Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The disbanded Kosciusko Computer Club cleared out half of their treasury Monday, donating $525 to the Warsaw Community Public Library during the board of trustees meeting.
Lynne Phillips, Betty Gilbert and Helen Hall, former club members, said the organization found it hard to maintain a cohesiveness because people had so many diverse interests.
WCPL also offers free computer classes on a variety of subjects, which former members began to attend.
The donation will be used by the computer department according to assistant librarian Joni Brookins.
Department heads submitted annual reports for review.
The WCPL Indiana Public Library Annual Report for 2002 shows 18,654 resident borrowers out of a population of 25,262. Non-resident borrower numbers were 490 individual, 157 public library access cardholders and 344 student cards.
The total assessed valuation for the library district was given as $1,052,762,576, with an operating tax rate of .0864; a BIRF/lease rental tax rate of .0333 and a LCPF tax rate of .0133.
The library receives $1,601,659 in local funds, $94,515 in state funds and $105,260 from other income (fines and fees, interest on investment, PLAC reimbursements); for a total of $1,801,434.
Expenditures total $1,666,166 for personal services, supplies, capital outlays and operating fund expenses.
The library employs 56 people, three have a master's of library science degree.
Library programs were attended by 18,965 people (children, young adults and adults). An average of 793 people accessed the library's electronic services each week.
The summer reading program drew 1,483 participants who read 55,289 books.
In a typical week 5,042 people entered the library; 1,268 reference transactions were done, and patrons checked out $504,308 items, a record for WCPL.
The library houses 122,263 books, 9,276 videos, 9,595 pieces of "audio materials," 873 electronic items, and 408 serial subscriptions.
Highlights of the year included a change in the circulation system from Dynix, a text-based software, to Horizon, a graphically-based software. The package included installing new public access catalog software - IPac.
The computer lab got legs this year with the purchase of a mobile laptop cart and eight Gateway laptop computers.
In other business the board heard:
• The Celebration of Arts and Culture will be held March 11 from noon to 4 p.m. The library will be part of the activities.
• A $14,120 grant application was filed with the Esther Pfleiderer Charitable Trust. The funds would be used to digitalize Warsaw High School yearbooks.
• Approved a staff in-service "retreat" March 14 and the library will be closed that day.
Library board members are Larry Chamberlain, Tony Etienne, Paulette Sauders and Mark Morrison. John Yingling, Ruth Jones and Joel Curry were absent.
