Treasurer’s Report
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Ralph is working with the Finance Department to clarify the line items, related to how the
Operating Expenses are reported.
Director’s Report
Budget:
• The proposed budget for FY27 will be presented during the Special Meeting on January
12. I was able to meet with numerous parties to get a better understanding of our predicted
increases.
Director Onboarding:
• I have completed my onboarding tasks, including training for Munis, scheduling, library
operations, and more. I also held introductory meetings with our vendors and contractors to
have a better understanding of the library’s relationship with them, deadlines for any
paperwork, and current billing cycles.
• I am planning to have individual meetings over the next month with staff to better
understand each employee’s regular duties and responsibilities. I am also continuing the
existing pattern of leadership meetings.
Library News:
• Included in this report is a new monthly statistics report. This document is flexible and can
be modified if we decide we need more specific data or find that something is missing.
• The holidays caused a delay in deliveries of new items from Ingram. Ingram is the primary
book supplier for many libraries, as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Despite their
assurances that they could handle the increase in demand, we still have two months of orders
waiting for delivery. Books are starting to trickle in, with an October order of adult items
now saying shipped and an order of youth items having arrived. Hopefully delivery picks up
now that the holidays are over.
• Both buildings have weeding projects underway. Matt is currently working on a weeding
project for the Adult Non-Fiction at Bill Library. He is a little over half way. When it is
completed, he is hoping to make changes to the library’s floor plan. The goal is to swap the
locations of the Fiction and Nonfiction collections, allowing fiction to expand and bringing
it closer to the entrance. Demand for Fiction is growing, as is its circulation and publication.
Making it more accessible and giving it room to grow is essential for its continued success.
Lyndsey is weeding the Fiction collection at Gales Ferry and making some minor changes,
including shelf shifting and giving James Patterson his own shelf.
• Our Yoto collection is moving forward to its next phase: beta testing the cards and boxes
with 4 or 5 families. This will allow us to troubleshoot any problems and create accurate
training materials. Our goal is to have staff training in February and debut the collection to
the community by March 2026.
• Adult programming had some very successful events, including an Introduction to
Calligraphy and a Historical Baking Contest. Self-directed activities for youth and
storytimes are still going strong, and the Cookie Decorating at Bill was particularly popular!
Coming up on January 12, The Jewish Federation has partnered with us to bring Vivian Zoë,
the daughter of Holocaust survivors, to speak on her family's experience abroad during the
Second World War. On January 17, members from the Eastern Connecticut Woodturners
will be at the Ledyard Bill Library to help participants create their own wooden pens. We
also have an introduction to digital literacy, miniature book binding, and more coming up.
Check out our calendar for more details on each program and to register.
• I renewed the membership for the Association of CT Library Boards and updated the
