Wednesday, September 21, 2011

PPL: The gift that keeps on giving

Budget discussions in any organization are an annual ritual but the perspective, if a business or organization is going to thrive, has to be on long term return on investment. Portland Public Library has the same ritual yet often we speak publicly only of the last year’s performance which is a limited view and articulation of our value.


People are dead right to ask “what are we getting for our money?” The answers echo over the generations and among tens of thousands of people. A couple of quick facts serve to illustrate the year after year pay back:

The 1,000,000th visit to the renovated Main Library will take place at some point next spring;

Among the 48,413 active card holders who live in Cumberland County only, 7,010,225 items have been borrowed over the life of their relationship with PPL with more borrowed every day. And, there were thousands of other people who preceded them over many years who are no longer active card holders.

Who uses PPL? Is it still relevant?

Case closed.

Friday, September 2, 2011

THE BIG LIBRARY IS HERE!

The Library of Congress (LC) is a cultural icon to the American people and it is an inspiration to not just our libraries but to cultural organizations everywhere. Its sheer size is daunting yet its mission language is decidedly simple, elegant and inspiring. 

“The Library's mission is to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people.”


The Library’s programmatic expression of its mission touches every aspect of knowledge from the arts and humanities to the sciences. At the Portland Public Library the connections are direct. LC has for decades been a driving force in setting strategic direction for America's and the world’s libraries through establishing standards for information organization, discovery and sharing.

Two of our closest cultural collaborators are significantly influenced and inspired by LC. The Library of Congress Center for the Book was established in 1977 to promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy. The Maine Humanities Council has served since 1997 as the Maine Center for the Book and has worked hard to fulfill that mission.

Maine Historical Society has built a nationally respected tool called Maine Memory Network  which was inspired over a decade ago by the LC’s American Memory project. Maine Memory now provides on-line access to tens of thousands historical documents from not just the Society’s collections but from over 200 other organizations throughout Maine. Resources for teachers and on-line exhibits are also included. It has become the indispensable tool for preserving and studying Maine history.

We are honored to co-host the Library of Congress travelling exhibition today and Saturday on Monument Square. Our thanks are extended to our friends at the Portland Downtown District for their co-sponsorship.