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You spoke. We listened. 2021 Annual Report

2021 By the numbers

1,788 programs online and in person

1,377 generous donors (thank you!)

137 community partners

1.2 million books & other items circulated

211 tech classes taught

4,322 new library cards issued

1,344 Spanish-language books added to the collection

You spoke. We listened. Here's what we did.

In 2021, we did not return to normal. In some ways, we returned to better-than-normal.

That’s because, even in a year of continued uncertainty, the Evanston Public Library has spent the past year listening to our community.

Listening is nothing new for EPL. In these pages you’ll find examples – particularly in our work around equity, diversity and inclusion – of ongoing conversations begun several years ago that are constantly evolving as we work to do better.

What was new this year was our renewed dedication to bringing more voices than ever into the conversation – and our response.

During our listening engagement specifically for teens this fall, one of our patrons told us she was disappointed that she didn’t see more biracial authors and books that reflected her experience. EPL has added hundreds of books by BIPOC authors over the past few years, and so our librarians went to work developing a display of books speaking to the biracial experience in our young adult collection. We then reached out to our teen patron so she could see her input reflected in her Library, and we have continued to track and improve BIPOC representation in our collection.

We call this “closing the loop” on how we engage with our community. When you speak, we listen, and not only respond, but continue the conversation through meaningful changes in your Library.

Read on for more of what we heard from you this past year and how we continue to respond in ways that co-create the future of the Evanston Public Library.

Karen Danczak Lyons

Executive Director, Evanston Public Library

"The Library should expand its services in underserved neighborhoods."

(Re)Introducing the Robert Crown Branch Library

The Robert Crown branch, open for just two weeks before the 2020 Stay at Home Order shuttered it, reopened in August 2021. Since then, programs and activities at the branch have come alive. The Robert Crown Branch features:

  • An emphasis on bilingual staff and programming
  • An ever-expanding Spanish-language collection of books and films
  • Innovative programming, from the Repair Clinic in partnership with Citizens’ Greener Evanston to our passive program kits families can take home
  • A laptop vending machine that allows patrons to check out a Chromebook whenever the Robert Crown Center is open
The Evanston Repair Clinic, one of our climate action programs, brought new life to broken objects, keeping them out of landfills with the help of skilled volunteers.

20%

Increase in Fourth Ward library card registrations in 2021. Most Crown branch patrons come from nearby neighborhoods.

One of the Crown branch’s innovative new programs, Dedicated to the Dream invited families to learn, listen, and grow through accessible, thoughtful, kid-friendly experiences and conversations around race and culture. Over eight months, a team of diverse library staff and contributors provided families the space to help kids navigate a complex world through discussions, art and crafts, and activities to help kids identify their own feelings, learn accurate history, build bravery around difficult conversations, and celebrate their own identities.

“We have deeply benefitted from the approach offered by this program, which is different from how I would have approached many of the topics. Your gentle, curious, and deeply engaging dialogue has allowed us to get much deeper and more nuanced than we’d been able to get following my lead.” -Dedicated to the Dream participant
In September, the Robert Crown Block Party, brought together 19 community partners and guest speakers to reintroduce patrons to the new library branch.

"The Library should be a resource for anti-racism work."

"I want to be welcomed by people who look like me."

We’re proud to be reimbursing tuition for multiple BIPOC staff members completing Masters of Library Science degrees, building a talent pipeline for both EPL and the wider library profession.

We hired two new Family Engagement Coordinators to foster deeper relationships with our Black and Latinx communities, plus a paid internship for Black and Latinx young adults to coach students in our citywide STEM challenge.

1,184: Hours of staff Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Training

"I want the Library to fight against racism from the inside out."

On National Voters Registration Day, celebrated September 28, the EPL partnered with the League of Women Voters and the NAACP to register new voters at the Main Library, Robert Crown Center, and Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center.

60: Reparations applicants who got records research assistance from our Librarians during office hours at Fleetwood-Jourdain

“We want more books and materials that reflect our experiences.”

The Library implemented a feature recently introduced in our collection management system to measure the diversity of the creators and content of our books and other materials.Our librarians can now more easily identify inclusive titles, such as books by Black authors or books about indigenous issues, and highlight them in displays to help them – and the stories and ideas they contain – circulate more often. The feature, with additional research from our staff, also gives us better data about how many of our titles represent diverse voices so we can accurately measure and improve representation in our collection every year.

"Queremos libros y programas en mi idioma."

5.4%: Percentage of books in Spanish added to the collection

107 Programs held in Spanish

"The Library should offer STEM learning opportunities to kids."

More than 150 kids in grades 5-8 participated in the online Cardboard Carnival, our citywide engineering challenge in collaboration with D65 and EvanSTEM. In the fall, the CodeIt! Challenge taught students coding through creating their own video games.

Funded by the Project Next Generation Grant from the Illinois State Library, the Cardboard Carnival is made possible in partnership with EvanSTEM and D65, with assistance from Northwestern University, Family Focus and Y.O.U. Partnerships like these allow us to leverage our community’s assets and avoid duplicating services to make a bigger impact throughout Evanston.

"I want to see the Library in my neighborhood."

Our Summer of Engagement brought the library out into the parks of Evanston’s Black and Latinx neighborhoods, providing programming, free books and other library services to more than 6,000 Evanstonians, right where you live.

"The Library should connect people in need to community resources."

Our library social worker held 332 meetings to connect patrons

"I need help bridging the digital divide."

Now available: Job search tech kits. Borrow a laptop, Wifi hotspot, and job hunting guide.

157 one-on-one tech help sessions

"This pandemic is not over yet."

