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Director reports strong program attendance, Wi‑Fi demand and several facility updates
Summary
Library Director Jennifer Jones reported high program attendance (including 70 attendees across three story times), 530 Wi‑Fi sessions logged for the month and several facility items: Verizon installation nearly complete, a scheduled fire panel and sprinkler inspection, ongoing roof leaks, and water/well costs that have exceeded the budget.
Library Director Jennifer Jones told the Town of Lakeville Library Board of Trustees that children’s programs have returned strongly: story times resumed in January and drew about 70 attendees across three sessions the first week. Coding sessions using Dash and Sphero robots and a "Playing with Purpose" no‑tech program also continue, with smaller attendance allowing more hands‑on time.
Jones said she is pruning the collection by discarding noncirculating nonfiction and shifting to newer materials; discarded books in good condition go to Bay State Books for resale or donation, while damaged books are recycled. She also discussed whether to list Hoopla and Kanopy holdings in the annual report; those digital services inflate holdings counts but represent accessible content and Jones noted some recent concerns about AI‑generated material on Hoopla that the vendor has said it would remove.
On operations and facilities, Jones reported several active items: Verizon has completed an install and staff is waiting for Bob McNally to switch cables and connect Wi‑Fi access points; a fire panel and sprinkler inspection is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28 at 12:30 p.m.; and staff continue to monitor roof leaks and ceiling issues. Jones said a backup battery in the historic library server room needs replacement and that replacing it will briefly disrupt service.
Jones provided specific cost details for outdoor water features: the annual contract for Earth & Water rose by $100 this year; installing pumps and filling both waterfalls will cost about $1,200, with total seasonal maintenance expected around $1,500–$1,600 including winterizing. Trustees discussed possibly redoing the smaller waterfall in future years and asked Jones to seek quotes.
Jones also raised an ongoing budgetary concern: the library appropriated $750 for water but reported spending $6,727 so far, a shortfall she described as the water line being "nearly 900% of our budget." She said she has not received a clear status update on funding for wells and that ARPA funds had been mentioned but it was not specified whether those would come from county or federal ARPA allocations.
On technology use, Jones added Wi‑Fi statistics to monthly reports: the library logged about 530 Wi‑Fi sessions totaling approximately 1,398 hours and 8 minutes of use in the last month, underscoring demand for public internet access.
Trustees asked Jones to continue reporting on funding status for the wells, to obtain quotes for waterfall maintenance if warranted, and to coordinate with town staff on the fire panel work that will briefly disrupt service.
