BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM

FISCAL YEAR 2019

ANNUAL REPORT

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

CONTENTS

I. Report of the Treasurer • Operating Budget • Trust Expenditures II. Statistical Summary Report

III. Narrative Report of the Library Director

IV. Library Trustees

V. Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum

VI. Library Personnel

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

REPORT OF THE TREASURER Operating Budget

ORIGINAL APPROPRIATION EXPENDED BALANCE

Personnel 955,977 931,862.27 24,114.73

Library Materials:

Books & Audiovisual 29,365 29,365 0 Newspapers & Periodicals 10,000 10,000 0 Binding & Microfilm 3,575 3,575 0 Equipment - Maintenance 950 995.78 (45.78) Library Staff Development 1000 1000 0 Supplies – General 12,770 12,769.98 0.02 Supplies – Custodial 6,450 6,448.27 1.73 Travel 1,500 1,500 0 Unclassified 1,900 2,171.23 (271.23) Library Networking Fees 50,420 50,418.31 1.69 Theft Deterrent System 1,500 1,500 0

$1,075,407 $1,051,605.84 $23,801.16

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

REPORT OF THE TREASURER Trust Expenditures

TRUST FUNDS EXPENDED IN FY'19 Unrestricted Account Books & Materials 34,452 C/W MARS / Computer Expenses 12,350 Construction / Renovations Annual Audit (Financial Review) 5,000 Fund Management Fees 10,278 Artwork Restoration Furnishings / Equipment Staff Development 7,280 Other Miscellaneous General Expenses 5,901 Sub-total Unrestricted Account 75,261

Endowment Fund / Restricted Account Books & Materials 10,387 Fund Management Fees 4,864 Sub-total Endowment / Restricted Account 15,251

Gift / Targeted Books & Materials 4,855 Furnishings / Equipment Other Miscellaneous General Expenses Sub-total Gift Account 4,855

Photocopy 1,328

TOTAL TRUST EXPENDITURES IN FY'19 $96,695 BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT STATISTICAL SUMMARY REPORT

% FY'18 FY'19 DIFFERENCE CHANGE TOTALS TOTALS FY'19 - FY'18 FY'19 - FY'18 $ RECEIPTS Adult $11,685 $12,898 $1,213 10.4% Children's $3,006 $2,663 ($344) 11.4% Non-Resident Fees $325 $275 ($50) 15.4% Lost Book Charges $2,124 $2,781 $656 30.9% TOTAL RECEIPTS $17,141 $18,616 $1,475 8.6%

WORKERS COMPENSATION On the Job Incidents 0 0 0 100.0% Lost Employee Hours 0 0 0 100.0% Modified Duty Hours 0 0 0 n/a

WALK-IN COUNTS Wendell Avenue Entrance 119,735 126,130 6,395 5.3% Bartlett Avenue Entrance 122,458 123,091 633 0.5% TOTAL WALK-IN COUNT 242,193 249,221 7,028 2.9%

CIRCULATION (ALL DEPARTMENTS) General Materials Circulation and Renewals 224,138 227,112 2,974 1.3% E-Content Circulation 19,546 31,157 11,611 59.4% TOTAL MATERIALS CIRCULATION 243,684 258,269 14,585 6.0% Holds / Reserves: Items loaned to other libraries 26,917 26,732 (185) 0.7% Holds / Reserves: Items received from other libraries 27,978 27,893 (85) 0.3%

REFERENCE SERVICES Information Requests 2,835 2,655 (180) 6.3% Telephone Requests 1,706 1,452 (254) 14.9% Mail / E-mail Transactions 121 165 44 36.4% Use of Electronic Collections (excluding e-Content) 39,136 21,300 (17,836) 45.6% Library Internet PC Use 35,204 30,593 (4,611) 13.1% Wireless Internet Signal Use 24,946 28,380 3,434 13.8% Wireless Internet Assistance / Instruction 589 272 (317) 53.8% E-book Assistance 283 237 (46) 16.3% Technology Assistance 9,512 8,632 (880) 9.3% I.L.L. Requests Received 345 417 72 20.9% I.L.L. Requests Filled 266 309 43 16.2% I.L.L. Items Loaned 2 4 2 100.0%

LOCAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT Reference Transactions 12,321 11,470 (851) 6.9% Telephone Transactions 1,253 978 (275) 21.9% Mail / E-mail Transactions 1,797 1,487 (310) 17.3% Equipment Use 12,751 18,892 6,141 48.2% Technology Assistance 2,084 1,957 (127) 6.1%

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT STATISTICAL SUMMARY REPORT (PT. 2)

% FY'18 FY'19 DIFFERENCE CHANGE TOTALS TOTALS FY'19 - FY'18 FY'19 - FY'18 CHILDREN'S SERVICES Reference Transactions 1,379 2,014 635 46.0% Telephone Transactions 1,198 909 (289) 24.1% Holds / Reserves: Items loaned to other libraries 2,537 2,006 (531) 20.9% Holds / Reserves: Items received from other libraries 3,223 2,822 (401) 12.4% # Gen. Programs Offered 142 267 125 88.0% Program Attendance 3,825 5,519 1,694 44.3% # Outreach Programs 48 35 (13) 27.1% Outreach Program Attendance 832 678 (154) 18.5% Equipment Use 216 645 429 198.6% Technology Assistance 440 154 (286) 65.0%

TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT Adult Books Added 8,246 6,977 (1,269) 15.4% Withdrawn 4,991 8,872 3,881 77.8% Mended 365 381 16 4.4% Reference Books Added 44 29 (15) 34.1% Withdrawn 2,677 47 (2,630) 98.2% Mended 0 0 0 n/a Local History Books Added 977 452 (525) 53.7% Withdrawn 68 50 (18) 26.5% Reprocessed 1,116 958 (158) 14.2% Children's Books Added 2,079 1,731 (348) 16.7% Withdrawn 6,921 962 (5,959) 86.1% Mended 66 30 (36) 54.5% Young Adult Books Added 504 363 (141) 28.0% Withdrawn 151 850 699 462.9% Mended 0 0 n/a Audio-Visual Materials (all departments) Added 1,494 1,722 228 15.3% Withdrawn 1,081 1,101 20 1.9% Mended 255 187 (68) 26.7%

MEETING ROOM BOOKINGS / USE Athenaeum Room 438 408 (30) 6.8% Auditorium 385 417 32 8.3% Morgan Room 105 53 (52) 49.5% Computer Lab 44 20 (24) 54.5% Blake Room 26 21 (5) 19.2%

FRIENDS PROGRAM ATTENDANCE 1677 1881 204 12.2% BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

NARRATIVE REPORT OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR

What’s Library Service Worth? What you would #Units Services have spent 143,390 Books borrowed (@$35) $ 5,018,650 2,030 Magazines borrowed (@$5) $ 10,150 31,157 E-Content borrowed (@$10) $ 311,570 17,065 Audio books and music CD’s borrowed (@ $20) $ 341,300 64,627 Video (Blu-Ray and DVD’s) borrowed (@$20) $ 1,292,540 1,664 Museum Passes (@ $20) $ 33,280 35,725 Reference inquiries (@ $10) $ 357,250 30,593 Internet Access using Athenaeum PC’s (@ $5) $ 152,965 21,300 Use of electronic collections (@ $10) $ 213,000 28,380 Wireless Internet Signal Use (@ $5) $ 141,900 62 Computer Training Sessions & class visits (@ $50 ) $ 3,100 5,508 Attendance at children’s programs (@ $5) $ 27,540 1,881 Friends-sponsored lecture and concert attendance (@ $10) $ 18,810 502 Use of conference room by outside groups (@ $100) $ 50,200 417 Use of auditorium by outside groups (@ $200) $ 83,400 Total value of services provided $ 8,055,655 Library’s FY’19 Operating Expenditures $ 1,051,606 Minimum return on investment 766%

