Pound Ridge Library adds hours to Thursdays, end fines

By NEAL RENTZ

The Pound Ridge Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously Nov.19 to extend its operating hours one night a week.

Starting in January, the library will change its hours on Thursdays from the current 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., to 8 p.m.

Library Director Jennifer Coulter said she has worked out an arrangement with library employees regarding their hours to make the extended Thursday workable. 

“I’m really excited about the idea of offering evening programs,” Coulter said. 

Ending fines

Also at the meeting, the board voted unanimously to end fines for patrons who have not returned materials on time.

Coulter said 24 out of 38 libraries in the Westchester Library System do not have fines, “reflecting a growing national trend.” Ending fines would promote “equitable access” to the library, she said. Loyalty to the library would be encouraged because patrons would not have to be concerned with increasing fines, she said. 

Studies have indicated that libraries that do not charge fines have patrons who more often return materials on time, Coulter said.

Coulter said even with no fines, if a book is past due for 30 days it would be considered lost and the person who took it out would be responsible for the entire cost of it. The patron would no longer be able to take out books until the cost of the overdue book was paid, she said. 

Board President Valerie Nelson said the library’s website should be updated to include the new fine free policy.

New library cards

Also at the meeting, Coulter introduced a plan for newly designed library cards for both youths and adults. 

“This is something I’m really jazzed about,” Coulter told the trustees. The new library cards would be part of the library’s commitment to connect with residents, she said.

The current library cards come in only one style with a logo of a gable roof at the top of the building. 

Coulter provided several library card suggestions to the trustees. For adults, the cards could feature flora or fauna, a literary theme, such as crime literature similar to film noir; and arts and culture, which could feature musical instruments and masks, she said. 

Coulter suggested that younger and older youths could get their own design cards. For younger children, “We could do something with dragons” or artwork that would resemble graphic novels for young children, she said. 

For older youths, the card illustrations could be ”a little more edgy,” such as illustrations related to artificial intelligence, Coulter said. 

The library could offer a variety of three or four cards for adults and up to six cards for youths, Coulter said. The cost of the new library cards would be a little less than $1,500, she said. 

“Everyone loves choices,” Coulter said. “They would really bond with it and therefore, bond with the library.”

Coulter suggested that the library poll residents about which designs they would want on the library cards. Coulter added that she took an informal poll of library patrons about offering various styles of library cards and the idea has received “rave reviews.”

Potential survey

Coulter asked the trustees to consider providing residents with a new survey.

Aside from seeking feedback from library patrons, the library should also reach out to people not using the facility “and how we can meet their needs,” Coulter said.

Just conducting a survey is not enough, Coulter said. She doesn’t want it “to be the end of the story.” The library needs to follow up to find out from residents their ideas for the long-term future of the facility, she said.

Nelson recalled that the last time the library conducted a full survey was in 2022, and only 15 residents responded. “We did a mailing to everybody’s house,” she noted. When the library hosted a focus group only seven residents participated, Nelson said.

“I want you to be realistic about what you’re going to get from any survey,” Nelson said. If the library decides to go forward with another survey it should consider alternative ways to receive input from the public rather than a traditional survey, she said.