REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mathews Memorial Library
Bette Dillehay, Director
November 10, 2020
In my report to you dated September 8, 2020, I highlighted some of the activities occurring which have resulted in maintaining services to citizens of our community. Things are still far from normal, but every day we strive to learn more about providing service in this difficult period. Visitors to the library continue to be limited to 20 at any one time. We have increased our interaction with those visitors by requiring they submit to a temperature check. Masks and social distancing are still required and meeting rooms are only available to limited POMS participants (students and parents) or facilitation of a ZOOM meeting or telephone conference call. Staff technical skills have increased significantly as we search for ways of providing access to programming and other online offerings.
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 October 31, 2020. Operational expenses for the bi-monthly period and year-to-date totaled $27,926.42, representing a 21.4% decrease over the same period for operating expenditures for FY 2019-20. Year-to-date operating expenses, excluding budgeted funds for C4K, were 20.5% of total operating budget with unencumbered funds totaling $91,052.58 (not including C4K funds). Purchases of books, although higher due to increased demand from patrons, remain within budget.
Salaries and Related Expenses
The amount budgeted for salaries and related benefits for FY 2020-2021 is $284,025, or $23,668.75 per month. Due to action taken by the Board of Supervisors on September 2, 2020, salaries and wages for part-time personnel originally reduced by $2,049 has been restored to the amount requested in the library budget submission.
A report providing data for the report period is not yet available from the office of the county administrator.
Capital Improvement
In October, 2019, a request was made to county administration to include in the capital budget several items relating to the physical condition of the library. These included repair of the trellis located over the rear walkway and repair and painting of exterior trim of the building. A bid of $8,500 was received to paint the trim and power wash the exterior of both the original building and addition. Several conversations have occurred regarding these issues, but to date, no action has been taken, and the items were not included in the current capital budget.
FY21/22 Budget Request
Information has been received from county administration that requests for funding are due to be delivered no later than Friday, January 8, 2021. The staff will begin immediately to draft a proposed budget for your review and approval prior to its submission for approval by the Board of Supervisors.
Report to Library of Virginia
Each year the library is required to file a report to the Library of Virginia. Failure to do so would result in the library not receiving State Aid which for FY 21 is $92,706.00. The report titled Bibliostat is a web-based software program that offers access to public library statistics. Data submitted includes the following: expenditures, income, staff, holdings, circulation, demographics and usage. The required data is currently being collected and is due to be submitted by November 20, 2020.
Patrons
Information on the number of patrons now stands at 9,995. Forty-five 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. At no time did we reach the maximum number. During the report period, the average number of patrons per day was 26 with a total of 703 visits to the library 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 continued absence of volunteers, staff members perform all library duties, including desk coverage. To maintain energy and enthusiasm, each staff member works remotely one day a week.
Library Activities
Since the onset of restrictions due to COVID-19, the library has concentrated on sponsoring activities that are intended to assist patrons in coping with the current pandemic situation. They have included:
MML Youth Book Mobile - The book mobile was launched during July and August for young readers to encourage reading and provide access to resources when transportation to the library was an issue.
POMS (Parents of Mathews Students) - The staff recognized the challenges faced by parents and children during the current school year. 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.
ZOOM Support - Library book clubs and other organizations have reached out to library technical staff for support in conducting meetings remotely. This includes the Resource Council and other civic organizations.
As the season has progressed, several new programs were introduced;
Pumpkin Pandemonium @ The Library - In lieu of our traditional celebration of Halloween which includes a trick or treat walk and party, the library sought means to celebrate that would preserve the rules of safety imposed due to COVID-19. Forty pumpkins were obtained and families were invited to pick up one along with a decoration kit. In addition, a YouTube "How-to" video was created showing innovative decorative ideas. All 40 pumpkins were claimed prior to Halloween.
Read It Mathews! - On several occasions, the library has sponsored "Read It Mathews - One Book, One Community." This involved acquiring hard copies of a chosen title which were distributed to individuals along with a program featuring the author or other program link to the title. This year's version is electronically based. Utilizing a program initiated by OverDrive , an ebook and audiobook distributor. Beginning November 2nd, library patrons will be able to check out the electronic version of Reverie by Ryan La Sala. There will also be a limited number of physical copies to borrow as well. Readers can join an online discussion and engage in Q&A with the author.