Norman Public Library Board Meeting

Norman Library Board Meeting December 18, 2023 The Norman Library Board met Monday, December 18th at 4:30 p.m. at the Norman East Public Library, 3051 E Alameda, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 Minutes Meeting called to order at 4:30 Roll Call Present: Bianca Gordon (Chair), Sue Ringus (Vice Chair), Megan Straughan (Secretary), Sarah Moran, Jayme Shelton, Jason Bingham, Debra Engel, Jody Foote, Laura Doughty Not in attendance: Jayme Shelton Introduction of Staff and Guests Caroline Dulworth, Director of Branch Services Kelsey Williamson, Norman East Branch Manager Consider and vote to approve, disapprove, or take other action on minutes from previous meeting Member Moran moved to approve the minutes, Secretary Straughan seconded. Vote to approve minutes passed unanimously Branch updates ● East ○ Adjusting to the temporary closure of Norman Central ■ Come and go maker lab hours ■ Resume help Wed 1-3 ■ Additional programming on the calendar ■ Significant increase in all areas, programs, traffic, phone calls, librarian help, etc. ○ Regular programming continuing ○ Observation deck being built from Kirkpatrick Family Fund and Library Foundation ■ astronomy programming as well as viewing area ■ binoculars and trail telescopes provided ● West ○ Celebrated 10th anniversary ○ Feb 8th- David Cook (Taylor Swift’s music director) and Shana Steele (Musician) will discuss careers in music and perform ○ Story times have doubled in size (due to Norman Central closing) ○ Some seating has been an issue, wear and tear (furniture is now 10 years old)  ○ At the end of the year there will be a request for more furniture at Norman West ■ Consideration of a request for line item in the city’s budget every year for furniture to replace as needed ■ Board advocacy appreciated during the budgeting process Old Business ● Spark a Change o Moved to The Well ● Growing Like a Read program updates o Getting new participants due to new locations New Business ● Norman Central: Mold Remediation updates, timelines o Press conference on Nov 28th o Issues with leaks since the opening (minor) ▪ Building was under warranty, builder came several times for various fixes in the first year ▪ City has been attempting fixes, specialists, etc. ▪ Mold was not obvious/visible and somewhat mitigated by humidity control, specialists were needed to identify the issue ▪ Completed scrub, containment of areas with mold ▪ Timeline is on track ▪ Items like STEAM kits, laptops have been cleaned and shipped out to other library branches ▪ Some books will need to be thrown out (circulation area most affected), most are safe ▪ Lots of information including mold maps and regular reports are available on the City of Norman website ▪ Removal and mold remediation will happen first, rebuilding will be negotiated after an assessment of the first phase ▪ Pioneer Library System declared an emergency which allows a search to begin for a temporary location ▪ Lots of in-community events- Ask a Librarian at coffee shops (Stella Nova, Yellow Dog, Beanstalk), Food and Shelter for Friends, Center for Children and Families, The Depot, The Well, The Play Pit, The Senior Wellness Center ▪ Chair Gordon remarked that the flexibility and creativity to “Reimagine the Library” during the pandemic bolstered the ability to problem solve during this time ▪ Hiring freeze in place ▪ Staff is being placed at other branches in PLS (including outside of Norman) ● This has allowed some branches to open maker labs with support ● Hourly Staff is still being paid and assigned to other branches ● Possible staff placement in Middle Schools  ● Most part time staff is scheduled for 12 hours/week currently but usually work 16-20 hours ▪ Chair Gordon thanked the staff for their hard work during this time ● Friends of the library accepting donations at West Saturdays 10-2 and at Cleveland County Fairgrounds building G Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-2 ● Officer Elections o Chair Gordon will be moving in 2024 o Chair: Chair Gordon nominated Vice-Chair Ringus, vote was unanimous o Vice Chair: Vice-Chair Ringus nominated Member Bingham and Vice-Chair Shelton, Member Bingham was voted to be the Vice-Chair unanimously o Secretary: Secretary Straughan self-nominated, vote was unanimous ● 2024 Schedule of Meeting approval o Secretary Straughan moved to move the meeting in March forward 1 week, Vice-Chair Ringus seconded, unanimous approval o Schedule of meetings passed unanimously Board Comments ● Vice-Chair RIngus discussed listening to live streams and past recordings of author talks available online ● The board expressed thanks for Chair Gordon’s service Comments from the Public None Next Meeting: March 11th, 2024 at Norman Library - East Adjournment Member Engel motioned to adjourn, Member Foote seconded. Vote to adjourn was unanimous It is the policy of the City of Norman that no person or groups of persons shall on the grounds of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, place of birth, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, marital status, including marriage to a person of the same sex, disability, relation, or genetic information, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in employment activities or in all programs, services, or activities administered by the City, its recipients, sub-recipients, and contractors. In the event of any comments, complaints, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, and auxiliary aids and services regarding accessibility or inclusion, please contact the ADA Technician at 405-366-5424, Relay Service: 711. To better serve you, five (5) business days’ advance notice is preferred.