ANNUAL REPORT TOWN OF GRANBY MASSACHUSETTS FOR ...

weekly throughout the school year. Also each week, Playgroup
Pals brought caregivers and children together with books and
friends.
In March the library offered American Red Cross Babysitter
Training at the library. The classes filled very quickly and
produced qualified babysitters. A “Magic the Gathering” Group
created by teens for teens took off with capacity attendance
beginning in March. The group met weekly throughout the
summer.
A town-wide treasure hunt fundraiser, “The Flamingo Find”
was made possible by the library teen group. The Granby Jr. Sr.
High School art department painted 16 plastic flamingos in
theme with the businesses that hosted them for one week. Much
fun was had by all 75 participants.
Summer library activities have the goal of promoting reading
to help students of all ages maintain reading skills while on
vacation. This year, 463 youth registrants took part and 78 teens
participated in the teen portion of the summer reading program.
The Friends of the Granby Library and the Massachusetts Library
System sponsored the library’s summer reading program
providing funding for great incentive prizes for infants through
teens, as well as programming. The statewide summer theme
was “One World, Many Stories.” The Granby Local Cultural
Council provided funds for two wonderful educational programs;
Ed Popielarczk's Flea Circus and a “Stories from Around the
World” puppet show performed by Caravan Puppets. Both
events were held in the Library’s pavilion with crowds of over
one hundred at each event. A summer “Kids' Market”
showcased homemade items that kids made to purchase, trade or
barter with each other. Weekly activities included two story and
craft times that brought children around the world through their
imagination. Older youth took part in “A World of Lego
Building” programs weekly which led up to a Lego
Championship, where sixty-eight youth created inventive
structures. A skating party and finale with Italian ice added to
the summer fun. Teens were invited to two “Making Crafts”
events.
The library continued its collaboration with all three Granby
Schools and formed a new relationship with the new MacDuffie
School. This year the library continued to be a contact for
“Reach Out and Read,” a national non-profit organization that
promotes early literacy.
In October, the library held a successful building fundraiser
“Mom 2 Mom Sale.” Parents brought their children's outgrown
items to sell to others. The library also welcomed second graders
in October for a library tour and opportunity to get their first
library card. Granby kindergarteners walked over to the library
from West Street School for Native American Heritage Month in
November and were treated to authentic crafts and stories.
Youth also began to play Lego Ninjago weekly through the fall
months.
The library's Teen Advisory Board (T.A.B.) remained active.
Teens assisted at library books sales and held group meetings.
The T.A.B. group is dedicated to improving the library's
selection of Young Adult books and other materials, discussing
literature, and encouraging use of the library. The group has a
T.A.B. Blog for book updates, reviews and more that can be
accessed on the Young Adult section of the Granby Library’s
website. A Granby Library Teens Facebook Page was created in
17
order to provide social networking of library involvement. Teen
artists of the month were featured in the Young Adult Area with
great reviews. Teens aided in fundraising for the new library
building by holding a “Spa Night” in September and donated
items and created fifty-six holiday baskets for the Friends of the
Granby Library’s Holiday Basket Sale. Also in December, a
holiday “Kids' Market” featured young entrepreneurs selling their
homemade gifts for the holidays. Several patrons took advantage
of the library’s holiday “Gift a Book” program, donating books
to the library in honor of special teachers, friends and relatives
during the holidays.
The Granby Public Library’s 2011 Construction Grant
Application for a new library was submitted to the Massachusetts
Board of Library Commissioners on January 25, 2011. The
provisional grant was awarded on July 14, 2011 in the amount of
$2,603,663. At a Special Town Meeting held on October 24,
2011, the Town voted in favor of using $861,304 from the
Municipal Stabilization Fund to supply the remainder of funding
needed to complete the project. The Owner’s Project Manager,
Diversified Project Management, and the Architect, Johnson
Roberts Associates, Inc., have signed contracts to work through
the completion of the project. The project is scheduled to go out
for bid in June 2012 and break ground in August 2012.
The Library’s Capital Campaign Committee has been working
diligently throughout the year to raise funds for the new library
through a variety of raffles, benefits and events. Some of these
events included a Farm to Table Dinner, Flamingo Find, Garden
Stroll, Holiday Home Tour, and Knitting Fashion Show. We
would like to thank everyone who has donated their time, talent,
and hard work to make these events and all of our fundraising
efforts possible. Through these efforts, mostly sponsored by the
Friends of the Granby Library, the Capital Campaign Committee
has raised $392,857.76 as of January 2012. Fundraising efforts
will continue throughout the project.
The Library Trustees would like to thank the Friends of the
Library and the Granby Community Partnership Council for their
continued support. In addition, the Trustees would like to give
special thanks to the staff and volunteers. It is their loyalty and
dedication that make it all possible.
During the past year, the library has returned to the town
$395.59 in fines collected.
Circulation For 2011
Adult Fiction 7,375
Adult Non-Fiction 3,311
Juvenile Fiction 12,825
Juvenile Non-Fiction 2,209
Young Adult Fiction 2,363
Young Adult Non-Fiction 145
Periodicals 934
Adult Audio 1,126
Juvenile Audio 508
Young Adult Audio 133
Adult DVD 10,162
Juvenile DVD 5,406
Adult Video 12
Juvenile Video 1
Realia (Kits and Puzzles) 212
Museum Passes 210
Play-away 86