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Library commission previews holiday book sale, reports grants and programming; minutes approved
Summary
At this month’s library commission meeting, members approved the minutes, heard details about a Dec. book sale and volunteer signup, learned of an $8,000 Ford Family Foundation grant and a pending $10,000 ALA grant application, and were told the Dolly Parton program registration fee will rise beginning Jan. 1.
The commission approved the previous meeting’s minutes and spent the session on library operations, upcoming events and recent grant awards.
Unidentified Speaker (S2) announced the library’s pre-holiday book sale, scheduled for the weekend after Thanksgiving with setup Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 4 at 2:00 p.m. Most books will be priced at $1, with recently published and larger art/coffee-table books at $5; a donated lot of DVDs (described in the transcript as 2,400 items) will initially be priced at 50¢, with potential markdowns depending on demand. "I kid you not, 2,400 DVDs," said Unidentified Speaker (S2) when describing the donation. Volunteers were invited to sign up; helpers receive two free books for setup.
Staff reported circulation and programming gains for October. Unidentified Speaker (S1) said physical circulation rose by about 600 items and door counts increased by a figure in the transcript given as '5 50' (reported here as about 550, per the transcript text). Digital checkouts increased by roughly 100 to an indicated total of about 336, and digital items made up roughly one-third of circulation in October. The commission reviewed recent outreach: library staff staffed a pop-up tent at a city event (estimated ~300 interactions), hosted the "Americans in the Holocaust" exhibit through Dec. 19 (about 170 visitors so far), and scheduled upcoming hybrid author events for Jan. 19 and Feb. 13.
On funding, Unidentified Speaker (S1) said the library received an $8,000 early literacy grant from the Ford Family Foundation to buy a dramatic play kitchen, early literacy posters and board books for children ages 0–6. The library plans to apply to the American Library Association for a $10,000 Libraries Transforming Communities grant with support from Sunrise Enterprises, and staff will submit the final Ready to Read summer learning report to the state library as part of staffing calculations.
The chair and staff also reported an administrative cost increase for the statewide Dolly Parton program that provides books to children. According to an email described in the meeting, the per-child administrative price has risen incrementally since the program began and is listed in the transcript as increasing to $31 per child per year effective Jan. 1; the state will continue a 50% match, and local staff said about 1,500 area residents are currently registered. Staff stressed the program remains free to participating children and families but requires community support to cover administrative costs.
The commission set its next meeting for Dec. 17 at the same time and place and closed the session with brief closing remarks.
Votes at a glance: A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded and the chair announced the minutes were approved; mover and seconder were not identified in the transcript.
