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A

SSOCIATED

N

EWSPAPERS OF

M

ICHIGAN

P

AGE

3

April 5, 2012

I

NKSTER

- W

AYNE

- W

ESTLAND

Paulette Medvecky said she

hopes the Wayne Public Library

remains an essential part of the

community.

The library director said the

library received the Essential

Certification-a requirement for

state funding-four years ago, and it

is now time to apply again for that

status.

As part of that application, she

said the library staff conducted an

in-house survey of library patrons,

andwas pleasedwith the results.

“For the most part, people

thought we exceeded all aspects of

quality service,” she told theWayne

CityCouncil recently.

The survey is part of the Quality

Service Audit checklist library offi-

cialsmust fill out every three years,

she added. It polls users on a vari-

ety of topics about the library. The

responses are anonymous; the sur-

veys short and they include an

open-ended question on how to

improve service, Medvecky said.

The vast majority of responders

said the library exceeded all expec-

tations on providing a quality serv-

ice. About 97 percent said the

library met or exceeded expecta-

tions on providing access to infor-

mation and it met or exceeded

their expectations of value,

Medvecky said. More than half the

responders said they visited the

librarymore than once aweek.

Themost common suggestion on

improving service at the library

was to increase the availability of

the facility, which is located off

Wayne Road between the east and

westbound lanes of Michigan

Avenue.

“Time and time again, people

said they wanted longer hours:

please be open on Sundays and

Mondays,” Medvecky said. “It was

said often: ‘your staff is doing a

great job. Everything is perfect,

Please stay open’.”

Other suggestions included

increasing the number of comput-

ers available to patrons and the

amount of time they could spend

on them. Also, to bring in more

westerns and books on Native

Americanhistory.

“We'll have to look at those holes

in our collections and see where

we're falling down,” saidMedvecky.

Other responders said they

appreciated the ability to renew

books online, or put a hold on a

book via the internet.

“I was pleased with the results,”

Medvecky said. “I was pleased with

the questions.”

Providing care to an older adult

or someone with a disability is

challenging. “The number of older

adults needing help is increasing

every year” said Nancy Coman of

Wayne Metropolitan Community

Action Agency. Caretaking requires

more than just good intentions, as

caregivers are also responsible for

providing care to the physical and

mental well-being of a recipient,

she added.

Caregivers are not alone, howev-

er. The 11th Annual Partners in

Family Caregiving Conferences

provides the information and

resources caregivers need to take

care of both themselves and their

care recipients. Events will feature

informational displays, workshops,

giveaways and a variety of profes-

sionals to help caregivers find the

information and resources they

need.

Free health and hearing screen-

ings will be provided throughout

the conferences. The conferences

are free to attend and are will take

place throughout Wayne County,

including Canton Township and

Inkster.

The conferences are funded by

The Senior Alliance and a collabo-

rative

between

Wayne

Metropolitan Community Action

Agency, Adult Well-Being Services

and Neighborhood Legal Services

Michigan. Sponsors for the event

also include AARP and American

House.

Conferences have been sched-

uled for noon until 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 28, at the Booker

Dozier Recreation Center, 2025

Middlebelt Road in Inkster and

from 5:50-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 at

Summit on the Park. 46000 Summit

Parkway inCanton.

All events are free, however,

those interested in attending are

asked to pre-register by calling

(734) 246-2280 ext. 156 for the con-

ference of their choice. Caregivers

and their adult care recipient are

welcome to attend.

Information on in-home help,

adult day care, prescription assis-

tance,

housing

options,

Medicaid/Medicare and respite

programs will be available. Free

refreshments and door prizes will

also be provided.

For more information or to pre-

register to attend a conference, call

(734) 246-2280 ext. 156.

The Arbor Day Foundation has

named Westland a Tree City USA

Community for its commitment to

urban forestry.

This is the eighth year Westland

has earned this national honor

from the Arbor Day Foundation,

the nation's largest nonprofit organ-

ization dedicated to planting trees

according to Mayor William R.

Wild.

The Arbor Day Foundation is a

nonprofit, environmental and edu-

cation organization of more than a

million members with a mission to

inspire people to plant, nurture

and celebrate trees.

“We all benefit when communi-

ties like Westland place a high pri-

ority on planting and caring for

trees, one of our nation's most

beautiful resources,” said John

Rosenow, chief executive and

founder of the Arbor Day

Foundation.

“Trees shade our homes, add

beauty to our neighborhoods, and

provide many environmental, eco-

nomic and social benefits. We

applaud Westland's elected offi-

cials, volunteers and citizens for

providing vital care for its urban

forest.”

The Tree City USA program is