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Regional branch manager outlines equipment upgrades, service‑desk plan and volunteer growth at Surprise Regional Library
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Summary
Branch manager Kate and library staff told the commission about a new automated sorter, a public printer, new furniture and service‑desk plans; volunteers logged thousands of hours (15 adult volunteers, 2,248 hours; 18 teens, 2,964 hours) and outreach services currently serve 88 patrons.
Branch manager Kate told the Surprise Library Advisory Commission on March 12 that the Surprise Regional Library has added an automated material handler (AMH/sorter), upgraded public printing and is planning a four‑station service desk to improve circulation efficiency.
Kate said the AMH arrived in April and has reduced the staff burden of immediately processing incoming books by allowing a single‑book door and more controlled flow. "It did get a bit of a face lift in September to make it a little bit nicer looking, hopefully a little bit more user friendly," Kate said. She also said a new printer/copier added in January can now handle larger patron copy loads and is placed on the public floor.
The branch manager outlined other facility improvements and planned furniture upgrades, including new soft seating, benches and a mock‑up for a service desk with four staff stations and increased storage to ease circulation operations. Kate said the desk will have swinging doors so staff can access stations without obstructing the public floor.
On staffing and volunteers, Kate reported several internal promotions following a November retirement and said the branch is now staffed without vacancies. She said the Regional branch had 15 active adult volunteers who contributed 2,248 hours in 2025; using an Arizona average volunteer value of $33.70 per hour, Kate calculated an in‑kind value of $75,757.60 for adult volunteer time at the branch in 2025. She added the branch had 18 teen volunteers last year who logged 2,964 hours and that staff hope to recruit roughly 35–40 teen volunteers for the upcoming summer reading season.
Kate described program attendance and outreach: recent youth events included a glow‑in‑the‑dark dance party with 103 attendees and a Ladybug release that drew 426 participants; the library’s event page for that program had over 1,400 views. She said the city‑employee hold service launched in November 2025 to route requested materials to City Hall mailroom, but staff did not have use metrics available at the meeting. Kate also said the Words on Wheels outreach program (WOW) currently serves 88 patrons who cannot reach the library.
Commissioners asked about volunteer recruitment and how the service desk staffing will be managed during busy periods; Kate said two staff will be stationed on the public floor at all times with potential for a third or fourth during peak periods such as summer reading.
The Chair called for the consent agenda and the commission approved the Feb. 12 minutes earlier in the meeting. The presentation closed with commissioners proposing future presentations on the interfile/new ordering system once the vendor transition is complete.
The commission discussed other items later in the meeting, including Library of Things signage and potential donations, but no formal action was taken on those matters during this meeting.
