Overview and President's Report 2009

	2009 Annual Meeting Library Overview and President's Report John Trigg Ester Library Overview October 25, 2009 Mission Statement: The John Trigg Ester Library is a home-grown community library that provides a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment where local residents can meet and share ideas and information. The library strives to instill a love of reading and learning, to showcase Ester history and culture, and to provide resources that enrich the whole community. The John Trigg Ester Library (JTEL) is a membership-based community library located in Ester, Alaska. It is a member of the Alaska Library Association, which is affiliated with the American Library Association. Operations and Maintenance: The library is located on Main Street and is open every day of the week, from 9 am to 9 pm. The space above the library is a rental apartment. The JTEL is a do-it-yourself library, meaning that there is no staff and that library members are responsible for the library's upkeep, for checking out and returning books, and for maintaining its shelves. It functions on an honor system. The “librarians” are actually library members who have taken it on themselves to help organize fundraisers, maintain the library, catalog books, or serve on the library committee. They are not professional librarians (although some have library experience) and are not paid by the JTEL. Almost the entire collection has been donated by local residents, with some books coming from the state library in Juneau and only a very few books purchased, from an account at Gulliver's Books to which patrons may donate their used book credit. Items in the collections include books, videos, DVDs, audiobooks (on CD or cassette), jigsaw puzzles, and a few board games. The library has a cooperative arrangement of interlibrary loan/shared collections with Calypso Farm & Ecology Center’s Resource Library. The catalog is on line only at this point, and may be found at www.librarything.com/catalog/esterlibrarian. Cataloging is incomplete; as of this report, 1,040 items have been entered (875 in the JTEL, 165 in Calypso’s library). Approximately 5,000 items are on the JTEL’s shelves, and another 5,000 or so are in storage in various people’s homes and a cabin belonging to Jackie Stormer and Verice Doble, who have donated use of the space to the library. The JTEL purchases supplies (tape, pens, card pockets, library cards), pays for rent and heating fuel, purchases fundraiser items such as t-shirts, and pays for publicity and other support to fundraisers, such as posters. Some construction-related purchases for goods and services have been made as well. History: The JTEL started in early summer 1999 as a reading room with a few books rescued from a dumpster by Frank Therrell. A book drive was held on the Golden Eagle Saloon’s porch in August that year, and people from as far away as Two Rivers came with their donations. (Since then the collections have grown with no help from further book drives.) The library has been housed in Frank’s house on the lower level since its opening. Frank has been a major sponsor of the library from its beginning. The library changed its name to honor John Trigg in 2000, after his untimely death. John was an avid storyteller and reader who started a book exchange in the Golden Eagle Saloon, so it seemed fitting to the librarians that his name grace the local library. Many of his books are now in the library, donated by his family. In 2004 the library joined the Ester Community Association, a nonprofit founded in 1941 and dedicated to enhancing the life of the community. By this time, it was clear that the library was outgrowing its quarters, and so to raise funds to purchase land and construct a building, the first annual Lallapalooza & Book Bash was held, in spring 2005. In 2006, the Li-Berry Music Festival was inaugurated by Jeff Stepp, featuring Tim Easton as the headliner attraction. In 2008, Ed Rouleau started the third annual fundraiser, Readers on the Run. These events bring in the bulk of the library’s funds. In 2008 the JTEL and the ECA decided to separate; the library to work toward obtaining charitable organization (501 c3) status. In spring 2009 the library received its first large single donation, $5,000 from the Golden North Rebekah Lodge, which added impetus for gaining nonprofit status. Land on Village Road was purchased in spring 2006 from Rick Winther (Malemute, Inc.), and soils and property surveys conducted. Initial clearing of trees and brush was done for the soil survey. Design meetings for the new building began in June. In 2007 topsoil was removed by Scott Allen on the library site and construction begun on the gazebo, on property across from the post office, leased from Larry Flodin. Architectural drafts for the new building were completed in August 2009. The Future: The library has begun its first educational program: the JTEL Lecture Series. This series of lectures features local artists, historians, writers, entrepreneurs, adventurers, musicians, craftspeople, and colorful characters who will present their work and thoughts to the public. Lectures are free of charge and are held at Hartung Hall. The gazebo, when complete, will serve as outdoor concert and event area, outdoor reading or waiting room, and will include a community