HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 07.09.20241
MINUTES
CITY OF LAUREL
07/09/2024 06:02 PM
Laurel Public Library
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Katie Fjelstad X Arthur Vogele, Board Chair
X Kate Manley Vacant seat
X Nancy Schmidt, Secretary X Mary Nelson – via Zoom
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 May and June 2024 were presented for approval. Arthur motioned the
minutes be approved as presented, Mary seconded the motion. Motion passed.
b. Correspondence – None
c. Circulation Report – (compared to the same time period as last year) Traffic: down 47.2%;
circulation: all items circulated totaled 5,240 (including 624 eBooks), book circulation
was up 10.1%, media circulation was up 8.2%, eBook checkouts for this month was
12.9% of total book circulation, we circulated 865 items to partners and 397 items from
other libraries; computers: internet use was down 53.4%, children’s use was even, wi-fi
use down 53.6%; patron cards: not available at this time. There were 34 tech assists in
June.
3. Old Business
a. The budget has been submitted to Mayor Waggoner and the Clerk/Treasurer. There
haven’t been any questions directed to me about our budget requests. If there are any
concerns, Nancy will let you know. We are hoping that the budget will be
passed/approved through the council by the end of August. Kate suggested that the
library think about having a Book Fair at Barnes & Noble to help with the expense of
purchasing books for the library.
b. The paperwork has been submitted and signed for the soffit and fascia. The city is
handling all of the information for the grant. Hopefully, we will have this work
completed in September or October at the latest.
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c. The Book Buzz Summer Reading Program seems to be very successful this year. There
have been 365 attendees through the month of June. This compares 192 attendees last
June. We have one more month of programming which will feature Drange Apiaries,
Billings Symphony Quartet Musical Storytime, and library staff doing programming for
the last Buzz Day.
d. Nancy hasn’t been officially released for full-time work until she sees her surgeon on
July 24th. Until then, she will likely be working some part-time days as the pain dictates
her mobility.
4. New Business
a. The mayor has received an email from Paige Farmer stating that she would like to be a
trustee for the Laurel Public Library. Next year Elysia Vasser may be interested in a
position on the board starting in July 2025. Nancy stated that she would like to take Lela
out to lunch as a thank you for all her time spent working with the library board. Nancy
will send her an email to determine when she and her husband are available for lunch.
She will contact everyone once there is a date and time set for lunch.
b. Nancy and Lela had corresponded about the disaster preparedness and impact policy.
Lela’s husband, Harry, has been involved in creating these programs in the past and
would like to help us with this policy and the steps involved in implementing them . Once
there is more information, it will be shared with the rest of the board members.
c. Some of you may have noticed that a couple library staff members have been absent for
quite a while. Nancy was out for her knee surgery but was allowed to come back to
work July 6th. Stacie has been out for medical reasons as well but we are having some
issues getting FMLA implemented with her doctor’s signature. We will keep trying to get
the proper signatures so we are following the union rules as well as federal
requirements. Once she is back, everyone will be informed. Kate suggested that Stacie
may be eligible for a health advocate or EAP through work. We will help her look into
this information.
5. Other Items
a. Upcoming Items: No board concerns at this time.
b. Michelle Kanta, teacher from Graff Elementary, has been working at the library this
summer to complete her library endorsement practicum. She needs 60 hours for the
summer to complete her requirements. This has been and will continue to be an
enormous help with staffing issues through June and July.
c. Board elections will take place in August when we have a full board of trustees from
which to choose.
d. Kate asked about meetings that may be taking place in September. The only meeting of
note is the Federation meeting on Saturday, September 28th in Roundup. Regional
meetings for the federation will be scheduled as needed.
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6. Announcements
a. The next regular meeting is August 13, 2024 at 6:00 pm in the library community room.
A Zoom link will be added to the next agenda.
Meeting adjourned at 6:50 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.
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