By E. Ashley Rooney |  Koren Stembridge, the new Cary Memorial Library director, has been in her position since late March. As part of the interview process, the Search Committee asked the candidates for the position to put on a 15-minute presentation about the future of libraries. Koren worked from the strategic plan for the library developed in 2009 to see the themes that were important to the citizens of Lexington. She quickly identified these themes: programs, materials, community, technology, and schools/children.
The Cary Memorial Library staff from left to right: Ruth Lynn, Children’s Department Head, Cynthia Johnson, Reference Department Head, Kathy Quinlan, Assistant Library Director, Koren Stembridge, Library Director and Peggy Bateson, Circulation Department.
Last year, the Cary Library ranked 6th of 370 libraries in direct circulation (only Boston, Newton, Brookline, Cambridge, and Worcester were higher). Cary was the top circulating library in its population grouping (25,000 – 50,000 residents). Children’s items make up about 4 percent of our overall circulation.
At the Cary Memorial Library Foundation’s annual meeting, she commented on these categories. ” Last year, the Cary Library circulated over 804,000 items.
 Circulation has been steadily increasing and is on pace to increase again this year. If the average cost of those items borrowed were $12.00, it would have cost Lexington residents nearly 10 million dollars to buy what they borrowed. ”
Lexington residents are avid readers; we actually borrowed more than 91,000 items from other libraries last year for use by our residents (we loaned 54,000 items to other libraries for their use). The Circulation Department moves approximately 2 tons of materials in/out each week in these transfers to and from other libraries. Although some gurus point out that the traditional role of the library as a repository for books will disappear in the next decade, it has assumed a new role with the expansion of technology. At Cary, the downloads of eBooks grew by 50% between January and March of this year and by this fall, Koren expects that this service will be compatible with our Kindles.
“Clearly, the field of librarianship has always been tied to technology and the way we catalog, retrieve, and share our information with our patrons has evolved over time, ” Koren remarked. “What has changed for us is that in the past, we had a technology that we controlled and used as a tool for delivering information. As we move forward, we’re going to see new technologies, and we’ll have to figure out how to incorporate them into a construct that works for us. “
Koren stressed that in doing so we will have to deal with issues of privacy, security, copyright, intellectual freedom, and freedom of access. She also spoke about the quality of our youth services and the importance of maintaining a balance between technology and books that inspire their imaginations and build their literacy skills.
Cary is a meeting place, a community gathering spot, and a suburban hangout.
It has become a space where we meet and interact. Its programs are a fundamental and growing component of its task. Koren foresees that its future programming will fall into three general categories:
• Library sponsored – programs developed and presented by our talented staff
• Library as venue – programs offered to the public at the library by outside groups
• Partnerships – programs that are developed by one or more entities that utilize the strengths of both in order to add value to the library.
This is the bulk of the work I did at the Boston Public Library where we had extensive partnerships with the public schools, local museums, and local organizations. This will be a growth area for the Cary Library as we build new relationships with individuals and groups who have access to wonderful programming that could be offered here at the library.”
Jeanne Krieger, the incoming president of the Cary Memorial Library Foundation, points out, “The work of the Foundation and the Friends makes the difference between Cary being a good library and a truly great library. It supports 40% of the adult material budget. Contributions from Lexington residents and firms augment programming and sustain the collection, turning Cary Library into a vibrant community center.”
Koren’s eyes sparkled, as she pointed out that the Foundation’s contribution to the materials budget and its willingness to fund initiatives that help us explore these technologies, and take some risks will make the difference in keeping the Cary Library ahead of the curve.