Staff - Supervisor of the Children’s Library and Youth Services Samantha Cesario graduated in the 2019 class of the Berkshire Leadership Program. - July/August 2018, all staff participated in a Cultural Competency and Diversity Training program offered through the City of Pittsfield Personnel Department. - On Tuesday, April 9, National Library Workers’ Day, the Library had a late (1pm) opening to allow an all-staff meeting that included a listening session for staff concerns, reviewing the rebranding project, and a staff appreciation luncheon. BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT: NARRATIVE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR PAGE 2 OF 5

Endowments, Gifts, and Grants - DONALD L. LUTES PASSES AWAY: On September 3, 2018, Donald L. Lutes, longtime president of the Berkshire Family History Association, and life- long library champion (the volunteer of the year award was established in his name) passed away. He is greatly missed at the Library. His tireless efforts indexing Berkshire County resources have powered the invaluable Local History databases. The Trustees of the Berkshire Athenaeum was named as the beneficiary of his will, and the estate continues through the probate process at the end of FY2019. - ED REILLY HONORED: The Athenaeum family suffered another great loss with the death of Edward M. Reilly on March 19, 2019. Along with gifts to the Friends in his memory, an additional $250 was added to the Edward M. Reilly endowment. - MELVILLE PRINTS DIGITIZED: In conjunction with a Community Preservation Act grant, Hofstra University and the Melville Electronic Library provided $5705.05 in support of the digitization of loose and framed artworks once owned by Herman Melville. - BERKSHIRE BANK FOUNDATION SUPPORTS FOUNDATION CENTER RESOURCES: The Foundation Center raised their annual membership price by $1,000 (from $1,495 last year to $2,495 in November 2018). A grant from the Berkshire Bank Foundation for $1,000 made up the difference, allowing the Athenaeum to continue providing this valuable resource. - COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT GRANT: A Community Preservation Act (CPA) Grant in the amount of $9,148 was awarded on June 25, 2019 to replace the protective window film and climate control in the Local History Department. - MELVILLE SCHOLAR HERSHEL PARKER RESEARCH COLLECTION COMING TO THE ATHENAEUM: Renowned Herman Melville biographer Hershel Parker agreed to donate his entire Melville research collection to the Athenaeum. The collection includes about 130 linear feet of books, 10 cubic feet of files corresponding to the book The Melville Log, 8 cubic feet of correspondence, notes, and annotated copies of works made in cooperation with Northwestern University Press, and 20 linear feet of off- prints from articles and additional research. Along with the donation of the collection, Mr. Parker has pledged $10,000 in support ($7,000 directly to the Athenaeum and $3,000 indirectly in shipping costs to deliver the collection to the library).

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT: NARRATIVE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR PAGE 3 OF 5

- JANET COOK HONORED WITH A GIFT TO SUPPORT THE HERSHEL PARKER COLLECTION: Jennet Cook made a $10,000 donation to support the acquisition of the Hershel Parker research collection. The gift is in honor of her mother Janet Cook, who was local educator, volunteer, and long-time docent at Arrowhead proud of having worked closely with Mr. Parker on many occasions. - FEIGENBAUM ENDOWMENT: The Feigenbaum Foundation made a contribution of $1,000 to the Hilda Vallin Feigenbaum endowment along with an additional $1,000 gift.

Programming & Outreach - FIRST ANNUAL HARRY POTTER BIRTHDAY PARTY: On July 31, 2018, the Athenaeum hosted a birthday party for Harry Potter. Attendees, many of whom came in costume, enjoyed games and challenges, cake, and even butter beer! A good time was had by all, and everyone is excited about this new annual event. - NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR SPEED REPPING: In July, the American Library Association’s Programming Librarian column published an article by Alex Geller covering his successful Speed Repping event, a mixer for constituents to speak with elected officials in three-minute blocks. - SUCCESSFUL SUMMER READING: The 2018 Libraries Rock! Summer Reading Program had 258 participants. Children’s staff hosted 61 programs that attracted a total attendance of 1183. - LIBRARY OF THINGS: With the support of the Friends, Library staff developed a Library of Things, a lending collection inspired by the sharing economy and found to be popular and successful. Initial items included tools for arts and crafts, gardening, home improvement, and musical instruments. Most popular among the items this year have been the ukuleles and the retro video game systems. - NATIONAL LIBRARY CARD SIGN-UP MONTH: This year, in partnership with Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., local businesses offered patrons a discount or gift when they showed their library card during the month of September. This was a great way of promoting the Library and the economy, and the program is expected to become an annual event.

