Library director outlines grant toolkit, study pods, RFID rollout and community response to outage
January 17, 2024 | Muskego City, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
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At the Jan. 16 Muskego City Library Board meeting, the library director (speaker 1) presented a formal grant toolkit and an updated grant tracker she said will be used to coordinate staff grant-writing, align grant applications with the board-approved action plan and identify longer-term funding opportunities for capital projects.
"The toolkit has the identifier, census data, links to our strategic documents, tax-exemption information and operational statistics," the director said, describing packet page 17 as a quick-reference guide for staff. She said the grant tracker (packet page 18), a spreadsheet started in 2020, will be reviewed annually with programming staff so the library does not miss deadlines or opportunities.
The director also provided operational updates: RFID gates and new self-check stations are scheduled to arrive the day after the meeting, and a set of study "pods" ordered for the building includes one smaller pod due Jan. 30 and three larger pods that require council acknowledgement because they exceed a purchasing threshold. "The money's already set aside," the director said; she added the purchases will appear on the City Council agenda Jan. 23 for acknowledgement and estimated fulfillment could take about four weeks once approved.
On facilities, the director said FEH and the contractor team will meet for the first contractor meeting next week and that payments for that project will be made in installments tied to progress points.
The director reported a recent pipe burst at the library and said she has submitted documentation to the city finance office and the insurance company. She described staff precautions while installing the new equipment, including having an electrician remove and replace floor outlets to ensure safety for the incoming RFID and self-check devices.
The board also discussed the outstanding fines-and-fees item; the director asked to defer that discussion because initial reports produced for the packet contained errors. She said staff and system database personnel are re-running reports and she expects an accurate report for the February meeting.
Finally, the director described the library’s role during a recent local power outage. "We were very needed," she said, noting the library provided heat, power and Wi-Fi to many residents and that Waukesha County lists the library as a warming site on the county 2-1-1 listings (not an overnight shelter).
The board posed several follow-up questions about grants that might fund lamp-post or walkway work and whether the American Library Association or regional systems maintain comprehensive grant databases; the director said Bridges and Southeast Wisconsin regional systems sometimes circulate grant leads but there is no single exhaustive local database and that some local foundations may be geographically inclined to support Muskego projects.
The director called out community fundraising: the Friends raised $8,268.63 in 2023, which the director said supports programming and other library needs. She also listed upcoming events and timelines: Love Your Library fundraiser Feb. 10 and the next board meeting Feb. 20.
The board did not take formal action on grant approvals or the facility projects during the meeting; purchases requiring council acknowledgement will proceed after the City Council reviews the items on Jan. 23.
The meeting adjourned at 5:36 p.m.
"The toolkit has the identifier, census data, links to our strategic documents, tax-exemption information and operational statistics," the director said, describing packet page 17 as a quick-reference guide for staff. She said the grant tracker (packet page 18), a spreadsheet started in 2020, will be reviewed annually with programming staff so the library does not miss deadlines or opportunities.
The director also provided operational updates: RFID gates and new self-check stations are scheduled to arrive the day after the meeting, and a set of study "pods" ordered for the building includes one smaller pod due Jan. 30 and three larger pods that require council acknowledgement because they exceed a purchasing threshold. "The money's already set aside," the director said; she added the purchases will appear on the City Council agenda Jan. 23 for acknowledgement and estimated fulfillment could take about four weeks once approved.
On facilities, the director said FEH and the contractor team will meet for the first contractor meeting next week and that payments for that project will be made in installments tied to progress points.
The director reported a recent pipe burst at the library and said she has submitted documentation to the city finance office and the insurance company. She described staff precautions while installing the new equipment, including having an electrician remove and replace floor outlets to ensure safety for the incoming RFID and self-check devices.
The board also discussed the outstanding fines-and-fees item; the director asked to defer that discussion because initial reports produced for the packet contained errors. She said staff and system database personnel are re-running reports and she expects an accurate report for the February meeting.
Finally, the director described the library’s role during a recent local power outage. "We were very needed," she said, noting the library provided heat, power and Wi-Fi to many residents and that Waukesha County lists the library as a warming site on the county 2-1-1 listings (not an overnight shelter).
The board posed several follow-up questions about grants that might fund lamp-post or walkway work and whether the American Library Association or regional systems maintain comprehensive grant databases; the director said Bridges and Southeast Wisconsin regional systems sometimes circulate grant leads but there is no single exhaustive local database and that some local foundations may be geographically inclined to support Muskego projects.
The director called out community fundraising: the Friends raised $8,268.63 in 2023, which the director said supports programming and other library needs. She also listed upcoming events and timelines: Love Your Library fundraiser Feb. 10 and the next board meeting Feb. 20.
The board did not take formal action on grant approvals or the facility projects during the meeting; purchases requiring council acknowledgement will proceed after the City Council reviews the items on Jan. 23.
The meeting adjourned at 5:36 p.m.
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