< L‘; «,4 ANNUAL REPORT: IULY 2013 - jUNE 2014 This report highlights the operational and financial activities of the Athenaeum and reflects gifts made to the Athenaeum over the 12-month period July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. The Providence Athenaeum Mission The Providence Athenaeum, a unique library and cultural center, welcomes and enriches the educational and cultural pursuits of its members and the community and encourages a diverse public to engage in spirited conversation. It offers a wide range of experiences by providing and conserving extraordinary collections, oflering innovative and compelling programs, promoting and collaborating with the community's vibrant cultural sector, and highlighting and preserving its historic building. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Alison Maxell, ex-officio on all committees BOARD OF DIRECTORS Candy Adriance, President Pa rt-ti me Sta ff Richard Congdon, Vice President Allen Bestwick, Regina White, Secretary Technical Services Assistant Grace Farmer, Treasurer Kathleen Bower, Circulation Assistant Kristi Agniel Kirsty Dain, Julie Andrews Alayne Barnicoat Circulation Assistant Jonathan Bell R] Doughty, Kqantu Pareja Bent Circulation Assistant* Kipp Bradford Tina Egnoski, Publications Stephen Coon Coordinator/Weekend Ethan Kisch Circulation Supervisor Allen Kurzweil Stephanie Knott, Cathy Lund, DVM Membership and Development David Nishimura Associate/Ci rculation Assistant Timothy Philbrick Amanda Knox, Circulation Assistant Brett Rutherford Amy Eller Lewis, Deming Sherman, ex officio Circulation Assistant Sandy Markley, Membership and Development Assistant PERSONNEL LIST Morgan Ross, Circulation Assistant Full~time Staff Carol Tatian, Alison Maxell, Reference Librarian Executive Director Ralph (Smokey) Turnbull, Christina Bevilacqua, Maintenance Director of Programs and Public Engagement Robin Wetherill, Mary Brower, Membership and Development Associate* Circulation Supervisor Nancy Whitcomb, Ken Garrepy, Children's Library Assistant Business Manager Kate Wodehouse, Mary Anne Golda, Collections Librarian Head of Technical Services Danielle Kemsley, Contracted Services Director of Membership and Development Margaret Latimer, Lindsay Shaw, Grantwriter/Consultant* Children's Librarian Pam Steager, Grantwriter/Consultant Nicky Nichtern, Graphic Design Stephen Garrepy, Maintenance Assistant *Resigned in 2013-2014 MESSAGE FROM BOARD PRESIDENT: CANDY ADRIANCE I stepped into the role of Board President in October of 2013, and I'm happy to say that at the end of fiscal year 2013-14 we continue to celebrate real and measurable progress in meeting the goals of our strategic plan, Vision 2015. Notably, the library has had a good year financially, as well as significant public recognition for its consistent excellence and innovation. Under the direction of Executive Director Alison Maxell, the Athenaeum functions as a highly relevant library and cultural center. Danielle Kemsley, our always enthusiastic and optimistic Director of Membership and Development, set a very high bar for our Annual Fund — and then beat it, exceeding the goal by $30,000, as well as increasing our donor base by 7%. Congratulations to Danielle and her associate, Stephanie Knott, for their tireless efforts. Collections Librarian Kate Wodehouse facilitated important and innovative projects. She oversaw the conservation of three volumes of Le Description de l’Egypte and, thanks to a generous donation from Skip and Ann Faith, the restoration of twenty- six volumes of the Southern Literary Messenger. Kate demonstrated the wide reach of Special Collections by collaborating with artists to present The Paper Dolls Project and The Wonder Show Presents, The Arctic Theatre Royal, both of which resulted in art exhibits, Salons, and offsite programs with community partners. Kate also revised the Raven Tour, a self-guided architectural and historical tour of the library. Children's Librarian Lindsay Shaw championed an old-fashioned idea that for many of our families has taken on vital new importance: to inspire in our children the desire for outdoor activity, as well as reading. The 2013 summer reading challenge was ”Hop, Skip, and Iump to the Library!” Indoor free-play is now incorporated into the infant and toddler songs and story time. Our relationship with the Roger Williams Park Zoo's “Our Big Back Yard” helped raise awareness of the benefits of free-play and nature discovery. Under the guidance of Circulation Supervisor Mary Brower, the Circulation team has had another rich and varied year, greeting visitors from Alaska to New Zealand and sharing the Athenaeum experience. Reference Librarian Carol Tatian, who loves nothing more than your toughest questions, and weekend staff members Tina Egnoski and Nancy Whitcomb, strive every day to