July 1, 2024 Librarian’s report
Correspondence – A thank you was received from the school regarding our gift of solar glasses.
Personnel – The position that Michael left vacant has been filled by Gretchen Morganstern. She started in mid-April. She has been doing a good job learning procedures, working with the public, and working on children’s programing. July 15th will be the end of her 3 month probation. Gretchen was out sick for a week in June.
A reminder that the Employee Handbook / Working Conditions is quite outdated and needs to be addressed.
It looks like we’ll be getting a SYEP worker again this year. The program is now just six weeks – from July 8 – August 16 and no longer includes Saturdays.
Nick Kopp volunteered here as part of his company’s community service initiative. We purchased the stain, and he stained the railing on the ramp for us. It looks great!
2nd Quarter programs –In April we had a good turnout for our solar watch party. Rachel Clothier did a local history program that was well attended, we hosted a Medicare information session, and we had 2 take away craft kits. Our Food Angel was generous in April, and Farm 2 Library resumed in May. In May Gretchen started running programs for children – she has done story times, crafternoons, and has some passive programs available in the children’s room. We also attended the Elementary Open House and hosted the 2nd and 3rd grades, and 1 class of 1st graders here at the library. Additionally, Gretchen has been working on plans for the Summer Reading Program which started at the end of June.
Upcoming programs – The Summer Reading Program will have the reading challenge and will also have three weeks of in-house programing. It will wrap up in early August with a program and a celebration. Story time will continue during the summer as well.
SALS & Directors’ Council –The SALS annual meeting was attended by 2 of our board and our staff. There is an AI challenge being offered through the CDLC. If you are interested in exploring AI these workshops would count toward Trustee Training. Sara Dallas would like to attend a board meeting again this year, shall I invite her to our October meeting?
Joint Automation Council / computers –I had an issue arise with my laptop – the camera was not functioning. The laptop is still under warranty so JA is working on a fix. For current information on SCP leaving the Joint Automation Council please visit SALS’ website. There is a link with information and a FAQ page under the About Us tab in the Joint Automation Project section. There are four ad hoc committees that are studying different aspects of SCPL leaving the automation council, figuring the best way to implement the various changes this will cause, and also just updating procedures.
Friends – The annual book sale will take place July 27. Please let me know if you are planning on helping out or know some young folks who can help setting up or taking down.
Maintenance – Some of our electrical issues still need to be addressed. A recent electrical issue arose – the motion sensor in the children’s room is not working and the lights are on with no way to turn them off. This has been resolved – it was apparently caused by a tripped breaker. The elevator & shaft also should be looked at. The windows were cleaned in late April – they discovered a few small issues with 2 screens on the windows in the front on the north end of the building. They recommended Alerdyce to fix them. The rugs were cleaned in early May. The outside entryway was power-washed in mid-May. We have had an issue with the toilet running and the back sink dripping. The Toilet Jockey replaced the fill valve in the toilet and that fixed that problem. They will come back to replace the faucet in the back; they recommend that we purchase the faucet and they will install it as it will be cheaper for us to do it that way. The air conditioners were not working properly and had to be serviced. The streetlight is on again.
Other –The fishing equipment has been processed and is ready to circulate. We will have a “Fishing with Forrest” day soon to introduce people to the concept and the equipment. The Annual Report to the community was delivered to the school, town and village officials and is also available here at the library. The budget proposition passed. Our proposition had the highest number of yes votes and the lowest number of no votes.
Items for trustee folders.
Meetings attended in 2nd quarter of 2024 (virtual):
- 4/25 SRP workshop (Gretchen)
- 5/7 webinar
- 5/15 Directors Council
- 5/22 YSS webinar (Gretchen)
- 5/29 CCS ELEM open house (Becky & Gretchen)
- 6/18 Directors Council