By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Wood County District Public Library management staff recently had a meeting, and for 20 minutes their discussion had nothing to do with COVID-19.
That was progress, said Library Director Michael Penrod, a sign that maybe they were now able to look beyond the pandemic.
Penrod shared the story with the library’s board of trustees Monday.
The discussion at the meeting also gave a glimpse of that time beyond the pandemic.
Penrod did report that he calculated that the library lost the equivalent of 13 weeks of productivity in the past six months because of employee time off related to COVID. That means he’s behind in some of his goals.
Trustee Ken Frisch told him not to worry. The staff deserves to pat themselves on the back. They faced the once-in-a-century crisis by finding new ways to serve the public, and learned new skills along the way. Some of that, Frisch said, will have an effect on how the library functions in the future.
Penrod agreed. He relayed to the board a conversation that Director of Youth Services Maria Simon had with a mother about curbside pickup. The mother said that when she has four kids in the car and just a few minutes to pick out books, it’s very convenient to be able to pull up outside the library and have a library staff member bring the 40 books to the car.
Penrod said he expects curbside pickup will continue beyond the pandemic.
Penrod said the library is looking forward to warmer weather. They are planning outdoor events in the parks for reading groups and books activities. These will allow people to be social and safe.
He also reported that in 2020, the library brought in almost $148,000 in donations, even in a year when many fundraisers had to be canceled. That’s lower than the $175,000 that was projected when the 2020 budget was approved in March, but still shows people are willing to donate to the library.
Almost half of the funds, $70,000, were from the fundraising appeal that took the place of the Library Foundation’s major fundraiser, Novel Night.
Penrod said that an appeal will be held again this summer instead of the in-person auction.
And even though the number of people allowed in the library was limited, the vortex in the lobby still brought in $182.04.
Penrod also related the current status of the long-range building plans for the library.
Back in November the board was briefed on the possibilities for future expansion.
Penrod said in discussions with the city, which is planning to break ground later this year on an administration building to the north, he learned that expansion onto Clay Street is not possible.
There’s a major sewer line underneath the street, and relocating it would be too costly.
Also, underneath the library’s parking to the west is a mess of utility lines – “like a bowl of spaghetti,” Penrod said. That would complicate any plans in that direction.
That leaves the library with the option of expanding on the east side facing North Main Street.
Penrod said that this would be done while maintaining green space. The architects are “tweaking” the plans.
At this point, the library has no timeline for the project. He felt when the report was presented in November it would show where the library would be looking to go forward sometime in the future. Plans wouldn’t be drawn up for several years.
The city’s plans to build across Oak Street , however, has forced the library to look at certain issues in more detail than they would ordinarily have.
