When York Public Library Executive Director Michelle Sampson started her job a year ago, she found a library well used by patrons — some 10,000 came through the door last month alone — with expectations for services that are being met by an undersized staff and a collection that is in need of attention.
In other words, “we’re doing triage. For me personally, I haven’t been able to get out on the floor as much as I would like to. But in terms of day-to-day, things need to get done that just don’t get done or they don’t get done well. For a Type A person like me, that’s hard.”
In a broad-ranging interview, Sampson talked about a 17-year-old library building that will soon be in need of attention; a volunteer corps doing work that should be undertaken by trained staff; the lack of technology services like 3D printers or virtual reality services; the fact that double the number of books are being borrowed by York patrons through the Maine interlibrary lending system called Minerva than are being lent out from York’s collection. And more.
Sampson came to York from the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford, New Hampshire, which has a population of 15,000, as compared to York’s population of 12,500. The York library budget “is half what I’m used to and the building is twice the size. I had 23 staff members full and part time. Here, there are nine. With the kind of business we’re doing and the amount of people coming through the doors, it’s overwhelming.
“I just experienced what summer in a tourist town was like, and, yowza!”
Her first order of business after arriving was to find a way to pay her staff more. “The staff is amazing, and most have been here for a long time, which speaks volumes, no pun intended. But they were very underpaid.” She “took the budget apart,” going back several years to find line items which were consistently underspent and shifted money around. In addition, she asked the townspeople to fund a 4.8 percent increase in funding for the current fiscal year. All of it went to increasing salaries.
“We’re competing with Portsmouth and Dover, and a couple of our staff are nearing retirement age. I have to consider towns across the border” when setting salary grades.
In addition to staff salaries, staffing levels are insufficient. She sees three areas that seriously need bolstering: young adult programming, technology and a facilities management. There’s a “gaping hole” for young adult or teen programming at the library. “We don’t have the staff and the staff we do have are just tapped out.”
She said she thinks one person could handle young adult programs and technology — the other big need. For instance, she said the library has a patron who would buy a 3D printer “tomorrow, and I won’t do it. We don’t have the staff to oversee it. We had a 3D printer in Milton, so I was able to see how much staff time is involved. People want to know who it works, what they can create, and that takes time. And it takes a techy-type person who understands how it works.”
The building itself is going to need some significant repairs in the time to come, such as a new roof and new HVAC system, and a part-time facilities manager could manage all of that. “Right now, I am on a first name basis with the HVAC guy because there’s no one else to do it. That’s time I could be out on the floor talking with patrons.” Currently, the library hires a custodian 10-12 hours a week for basic janitorial duties.
The collection of books also needs attention, she said. When she first arrived, she noticed that there weren’t enough books in the new book section and those that were there were not really new anymore. “I asked the staff, and I found out they were relegated to cherry picking the book donations (from the books for sale downstairs by the Friends of the York Public Library) for new books. Staff should not have to be doing that in a town like York — or any town for that matter.”
She also found an enormous disparity between the number of books being requested through Minerva by York patrons and the number of books that were requested by other Maine library patrons from the York library. “That says to me that we are not doing a good job identifying the needs of our patrons. Some of the demand is a hot author but some is not.” Because they are able to get a list of all books being requested, the staff is able to quickly identify those that should be added.
And the trustees have responded, setting aside more than $100,000 for the collecting in fiscal year 2017. However, she said, under terms of the agreement with the town all capital costs are paid for by the library. So the trustees have been saving for the roof or the HVAC system and other facilities needs.
With all this in mind, she said, she is “not a fan of lobbing a grenade on any budget” by increasing it dramatically. “It’s risky and it’s not particularly fair.” On the other hand, she’s talked with Town Manager Steve Burns about it, and “I told him we’re not going to get anywhere at 3-4 percent increase a year.” To that end the trustees are embarking on a strategic plan this fall, with a trained facilitator to lead discussions. Focus groups to include specific segments in town as well as rank and file citizens would be involved in the process, she said.
“We are literally part of the community’s center, and it’s part of our job to find out what people want in their library,” she said.
Meet Sampson
The York Public Library board of trustees is holding an ice cream social to celebrate Michelle Sampson’s one year anniversary as executive director. The event will be hold from on Tuesday, Aug. 29 from 2-4 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.