Director’s Thoughts – 11/4/2021

Just as I felt the tiniest of weight lifted off my (very) tired shoulders, our budget has to be approved by our Township Board of Supervisors. My library is a department of our local government, unlike a nonprofit library. And honestly, until the past couple of years, the budget season was never super difficult. We were well funded, we had enough staff, and we were just beginning our feasibility study looking to expand our space.

Budget

It’s amazing what a global pandemic can do in such a short amount of time. I’ve spent the past 24 hours racking my brain to find any spare penny to let go. All while keeping the library up and running next year. I’m crossing my fingers because that’s all I’ve got left in the hopes that my budget will pass as it is.

I’ve got to get creative because in some ways my budget is restricted by the constraints I have to receive my state aid that keeps the library running. Library funding is difficult to explain. The majority of my funding comes from a library millage – a specific property tax percentage that goes directly to the library. But, we also receive State Aid and have to fulfill requirements to be eligible for the funding. We’re in no way going to be back to our pre-COVID hours, staffing, or programming. But, I think we’ll be okay next year. And for right now, that’s enough.

Staffing

My staff is half of what it was when the pandemic started. And I’m feeling it, I’m working my seventh Saturday in a row this week. And that’s without taking time off during the week. I’m definitely tired and my work-life balance is basically in the toilet at this point. But, I’ve created a schedule and budget for next year that allows me some breathing room. It’s already November and I’m definitely looking forward to the new year.

Feasibility Study

Our feasibility study was presented to our Board of Supervisors this summer. Although we came up with some unique options, we’re at a point where we can’t move forward right now. The amount of money to move forward is cost-prohibitive. I’m looking for creative ways to move collections around to find every spare inch of space. Some of my staff are jumping in full force and are really getting creative, while others are taking a little more encouragement. In the end, my hope is the library is easier for patrons to use and provides us with a little extra space.

It’s been a difficult year and a half, that’s for sure. And I know that I’m not the only one feeling this way. Make sure that if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you reach out to a friend or family member, exercise, or do something creative. Self-care is nothing to joke about, especially after the amount of stress we’ve all been feeling since last March. My goal is to try and find a little more time each day and week to do things I love. Read more, practice yoga, find a new recipe to try, spend time with friends, anything I can do to take care of myself.