2022 was a welcome return to normal at Wilmette Public Library. We were delighted to join together with our community in person at events in the library and throughout the village of Wilmette. Join us as we reflect on an exciting year of growth and change.
We were honored to be a Library Journal "5 Star Library" for the fourth consecutive year. The library is one of 13 5-star libraries in Illinois, and we were ranked second in our budget category nationally. Comparing data from more than 5,800 libraries across the country, Wilmette has been recognized for excellence in seven key areas: per capita circulation of physical materials, number of visitors, e-circulation, public computer use, program attendance, Wi-Fi sessions, and e-retrievals. This year's recognition is particularly noteworthy as it reflects data gathered in 2020. Due to the unusual nature of that year, the five star designation truly shows the Wilmette community's outstanding engagement with the library and its services.
A Busy Building
A theme for 2022 could be a bustling library building. Our outdoor spaces were in full swing with events for children and adults, Parking Lot Pickup helped people easily get their items, and space was reevaluated as we offered new services and expanded collections. Our spaces were busy day after day, a welcome return to normalcy after several years impacted by Covid.
One major service that we resumed in 2022 was making our rooms available for public use. In the spring, we made our study rooms available once again to the public. For the first time ever, patrons are able to make their own study room reservations online. Near the end of the year, we began renting our Auditorium and Small Meeting Room, two valuable community meeting spaces in the Village. Rooms have been booked steadily since we resumed offering these services!
Study rooms were booked 2,072 times since the service resumed in April.
Events for All Ages & Interests
Our 2022 programming calendar balanced arts and technology, onsite and virtual, and indoors and on the lawn. We presented informative programs about business and genealogy, explored languages and cultures around the world, and experienced a lot of great music for all ages.
Our reinvigorated Digital Services department hosted computer and technology classes including Google Tools, Cutting the Cable Cord, and a wealth of creative classes like Intro to Podcasting and Creating Videos with TikTok.
Patrons of all ages got their hands dirty in hands-on workshops, from soapmaking to 3D printing to marble runs. Kids, teens, and adults all love getting creative at the library and with take home kits.
Maker & Hands-On Technology
• We hosted more than 240 Maker appointments in 2022! Patrons of all ages used our hands-on equipment to 3D print, make jewelry, create vinyl stickers, and much more.
• 3D print service debuted in November. In our first two months of service, patrons submitted 41 projects to be printed at the library.
• Our Digital Services staff added new services to the Technology Center, including VHS digitization and a new iMac media station featuring the Adobe Suite and other media creation and editing tools.
Revitalized Early Childhood Programs
After two long years, we made a full return to indoor programming for our youngest visitors. From storytime indoors and out, to Wiggleworms in the Auditorium, to daily early childhood events in the Youth Program Room, the library has been filled with young children developing a love of reading and discovery.
Librarians hosted 208 storytimes: 67 outdoor, 71 indoors, and 70 via Zoom.
One Book, Everyone Reads
One Book, Everyone Reads went non-fiction this year, with Dawn Turner’s Three Girls from Bronzeville. Together, we read this powerful memoir and explored the history of Chicago’s iconic Bronzeville neighborhood. Our virtual author event in May welcomed 250 viewers to watch Ms. Turner in conversation with journalist Alex Kotlowitz.
Reading Together
Nearly 750 people participated in this year’s Summer Reading Club, Reading Off the Beaten Path. Readers of all ages enjoyed activities and tracked their reading to earn a free book. Children enjoyed reporting at our traditional reporting booth, this year decorated like a beautiful forest tree. For the second year, we invited all of the children’s Summer Reading finishers to vote on a theme for the Big Library Takeover. This year, the winning theme was butterflies, which took over the library one weekend in September.
561 children, 130 adults, and 48 teens completed Summer Reading.
Thanks to partnerships with Illinois Libraries Present and the Family Action Network, we were able to bring author events to the community throughout the year, exploring topics as varied as midwestern cooking, the Milky Way galaxy, contemporary romance fiction, and parenting. Featured authors included Joshua Bennet, Jessamine Chan, Caitlyn Doughty, Temple Grandin, Jasmine Guillory, Becky Kennedy, Jenny Lawson, Emily Maloney, Marlee Matlin, Shanterra McBride, Moya McTier, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Nick Offerman, Kwame Onwuachi, Shauna Sever, Jeff Tweedy, and Michelle Zauner.
Community Connections
Events were back in Wilmette in a big way! We were thrilled to join in the Wilmette Sesquicentennial celebration, resume outreach visits to schools, and take part in a variety of community gatherings in Wilmette and Kenilworth.
The Village of Wilmette's Sesquicentennial was a major highlight of 2022. The library joined or hosted 17 events for the Village’s celebration of its 150th anniversary. We encouraged the community to learn about local history and genealogy, and celebrated Winterfest in February and THE Wilmette Block Party in September with our neighbors. We also hosted our first community art shows since 2019, with a Wilmette 150-themed photography show as well as an art show by New Trier students on the theme, “Wilmette In the Natural World: Past, Present and Future.”
The Friends of the Wilmette Public Library remain a vital library partner. In 2022, they have sponsored Summer and Winter Reading Clubs; One Book, Everyone Reads; and the Books for Babies initiative. We thank our dedicated volunteers for their ongoing support!
Growing Library Leadership
Have you noticed new faces when you’ve visited the library building? This year, 17 new staff members joined the team, filling vacant positions and new roles. We filled two vital roles in our management team, with Lauren Kelly joining the library in June as our Digital Services manager, and Mike Pocrnich arriving in October as our IT manager. These two additions to our team have provided guidance and leadership to our expanded emphasis on hands-on activities and technology offerings. Get to know all of our new staff members the next time you visit the library!
In addition to new staff, this fall, we said farewell to a long-time trustee and welcomed a new appointment to the library board. This summer, trustee Stuart Wolf (who had previously served the board for 8 years and was appointed to the board in July 2021 to replace retiring trustee Jan Barshis), moved out of the district creating a vacancy on the board. The board selected Renee Cox to fill the vacancy. The seat will be filled by Ms. Cox until the April 2023 consolidated election. We thank Mr. Wolf for his service, and welcome Trustee Cox!
A major project for library leadership was the development of a new strategic plan to guide the library in the coming years. The board and leadership team began planning the next phase of the library’s future at a Strategic Planning Retreat in spring 2022. From late April through early May, the library conducted a community survey collecting feedback from more than 500 residents, and shared the results of the survey in June. Key themes identified in the survey included: spaces in the building, services for children and families, and access to the collections. A second survey focusing on spaces in the library building was conducted from late August through September, and generated more than 400 responses. The staff and board will conclude the yearlong planning process in early 2023, with the presentation of our next strategic plan.
Library Finances
Fiscal Year July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022
In June, the board approved the library’s annual budget of $6,170,589, including a 4% cost of living increase for all eligible staff effective July 1, 2022. To address its planned (but unsustainable) deficit spending of over $730,000 from the General Fund balance for fiscal year 2022-2023, the library conducted a long range financial study in the fall, projecting trends for general operations as well as planned capital reserve projects.
The studies showed that the library’s fund balance policy of retaining 50% to 100% of its annual operating expenses in reserve is a key target that could erode in a matter of 5-7 years if the board did not take appropriate action to ensure continuity of service through intentional action with the levy. Overall, the challenges currently presented by 8% inflation, the changing and competitive labor market, and the risk of compromising the library’s valued quality of service led the board to unanimously support increasing the annual property tax levy for the first time in four years.