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Greenfield library director presents recovery, new services and fine-free policy
Summary
Library Director Jennifer Einwalter told the council the Greenfield Public Library has rebounded from the COVID years with rising physical and electronic circulation, a staffed smart locker funded by ARPA, elimination of fines and expanded e-audio investment.
Jennifer Einwalter, identified in the meeting as the library director, told the Greenfield Common Council on Feb. 17 that the library "has fully recovered from, the COVID years" and returned to pre-pandemic service levels.
Einwalter reported more than 51,000 electronic downloads last year and roughly 226,000 physical items checked out. She said the library logged about 135,000 door counts and that 8,500 patrons have Greenfield set as their home library. The director said the library's staff totals 20 people, representing 14.63 full-time equivalent positions.
Einwalter highlighted several developments: construction of a new six-person study room, nearly 3,000 meeting-room uses in the year, and a 24/7 smart locker for contactless holds pickup funded with ARPA dollars. She said the locker had almost 3,000 holds last year and that usage was trending upward into February.
The library board eliminated overdue fines beginning June 1; Einwalter said that policy change represented about a $10,000 budgetary impact and that staff found savings elsewhere rather than asking the city to make the library whole. She said the change has increased patron use and prompted other local libraries to reconsider their fines policies.
On digital content, Einwalter said Wisconsin libraries agreed to add $100,000 system-wide for e-content with an emphasis on audiobooks and that Greenfield's share of consortium costs is roughly $6,300. She noted that audiobooks are expensive to license (citing roughly $85 per eaudiobook) and that publisher embargoes and licensing constraints affect availability.
Einwalter also outlined revenue reimbursements from the county-wide federated library system at about $3.50 per reimbursed circulation and said Greenfield expects that reimbursement next year to exceed $90,000.
The library director closed by thanking staff and the council for support. Council members asked about staffing and turnover; Einwalter acknowledged recent turnover but noted three hires last year and no hires since January.
