Libraries get top ranking
By Kevin Kelley
Westshore
Published July 8, 2009

A recent national study has named two library systems serving Westshore residents as the tops in their population groups.

For the second time in the past four years, Westlake Porter Public Library has been named number one in the nation among libraries serving communities with populations between 25,000 and 50,000 by Hennen’s American Public Library Rankings (HAPLR). The library’s previous top ranking occurred in 2005.  Porter Library was ranked number two last year and has been in the top 10 in its population category since the HAPLR was established 10 years ago.

The report ranks Cuyahoga County Public Library, which has branches in Bay Village, North Olmsted and Fairview Park, as the number one library in the nation serving populations over 500,000.

The rankings are based on usage and service data such as circulation, materials, reference service, number of visitors, staffing levels, and funding. A total of 9,080 libraries were included in the study.

Porter Director Andrew Mangels said the top rating was fitting coming in the middle of a year-long celebration of the library’s 125th anniversary.

“Leonard Porter would be so proud of the library his bequest created,” Mangels said, referring to the Dover Township resident who willed $1,000 for the creation of a public library in the community.

Mangels also said the top ranking reflected the library’s efficient, cost-effective service.

Porter Board of Trustees President Karen Alfred said the library was honored to again receive the top ranking.

“It is our goal to give number one service to library users at all times, and our ranking is a reflection of that commitment,” Alfred said. “The Board of Trustees is extremely grateful for the superior commitment from all staff members and the outstanding support from the Westlake community. When these two factors are combined, the results are outstanding.”

The Cuyahoga County Public Library’s top ranking is a strong statement about the services provided, said Sari Feldman, the system’s executive director.

“I am exceedingly proud of the dedication of our staff, and how they have risen to the challenge set forth by our board – led by President Darlene Evans McCoy – to take our library from great to greatest,” Feldman said. “I am deeply appreciative of their efforts, and for the truly incredible support we have received from the customers in the 47 communities we serve. The library’s success is a reflection of a community that values its public libraries. The honor belongs to us all.”

The county library’s overall score increased by 22 points from last year, when it was ranked second in the nation, from 871 to 893 out of a possible 1,000. According to Thomas Hennen, author of the annual rankings, most libraries score between 230 and 730 points.

Rebecca Wills, the manager of the Fairview Park branch of the county system, credited her staff with providing excellent services to patrons.

“The people who work in public libraries love their work,” Wills said.

In 2008, Cuyahoga County Public Library circulated a record-high 17.8 million items. The library set new circulation records in each of the last four years and is on pace to set another record in 2009. Through June of 2009, circulation has already surpassed 9.4 million items – a 7 percent increase over the first six months of last year, library officials said.

Wills said she has noticed an increase in usage in every category, especially use of public computers, at her branch.

A quarter of the top 10 libraries in the HAPLR 2009 ratings are Ohio libraries. But the top rankings come at a time when Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed cutting the funding for Ohio’s libraries by $227 million dollars over the next two years to deal with the state’s budget crisis.

The Web sites of both Porter and the county branches, as well as librarians there, have been getting the word out about the threatened cuts.

Wills said that during the current economic recession, more and more people have been relying on the local public library for resources.

“So many people here are facing some kind of challenge or crisis, and they need us,” Will said.

Wills said that now more than at any time in her 27-year career in public libraries patrons are depending on library resources such as access to the Internet. And they’re more open about sharing their needs with librarians, Wills noted.

“There’s always a personal story to what the library has meant to people,” Wills told West Life. “They say, ‘The library is my lifeline.’”

In addition to handing out bookmarks with information on the budget issue, librarians have been providing contact information for the governor and state legislators, Wills said. Patrons have been expressing their support for maintaining public library funding, Wills reported.

On the Web:

• 2009 Hennen’s American Public Library Rankings
• Westlake Porter Public Library
• Cuyahoga County Public Library