Six months into her new job, Cathy Ching still feels she's at the start of the learning curve. Ching took over as Director of Library Services for South Central Regional Library and says because SCRL consists of four branches across the region, she has to look further than the building she is in.

"We try and keep the basic principles across the four branches the same but every branch is different - Winker is such a large branch and Miami is such a small branch - and how do we deal with making sure that everybody gets their share of the funding and can purchase what they want according to their budget. What works for one doesn't work for all."

As for what she'd like to accomplish in 2017, Ching hopes to rectify one issue affecting all four branches.

"We love to have authors and speakers come in, and people have asked for it, but it's hard to get people to come out." She explains that people say they are excited about the guests but when the time comes, the attendance is quite disappointing. "We've had times where we've filled the seats with staff." Ching wonders then if the branches are bringing in the people that interest patrons and hopes to find the right mix.

Also in 2017, Ching hopes the branches can engage people who think the library doesn't have anything to offer them.

"They might not be big readers (and) we need to find those people and show them that there are other things to do."

Meantime, all four branches will be operating more efficiently this year.

Ching explains that a review of similar jobs in the area revealed staff salaries at SCRL were a bit lower in comparison, therefore some salary increases have been offset by a decrease in hours - a move she says has worked out well. Every location will now close at 4 p.m. on Saturday year-round instead of exclusively in the summer and Ching says to stay open for that extra hour-and-a-half until 5:30 p.m. just isn't worth it.

"We're finding at about three-thirty/quarter-to-four the only people in the building were the staff because people have already done their (weekend) errands and gone home."