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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 06.10.2025 MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL 06/10/2025 06:05 PM Laurel Public Library COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: X Katie Fjelstad X Arthur Vogele X Kate Manley—Board Chair X Paige Farmer 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. Minutes for May 2025 were presented for approval. Katie motioned that the minutes be approved as presented. Kate seconded the motion. Motion approved. b. Correspondence—There was not any correspondence to share with the board members. c. Circulation Report—(compared to the same time period as last year) Traffic: down 5.7%; circulation: all items circulated totaled 4,197 (including 646 eBooks), book circulation was down 20%, media circulation was up 43.2%, eBook checkouts for this month was 17.1% of total book circulation, we circulated 813 items to partners and 251 items from other libraries; computers: internet use was up 28.1% children's use was up 83%, wi-fi use was up 7.2%; patron cards: city patrons make up 61.4% of our registered users, county is 29.1%, and state/out of county has 9.6%of our registered patrons. There were 35 tech assists in May. 3. Old Business a. Board members discussed updating the Library Use Rules and Internet Use Policy changes. It looks like we need to revamp some parts of the policy. Nancy will make the suggested changes to the policies so they can be reviewed again at the August meeting. b. The foundation has no new information to share with the Board of Trustees. There is about $19,000 in funds available to the foundation. The purchase of more shelves may be possible, but the board members do not really want to see it all spent on shelving when we are always in need of new books. 1 4. New Business a. A donation was made to the library from the David Lee Bosch estate for $7,459.06. It was stated by the executor of the estate that because David felt very comfortable whenever he visited the Laurel library to just read and relax, he wanted part of his estate to go to our foundation. Since he was such an avid reader, these funds could help with new shelving units. b. The library was given the opportunity to accept some bookshelves from Graff Elementary library for our juvenile section. It may take a few weeks to get them all put back together, but it will be nice to have some sturdier shelves in the children's area. c. After attending MLA this year, the discussion in the library revolved around purchasing and installing security cameras. We have had patrons occasionally ask us if cameras were installed. Not yet, but hopefully soon. A new security camera policy will need to be in place before we can install the cameras. We have been encouraged to use the cameras for visual purposes rather than audio recording. d. The Summer Reading Program will start June 11th and run weekly with the help of the school librarians. The Book Buzz will take place each week through July except for Independence Day week. There are still two open dates for library staff to plan reading activities. We are open to suggestions! e. Just a quick reminder that we have an open seat on the Board of Trustees. If you know of anyone that may be interested in being a board member, please ask them to send in a letter of interest to either Nancy at the library or Mayor Waggoner at City Hall. Board members decided to meet at the Carlton Depot to send give Arthur a 'Thank You' dinner for being on the board for 10 years. 5. Other Items a. Board concerns—The display case in the center of the commons area needs to be changed every 3 months. It is nice to see the artwork of our patrons, but it does need to be updated more frequently than it is currently being changed. b. The library will be closed Friday, July 4th through Sunday,July 6th for the Independence Day weekend. c. The cost of the Billings Gazette is going up again this year. The board members discussed the pros and cons of renewing it for another year and decided that we would keep the subscription if it does not go up again next year. 6. Announcements a. The next regular meeting is canceled to allow for a good-bye dinner for Arthur. No library business will be discussed at this dinner! Next scheduled meeting for the Board of Trustees is August 12, 2025, at 6:00 pm in the library community room. Meeting adjourned at 7:28 pm. 2 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. 3