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Library board hears staff report, hires children’s librarian and outlines holiday events
Summary
At its meeting, the library board heard a staff report on volunteer appreciation and holiday programming, learned the library has hired Kimberly Steffensen as its children's librarian, and was told the library will close for a furlough in late December and reopen Jan. 6.
The board heard a library staff report covering recent volunteer recognition, upcoming holiday events and staffing changes.
Presenter summarized a volunteer appreciation night held Nov. 14 that included a slideshow, giveaways and Volunteer of the Year awards, and said the library plans to hold the event earlier next year to allow more indoor activities. The presenter said the library will hold a community breakfast on Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the library community room and will staff an informational booth at the Kimball holiday on Dec. 14 in Kimball Park, with presentations from the fire and police departments.
On staffing, the presenter announced that the library hired a new children’s librarian, Kimberly Steffensen. The presenter said, "We hired, her name is Kimberly Steffensen. She previously worked for us. She worked in our children's department. She's been with us about 3 and a half years." The presenter described Steffensen as bringing "a lot of joy and excitement" to the department.
The presenter also outlined family events, including a Whoville program at Franklinville Library on Dec. 7 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with crafts, music, book giveaways and photo opportunities with holiday characters. The presenter said Santa-related activities, a Grinch appearance and other family offerings will be part of seasonal programming.
Regarding operational dates, the presenter explained the library will observe a city furlough: "The library will close Thursday, the 19th will be our last open day, And then we will close to the public until January 6," and acknowledged earlier confusion about the calendar and dates in posted notices.
The presenter answered logistical questions about the upcoming open house and said staff can offer tours approximately every half hour (with a suggested 3 p.m. tour time), and that the library has a microphone and speaker for remarks but the equipment does not work in the rotunda. Board members asked staff to coordinate scheduling and to provide follow-up details by email.
The report also noted plans for raffle ticket sales and fundraising: the Friends group will sell raffle tickets at the open house and hold the raffle during the community breakfast; the presenter asked board members to donate small items for raffle baskets.
The board did not take any formal action on programming or staffing during the meeting; the presenter said the city clerk will attend the March meeting to help the board review bylaws and develop any proposals for future changes.
