Q & A, Tuesday, December 8, 2020

 Submitted by Tricia Syler

Called Library Board Meeting

There will be a Called Board meeting via teleconference this Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 10:30 a.m.

Below is the link for simultaneous viewing of the meeting by the public:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6145367711643207435 

The webinar ID is 915-377-027

The purpose of this meeting is for the Board to approve budget adjustments for additional funding received from the Forsyth County Government.  Funding for a 2% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) has been approved by the County and will go into effect Payroll 1, January 2021.

The library also received funding to convert 1 (25 hour) Youth Specialist and 1 (25 hour) IS Specialist positions to 40 hour positions as well as funding to cover operations increases such as IT maintenance and excess cleaning costs related to COVID.

Anna at Home

Anna recently spent 14 days in quarantine due to a possible exposure to COVID.  She never exhibited any symptoms nor tested positive.  She has since returned to work with a new appreciation for the challenges of quarantining, especially when you must stay away from other members of your household for this extended time to avoid potentially exposing them as well!

Bookmobile

Loanie has been out and about for just one week and there are already so many exciting stories and experiences to tell!  Last week, Joanie and Lorraine took the Bookmobile to parks, apartment communities, Senior Living Centers, and to two Dollar General Stores.  The response at these stops was overwhelmingly positive.  People are excited to come out and visit the bookmobile!  While some patrons went to the website and saw that Loanie would be at the park, many others were delighted to stumble upon her while out on a shopping trip.  In her first week, Loanie had 128 items checked out and 11 new library card registrations!  Many items were also checked out by students using their school IDs!  Lorraine and Joanie were able to bless some children they met at an apartment stop with a gift bag of new books and other items since the family will be moving out of the area in December.  The Outreach staff says they are continuing to learn and adjust as they take Loanie into the community and will definitely be adding to the Bookmobile collection as they see future needs and interests.  Thank you Outreach!

COVID and FCPL Operations

The CDC recently updated their COVID quarantine guidelines.  The Library COVID-19 committee is aware of this and are doing research on the current data to make a responsible decision based on these updates.  The committee hopes to provide more information later this week.

We have certainly seen an uptick of staff who have had to quarantine due to potential exposure from recent Thanksgiving gatherings.  As we head into another holiday season, we would encourage everyone to be cautious and responsible about celebrating with family outside of your immediate household.