Tag Archives: Peoria Public Library

A review of the renovated main library branch

The Peoria Public Library recently completed their renovation of the main branch on Monroe in downtown Peoria. The interior has been thoroughly modernized, so it no longer has that 1950s feel to it. But modern design is plain and unadorned, giving the library a rather sterile, utilitarian look. The new design has an open floor plan, which takes fewer librarians to oversee. That allowed some of the staff to be moved to the new north branch.

The entrance to the main branch has been moved closer to the parking lot, and the area of the old entrance has been turned into a cafe of sorts — although food and drink selections are limited to a couple of vending machines.

The book checkout area is now completely automated. Librarians don’t check you out anymore — you have to do it yourself. However, it’s a simple process. You scan your library card and put the books you wish to check out on a black pad, and the computer automatically puts the book on your account. You can choose to print out a slip reminding you of the due date.

My favorite part of the library is the local history and genealogy section. This has been moved from the main floor to the first basement — an area that until the renovation was not open to the public. Initially, the local history section had different hours than the rest of the library, but that has been changed. The section is now open the same hours as the rest of the main branch. After doing a quick survey of the materials, it appears that all of the local historical information is still there, but better organized. However, I did not see any “new” materials on the shelves — that is, materials that used to be kept in the back room accessible only to library staff, but now made available directly to the public. The microfilm has gotten a lot of new boxes and labels. The old, hand-crank microfilm readers have been replaced by more modern readers that all have printing capability (10 cents a page). There is even one microfilm reader (available to library staff only) that can scan a microfilm image to digital format. Best of all, the local history staff is still there, so patrons still get the benefit of their institutional memory.

The renovated library gives patrons plenty of space to sit and read, and lots of table space for oversize or multiple books for those doing research. And, of course, there are lots of computers available for online research as well. The library subscribes to many databases, giving patrons access to many materials it would be too expensive to access individually.

Overall, the updates have made the library more modern and functionally efficient.икони на светци

Downtown library to make genealogy and local history sections accessible again

This is the best news I’ve heard all day:

Because of staffing issues, the genealogy library was going to operate fewer hours than the rest of the library. That issue has been resolved, [spokeswoman Trisha] Noack said, in part with volunteer workers, and it will now be open whenever the Main Library is open, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

My sincere thanks to the library board and staff for resolving this issue. I complained pretty bitterly about plans to make this section less accessible than before the library’s $28 million expansion/renovation. It’s only fair that they now be commended for listening to the public (I wasn’t the only one who complained) and making the necessary adjustments to keep this vital resource as accessible as possible.

Peoria Public Library limiting access to local history and geneaology section (UPDATED 2x)

The good news is that the Peoria Public Library is finally reopening its Local History and Genealogy section that was closed for a while due to the $28 million remodeling/renovation/building project. The bad news is, it’s only open limited hours:

Peoria Public Library opened the new Local History and Genealogy Room at the Peoria Public Library Main Library on Tuesday, March 15 at 10:00 a.m.

The new facility is on Lower Level One. The room, enclosed with glass walls, will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday. During construction, the department was located off-site and materials were moved back in January and arranged in the new space.

Wait a minute. The taxpayers just spent $28 million for a library “expansion,” and now we’re being told they’re limiting access to arguably the most vital section of the library? Only certain days? And then only a portion of those days?

I was just looking over the library’s strategic plan. I’m wondering how reducing hours will “increase value to customers” (objective 2.1), or “enhance and optimize facilities” (objective 4.1). Or how going from a full-time research library to a part-time research library jibes with the library’s vision: “To advance learning, knowledge, personal growth, and the quality of life in the greater Peoria area.” Does “advance” mean “go backwards” now?

“The Peoria Public Library,” the strategic plan promises, “will strive to provide … innovative services and collections that are readily accessible [emphasis added], easy to use, and relevant to community needs, and that are known and valued by every segment of the community.” Does “readily accessible” mean taking materials that used to be available every day and hour the library was open and putting them on a special floor that’s now only open limited hours?

Perhaps the library’s stated mission should be recast from “Bringing people and information together,” to “Bringing people and information together only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 to 4 and Saturday from 9 to noon,” or “Bringing people and information together less often.”