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT: NARRATIVE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR PAGE 4 OF 5

- REBRANDING: The year-long process of establishing new branding for the Athenaeum was completed with the Logo Launch on May 21, 2019. TSM Design from Springfield conducted the branding process, guiding the team through a discovery session that provided the inspiration for the brand values and designs. The two-toned three-tiered arches harken back to the original Athenaeum building and represent the ideas of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Inspiration as well as the practices of Science, Literature, and Art. The brand exploration produced the brand promise: Welcome everyone. The tagline “Wonder inside” with its many layers of meaning rose to the top. A bright color palette, lively fonts, and a personable photo style round out the brand. - YOUNG ADULT (YA) DEPARTMENT REVITALIZED: Under the great guidance of librarian Sam Cesario, there is new life breathed into the Young Adult department. Full-time senior technician Carli McGurn is staffing the YA desk on weekday afternoons and has reintroduced weekly programming, including Teen Tech Club, Dungeons & Dragons, and arts & crafts. - PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMMING: November Hepatitis A Vaccination Clinic, monthly STI testing, Narcan training, and addition of sharps disposal containers

Facilities - VOIP: The aging (and failing) telephone system was replaced with a Polycom Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system. This was a large-scale City-wide project that had been planned out over the previous two years and finally carried out in October 2018. - LED LIGHTING REPLACEMENT: The 1200 light fixtures in the Athenaeum were retrofitted to convert them to LED. The project began in July 2018 and wrapped up in early 2019. - NEW CHILDREN’S MURAL: February 11, 2019, we unveiled the scene from Ty Allan Jackson’s book When I Close My Eyes as a mural in the Children’s Library. The vibrant, joyful imagery is a great improvement to the library, brightening the space and representing the value of welcoming everyone and our new tagline “Wonder inside.” - WIFI SYSTEM UPGRADED: In April, the wireless system was upgraded with an additional access point, improving signal strength and coverage in the Young Adult department.

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT: NARRATIVE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR PAGE 5 OF 5

- ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS REQUEST FUNDED: An earmark was added to state’s budget to fund accessibility upgrades at the Athenaeum in accordance with recommendations from the Institute for Human Centered Design. Representative Tricia Farley Bouvier was instrumental in securing this funding.

Annual Awards - Family of the Year: Rebecca & Jesse Cook-Dubin Family - Champion Borrower: Catherine Frieri - Donald H. Lutes Volunteer of the Year: Alan Horbal

Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum - The Friends enjoyed three very successful book sales in FY2019. Sales figures for the year are: July 2018: $17,385 November 2018: $17,877 March 2019: $16,992 Total book sale income for FY2019: $52,254 - Membership: This year, the Friends had 961 total members, of which 507 were active. - The Friends continued year-round lobby book sales. The total Lobby book sale income for FY2019: $4458.35 - This year, with newly-branded items, the Friends’ store had an increase in sales, with a total for the year of $358.75.

