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Trustees shift $10,000 in salary funds, approve $500 youth-program supplement as libraries face 2.5 FTE shortfall
Summary
Director Dawn Jardine reported a 2.5 FTE staffing shortfall and rising streaming service use; trustees approved reallocating $10,000 of unspent salary funds for other library needs, appropriated $500 to Ramsdell youth programming, and authorized acceptance of a hand‑painted mural with an MOU to protect disposition rights.
Library Director Dawn Jardine told trustees on June 10 that while in‑person attendance ‘‘dipped a little,’’ use of streaming services such as Kanopy and Hoopla continued to rise and overall circulation increased from the previous year.
Jardine said the libraries are currently short 2.5 full‑time‑equivalent staff and estimated a 3‑to‑4‑month timeframe to restore staffing levels. She said staff have been ‘‘trying to meet the challenge of maintaining services while short‑handed’’ and asked for trustee support in acknowledging staff efforts.
Trustees unanimously approved moving $10,000 of unspent salary funding to other library needs; Jardine said the remainder of unspent salary funds will revert to the Town and be added to the free‑cash account. By unanimous vote the board also appropriated $500 from Ramsdell donations to supplement Ramsdell Library’s youth programming, noting the line‑item annual budget of $800 has been insufficient and that some line items (for example, a movie license at about $475 per year and a babysitting course costing about $400) make demands on that budget.
The board unanimously authorized Jardine to accept a hand‑painted mural donation for Mason Library’s Children’s Programming Room and to work with the Town Manager to develop and execute an MOU that specifies terms to preserve the library’s control over preservation and disposition.
Next steps: Director Jardine will oversee the fund reallocation and work with the Town Manager on the mural MOU; trustees asked her to thank staff for their work during the short staffing period.
