Letter to the Editor:
My name is Maddie, and I am the Director at the Lake Region Public Library. Since 2022, I have dreamt of adding a full-time Children’s Librarian position to our small but mighty team. A full-time Children’s Librarian will not only increase our program offerings, book selection, and connections with youth, but will also help to engage older children and teenagers who historically have little to no interest in the public library. The Library Board and I have worked diligently for the past several years laying the groundwork for a full-time Children’s Librarian, and we have created a strategic plan that focuses on strengthening the library through community connections, identifying infrastructure and technology updates to keep the library relevant for young people and adults, and how to better engage with the youth of the Lake Region.
The Library is proud of our programs and the literacy initiatives we provide for the children of the Lake Region. For two decades, our part-time Children’s Librarian LaVae Haaland has led the children’s library by fostering a love for reading, learning, and community in the children of our region. Imagine if she had been a full-time employee, able to dedicate more of her time and energy into fostering the next generation of literate and community-minded citizens.
When it came time to budget for 2024, the Library Board and I agreed to take the next big step by committing to add a full-time Children’s Librarian position. However, the building’s HVAC system began to fail on a consistent basis and needed replacing. We amended our budget to plan for this large-scale replacement (over $55,000 altogether) and delayed the full-time job as a result. This summer, when budgeting for 2025, the Board and I again developed a strategy to add a full-time Children’s Librarian. Our plan did not require any additional mills; in fact, the Library’s mill ask from the City of Devils Lake was reduced from 6 mills in 2024 to 5.66 in 2025.
In case you were unaware, public libraries in North Dakota are almost exclusively funded by mills levied on their behalf. A mill is one-thousandth of something, so for our purposes it is the equivalent of one-thousandth of land parcels’ value. For the Lake Region Public Library, nearly 90% of our operating budget comes from these mills. For approximately $18.00 tax dollars per year the Library is able to provide the books, programs, computers, internet, and dozens of other services you’ve come to expect from the Lake Region Public Library. North Dakota law says that our public library may receive up to 4 mills from Ramsey County and up to 6 from the City of Devils Lake. For 2025, the Lake Region Public Library requested 4 county mills and 5.66 city mills to make a full-time Children’s Librarian position possible.
Because the Library’s 2025 budget included a reduction in mills requested from the City of Devils Lake, the Library Board and I felt confident about our plan. It was well thought out, based on firm data, and took into account several worst-case scenarios. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, the City Commission disagreed.
The Devils Lake City Administrator, without warning or notice to the Library Board, the public, or myself, recommended to the City Commission to reduce the mills requested on behalf of the Lake Region Public Library during the preliminary budget approval meeting. That reduction was passed unanimously without discussion or comment as part of the City’s preliminary budget on Monday, August 5th.
I’d like to highlight some of the data we gathered from the past 18 months which was presented to support our budget request. Library visits, circulation, and all other conceivable metrics have been steadily increasing, many of which can be attributed to a staff member filling in as the Children’s Librarian when LaVae was restricted from working more than 3.5 days per week. Because of our amazing staff going above and beyond her circulation duty, the Library was able to offer Preschool Storytime just once per week as opposed to the twice-weekly program offered during the school year that has historically paused over the summer. Between this regular program and a number of special programs spearheaded by this staff member, NOT the official Children’s Librarian, attendance at youth and all-ages programs in 2024 alone have increased by 10%. By the end of July in 2024, we have already offered nearly the equivalent of all youth programs that were offered in 2023.
Despite all of these positive indications of what can be accomplished with a full-time Children’s Librarian, half of a mill was cut from the Lake Region Public Library’s budget, and will more than likely not be reallocated to the Library from the City of Devils Lake in this budget cycle. However, the Library Board and I are committed to not just staying the course; instead, we want to grow and improve the Library to meet the needs of our citizens. Therefore, we will be moving forward with opening a full-time Children’s Librarian position beginning in January of 2025.
If you would like to learn more please stop by the library and chat with me, or reach out to a board member for more details. If you would like to learn more about the City Commission’s decision to reduce the Library’s budget or publicly comment on the matter, please attend or tune into the City Commission meeting on Monday, September 16th at 5:30 pm at the City Offices.
I am extremely passionate about this particular subject because as a citizen of this community, a mother, and an advocate for youth, I believe this position will do nothing but benefit the Lake Region. The sheer number of free programs offered to youth through the Lake Region Public Library meets or exceeds any other community organization, and they typically have a literacy component to them, encouraging higher test scores and overall comprehension. Young readers become better informed and literate adults who are therefore better equipped to contribute to their communities. That investment in our youth for a better tomorrow is what we want out of this position. That is why we will be moving forward with a full-time Children’s Librarian.
Editor’s note: This letter originally ran in the DLJ on Thursday, August 15. It is reprinted today in anticipation of the City Commission meeting Monday, Sep. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Offices.