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

LIBRARY TRUSTEES

OFFICERS Kathleen Amuso President Pamela L. Knisley Vice President Rev. Charles E. Pratt, Jr. Treasurer Gail Molari Clerk

CLASS OF TERM TRUSTEES APPOINTMENT EXPIRES Kathleen Amuso Corporate 2019 Theresa Apple Corporate 2021 David Hall Mayoral 2020 Donna Kasuba Mayoral 2019 Pamela L. Knisley Corporate 2020 Gail M. Molari Mayoral 2020 John Murphy Corporate 2021 John D. Neiner Corporate 2019 Rev. Charles E. Pratt, Jr. Corporate 2019 Edward Reilly‡ Mayoral 2021 Charles F. Sawyer Corporate 2020

EX OFFICIO William Cameron School Committee Member Matthew Kerwood City Treasurer Peter Marchetti City Council President Linda Tyer Mayor

‡Edward Reilly passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

FRIENDS OF THE BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OFFICERS Amy Chin President Vicki Donahue Vice President Jeanne Bresnehan Secretary Robert Bresnahan Treasurer

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TERM EXPIRES James A. Arpante 2019 Robert Bresnahan 2019 Jeanne Bresnehan 2019 Amy Chin 2019 Vicki Donahue 2019 Marilyn Manning 2019 Nancy McNabb 2019 Florian Ptak 2020 Edward Reilly‡ 2020 Bernie Scapin 2021 Ross Shuart 2021 [Open Position] 2020 [Open Position] 2021

‡Edward Reilly passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

LIBRARY PERSONNEL (Page 1 of 2) ADMINISTRATION Alex Reczkowski Library Director Joanne Murphy Supervisor/Specialist II: Administration

REFERENCE Madeline Kelly Senior Supervisor: Reference Services Samuel Reggio Supervisor/Specialist I: Reference Services [vacant as of 6/30/18] Supervisor/Specialist I: Reference Services Marsha Callaway Senior Assistant - Part-time Ivan Newton Senior Assistant - Part-time Kathy Adams Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute Wendy Griswold Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute David Laczak Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute Cody Reagon Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute Karen Canino Library Assistant II - Part-time

LOCAL HISTORY Kathleen Reilly Supervisor/Specialist I: Local History Ann-Marie Harris Senior Technician: Local History Michael Collins Senior Assistant - Part-time Richard Leab Senior Assistant - Part-time Maureen Marrone Senior Assistant - Part-time Rita Martin Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute Lisa Peltier Senior Assistant - Part-time - Substitute Donald Warfield Senior Assistant - Part-time

TECHNICAL SERVICES Rebecca McDole Senior Supervisor: Technical Services Mary Wheeler Senior Technician: Technical Services Autumn Mawhinney Library Assistant II - Part-time Karen Veremko Library Assistant I - Part-time Kari Cooper Shelver - Part-time

CUSTODIAL SERVICES Kevin Hickey Building Custodian Steven O'Neill Building Custodian BERKSHIRE ATHENAEUM FISCAL YEAR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

LIBRARY PERSONNEL (Page 2 of 2)

CHILDREN'S LIBRARY Samantha Cesario Senior Supervisor: Children's Services Carli McGurn Senior Technician: Children's Services Karen Canino Library Assistant II - Part-time Library Assistant II - Part-time - Kate Defonte Substitute Diane Ferrero Library Assistant II - Part-time Jeffrey Heller Library Assistant II - Part-time Frances Hernandez Library Assistant II - Part-time Ellen McPhillips Library Assistant II - Part-time Library Assistant II - Part-time - Jennifer Ryan Substitute Elvira Terranova Library Assistant II - Part-time Scott Cooper Shelver - Part-time Brenda Lison Shelver - Part-time Nancy Lotz Shelver - Part-time

CIRCULATION Cathy Congelosi Senior Supervisor: Circulation Department Martin Frieri Library Technician Tiffany Cunningham Library Technician Terry Arnold Library Assistant I - Part-time Susan Dumigan Library Assistant I - Part-time Jenna English Library Assistant I - Part-time Alexander Kight Library Assistant I - Part-time Rae Langsdale Library Assistant I - Part-time - Substitute Tee Rodriguez Library Assistant I - Part-time Mary Turner Library Assistant I - Part-time Stephen Barrett Shelver - Part-time Kari Cooper Shelver - Part-time Scott Cooper Shelver - Part-time Diane Ditman Shelver - Part-time Dominique Evangelisto Shelver - Part-time Brenda Lison Shelver - Part-time