Commission approves $50,000 digital-navigator pilot as library unveils new logo and website

Sara Cranson, a representative of the library system who introduced the presentation as “Boyertown Public Library and Sara Cranson,” told the Monongalia County Commission on April 29 that the library has launched a redesigned logo and website informed by more than 900 community survey responses.

"We wanted to start from a place that the library is not just a building with books," Cranson said, describing an open-book logo that uses local colors and playful doodles to reflect the library’s role as a community gathering and discovery space. She said the new site emphasizes a larger search bar, clearer access to catalog and account functions, improved event landing pages and an updated calendar, and expanded information about services such as genealogy resources at the Aull Center and digital learning tools like Mango Languages and Kanopy.

Cranson said the redesign was developed with local firm Design It Please, owned by Sam Fagan, and that some technical improvements remain constrained by the library consortium’s funding. "The consortium is working on it, but it’s a funding issue, mostly," she said.

After the presentation the commission approved a related new-business item: funding not to exceed $50,000 for a one-year digital navigator pilot based at the library, set to begin July 1, 2026. The commission’s motion to fund the pilot passed by voice vote.

County leaders described how the pilot will operate: the position will be hosted at the library for walk-in support and will also perform outreach to senior centers and community organizations. Commissioners said the position will not be a county or library employee; instead, MAP will handle hiring and employment administration. The commission also noted that the $50,000 would come from interest earnings rather than the general fund.

Supporters framed the pilot as a complement to the county’s broadband expansion and digital-literacy work. "It just expands more than what the library is for this community," one commissioner said, noting that connecting residents to broadband without help on how to use it limits the benefit of network expansion.

The library presentation also included practical user-focused changes: clearer instructions on how to obtain a library card (including a digital-only card for Monongalia County addresses), removal of late fees, new program landing pages such as the annual Story Fest in June, and improved mobile catalog functionality planned in future consortium work.

The commission asked that library staff and county liaisons proceed with posting the job description and running the interview process so the pilot position could be in place by the July 1 start date. The motion passed and no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.