Question: Please provide a breakdown of the share to state aid to fund a library outreach position and what would be the cost to the City. Please include costs for the vehicle as well as information on state funding and the cost sharing offered by the Friends of Libraries. (Councilwoman Alyia Gaskins)
Response:
The state aid increase anticipated for FY 2025 could fund one full-time Library Assistant II position for community outreach at $58,212 with no cost to the City. A second part-time (0.5 FTE) Library Assistant I requested by the Library would cost the General Fund $24,484. A vehicle for the program was purchased previously with FY19 CIP funds. At current staffing levels, the Library is constrained to an ad hoc approach to offsite outreach activities and limited usage of the newly acquired vehicle mentioned below.
The Alexandria Library Foundation and Friends of the Beatley Library partnered with the City and the Library to fund outfitting of the interior and to brand the exterior of the vehicle ($36,250). That project is underway with expected completion by the end of May. Another $10,000 of the one-time funding received by the Library in the FY24 budget for expansion of EDI materials was designated to creation of a dedicated outreach collection to be housed with the new outreach vehicle.
While the Library’s Five-Year Plan calls for comprehensive outreach to the community in order to increase visibility and to promote services that support equitable access to information and knowledge, this also supports the City Council’s priority of Community Connection. A dedicated outreach team would enable the Library to attend more school events and community gatherings, visit nursing homes and senior centers, and leverage its nonprofit partners to better serve youth and immigrant communities who are less likely to travel to Library facilities to use its onsite resources.