Director Ryan told the Town of Southborough Library Trustees on Nov. 17 that the library is behind on its book budget because of delivery delays from its vendors and that staff are taking steps to speed turnaround on new titles.

"We're a little behind in spending on the book budget," Ryan said, explaining the library will join Ingram Express to improve delivery times on new and popular titles. He said the library's regular account receives a 44% discount on new books while Ingram Express offers about 40%, a trade-off Ryan called "a step in the right direction" because Express speeds deliveries.

Ryan also warned trustees that Baker & Taylor is closing and that Ingram will become the dominant supplier. To refresh graphic-novel stock in the short term, he said the library has used Baker & Taylor's final-chapter sale and other remaining vendor options.

On facilities and IT, Ryan told trustees the EV charging station on library property is not yet operational and that staff are replacing a public computer after a failed power supply. He said the library's technicians are coordinating with CW Mars and the vendor that manages Deep Freeze software to restore and configure public terminals.

The director said the library would likely buy a smaller transport chair to improve accessibility and save storage space. He said the cost is expected to be modest and that he will finance it from the library budget where possible or from state aid if needed. "If it does go over a thousand for DPW, I'll come back," Ryan said while noting current estimates discussed in the meeting were below thresholds that require formal trustee votes.

Other operational items cited: the asphalt pathway removal was completed on Halloween and will be seeded in spring, and the board agreed to keep a late-winter stake/tape marking until snow covers the site. Trustees also reviewed timing quirks in subscription and database invoices that create front-loaded spending spikes; Ryan said those charges generally normalize over the fiscal year.

Trustees asked Ryan to gather cost data on professional development and program budgets for next year, and he said he would return with specific figures during budget planning.

What happens next: Ryan will proceed with procurement where costs fall below formal-vote thresholds, provide a final price on the transport chair and report back on professional-development requests ahead of the next budget cycle.