This report is intended to provide the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees with a report of activities during the period November 12 – January 14, 2014.
Financial Report
Operational expenses for the two- month period totaled $27,259.03. Current year-to-date expenses total $56,495.75, which is a 44% increase over the previous year-to-date. Increased expenditures include acquisition costs of equipment totaling $8,603.14, including 7 computers, designated for technology to be used in the library’s new wing. The current period costs are in addition to the $7,587.65 reported in November for the initial purchase of 7 computers. Total costs for technology associated with the H. Bland Hudgins Wing stands at $16,190.79. A check for $10,000 was received from the Friends of the Library to be used toward the purchase of the 14 computers acquired.
Unencumbered funds total $63,899.41, of which $50,439.25 are approved budget funds and $13,460.16 in Grants/Donations.
Information regarding salaries and related benefits through December 2013 is not yet available.
Staff Update
Resignation of Part-time Staff Member. Cory Haverland, who was hired to fill the position held by Doris Wohlfort, submitted her resignation effective December 31. Cory returned to North Carolina where she has accepted a full-time position. Diane McKnight’s schedule has been adjusted to provide the necessary weekend staffing.
Change in work schedule. In preparation for providing adequate coverage of Teen Territory, Mary Bull’s schedule has been changed. Mary now works from noon to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Once the area is active, we will monitor traffic to determine if adjustments are needed.
Patron Update
With 62 new patrons added in November and December, the total number of patrons is 10,456. Of those, 406 are currently eLibrary users.
Holiday Programs
On December 1st, with assistance from members of the community, the library was transformed into a festive site for a celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Events associated with the celebration included a concert by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Quartet and a repeat of the popular visit of Snow Bear at a “bedtime story time” party. Overall attendance of 205 exceeded last year’s events and was well received by those who attended.
Five Year Review
A recent Richmond Times Dispatch article (12/27/13) on library usage prompted the staff to make a five-year comparison of key data relating to the Mathews Memorial Library. The results are somewhat surprising, and we plan to consider more fully the implications of our findings. The information provided in the article was obtained from a study conducted by the American Library Association. While the ALA study includes all types and sizes of public libraries, their identification of greatly increased visits (21.7%) and materials circulated (28.3%) is sufficiently different from the Mathews Memorial Library data to warrant further study.
The following table presents the information obtained from data submitted by the Mathews Memorial Library to the Library of Virginia in 2008 and 2013.
|
Category |
2008 |
2013 |
|
Number of patrons |
7,238 |
10,167 |
|
Patron visits per year |
64,858 |
76,270 |
|
Average patron visits per year |
8.96 |
7.50 |
|
Library materials circulated – total |
34,163 |
25,343 |
|
Library materials circulated – children/young adult Children Young Adults |
7,592 6,918 674 |
3,323 2,788 535 |
|
Attendance @ library programs – total Children/Young Adults |
6,551 5,227 |
4,023 3,423 |
Evening Schedule Review
The current library schedule provides opportunities for access as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday – 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday – 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sunday – 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
During the late fall and winter, visits to the library drop considerably. This is particularly the case on Thursday when there are rarely more than 1 or 2 patrons in either the adult or youth sections aftaer 6 p.m. Considering this low level of activity, thought was given to reducing the Thursday hours during the period indicated to that of the other week days; that is, closure at 6 p.m. rather than 8 p.m. Upon review of requirements for receiving State Aid, this was found to be prohibited based on the following:
Keep open a headquarters library or centrally located branch at least 40 hours a week for a full range of library services. This schedule must include at least three consecutive evening hours and appropriate weekend hours. Evening hours are defined as the hours after 5 p.m.Library of Virginia. Requirement for State Aid to Virginia Public Libraries.
Given these requirements, the library will continue with its current schedule.