Trustees authorize overtime, vetted county volunteers or temporary Monday morning closure as library faces staffing shortfall

The Churchill County Library is short-staffed and may not be able to maintain two-person coverage on Monday mornings, the child services librarian told trustees.

To keep operations safe and maintain service, trustees authorized library staff to use one of three measures: assign vetted county volunteers to back up a library employee, approve overtime for staff to provide two-person coverage, or — if neither option is available — temporarily close Monday mornings (7 a.m.–noon). The authorization is temporary and will be revisited at the board's regular meeting on July 24.

Why it matters: Library policy and staff safety favor having two people present when the library is open. The board wants to balance continued public service, staff safety and scheduling constraints while the library remains short-staffed following the director's resignation.

Library staff reported they currently have one full-time employee scheduled on Mondays and a part-time employee who works afternoons (1 p.m.–6 p.m.). To maintain the library's two-person-at-desk practice, staff proposed either a half-day Monday schedule or other coverage arrangements. Trustee discussion emphasized minimizing impact on public access — particularly Saturday service — and protecting staff safety.

Trustees approved a motion authorizing staff to pursue the volunteer and overtime options and to close Monday mornings if neither option is available. The board asked HR and county staff to confirm vetting requirements for volunteers; county staff advised that volunteer candidates must be appropriately vetted and that the board may authorize overtime as a budgetary action.

Trustees and staff discussed schedule specifics. Staff suggested that Monday and Saturday are typically the library's quieter days but also noted Saturday can be important for patrons who cannot visit during the week. A compromise presented and accepted by trustees was temporary Monday-morning reduction (7 a.m.–noon) as a contingency if coverage cannot be arranged. Trustees agreed to revisit the schedule at the next regular meeting on July 24.

Formal action: The board voted unanimously to authorize library staff to use vetted county volunteers or approved staff overtime to maintain two-person coverage; if neither option is available, staff are authorized to close Monday mornings (7 a.m.–noon) temporarily. The motion also instructs staff to communicate any change in hours to the public and to return the issue to the trustees on July 24.