Alva Review-Courier -

The 60th Birthday Party celebrating the dedication of the current Alva Public Library Building was a success, according to Librarian Sandra Ott. She said they had to get extra cupcakes on Monday and only a dozen of the ten dozen cookies ordered for Tuesday were left.

In researching the library history in Alva, one of the newspaper stories Assistant Librarian Angela Courson found described the donation of the first book to the early library by Scott Cummings, the Pilgrim Bard. Ott said they located that book at the library and it is now part of their birthday display.

Ott said more people seem to be coming into the library although she’s not seeing an increase in book checkouts.

Patty Harkin opened the Alva Library Board meeting Monday afternoon with members Len Reed, Marilyn Clyne, Lynn Wilt and Chris Eckhardt present.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover

In a recent event, the library hosted 54 stuffed animals for a sleepover. She said some of the animals were brought in by adults but most were dropped off by children. The overnight activities of the animals were photographed and detailed in individual books presented to the owners when they retrieved their stuffed friends the next day.

Budget Planning

It’s budget time for city departments as they plan their budgets for next year. Ott said she and Courson attended a budget meeting recently. A few funds were moved around, and the library is asking for $5,000 more next year. However, they deducted $2,000 from property maintenance since no air conditioner replacements are expected. Some funds will be used for smaller purchases like updating iPads, vacuums, or shelving.

Ott said the additional funds are to pay for periodic cleaning of the library. The staff handles the daily work, but help is needed with deep cleaning as the staff is getting busier.

She also asked for $1,000 more in training for staff.

Ott said she plans to retire at the end of April, and the city is generously paying her for accumulated unused sick leave. She said that should not affect the overall budget this year as some of last year’s purchases were encumbered but not spent. Then the items came in during this year and were paid from this year’s funds leaving them with some extra money.

Ott said the E-Rate application has been completed and turned in. Courson gained experience in filling out that complicated paperwork. Courson is being trained to act as interim director until a new library director is hired.

Grant Received

The library took advantage of an available tech grant with Courson submitting an application. There were two types of grants: one for regular tech and the other for innovative tech. It was decided to apply for the innovative tech because there might be fewer applicants.

The library has been notified they received a $5,000 grant. They plan to use it to install a charging station so patrons can charge their cellphones and other devices. They want to try a card catalog kiosk which has been successful in other libraries. The grant will also play for a computer and for a couple of Android devices with preloaded programs for the YA (young adult) section for teens to use.

State Aid Grants

The library used state aid grant funds to buy two bookshelves for the youth department downstairs. They also bought a new staff computer. The old computer will be kept and repurposed at the front desk or in the card catalog section.

Other grant money is being used to order new activities and materials for the Little Explorers group.

The library is purchasing a new desk for their smaller second office which is being set up as a more private location.

Staff Training

Mandi Schoenhals attended the Oklahoma Library Association meeting in Tulsa recently where she took some classes. She applied for and received a grant to pay her fees. NWOSU library staff invited her to ride with them so the Alva library didn’t have to pay for travel.

Courson recently completed computer training on AI (artificial intelligence) and its impact on libraries.

Ott said they also have some other training available for six months which focuses on staff working together, teamwork, etc.

Director’s Report

Ott presented some updated guidelines on people eating in the library. She said they’ve allowed people to bring in sack lunches from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., confining them to a particular area. This is a service for people from out of town who might be working here or other adults needing a quiet place to eat.

She said they installed some new carpet squares in that area and don’t want to worry about spilled food or drink. The new eating area will be moved onto non-carpeted floor near the same area. Ott said the space is also more visible from the front desk area.

No action was needed by the board, but Ott wanted to make them aware of the change.