Shauna Deeds, the new director of the Mabel C. Fry Public Library, reported to the library board on July 16 about staff changes, summer programming and higher patron use since the last meeting.
Deeds said she has worked at the library for 10 years and served five years as assistant librarian, and that staff promotions and new hires have followed the recent leadership transition. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to serve my community in this position," she told the board.
The personnel changes Deeds reported include the promotion of Mary Doherty to assistant librarian; the transfer of Kimberly Maxwell from the fire department to lead early literacy programming; and the recent hire of Avery to fill a 19-hour vacancy. Deeds said Mary "has caught on really quickly," and that the new hires already have hands-on experience with library operations and events.
Deeds described an active summer program calendar: weekly early-literacy story times, a kickoff party for summer reading, a magic show, a children’s opera presentation and a Rolling Thunder Book bus visit that distributed free books to children. Young adult and adult offerings included terrarium and origami classes, an interactive improvisation session and a gardening workshop with OSU Extension.
She highlighted circulation and patron statistics as evidence of increased use. "In May, we did 180 new cards, and in June, we did 279 new cards," Deeds said. She gave monthly patron counts of about 6,400 in April, 6,200 in May and 9,200 in June.
The board asked about furnishings for newly opened study rooms. A board member asked whether the rooms would receive conference tables and chairs preferred by the prior director; Deeds said the library has repurposed existing six-foot tables and chairs for immediate use and that the budget includes funds to purchase larger tables when the right ones can be found and shipped.
Deeds said staff training and shifting duties are planned for August, and that new booking software will be ready for the school year once testing finishes. "We will have a booking system ready for the new school year," she said.
No formal board action was taken on staffing, programs or furnishings during the meeting; the board did approve the April 16 minutes and later adjourned. The next board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2025, at 4 p.m. in the Centennial Building.