Library board gives update on work with new IT company

A month after selecting AVC Technology for its new IT needs and services, the Putnam County Public Library gave an update on how the transition is coming along at its October board meeting.

Library Director Matt McClelland updated the board as AVC came in to do a beginning assessment.

“Things have gone very well overall and it’s been a real seamless transition,” he said. “They’ve came in and installed and tested all of the software needed for the 16 computers. I will say that we’re nowhere near done. They’re still evaluating some things and will present us with things that they recommend, things that still need replaced. One thing they did notice and is a big ticket item moving forward will be that our main server is in bad shape. It’s 10 years old and is well beyond the lifespan that one should typically last. That will be a big expense.”

“They were really impressed with what we had and there weren’t any major issues they saw besides the server. Arlene (Tincher) did a great job of walking them through things and had binders with everything AVC needed. They also did note that it’s usually not like this. Arlene did everything she could to make this transition as smooth as possible.”

Another issue that was brought before the board by McClelland was that PCPL’s five-year with RICOH copiers is coming to an end in December. McClelland spoke to the board on his recommendation to renew their contract with RICOH for a variety of different reasons.

“We’ve been very satisfied with RICOH and want to lean into that brand,” he said. “This new agreement came in as cheaper than our previous five-year agreement which really was surprising to me. These machines are really comparable to the ones we have now. I’m hoping we can move forward at this meeting and let them know we’re choosing them to make the transition seamless.”

The board ended up unanimously approving the renewal of the RICOH contract.

Some other topics of note that were brought up by McClellan included that PCPL will be getting new water fountains that are long overdue to be replaced. The fountains will have a dispenser for water bottles as well. The PCPL board also approved the hired a part-time archive assistant in Scott Withrow.

In other business the board

• Approved the minutes from the September board meeting.

• Approved claims and checks.

• Approve the authorization for Matt McClellan and Jane Hazelton to meet with Ice Miller LLP.

The next meeting of the library board is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The meeting is one week earlier than normal due to the Thanksgiving holiday.