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Library director briefs council on staffing limits, RFID shift and cleaning contract increases
Summary
Library director Zane Trish told council the library is understaffed and pursuing a building expansion study and RFID conversion; janitorial contract renewal raised cleaning costs to about $81,000 and an unbilled Alaska Digital Library invoice increased electronic materials spending.
The Westville Public Library director told the Wasilla City Council that staffing constraints, building layout and recent invoices explain several swings in the library's requested FY2026 budget.
“My ultimate goal is to add enough staff that we can be open more hours,” Director Zane Trish said, describing a desire to expand hours on Mondays, mornings later in the week and Saturdays. Trish told council the library is “doubling up our workstations now,” which limits in‑building staff capacity and that the council approved a study this year to explore expanding the building to add staff and processing space.
Rather than request additional staff now, Trish said the library is seeking non‑personnel funding to convert its collection to RFID (radio‑frequency identification) to speed check‑in/out and inventory operations. “Instead of asking for everything all at the same time, just try to get things lined up that way,” he said.
Council members pressed Trish on line‑item changes. Council member Crafton noted a large jump in janitorial services: the current contract award is about $81,000 compared with roughly $51,000 previously. Trish said the city issued an RFP, costs rose over the most recent contract period, and the city awarded to the lowest responsible bidder; the award was presented earlier to the council as an action memorandum.
Electronic materials also showed a notable swing in the FY2025 figures: Trish said the Mat‑Su Library Network (MSLN) and the Alaska Digital Library failed to invoice the city for about three years and this year produced a roughly $6,000 bill that was posted in FY2025, which pushed that year’s line up to about $22,000. Trish said the sustainable annual electronic materials level in his view is $15,000 but cautioned that reductions in federal IMLS funds to the state library could reduce statewide digital titles and force local libraries to supplement purchases.
Other clarifications included a roof repair estimate tied to windstorm damage from 2021 and line‑item moves to address clerical mis‑transmissions in the budget document, Trish said.
No formal staffing additions or ordinance actions were adopted during the presentation; questions were directed to staff for follow‑up information and council retained the matter for continued budget review.