bulletin board. It is already fulfilling some of these functions. When the library building is complete, the full collections will be moved into it, and Ester will have a smoke- and alcohol-free public place open to all ages to study, read, research, commune, and gather year-round. Library Needs What the library needs most is volunteer assistance. Donations are of course essential and appreciated, but paramount in keeping the library open and useful is the people who give their time to make it function. The more volunteers there are, the less work for each person, and the less the likelihood of burnout—a problem we have begun to experience. While the library takes little in the way of upkeep, there are a few tasks that need doing regularly. Library volunteers are needed for the following maintenance duties: 1) taking out the garbage (once a month) 2) sweeping (once a week) 3) shelving returned and cataloged items (once a week, sometimes more often) 4) vacuuming (once a month) 5) cataloging (ongoing, requires an internet connection) Organization Help Volunteers are needed to serve on the board and committees and assist with incorporation paperwork. Other Needs Other volunteering is focused around special events, particularly fundraisers. Main tasks are: 1) organizing event volunteers & overseeing of event 2) publicity 3) contacting, scheduling, and arranging for performers or speakers 4) soliciting or otherwise obtaining items for auction or prizes We are also fundraising through our capital campaign. Volunteers who wish to help here must have excellent communication and diplomacy skills. Main tasks include: 1) identifying likely donors or grant possibilities 2) grantwriting 3) donation solicitation Friends of the Ester Library Many nonprofit organizations have separate fundraising arms or support organizations. Friends of the Ester Library is at the moment merely a loose-knit group of active volunteers who participate heavily in fundraisers and other library-related events, but could become more formally organized and thus free the JTEL to focus on library activities rather than fundraising. The group has a website, www.esterlibrary.com. President’s Report Deirdre Helfferich The Ester library is, quite simply, one of the most important important projects I am working on. It is more important to me than my newspaper, The Ester Republic, and those of you who know me understand just how how strong a statement that is. Libraries are incredibly valuable; they are, of course, sources of information and entertainment, but consider what that means: they contribute to lifelong learning, searches for employment, reading readiness in pre-school children, to both immigrant integration and support for multicultural communities, and to social interaction within a community. Libraries enhance property values, contribute to residents’ satisfaction with their community, and provide educational and informational support to all sorts of organizations, businesses, and individuals. They are equalizers as well, and help create a sense of community. We’ve had a library here for the last ten years, and I can say with confidence that, small and often crowded though it is, the Ester library has contributed to community life in many of these ways. Once we have an actual building for all its collections, it will be able to contribute even more. One of the best things about the library is that, if you live in Ester, you can walk to it. We have to drive to pretty much everything else (except the local pub). People in Cripple Creek or at the far end of Old Nenana don’t have to drive all the way into town to get a library book or a movie; they can simply come to the village to check one out, thus saving time and gasoline, avoiding ice smog and traffic. The John Trigg Ester Library complements the Noel Wien Library, but it has materials that this much larger library does not, because it is dedicated to preserving Ester history and culture. Its location and collections help us maintain our identity. In the last year our fundraising has been significantly more successful than in previous years, the architectural plans are just about ready, and we are having our first official membership meeting. I think, in light of how much we’ve done, that it is important that certain people and businesses be recognized for the hard work they’ve put in over the years. The length of this list makes it clear that many people believe in the library and want it to succeed. There are many other people and businesses that have not been listed here, mostly due to my inability to remember them all because they are so many. My apologies to you if you’re not here—your efforts are still appreciated: Chris Akert & Del Thorngren of Tandem Enterprises for prizes, sponsorships, and supplies for the gazebo Denise Akert-Mohr for her beautiful stained glass windows for the gazebo Bill Akiss of the Ester Post Office, for his bountiful cheer and auction items Scott Allen of Tanana Truck & Tractor, for sponsorship of events and dirtwork the Artworks, for many fine prizes over the years the Back Cunt’ry Bruthers, for music at fundraisers Beaver Sports, for auction items Walter Benesch & Sandy Jamieson, for donation of book sales and artwork Kate Billington, for years of volunteering at events and organizing music, for keeping the library tidy, and for serving