Library Director Ed Szynaka has not responded to my request for comment.

UPDATE: I received an e-mail this morning from the library director. Apparently he did try to write me earlier, but transposed a couple of numbers in my e-mail address, which is why I didn’t receive it. Here’s his response:

Thank you for contacting Peoria Public Library. I am unable to tell from your communication whether you have been to visit our new Local History room which has only been open to the public for two hours as I write this. If you have visited I believe you will have noticed the many physical improvements that have been made both to care for the collection and to offer it more easily to our visitors. As you may be aware, so much of the collection is unique and one-of-a-kind and our objective was to offer as much access as possible in a controlled environment that would protect it. We believe we have succeeded.

You have stated that Local History is the most valuable resource Peoria Public Library offers. Certainly it is unique, but it is not the resource in the widest demand nor the sole purpose of the library. As Library Director in these tough economic times, I must balance the needs of the entire community with our operating budget. The operating budget is a separate issue from our bond measure. Our $28 million building project created structures that will enable our community to have the very best library service for the next several generations. It is unfortunate that at the time Peoria Public Library is reopening, operating funds are not as readily available and we must live within our means.

We are just now entering a new era of library service which will reach its full potential as the remainder of our buildings reopen in 2011. As with any new venture, we must have a starting place from which to launch operations and as public usage and demand show what hours of operation work well for our community we will adjust. In the meantime, we offer 21 hours of open access to the collection as well as online databases that can be used in any Peoria Public Library and some from home 24/7 with a library card. Many local history questions can be answered through our reference department if immediate answers are required. Our Local History collection has a wonderful new space that will protect our holdings and volunteers from The Peoria County Genealogical Society are helping to staff the room.

I thank you for input and assure you that we are keeping close watch on usage and demand for all our library services.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Szynaka
Director
Peoria Public Library

UPDATE 2: Here is my response to Mr. Szynaka:

Dear Mr. Szynaka,

Thank you for your response. I still vociferously disagree with the decision to restrict hours to the local history and genealogy section.

Taxpayers were assured at the time of the referendum (and many times subsequently) that the library would be able to staff the branches adequately even with the addition of a new branch on the north end. We were told that the new open floor plan downtown and self-checkout devices would allow the library to maintain the same level of service with fewer staff members. In fact, the library’s strategic plan states explicitly, “A new, revitalized Main Street Branch will be able to offer better service with a smaller staff.” [emphasis added] We were told that operating costs would be further kept in check because the upgrades would provide better energy efficiency. We were told the library would actually make more materials directly available as they would be moved out of the basement onto the shelves. Now you’re telling me and all the other taxpayers of Peoria that you can’t afford the operating costs resulting from your capital improvements/expansion after all? And that as a result you have to restrict access to even more materials than were previously restricted?

Let me put it bluntly: I never would have supported the library referendum if I had known the Local History and Genealogy section would be locked up and inaccessible over 60% of the library’s operating hours. I even wrote a letter of support for a grant application for the library that specifically singled out the local history resources as being a vital asset to our community. Now you’re effectively taking that asset away from the working community.

You asked if I had visited the new Local History room. The answer is no — not because I don’t want to visit, but because I can’t visit due to the restricted hours. I work during the day, like most people in Peoria. I note that the room is open for three hours on Saturday, but in the summer when the branch closes on Saturday, even that won’t be an option. So the materials are now effectively inaccessible to the working community.

You mentioned that this resource is “unique.” That is precisely why I feel so strongly that it should be available whenever the library is open. Unlike novels, movies, and even computers that can be accessed from several sources, the local history information in your collection is only available in one place: the Peoria Public Library. If patrons want to search pre-1991 editions of the Peoria Journal Star or historic City Council minutes archives or the expansive vertical file, there is no other place this information can be accessed.

I respectfully and earnestly request that the library keep its promises to provide better service by making the Local History and Genealogy section fully accessible to the public again.

