Library director reports reinstated federal grant, new subscriptions and robust programming

At the Petersburg Borough Library board meeting on Nov. 10, Library Director Tara Alcock delivered a condensed director—s report covering budget, grants and programming highlights since the prior meeting.

Alcock told the board that the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) basic grant had briefly been defunded but "that funding has since been reinstated," and that the library—s $10,000 basic grant and interlibrary loan support remain in place. "For us, that is the $10,000 basic grant and the interlibrary loan service stood the same," Alcock said while summarizing federal grant status.

Alcock also reported a newly available statewide NewsBank subscription obtained through group pricing, noting it will provide online news access for library users; she credited the Atwood Foundation and a regional library network for making group pricing feasible. The board thanked FirstBank for continued sponsorship of the summer reading program ($3,000) and discussed publicity and access options for the NewsBank service.

On facilities, Alcock said recent projects including window replacements and sprinkler maintenance are complete and expected to improve building performance. Programming remains active: summer reading and community events showed higher participation (summer reading completions and nearly 90 attendees for the Manhattan Short Film screenings). Alcock said several new initiatives — including a new art show and donated artworks planned for online auction — increased community engagement over the summer and fall.

Alcock said staff will provide a clearer fund-balance summary for the AEE endowment and a recap of funded programs at the board—s next meeting. "We had lots more kids ... it was a great restructuring and the sort of foundation of the program," Alcock said of recent program changes.