as a board member Maggie Billington, for helping at fundraisers Wendy Blakeman, for help with cataloging and volunteering at fundraisers the Blue Loon, for hosting a fundraiser and providing auction items Nancy Burnham of the Annex, for serving as treasurer, and volunteering at, hosting, and sponsoring fundraisers Calypso Farm, for providing prizes, pie judging expertise, and help at fundraisers the Cameron clan, for volunteering, sponsoring, loaning us money, and helping out at events, particularly Amy for her great fashion shows and graphic designwork Thela Clayton, for many wonderful auction items Marjorie Kowalski Cole, for prizes, poetry, and judging expertise College Coffeehouse, for many gift certificates over the years Hope Colitz of In the Heart of Ester Dan Darrow, for artwork Dwight Deely & Linda Patrick for many years of auction items Tim Easton, for performing at our first music festival and donating the proceeds of his house concert to the library Ester Gold Camp, for hosting and contributing to fundraisers the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, who for years lent us tables for our fundraisers LJ Evans, for many hours of volunteer work Far Above Rubies for auction items Larry and Gail Flodin, for their generous lease of the gazebo land George Gianakopoulos, for music at many fundraisers Eric Glos, for many years of service on the board, volunteering at events, brush clearing, and helping with the gazebo the Golden North Rebekah Lodge, which showed confidence in us and our aims and gave us our first large donation Gold Hill Liquor & Gas, for sponsorships and years of great auction items and prizes Lynn and Vicki of Goldstream General Store for sponsorships and auction items Gary Grata of Ester Glassworks for auction items Gulliver’s Books, for years of excellent prizes and sponsorships Judie Gumm, for volunteering at fundraisers and supplying many beautiful auction items and prizes Melinda Harris, for serving on the board, helping to organize fundraising, and for many hours of volunteer work Jeremy Harrod, for help at fundraisers setting up and shooing people out, and for his music Tom Hart for auction items and music with Lost Dog Carla Helfferich & Peter McRoy of McRoy & Blackburn, Publishers, for sponsorships, auction items, and advice Merritt Helfferich, for his work and advice on getting a capital campaign going the Hill clan, for music, food, auction items and volunteering at numerous fundraisers Diane Hunt, for help and artwork at fundraisers Dave Hyland of Goldstream Water, for volunteering at events and prizes Inua Wool, for sponsorships and auction items Mary & Katie Ireland, for sponsorships and many hours of volunteer work at fundraisers and on the library committee Kalen Associates, for their survey work and generous donation of services Inari Kylänen, for artwork Jean Lester, for artworks and volunteering at fundraisers Jean McDermott, for many years of performance at fundraisers Ginger Meta, for volunteering at fundraisers Nate Montgomery, for music at numerous fundraisers Hans Mölders, for music, building bookshelves and the gazebo, sponsoring events, and helping out at every fundraiser we’ve had Musical Rumors, for providing fine jazz the Musicks, for sponsorship, help at numerous events, and for asking the right questions at design and planning meetings, and especially Monique, for donating photos and for getting us organized Gerry Nordmann, for organizing a fundraiser North Pole Coffee, for delicious auction items Jen Otey, for pie, music, and beautiful artwork Birch Pavelsky for volunteering at the Lallapalooza the Rogers family, for volunteering at innumerable events, clearing brush, working on the gazebo, and Margaret Rogers in particular for serving as treasurer and board member for so long Ed and Nannette Rouleau, for organizing and helping at events Lois Sala, for advice on plumbing and encouragement Jamie Smith, for an excellent fundraising idea, our logo, and help at events Jay Stange, for starting off the pie throwdowns Judy Stauffer of Ester Hatworks, for years of auction items and encouragement Jeff Stepp, for organizing the first music festival Alice Stickney, for auction items, volunteering at fundraisers, and serving as a committee member Sunnyside Productions for sound help at fundraisers Running Club North, for loaning us their race clock for Readers on the Run Trey Simmons & Greta Burkart, for helping at fundraisers and fundraisers Lisa Sporleder, for helping at fundraisers and for her lovely voice the Stones, for wonderful auction items and help at fundraisers Frank Therrell, for years of support and sponsorship of our premises, donation of supplies and heating fuel, and help building the gazebo and bookshelves Nancy Therrell, for volunteering Mary Haley and Tribal Fusion for some spectacular performances the Trigg family, for donations, participation, and ideas Judie Triplehorn, for excellent advice and many auction items Tolovana Hot Springs for auction items and sponsorships USKH, particularly Gary Pohl and Matt Prouty, for their work on the design of the new building and their many hours of help and advice Water Wagon, for sponsorships and auction items the Whisenhants, for helping keep the library in order And to all the others over the last decade: THANK YOU!

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