December 2009 Survey: ARE YOU SATISFIED?
YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ANSWERED!
The Okotoks Public Library would like to thank everyone who took the time to answer our survey and to provide us with questions and comments. We have tried to answer all questions and comments from this survey. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of our replies, please do not hesitate to contact Library Director Tessa Nettleton at the Library at 403-938-2220 or okotokslibrary@okotoks.net
Due to the number of comments regarding library hours we have received, we will be conducting an Hours of Operation Needs Assessment Survey in the near future. Please be aware that adding hours impacts staff wages, which are paid through municipal tax dollars. If the need for more hours is not required by a significant portion of the community, it would be irresponsible of the library to increase hours (and the amount of taxes needed to support those hours).
The library currently advertises on The Eagle 100.9, through a semi-regular column in the Western Wheel, the Discover Foothills website, our own website, posters and brochures in the community and in house. We will consider extending our advertising to Sun Country as well. We welcome any suggestions for further outlets in which to inform our community of our services and programs.
These are both excellent suggestions for magazines to be added to the library’s collection. At this time our magazine budget does not allow for the purchase of new titles, however we will definitely keep these titles in mind should the budget allow. Also, please be aware that the library has an Adopt-a-Magazine program. If you or your business would like to donate a magazine subscription to the Library, please contact Maura Bosch at the Library at 403-938-2220 or mbosch@okotokslibrary.ca
The library has begun to develop a Spanish language collection of our own. We currently have a few dozen adult titles as well as a few dozen children’s titles in that collection. We are also able to bring more Spanish (and other language) books in through the Foreign Language Consortium. If requested, we can bring in one or more boxes of items from this resource (adult and children’s materials are available). These items travel to different libraries throughout Alberta. When we are through with the boxes, we send them back and receive new ones (if needed).
If you would like the library to bring in a box of foreign language materials for your use, please contact Brenda Crann at the Library at 403-938-2220 or bcrann@okotokslibrary.ca
The Library allocates a music CD budget for the year. This budget is not extensive, as the focus of the library purchasing is books. We rely heavily on donations of music CDs to increase this collection. We purchase a number of new releases throughout the year. These new releases are incredibly popular, and as we are part of the TRAC system, these CDs are frequently traveling to other libraries for their patrons on hold. If there is a specific CD you are looking for, be sure to check the catalogue www.tracpac.ab.ca, as there may be copies in the system that you may place on hold.
TAL stands for The Alberta Library. TAL is a province-wide consortium that now serves over 290 member libraries across the province, including:
Your Okotoks Public Library Card is a TAL card, allowing you to visit any of the member libraries across the province and receive limited library services. For more information about TAL Online or to view the combined library catalogues of all member libraries, allowing you to place holds on items not within our TRAC system, please visit www.talonline.ca
The Library is always open to patron suggestions for materials. Depending on budgeting and collection development policies, we take collection suggestions seriously. Suggestions are passed along to the staff member in charge of the appropriate collection. Please leave your suggestion with a staff member next time you visit the library!
Also be aware, that through our membership in TRAC, you have direct access to the collections of over 166 libraries across Alberta. TRAC allows our patrons to access a larger and more diverse collection than we would ever be able to afford or have room for on our own. When you search our catalogue, you are searching all of these library collections. Simply place a hold on an item from another library, and it is shipped to us for you to check out. To search the catalogue, please visit www.tracpac.ab.ca
The Library is currently looking into other juvenile programs as well as more Science-in-a-Crate programs to offer in 2010. We will definitely take into account the request for more diverse program scheduling.
If you have any suggestions for programming you would like the library to try to provide, please contact our Program Coordinator, Lara Grunow at the Library at 403-938-2220 or lgrunow@okotokslibrary.ca