A letter from the Director of the Westchester Library System: data/comparisons:
My statistics are as of the State Annual Report for 2006 and, therefore, the data is reflective of the budget for Greenburgh Public Library in the old building. Having said that I’m happy to forward the comparative data you request.
The short version is that as far as grand total circulation transactions Greenburgh ranked third in 2006 (565,494) behind Yonkers (899,488) and White Plains (575,863) and ahead of large libraries such as New Rochelle (545,238), Yorktown (493,429), Scarsdale (441,901), Mount Pleasant (424,020) and Ossining (402,607) and so on.
In Circulations per capita Greenburgh ranks 16th at 13.52 circs/capita behind Ardsley (30.68); Bronxville (29.43); Scarsdale (24.79); Chappaqua (22.53); Larchmont (20.83); Hastings (19.67); Pound Ridge (19.56); Croton (19.30); Katonah (19.14); Armonk (18.15); Irvington (16.24); Rye (16.17); Briarcliff (14.31); Bedford (14.11) and Yorktown (13.59).
Population Chartered to Serve Greenburgh is 5th (41,828) behind Yonkers (196,086); New Rochelle (72,182); Mount Vernon (68,381) and White Plains (53,077). Immediately following Greenburgh are Port Chester (36,469); Yorktown (36,318), Mount Pleasant (33,323), Ossining (33,047) and Harrison (24,154).
In Circs per hour opened Greenburgh ranked third (145.40) behind White Plains (186.12) and Yorktown (159.07) followed by Scarsdale (131.83) and Chappaqua (116.15).
In total library materials collection Greenburgh has the 4th largest collection in the county behind Mount Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle and White Plains and ranks 33rd in the county on the total library materials per capita followed by Yonkers, Somers, Yorktown, Pelham and Port Chester.
On Library Materials purchases Greenburgh ranked third in spending ($402,000) behind White Plains ($576,501) and Mount Vernon ($429,584) followed by Scarsdale ($279,125); New Rochelle ($252,767), Harrison ($232,351), Yonkers ($230,086); Yorktown ($204,996); Rye ($203,789) and Mount Pleasant ($200,231).
On Library Materials spending per capita Greenburgh ranked 8th and 6th in Library Materials expense as a percent of total operating budget.
I’ll forward the charts asap.
Siobhan A Reardon
Director
Westchester Library System
540 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, New York 10591-
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25 comments:
Thank you for the usage stats. This makes understanding current library matters much clearer. I hadn't realized how popular the Greenburgh library is. Does the library publish its own stats in an annual report of sorts regarding its circulation by day of the week and usage of the bookmobile?
dO THESE OTHER LIBRARIES RAPE THE RESIDENTS THE WAY GREENBURGH IS DOING TO OUR RESIDENTS. STATS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO SUIT THEIR FANCY.
THEY LIED BEFORE AND THEY WILL KEEP DOING IT.
Anyone too ignorant to use proper capitalization and punctuation should have the decency to shut up when the library is being discussed.
Don't forget, upkeep for town hall needs to come out of the Library budget after they leave. With all the ware and tear on Town Hall the library needs to bear some responsiblity.
9:47 thank God that you are so smart.
Many of us do not have the writing skills as you do but we have street smarts as to know when we are being given a snow job by the library personel.
Too bad you cannot be put into the same category .
We all know dam well that the library will not pay a dime for using the outside facilities.
They put up a stink as to the money alloted for maintenance so what makes you think that they will pay back some money to the town.
They got away with too much all these years but the renovation plans was the icing on the cake.
But there will be more to the library saga when it cannot be completed by the end of the year.
We should be getting ready for the next chapter coming up real soon.
Dear 9:47
Just remember the library is a thorn in many of our sides.
Dear 9/47 How often do you use the library.
You probably are one of the outside residents that is not taxed for the renovation.
We may not have good skills in expressing our concern but this blog gives many of us the opportunity to express our feelings about certain failures in our town.
The biggest one is the library and it's personel.
If changes have to be made we should start with this problem first.
We have two problems at the moment and neither one was ever checked or audited,that being the library and the Fairview Community center.
9-47 Tell me who died and left you the boss.
When a person tries to voice their opinion no matter how mispelled the word,no punctuations and no capital letters,their views are usually well taken by the readers of the blog.
But when a know it all like you writes someting it is poopooed,by others since you would be considered a smart alleck.SORRY.
How these stats might be relevant to taxpayers is the question.
The problem is that these categories are skewed to make Libraries (their Directors and Boards) want to appear better than their "competition" and rank near the top; the assumption being that the top of the list is a good thing.
This is not unlike the "space race" of the 1960's taken to its local apotheosis. Here, today, scoring at the top of the WLS list in all of its categories is also akin to the frenzy of getting your kid into the best college. The difference between the two is that only parents with college age children are forced to enroll in that race -- whereas re the Library, the taxes levied upon everyone are the fuel that keeps the Library running in the race.
And, is there any basis to determine whether lower rankings are bad? If the WLS really wanted to provide an evaluation report, they would give their member Libraries grades, like in school.
