Library asks for server replacement, sound treatment and extra part‑time hours to meet accreditation
Loading...
Summary
Library staff proposed modest FY2026 increases: a $10,000 Polaris server replacement, about $7,400 to add sound masking to new study rooms, and roughly $19,300 annually to extend weekday hours by one hour and add programming capacity — to meet Texas State Library accreditation requirements after county population passed 100,000.
Marcene, head librarian, told commissioners June 16 that the library’s FY2026 budget is largely stable but includes several targeted requests tied to service levels and a recent change in state accreditation rules.
The library is asking for $10,000 to replace a server that runs Polaris, the library’s circulation and catalog software; IT recommended replacement because the current server is no longer under vendor support. Marcene also presented a vendor quote of about $7,400 to add sound-absorbent treatment above six recently added small study rooms. The study rooms do not extend to the ceiling (a cost-saving design choice), and patrons have complained that conversation carries into adjacent spaces; the quoted remedy is additional absorbent material near the tops of the rooms.
Marcene said the Texas State Library has adjusted accreditation tiers based on population thresholds; Rockwall County’s assigned population now exceeds 100,000 and the library must meet new expectations, including five additional open hours per week. The library proposed opening at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday (currently 10 a.m.) and covering that time by increasing existing part-time staff hours rather than hiring new full-time employees. The staffing approach would raise some part-time library assistants from about 21 to 27 hours per week and add hours for part-time librarians. Marcene’s corrected math put the annual personnel impact for the added hours at about $19,325 total (not the larger figure she first stated), which she described to the court as a modest, below-benefits cost to expand programming and story-time capacity.
She also described the library’s donation fund, which the library uses for visible public programs and collections rather than to cover ongoing operating expenses. On maintenance and software subscriptions, Marcene said she is still finalizing exact vendor renewal numbers but is not proposing new recurring subscriptions beyond current services.
Why it matters: Accreditation determines the library’s eligibility for state-supplied databases, courier and interlibrary loan discounts and some grant opportunities. Losing accreditation could remove those services or make them much more costly; the library told the court it values those state supports.
What’s next: Marcene asked commissioners to consider the server replacement, the sound-masking installation and the part-time hours increase when finalizing the FY2026 budget. Commissioners asked about timing relative to an anticipated library-space study; they said the county will consider capital options but noted maintenance or a temporary fix may be possible while a longer-term facilities study proceeds.
