Secretary of State Windsor Addresses the Future of Delaware's Libraries
April 21, 2005
DOVER - In an information-rich world, Delaware's libraries "need to constantly reinvent themselves," Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor told legislators and librarians at the 12th annual Library Legislative Action Day.
Secretary Windsor thanked Delaware legislators for supporting urgently needed programs to upgrade and expand Delaware's libraries. She acknowledged the joint efforts of the governor, the General Assembly, the State Department's Division of Libraries, and private groups such as the Delaware Library Association, which sponsored the event.
Windsor listed numerous pro-active "Quality Initiatives" the state has undertaken to adopt best practices for performance excellence in Delaware's libraries. One of the most ambitious projects, which debuts later this year, is the Delaware Library Catalog Project. The program will integrate the catalogs of the Kent County public libraries, the Sussex County public libraries, the four Delaware Technical & Community College libraries, and the Delaware Public Archives into a single, up-to-date, online database. This and other initiatives will allow libraries to work collaboratively to improve their collections and use limited resources efficiently.
Windsor noted that results are now coming in from "what may well be the nation's most comprehensive assessment of a single state's libraries." The one-year Statewide Master Study for Library Services and Construction calls Delaware's bond program for public library construction "one of the finest in the country." The report lists state support as a major asset to Delaware's libraries. It suggests improvements such as increased library staffing and conveniently located "anchor libraries" with large collections, an idea that is under consideration.
"The goals of the Delaware Division of Libraries are quite simple," Windsor said: "to enhance customer services, to reach non-library users, and to increase collaboration among libraries in order to optimize limited resources."
Windsor, who writes and reads widely herself, noted that her own current reading list includes titles ranging from the autobiography of former Bush administration press secretary Karen Hughes to Thomas the Tank Engine books she reads to her grandson. She told the audience that ultimate goal of library innovations is for "all Delawareans to have a library card-and, more important, for them to use their library cards."
