W elcome to APL’s first-ever community report. 2015 was my first full year as the execu-

tive director of Albany Public Library, and it was a memorable one! We are excited to

show you the good work we did last year, thanks to your investment in our city. We

pride ourselves on being an open organization, and welcome the opportunity to share

this information with you. In this report, you’ll also learn a little bit about my vision of the modern pub-

lic library and how your Albany Public Library is meeting those expectations.

The library is a structure with four pillars, each one representing a ser-

vice we provide to the community: (1) technology, (2) programming, (3)

role of the “third place,” and (4) access to information. All four hold

equal importance to our mission and often intersect with each other. As

you’ll see, the pillars are all well used by the community and we are al-

ways looking for new ways to strengthen and grow them.

It’s not uncommon to see people lined up in front of our libraries waiting for the doors to open in the

morning. These individuals don’t want to borrow materials; what they most need is the internet access

that we provide. APL is a bridge over the digital divide for many people in Albany. Through our hard-

wired and WiFi connections, every day we are able to link individuals to fami-

ly, friends, businesses, and employment. Last year, we saw an incredible in-

crease in the public bringing their own devices (laptops, tablets, mobile

phones) to our locations to utilize the WiFi. In fact, APL hosted 536,610 WiFi

sessions in 2015, an increase of 12%.

We recognize that we are also the gatekeepers to both new and old technology. The library holds onto

older technology so that all members of the community can make the transition at their own pace. In

2015, we opened our Albany Made Creative Lab, a makerspace at our Washington Ave. Branch that

hosts two 3D printers. But on the other side of the building, you will still find a trusty typewriter set up

and ready for use. This year, we will be increasing our effort to provide more digital literacy instruction

and additional services for those who use their own

devices at our locations. Whether it’s a 3D printer or

an old-fashioned typewriter or anything in between,

the library provides access to technology people

need, but that isn’t readily available for home use.

Our biggest success last year was our programing.

The library hosted 4,398 of its own programs with

57,249 attendees, which is an increase of 15%. We

provided well-respected early literacy programs for

preschool children, STEM programs for young adults, and an

array of financial classes for adults, to name just a few. We also

hosted 10,184 classes, meetings, and programs for our communi-

ty partners, an increase of 114% over last year. Programming

does not stop out our doors, but importantly, also includes out-

reach to the community. Our librarians and staff venture out of

our branches to raise awareness of the great resources we pro-

vide, and to create relationships with community partners. In

2015, we tripled the number of collaborators, fostering relation-

ships with Albany Promise, Albany City School District, Albany

Department of Recreation, and many more.

The city is lucky to have seven branch libraries nestled among

our diverse neighborhoods, providing spaces for individuals,

small businesses, entrepreneurs, and civic groups to meet and grow. Li-

braries like ours are often the “third place” in a community—a neutral,

comfortable, social space separate from home and work. In 2015, we

made a significant change to our hours of operation to provide library

service on every weekday evening. This change made it possible for eve-

ry member of our city to have library service within five miles of his or

her home. We believe this is why APL now has 86,015 card-

holders, an increase of 15%. In 2016 we will finish work at the

Washington Ave. Branch, the first time that building has been

significantly updated since 1999. When that work is complete,

we will have quadrupled that branch’s public seating and ex-

panded space for meetings and programs.

Books, movies, and music are still a huge part of our business,

and last year APL loaned more than one million items. That’s an average of almost 3,000 books, DVDs,

CDs, magazines, and other items every day we are open. Our users went home with tons of movies, mu-

sic, and books—in both physical and digital formats. Books are not

going anywhere, and while we continue to grow our eBook collec-

tion, we are working hard to provide the titles you want in a physi-

cal format. We have made 2016 the “year of the book,” with a re-

newed effort on promoting literacy in our community.

Our four pillars—technology, programming, “third place,” and ac-

cess to information—support:

An organization of passionate individuals who care about infor-

mation equality;

A Board of Trustees that makes every effort to govern an open

and receptive organization;

An administration that works diligently to run a lean operation and make

the public’s investment go as far as it can; and

Most importantly, a staff made up of your neighbors (67 percent of library

employees are Albany residents) who work hard to educate, entertain and

empower their community.

Thank you for continuing to support the work we do and to make the most of the opportunities Albany

Public Library provides.

Scott C. Jarzombek

Executive Director, Albany Public Library

The APL Foundation is proud to champion the library to our wider community. The Foundation’s efforts

to raise friends and funds directly impact the library by supporting special projects and programs.

In 2015, the Foundation’s fundraising program included: the second annual Literary Legends gala that

honored authors Gregory Maguire and Barbara Smith and raised more than $25,000 for the library; the

Albany Reads event; two annual appeals; and sale of APL-logo merchandise. Funding from these efforts

enabled the library to present two art shows at the Pine Hills Branch, create a Library Link program to

deliver books to homebound senior citizens around the Bach Branch, and provide assorted special pro-

grams for our patrons.

The Foundation looks forward to expanding its efforts in 2016 with a workplace giving campaign, as

well as estate planning options, and naming rights for library facilities. We expect these initiatives to

yield even more funding that the library can use to improve programs and services to the community.

