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Library asks for extra staffing as checkouts and visits rise
Summary
Library staff told the council the branch handled about 758,000 checkouts last year (physical + digital) and expects roughly 820,000 this year; library leadership asked for 1.5 FTE to provide more consistent weekend and evening coverage and to support an employee tuition benefit tied to return service.
Steve, the library presenter, told the council the branch is busy year-round and cited both circulation and foot-traffic as the basis for a staffing request. "Last year, we had over 758,000 items checked out. This year, we're kind of on track for about 820,000," he said, and added that 177,000 people entered the building last year. He told council members that the busiest pressure points are evenings, Fridays and weekends and that an additional full-time 'floater' would reduce disruptive schedule changes when staff quit or call in sick.
Council members questioned whether the need was documented in usage-by-hour data; one council member asked whether staff were tracking when shortages occur and Steve responded that peak gaps show up on weekends and after 6 p.m. Steve also described a tuition benefit for a staff member attending graduate school in library science, noting an expectation the employee serves the city for two years after graduation. The presentation did not include a formal motion; the item remains in discussion as council and staff consider totals and priorities for the larger 2627 budget.
