Meeting in the newly improved conference room in the Whitewater Public Library Feb. 16, the Library Board of Trustees filled their meeting time with key library issues, including broadening their selection of bilingual and Spanish books, a new addition of explorer passes and the final touches to the library’s renovation.
During the meeting, the issue of possibly needing more books of the bilingual and/or Spanish genre was brought to the attention of the board. Board member Tara McKenzie-Peotter explained how she felt the section was lacking when she checked out books for her class.
“When I looked at it, I was just very underwhelmed with the amount of books that were there and their appeal to students,” Peotter said. “I have kids that would check out graphic novels in Spanish, and there’s a couple of them, but not enough to really be enticing.”
The board discussed the possibility of moving the genre of books to make them more accessible to kids and teens, along with the idea of broadening the number of Spanish and bilingual graphic novels, as well as low-level language-learning books.
Assistant Library Director Sara French agreed with this potential new policy and also shed light on the new, fully-Spanish programs the library would be hosting.
“Two different groups that are both from the tree house organization,” French said. “Starting this month, they’re offering two different programs for families in Spanish. The programs are completely in Spanish. One is a kind of parenting class, where they’re offering childcare, a meal and the class in Spanish. The other one is about healthy babies. It’s for pregnant moms, and that’s also being offered in Spanish.”
In the end, the board decided to make this a strategic plan goal for the new year and set a goal to increase the supply of Spanish and bilingual books by 5% in 2026.
In addition to discussing the bilingual and Spanish genre books at the library, the board also spent time explaining the new explorer passes the library had purchased and what they would entail for the public.
“Explore passes are one-day passes that allow free admission to museums, parks, etc.,” board member Jennifer Motszko said. “Other libraries in the system have offered them in the past, but they are an expense for the library budget. This year, the Friends of the Whitewater Public Library group donated passes for our library.”
Since this is the library’s first year supplying the passes, it is starting out with just two types: one pass for the Milwaukee County Zoo, and one for the Mitchell Park Domes. The board also set up a plan for passes that are lost, unreturned or turned in late.
“Because the passes are new to the Whitewater Public Library, we created a policy to ensure the proper use of the items,” Motszko said. “The circulation policy was updated to reflect the replacement fines that will apply to any explore passes that are returned late or not at all.”
The board then took some time to discuss final touches to the library reconstruction. Some final business things discussed were the lamination on the front desk, fixing some plumbing issues in the family restrooms and fixing minor electrical issues, along with installing new whiteboards and lighting.
“The electrician was out today fixing lights that weren’t coming on. Turns out that was a breaker issue,” Library Director Diane Jaroch said. “So he fixed it and put a note. So if it should happen again, we know what to do.”
The next Library Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Whitewater Public Library.