uphold the Athenaeum mission by delivering extraordinary service to the membership and the public. Christina Bevilacqua, Director of Programs and Public Engagement, was honored in 2013 by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities with the prestigious Tom Roberts Award for Creative Achievement in the Humanities. She was also appointed a Community Fellow at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities for the 2014-15 academic year. As part of our new strategic planning process, Christina will work on ways to create future programming to best support the library's goals and public mission. Behind the scenes, Technical Services Librarian Mary Anne Golda made sure that the latest must-read books in every category were on our shelves; she also kept up our profile on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog Raven-ous. And Business Manager Ken Garrepy and Membership and Development Assistant Sandy Markley kept track of all the records and statistics. This is vital information for planning and fundraising. (continued on next page) LIBRARY COMMITTEES Board Development Candy Adriance, Chair Richard Congdon Grace Farmer Regina White Christina Bevilacqua, Staff Danielle Kemsley, Staff Building and Grounds Richard Congdon, Chair Jonathan Bell Wendy Ingram Keough Construction: Ray Keough Roger Seitz Finance Grace Farmer, Chair Candy Adriance Deming Sherman Regina White Ken Garrepy, Staff Investment Oversight Program Support Ierrold N. Dorfman, Chair Grace Farmer, Chair Grace Farmer David Berman Lyn Iohnson Adele Bourne Mary Louise Kennedy Dolores Connelly Lynn O’Marra Barbara Dunney James Scanlan Peggy Edwards Deming Sherman Carl Farmer Paul Silver Don Harper Ken Garrepy, Staff Lucia Huntley Emily Kugler Philbrick Poetry Lucy Ann Lepreau Ben Philbrick Elsie Morse Harry Philbrick Jack Nolan Stephen Philbrick Ray Olson Tim Philbrick Peggy Peckham Christina Bevilacqua, Staff Lisa Popitz Tina Egnoski, Staff Lynn Sanchez Sandy Markley, Staff Cynthia Shattuck Regina White MESSAGE FROM BOARD PRESIDENT: CANDY ADRIANCE We have good reason to anticipate our future with excitement, optimism, and a bold sense of purpose. But as Vision 2015 draws to an end, we must also acknowledge, and meet head-on, the challenges presented by rapid growth under still-limited financial and human resources, and by the need for constant, vigilant care and maintenance of our 176 year old building. As we plan for Vision 2020, we will examine every area of Athenaeum operations: finances, management, organization and governance, buildings and grounds, membership and development, programming, technology, communications, collections, reference and circulation. We recognize that this will be a challenging endeavor, but only by undertaking a thorough inquiry can we create a ”vision” that will meet the evolving needs of the Athenaeum. Because of our dedicated staff and members, we have seen success and growth this year. On that foundation of stewardship and support, and under the guiding principles of Vision 2020, the Athenaeum will continue to flourish. MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: ALISON MAXELL Thanks to all of you! This was truly a landmark year in terms of capacity building. Individuals stepped forward as philanthropic leaders and set the stage for long-term sustainability. The number of individual donors to the annual fund increased by 7% this year for a total of $228,214, a 20% increase over last year. Even more remarkable is the collective capacity created over the last three years. The total amount contributed to the annual fund has increased by $86,532 or 61%. And the number of donors has increased by 162 or 47%. This year we received over $52,000 in grant funding: 21% for capital improvements and 79% for operations. In the short term, this year's success enables us to (1) pay off our line of credit thus eliminating our debt; (2) reduce our endowment draw to below 5%, and (3) redirect needed resources to the maintenance and care of our building. As for the future, I firmly believe that with the kind of capacity building leadership giving demonstrated this year, over the long term we can reduce our reliance on the endowment by even more, build essential cash reserves, and augment staff to support anticipated growth. With awareness and appreciation of the organization growing, we find ourselves at a pivotal point as we approach the final year of Vision 2015, our strategic plan. Without question, there IS a hunger for the Athenaeum’s unique services and programs. This year, over 40,000 people entered our doors. We curated 45 exhibits, engaged 65 individual researchers, hosted 24 group visits and offered 192 adult and children's programs. Traditional library services remain in demand. We answered over 177 reference questions, 77% from our own collections.