Once per year, the library publishes an Annual Report illustrating the different ways Caroline County has engaged with the library. A list of past Annual Reports can be found below. Click on the name of the report to view it.
Message from the Executive Director
Caroline County Public Library had another busy and successful year in FY2016.
My tireless and multi-talented staff provided a great variety of materials, programs, and services to our residents.
Highlights include the following:
• Our IT Manager administered a $232,359 statewide grant project for the Division of Library Development and Services. Known as SPLICE (Statewide Programming Laptops Initiative for Community Education) the project provided laptops and STEM software programs to all the Maryland public libraries’ youth services departments.
• We took the lead to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Caroline County and continue to manage its day-to-day operations. We work with a dedicated committee of community partners to promote and fundraise for the program. In the first year of the program, we registered over 1000 children and raised over $30,000!
• With our Board of Education Food Services partner, Youth Services staff offered a bagged lunch for children in our Central Library Café over the summer. We saw a variety of children participate. Youth behavior overall was more positive and the staff benefited from getting to know more of our youth customers.
• We increased our technology-focused educational activities through STEM-based Storytimes, Little Bits Electronics Workshop for Families, and Electronics and Programming for Teens.
• We digitized and transcribed the Caroline County Almshouse ledger, which is now available virtually from our website. Thanks to the Greensboro Historical Society for lending us the ledger, and to the staff of Digital Maryland for their assistance and hosting.
• Governor Hogan, First Lady Hogan, and other elected officials visited our Central Library in Denton on June 23, 2016.
Volunteers are essential to our work at the library:
• 96 volunteers gave 1,442 hours of their time to the library this year.
• 34 teen volunteers earned hours towards their school service-learning requirement.
• Our Board of Library Trustees, who volunteer many hours throughout the year, provided expertise and oversight.
• Our Friends of the Caroline County Public Library held an exciting new fundraiser called “Mini Golf in the Library!” These funds helped us buy books, pay for programs, and purchase a new book drop for our Central Library in Denton. We are looking forward to their second annual Mini Golf in the Library fundraiser in FY2017!
Our partners are key to helping us accomplish our goals. I would like to extend sincere thanks to our major partners:
• Local partners: Caroline County Commissioners and their staff; Caroline County Public Schools; Head Start; Early Head Start; Greensboro and Federalsburg Judy Centers; Caroline County Council of Arts; Caroline County Recreation and Parks; University of Maryland Extension for Caroline County; Caroline County Public Works, AARP Tax Assistance Volunteers; and YMCA of Caroline County.
• Regional partners: Eastern Shore Regional Library; Chesapeake College; DLLR’s Talbot Career Center and Disabled Veteran Outreach; and Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board.
• Statewide partners: Division of Library Development and Services, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, State Library Resource Center, SAILOR, Maryland Humanities, and the Maryland State Arts Council.
We also appreciate the ongoing support from our state legislators of Districts 36 and 37B. A special thanks to Governor Hogan for his support of all Maryland public libraries. Finally, we wish to thank the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department and the Greensboro, Denton, and Federalsburg Police Departments for their commitment to safe communities.
We are looking forward a terrific FY2017!
Debby Bennett
Executive Director
Message from the Director
In this report you will find facts and numbers to summarize our 2015 fiscal year. It was a tremendously successful year! Our focus remains on three main pillars of service: Education, Economic Growth and Enrichment.
Each year we give thanks to the many people and organizations for their support and partnerships with the library to help us provide the very best library services and programs.
The thanks start with my staff — a multi-talented team of people who work tirelessly and creatively to provide our community excellent library service.
Additional support comes from our many library volunteers. 109 library volunteers, 48 who were teens, gave 1,527 hours of their time to the library this year. Our teen volunteers earned hours towards their school service-learning requirement.
At the top of the volunteer list is our Board of Library Trustees, who support and guide us, providing their expertise and setting solid policies. A special thank you goes to Library Board member Abigail McNinch, who left the board in January. We welcome new Library Board member Amy I. Brandt, who joined the board in April.
Another group of volunteers is our Friends of the Caroline County Public Library. Not only do these members volunteer at events, they are always working to raise money to help fund items not covered by the library’s budget.
We are proud to be a part of the strong Caroline County network of government, agencies and non-profits, which work together to garner the most from all our funds and staff to provide the very best to our community.
Some of our major partners are the Caroline County Commissioners and their staff, Caroline County Public Schools, Head Start, Early Head Start, Federalsburg Judy Center, Caroline County Council of Arts, Caroline County Recreation and Parks, Caroline County Public Works, AARP Tax Assistance Volunteers, and YMCA of Caroline County. Additional regional partners include Chesapeake College, the Eastern Shore Regional Library, Talbot Career Center, Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board, and SAILOR.
A great portion of funding for new materials, services and programs continues to be provided through a grant from the Eastern Shore Regional Library and funding from the Friends of the Library. This year’s corporate sponsorship for our Summer Reading Program was provided by Tanglewood Conservatories, Rex Landscaping, Avon-Dixon Agency, Heritage Financial Consultants, Better Days Farm; Rowe Insurance Agency, Provident State Bank, ImPRESSive Printing, Centreville National Bank, Gray’s Gas, Choptank Transport, and a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
We also thank the Division of Library Development and Services for choosing this library to pilot two exciting STEM youth programs this past year and for providing staff development grants through their Library Service and Technology Act funds.
And as always, thanks to all the individuals and organizations who support the library through their donations to the library directly and through the Friends of the Library.