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched on throughout 2021, EPL stayed nimble, adapting to shifting expectations and the needs of all our residents. With our doors wide open and safety protocols in place, circulation increased more than 25% over 2020 – and we continued to see our residents take advantage of our digital services and online programs.

"It's hard for me to leave the house right now."

When the Foster Senior Club could no longer meet in person at the library, our staff met with the regular members of the group to set up and troubleshoot their meetings online on Zoom. We also continued to offer curbside pick-up for patrons who weren’t ready to be back in public spaces. Patrons could reserve their materials then call to schedule a time to drive up. And of course, we hosted online story times, too.

"The kids are Zoomed out."

Just when you couldn’t take one more virtual birthday party, in the fall, our Early Learning & Literacy team launched the Curious Kids Club subscription. Designed to keep little hands engaged, the kits included library books and crafts curated around a monthly theme delivered to participating Evanston homes. Grab-and-go craft kits, developed by our librarians, flew off the shelves in 2021, and you can still find them now – drop by the Main Library and the Robert Crown branch, where we develop new kits nearly every month to keep little hands engaged.

“My kids loved reading both books last night and we plan to do the craft this evening. We are so fortunate to be a part of a community that has such generous and thoughtful programming for our children.” -Curious Kids Club patron

"I'm ready to be out in the world again...safely."

We sanitized, masked, and distanced and kept the doors of the Main Library and Robert Crown branch open and fully staffed with testing and quarantine protocols for staff, occupancy limits, mask requirements, rearranged furniture for physical distancing, and temperature checks at the door for all patrons.

The EPL did not experience a single case of COVID-19 transmission in our facilities or at our programs – doing our part to keep the Evanston community healthy.

"I'm just so stressed!"

Beginning in January 2021, EPL hosted monthly, virtual, topical programs in English and Spanish on issues of mental health. Our Mental Health is Essential program series tackled issues like creating a self care plan and dealing with loss and grief, led by mental health experts from NAMI, The Family Institute, AMITA Health, and PEER Services.

Still feeling like you could use a little extra mental health care right now? All the sessions are recorded and posted to our EPL YouTube Channel.

"We want to know the Library is using tax dollars wisely."

The EPL provides all our services for much less per capita than our neighbors.

In 2021, we kept our budget request flat and we worked together with you to continue to strengthen and expand our resources. We asked you to consider The Power of Community. What role do we each play at the Evanston Public Library? How does the Library, and how do each of you, contribute towards our collective impact?

Together, we exceeded our individual fundraising goals for 2021 with our best campaign on record (again), and the highest total funds raised from overall philanthropy. Together with our donors, volunteers and partners, we are expanding our collective impact and we will continue to expand opportunities and break down barriers for all of Evanston.

“(This gift is made) in honor of all the staff at EPL: Thank you for working to keep the library accessible during this hard year.” -Library donor
Source: 2020 Illinois Public Library Annual Report

Doing more with less

The Evanston Public Library receives an average of just $90 per person in tax revenue, and is funded at less than half than that of Skokie Public Library, and almost one-third of Northbrook Public Library.

“Money is just so tight in our family, and everything is so uncertain right now.”

In recognition of an uncertain economic recovery, in November 2020, the Library Board voted to keep the annual tax levy flat for the year. Using the Library provides great value. Visit epl.org/savings to calculate how much your family saves each year using the EPL.

$6,570

Amount you would save in a year reading just one new picture book borrowed from the library daily

2021 Revenues

Local Taxes: $7,299,000

Philanthropy: $1,053,314

  • Donations $418,029
  • Grants $387,285
  • Endowment $250,000

Other non-tax revenue: $135,000

Total Revenue $8,489,314

2021 Expenses

Personnel $5,589,751

Services, Materials, Equipment $1,126,675

Library Collection $821,056

Shared City Services $280,896

Total Expenditures $7,818,378

Now it's our turn to say

"Thank you!"

Together, we are the Library.

As we move through 2022 together, we ask you to join with us as we explore The Power of Opportunity. Each of us – staff, partners, volunteers, and donors – have an opportunity to get involved in the future of this Library and our community.

If you are already involved with EPL, we hope you will renew your commitment and stay engaged as we work together to ensure that the Library is a welcoming, accessible, and vital resource to all, as well as a trusted community partner. If not, we hope you’ll consider getting involved in building the future of this community resource – we can’t do it without you. Together we are creating a Library that serves all. The more we recognize and support each other, the more we all flourish.

"How can I get more involved?"

Volunteers are an integral part of EPL’s service and assist staff in many ways, from shelving to fundraising to delivering books to the homebound. If you volunteer with us, thank you! And if you are interested, we would love to talk with you about how you can become a part of this valuable team. Visit www.epl.org/volunteer for more information.

“If there is a ‘Top Ten Best Places To Volunteer’ list, the Evanston Public Library is on that list!” -Long-time volunteer

"We want a say in the future of our library."

Last fall, nearly 200 Evanstonians of all ages and in every ward offered feedback at a series of 11 listening engagements that will inform the Library’s upcoming strategic planning process and help us co-create a truly inclusive future for the Library. Here’s what we heard, and what to watch for in the coming year:

"We should have more branches in underserved neighborhoods."
"Sometimes it's hard to get to the library. More locations. Longer hours, please."
“I’d like to see more hands-on making experiences available to the public. Access to technology like computers, color printing, laser cutting, video equipment, and editing software should be available to Evanston residents.”
“More programs and events about sustainability and climate change.”
“I’d like to see more financial resources for the library – and for those resources to be more equitably distributed.”

I didn't know the Library offered that!"

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"We love our library!" -EPL donor