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Library Manager’s Report August 2026
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Youth Services Refresh. The timeline for this project has changed due to lead time for a few of the larger pieces of furniture and fixtures. Work is now planned to take place in November. So far, staff has chosen new carpet, paint colors, and furnishings. Two murals will be created for the space - one for the back wall featuring DPL’s Ready Five characters, and another behind the staircase to recognize donors. City of Duluth Property and Facility Maintenance staff will cover the cost of carpet and paint, and will contract out to get this work completed. The Youth Services area is expected to close for about a month while the work takes place and new furnishings are installed.
ALS MN Discovery Center Passes. The Arrowhead Library System is making passes to the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm available to its member libraries for checkout. In addition to a museum, the Discovery Center also offers mini golf and trolley rides. DPL will receive six passes. The passes, which admit two adults and up to eight children, will check out for one week and can be used once per checkout. They will be available for checkout at any DPL location while supplies last, similar to other community passes. The new passes will go live in early August.
Outdoor Event Guidelines. This spring as we began to prepare for the summer months, which bring more outdoor events, staff developed guidelines around when to consider cancelling or modifying outdoor programs due to weather or air quality. The guidelines are similar to those used by Parks and Recreation staff. If a program cannot be held outdoors due to poor conditions, it will be moved indoors if possible. If a program needs to be cancelled or significantly modified, staff will notify the public via the library’s website and social media.
City Board and Commission Materials. The City of Duluth is requiring all of its boards and commissions to use the Legistar software platform to create meeting packets and archive minutes. Legistar is the same platform used for City Council meetings. This change means that Library Board packets and minutes will no longer be available on the DPL website. Instead, they will be accessible via the City’s Legislative Information Center at <https://duluth-mn.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx>. I will continue to create the packet as a pdf and email it to Library Board members as a convenience.
Staffing Update. All positions at the library are currently filled.