MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Public Library System Director Sarah Palfrey said the system distributed more than 1,800 new library cards last year and put on hundreds of programs despite growing concerns over space and adequate bandwidth.
She said a streamlining of the library card application process is behind the jump in card-carrying members. A typical year sees between 1,100 and 1,200 new cards distributed, she said, noting the process should become even simpler in the coming weeks when the library’s new website — mympls.org — comes on line.
Palfrey said the library’s biggest draw is the wide-ranging slate of programs it puts on, including 388 children’s programs that drew more than 13,000 attendees in the last year. Along with 111 adult programs, the library recently added teen-specific programming.
“What we do best and what we’re known for far and wide is our programming, which I love,” she told members of city council. “This is the most fun part of working in a library, by far.”
Less fun, Palfrey said, is the lack of space in the main Morgantown branch and the constant shuffling of items in order to best utilize the available room.
Additionally, the library isn’t anywhere near receiving the amount of bandwidth it needs for the amount of activity taking place.
Palfrey said the library is on a state-wide network, which comes with conveniences, but isn’t meeting the library’s needs.
“We’re very limited in the types of programs we can offer because we can’t do anything that requires streaming,” she said. “We’re working with the state and we have a deadline that if it can’t be addressed then we’ll move off the state network, but then what is now free to us will become a significant cost.”
Lastly, she said the library’s staff goes beyond what’s asked to provide the best experience for patrons and she would like to be able to pay them what they deserve.
“About half of our employees make minimum wage or just above, which is not acceptable to me for what we ask them to do,” she said.
The library system is comprised of seven facilities. Along with the main Morgantown Public Library, the neighboring Aull Center is part of the system, as is the Cheat Lake, Clay-Battelle, Star City and Arnettsville libraries.
The system’s 2019 operating budget is $1,854103, of which $777,718 was provided by the City of Morgantown; $490,009 came by way of West Virginia Library Commission grants and $482,706 came through a five-year grant passed by county voters in 2016.
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