Library Advisory Board Meetings

Library Advisory Board Meeting Tuesday, January 14, 2020 Boyce Ditto Public Library 2300 SE MLK Jr. Street Mineral Wells, TX 76067 Attending: Chairman Christiana Rodriguez-Lazo, Vice Chairman Nelda Glover, Coralee Beasley, Gerald Warfield, Jeri Calcote, Lori Schmidtke, Mary Alyce Buckner (BDPLFOL), Rachel Lively, Darlene Garrett and Library Manager Louanne Noel. Ms. Rodriguez-Lazo called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm. Minutes from the December meeting were approved with one correction: the teaching aids referred to in the 6th paragraph are checked out on a three-week, not two- week, basis. No City Manager report. In her Chairman’s report, Ms. Rodriguez-Lazo said she spoke with Randy Nix about securing a building to store the historical archives previously held in the library. He was amenable to the suggestion and she expects to finalize details soon. The collections are currently being held at the Mineral Wells Historical Association building and they will maintain responsibility for those once they are moved to the new location. Mr. Warfield asked to let Mr. Nix know Internet service will be required at the new location. The Archival and Digitization Committee will be dissolved as a result of this move. Ms. Rodriguez-Lazo also praised James Friend’s work in re-vamping the children’s area décor and invited the board to take a look. In her Friends of the Library report, Mrs. Buckner said the group is moving to quarterly meetings starting with the Feb. 16 meeting. They are cutting down to one book sale a year in the fall. They are open to suggestions for fundraisers that are less labor-intensive. They also want to continue to accept books donated by the public and will maintain a cart of used books for sale in the library because it is profitable. However, they need a place to donate books that don’t sell. In the past they have donated to the MW Center of Life, the senior center, Meals on Wheels and Sit ‘n Sip. The group wants to work on developing membership and reminded the board a bylaw change now allows them to be members and encourages them to join and participate. During the Library Manager’s Report, Ms. Noel said the December Gift workshop was a success with 41 participants. She thanks Tincher Custom Homes for funding the program. She said it is such a great program for families and meets a need as well. The Noon Year’s Eve party was also a success with attendance in the 30s. She said holiday-themed programming proves to be popular. Ms. Noel said the teaching aids/book bags she referenced last month were made available last week and four of the seven bags are already checked out. The library has also received a grant for future planning, literacy and Internet services. Noel said the library has an 85% satisfaction rating on the Likert scale, which measures public opinions and perceptions. Library services are second only to fire services in the community. Ms. Noel provided board members with a copy of the Public Library Advisory Board Handbook published by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. She said she would like to use it to help educate the board in advocating for the library and its services. The library offers reference services, basic computer classes and selects materials to meet the needs of the community. The library’s role also includes small business support, workforce development, literacy and family services. She said the library is on task in developing these roles. She asked the board to commit to reading Chapter 1 of the manual before the next meeting, when she plans to lead a more in-depth discussion about it. In old business, Ms. Rodriguez-Lazo suggested we continue to meet monthly to continue this education process on the second Tuesday of the month in the library community room. A lengthy discussion followed concerning meeting quorum, official decisions and the need for transparency. Following that, Mr. Warfield made the motion that no meeting can be cancelled without consultation and agreement of the board chairman. This was seconded and approved. Ms. Schmidtke made a motion to add a standing agenda item regarding a roll call on members’ planned attendance at the next board meeting. This would help meet the Freedom of Information Act requirements for quorum and facilitate public posting of the next meeting’s agenda. Mr. Warfield seconded and the motion passed. The chairman will also provide the next meeting date for that agenda item. Members need to continue responding to Michelle Friend’s email with the agenda about their intention to attend. Mr. Warfield made a motion to adjourn; Rachel Lively seconded. The motion passed and the meeting ended @ 7:33 pm.