Letter from Tonya Aikens, CEO, Board Chair and Thomas Munns, President, Board of Trustees
Dear friends,
We are proud to be an essential part of our community, working with and for each other. That starts with our health and well-being, as we began creating a new “normal” this year. With the wide availability of COVID vaccines and following the advice from public health experts, we held classes outdoors then fully reopened our branches and resumed pre-pandemic operating hours in August 2021. Whether in our branches or out in the community, people embraced the opportunities to gather in person, as well as online and in hybrid formats.
We ventured into the community with our new mobile unit. Focusing on preparing young children for kindergarten, the unit’s team focuses on neighborhoods whose residents may not be able to visit our library branches, bringing classes, materials, Chromebooks, and hotspots.
Our community asked for a place to learn more about social issues and talk about what they have learned. We listened, and in September we opened the Equity Resource Center at Central Branch. We continue to invite people to come together for study and conversation, to further their education about other cultures as well as structural inequities, and to learn about our shared histories and from one another.
We celebrated! After again receiving a Five Star ranking by Library Journal, we hosted a showcase featuring all the ways we come together with our community. In December, we cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Glenwood Branch, now offering a community makerspace, expanded classroom and meeting areas, and outdoor reading and instructional space. And in April, we brought Battle of the Books back in person, this time to Merriweather Post Pavilion! Our year concluded with a moving ceremony for our Project Literacy graduates.
While this year’s report touches on the highlights, so much more happened this year. Always looking for new or innovative ways to serve our community, we also started lending literacy activity kits for children; offered Covid vaccine clinics in our branches; partnered with numerous organizations on events and activities; embarked on a web redesign project; and reviewed and refreshed our deep partnership with the school system.
Thank you for your support. Together, we strengthen our community.
View all our generous sponsors and donors
Read the report sections below, download a copy, or view on issuu
Tonya Aikens named recipient of the James E. Henson Sr. & Jean W. Toomer Award given by the Howard County Human Rights Commission.
Vision
A vital component of Howard County’s renowned education system, we deliver excellence in education for everyone, advancing the economy and quality of life.
Mission
We deliver high-quality public education for all ages.
card holders: 232,367
physical visits: 1,040,281
website hits: 1,265,777
Financials
Operating Budget: $25,387,24
Presidential Circle Donors
Friends & Foundation of HCLS
Howard County Public School System
Howard Hughes Corporation
M&T Bank
Josephine B. Scheffenacker
Education Trust
Estate of George Rothstein
For a list of all our generous sponsors and donors, visit hclibrary.org/annualreport.
As a trusted institution in Howard County, Howard County Library System is known and respected for its role in education and for serving the entire community. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, community leaders and members began asking HCLS to lead the community in learning and healing.
HCLS began offering racial equity training for staff and the community, formed a Racial Equity Alliance, and launched an online collector for people to share their stories about bias, discrimination, and racism – as well as stories of hope. Momentum continued to build along with calls for space for the community to come together and talk across differences, and about ideas and solutions. People also asked for the return of the Undesign the Redline exhibit, outlining the Federal government’s role in enacting housing discrimination along racial and ethnic lines into law.
In September, HCLS opened an Equity Resource Center, located on the second floor of the Central Branch. This new space houses a new equity collection of more than 9,000 items for all ages in a variety of formats. It also includes tables and chairs for study and informal discussions, as well as space for exhibits, such as the return of Undesign the Redline.
HCLS is committed to ensuring the collection maintains a broad and inclusive scope. The collection and the Equity Resource Center enable people to not only learn about their own culture and history but also other cultures and histories.
physical items borrowed: 4,031,480
chromebooks & hotspots: 1,514
Key themes in the new equity collection include:
• The history of race and racism in the US and Maryland
• The impact of racial discrimination on housing, education, health care, etc.
• Policing and the criminal justice system
• Immigration and emancipation
• Gender/gender identity
• Literary or media perspectives from or about African Americans, Asian Americans, Indigenous people/Native Americans, Latinx, Jewish Americans, Italian Americans, LGBTQIA+, ableism, and more.
Just in time for the start of a new school year, HCLS cut the ribbon on a new PopUp Library. It serves a dual purpose to bring the Library to festivals and community events and to prepare young children for kindergarten. The new mobile unit brings preschool classes and learning resources to preschool children of asset limited and income constrained families who experience barriers in accessing the Library’s six branches. Staff visit preschools, daycare facilities, community/service centers, parks, shopping centers, and businesses in these communities, making classes and services fully accessible. Through classes such as Little Bunny 1,2,3, Library instructors help children learn and practice classroom behavior and learn new sight words both in English and Spanish, enabling them to take their first steps to become ready and successful kindergarten students.
The vehicle features a collection of library materials in a variety of formats that have been curated to meet the needs of the target populations, and Chromebooks and mobile hotspots. The unit also functions as a mobile hotspot providing Internet access to the nearby community during each stop.
