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Board debates nursing room, notary goals, staffing and materials funding
Summary
Board members discussed a proposed nursing room, questioned making a notary program a director performance goal, reviewed staffing additions (two half-time positions), and debated material budgets and possible discontinuation of Hoopla to free funds.
During the Aug. 20 meeting, the West Bend Community Memorial Library board discussed service and staffing proposals that could affect daily operations. The director (Unidentified Speaker 3) said staff are reviewing collections and may adopt changes to turnover and holding policies. The proposed staffing additions include two half-time positions intended to provide notary services and desk coverage.
Unidentified Speaker 1 said the board should not tie the reimplementation of a notary program to the director’s performance goals because funding and city policy place it partly outside staff control: “I don't feel we should have the reimplementation of the notary program as set up as a goal for Steve,” he said. Board members discussed alternative, measurable goals such as targeted outreach or a patron survey.
On materials, Unidentified Speaker 1 noted that a flat materials budget amid rising prices means buying fewer books and suggested the board consider additional funding. Unidentified Speaker 3 said discontinuing the Hoopla service could free approximately $25,000 to reallocate to print or other materials. The director also described Placer AI—a market-research/location analytics product—as an option the city might purchase to reduce library costs if made available citywide; one board member raised a privacy concern, saying "Big Brother." The board did not adopt any final service or staffing decisions and asked staff to return with more information.
Next steps: staff will circulate a detailed capital and budget spreadsheet and the board will revisit service, staffing and materials decisions at the Sept. 17 meeting.
