Library Board ties up loose ends before new year

Friday, December 21, 2012

By LAUREN BOUCHER, Staff Writer

The Putnam County Library board met one last time before the end of the year on Wednesday evening.

In an attempt to keep up with technology, the board agreed to purchase a Polaris label maker. Currently, the board has a Dot Matrix label maker, which is outdated.

"It's sort of typewriter technology," said Library Director Alice Greenburg. "If we have this it would increase efficiency. It's really a better use of staff time."

The new machine will print labels while librarians catalogs the items. The new machine will cost $3,399. The price also includes an extended warranty and a year's worth of supplies.

The board had previously approved purchasing two new HVAC units, after having to pay for several repairs. The new systems cost $11,912 for both a five- and six-ton York system from AA Huber and Sons, which includes installation and start-up.

However, as the year is coming to a close, Greenburg has discovered that the equipment will not be delivered until the beginning of 2013. She came before the board to ask for to ask for an encumbrance of appropriations regarding that purchase.

"We're not going to get the items before the end of the year and I would like to encumber the money," said Greenburg. "All we have to do is create a list and send it to the accountant and the Department Local Board of Government Finance. I'd prefer not to take it out of next year's budget."

The total appropriation was $15,303. This total also includes the label maker.

After being very vigilant with this year's budget, the board had some extra money to play with, a total of $26,000.

The board decided to put the extra money into two separate funds, the Rainy Day Fund and the Library Improvement Reserve Fund (LIRF).

It was approved that $15,000 to be transferred into the LIRF and $10,000 into the rainy day fund.

The board also adopted the previously discussed technology plan.

"It's a three-year plan and it basically reviews the technology we currently have," explained Greenburg. "It is a plan for the next three years as far as replacement schedules and new things we may be looking into adding."