HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 09.13.20241
MINUTES
CITY OF LAUREL
08/13/2024 06:06 PM
Laurel Public Library
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Katie Fjelstad X Arthur Vogele
X Kate Manley – Board Chair X Paige Farmer - 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 Aug 2024 were presented for approval. Arthur motioned the minutes
be approved as presented, Mary seconded the motion. Motion passed.
b. Correspondence – $$0 from Lela in memory of Virginia Gomer; $250 from Laurel
Federated Women’s Club; resignation letter from Stacie Stocks
c. Circulation Report – (compared to the same time period as last year) Traffic: down 6.79%;
circulation: all items circulated totaled 4,841 (including 620 eBooks), book circulation
was up 6.4%, media circulation was down 7%, eBook checkouts for this month was
13.98% of total book circulation, we circulated 1,024 items to partners and 304 items
from other libraries; computers: internet use was down 29.8%, children’s use was up
11.6%, wi-fi use up 11.6%; patron cards: city patrons make up 62.7% of our registered
users, county is 26.2% and state/out of county has 11.1% of our registered users.. There
were 57 tech assists in August.
3. Old Business
a. The fall Federation meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 28 th, 2024 in
Roundup. The hours for the meeting are 9:30 am to 3:00 pm if anyone would like to
attend. It is being held at the Roundup Community Library. Lunch and refreshments will
be provided by the Friends of the Roundup Community Library.
b. After watching the wind storms that rolled across the state, it is becoming a concern
that the pine tree on the west side of the building needs some care and attention. The
branches are resting on the roof of the library and it has been noticed by library staff
that the tree itself seems to sway quite a bit in the high winds. Nancy talked with Kurt
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Markegard about having the tree trimmed and possible actions for the future. He
noticed that the roots have traveled toward the fiction wing of the library which could
pose a problem in the next 5 years or so. We will keep watching the tree for safety
reasons.
c. Nancy will be attending the MT Arbitrator & Labor Relations Conference in Butte. She
will be out of the office Tuesday, October 1st through Thursday, October 3rd. She will be
available by cell phone or email if anyone needs to contact her.
d. The fall Coordinator & MSL Commission meetings are being held in Helena, Tuesday,
October 8th and 9th. Nancy will also be attending these meetings as part of her
responsibilities for the federation coordinator. She will give a meeting report at the next
board meeting.
4. New Business
a. The annual MLA Fall Retreat is being held at Chico Hot Springs Resort again this year.
The dates are October 6th & 7th. Anyone wanting to participate needs to let Nancy know
so she can reserve a room for them and submit their registration to MLA. Attendees will
offer a report on the retreat at the next board meeting.
b. Final budget update – our budget has been finalized and accepted by the council. We
were looking at a funding shortfall but Kelly found 4 more mills to cover our budget
request for FY 24/25. We are good to go for this year and will start looking at the bud get
for next year.
c. Soffit & fascia update – the contract has been signed by the mayor. We are now waiting
on Rob from Donahue Roofing to sign the contract and decide when they are available
to complete the soffit & fascia work. Nancy will follow up with the Mayor or Kelly to see
if the contract has been signed and is ready for implementation.
5. Other Items
a. Upcoming Items: No board concerns at this time.
b. Our next book sale is scheduled for Monday, October 28th through Saturday, November
9th. We will be open for the book sale on both Fridays and during regular library hours.
6. Announcements
a. The next regular meeting is October 15th, 2024 at 6:00 pm in the library community
room. A Zoom link will be added to the next agenda.
Meeting adjourned at 6:58 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy L Schmidt
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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.