Silas Bronson Library gets proposed $100,000 for security amid rising incidents, roof work planned

Rachel Guest, director of the Silas Bronson Library, told the Board the downtown library sees between 500 and 1,000 visitors on busy days and that staff manage multiple daily incidents that range from medical calls to disruptive behavior and, on occasion, overdoses. Guest said the building’s two aging roofs and HVAC issues require attention and that a mayoral amendment would add $100,000 for security.

Guest called rising e‑book and audiobook costs a major budget pressure and described how the library mixes municipal appropriation with foundation and endowment funds to meet programmatic needs. She said the library is pursuing software to manage donations and reporting and requested additional librarian positions to expand weekend and evening hours.

On security, Guest said the library budgets for extra‑duty police in evenings and some Saturdays (about 16 hours a week) but that incidents still occur when officers are not present. “We have 2 or 3 incidents per day,” Guest said, asking the board to fund safety measures and roof work identified for capital/CDBG funding.

Board members acknowledged the service the library provides to seniors, students and families and asked the administration for follow‑up on the proposed security amendment and planned capital work schedule.