Katie Schneider, Glenwood City Library Director informed the City Council at their regular monthly meeting Monday night, August 17th that state funding for 2022 will cut the library’s budget.
She gave the council a list of items that will help with the reduced income, including closing the library on Saturdays from Labor Day to Memorial Day, making staff cuts and have the director run the library with the help of volunteers. Her report stated that 2022 is going to be a difficult year for libraries.
Schneider stressed to the council that they will need volunteers to continue to operate the local library. But, there has been an increase of people from Dunn County using library services.
She also stated that the library has seen a drop in checkouts from over 2,000 down to 500. She also informed the council that the local library had received a grant from Hiawatha National Bank in the amount of $5,000 and a huge nice desk for the new building.
In other items Schneider informed the council about the basement cleanup with the adding of more decorations, “making it more inviting because we have had patrons book the basement for meetings, zoom calls, etc.”
She also reported that the Book Club now meets at the Apple Orchard Barn, because of more space, calling it “Books and Barn.” The fall painting class will also be held at the Apple Orchard.
In a related matter, the council approved a resolution for exemption from the St. Croix County library tax. If the city did not finance the local library, the library tax on the local property would be $21,476, but because the city supports the library, the city is exempted from that tax. The current city support to the library is $32,000.
