RESULTS FROM THE MARCH 2014 LIBRARY SURVEY:We received over 300 responses to the survey we sent out in March and were thrilled to get many favorable comments. We are grateful for all the suggestions, taking them seriously and trying to act on those we can. These are some of the suggestions we received. Longer library hours: We are open 44 hours a week, more than the state mandated minimum. If you work or are here only on weekends, however, you may not easily get to the library. Staying open a third evening a week or opening on Sunday would have budgetary consequences and while we hope to make that happen, it probably won’t in 2014. Noise in the library: The cathedral ceilings in the building enhance, rather than reduce, noise. We are trying, however, to reduce the noise level at the front desk from staff and patrons, and at times will close the door to the children’s room. Please keep reminding us. Longer loan period for new books: The two week checkout period for new books is mandated by the Westchester Library System, of which we are part, not by us. Nonetheless, we are happy to override the two week limit unless someone else is waiting for them. We are also happy to buy copies of new books for you to read on one of our NOOKs. More YA books and books on cd: Thank you for your suggestions and we would love to know which titles you would like. Electronic resources: We were surprised to find that very few responders knew of the databases offered by our library through WLS. Please let us know if you want a particular database. Most responders knew about and liked the downloadable e-books, audio-books and music. Please let us know of any problems using any of these resources. More parking: This is mostly a problem for large programs and events. There is little we can do about this as the town owns the land the library is on and we own the building. This is a problem at every library in the county and we are lucky to be able to park in the town lots and on the street. Computer assistance: We do not have an IT person on our staff to offer lessons or help all the time. Some of the staff is more tech savvy than others. Our high school pages, however, are available to help you. If you can wait for a response, please email us your problem at keelerlibrary@wlsmail.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Décor in the children’s room: Library furniture gets a lot of hard use and ours was not new to begin with. We have added new sturdy, comfortable sofas and chairs to our wish list. Programs: Thank you for your many ideas. We won’t be able to implement them all, at least not right away, but value them nonetheless. This is what we are doing now in response to your suggestions: Music: Beginning in the fall, the Friends of the Library will be funding three music programs through a grant from M&T bank. Movie Nights: Our projector and sound system are old. We hope to be given a large flat screen TV that we will use for tech classes and movies. Science programs for children: We have a number of programs in the works: Robotics, Math Games and Puzzles, DIY Upcycling Design, Magic Tree House Science Adventures, Science Saturdays, the Inventors’ Club, Monthly Lego Challenges Programs for children and adults on weekends and evenings: We always have programs in the works and welcome suggestions. We would love some help implementing these program ideas. Our staff is small as is our budget. If you have a skill or particular knowledge and would like to lead a program, please let us know. Another STEAMFest is planned for November 15, 2014 Please let us know if we did not include your suggestion. | 
