Warsaw Community Public Library will extend its hours two evenings a week starting Aug. 31.
The library board approved a motion to have the library’s hours be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The library will continue to be closed Sunday.
“I do want to report to (the library board), that after examining everything and getting a feel of where we’ve stood, that effective Aug. 31 that we move from our temporary hours of 44 to 48,” Library Director Ann Zydek said.
This will include some reductions in staff hours, Zydek said. It will move all the library’s 25-hours-a-week part-time employees to 12 hours a week. The library will also lose one 15-hour shelving clerk and two part-time custodians.
“Because of enhanced cleaning needed in response to COVID-19, the library will outsource library cleaning effective Aug. 31,” she said. When the library had 66 hours open, it came out to 21 staff members per hour.
“When we had 55 hours, guess what, we had 21 staff per hour,” she said. So she followed that same line with the 48 hours.
The library board also approved a motion to raise Zydek’s salary for 2021 by the same amount as the rest of the staff’s salary. The exact percentage was not specified during the meeting.
Board President Chris Merrill said he knows they’re going through budgeting right now “and there will be an item there for staff increases and it’s usually a percentage and we can make it whatever we want it to be. But it’s based on an informational average that comes from the state.”
Generally, that increase is 3%, Merrill said. However, that average could be lower.
It all depends on how each community is doing, Zydek said.
“So we’re sort of postponing telling (Zydek) what it’s going to be until the state tells us what it’s going to be?” Vice President Jill Beehler asked. Merrill said yes.
It is possible there would be a salary freeze for the library, which would mean her salary would be the same, Zydek said. By Thursday, the library should have a better idea.
During the library board’s August 2019 board meeting, they approved a 3% increase for Zydek’s salary, bringing it up to $107,774.05 for 2020.
Zydek also updated the board on new stop signs in Warsaw.
The State Highway Department is installing new stop lights and poles at several locations around town. They installed one on Main Street at the edge of the flower bed on the northeast side of the library’s property, she said. She said she hopes the lights don’t ruin the view of the sign and the library is happy it’s not “on top of the sign.”
The library board also approved an annual resolution to join the Public Library Internet Consortium.
Assistant Director Joni Brookins said it will help the library to qualify for better internet rates.
