New Page 1

Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order, calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light nor dark.... In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, still and absorbed. ~Germaine Greer

vThe library has once again completed a very successful year with high attendance, great circulation, successful programs, and reading rooms teeming with book lovers and techies alike. As a community library, our key function has always been to build, organize and preserve our collection while ensuring easy access by our patrons. The library strives to be attuned to the needs of its members in order to provide the tools they require to pursue their recreational reading, their research, their studies, and their personal advancement.

vWhile the digital age has posed many challenges for a small community library, it has also provided us with the opportunity to offer information and services in a variety of formats. This year we have made it even easier for our patrons to access their personal information and to conduct their searches from the comfort of their home through added features on our website. Patrons can now access their records and review their check-outs, return dates, or place a hold on favorite titles. We included a direct link to our electronic databases and resources, making them more visible and easily accessed by our patrons to support their research. An “Access my library” mobile App is also available on our website as links for the iPhone and Android. We are also continuing to digitize many of our historic pictures and documents in our Archives in order to facilitate research and retrieval. Currently we are researching the feasibility of providing the latest eBooks & eAudios to our patrons.

vWhile our electronic resources and our media collection and circulation continue to grow at a fast pace, our statistics and a recent survey of our patrons confirmed that our book collection, our pleasant reading rooms and our provision of research materials and current periodicals, are key incentives to our largest user group. Indeed, 83% of those we surveyed came in to borrow a book, 45% came in to read a magazine or newspaper, and 32% to perform research for homework or personal use. It is exciting and satisfying to see library use, both traditional and modern, increase and blossom year after year.

v We thank the members of our Library Board of Trustees for their dedication, their wisdom, their support, and their guidance during the past year. We could not have done it without you!

v On a single day in Florida’s Libraries:

253,138 people visited a library

332,552 items checked out

2,900 got a library card

61,664 used a computer

10,085 were taught computer skills

44,139 got answers to their questions

5,780 students were helped

2,299 got help with government sites

7,875 children attended a program

Library Collection

Total Collection: 64,147

Fiction: 18,465

Juvenile: 14,817

Non-Fiction: 21,546

Reference: 1,878

Large Print: 1,892

Videos/DVDs: 3,563

Audio-Books/CDs: 1,871

Magazines/Newspapers: 115

Collection Enhancements

New Books Added: 1,513

New Media Added: 328

Book/Media Donations: 570

Items Withdrawn: 1,896

Items Repaired: 563

Library Users

Adult Residents: 5,332

Children Residents: 1,448

Adult Non-Residents: 54

Children Non-Residents: 53

Total Registered Patrons: 6,887

% Of Registered Residents: 65%

Library Use

Total Circulation: 71,407

Book Circulation: 42,973

Video Circulation: 24,108

Audio-Books Circulation: 4,326

Programs Presented: 102

Program Attendance: 2,935

Average Daily Visits: 140-220

Regular programs from August through May included a weekly story time for preschoolers and a monthly puppet show and American Girls club meeting. In June and July, 15 Summer Reading Program events were presented with a total attendance of over 1,000; many teen volunteers assisted with the program.v Special events throughout the year included Halloween storytelling by Barry University drama students, children’s book author Yvonne Moyer’s “Miami Circle” presentation, a Holiday Marionette show, a “Guardians of the GaHoole” program, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss in March, Play Yu-Gi-Oh, and the play “Meet the American Girls” acted out by the club members, in April and May. Local schools brought ten classes to the library for puppet shows and library instruction. The children’s collection and activities are designed to motivate students to read and appreciate literature. They are popular and well attended throughout the year.

v Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

v Kathryn Stockett: The Help

v Lee Child: 61 Hours

v Anna Quindlen: Every Last One

v Anne Brashares: My Name is Memory

v Jennifer Weiner: Fly Away Home

v Frederick Forsyth: The Cobra

v Steve Martini: The Rule of Nine

v James Patterson: Private

v Karin Slaughter: Broken

v Janet Evanovich: SizzlingS

v Sara Paretsky: Body Work

v M.C. Beaton: Busy Body

v Forever Young

v 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s v Change Your Brain, Change Your Body

v Empire of the Summer Moon vThe 5 Love Languages vCooking From the Farmer’s Market

v Look + Cook vMathematics Made Simple

vJanzen: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

vBard: Lunch in Paris v First Family: Abigail & John vWilliam & Harry vEire: Learning to die in Miami

vAvatar v Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs vIt’s Complicated v Nine

vUp in the Air v The Princess and the Frog

vBrooklyn’s Finest v The Spy Next Door

vWhen in Rome v Valentine’s Day

vThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo v Letters to Juliet

v Harlan Coben: Caught

v Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

v Stieg Larsson: The Girl Who Played With Fire

v Dan Brown: The Lost Symbol v Lee Child: 61 Hours

vDiary of a Wimpy Kid vThe Last Olympian vMagic Treehouse vThe Necromancer vWho Broke Lincoln’s Thumb? vMallory Goes Green vDisney in Shadow vUtterly Me, Clarice Bean vThe Charm Bracelet

vToy Story: Essential Guide vGuinness World Records vSpiderman: Ultimate Guide vLego Star Wars vLife-Size Dinosaurs vRipley’s Believe It Or Not

vWelcome to Kaya’s World, 1764 vDanger

vRiordan: The Red Pyramid v Riordan: The Demigod Files vNaruto v Green: An Abundance of Katherines

v Shepard: Pretty Little Liars

v This year, Brockway Library saw a surge in patron usage, both in item checkouts and program attendance. v The library collaborated with the Miami Shores Fine Arts Commission to offer several unique art exhibits over the last year, including beautiful landscapes by Tom Weinkle and incredible modern art pieces by Soile Yli Mayre. v The Brockway Reading Circle, which is an adult book club sponsored by the library, continues to meet monthly and now boasts nearly 20 members!

v The Library Garden Club spent the year learning about new tools and methods for growing their gardens with the help of local gardeners and instructors. v We were proud to offer two author-centered events this year, one a book talk and signing with Lily Prellezo and Jose Basulto, co-writers of Seagull One; and the book club was thrilled to have best-selling author, Les Standiford Skype during our discussion of his book, Last Train to Paradise. v This year we were also pleased to offer a series of free computer instruction classes for our residents. The series, taught by volunteer librarian James Swaner, was well attended and so successful, it has been extended to include new or advanced programs.