Sincerely,
C. J. Summers

Szynaka responds to accusations of improperly discarded books

I wrote to Peoria Public Library Director Ed Szynaka and asked him for his response to anonymous reports I’ve been getting about books being indiscriminately discarded, as reported earlier on my blog. He sent me this explanation:

First of all let me assure you that our weeding guidelines, created and adopted from best library practices, are still in force. I do understand that it is human nature to see an action and believe you know what is happening and to spread that tale with your own interpretation. My explanation for why people are reporting such things to you are that they do not understand what they are seeing. They are responding to the end of the process and not seeing what happens ahead of that.

They see recycling bins of books and do not or may not realize the steps leading up to that point. Also, they don’t see how much we are keeping or realize where books are going. For examples, truckloads of books are being taken to Lakeview Branch to bolster their collection during construction. Other books are boxed to be moved within the building.

Yes, people are seeing large amounts of materials leave our building. Some are being recycled. Other materials are being donated to other libraries and in some cases sold so that we have further funding to purchase the materials Peorians want on our shelves. For example, we did not throw away bound copies of Railway Age. That title and other periodicals have gone to a service that makes them available to other types of libraries, such as academic libraries, that want to complete their collections. Periodicals were weeded and then double-checked by our local history authority who did have the final say on retaining some titles and in fact, pulled bound periodicals to be retained for the local history collection.

For many of the items that are weeded, we know we can obtain this information either online or through inter-library loan for the few patrons who may want to access it. It would be irresponsible to continue to use large amounts of space for items in poor condition or items that only one or two people want to use. Other items have gone to other academic libraries where students of various topics want, need and will use the information on a regular basis

You mentioned that it was reported to you weeding was being sped up. In reality weeding is not being sped up, but the staff is very focused. More people are working on the project for longer hours, but they do not proceed any more quickly. For instance, a team of professional, Master-degreed librarians are involved with checking materials before anything is discarded as part of the weeding process.

The decisions are made carefully, and then the last step occurs when librarians at computers are quickly scanning and discarding books. As this last task has become familiar our staff have become very practiced at the physical motion required and yes, they have “sped up” their ability to scan, but the weeding process itself is not done any more quickly.

Another visual effect that is contributing to the sense that the Main Library is being emptied is that we are in the process of clearing three floors – second, first and IB – and moving all books to the basement so we continue to retrieve them for the public during construction. That moving is going on at this moment and lends to the sense of materials disappearing when they are actually being relocated.

You mentioned that perhaps we should be using our expansion to house books and weed more carefully. The extra square footage you may be hearing about is only our new stair tower and entrance, not space for library materials. We will have the same square footage within the library itself, although IB will now be a public floor with a dedicated Local History and Genealogy room as well as an expanded gallery and more public meeting space.

I do hope this has answered your questions and as always I appreciate your continued support for Peoria Public Library.

I would only add for clarification purposes that when I mentioned that the library was gaining square footage, I was not referring to the main branch in isolation, but to the entire Peoria Public Library (all branches). They are building a new north branch and dramatically expanding the Lincoln branch. Those add a significant amount of square footage.

My thanks to Mr. Szynaka for taking the time to respond.

Are books being carefully weeded or indiscriminately discarded?

Earlier this year, one of my readers informed me that the dumpsters outside the Peoria Public Library downtown were full of books being thrown away. I contacted library officials who explained that they were “weeding” books — a perfectly legitimate process based on established guidelines for libraries.

But now a new anonymous source tells me the library staff is concerned that those weeding guidelines are being thrown out with the books in the basement:

I have attached a couple of photos of bins of books ready to be taken away and destroyed. PPL has stepped up efforts to get rid of the books being stored in its basement levels. They will all be gone soon if this process is not stopped. All the bins in the attached photo are being filled at a rate of a couple of times a day. Shelves of books are being indiscriminately emptied of books regardless of condition or value. Staff here at the library believes that this process is a violation of the responsibility of the library to the citizens. Yes, some of these books are in poor shape and really have no future, but many others could be sold, donated or otherwise reused.

bins1

bins2

That’s a lot of books. This makes me wonder, why the need to “step up” their weeding efforts? Aren’t we expanding the size of the library buildings overall? It seems there would be plenty of space to continue storing these until a proper weeding could be done. Why the rush?

