with decision making and priority setting. It has the added benefit of ensuring the library will be seen as a credible and professional resource in our community.

Updating our library board manual has also helped educate and inform our board members as to their roles, responsibilities and legal requirements and the creation of our new website has allowed us to make our policies and strategic plan accessible to the public

We provide annual updates to the Village of Pouce Coupe outlining our progress on the Strategic Plan as well as highlighting successes and challenges. This has resulted in a very strong working relationship with our major funders and increased support and understanding of the library and its role in our community. SUMMARY

Towards the end of 2014, it became evident that we needed to increase programming staff in order to address the demand from our patrons for more programs to be offered in the library.

In response to this, we will be exploring different ways of receiving funding for an additional program coordinator for 2015. While our current program coordinator/library director will still focus mainly on delivering programs for children and youth the added coordinator will focus on programming aimed toward teens and seniors.

Over the next year we also plan to further increase our visibility in the community through social media and outreach, as well as utilize our new website which offers an interactive element for our patrons and also take advantage of our facebook page.

Thank You.