Cumberland Dispatch

Lisa McKenney, the new executive director of the Allegany Public Library System is not wasting time in helping provide programming to bolster the outlook of the libraries she oversees, with an imminent ambassador program, and end-of-year fund drive that has already gained $2100 in donations.

The new Library Ambassadors Program will have its first meeting at the LaVale branch, Wednesday December 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. Any interested public are invited to attend to learn about how they might help the library enhance both its outreach and fundraising capability, even for those who have limited time and resources.

“We are going to provide an overview,” McKenney said. “We have a presentation that we are going to give that describes, from the advocacy side of things and the fundraising side of things, what we’re thinking. It’s a kick-off meeting. We’re hoping that people will see that their level of participation is up to them. We would have a way to help the library that would fit anyone’s schedule.

“They can definitely come with questions, but we’re hoping we can provide a lot of basic information as we try to create this new Library Ambassadors Program.”

The program seeks to help alleviate  challenges Allegany Public Library is facing from multiple directions. Although the library system has a budget robust enough to meet operational and staffing needs, two trends have made budgeting difficult, according to the executive director. That is the declining area population, as well as some aging facility infrastructure.

“Budget continues to be a struggle, which is why we’re creating the Library Ambassadors Program, to try to create new revenue streams for the library to operate,” McKenney said.

According to the U.S. Census, Allegany County, Maryland has a total population that has decreased by about 10 percent since 2010. The state allocates some funding for public libraries relative to the population that a library system reaches. So funding has diminished via that calculation.

But on the bright side, McKenney said, per-person library funding by the state has increased over the years. And the Allegany Library is also exploring grant-writing opportunities, as it seeks to become more robust.

Another big need will be for the system to meet the needs of its physical infrastructure. The George’s Creek Branch roof is turning 25 years old. The HVAC systems at a third of the system’s branches are turning 20 years old.

The need is significant, but the new executive director is upbeat. The library has already reached about a third of its end-of-year fundraising goal in raising $2100. And there is still most of a month to go yet.

They set the full goal at $6,500, recognizing the 65th year of the Allegany Public Library System. Once raised, the money will go toward expanding programming, and technology access as well going toward creative programming.

That includes anything from fixing a deteriorating employee entrance door at one branch, to funding department program initiatives and more. When McKenney took her position as head of the library, she said she took time to talk with staff from each department of every branch to find what the needs of patrons and staff were.

What came out of it, is a working document that helps inform the budget and the journey she is taking as the library’s lead. The end-of-season campaign is her first in her new position, although she has been a library staffer for 31 years.

She remains positive both about her new job, and the new initiatives.

“We’re a small but mighty staff,” she said. “We’re doing wonderful things.It’s going well I think. There’s a lot of work, but I’m feeling excited to be in the position. We’re very much in the early stages of all of this but I feel good that we’re making good progress towards these new avenues of support.”