Library Board 2024-03-06

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY Approved 3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 4/3/2024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC Members of the public who wished to attend could do so in-person, or via Microsoft Teams at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/join-a-meeting and entering Meeting ID 258 931 356 928 and passcode DJhAgg at the scheduled meeting time. For questions, please call the library at 763-706-3690. The meeting was called to order in the Library Community Room by Gerri Moeller at 5:35pm. Members physically present: Gerri Moeller; Carrie Mesrobian; Melanie Magidow; Chris Polley; Rachelle Waldon. Members remotely present: N/A. Members absent: Justice Spriggs (Council Liaison). Also present: Renee Dougherty (Library Director); Nick Olberding (Board Secretary). Public remotely present: N/A. 1. The Meeting’s Agenda was approved as-is. 2. The Minutes of the February 7th, 2024, Board Meetings were moved and approved. 3. Review 2024 Operating Budget: 16.39% of the year and 12.88% expended; no concerns raised. a. Renee mentioned a few budget lines: 42010 (minor equipment) is overspent due to purchasing some additional bookends and easels for material display/merchandising; 42012 (other technology equipment) is overspent due to an unforeseen CCTV camera replacement; 43210 (telephone) is an expenditure determined by City administration; 44000 (repair/maintenance services) is half-spent due to contracts being paid upfront for the year of service. Community Forum: Opportunity for public input. No correspondence. FYI: The City Communication Department has added a Contact Form to each of the Board/Commission pages of the City website as an additional method for the public to engage with the groups with their comments, concerns, questions, etc. The Boards/Commissions can be found here: https://www.columbiaheightsmn.gov/government/boards_and_commissions/index.php after clicking desired group, scroll to the bottom of their page to find the submittable contact form. New Business: 4. Spring Event Promotion: As part of the meeting packet, the Spring Events Calendar was included; Renee wanted to make sure the Board knew of everything being offered this spring, specifically the multilingual Driver’s Licenses for All info-session with COPAL-MN, the Financial Literacy Series, and the Saturday Scribes Author Series featuring Kao Kalia Yang and Chad Corrie. a. Now that Adult Services Librarian Elizabeth Ripley is sending out press releases, we should have her copy Chris Polley (and other school district contacts) with a listing of programs students may be interested in. b. We should continue soliciting feedback after our programs, as it can be invaluable information for improving future offerings. c. Suggestion Board 5. 2023 Year in Review: With inspiration from other libraries, Nick crafted an infographic to convey important service statistics from last year. Renee emphasized that visits, checkouts, # of cardholders, and program attendance all increased from the previous year. Director’s Update: 6. January Board Report: Provided as an FYI. a. Carrie was initially skeptical of the planned merchandising approach of more face-out display books throughout the Library (similar to what a book store might do), but after several visits since it began, she is convinced that it was the right move and it does improve the look and visibility of the collection.  b. Renee mentioned that it is great to have adequate staff in that it allows her more time to focus on neglected tasks and bigger picture items, as opposed to day-to-day front desk tasks. 7. From the Floor: a. The Board is Currently Reading/Watching and Recommends: i. Carrie: Clockers Richard Price ii. Chris: Hollywood Black Donald Bogle; Four Daughters (documentary) available on Kanopy iii. Melanie: Arab Blues (comedy/drama) available on Kanopy iv. Gerri: Liberty’s Daughter Naomi Kritzer v. Justice: Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life Eric Klinenberg vi. Renee: Signal Fires Dani Shapiro; The Librarianist Patrick deWitt There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm. Respectfully submitted, Nicholas P. Olberding Recording Secretary, CHPL Board of Trustees