Library approves 3% staff raises

The St. Marys Community Public Library board of trustees approved a 3% raise for staff members during its board meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Back in March, the library had to temporarily close its doors to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic.

To make the library safer, new precautions and sanitizing practices were implemented and operations inside the library had to be changed. Returned books needed to be isolated for a set number of days because there was potential that the virus could be on the surface. The library needed thorough cleaning many times a day and the staff saw reduced hours.

To thank the staff for their work during the pandemic, the personnel committee approved the raise.

“The opinion of the committee is the staff deserves it,” said trustee Bill Angel. “They did a lot of extra work during the pandemic, which they put in a lot of hours and we think this amply rewards them for diligent service to the library and the community.”

In her report, Library Director Morgan Paul provided board members with an update on the new pieces of technology that the library has recently installed.

The holdIT automated self- service holds kiosk that was installed in October runs fine, Paul said, as long as the power doesn’t go out, which has been happening frequently with the building.

Network connection for the kiosk is also low and Paul said the library is going to contract a company to extend the wireless internet out further so the kiosk will have a better connection all the time.

Also installed recently was a touchless self-checkout machine that allows library patrons to check books out without needing assistance from library staff.

“The touchless self-checkout is great. People just walk up and use it, we don’t have to tell them,” said Paul. “It tells people exactly what they need to do and it’s going fine.”

Utilization of the library’s curbside service, which was introduced in the spring, declined during the summer months but Paul said she’s noticed it starting to pick back up again.

Initially, the library had an online form for patrons to fill out but Paul said customers have been calling the library and it’s been easier to do it that way.

In other business, the board:

• Heard Paul announce an upgrade to the Seeing Every Ohioan (SEO) platform that the library uses. She said that it will be more secure.

• Heard the financial report from Fiscal Officer Kristina Boroff. The library had a Nov. 1

balance of $274,106. November revenue is $ 42,643. Expenditures were $34,052 giving the library a balance of $282,697 left. The general fund revenue was at 98% of their estimate and appropriations are at 69%. The public library fund (PLF) for November was $ 41,138 which was $ 680 less than November of 2019. “Budget wise, we’re doing well,” said Boroff. Paul said she

wasn’t expecting the PLF and the state revenues to rebound so fast and she said they were performing better than expected.

• Heard that the amount of donations to the library have increased lately. Paul said a PayPal feature has been added to the website to make it easier for patrons and community members to donate.