We invite you to get involved with the APL Foundation—attend an event, contribute to an appeal, or just

become a library champion in your own neighborhood. The library thrives on your support!

Holly McKenna

President, Albany Public Library Foundation

A s president of the APL Board of Trustees, I know I speak on behalf of all trustees when I say

that we are proud of our libraries and the excellent staff who serve our patrons. 2015 was a

very successful year! We have met nearly all of the goals and addressed the objectives of the

comprehensive strategic plan that we developed three years ago. Last year we were able to:

Change our service schedule so that there is library service sev-

en days and four nights a week

Enhance the comfort and usability of the Washington Ave.

Branch with more and better seating and lighting, a refurbished

children’s room and new community meeting room, and improved

layout of service points and the collection

Add more partnerships with community organizations for pro-

grams, outreach, and assistance to the public, including CDTA, Al-

bany Department of Recreation, and Albany Promise

Increase usage of our meeting rooms, study rooms, and WiFi;

increase attendance with programs and visits; and add cardholders

At the same time we implemented these improvements, APL focused on becoming a leaner organiza-

tion, identifying ways to cut costs while providing excellent service.

Our libraries add value to the community in so many ways. Small business-

es use library infrastructure—study rooms, WiFi, computers, copiers, and

fax machines—to do their work. The library is also a destination for people

who have retired, and for children and teens after school. As some of the

most attractive buildings in their neighborhoods, the libraries’ positive pres-

ence makes it easier for others to open businesses. Libraries also improve the

value of homes, and “walking distance to the library” is often noted in house

sale descriptions as a desirable benefit.

We are ready to initiate the next planning cycle and, again, will seek community input through surveys,

interviews, and focus groups on what is wanted, and needed, most from the library. It is critical to in-

clude the voice of those we serve in this process, so I hope that everyone will participate. As always, we

appreciate your support of this valuable resource.

Mary-Ellen Piché

President, Albany Public Library Board of Trustees

DID YOU KNOW? The library has some great technology tools and other resources available for you!

Use the App as Your Library Card APL’s free mobile app offers great convenience! You can request books, check the program calen-dar, look up branch sched-ules and locations, and download eBooks and digi-tal audiobooks. The app stores your library card barcode so just show us your app to check out materials at any branch!

Borrow a Tablet with Built-in WiFi Hotspot You can borrow an Android tablet—with built-in WiFi hotspot—from any APL branch for two weeks. Use the tablet to read eBooks, play games, keep up on social media, and as a source of free wireless internet access for all the devices in your household!

Use Study Rooms as Your Office Whether you are writing a paper, meeting with a small-business client, or cramming for an exam with your school group, our study rooms are the perfect spot for some quiet work. All APL branches have study rooms, which can be booked for free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Kids Get Tutoring and Homework Help Most APL locations host free tutoring and homework help sessions during the school year provided by several of our community partners—Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany Medical College, and Two To-gether.

Make Something in Albany Made Creative Lab Let your creativity flow in this makerspace at the Washington Ave. Branch. The Albany Made Creative Lab fea-tures a 3D printer and scanner, screen printing press, sewing machine, silhouette craft cutter, crocheting and knitting implements, audio and video editing equipment, color laser printer, hand tools, and more. The space offers free one-on-one instruction, group classes, and assistance, or you can just use the equipment to work on your own projects.

Attend Museums with Free Passes from Library There are lots of wonderful museums in the Capital Re-gion and surrounding area, and you can visit them for free by borrowing museum passes from the library! Mu-seums provide amazing op-portunities for learning, exploration, and discov-ery, and we want every resident to have access to the magic and mysteries found in our regional art, history, and science museums.

We Want to Hear from You!

Share your thoughts with us: Fill out a comment card at any branch Visit our executive director during his

branch office hours Complete a survey Speak at the public comment period during

a monthly library board meeting Send an email via

www.albanypubliclibrary.org/contact/

AWARDS AND HONORS We’re proud to have been recognized by the community for the work we do,

and to celebrate the contributions of others!

Celebrating Albany’s History The Albany History Race has participants solve clues and visit historic sites in an “Amazing Race”-style scavenger hunt. This fun and popular event was pre-sented with the “Adult Program of the Year” award by the Up-per Hudson Library System!

Recognizing Neighborhood Champions The Delaware Trolley Tree Sculp-ture was dedicated to Albany his-torian and booster Virginia Bow-ers. Crafted by artist Matt Hart from trolley tracks that used to run along Delaware Avenue, the sculp-ture is installed on the back patio of the Dela-ware Branch. The li-brary worked closely with the Delaware Ar-ea Neighborhood As-sociation and the Delaware Avenue Merchants Group on this project.

Honoring Literary Legends The 2015 APL Literary Legends inductees were Barbara Smith and Gregory Maguire. Smith is a long-time Albany resident, activist, and author. Maguire is an Albany na-tive best known for writing the “Wicked” novels. The APL Foun-dation is our partner for this love-ly annual fundraiser, the proceeds from which benefit special library programs and services.

Acknowledging an Important Local Writer We recognized Paul Gron-dahl, noted author and Times Union reporter, for donating interview notes and research from his biographies on Alba-ny Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to the Pruyn Collection of Albany History.

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