2020 Annual Report to the Community

Letter from the Director

In light of everything that happened in 2020, it would be incredibly easy to talk about all of the programs, services, and patrons we could not enjoy.

However, we want to take the opportunity to celebrate all of the things we were able to do last year and all of the people that made those things possible.

We had two and a half months at the start of the year filled with incredible in-person programs. The year got started with yoga, computer classes, seed parties, and more for adults; and preschool story times, Science Saturdays, and Teen Henna Tattoos for our youth patrons. In conjunction with the AARP and Blueprint Geneva we provided free tax aide and in conjunction with the Foundation for Geneva Public Library, we held the sixth annual A Taste of Jazz. Though we did not know it at the time, staff were working hard to hold a year’s worth of in-person programs in just a few months.

The library was closed for several months and we reopened in late June with necessary service reductions. Throughout all of that time, our commitment to serving our patrons never diminished. Instead, we found creative ways to continue to serve. In collaboration with the Pioneer Library System, we devoted resources to expanding the Library’s OWWL2Go digital collection and gave patrons access to Ancestry.com from their homes. We provided curbside pickup of library materials and the ability to register for library cards online. We shifted book clubs and story time programs online. Our hotspot lending program was expanded to make sure students and others in need had in-home access to the internet. Staff made wildly creative craft kits that patrons of all ages could take home and recorded videos so participants could follow along to their favorite programs at any time. Instead of giving up on popular programs such as the Youth Services Basket Raffle and AARP tax aide services, staff doubled down on planning efforts to make them possible in early 2021.

It could have been so easy to shut down and give in to all of the challenges of 2020, but Library staff, volunteers, and supporters continuously rose to the occasion.

We accomplished great things, perhaps none greater than the construction of our new parking lot. This was a project in the making for multiple decades. In 2020, we brought it to fruition.

I invite you to celebrate what the Library was able to do last year and to explore what the Library is planning for our future.
In this annual report, we unveil our Facilities Master Plan floor plans, which highlight exciting changes we have in store for our building. The Master Plan brings together years of community surveys, focus groups, and the collaborative efforts of staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders.

Thank you for your support of the Geneva Public Library during a year like no other.
Thank you for joining us in a very exciting future!

Sincerely,
Chris Finger
Library Director

Message from the Youth Services Department

This year we learned, experimented, overcame obstacles and still proceeded to provide programming to the youth of Geneva. Like many others, we took for granted the reliable normalcy of scheduling programs before we closed our doors in March. Before then, we could count on our wonderful children and teens to visit the library and participate in crafts, activities, puppet shows and Summer Reading.

When we reopened in July, we did so with very unfamiliar standards for offering library programs, due to COVID-19.

We as a staff struggled with the loss of physical interactions, limits to our services, and with not seeing the young, happy, smiling faces come through our doors, ready for a program. As with any loss, life must go on—so we did. We experimented with Zoom story times, Facebook Live, cooking classes on Youtube, and Take & Makes. Like all experiments, some failed while others blossomed. We are still experimenting with new ideas to continue providing socially distanced programs. We are now finding our niche with using social media and technology.

However, we are still unfamiliar with the whole realm of the virtual world, and we thank you for your patience. While it has been sad not seeing many of our young friends’ smiling faces, it has given the staff time to reorganize, so that when you return it will be easier for you to find the stories that you love.

We hope next year we can all be in one room, smiling and sharing stories!

Sincerely,
Youth Services Department

A Letter From the Board of Trustees

Dear Friends,

Despite 2020 being such an unusual year, the Geneva Public Library was still able to accomplish so much.

First, the long anticipated parking lot project was completed in the fall! By following necessary safety precautions, like social distancing and wearing masks, we were able to have a well attended ribbon cutting ceremony. We are grateful that many of our supporters, patrons and volunteers were able to celebrate this milestone with us. We hope you are now using the safe, well lit parking lot offered by the Library.

