The Salem-South Lyon District Library is one of America’s STAR Libraries for 2018. This prestigious distinction was created to highlight “the best of the best” — libraries that exemplify service to their communities and excellent stewardship of their resources. The SSLDL was one of only six libraries in the state of Michigan to earn a star rating this year.
“It is such a thrill to be recognized and included with this illustrious group,” said Donna Olson, library director. “And it’s also truly a thrill to serve a community that values and supports its library in so many ways. We are proud to be a vibrant center of activity, literacy and lifelong learning for our area and do our best every day to hold ourselves to the highest level of service.”
For the past 11 years, the Library Journal has used its Star Library Ratings and Index of Public Library Service to spotlight “the best of the best” across America. Five different measures of library services were evaluated: overall circulation, circulation of electronic materials, library visits, program attendance and public internet computer use. To achieve a fair, “apples to apples” assessment, each library was compared to its peers within the same funding levels .
“As a result, receiving a star rating not only means that the library itself delivers a strong return on investment but that when graded on a curve, it is one of the strongest performers,” according to the Library Journal.
Sponsored by Baker & Taylor’s Collect Connect, this year the Library Journal Index scored 7,361 U.S. public libraries, and chose 257 as Star Libraries, six of which are located in Michigan: Ann Arbor District Library (5 Star), Kent District Library (3 Star), W. Bloomfield Public Library (5 Star), SSLDL (3 Star), Richland Community Library (5 Star) and Litchfield District Library (4 Stars). For additional information about the Library Journal index, please visit https://bit.ly/2zUVwTj.
“The SSLDL is such a special place. Our entire staff truly cares about respecting the needs of each individual who comes through the doors—babies toddling into their first story times, teens looking for a quiet place to study, artists, community groups, lifelong learners,” Olson said. “We always strive to help, build, connect and inspire. This STAR recognition is important because it means we’re on the right track—it’s a validation for a job well done and it provides momentum for us going forward to continue imagining all the possibilities ahead,.”
“This is a tribute to our community who continually supports our library, not only financially but by using its resources,” said Linda Hamilton, library board president.
