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 November1, 2021. Operational expenses for the report period totaled $8,726.17, representing a 40.36% increase over the same period for operating expenditures for FY 2020.21. In contrast to this increase, year-to-date funds used for the purchase of books and related materials ($4,822.66) decreased by 53.83% over year-to-date FY20-21 ($10,446.25). This matter is currently being reviewed at a category level. A review if year-to-date telephone charges is also being reviewed with county administration.
Salaries and Related Expenses
The amount budgeted for salaries and related benefits for FY2021-2022 is $350,138 or $29,178 per month. A report reflecting current status is not yet available.
Staff Activities
Youth Services: Carol McCormack, continues to utilize technology as a means of reaching young people in the community. Her weekly story time, produced each Wednesday, draws a significant number, including children in day-care centers located in Mathews. In addition, Ms. McCormack holds a youth book club meeting on a weekly basis at the Mathews Middle School.
An interesting but challenging development for the youth staff is the result of renovation work underway at Mathews Middle School. Because students are unable to visit the school library, teachers are organizing visits to Mathews Memorial Library. On average, 50 to 75 students visit weekly to check out library materials.
Patrons
The number of active patrons now stands at 10,285. The method for determining the total number of visits recorded during the report period is under review. In addition to circulation of materials (1,799), use of computers and printing devices continues to reflect community needs bringing citizens to the library.
Projects/Programs
Youth Activities
While the library continues not scheduling in-house programs, it was deemed important to find a means for sponsoring the annual program, Howl-a-Palooza, a Halloween event offered by the library since 2005. Thanks to the Bay School, we were able to conduct the program outside in their recently created “backyard.”