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Director report flags ebook reporting challenges, inventory gains and upcoming purchases
Summary
The director's report covered March performance measures, the complexity of ebook licensing and reporting, an increase in items added vs. prior year, 86 lost items returned in 2024–2025 to date (recovering about $1,949), and a CIP-funded furniture purchase requiring a fund transfer of roughly $10,000.
The board reviewed March performance measures and discussed how to count ebook acquisitions in monthly metrics. Staff explained that OverDrive and other vendors offer multiple licensing models—perpetual purchases, time-limited access (e.g., 12 months), or a fixed number of checkouts (for example, 25 uses)—which complicates a simple "items added" count.
An unnamed staff member said OverDrive’s administrative plan allows staff to see checkout counts and holds but that some titles must be repurchased after a set number of uses. The board discussed whether to report ebooks alongside physical items or to track electronic items separately; staff said they could deliver lists and pull usage reports but cautioned that month-to-month comparisons could be misleading because of licensing variation.
Staff reported program metrics and circulation details: adult kits had 12 checkouts in April; some museum passes were issued late in the month and began circulating; the library launched two homeschool program sessions in April with roughly 22 attendees across both sessions.
Inventory gains also featured: staff said 86 items returned since January (compared with 92 returned for all of 2023), representing about $1,949 in replacement costs avoided.
On facilities and capital spending, staff said new furniture funded through CIP arrived and that they plan to move roughly $10,000 from supply/equipment lines to cover additional chair purchases; final purchase orders and POs were being processed.
Why it matters: the treatment of ebook counts affects performance reporting and budget priorities; staff are using holds and usage reports to guide repurchases and collection decisions.
What’s next: Director/staff will provide the board with lists and reporting options for ebooks, and return-to-circulation and purchasing metrics will appear in future performance updates.
