Library Board

MORGANTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY Approved November 19, 2020 Minutes of the Regular Meeting October 15, 2020 Present: Absent: Also Present: Others Present Linda Durfee Sue Carpenter Sarah Palfrey Meredith Hartery Penny Pugh Kelly Funkhouser Judy Panagakos Call to order  The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Morgantown Public Library convened via Zoom Video Conferencing on October 15, 2020. The meeting convened at 9:00 am, Judy Panagakos, President presiding, Kelly Funkhouser, secretary. Approval of the Minutes  September 17, 2020 - The minutes were approved as presented. The motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC FORUM - None CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATIONS - None REPORTS OF COMMITTEES/OFFICERS A. President – A committee has been appointed to speak with the Arnettsville Community Association regarding building repairs/maintenance. The committee is Linda Durfee, Sarah Palfrey, Darrin Baker, and Cathy McMaster. B. Treasurer – September 30, 2020 Financial Statements were distributed via email. 1. Approval of Checks – Meredith moved we approve the checks as presented. Approved. REPORT OF THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR & BRANCH UPDATES  HVAC – The chiller unit is scheduled to be installed on the roof of the Morgantown Public Library by the end of the month. The temporary refrigerant line installed during the first phase will be removed and replaced with a permanent line. This HVAC system has a computerized system to allow diagnostics and control from outside the building. The internet within the building is a hindrance to this. Options are being explored.  Asbestos was found in the area of the basement doors from the stairwell and will need abatement. The next door is scheduled to be installed on October 26.  Sarah Palfrey has requested to present the annual report at the Committee of the Whole Meeting in October.  The schedule to migrate to the West Virginia Library Network database has been delayed – the Mountain Library Network data will move in November and the Northern Library Network data will move in December. Duplicate bar codes are being addressed.  A new service is being launched next week – Dial-A-Story. Lynda Lukenbaugh is the staff person in charge. Board Minutes – October 15, 2020 – Page 2  John Fox’s Home Bound Project has been active for 2 months and has good feedback. o The titles requested are 50% chosen by the patron and 50% chosen by staff at the patron’s request. o The biggest surprise is the number of children’s titles that have been requested by parents and grandparents with children at home. The expectation was that homebound adults would use the service. o Corina Chang will be working with John Fox on branding with a goals of a more inclusive name and promotion. o The first two months 12-15 were served per month, with deliveries taking 2 days. This month, the goal is to increase service to include 20 deliveries.  Amanda Young has been working on a teen subscription box program. Participants are limited to about 15. For October, the theme is Thrills and Chills: History Mysteries. Each box contains a magazine compiled and written by Amanda, a snack and a simple craft. The books referenced in the magazine are either digital or located at the downtown branch. Next month’s topic is Myths and Legends. Corina will be posting the magazines on the library system’s website. Judy Panagakos said that this is award winning caliber work. Meredith Hartery said that this magazine should be distributed as widely as possible. Sarah Palfrey will distribute issues to the library board.  Personnel update – Five employees are still working modified work schedules. Staff morale is difficult: public interaction with staff seems more negative, staff monitoring mask use and expecting to be yelled at by patrons. Sarah Palfrey has been moving some staff around especially in the evening to allow for change and understanding between floors. Foot traffic is down. Face masks and face shields were discussed. Linda Durfee applauds the staff’s effort in dealing with this.  Staff training for homelessness and other challenges. $500 for training by Ryan Dowd. Ryan trains organizations around the world how to compassionately manage problematic behavior from troubled individuals. His book, The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness was published by the American Library Association. Face masks and face shields were discussed. Linda Durfee applauds the staff’s effort in dealing with this.  In previous years, Sarah Palfrey has attended the Library Journal Summit programs. This year was the Library Journal Virtual Summit 2020. John Chrastka, founder of EveryLibrary, presented on advocating for library budgets in an austerity environment. There was focus on how to sell your story when your stories have completely changed. One main point that John Chrastka shared repeatedly: Fix the failures and extend the successes. Outreach and bookmobile conference is virtual this week.  Branch updates: o Arnettsville has hired a new employee, Tracy Willis. Their circulation is holding and the type of materials circulating have flipped. o All locations - DVD circulation is down – few new movies are being released o Clay-Battelle has a higher children’s circulation – a new family is heavily using the library. o Cheat Area continues to be busy and are considering switching occupancy limits to 50% of fire marshal limit instead of 2 per 1,000 square feet. o Clinton District - Sarah Palfrey displayed the picture of the new circulation desk. New blinds will be installed. o Clay-Battelle - Curbside pickup is highest circulation for this location. With story Board Minutes – October 15, 2020– Page 3 time missing, foot traffic is down. Staff is currently working on a program for patrons to pick up a bag of books with a craft included. There is a book trail alongside the library. o Aull Center programming for October is haunted history. Nathan Wuertenburg has been doing fiction vs nonfiction which encourages people reading historical fiction to check out the facts included in a non-fiction book. November programming includes native American, Ostenaco, a History Alive virtual presentation made possible by the West Virginia Humanities Council. o Book Trails locations include the West Virginia Botanic Garden, Clay Battelle Public Library, Nath Sculpture Garden at the Art Museum of WVU, Jack Robert Park and other BOPARC locations, and a Christmas story at Mulkeen Landscaping during their Christmas tree sale. o Corina Chang has created a calendar fundraiser including librarians and cats. The goal is to pay for itself. She has partnered with pet rescues such as Homeward Bound WV, and the Marion County Humane Society. Any proceeds received by the library go to digital library improvements. The price is $19.99. All sales go through Direct Results website who print, package, and ship the calendars. Board suggests to consider making some available in library and downtown businesses. UNFINISHED BUSINESS  COVID-19 plan - no changes  Anti-Bullying policy – Discussed and amended. Linda Durfee remarked that overall, the policy is really good and thank you. Sarah Palfrey will edit the document based on the board’s input and forward it this afternoon to Linda Durfee for editing.  Investment Policy Document – Judy Panagakos sent out the document to the board as a first draft. Highlighted items are work in progress. Judy asks that the board review it and send changes to her. NEW BUSINESS - None BOARD COMMENTS – None ADJOURNMENT – Linda Durfee moved to adjourn. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:17am. NEXT MEETING - November 19, 2020 at 9:00am