Answers to Staff Questions - Programming Load

Submitted by Leslie Marinelli

We have received a number of excellent questions from staff as a result of the You Ask, We Answer staff blog post on January 10. Because of the quantity of questions received, we will be answering them one at a time—not necessarily in the order that they were received, but all questions will receive a response. 

Here is the first question we will address:

“Since we cut back on staffing/hours we were supposed to see cutbacks in programming. From my perspective, there is as much programming as there always is. What specific changes do you intend to make in order to lighten the load?”

The following answer comes to us from our Programming Manager, Cleo Joyce: 

There are many factors that go into our programming schedule including responsiveness to community needs, number of attendees, how programs align with our programming policy and strategic plan, and perhaps most importantly, the potential impact and outcomes of programs. Programs also ebb and flow. The number of programs being offered month to month may change based on all of these factors. This past fall, there were months where branches did have a large number of programs as staff had planned and purchased supplies for programs pre-pandemic and we wanted to host those programs so we were using staff time and taxpayer funds wisely. 

It can certainly feel like the program load hasn’t changed, particularly when faced with COVID-related staffing issues, but if we compare pre-pandemic and now, we actually have reduced the overall number of programs being offered. 

The following two charts compare the number of programs from October 2018 with October 2021. We chose October as that is a “typical month” with no big holidays and Cumming was not offering regular programming in-branch for much of September 2021 due to the roof project. We chose 2018 because in 2019 Cumming was closed for much of October due to renovations so we don’t have good comparison programming data for October 2019. Please note these charts are not meant to be a perfect month-to-month comparison (for example, it doesn’t compare impact, number of attendees, or community needs), but they provide a general baseline for looking at where we were in 2018 and now.

Since we shifted hours and eliminated some positions this past fall to help fund pay increases, I have been continually working with Branch Managers, Information Services Supervisors, and Youth Services Supervisors to look at the number and type of programs being offered each month. Several of the branches have scaled back on duplicate programs like Books & Babies, offering one program instead of two. When Post Road was down hours this fall, they chose to cut their new elementary Techsploration program and with additional staff hours have been able to bring it back this month. The YSSs and I worked together as a team to set winter break programming schedules that were educational, informational, provided opportunities for a variety of age groups, and were sustainable for current staffing levels. 

There have been times when programs were not approved, cutbacks were requested, or programs were rescheduled for a later date due to staffing levels for a given month. I will continue to work with branch supervisors to ensure programming remains at a sustainable level.