Port Jefferson Free Library, NY: Strive for Quality Responsive Service, and Experiment
RSSTara D'Amato, Director -- Library Journal, 02/15/2009
We are in the small to midsize range (less than $5M funding and serving less than 15K patrons) but have been aware that our programming attendance levels outrank larger, better funded neighboring libraries. This has a lot to do both with our community, and the philosophy of library management. Port Jefferson serves a well-educated, professional area of some of the most densely populated suburbs of Long Island. There are three major hospitals, a state university, community college, and national lab all within 15 miles of the library, and many of the professionals who work there live in or around Port Jefferson. So our patrons demand a higher, more sophisticated level of service. And, they are willing to support us through a healthy library tax levy. The library staff knows this and selects unique programs that are particularly attractive to our community, and is always offering a wide variety of options to entice both new customers and keep our best ones coming back for more.
We strive for quality, responsive service by measuring outcomes and basing our decisions on collected data. We also aren’t afraid to try new things or technology, but not for its own sake—it has to fit our service model and improve something or make a service or collection easier to use. Lastly, in recent years the library has done a significant amount of community outreach. We are active in the Chamber of Commerce, in the Village, the local schools, an Arts Council, and Senior Center. These connections have opened up lines of communication and service opportunities for us. Being in close touch with the community only makes it easier to stay relevant, and therefore highly used!—Tara D’Amato, Director
