REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mathews Memorial Library
Bette Dillehay, Director
September 8, 2020

September is designated by the American Library Association as Library Card Sign-Up Month. There is no small degree of irony in this designation as many citizens today are faced with closed libraries or, at best, libraries with severely limited services. As members of the Board of Trustees of Mathews Memorial Library, you can take pride in knowing that our community faces few limitations when seeking the resources or services generally offered by a public library. This report will highlight some of the activities occurring in this difficult period.

Financial Report
Current Reporting Period
Information presented in the current financial report is a statement of resources and expenses for a two-month period ending September 1, 2020. Operational expenses for the bi-monthly period and year-to-date totaled $21,709.53, representing a 30.25% increase over the same period for operating expenditures for FY 2019-20. Operating expenses, excluding budgeted funds for C4K totaling $17,481.00, were 17.7% of total operating budget with unencumbered funds totaling $101,316.47 (not including C4K funds). Expenditures for this period include two major items – The annual service fee for Auto-graphics, an integrated library management system, and EBSCO – the annual periodical subscription fee. Purchases of books were also higher due to increased demand from patrons.

Salaries and Related Expenses
The amount budgeted for salaries and related benefits for FY 2020-2021 is $281,893, or $23,491 per month. A report providing data for the report period is not yet available from the office of the county administrator. As reported to you in July, the approved. FY2020-2021 included a 5.6% increase in salaries and wages for full-time staff and a 3.9% increase in the salary and wages for the director. Meanwhile salaries and wages for part-time personnel was reduced by $2,049. This may be explained by changes in staff designation from part-time; however, a request has been made to the County Administrator to review the matter with the Board of Supervisors.

Patrons
Information on the number of patrons now stands at 9,757. Thirty (30) new patrons have been added since the library re-opened on June 15th.

The number of patrons allowed to be in the library at any one time is 20. This figure is maintained via a sign-in system located at both front and rear entrance to the library. During the report period (July and August 2020), 1,536 visits to the library were recorded.

Staff
The library has, in addition to the director, a total of eight (8) staff members – four (4) full-time and four (4) part-time. With the absence of volunteers since the beginning of April, staff members performed all library duties, including desk coverage. To maintain energy and enthusiasm, each staff member has been given the opportunity to work remotely one day a week. To date, this plan has proven effective.

Current Activities Status
The library has concentrated on sponsoring activities that are intended to assist patrons in coping with the current pandemic situation. They include:

MML Youth Book Mobile – The book mobile was launched for young readers to encourage reading and provide access to resources when transportation to the library was an issue. Six locations were visited, with three targeted each Thursday during July and August. The average number of visitors each week to each bookmobile site was 5, not counting adults.

POMS (Parents of Mathews Students) – The staff recognizes the challenges faced by parents and children as the school year begins. POMS is a program intended to provide a setting where parents can share issues and ideas in their goal of creating a space at home that meets the challenges of educating their children. Parents are asked to register and are invited to an initial meeting taking place on Thursday, September 3rd at 9:30 a.m. Additional meetings will be scheduled to avoid crowding and to maintain continuous support as needed.

There were several other initiatives of interest that occurred:

Census 2020 – The library responded to a request from the County Administrator to take the lead in supporting and encouraging individuals to register. At the time, only 32.8% of Mathews County residents had submitted information. A dedicated computer kiosk that meets the Census Bureau security requirements was made available. The library also provides a 24-hour secure dedicated WiFi point for Census participation. These services provide “Guest” access without the need for a library card.

ZOOM Support – Library book clubs and other organizations reached out to library technical staff for support in conducting meetings remotely. This includes the Resource Council and other civic organizations.

Confederate Monument – Not unlike most Virginia communities (and elsewhere), Mathews has been brought into the debate regarding the removal of Confederate monuments. Approached by the County Administrator, Becky Barnhardt was assigned to undertake the task of researching the history surrounding the monument located on the historic court square. The research included library archival files, newspapers and records located in the county clerk’s office. Results of the research most recently appeared in the August 27, 2020, issue of the Gazette Journal in an article on the subject.