Staffing at The Dalles/Wasco County Public Library has been a challenge, but summer programs will be getting under way in June and the library’s mix of virtual and in-person programing is working well, Librarian Jeff Wavrunek told the Wasco County Board of Commissioners in early June.
“It’s been a challenge to staff the library,” Wavrunek told commissioners during the district’s annual report. “Libraries throughout the state are cutting back services and hours because its hard to get staff.”
In The Dalles, staff have been out with the flu, COVID, and on vacation, he said. “It’s been a challenge keeping the front desk staffed, and keep up with the programs.”
Wavrunek said the library does have a new staff member, who has been helping fill in as needed, and has recently interviewed for a teen intern to work over the summer, funded by a $5,000 grant.
“We interviewed some really good candidates, it will be a hard decision,” he said. “We got a lot of applicants.”
The library’s summer reading program, “Read Beyond the Beaten Path,” kicked off June 14 and is open to children, teens and adults. The program offers a mix of reading, programs and activities.
The library has also been working with youth in the regional jail (NORCOR), Wavrunek told the commissioners. Teen librarians have put together a collection of popular teen books, he said. “The kids over there were extremely excited,” he said. “Calvin and Hobbs was very popular.”
In addition to books, story times and other programs, the library is now also offering virtual reality programs in the library. “It exposes them to some high technology,” Wavrunek said, and includes educational and some entertainment things. The library also worked with the high school baseball team on some virtual technology.
The library district has requested quotes for a new bookmobile outreach van.
Some of the changes made in response to the pandemic have opened new doors for people, Wavrunek noted.
“All of our book clubs are hybrid now, you can attend virtually or in person, and we just started a movie book club as well. That seems the way to go right now, as COVID seems to be re-surging and people are putting on their masks again,” he explained.
And it hasn’t just been helpful when infections were high. “In the winter time, virtual has worked very well, with all the additional weather issues.”
Story times and other programs, held in-person and hybrid both, have drawn in a lot of new faces, he said. “Story time is doing very well, we see a lot of new faces, people from The Dalles and also from throughout the Gorge.
“We are hoping everyone gets well soon, and we will be fully staffed and things will get a little less stressful,” Wavrunek said.
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