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Library reports retirements, new hires, circulation system review and service updates
Summary
Trustees heard operational updates: a circulation specialist is retiring Jan. 24; an internal hire filled a technical-services role after a 40-year retiree; South Central will take over parts of interlibrary loan processing; a self-check kiosk was repaired; microfilm scanner remains unreliable.
Staffing and day-to-day operations were the subject of several reports at the Jan. 15 Portage County Public Library Board meeting.
The circulation report noted that Janet Schroeder, the circulation library specialist, is retiring on Jan. 24 after serving in the position since 2016. The circulation post has been posted and, as of the meeting, had received one applicant. The circulation presenter said December training included payment and lost-item procedures, and reported steady book club participation (New Horizons book club met with 14 attendees in December and 17 in January).
Technical and staffing updates: the board was told that Karen, a long-serving technical-services employee, retired after roughly 40 years and that part of her institutional knowledge was transferred to an internal hire. Allison (technical services) is traveling and will deliver additional details later. A new internal hire will be interviewed for the position created by the internal promotion.
Service and systems: South Central Library System will take on more day-to-day aspects of interlibrary loan (ILL) processing; staff said patrons have not experienced interruptions during the transition. EnvisionWare provided a replacement CPU for a first-floor self-check kiosk; after configuration tweaks the kiosk is now functioning consistently. The reference report noted that the microfilm scanner is unstable and may fail; staff said they are monitoring the device and will report if a replacement is required.
Youth and branch services: December programming included seven programs with 570 participants; a New Year’s Eve event drew about 101 attendees. Youth services reported the gingerbread-house event and the new "Literally Amazing Reads" program; staffing for youth services is reported as fully staffed with a new 20-hour assistant, Oliver, starting in January.
No formal action was taken on personnel at the meeting; trustees received the updates and asked staff to continue recruitment and system-evaluation work.