The mobile unit was funded by a Rise to the Challenge Grant from Howard County Government, Friends & Foundation of Howard County Library System, M&T Bank, PNC Foundation, and HoCo Balt Book Club.
site visits: 91
attendance:: 1,813
adults: 668
students: 1,145
items borrowed: 4,964
library cards: 115
attendance at all classes: 160,642
childrens: 62,841
teens: 21,005
adults: 35,783
all ages: 41,013
“Oh Mrs. Fernandez…Yesterday was AWESOME! Thank you so much for your patience, flexibility, and welcoming nature to myself, my Title I partner, our students and families! Thanks for the calendars! I will make sure they are distributed/posted!”
– from Talbott Springs
“We had an awesome Library Night at PLES! Thanks to the ladies: Adriana, Mio, Irma, Tanisa, and Bianca for providing wonderful resources, stories, information, and getting library cards and books for the 135 kids and adults who came to the event. We are so grateful to collaborate with the library. We look forward to more events with you. Thanks so much!”
– from Phelps Luck Elementary
Following a 14-month renovation, Howard County Library System’s Glenwood Branch reopened in December. The branch now features a new makerspace with 3D printers, a digital memory station (where customers can convert VHS tapes and DVDs to digital files), a large format printer, a laser cutter engraver, a recording booth, and bins filled with tinker items.
Makers and curious minds of all ages are invited to experience, learn and create with these new tools.
The makerspace has become a destination for gathering and learning. Customers have used the space for homeschool groups learning a new skill, date nights exploring 3D printing, mom groups gathering to craft and explore, and Girl Scout meetings to learn laser cutting, 3D printing, and sound recording.
Students, teens, and adults have been excited to use the 3D printers. Some examples of successful 3D printed projects are: a distance meter for a camera, a light-saber, replacement pieces to repair equipment, and prototypes of a future invention.
The most popular equipment in the makerspace has been the laser cutter engraver. Customers have used it to create personalized gifts, generate engraved artwork, and construct wooden pieces to be sold at local stores and shows.
research assistance: 740,237
askhcls interactions: 16,989
The renovated branch also includes:
• Two new multi-use studios, enabling instructors to teach more classes for all ages and giving the community more space for public meetings.
• New customer service and self-service areas, enabling customers to pick up their own holds.
• New passport office for greater confidentiality.
• Renovated vending café area in a new central location, serving as a snack area, collaborative, and social space.
• Refreshed children’s area with interactive play area and Builders Barn where children can invent, create, and problem solve with hands-on resources.
• Refreshed teen areas with new seating, games, and gather space.
• New outdoor patio
After a two year hiatus due to Covid-19, this year’s Battle of the Books returned in person…at Merriweather Post Pavilion! Howard County Library System and Howard County Public School System brought together nearly 300 teams of fifth grade students for this highly anticipated academic competition.
Teams of five students answered questions about a set of books. The books are from a predetermined list given to the teams, courtesy of generous sponsors. This year’s list included ten titles chosen by a committee comprising Howard County Library System and Howard County Public School System staff.
The 2022 Battle of the Books was sponsored by Josephine B. Scheffenknacker Education Trust (presenting sponsor) and the Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission, Friends & Foundation of Howard County Library System, Howard County Public School System, Howard Hughes, M&T Bank, and Maryland 529 Plan.
Battle of the Books was epic! Our youngest child participated this year and we don’t want it to be our last. We’re thinking we may need to have more children. – enthused parent
5 Star Showcase
In October, Howard County Library System celebrated its Five Star ranking with the people who make it possible – the community. The community joined staff outdoors and in person to experience an interactive showcase of HCLS services at 15 different booths. Moe than 350 attendees of all ages reconnected with other residents and got hands-on with STEAM activities, demos, games, story times, DJ, food trucks, giveaways, and more! The local Health Department was also on site to administer free COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
5 Star Library
Howard County Library System was ranked a five-star library by Library Journal, the highest standard attained by fewer than one percent of public libraries in the U.S. — the only five star library system in Maryland.
Tonya Aikens named recipient of the James E. Henson Sr. & Jean W. Toomer Award given by the Howard County Human Rights Commission.
Library Journal named Nay Keppler and Katie DiSalvo-Thronson among their Movers & Shakers in 2022.
Emma Ostendorp received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Maryland TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) after being nominated for her work with Project Literacy.
YouTube: 1,496 viewers watched 3,230 hours
Emma Ostendorp, who directs Project Literacy, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Maryland TESOL. Project Literacy instructors delivered more than 25,000 hours of instruction for free to students looking to learn English, citizenship, and work skills, as well as earn a high school diploma.
Number of graduates: 11 (+8 from FY20 & 21)
Number of students: 389 students, from 62 countries and speaking more than 40 different languages
Evening in the Stacks: Across Africa
returned in person to HCLS East Columbia Branch, hosting 353 guests and raising funds for library initiatives.
