LEDYARD, CT — The Ledyard Library Commission unanimously approved its fiscal year 2027 budget, revised its circulation policy and created a strategic planning working group during its Sept. 21 meeting, while Library Director Jessica Franco outlined changes to spending, staffing and library services.
The commission voted 7-0 to approve the FY27 budget. Chairman John Bolduc, Vice Chairman Rolf Racich and commissioners Wendy Hellekson, Gillian Thorne, Cynthia Wright, Elizabeth Rumery and Steve Finegan voted in favor. Treasurer Ralph Hightower and Commissioner Peter Diette were excused.
Franco reported that she had reorganized the library budget within the town's existing financial structure after the Town Council requested a clearer accounting of the cost of membership in the LION library consortium. She said some money had been allocated to inappropriate budget lines and was moved within existing accounts. Changes requiring new budget lines would require Town Council approval and would have to wait until the FY28 budget.
The revised breakdown includes $17,276 for electronic materials and $44,274 for physical materials. Electronic spending includes $7,276 for LION OverDrive, $2,000 for the OverDrive Advantage Collection and $8,000 for Hoopla. Physical materials include $4,756 for periodicals, $19,600 for adult materials and $18,676 for youth materials.
The commission also unanimously approved a revised circulation policy after first amending it to reduce the maximum total number of checkouts from 100 to 50. Wright moved the amendment and Rumery seconded it. The amended policy then passed 7-0.
Franco said the policy revisions were intended to eliminate inconsistencies involving age requirements and loan periods. The changes align age provisions with the state's standard for unattended children at age 12, according to her report.
Other age-related policies were tabled until the commission's next meeting.
Franco also proposed eliminating the library's Internet Permission Form and replacing it with a broader Internet Use Policy. She said the library's E-Rate consultant advised her that E-Rate requirements do not require a permission form as long as other requirements, including filtering software, are met. The remaining policies were not approved at the meeting.
The commission unanimously created a Strategic Planning Working Group consisting of Franco and representatives from the Library Commission, Friends of Ledyard Library, Adult Services, Youth Services and Circulation. The plan calls for participation by employees at different professional levels, including a library associate, with appointments to be made by Franco.
The planning process is expected to include working sessions with the commission, Friends group and library employees, along with community conversations, surveys and interviews.
The commission also voted 7-0 to approve the Investment Working Group's recommendation concerning the investment fund to be used for a bequest from Nancy Avery.
Franco reported that the library had canceled its JobNow service after reviewing usage and learning that the Connecticut State Library was providing a comparable service at no cost to libraries. The state subsequently announced cancellation of its service after the group-buy period through the Connecticut Library Consortium had closed. Franco said JobNow had served 26 people during the previous year and that staff would assist patrons directly and refer them to local agencies.
The library is also reviewing its newspaper subscriptions. Franco reported that The Day continues to have consistent use and that the library plans to maintain the subscription. USA Today and The Wall Street Journal had price increases beyond what had been budgeted, she said. Patrons are being asked to record their use of those newspapers to help the library evaluate the subscriptions. No decision had been made on either publication.
Franco reported that the LION consortium's contracted delivery service has been irregular. Incoming materials from other libraries fell 10 percent from FY25 to FY26, while outgoing materials increased 1 percent, according to her report. LION is also developing a new fee structure expected to affect the library's FY28 budget.
Staffing changes are also underway. Franco reported that library associate schedules were redesigned to provide a minimum of 10 hours per week, with the new schedules beginning Oct. 5. The library was also recruiting another library associate and planned to select a new Sunday supervisor after an employee stepped down from that supervisory role while remaining a library technician.
The commission unanimously accepted with regret the resignations of Hightower, Diette and longtime commissioner Grenger and welcomed Finegan to the commission.
Members also decided there was no need to amend the commission's bylaws regarding the secretary's role. Officer elections are scheduled for October.
The commission approved its June 15 meeting minutes 7-0 and adjourned at 8:48 p.m.
The meeting was held at Bill Library, 718 Colonel Ledyard Highway.
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