We have great news to share with you! The Canton Public Library has been named the inaugural recipient of the 2013 LibraryAware Community Award, co-sponsored by industry magazine Library Journal and LibraryAware, part of EBSCO Publishing's NoveList Division.

The award "emphasizes the library's engagement with the community," and is an acknowledgement of the tremendous accomplishments of the library staff. Since I became library director in 2008, we have focused on the community through our partnerships, volunteers, programs, and services. The strategic vision of our library board guides our work; the support--moral and financial--given to us by the Friends of the Library is essential to our success; and our partnerships with the Township, area schools, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations help us Connect Your Community. My staff uses these connections to provide you with programs, collections, and services that improve Canton's quality of life.

Most importantly, we owe our successes to the patronage and support of our community. You are the key to what we do every day, to the tune of nearly 600,000 visits and 1.8 million items circulated annually.

I am proud of my staff for their hard work, and thrilled to see them recognized on a national level. We are planning a Community Celebration on May 10 (details to follow). Please mark your calendars and plan on joining me in congratulating our fine library staff on winning this award!

Best,

Eva M. Davis, Director

On Sunday, April 14 from 2:00-3:00 PM, The Organization for Bat Conservation will present Biodiversity LIVE!  Explore the amazing variety of wildlife on planet Earth. Discover the interconnectedness between plants and animals. Topics include the balance of natural ecosystems, how humans are impacting biodiversity (habitat destruction, invasive species, climate change), and simple actions that can be taken to protect wildlife from extinction. Live animals include a bearded dragon, sugar glider and a large fruit bat.

Family Storytimes begin the week of April 29. These storytimes are designed for children ages 5 and under with a caregiver, and do not require registration. Weekday sessions are held in the Community Room. Saturday sessions are in the Purple Room.

Open Family Storytimes , April 29-June 1:

• Mondays 10:00-10:30 AM in the Community Room
• Tuesdays 7:00-7:30 PM in the Community Room
• Wednesdays 10:00-10:30 AM in the Community Room
• Thursdays 10:00-10:30 AM in the Community Room
• Saturdays 10:00-10:30 AM in the Purple Room

NOTE: The library is closed and there will be no storytime on Monday, May 27.

NHS students are here to provide 3rd-12th graders free homework help.

On Thursday, April 11 at noon we will be discussing:

Behind the beautiful forevers by Katherine Boo — In this brilliantly written, fast-paced book, based on three years of uncompromising reporting, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human. Annawadi is a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are electric with hope. With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects human beings to one another in an era of tumultuous change, Behind the Beautiful Forevers carries the reader headlong into one of the twenty-first century's hidden worlds, and into the lives of people impossible to forget.

 

The Chairperson, Kim Schulz, called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.

Present: N. Eggenberger, M. Farell, S. Foster, T. Hartnett, K. Schulz
Absent: J. Fausone
Also Present: E. Davis, M. Nicholson

Call to Audience

(L. Golden, R. Havenstein-Coughlin, D. McHugh, L. Papa, S. Rzetelny, N. Szczepanski) – None

Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.

Approval of General Meeting Minutes

The minutes were approved by unanimous consent.

Communications

- None

Director’s Report

The library will offer classes on using Zinio for Libraries, a new electronic resource purchased through The Library Network (TLN). Popular magazines will be available to patrons at no cost via their computer, iPad, Kindle Fire, iPhone or Android device.

Committee Reports

– None

Unfinished Business & General Orders

Renewal of Jungle Java Express Lease discussion - JJX co-owner Laurel Hess spoke to the board regarding the general pattern of business expense versus profit the cafe has experienced throughout its tenure at the library.

New Business

Statistic of the Month – Business Services Accountant Debbie McHugh explained the current financial statements currently presented to the board in the monthly packet, and presented a proposed revision to both the summary and expanded versions of the P&L statement.

Call to Audience

– None

Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM.

We're celebrating Earth Day from April 14-27 and want you to join us! There will be events for everyone including:

• Biodiversity LIVE! — Sunday, April 14, 2:00-3:00 PM
• Meatless Mondays with Door to Door Organics — Monday, April 22, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Heart of Michigan - Michigan Made Products — Tuesday, April 23, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Rain Gardens and Live Walls — Thursday, April 25, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Native American Dancers — Saturday, April 27, 2:00-3:00 PM

Practice speaking English in an informal setting with Community Literacy Council volunteers April Fridays from 9:30 to 11:00 AM in the Purple Room .

The Library of Congress has recently announced the selection of 25 new titles to be added to the National Recording Registry. Included in this year's selections are two historic broadcasts - George Hicks' 1944 radio reports during the D-Day invasion of Europe, and Dwight Eisenhower's prerecorded presidential message relayed from an Atlas satellite in 1958.