The Library Board met last Thursday. I’ve highlighted some of what was discussed below.
- Revision to the Conduct In the Library Policy discussed at the most recent staff meeting was approved. More information regarding an effective date forthcoming.
- The openings to the staff area behind the checkout desk mean there is no way to completely block the staff area from the public area in the event of a physical threat or some other emergency. We received a quote last April for installing doors between the checkout desk and the staff area. The board gave the go-ahead on the project. The doors will be held open with magnetic latches. Staff will be able to close both doors with a push of one of the buttons that will be installed inside each entry. Work will begin sometime this fall or early winter.
- Walsh door recently serviced the Commons exit doors. The mechanism between the push-bar and the latch at the bottom tends to get dirty and cause the doors to stick open. Walsh did some adjustments and lubrication and things seems to be working well.
- We received another notice from Century Link, the Internet service provider for our public Internet, that our network was being used for illegal downloads and our service may be discontinued if further violations occur. In response, we’ve limited BitTorrent traffic to 250kbps. We’ll place signs on tables and in the PC carrels that summarize copyright law and that also say that we’ll work with (i.e. Remove bandwidth caps for) those with a legitimate use for BitTorrent.
- We recently received three 4G hotspots from Mobile Beacon, a nonprofit whose mission is to help others provide internet access. The hotspots cost $10 each. Each hotspot requires an annual contract that includes unlimited monthly data for $120 annually. We will soon begin checking out the hotspots from our Learning Tools collection to allow those without internet access at home or on the road to stay connected.