District presents Long Range Library Plan, collection goals and makerspace expansion

Library leaders presented the district’s Long Range Library Plan, a required document under Wisconsin Administrative Code. They reviewed three continuing goals: develop a comprehensive K–8 scope and sequence, create a vibrant reading culture that increases student engagement, and establish sustained community partnerships to support library programming.

The presentation highlighted collection development practices and targets for items per student, noting secondary buildings typically show lower circulation but may have higher percentages of diverse and social emotional learning (SEL) texts in their collections. Staff said they aim for roughly 15–20 items per student as a target for library holdings by building type.

Presenters described how the common school fund supports library purchases (books, makerspace equipment and digital resources) allocated by per‑student formulas and explained that consumables (for example 3D printer filament) must be funded from other district supply accounts. They said 10 elementary buildings currently have separate makerspace rooms and two renovated buildings include large makerspaces; equipment examples include 3D printers and pens, coding tools (Dash and Dot), and hands‑on manipulatives.

Board members asked about partnerships with the Brown County Library and about turnaround time for building‑level librarian orders. Presenters said district‑level connections existed prior to the pandemic and that building librarians hold procurement cards to make timely orders; they also said district staff plan to rebuild some community library collaborations post-pandemic.