Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 02.11.2025 MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL 02/11/2025 06:07 PM Laurel Public Library COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: X Katie Fielstad X Arthur Vogele - online X Kate Manley—Board Chair Paige Farmer X Nancy Schmidt, Secretary X Mary Nelson 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 2025 were presented for approval. Katie motioned the minutes be approved, Kate seconded the motion. Motion passed. b. Correspondence— We've received a $120 donation from our Tuesday sewing group, $25 donation from Kathryn Carmin and a $60 donation from the V Tuesday bunco group. c. Circulation Report—(compared to the same time period as last year) Traffic: up 12.1%; circulation: all items circulated totaled 5,167 (including 709 eBooks), book circulation was up 14.5%, media circulation was up 51.6%, eBook checkouts for this month was 15.5% of total book circulation, we circulated 1,089 items to partners and 252 items from other libraries; computers: internet use was up 27.4%, children's use was up 200%, wi-fi use down 56.2%; patron cards: city patrons make up 62.2% of our registered users, county is 28.9% and state/out of county has 8.86% of our registered users. There were 57 tech assists in January. 3. Old Business a. The Collection Management Policy was reviewed briefly. We need to make a couple of small changes to the final document before it is sent out to board members to vote on. The final draft of the collection management will be sent out for the next meeting along with the next policy we are looking at updating. b. The soffit and fascia are completed. The board members are pretty happy with the way the brushed copper looks with the cedar shakes. When the library reaches a point that we have funding to add on to the library we will have to think about how the soffit and fascia my need to be changed since the thin cedar shakes are no longer available. 4. New Business a. The board members were sent a fresh link the MSL Learn YouTube video Let's Talk About It! Library Safetv and Securitv. It was quite a bit longer than the last two videos sent for viewing but well worth the information included in them. It was recommended that it be view in 15- 1 minute segments. We will discuss each video at the next meeting. Katie stated that it was formatted like a round-table discussion. She felt the best part was the talk about security cameras in the library. One thing that Katie suggested was the use of signage that states (like in hospitals or doctor offices)that 'a, b, c' behavior will not be allowed in the library. b. We once again have an open position at the library. Brenda has resigned her position because of medical reasons. She stated that she experiences significant pain in her hands and feet. She has wanted to just to 6 hours per week but we need to have someone that can work more hours and have a bit of flexibility in their schedule. We have spent the last few weeks trying to find alternative work for her to do but she is still experiencing the same discomfort. We will report the position to the union employees first,then to the public. Hopefully, we will have some good candidates apply. The job posting closes on Saturday, February 22"d at 3:00 pm. c. The mill levy has once again come up for discussion. The question is whether we want to move forward with a mill levy or not in today's political climate. After some discussion, it was decided that we should wait at least another year because of some of the bills before the state legislature that could affect our funding. The board members feel that with the number of lay- offs that are occurring, some of our patrons may not want to pass a mill levy for the library at this time. They would like to postpone for a couple of years until the economy seems more stable. 5. Other Items a. Upcoming Items: MLA Annual conference will be held March 261h through 29th in Bozeman. Anyone that wants to attend, please let Nancy know so she can make arrangements for you. b. Board Concerns: Board members discussed the library wages as they compare to other departments in the City. Katie stated that we may need to be thinking about raising wages to be comparable to the rest of the city employees. 6. Announcements a. The next regular meeting is March 111h, 2025 at 6:00 pm in the library community room. A Zoom link will be added to the next agenda. Meeting adjourned at 7:02 pm. Respectfully submitted, 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. 2