SWAMPSCOTT — Unexpected increases in digital streaming costs pushed the Swampscott Public Library about $2,500 over its materials budget this fiscal year, prompting Library Director Jonathan Nichols to draw on state aid funds to close out the budget.

“We went over budget on our material line by about $2.5k,” Nichols told the Board of Library Trustees on Monday. “That was largely due to the unforeseen cost of the streaming services increasing. That happened pretty much halfway through the year, so my budget was a little off there.”

Nichols said budgeting for those services can be challenging, because a typical annual subscription would straddle two different fiscal years. Instead, the library must pay on a month-to-month basis, losing out on annual savings and making its budget vulnerable to rate increases. 

“They can bump up the cost at any point in the year,” Trustee Johannah Morgen said. 

To cover the overage, Nichols said the library tapped into unused state aid funds, which he told trustees at a previous meeting he had been hesitant to use in case of an emergency, particularly while the library awaits decisions on state funding for the next fiscal year. 

The discussion led trustees to revisit a pair of $2,000 donations made through the Bithell Trust. The conversation began after board Chair Neal DeChillo said he had been contacted because a representative from the trust had not yet received an acknowledgment letter for the donations. 

DeChillo and Nichols said the message had prompted a discussion about whether the donations had been reflected in the library’s financial records. Nichols said he had not been able to see the donations — totaling $4,000 — in the budget, and noted that if the money had been available, he likely would not have needed to draw on state aid. 

“There would have been money; you would not have needed to use state aid, which could still be used for something else,” Trustee Debbie Friedlander said. “This is bizarre.” 

Following the meeting, Swampscott Finance Director Patrick Luddy said the donations had been properly received and credited to the library. 

“I can confirm donor funds were received and credited to the library,” Luddy said in an email. “My office was asked to verify receipt of these funds recently, but we needed more information than what was provided to do so. Upon receipt of additional information requested we were able to verify everything was received and in order.”

Trustees also discussed a potential $850,000 in state funding for future capital improvements at the library — though Nichols was careful to note that no official funding commitments had been made. 

If approved, Nichols said the funding could be used to build a long-awaited entrance to the library’s children’s room, with additional funding being used toward a rear entrance — though Nichols said that a rear entrance would be a bigger project that would require significantly more money and work. 

“We know it’s not going to be enough to do all the work,” Nichols said. “I’m still holding my breath. I’ve learned not to count my chickens before they hatch, but I’m very, very optimistic that we’ll get some of the money.” 

Nichols also updated trustees on several ongoing projects, including the expansion of the library’s makerspace. The library recently added three additional 3D printers — one purchased by the library and two donated by patrons upgrading their own equipment — allowing more users to take advantage of the increasingly popular service.