David Court, the Executive Director of the Desert Foothills Library (DFL), said the Library is more than a building; it's an institution that has been on the same site since the mid 1970s.
The Library's mission is to enrich the Desert Foothills Community by promoting literacy and advancing knowledge through library resources and programs that inspire and support lifelong learning. It is about so much more than books. The library side is still extremely important to them, but they have had to look at strategically expanding the offerings, and featuring programs of interest to everyone from children to seniors. (Check out Carefree Truth's Non profit Events & Info each Wednesday to see all the programs being offered by the Library each month.)
DFL is the literary, cultural, and educational hub of the Desert Foothills, a place for the community to gather. Through June of 2019, the end of their fiscal year, 110,000 people have walked through the front doors of DFL. 91,000 physical items and 5,500 eBooks circulated to cardholders. DFL held 1,076 Adult programs which were attended by 15,699 people, and 198 Youth programs attended by 2,345 children. 1,303 Passports were processed on behalf of the State Department. It is one of the few Passport Offices in the area that is open 7 days a week. DFL has rooms for use by everyone, including local small businesses. Programming Librarian Ashley Ware is DFT's ambassador to the Chamber of Commerce. They have 12 employees and over 120 volunteers. There are 8,000 cardholders, 20% of whom reside in Carefree.
DFL prides itself on its level of participation with other community non profit organizations. They have hosted major events for the Cave Creek Museum, they collect food for the Foothills Food Bank, and they have hosted the Healthy Aging Expo and play a movie every month for the Foothills Caring Corp. They have held joint programs with the Desert Foothills Land Trust and hosted DFLT's Art for Land's Sake fundraiser. DFL also partnered with the Town of Carefree to create the Little Free Library in the Carefree Desert Gardens. 15 stewards support the Little Free Library and the books are constantly being replenished at no cost to the Town of Carefree. Mr. Court noted that Vice Mayor John Crane provided this photo of the first customer of the Little Free Library.
Mayor Les Peterson added that there is a plaque as you walk in the front door of the Library listing major donors. In a expression of appreciation, the Town of Carefree is one of the largest donors.
DFL's budget exceeded $1 million dollars for the first time, this fiscal year. In his 9 years as Executive Director, the budget has increased but the use of the organization has increased even more. The Library plans to lead through innovation. DFL's 3 areas of strategic focus for the future are to reinvent the Library, raise its profile, and embrace new technology.
DFL will continue to be a community space for everyone. They are transforming their business model by hiring more professional staff. There are currently 3 librarians and a 4th is being recruited. New programs are being added. The addition of a test/demonstration kitchen (see Carefree Truth's Non profit Events & Info this Wednesday for more information on the test kitchen) expands the programs offered and attracts a new group of patrons. Most of the kitchen items are being donated, and the project manager is working pro bono.
Mr. Court said, "It is amazing to me and to the Board how many people in the community don't know the Library exists". There are currently about 1,000 donors. DFL seeks to grow their base of donor support. This growth must be accomplished by means of increased paid marketing, social media, and word of mouth. A Facebook post about the new kitchen got 2,100 views in 1 day.
By embracing new technology, DFL will evolve as a relevant community information center, providing what the community uses and expects to use in the future. They are looking at integrating technologies such as Virtual Reality and 3-D printing into their programs. For example, Virtual Reality would enable those not able to travel to go around the world virtually. And there is evidence that many in the community would like the ability to use 3-D printing. DFL has been working extensively with the Carefree business Tech4Life. Building technology into DFL's programs is extremely important.
Mr. Court believes DFL is a very important part of the community. He asked that the Town promote the use of the Library as one of the best resources available to residents and potential investors. He asked that the Town mention and advocate for the Library, use the Library, and come to programs. He thanked the Council for listening to his presentation. Mayor Peterson thanked Mr. Court for his very informative presentation.
DFL's budget exceeded $1 million dollars for the first time, this fiscal year. In his 9 years as Executive Director, the budget has increased but the use of the organization has increased even more. The Library plans to lead through innovation. DFL's 3 areas of strategic focus for the future are to reinvent the Library, raise its profile, and embrace new technology.
DFL will continue to be a community space for everyone. They are transforming their business model by hiring more professional staff. There are currently 3 librarians and a 4th is being recruited. New programs are being added. The addition of a test/demonstration kitchen (see Carefree Truth's Non profit Events & Info this Wednesday for more information on the test kitchen) expands the programs offered and attracts a new group of patrons. Most of the kitchen items are being donated, and the project manager is working pro bono.
Mr. Court said, "It is amazing to me and to the Board how many people in the community don't know the Library exists". There are currently about 1,000 donors. DFL seeks to grow their base of donor support. This growth must be accomplished by means of increased paid marketing, social media, and word of mouth. A Facebook post about the new kitchen got 2,100 views in 1 day.
By embracing new technology, DFL will evolve as a relevant community information center, providing what the community uses and expects to use in the future. They are looking at integrating technologies such as Virtual Reality and 3-D printing into their programs. For example, Virtual Reality would enable those not able to travel to go around the world virtually. And there is evidence that many in the community would like the ability to use 3-D printing. DFL has been working extensively with the Carefree business Tech4Life. Building technology into DFL's programs is extremely important.
Mr. Court believes DFL is a very important part of the community. He asked that the Town promote the use of the Library as one of the best resources available to residents and potential investors. He asked that the Town mention and advocate for the Library, use the Library, and come to programs. He thanked the Council for listening to his presentation. Mayor Peterson thanked Mr. Court for his very informative presentation.
David Court
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Vice Mayor John Crane commented that, doing the math, there are approximately 1,600 cardholders who live in Carefree. Carefree has a population of around 3,800, which means that about 40% of the citizens belong to the Library. "That's why it's so good to have you here. It's such an important part of the community."
Councilman Vince D'Aliesio appreciated the fact that the Library is open 7 days a week. He has 3 teens at home. "We're in the Library every Sunday." They recently forced their daughter to return some overdue books she didn't want to part with. "So thank you for that."
Mayor Peterson invited DFL to offer programs in the Carefree Council Chambers, which would extend awareness of the Library as well as being of benefit and interest to Carefree residents. Mr. Court agreed it would extend the Library's reach and it would be nice for Carefree residents to have something here.
Councilman Stephen Hatcher asked if DFL ever shared programs with other organizations such as those in the Holland Center. Mr. Court replied that he had a meeting arranged with the new Executive Director of the Foothills Community Foundation (FCF) to explore all the possibilities. FCF currently has a capacity problem. DFL does not, due to their remodel which was completed last year.
Mr. Hatcher asked if all the funding is through donations. Mr. Court explained that most of the budget is privately funded, but they receive $73,000 from the Maricopa County Library District, which provides funding for all the libraries in the County for materials. DFL buys books and DVDs through a single payer vendor which sends the bills to the County. DFL has 6 or 7 sources of income, including the Passport Office and the Used Book Store. The Book Store generated over $100,000 in the last fiscal year. They receive rent for hosting cell towers. So they are not completely dependent on donors. The librarians run the Library. He views his job as running a small business.
He again thanked the Mayor and Council for inviting him to speak.
https://vimeo.com/352758774
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
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