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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLibrary Board Minutes 01.12.2021MINUTES CITY OF LAUREL Library Board 01/12/2021 06:00 PM Laurel Public Library Vacant X Bill Hanson, Vice -Chairman X Nancy Schmidt, Secretary X Clair Killebrew — Foundation Liaison OTHERS PRESENT: 1. Public Input X Arthur Vogele, Board Chair X Samantha Barnhart—via phone Vacant 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: Condolences to Arthur & his family on Dixie's passing from COVID-19. A memorial will be held at the library January 201h & 2151 for the public to attend at their convenience. 2. General Items a. The minutes for September, October, November, and December 2020 were presented for approval. Bill motioned the minutes be approved as presented, Sam seconded the motion; motion passed. b. The library received a donation of $50 from Ray Wells and memorials in Dixie's name. c. Circulation Report - Traffic: down 31.5%; circulation: all items circulated totaled 3,622 (including 490 eBooks), book circulation was down 10.3%, media circulation was down 51.2%, eBook checkouts for this month was 14.9% of total book circulation, we circulated 816 items to partners and 122 items from other libraries; computers: internet use was down 51.9%, children's use was even, wi-fi use : up 81.1%; patron cards: city registrations made up 42.6% of library users, county patrons 49.3% and non-resident registered patrons 4.4%. There were 55 tech assists in December. 3. New Business a. The Montana State Library has funding available to offer iPads, hotspots, and HP ProBooks to public libraries to make available for patron checkouts. Funds are provided through IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) for FY 2021. 1 We have been given 4 iPads, 8 hotspots (6 are currently borrowed out to patrons) and 2 ProBooks with 4 more coming. Our patrons have been greatly appreciative of these items being made available at no charge. b. We are planning on having a book sale for 2 weeks again this spring. The tentative dates are March 22 —April 3, 2021. Again, we are hoping to reach a goal of over $3,000 to help pay for new books. c. Currently there are two openings on the library board: vacancy caused by Dixie's passing and the Board removal of Emilie. Arthur emailed Mayor Nelson asking for guidance on filling these positions. Mike will post the openings on Facebook and the library website. We have no other information to offer at this time. d. With the election of the new Governor, we need to revise out mask policy for library patrons. Library staff provided input on what they wanted most in the new policy. The updated Mask Policy was presented to the Board for approval. Bill motioned the policy be adopted as presented, Sam seconded the motion; passed. e. The Montana State Library has presented its options for updating the Public Library Standards for Administrative Rules. The biggest difference will be the language defining whether a library meets Essential Standards or Excellent Standards of Service. We have to meet the essential service criteria to receive funding from the State Library but we will always strive for excellent service. 4. Old Business a. The library will receive about $6,800 reimbursement through the CARES Act funding. Once there is a determination concerning where these funds are to be expended, we will decide what to do with them. An email will be sent to the Clerk/Treasurer requesting more information at a later date. b. Nancy has been sent a notice from Bethany that there will be a budget amendment made for funds to be directed to the library. This funding is in response to some items being budgeted less than actual and revenues being greater due to increased property taxes. The budget amendment was for $6,230.57 for FY 19/20. c. Under Foundation business the library staff recommends a Dip Jar for donations to the Foundation. The cost of this item is about $350 for the collection device and $150 annual cost to administer the funding plan. There was also discussion on creating a "Giving Tree" for donor acknowledgement and plans to create memorial nook in honor of Dixie in the children's area. 5. Other Items a. Upcoming Items: Chris, Fred, and Nancy have a significant amount of vacation time to use before March 31St. We will try to get them scheduled sooner rather than later so they don't lose any time. 6. Announcements a. Next regular meeting is Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 6:30 pm in the Community Room of the Laurel Public Library. Meetings from this date forward will stay on the 2nd Tuesday of each month but will start at 6:30 pm. Bill motioned the meeting be adjourned at 6:49 pm. Sam seconded the motion, meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, /y f Nancy L Schmidt Secretary for the Board NOTE: This meeting is open to the public. This meeting is for information and discussion of listed agenda items. 3