March was exciting month at the library, as we welcomed the start of spring and celebrated New Jersey Makers Day on March 16. Please read on for further updates for March, and usage statistics for February.
Building and Grounds
Soyka Smith Design Studios and Murray Construction completed the Local History Room renovation punchlist on March 4, making a few final repairs. The Local History Room presentation screen was installed on March 13. Ryan HVAC, who installed the library’s new boilers and air conditioner and chiller, visited the library on March 20 with one of the manufacturers to perform a due diligence inspection of the air conditioner and chiller in advance of warmer weather.
Finance
The libraryās FY25 (2023 data year) Per Capita State Aid application was submitted on Friday, March 15, and State aid funds are anticipated to be received in October 2024. The libraryās FY24 State Aid was in the amount of $17,082.
In the Library
The library hosted a variety of events for New Jersey Makers Day on Saturday, March 16, with leadership from the Youth Services Department. Workshops included robotics, kite construction, textile design, and crafting, with demonstrations and drop-in activities including musical instrument petting zoo, planting seeds, mobile app development, marble ski jumps, and more. Westfield organizations and individuals who presented and led activities include the Westfield Robotics Club, Westfield Girl Scout Cadette Troop #40824, 4H Club of Union County, New Jersey Workshop for the Arts, and Krishav Singla. The event was attended by more than 300 people.
In coordination with the New Jersey Makers Day event, the library began distributing solar eclipse glasses to allow Westfied residents to safely view the total solar eclipse anticipated for Monday, April 8. 1 pair of glasses per Westfield library card will continue to be distributed at the libraryās front desk while supplies last.
The Youth Services Department began offering a new āparent and meā music enrichment program for young children in March, presented by Rockness Music of Westfield. The classes have been extremely popular with completely full registration for each event.
18 people attended the libraryās first Banned Book Discussion Group on March 11. The book read and discussed was the Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel Maus: A Survivorās Tale, by Art Spiegelman, which has recently been temporarily or permanently banned in communities and school districts in Florida, Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee. Maus has been widely recognized as a powerful tool in understanding the Holocaust and the murder of more than 6 million Jews by the Nazis between 1941 and 1945. The next discussion group will meet on June 10 and will feature a discussion of All Boys Arenāt Blue, by Plainfield native George M. Johnson.
Technology
The upgrade of traditional barcode tags to RFID tags is now underway, with coordination led by the library’s Head of Technology and Technical Services. In just the first few days of tagging, a team of 7 staff members have already tagged approximately 3,000 books. Upon completion, the library will install (2) new RFID self-checkout kiosks, which have already been ordered.
The Adult Services Department is preparing to launch a new one on one technology assistance program in April.
Partnerships
The library is partnering with Westfield Girl Scout Troop #40295 and Lifelong Westfield to host a game night for Westfield seniors in May. The event will be planned, developed, and hosted by girl scouts, with the library and Lifelong Westfield providing space and promotional support.
The library is launching an Artist in Residence program, in partnership with the Westfield Art Association. The Artist in Residence will receive dedicated gallery space, plus a modest honorarium as compensation. In return they will provide several public events during their 3-month residency including at minimum a public art demonstration, a hands-on art workshop, and a public conversation about their art. Applications are now open.
Staff
The Library Director was a panelist at Library Advocacy Training, sponsored by the New Jersey Library Association at Burlington County Library on March 6. He also spoke to the Monmouth University Social Work Society on March 2, on the topic of censorship and book banning in libraries.
Library Organizations
Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium (LMxAC)
LMxAC is continuing to work on the process of migrating (3) new Union County member libraries Union (Twp), Hillside, and Garwood. LMxAC is also in talks with an additional Union County library about the prospects of joining the consortia later this year. The addition of member libraries in Union County has a significant benefit for Westfield residents.
SirsiDynix and SOLUS have reached an agreement and the LMxAC mobile app has been restored to the app stores and is once again available for Westfield residents. An improved mobile app will be available in June when LMxAC migrates from Sirsi to Polaris.
American Library Association (ALA)
On March 14, the American Library Association reported a record number of unique book titles challenged in 2023, and a 92 percent increase in the number of titles targeted for censorship in public libraries. In all, ALA reported efforts to censor 4,240 unique book titles in schools and libraries in 2023 (up from 2,571 titles in 2022).
