At its May meeting Pierce County Library System’s Board of Trustees will hear about the Library’s National Medal award and Innovations Initiative proposals. The Board will also discuss a policy about naming buildings and areas and review other issues. The Board of Trustees will meet at the Library’s Processing and Administrative Center, 3005 112th St. E., in Tacoma, on Wednesday, May 15, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
National Medal: Board of Trustees Chair Linda Ishem and the Library’s Executive Director Neel Parikh will report on the National Medal ceremony. On May 8 First Lady Michelle Obama and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Director Susan Hildreth presented the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service to Pierce County Library and nine other libraries and museums from around the country for outstanding and innovative service to their communities. They presented the award to Joelyn Cruz, a person IMLS selected as an individual whose life has been enhanced with services from Pierce County Library, and Neel Parikh. Pierce County Library is the first library in the State of Washington to earn this award. The National Medal is the highest honor for museums and libraries. See video of the ceremony at http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2013/05/08/first-lady-presents-2013-national-medal-museum-and-library-service. Pierce County Library portion begins at 13:33.
Innovations Initiative: Neel Parikh will share with the Board innovative projects the Library recently submitted to Urban Library Council (ULC). ULC Innovations Initiative showcases leading best practices that demonstrate the value and impact of public library service in the 21st century. With the concept that other libraries can learn from and adapt the practices or projects. Pierce County Library submitted several innovative initiatives including its work to engage and involve communities with publishers’ blockade to e-books, analysis and reduction of its books and materials budget, making DVDs and CDs more accessible while reducing the theft of those items, and other innovative projects. Urban Libraries Council is a membership organization comprised of leading public libraries.
Naming Policy: The Board will review its policy regarding naming buildings and areas in libraries. The Library’s Board of Trustees first adopted the policy in 1981 and revised it in 1998. The proposed updates in the policy involve naming areas in buildings to recognize donors to the Library’s Foundation or Friends groups. The policy states that library buildings/branches are named by geographic locations and service areas. It further states that individuals or groups who have made a significant financial or other contribution to library services may be honored by naming an area in a building, such as a meeting room, children’s area, etc.
Pierce County Library is the fourth largest library system in the state, serving 555,000 people with 18 locations. In 2012, people made 2.5 million visits to Pierce County Libraries.