New library branch uninspiring

north-libraryThe Peoria Public Library’s architect for the new north branch has released an artist’s rendering of the site (see picture to right). The Journal Star reports that the design of the new library is “a collaborative effort between PSA Dewberry, the Farnsworth Group and Burnidge Cassel Associates”:

“You’re going to have something that this city can really be proud of,” said Rick McCarthy, principal architect of PSA Dewberry of Elgin. “These designs really make a statement about libraries.”

So I’ve been looking at the picture, trying to figure out what statement this makes about libraries. Frankly, if looks like a slightly-modified 1950s modernist-style building. If you didn’t know what it was, you might think it’s an office building or school. The round reading room is a miniature version of the planetarium being planned for the downtown museum. I guess what I’m saying is that it’s not an architecturally-significant building. It’s neither imaginative nor inspiring, nor does it evoke a sense of permanence.

Hence, it will blend perfectly in the fifth district.

A grave situation

The proposed expansion of the Peoria Public Library’s Lincoln branch is staring in the face of death. Literally. The land on which they want to build the addition has been and could possibly still be a graveyard, and the cost to relocate the buried bodies could deep six the expansion plan.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist all the opportunities for puns in that story. It’s funny, but then it’s also kind of creepy the more you think about it. I hope they don’t find any bodies.

Peoria Public Library weeding its collections

dumpster-readerA concerned taxpayer recently told me about the library throwing out a large number of books:

I take my kids to the downtown library a few times a week. I have noticed on a number of occasions that there are people dumping books into the dumpsters behind the buildings. When I asked [someone at the library] what was going on she said that the library was eliminating thousands of books from their collection. I was told that they are also removing most of the magazines and older books that have been stored in the basement level. She said that most all eliminated material is being thrown away and hardly any of it is being donated.

Well, that was certainly a provocative tip! I immediately wrote to library director Ed Szynaka, and he forwarded my inquiry to assistant director Leann Johnson. She basically confirmed what I was told and gave me the following explanation:

Withdrawing items from the collection is an ongoing process for libraries and Peoria Public Library locations strive to maintain an up-to-date and useful collection as well as a strong local history and genealogy collection. As observed, materials are discarded and the reported comment as to the number of items refers to an intensified effort to get the collection in good condition before the imminent building project begins. That being said, this is a very tough thing for librarians to do as we, like all book lovers, find it hard to let go of books of any kind. But the reality of the renovation of the Main Street Library has taken hold and we are now making the decisions that have been on the back burner for a long time.

I appreciate your asking if we donate books and about the library’s policy. Most of the materials are given to the Friends of the Library for their book sales. Proceeds from the book sales then support the wide variety of programs offered by the Library. Other recent cooperative efforts include working with Thomas Jefferson school after the fire, providing childrens’ books to a local church group for a school library in Louisiana, housing a collection of older materials related to the Civil War in the reading room of the GAR Hall, and working with Eastern Illinois University to transfer a large collection of government documents known as the Serial Set to an academic setting where the material is more likely to be used and stored appropriately. Materials that don’t get sold, donated, or recycled are then discarded. We do recycle and would like to recycle more. To my knowledge no recyclers in the area accept hardbound books. We continue to try to locate a recycler who will.

The answer to which books get eliminated and which are retained is a long one and depends on a variety of factors including general condition, outdated information (particularly in the areas of science, medicine and law), demand, copyright dates along with last date circulated, duplicate copies, superseded editions. These guidelines vary based on the subject (Dewey number) or genre. We do have a Collection Management Policy as well as “Weeding” Guidelines for withdrawing materials from the collection. The guidelines are adapted from The CREW Method: Expanded Guidelines for Collection Evaluation and Weeding for Small and Medium-Sized Public Libraries by Belinda Boon. Older materials present another challenge altogether and we take into consideration local topics that provide insight into the history of our area, historic events, unusual topics or unique items.

I hope this helps to answer your questions.

The acronym “CREW” in “The CREW Method” stands for “Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding.” You can read about this method at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission website.

