REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mathews Memorial Library
Bette Dillehay, Director
January 9, 2024
The report that follows outlines current administrative matters and ongoing activities that 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 December 31, 2023. Year-to-date operational expenses total $65,144.65, a 6.2% increase over FY22-23.
Salaries and Related Expenses
The amount budgeted for salaries and related benefits for FY 23/24 is $347,816, a 5% increase over FY22/23. The amount represents an allocation of $28,985 per month. To date, expenses total $214,393.19 or approximately $30,628 per month for the period July-December 2023.
Patrons
The current count of patrons is 10,872 a slight increase of 2.37% over the previous year’s total. The daily patron count was down slightly with the month’s total of 2,106 visits.
Internet Access Support
Since July, 2020, the library has provided families with access to the Internet through its Wi-Fi Hotspot Lending program. Fifty (50) units were obtained from Verizon to be available for limited check-out periods. The library lends Wi-Fi Hotspot kits to Mathews Memorial Library card holders, age 18 years old and older, free of charge. The majority of the units are checked out at any given time, with frequent reserves in place awaiting return of units. To make this program possible required the identification of non-traditional funding. .Federal, state and local funding has been identified and received. Such funding is secure through June 2024 at which time, new resources will need to be obtained if the program is to continue. .
Projects/Programs
Autumn activities led into a very busy holiday season at the library. Once again a month of activities were planned as part of the annual “Deck the Halls” celebration with the 2023 theme being “Tis the Season” with four events planned for the period leading up to the Christmas holiday. Along with inviting the public to decorate the library, an event held on Friday, December 8th, there were opportunities for the public to enjoy the festive setting at a concert featuring the Williamsburg Symphony string quartet on Thursday, December 14th and a “cookie exchange” on Tuesday, December 19th. A special story time with Santa was held on Tuesday, December 12th. The total cost of sponsoring the events was approximately $3,100 with the Friends of the Library supporting the activities with $2,600 in funding.
Activities at the library continue to focus on providing opportunities to the youth of our community for both learning and entertainment through library activities. Research is also underway to assess the changing status of the community population in order to better structure programs that will meet members’ needs and interests.