Second, we continue to make strides in developing initiatives under our strategic plan. One of our goals is to expand library services for underserved users. Through partnerships with area organizations who share the same goals as us, we have started to analyze the needs of our community more closely. We are excited to be able to initiate some programs and book collections based on our findings.

Finally, although the library was closed for 3 months and, upon reopening, staff had to adjust to new ways of working during COVID-19, the Library staff has done a tremendous job coming up with innovative ways for the library to continue engaging with the public. While some of these adjustments mean more virtual get-togethers, such as books club meetings and children’s story hours, the library is still open to the public.

Thank you for believing in our work and continuous support. We are looking forward to the day when we will be able to be open at full capacity.

Sincerely,
Santa Abraham
President, Board of Trustees

From the Reference and Technology Librarian

There are a lot of words people use to describe 2020: unprecedented, chaotic, relentless, exhausting. But the one I most identify with is surreal. Our sense of normalcy was upended in a myriad of ways, most notably by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here at the library, we closed for over three months, and when we reopened, things looked remarkably different; not only the physical building itself, but the way we offered services to the public. I had been teaching technology classes to patrons in person for the last three years, and suddenly, gatherings were not allowed. As we tested the waters of what was safe, I did some one-on-one technology appointments. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few people who wanted to learn how to use Zoom!

I accomplished a lot of “background” work after we reopened the library, catching up on things I have been meaning to do, but never found the time to finish.
But as COVID-19 numbers decrease, the number of people vaccinated increases, and a return to some sense of normalcy is (I hope) on the horizon, I am most looking forward to teaching in-person classes again. Until then, Zoom will suffice!

Sincerely,
Kelsy Hibbard-Baker
Reference and Technology Librarian

From the Foundation for Geneva Public Library

As is true of all organizations, our 2020 year was impacted by COVID-19. Owing to pandemic restrictions, our Board was unable to meet, from March through July. Prior to the pandemic, though, we were able to undertake much of our normal activity.

In its ninth year, the Foundation undertook a successful 2019-2020 appeal to donors and patrons. At the close of the campaign on March 1, 2020, we had raised $45,235 from 185 donors, which averaged $244.51 per donor. A portion of these funds enabled the Foundation to increase its effort to continue accumulating an Endowment Fund.

Our successful partnership with Wegmans continued until the COVID restrictions were put in place. Wegmans served as a corporate sponsor for our annual February fundraising event called A Taste of Jazz. FLCC’s Viticulture Program, The Herzig Group, and Community Bank provided additional sponsorship for the fundraiser. Contributions to our raffle table were from Billsboro Winery, Reliant Federal Credit Union, George Abbott, Barbara Krauss, Antoinette’s Bridal and Prom, Josephine and Ken Perry, Karen Fouracre, Nancy Bauder, M. J. Benda, GEVA Theatre, Bristol Valley Playhouse, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival, Geneva Theatre Guild, Plum Point, and Geneva on the Lake. The event raised a total of $3,295.20 for the Foundation.

Because of COVID restrictions, both our Spring and Fall Book Sales could not be held. Other Foundation efforts in 2020, however, included the continued success of the Balcony Book Store, which brought in just under $2,000 and the sale of donated books via Amazon.com. These sale efforts have functioned smoothly thanks to the work of our book sale committee comprising Lynn Herzig, Deb Brewer, George Abbott, Judy Campbell, and Kerry Lippincott.
Gifts from Jane and the late Bill Crumlish have again assured the long-term stability of Musical Moments, one of our most popular programs. Musical Moments is on a hiatus, due to COVID restriction. We look forward to resuming these well-attended offerings.

The Foundation was established in 2011 as a vehicle for investment in market securities because, as a school district public library, the Library is permitted to invest only in risk-free assets. While our focus remains on long-term financial support, each year our undertakings evolve to meet both the Library’s current needs and the skills of the organization’s leadership and volunteers.

Sincerely,
Nancy Bauder
Foundation for Geneva Public Library President