7/21/2009 BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES Minutes

Home Browse Search

Town Meeting Article To see if the Town will vote to add a full-time Reference ren Librarian and Circulation Assistant for the Children#s Department to the staffing of the Mashpee Public Library, to be filled upon the opening of the new library in the spring of 2010, or take any other action related thereto. Submitted by the Board of Library Trustees Explanation: Town Meeting authorization is required to create any positions. This article seeks to authorize creation of Nvo positions-a Deference Librarian and a Circulation Assistant for the new library. Funding for the positions will be requested at the Special Town Meeting in May, to cover the short time left in FY 2010, when the new library opens. The estimated salary for the two positions for about two months i $12 P 000. 1n addition, authorizing the new positions at October Town Meeting will allow the library to include the newly created positions in the FY 2011 budget process. The new library is four tires as large as the old building. The staffing situation is similar to the circumstances the Fire Department encountered when trying to open the Fire substation with existing staffing. Although we have one new facility(unlike the Fire Depart'ment's two buildings , the new library is a two story building requiring staffing on both floors and is not dissimilar to staffing two buildings. Now that the new.library is under construction, inters can get a sense of the building's size. The current staff of 5.5 Full Tirane Equivalents, an not adequately staff the larger facility and service the increased number of library users. We need a Reference Librarian to staff the new Reference Department on the second floor. This is a librarian with specialized training in information sources, who will assist patrons using the library databases and the adult collection. Volunteers shelving returns will help monitor who is on the second floor and that the area is being used properly. The volunteers will alert the Reference Librarian to any problems and he/she will actually deal with the problem. The Teen Room is located adjacent to the Reference area. Students will need assistance using the library's resources. The Reference librarian will assist thein as well as supervising the Young Adult loom to see that the teen users are being respectful of other patrons' need for quiet space. In addition, the Reference Librarian will be assisting adult patrons in how to use the library's Internet stations and'will troubleshoot minor hardware problems and will monitor the quiet study areas available for tutoring. The Children's Boom in the old library was a section of a single large open area and everyone used a central check out area. The new library includes a separate Children's lying, with its own circulation desk. The room is closed off from the main library space for security reasons and noise control. circulation staff at the main desk cannot help provide coverage for the Children's Circulation desk. We need a minimum of two staff in the Children's Department to provide coverage in this room. The current staffing level 1 person) would leave the children Librarian alone in a 5,000 square foot room. Her responsibilities include assisting children to find information, supervising proper use of the room, ordering collection materials, and conducting children's programs. In addition, she does outreach to the schools and hosts return visits from the students. We need a Circulation Assistant to perforin circulation activities, checkout children's boobs, cover the phones and help the Children's Librarian monitor safe use of the root''.