Library looks ahead to new website

With new leadership now heading the Putnam County Public Library, its board of trustees marked a fresh start for 2020 last Thursday evening.

Meeting in the local history and genealogy department of the library, the board first welcomed Matt McClelland as PCPL’s new director. Board members then considered where the library’s finances stood, as well as its future initiatives.

Leading her last meeting as interim director, Lisa Barker shared that Marketing and Communications Director Kaitlin Tipsword had acquired a grant from Aldi to support the library’s kids cooking program, including $1,000 in gift cards. PCPL is also looking to apply for a grant under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

In general, Barker said improvements throughout the library would be a focus in 2020. She provided that $10,000 would be budgeted toward these improvements, the specifics of which will be determined as they come along.

Barker also announced that a new website for the library is set to go live on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The change accompanies the transition to the Evergreen cataloging system, which will allow patrons to access material from other libraries in the Evergreen Indiana consortium.

Barker also drew up a resolution to close the library the day before so that staff can train on the new system. She also said Vincent Aguirre of Distinct Web Design was assisting with the setup.

Mark Hammer of Hammer and Swigart also gave a rundown of PCPL’s financial standing as of the end of 2019. The library’s funds were generally in the black, barring increased expenditures to cover different repairs. However, Hammer added that cash balances were seeing an upward trend.

In other business, the board approved a non-resident library fee of $30, as well as a cost of living increase of three percent for library staff.

The board also renewed Lisa Barker’s commitment as board treasurer. She had been serving as the library’s interim director since July of last year. It also voted to retain Hammer and Swigart for its financial obligations.

The next regular meeting of the Library Board is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the Kiwanis Room.