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Library reports rising circulation, bookmobile outreach and parking-lot work; staff detail art cataloging and records process
Summary
Director Ball reported May circulation figures, bookmobile stops, summer reading kickoff and ongoing parking-lot resurfacing. Staff clarified that borough-owned art is asset-tagged, foundation-owned art is on loan, and public-records requests are required for copies of the catalog.
Director Ball reported to the Library and Literacy Commission on June 11 that FNSB Public Libraries closed May with 637 new card registrations and a total circulation of 42,590 items across three branches.
The bookmobile checked out 1,068 items and recorded 729 patron interactions, with stops in Esther, Becker Ridge, Two Rivers, Pleasant Valley, Salcha, Fox and Goldstream; homebound services reached 52 patrons. Collection services processed 1,604 new items and repaired 195 items in May, Ball said. The summer reading program kicked off May 31 and runs through July 26; the adult program has more than 195 sign-ups so far.
The library plans community events including a kids' literacy farmers market on Tuesday, July 22, from 3 to 6 p.m. The North Pole branch distributed 116 craft kits as part of children's programming. Ball also reported the foundation provided funds to purchase gaming laptops and coding technology for teen programming, which staff expect to begin using in coming months.
Ball updated the commission on a parking-lot regrading and resurfacing project at the Noel Wien Library. "The regrading and resurfacing will continue for another few weeks, and currently, the back half of the lot is closed, but the portion nearest the library is open," she said. Commissioners raised safety concerns about equipment and access during construction; Commissioner Mary Matthews said she found the equipment and rerouting of paths ‘‘a little dangerous’’ but noted patrons continued to use the library.
Commissioners asked about the cataloging of the library’s art collection. Brandy, a library staff member, said the borough tags borough-owned art as assets for finance to track annually; art owned by the Library Foundation is managed by the foundation and remains on permanent loan when so designated. Brandy said some foundation-owned pieces need repair, and staff communicate with the foundation about conservation needs.
On access to documentation, library administration said a public-records request is the mechanism for obtaining the borough’s asset list and that legal review is required before release. "You would put in the request through the library administration, and then I would get it, process it, and legal would review it, and then it would be released," a staff member said.
No formal commission actions were recorded on the parking-lot project or art-management practices at the June 11 meeting; commissioners requested the borough records process be used to obtain copies of the art catalog and ownership records.