A, B, C, D and Failing. Or even pass or fail. What does it really mean to a Library patron if their Library is ranked, 5th, 9th or 1st?
Admit it, didn't you read the stats and wonder or even hope to see Greenburgh as #1. However, unlike school districts which have test scores to provide solace or grimace for their expenditure data (like the WLS rankings), there is some broad basis to correlate the results of this spending to achievement. Lacking some methodology to assess Library performance versus Library spending, how do taxpayers know whether their dollars are attaining some result?
There may not be such conclusions available and I'm not suggesting that this is due to any devious plot. What I am saying is that the WLS figures are only incidental intelligence and not very useful as encouragement for spending more or for spending less on your local Library. Take them with a grain of salt as it were; you already know that I write here carrying the pepper shaker.
What I did focus upon is the per capita comparison which says:
Greenburgh is 16th in circulation and is 8th in spending on "library materials".
This says to me: all Greenburgh residents don't make much use of their Library which doesn't support the argument for more than doubling in size. What it does suggest is that these Greenburgh residents using the Library, check out more items when they visit.
Thus, much residents in "no use for the Library" Greenburgh got snookered in the Referendum and today they are being asked to buy more materials for the few of their neighbors who end up enjoying them.
But that's a tradition in Greenburgh. Everyone gets to pay for Taxter Ridge but no one can use it. Or, residents say they support the Greenburgh Library but go to Scarsdale or Yonkers for Library enjoyment while some send their teens to Scarsdale rather than use the Community Center that they pay for.
Since the WLS has no other participants in the cybermobile category, it was only fitting that Greenburgh's Library Trustees withdrew its entry -- at least, by default, it would have been a well-earned #1.
samis should replace juettner on the town board. at least he cares. juettner just picks up a paycheck.
Bloggers have said right along that Samis should have a position in town politics.
He would be the only one watching the residents backs in the most honest fashion.
We have been fooled for too long with back door politics.
Samis says it as he see it with 100% backing.
Boy just imagine Samis on the board with Kolesar as comptroller,
we would not have to worry about the budget for years to come. They both will give us what is most needed in this town honesty.
"... with all the ware and tear on Town Hall the library needs to bear some responsiblity ..."
The Town Hall library hasn't gotten much business.
tsk tsk, 9:47. a person as eruditely opinionated as you should know one of the great writers of the 20th century e.e. cummings didn't capitalize and ain't is now an acceptable word even in harvard yale or wcc circles and one no longer has to jocky around not to end a sentence with a preposition
in grad school there was a guy in my class who was a dems dese and dose guys one day he missed class and someone much like you present yourself started mimicking him to which the professor said mr francescchini is the number one student in this class so dont confuse dialect with intellect
as your brother in derision slithered into his seat i stood up and applauded
the professor smiled at me and asked me to see him in his office aftr class no need to bore you with what happened but smartass from central park west dropped the course do that give you any ideas about the blog
To 9:36, you write the way you want, say what ever you want (within reason) and don't be bullied by posterior cavities like 9:47.
The "Force" is with you.
run samis run - amen.!
Do you want to see a new LIbrary board. Well if Samis is elected to one of the positions' you will see a complete change for the better.
He knows what he is talking about and has plenty of figures to back him up.
I can understand why Krauss defends illiteracy. Just try to understand his prose.
Your prose is OK, but I suspect that if you tried more than 1 1/2 lines you would crumble.
Anon 1:13 I am sure it wouldn't and if you knew me you would assuredly not make that faux pas again!
You say "and if you knew me."
So sign your name. Krauss isn't going to go after you, the gentle creature that he is.
5:18 You go first, or shut up!
I didn't say "if you knew me" so no cop-outs please. Unlike you, I don't brag about my superior wisdom, as you do (with or without it)
To 8:56 Sunday, AM:
I guess you don't attend the 9AM mass.You also must be one of those people who "fight" with their mouth. You also fail creative writing. My Lord, "you go first." What a novel rejoinder?
Mea culpa, you may be a women- physically or one trapped in a man's body, so you're entitled to "throw down a gauntlet... from afar."No offense to women.
The ability to communicate, so people understand what you are trying to say, does not necessarily correllate with a degree of intellect. And the poster I defended, who uses all u/c letters in his postings apparently got his message across to a pedant like you. Else, how would you know what to criticize, other than his "caps lock"
As to my "pros," I try to balance them with my "cons."
5:18 only meant to corriger, not to tremper or tort. He would not create a faux pas, if he knew you better. But sacre dieu, how could he possibly know the multitude of sagacious thoughts that flow through the mind of a multilingual, not ready for "prime time," whiz who comes up with "you go first, or shut up." It's a shanda to the intelligencia who read this blog.
He was also correct about me. I am a gentle creature who would not harm you if you revealed yourself. It would also be cathartic for you to "come out of the closet of anonymity."Whadayasay?
ATABOY KRAUSS, THAT'S PUTTING THE KNOW IT ALL IN HIS OR HER PLACE.
Mr. Krauss - I see you mentioned the word "mass" in your post. Surely you didn't intend to discriminate against those of different faiths.
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