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Flathead County Library reports rising visits, safety wins and staffing changes
Summary
At the commissioners' bimonthly check-in, library representative Terry Dugan Lawberry reported increased new patrons, March daily visit averages for branches, ongoing name-domain changes and staffing vacancies, and thanked the commission for a $125,000 library match commitment.
Terry Dugan Lawberry, appearing for the Flathead County Library at the April 10 bimonthly check-in, told commissioners the library is seeing new patrons and steady program interest while staff work on branding and staffing changes.
"The numbers at the library are doing well," Dugan Lawberry said, adding the system is signing up new cards and seeing families who had not previously used library services. She said March daily averages were about 70 visitors at Bigfork, about 61 at Columbia Falls and about 347 at Kalispell, though March was a quieter month at Kalispell and staff replaced a door counter that may have affected counts.
Dugan Lawberry reported safety incidents have declined in recent months and praised county security officers for working closely with library staff. "Our officer, our safety officer, Josh Brock, is doing a great job in getting people to nominate each other, and so we always have safety on our mind at the library," she said. The library currently has about 46 security hours per week covering open hours, she told the board.
On staffing and operations, Dugan Lawberry said the department's total FTE is 28.75 and that an 18-hour-per-week library advisor position is open in Columbia Falls; a full-time custodian who covers Kalispell and Bigfork has announced plans to leave, and the department will recruit a replacement. She thanked the commissioners for offering a county match of $125,000 toward a future Kalispell library project.
The director provided a 2024 annual report and a handout listing library services and programs; two trustees, Carmen Cuthbertson and Jane Wheeler, attended the meeting with her and were available for questions.
Why this matters: the staffing, safety and visitation figures inform budget and service planning and the county match is an active commitment toward a future Kalispell library facility.
