The report that follows outlines current administrative matters and ongoing activities which have occurred during the report 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 April 30, 2021. Operational expenses for the bi-monthly period totaled $15,037.45, and a year-to-date total of $72,618.42, representing a 1.7% increase over the same period for operating expenditures for FY 2019-20. Two charges reflected in the current report contribute to the increase. They are – Dell Sales ($2,108.18 and Proquest ($3,985.70). The charges listed in the report also include several charged to line item 38102 (Furniture and Fixtures) totaling $1,069.03 that were processed in an earlier report period but not reflected in a report to the Board.
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. A report reflecting current costs through March 31, 2021, shows a total of $215,923.49 or 76% of the total budgeted amount for FY2020-2021.
FY21/22 Budget Request
To date, the Mathews County Board of Supervisors has not adopted a budget for the next fiscal period – FY2021-2022 which begins in July 1, 2021.
Staff Activities
Having determined that Rachel Musick would be unable to resume her duties, the library has offered a part-time position to Jacqueline Craven at a salary of $11.00 per hour. Her duties include weekend desk service and possible additional service on Friday and/or Monday, depending on the schedules of other pat-time staff members.
High-Speed Broadband Strategic Plan
(Update on library activity with MiFi kits)
The library currently has 25 kits which are available for checkout by adult library patrons. During the period, March-April there were 33 check-outs. Kits are checked out for a three-week period with one renewal assuming there is not a waiting list. Funding for the project was made available through the Virginia CARES Act Funding to Fast Track Broadband Initiative.
COVID 19 Update
The staff is following closely recommendations and announcements regarding steps to ease mitigation measures with regard to providing a safe environment for library patrons. At the present, we anticipate taking steps in mid-May to increase the number allowed to enter the library at any one time and allowing limited usage of the conference rooms by outside groups. Other measures such as signing in and temperature taking will be reviewed.
Patrons
The number of active patrons now stands at 10,077. Patron visits average 23.2 a day. The library continues to limit traffic to 13 patrons, not including student study groups which are limited to 5 per study room. The total numbers of visits recorded during the report period was 1,499. In addition to circulation of materials (1,360), use of computers and printing devices brought many to the library.
Managing Change
The library staff is continuing to develop a roadmap for future interactions with the community, allowing for new opportunities to be stronger and cleverer about how we engage with our community, particularly in utilizing online opportunities. We hope to complete our “guidebook for the future” by June 1st. This becomes more critical with the coming change in the county administration since some elements of the plan will be dependent on administrative support.
We are concerned that we accurately identify user groups and offer services appropriately. Traditionally, libraries focus on basically two groups – adults and youth. Research is demonstrating that these categories are too broad and need greater specificity if service is to be effective. Technology presents both opportunities and challenges. A focus of our work is determining where, when and how to apply technical solutions to service opportunities.