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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 02.13.20241 MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL 02/13/2024 06:02 PM Laurel Public Library COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: X Katie Fjelstad – via Zoom X Arthur Vogele, Board Chair X Kate Manley X Lela Schlitz – via Zoom X Nancy Schmidt, Secretary X Mary Nelson X Clair Killebrew – Foundation Liaison OTHERS PRESENT: None 1. Public Input Citizens may address the committee regarding any item of city business not on the agenda. The duration for an individual speaking under Public Comment is limited to three minutes. While all comments are welcome, the committee will not take action on any item not on the agenda. a. Addressing the Board – None 2. General Items a. The minutes for January 2024 were presented for approval. Arthur motioned the minutes be approved as presented, Lela seconded the motion. Motion passed. b. Correspondence – the following were received this month: a $25 donation from Ray Wells, $113 from the bunco groups, and $200 from Colleen Tipp. c. Circulation Report – (compared to the same time period as last year) Traffic: up 3.4%; circulation: all items circulated totaled 4,381 (including 802 eBooks), book circulation was down 1.3%, media circulation was up 2.5%, eBook checkouts for this month was 20% of total book circulation, we circulated 973 items to partners and 268 items from other libraries; computers: internet use was down 19.3%, children’s use was up 12.5%, wi-fi use up 5.9%; patron cards: city patrons make up 59.2% of registered users, county is 28.3% and state/out of county has 11.4% of our registered patrons. There were 36 tech assists in January. 3. New Business a. Nancy shared with the board members the information she acquired during her meeting with the city clerk/treasurer and city attorney about pursuing a mill levy. The discussion among board members concerned the needs of making sure the library is funded adequately in the future. Board members discussed the intent of the mill levy, how many mills we should ask to have levied, what is the thought for future needs, and the desire to open the library six days per week (increasing hours) which would require one part-time employee to become a full-time employee. They also discussed the cost increases for supplies, wages, and utilities. There is a number of items that will be needed to addressed as the mill levy progresses. The board members stated that they are 100% behind pursuing the mill levy. There will be many questions that may arise before the election. 4. Old Business 2 a. Library staff are still trying to use up their vacation and personal time overages. Due to the limited number of hours some staff members can work, we are having difficulty getting the extra hours used. It was suggested that we use volunteers to help with the temporary staffing shortages during vacation/sick leave. This is possible but only for no more than 10% of staff time needed (as per state library standards). 5. Other Items a. Upcoming Items: 1. The trustee training provided by the federation is scheduled for May 14 th in Billings. There is no charge for anyone to attend. It is the MSU Local Government Center providing the training for all trustees that want to get their 3 hours of certification. The next federation meeting is Saturday, April 6th in Billings. It is scheduled 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. 2. Board concerns – how much is in the Foundation for new shelves; the license plates are available for purchase and they are listed on the DMV website but you may have to ask for them directly; board terms – will talk about next time. 6. Announcements a. The next regular meeting is March 12th, 2024 at 6:00 pm in the library community room. A Zoom link will be added to the next agenda. Arthur motioned that the meeting be adjourned, Kate seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 7:22 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nancy L Schmidt Nancy L Schmidt Library Director Secretary for the Board NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of listed agenda items.