School board member suggests some “horse trading of civic assets”

Jim StowellPeoria School Board member Jim Stowell believes the new northern branch of the library is misplaced, and would be better located by Expo Gardens and Richwoods High School. He doesn’t think it’s too late to change locations, either, since no construction has begun yet. A little over a week ago, he sent this letter to Peoria Public Library Director Ed Szynaka, Peoria Park District Director Bonnie Noble, Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Ken Hinton, and City of Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis:

Congratulations to the Peoria Public Library for the much deserved recognition from the Alliance Library Systems for their work in, as PJS described 10/30 “nudging a plan through a laborious process” that ended with 72% supporting a $35 million referendum to upgrade the present system. Full disclosure, I did not support the referendum.

Since the passage of that advisory referendum, however, much has changed economically. While some might think the $1 million spent for 6 acres behind Menards is a worthy investment, I’d suggest that with the pace of growth slowing and no shovel of dirt yet turned on this project, that the leadership of the Library would be prudent stewards of community assets if they re-assessed where to allocate precious resources. Much as city leaders have started to address issues within the heart of our city through Impact Zones, I believe we need to construct a new library where it can serve the greatest good for our community. Councilman Spears offered an idea that was not given adequate evaluation. With ICC, Mid-State College, St. Vincent’s and several public schools within walking distance, a facility near Expo could serve as a catalyst for a north-end transformation that might head off diminished real estate values likely to occur.

While I write only as an individual and not on behalf of the school board, what would be the possibility if the Library could acquire land near Richwoods free? Add the possibility that the school district would consider titling the properties acquired on Prospect to the Park District. The ultimate end would be for the Park District to acquire, over time, other parcels and square off Glen Oak Park from McClure down to Frye. This would open up green space and eyes to what many don’t realize is there.

A caveat to the agreement would need to provide for housing the District 150 Chinese teachers. Given the financial challenges facing municipal entities, it would likely take many years for the Park District to acquire the entire frontage along Prospect and our Chinese teachers could remain good neighbors of the Park.

In exchange for those assets, the School District could take possession of the Lakeview Branch, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU for up to 30 years) that, through collaboration, the Public Library would remain open and a reading lab for students might also be established. Mentors for the reading lab could be sought from patrons. Usage could be monitored and a new “model collaborative library” might even develop.

In the end, the Library retains land where growth might occur in the next 30 years, and a “new” facility is more centrally located to serve multiple age groups and demographics. The siting could set off positive revitalization efforts throughout Exposition Gardens, with walking trails, etc. Lakeview would be enhanced and the District would have built-in mentor magnet.

In working together, the cost for the horse trading of civic assets – zero. The knowledge that the Library Board led other government entities and acted for the greater good: priceless.

Jim Stowell

Council Roundup 10/28/08

Possibly the biggest news from Tuesday’s Peoria City Council meeting is that the council decided not to pursue purchasing the Peoria District waterworks. So, the clock starts ticking — the city has the option of buying back the waterworks every five years, so mark your calendars for 2013 when this will come up again. The vote, by the way, was 4-7. Voting in favor were councilpersons Manning, Sandberg, Montelongo, and Van Auken.

Naturally, the council approved a temporary change to the Form District portion of the Land Development Code (which I discussed in a previous post). The vote was 9-2, with councilmen Sandberg and Jacob voting against it.

A new Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district was created downtown. Sandberg was the lone “no” vote. This TIF is part of the new “Hospitality Improvement Zone Tax Increment Redevelopment Plan and Project” (HIZTIRPAP?), which, if I understand it correctly, is designed to help existing downtown hotels improve and encourage the development of new hotels downtown — especially a hotel near the Civic Center. I’ve heard unconfirmed rumors that the Pere Marquette is going to be one of the first hotels to take advantage of these incentives by planning an expansion.

The council made no decision on whether to raise elected officials’ salaries, deferring the item until next Monday’s special meeting. However, there was a last-minute attempt by councilperson Van Auken to tie any future raises to the Consumer Price Index instead of a flat percentage. This led to a six-and-a-half-minute sermon from councilman Nichting on the value of public service and the sacrifices of public servants.

The other two newsworthy items were that (a) they denied a liquor license to Target in the Glen Hollow shopping center, and (b) they appointed F. Eugene Rebholz to the Peoria Public Library Board of Trustees, replacing Frank Gold, chairman of the library’s building committee.