Library staff cite cataloging delays, shifting language‑collection demand and Friends’ role in acquisitions

Anna, library director, told trustees the library’s new‑item processing metric was the lowest in the performance packet at about 72 percent—defined as items received, cataloged and on shelves within 10 days. She said vendor delivery patterns, days with many boxes arriving at once, and vendor staffing are factors, and staff training to expand cataloging capacity is being scheduled.

The trustees and staff described the challenges of managing foreign‑language collections, noting demand has shifted over time between Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and other languages. Anna said some donated foreign‑language materials have arrived without useful cataloging information, which makes adding them to the collection difficult and time‑consuming.

Board members asked whether Friends of the Library can help target donations. Anna said friends provide a dollar amount each year; library staff use that budget to place orders and then mark items purchased with a Friends sticker. Trustees suggested sharing up‑to‑date wish lists with friends and coordinating volunteers to help triage donated books for possible inclusion in the collection or sale.

Staff said PressReader and other digital products have shown uptake and the library continues to evaluate new digital services alongside print purchases.