The “Acting” part was removed from Summer Beck-Griffith’s title as Director of Lincoln Library following a 9 – 0 affirmative vote at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
Among the new director’s top priorities?
“A push to get all of our public-facing computers replaced with new computers. That includes our lab, teen area, children’s area, and the classroom.” Beck-Griffith says she aims to see that happen this year.
While she says the library is open and welcoming to all, regardless of socio-economic status, there are things for which libraries are unintended.
“Frankly, using the library for illegal purposes or using the library for things you should not be doing anywhere. We know that there are holes in services, and I will say time and time again a library cannot solve a homelessness crisis, a library cannot solve a methamphetamine crisis, a library cannot solve an affordable housing crisis. It’s not the library’s job to do that. It’s a community’s job to do that. The library bears the burden of that, but it’s not the library’s job to solve it.”
In other council news, Doug Brown, Chief Utility Engineer at CWLP, made a presentation on “Reliability and Resiliency,” some aspects of which will be funded by ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) money. Initiatives include a Large Pilot Carbon Capture Plan, a new dispatch / ISD data center, EV charging stations, water resource projects and smart city infrastructure.
Also, an ordinance approving aldermanic districts pursuant to the 2020 Census was sent back to committee for future review.