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Muskego library director reports strong summer reading numbers, RFID undercount, grants and staff plans; board backs early Thanksgiving close
Summary
Director Britney reported high summer reading participation, said RFID gates undercounted visits for several months (now fixed), outlined grant and donor outreach, and led a straw poll favoring an early Nov. 20 closing; she also previewed the 2025 action‑plan timeline and program initiatives.
The Muskego City Library director told the board on Aug. 20 that the library had strong summer reading participation, technical issues that affected visit counts, ongoing grant and donor outreach, and program plans for the remainder of 2024.
Britney reported 412 children signed up in the 0–5 age group and 812 in the 6–11 group for summer reading. She also said the library’s RFID gates undercounted visits for January–March and underreported several later months; she worked with the vendor, fixed the wiring problem and said counts are accurate going forward. Following guidance from the Department of Public Instruction, Britney recommended reporting those months as not tracked rather than fabricating numbers, and said she will include corrected context in the annual report.
On programs and digital services, Britney described system‑level investment in OverDrive/Libby and explained the 'Lucky Day' collection (high‑demand, nonrenewable items). She said Udemy online classes are accessible via library card and previewed an October Halloween escape room that staff will run in a conference room with cross‑training so it can be offered more often. Britney also said she is pursuing grants and two donor prospects (names not disclosed) and will provide details in future director reports.
On service hours, Britney proposed closing Nov. 20 (the day before Thanksgiving) at 6:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m. to better align staff time with patron usage; the board took a straw poll by raised hands and broadly supported the change. Britney said hours would be redistributed so employees would not have to take vacation time.
She also noted a scheduling conflict for the September meeting with a city council meeting when she must present the library’s capital request; she will send a poll to find an alternate date for the board meeting. Britney said she will convene the strategic planning committee in September or October to draft the 2025 action plan and will provide monthly updates on progress.
The board heard the director’s report and agreed to follow up on the scheduling and reporting items.
