Canton Public Library Receives Library of Michigan Certification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Laurie Golden
goldenl@cantonpl.org
Department Head Community Relations
Canton Public Library
734-397-0999 ext 1078

Canton Public Library receives Library of Michigan Certification for meeting ‘Essential Level’ of quality services

The Library of Michigan awarded the Canton Public Library a certificate of completion for meeting the Essential Level requirements of the Quality Services Audit Checklist (QSAC). To earn certification, the Canton Public Library demonstrated its competence in seven categories of achievement including human resources; governance/administration; services; collection development; technology; facilities and equipment; and public relations/marketing.

“Achieving the Essential Level certification proves to Canton residents that our public library is committed to excellence in governance, operations, finances, and public service,” said Eva Davis, library director.

“I am proud of my coworkers, library board, and volunteers for all they do to contribute to our success.”

QSAC has defined “essential services” – the basics of all library service – as relatively low-cost standards that every library can and should achieve. They are helpful guidelines to libraries just starting out, while providing important review for more established institutions. Essential standards are described as “those which should be achieved first because of their fundamental importance.”

“QSAC represents the word of more than 100 library directors, trustees and staff members who together created measures of quality for our state’s public libraries,” said State Librarian Randy Riley. “The staff of the Canton Public Library is to be commended for achieving a vital milestone in library service.”

The measures of QSAC are updated on a three-year schedule so certified libraries remain at the forefront of excellent service. QSAC was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through LSTA funding. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent Federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities, supports the Canton Public Library.

“We will soon begin work on achieving Enhanced certification, benchmarking our services at the next QSAC level to ensure that we remain leaders in the library industry and across the state,” Davis said.

Additional Library Updates

The Canton Public Library is in the final stages of the fourth phase of the Patron Service Improvement Project (PSIP), which includes a renovation of the Friends of the Canton Public Library’s bookstore, Secondhand Prose, the Northeast Corner, including the Teen Space, and the Southeast Corner Study Space. The Teen Space is the last of the phase four renovations and it will be complete in April.

Phase IV carries on the improvements of the previous PSIP, which renovated service points in the central area of the library, including the main restrooms, lobby and the Children's Library. The PSIPs continue the library’s ongoing plan to replace worn furnishings, and maintain and update the facility to meet the community’s changing needs.

For more information on the Canton Public Library, visit cantonpl.org or call the library at 734-397-0999.