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Library manager outlines strategic‑plan progress, accessibility push and FY27 budget pressure
Summary
Library Manager Gwen presented the end‑of‑plan update for 2024–2026, reporting a new website, new community videos, volunteer‑portal launch, expanded adult programming and a WCAG compliance deadline of April 2027; she also said FY27 budget guidance asks departments to prepare operational budgets 10% lower.
Library Manager Gwen presented the Los Alamos County Library’s strategic‑plan update and highlighted several service and technology initiatives intended to increase reach and accessibility.
“We launched a new website, and the the board was very instrumental in giving us feedback on that new website,” Gwen said, adding that the library is creating a new community‑resources video series on business and entrepreneurship produced in‑house with local partners. The library is also expanding the ‘library of things,’ planning to circulate meeting‑room owls for checkout, and increasing staff contributions to social media outreach to boost awareness of services.
Gwen told the board the website must meet accessibility standards, noting, “With our community, the deadline is April 2027.” She said staff are prioritizing progress to meet that target.
On volunteer recruitment, Gwen described a shift to a task‑based model using the Volunteer Los Alamos portal so residents can sign up for specific tasks. She said this replaces the prior ad‑hoc volunteer model and should make volunteer management more efficient.
Gwen also reviewed recent usage data: she reported January print circulation of 20,640 and digital circulation of 9,897 (about 32% of total). She said December included 58 programs with roughly 1,100 attendees and that program attendance for adults and teens has risen. On collections, Gwen noted the library continues to expand digital holdings (Libby and Hoopla) and added that comparing digital to physical holdings is complicated by subscription models and full‑catalog access via Hoopla.
Regarding next fiscal year planning, Gwen said budget preparation for FY27 has begun and that departments were asked to prepare an operational budget 10% lower; she added staffing is not affected at this time but line items and collection development budgets remain under review.
The board asked several operational questions — about the new teen summit on March 6, how staff will track reference‑question categories, and whether puzzles or Blu‑ray media should be added to collections — and Gwen responded with staff capacity and procurement procedures.
