Welcome

Welcome to the Lucy Robbins Welles Library, Newington's public library. With a highly trained staff, a superb collection of over 130,000 items, and a beautiful facility, the library is a community meeting place, cultural center, and an invaluable information resource. We invite you to visit the library either in person or online. Just click on the Library Homepage link in order to enter the library virtually. You will find that you can access materials, acounts, resources, and even live librarians from this site. Please feel free to contact us at the phone number and/or email addresses listed above with any questions you may have. Looking foward to serving you!

As Newington’s public library, the Lucy Robbins Welles Library, continues to fulfill its mission of providing information, education, and cultural enrichment for the Newington community through a commitment to excellence in library resources.
 
EXPLANATION

This program provides for management and coordination of all programs and services offered by the Lucy Robbins Welles Library, as well as hosting a number of unallocated department wide expenses.

HIGHLIGHTS OF FY 2007-2008 OPERATION

• With the Library Board of Trustees, introduced The Legacy Society PowerPoint presentation to the public, as awareness for the future of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library was raised.
• Worked closely with the Library Board and Friends on fundraising efforts.
• Coordinated the “Chalk Walk,” a competition featuring the creation of chalk art on pavement as part of the Town’s fourth WaterFall Festival.
• Coordinated the third One Book 4 Towns event, a collaborative effort with Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Berlin.  The book The Surrogate Thief by Archer Mayor was read and discussed, ending in an appearance by the author.
• Worked with appropriate members of the Mid-State Collaborative to coordinate summer reading programs for children, teens, and adults.
• Assisted the Town IST Department in the successful migration to a new website.
• Facilitated the expansion of the Library’s wireless network to include the entire building.
• Began to offer an online series of Web 2.0 classes for all library staff.
• Introduced a new policy and procedure for the use of the Library by tutors and their students in order to keep pace with the high demand for such services.

OBJECTIVES

• Begin to compile a building needs assessment.
• Explore the need for a long-range planning process.
• Work with members of the Mid-State Collaborative to coordinate The Big Read, another community-wide reading project that will link Newington with the surrounding communities of Wethersfield, Berlin, and Rocky Hill.  The Maltese Falcon written by Dashiell Hammett will be the featured book.
• Work with the Friends of the Library to create an email newsletter.
• Continue to address vandalism and loitering problems that the library is experiencing by working with the Police and other appropriate Town departments.
• Seek grant money from appropriate sources for the purpose of digitizing historical records and other library resources.
• Offer online and hands-on Web 2.0 classes for Newington patrons.
• Oversee the completion of any other action items for the Library’s 2008 Plan of Work.