Annual Report FALL 2021 | HOWE LIBRARY CORPORATION
HOWE CORPORATION BOARD CHAIR’S REPORT FY21
Community, Staff & Donors Rise to Challenge When I was asked to serve as Chair of the Howe Board two years ago, I never anticipated that most of the time and energy would be devoted to questions driven by a global pandemic. Like all businesses and government organizations, the Howe faced questions on when, how, and whether to reopen and how to sustain our operation in the face of these uncertainties. Thanks to the ongoing support and collaboration with the Town of Hanover, the deep reservoir of community support, the dedication and creativity of the Howe staff, and the calm steady leadership of our Director, Rubi Simon, the Howe Corporation and the Howe Library faced these challenges and made progress.
Wayne Gersen Chair, Howe Corporation Board
By working collaboratively with the Town of Hanover, we were able to use the closure of the library as an opportunity to work on infrastructure projects that would have disrupted the operations in a normal year. The donors to the Howe— individuals and corporate donors alike, sustained their financial support throughout the pandemic, enabling us to grow our Endowment despite our inability to hold our fundraising projects. The Howe staff put their heads together and helped devise a means of circulating books safely and effectively once some of the strictures associated with the pandemic were loosened. And throughout the emotional turmoil that resulted from these challenges, Director Rubi Simon was a calm and supportive force, guiding us through these uncharted waters.
W
e were able to use the closure of the library as an opportunity to work on infrastructure projects …
The Board members and I hope the COVID challenges are behind us and we can begin the process of envisioning the future through the update of our Five Year plan. We thank you for your sustained support and seek your insights as we develop a vision for the years ahead.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT FY21
Creativity Sustains Services Rubi Simon Director, Howe Library
Transformative! That’s the word that comes to mind when I look back on this year. Over the past 12 months, the Howe has continued to serve as an essential resource to our community. Our staff strived to meet people’s needs for education and engagement, and most importantly, helped support our community through a period of isolation and confinement. The pandemic challenged us to think outside the box, restructure and completely revamp how we deliver library services and resources. Through the process, our staff quickly switched and learned how to provide virtual programming, maintain and offer reference services with our patrons via e-mail, Zoom, and phone calls. We enhanced our electronic collections to continue to offer information, videos, audio and e- books. Our primary goal was to figure out how the library could safely restore as many services as expeditiously as possible. The process has had its challenges, but I can never say enough about our staff’s resolution and ability to come together, research, and think creatively to ensure we were able to continue offering our library services to the community in the best way possible.