REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mathews Memorial Library
Bette Dillehay, Director
July 10, 2018
This report is intended to provide the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees with a report of activities during the period July 10 – September 11, 2018.
About the Board
The year 2018 has been one of change for the library Board of Trustees. Having bid farewell earlier to former members, Joanna Brown and Carolyn Taylor, we must again express our best wishes to retiring member Mary Sampson. Mary has demonstrated tremendous vision in her role as board member and contributed greatly to the library’s role in the community. We trust she will continue as a friend and supporter of the library.
Financial Report
Budget FY19
Following approval of the FY 2018-19 library budget, a request to further increase the budget for library part-time personnel was presented to County Administrator, Melinda Conner. Ms. Conner asked that the library director make the request directly to the Board of Supervisors. This took place at the Board’s regular meeting on August 28th.
The amount of increase requested was $9,500, which will assist in our covering the cost of retaining Carol McCormack as a member of the youth services team. The request received unanimous approval from the Board.
Information shared with members of the Board included a “Library Funding Profile” (attached) depicting the five-year pattern of County and State Aid funding. State Aid for the current fiscal year represents 20.2% of the total library budget. Salaries and benefits constitute 69.9% of County budget.
Current Reporting Period
The current financial report is a statement of resources and expenses for a two-month period ending September 1, 2018. Operational expenses for the bi-monthly period totaled $11,495.57.
Current unencumbered operating funds total $116,933.43. Also included in unencumbered funds is $15,000, the amount in the C4K Leadership Grant. Subtracting this grant from the unencumbered amount leaves a total of $101,933.43.
Salaries and related expenses
Salaries and related benefits information through the report period has not been received.
Patron Update
The current number of patrons is _______, an increase of ___ patrons over the previous report period and a ___ increase over the previous year. The average number of patrons and others visiting the library daily during the report period was ___.
Personnel
A staff change recently occurred with the departure of part-time employee, Nicole Hirtenstein who has enrolled at Hampton University. Nicole was assigned to Teen Territory, a position which is not planned to be filled until an organizational analysis project is complete. Adjustments in assignments have allowed for evaluating the current organizational structure and its relevance to today’s information environment.
The project of examining organizational opportunities undertaken by the staff is not a light task. It includes numerous steps of evaluation and research. Activities include a review of mission and goals, examination of core responsibilities and skill sets analysis. Initially it was planned to complete the work by July 1, 2018; however, planning for summer programs delayed completion of the project. A revised completion date is October 15, 2018.
Programs
Summer 2018 exceeded staff expectations in terms of attendance and participation. Registration for the four-week youth program climbed to 73 participants. The inclusion of young people enrolled in the Y summer camp increased the numbers and the challenges to success. A major hurdle was the variance in age ranges set by the library and those by the Y. After some adjustment in staff responsibilities, the program went smoothly. The goal was achieved of expanding the intellectual horizons of Mathews young people, providing them with a more informed view of the world and the people who inhabit it.
Programs held as part of Soothin’ Summer Sounds did not disappoint with the exception of the event planned for August 23rd when the performedr, a classical guitarist, cancelled his appearance. The series began with the VSO Ambrosia Quartet on June 7th. A Klezmer band, Bagels and Fralox, appeared on July 19th. The two events each drew more than 80 attendees. Sadly, an additional program planned for August 4th could not be held due to the death of Dr. Arthur Muroff, whose musical talents drew crowds to the library whenever he performed. He is greatly missed.
Virginia World War I and World War II Profiles of Honor Mobile Tour brought an interactive exhibit to Main Street Mathews on Saturday and Sunday, August 4 & 5, 2018, More than 650 visitors were tallied with numerous individuals submitting documents for scanning and inclusion in the digital collection maintained by the Library of Virginia.