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Sweet Home library director reports new food pantry, STEM kits grant and building improvements
Summary
Library Services Director reported on building repairs, a new free food pantry serving about 25–30 people daily, a $2,500 STEM kits grant from the Roundhouse Foundation, and plans to trial mobile shelving built by Public Works.
At the Nov. 13 meeting of the City of Sweet Home Library Advisory Board, the Library Services Director reviewed facility repairs, programming updates and community services, including a new free food pantry and a $2,500 unsolicited grant for STEM kits.
The director said Public Works has offered to build mobile shelving based on vendor sizing to create flexible space for story time and to reuse in a future building; vendor shelving sections were estimated in the meeting at roughly $7,000–$10,000 apiece. Building work this month included replacing the front porch window (under $1,000) and converting some fixtures to LED to reduce energy use. The director described intermittent loud plumbing noises in the public bathrooms and said Public Works is investigating.
The library has six public computers for patrons; one machine was down for about a month and was recently repaired. The director said demand is high, with multiple occasions of all computers being in use, and staff are exploring funding for one or two additional machines though space is limited.
The director announced a $2,500 grant from the Roundhouse Foundation to purchase STEM activity kits (engineering sets, microscopes, bug-identification tools and a gold-panning kit) intended for checkout and outreach to homeschool and family audiences. The director said the kits should be ready to circulate within about a month.
The library also set up a free food pantry in the entryway with a donated fridge and freezer for perishable items. The director estimated about 25–30 people take items daily and about 20 people donate items each day; use is heaviest on Tuesdays and Thursdays when an outside organization (Shem) distributes food boxes.
The director closed by reminding the board of holiday closures (Thanksgiving and Christmas schedules) and announcing a 56th‑birthday cake celebration for the library building the Friday before Thanksgiving.
Next steps: staff will trial mobile shelving with Public Works, pursue small funding options for additional public computers if feasible, and circulate STEM kits once packaging is complete.
