Library looks to fix lingering issues

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Putnam County Public Library Board made it a priority Wednesday night to deal with several of the issues that have been lingering over the past few months.

Program Coordinator Barbara Timm came before the board to give a presentation on coming up with new program additions for the library.

"You have to know your constituents," Timm said. "You have to lure people in to make sure the program is successful. I like to try different things, some are successful and others flop."

Timm said the library would continue to pursue its travel program, which has a large community following. She also is also trying to reach out to other organizations in the community to collaborate. However, following the recent unsuccessful film series, Timm will most likely not pursue a series like that again.

"I'm trying to tap all the different resources we have here," Timm said.

Although there have been many successful programs at the library recently, Timm still continues to have a difficult time getting the word out to the schools.

The board suggested adding an email list for parents to sign up for as well as printing flyers for schools to hand out each week or even just a monthly calendar.

Library Director Alice Greenburg updated the board on the status of the Bookmobile, which has had several ongoing issues, including having trouble finding a driver.

Currently, the Bookmobile is again having issues with its generator. Although, it has been making more stops recently it hasn't yet made it to all stops that it typically does.

"It's horrible," Bookmobile Librarian Jane Glier said. "There's stops that haven't even been gone to yet this year. It's really hard to keep the service going when the vehicle hasn't been working. It's frustrating."

After hearing Glier's frustration, the board asked that she look into the cost of a new generator, rather than repairing the existing one over and over again. It is expected that Glier give an update during the April meeting.

The library is still working on ironing out security issues with the new computers, which were bought several months back.

Greenburg stated that two are now ready to be put out for public use and the problem has been solved it just takes time to set up the program.

Once the security system is installed there will be four new computers for staff use and six for public use.

Sunday hours has been an ongoing issue for the board and the issue was tabled until next month. The board hopes to begin Sunday hours starting in the summer months. However, scheduling needs to be figured out.

"We know that the public has an interest in it," board member Diana LaViolette board. "The decision is we want to do it, but we want to know how the staff feels."

It is estimated that these additional hours would cost nearly $10,000 to fund with minimal staffing and programming.

The board also decided to replace the gutter lining, which has deteriorated with age. The board agreed to go with a bid of $6,800 from John David of Roofing Renovations and More.

It was also approved that Laura Trimble be hired as a circulation assistant. She is a graduate of Ivy Tech's Library Technical Assistant program and did her practicum at the library last summer.

The next library board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24.

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