Library asks county to shift weekday hours, seek cameras for child‑safety and alley monitoring

The county’s library staff asked the board to shift regular weekday hours to 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Monday through Friday, to restore sufficient time for children’s programming after an area school changed its schedule. The librarian said the change would allow an hour‑and‑a‑half program slot and that staffing (two regular staff) could accommodate the later closing time.

The librarian also raised safety concerns in the library hallway and the alley behind the building, describing unsupervised children and limited visibility when the fire door closes during power outages. She presented an estimate from Nemont for a five‑camera security system — two cameras for the hallway, one for the front of the building and two for the alley — and said the quoted package is “almost $3,000.” Commissioners and staff discussed lower‑cost trail cameras and motion‑activated consumer units that record to SD cards as a lower‑cost alternative but noted those may not offer the real‑time monitoring the library sought.

The board and library staff also discussed nontechnical solutions: temporarily disabling outside Wi‑Fi to test whether a patron who uses the library’s signal from outside would relocate, and consulting the city about signage or enforcement options to discourage all‑day parking immediately in front of the building (the street is a city street). The librarian said she would coordinate with the board and the city and that the board could consider cost‑sharing; she requested permission to explore options and to pilot the new hours.

The transcript records the library staff saying, "we'd like to move our hours from 10 to 6," and noting the Nemont estimate of approximately $3,000 for a five‑camera system. Privacy limits (no cameras inside bathrooms) were explicitly discussed. The board did not authorize a purchase during this session but asked staff to follow up with Nemont and the city.