The Portland Public Library announced today that Sarah I. Campbell has been selected by the Library’s Board of Trustees to serve as the Library’s new Executive Director, effective July 11, 2015. Ms. Campbell, who is currently PPL’s Associate Director, will succeed Stephen Podgajny, who announced in June 2014 his decision to retire after nine years of service as Executive Director.
“Sarah is a thoughtful and articulate leader whose passion for public libraries, and Portland Public Library in particular, is infectious,” said Eric Altholz, PPL’s Board President. “Sarah has a compelling vision for the future of the Library, and the Board is thrilled about this appointment.”
Selected after a nine-month national search, Ms. Campbell holds a BA from Swarthmore College and an MLS from the University of Michigan’s School of Information. She has served as PPL’s Associate Director since April 2013, and prior to that served as PPL’s Department Head for Lending Services, Technical Services, and Systems for 12 years. Ms. Campbell was the founding Director of Library and Learning Resources at York County Technical College (now York County Community College) for 3 years before coming to PPL. She also worked at the University of New England in Biddeford in its College of Professional and Continuing Studies. Ms. Campbell currently serves on the NetworkMaine Council which manages MSLN, the internet service network for Maine’s schools and libraries, and serves as a delegate from the Americas Region on the OCLC Global Council which advises the largest non-profit library services cooperative in the world.
“Sarah is tremendously skilled at building partnerships, which is a critical focus at PPL,” said Beth Bordowitz, the PPL Trustee who chaired the search committee. “Her national status in the library field and her grasp of emerging trends will ensure that the Library will remain at the forefront of how to best serve patrons in an increasingly digitized world. She also brings a commitment and passion to traditional library services and to preserving critical parts of Portland’s history.”
“I am very excited to work with PPL’s talented staff to expand the Library’s forward-looking programs and services and its growing number of partnerships with authors, leaders, businesses, and other non-profits,” said Ms. Campbell. “We are dedicated to strengthening the community, to serving as a critical educational resource for our fellow citizens, and to telling Portland’s amazing story. Portland is on the move – and PPL is on the move with it.”
Ms. Campbell takes the helm as PPL prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday in 2017. Chartered in 1867, PPL is Maine’s oldest and largest public library system and is the most visited cultural institution in Maine, serving 675,000 visitors annually at four branch locations and a mobile library. PPL serves as the Southern Maine Area Research and Resource Center, providing critical services to numerous other Maine libraries and their patrons. The Library has been recognized nationally for service innovation and has recently been selected to host a visit from Shakespeare’s First Folio in 2016.
Back in November, the Library upgraded its public printing system to include a slew of services… never before seen at PPL. By way of late introduction, we would like to share a little more about what that looks like for our patrons.Where we once offered a simple black and white printer, and a single-function copier, we’ve installed something a little snazzier, higher functioning, and of the twenty-first century. It’s the Lexmark X790, it’s here to help, and we are here to help to you use it.
Never fear, the new machine is capable of the same basic tasks as our old ones. We’re assisting patrons who need to print and copy everything from asylum applications and résumés, to guitar tabs and holiday cookie recipes—not much has changed in that department. The main features that are newly available are: color printing, faxing, wireless printing, and scanning.
First up, at twenty-five cents a pop, you can now print and copy in color at the library. Whether you want to print out your favorite digital photos or spruce up your event poster to catch a few more eyes, you can graduate from gray scale for half the price of a postage stamp. We are also pleased to be able to provide faxing capabilities to library users. You can print your document and fax it out in one fell swoop. The first page costs a dollar, and each page after that is an additional twenty-five cents. It’s a quick and user-friendly process that the staff on desk are glad to walk you through.
Wireless printing is also a newcomer on the Public Computing scene. As more and more people are hooked up to their own tablets, laptops, and smartphones, it can be a hassle to print documents from one of the library’s public desktops. It is now possible to cut out the middleman by sending files from your personal device right to the printer.
Finally, behold: the power of scanning! The world is increasingly turning to scanning over faxing, and with good reason. Scanning is an efficient way to digitize and store important documents in one convenient, portable location that makes sharing easy, and best of all, it’s free. Our new machine allows you to scan directly to—and also print directly from—your own flash drive. Don’t have one? We have some for sale ($7) at the Public Computing desk, as well as a few for patrons to borrow in house.
And if all this new equipment is just a little too flashy for your taste, the old black and white copier is safe and well upstairs in the Portland Room, while its twin still reigns supreme in the Reference area on the Lower Level. To learn more about any of these options, check out this page for more information.
Fee collection on overdue materials is a fact of life in the library world. Even librarians have been known to rack up a tab on late books every once in a while! While no one likes paying a late fee, the truth is that this income is critical to PPL’s ability to offer a positive user experience to our patrons and visitors.
With that in mind, starting on March 16, 2015, we will be lowering our maximum carrying level for fees. Starting on that date, if you owe more than $5.00, you will not be able to borrow or renew materials or use public computers until the fees are paid or until arrangements have been made. Our lending teams at all locations are ready to work with patrons as we all make this transition.
You may have some questions about this change and about fees in general. Hopefully the answers below will help, but our staff at all locations are always ready to walk you through paying your fees.
How much of an impact do fees have on the library’s budget?
In FY2014, PPL collected more than $78,000 in fees. This income goes primarily to support collection activities like adding books, reference materials, DVDs, and other items to our collections as well as supporting the repair of existing holdings. When you go to the shelves, you expect to find clean, up-to-date, and useable materials; fees are essential in making sure we can provide you with that experience.
What’s the difference between fees and the Annual Campaign?
It’s not uncommon to hear folks say, “Sure, I give to the library – I pay my late fees!” While both fees and gifts to the Annual Campaign do support critical needs at PPL, they generally support different areas of PPL’s operation. As noted above, fees are strongly tied to our ability to curate our collection, while Annual Gifts are prioritized for our programs and outreach. Both fees and gifts are vital income sources help ensure that your library experience – the materials you borrow and the programs and outreach that grow out of those collections – is all it should be.
How can I pay my fees?
Any of our Lending Team members can help you with fee payment. You can also pay your fees securely online. Once you use your card number to log into MyPPL, just check the “fines” tab for information and an online payment link.
Still have questions? Contact the lending staff at your preferred PPL branch location during open hours or call the main lending office at 207-871-1700, ext. 730.
The Portland Public Library announced today that Sarah I. Campbell has been selected by the Library’s Board of Trustees to serve as the Library’s new Executive Director, effective July 11, 2015. Ms. Campbell, who is currently PPL’s Associate Director, will succeed Stephen Podgajny, who announced in June 2014 his decision to retire after nine years of service as Executive Director.