Neill Public Library Board of Trustees

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 [Regular Meeting] Regular Meeting [3:00 p.m.] [Young Room, Neill Public Library] Page 1. Library Board Order of Business: Unless cancelled, the regular meetings of the Neill Public Library Board of Trustees are held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, beginning at 3pm at Neill Public Library at 210 N Grand Avenue. Notices of cancellation or special meetings, complete board agendas, and meeting minutes are posted on this web site. 2. Instructions to make public comment 3. Call to Order 4. Agenda 4.01 A motion to approve the minutes from the Regular Meeting on June 17, 2026. 3 6-17-2026 Board Minutes - draft.pdf 5. Announcements and Reports 5.01 Friends of Neill Public Library Report 5.02 City Council Report 5.03 Financial Report 5 June2026 Financial Report.pdf 5.04 Director's Report 6 June 2026 Director Report.pdf June2026GeneralOverview.pdf June2026MaterialsCircOverview.pdf 6. Regular Business 6.01 Appoint Sub-committee and Establish timeline to evaluate Library Director 6.02 Confidentiality of Library Records Policy 11 Confidentiality of Circulation Records Policy_1981.pdf Page 1 of 14  Confidentiality of Library Records Policy - draft.pdf Confidentiality of Patron Identity.pdf 6.03 Board Annual Report to Council 6.04 Intellectual Freedom Discussion 6.05 Library Developments 6.06 Upcoming Meetings Wednesday, August 19, 2026 @ 3:00 p.m. 7. New Business 7.01 New business from any member of the Library Board of Trustees 7.02 New business from any member of the public. 8. Adjournment 8.01 A motion to adjourn the meeting Page 2 of 14  MINUTES NEILL PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Regular Meeting June 17, 2026 Young Conference Room 3:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order – Kate called the meeting to order at 3:02 pm 2. Agenda a. Roll Call Present: Kate Watts Chair Whitney Callahan Trustee Mary Jane Neill Trustee Keith Petersen Trustee Karen Weathermon Trustee Ann Parks Member Ex-Officio Stacie Echanove Library Director Lori Lewis Administrative Liaison Zulema Martinez Circulation & Reference Supervisor Ariel Medeiros Assistant City Planner Excused: Unexcused: None LWV Observer: Deb Olson b. Mary Jane Neill moved and Keith Petersen seconded approving minutes from the May 20, 2026 Regular Meeting. All voted and the minutes were accepted as presented. 3. Announcements and Reports a. Friends of Neill Public Library – Stacie gave the Friends report. i) Their annual book sale was this weekend. They made $1196.40. ii) The Friends will not be participating in the Lentil Festival as they are not allowing non-profits this year. iii) The Board is currently looking for a secretary. b. City Council Report – Ann gave the City Council report. i) The Council was able to give their Committee reports last night. ii) There was a really good presentation on the bridge by Frank Mulcahy. iii) The Council approved the Capital Improvement Plan and the Transit Improvement Plan. iv) The Council passed the City Code with amendments related to Short-Term Rentals. v) Finally, the Council passed their Goals & Priorities for 2026-2028. c. Financial Report – Lori gave the Financial report. d. Director’s Report –Stacie gave the Director’s report. i) A discussion of the statistics followed and how best to present them to the board. ii) A discussion of Library Card sign ups followed in regards to Lentil Festival. 4. Regular Business a. Circulation & Reference Annual Report – Zulema gave the Circulation & Reference Annual Report highlighting with emphasis on what they accomplished in 2025 and the first 6 months of 2026. i) Two large scale projects – KOHA Migration and the BERK Facilities & Services Project. Page 3 of 14  ii) Outreach was also a big part of the picture in 2025: 15 Opportunities with over 350 library cards made. iii) So far in 2026, we have focused on collaboration with other departments: (1) Tech Services – repairing damaged materials (2) Youth Services – the graphic novel collection, creating grab & go bags, etc. and displays (3) Adult Services – displays for Mango Monday, National Library Week, Pride Week, etc. b. Establish Budget Representative for 2027-2028 Budget i) Whitney Callahan volunteered to be the budget representative. c. Intellectual Freedom Discussion – No challenges since our last Board meeting. However, the Library did receive an email from a patron suggesting that the Library create a new collection for LGBTQIA+ materials separate from the children’s collection so that the children and their families don’t come across them when browsing. Zulema responded to the email with a copy of the Collection Development Policy and the Materials Request Challenge form. There has been no response from the patron. d. Library Developments i) Stacie took the opportunity to remind everyone to participate in the Summer Reading Program, which is open to all ages. ii) Stacie gave an update on the City’s Comprehensive Plan, and the items that were discussed in the last meeting, then turned the meeting over to Ariel Medeiros, Assistant City Planner. (1) Ariel gave an update on the revisions that were made to the plan, and that the next review will be in September when they will hold public hearings. (2) She went on to explain the difference between a comprehensive plan and a strategic plan. The comprehensive plan is a 20-year plan that is reviewed every 5 years. The strategic plan is how you are going to get from here to there. (3) Looking at the ADA items on the facilities assessment, Ariel and Allen Luke, Building Inspector, came down and did an inspection of the building and the items on the list from the original ADA walk through completed in 2015. Some of the items had already been completed, but there are some items that still need to be completed. Some of those items are easy fixes, changing the signs, (to traditional blue/white), etc. but other things that would require a complete renovation, (youth restroom). e. Upcoming Meetings i) Next meeting, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (1) Kate and Karen will not be in attendance. Keith will chair the meeting. 5. New Business a. New business from any member of the Library Board of Trustees. - None b. New business from any member of the public. i. Ariel promoted the America 250 Celebration – Saturday, June 27, 2026 events downtown 1. Community Paper Quilt at the Market on Main 10am – 1pm 2. Power of Place Information Fair 2pm – 4pm 3. Historical Walking Tour Downtown Pullman - 5 – 7pm 6. Adjournment of Regular Meeting a. Being no further business, Keith Petersen moved and Whitney Callahan seconded adjourning the Regular meeting. All voted and the meeting adjourned at 4:57 p.m. Minutes taken by: Lori C. Lewis Printed Name: Page 4 of 14  June Financial Report Description Budget Expenditures YTD Budget YTD Expenditures YTD Available % EXP Salaries and wages $1,162,950.56 $79,610.26 $581,475.28 $499,533.88 $663,416.68 42.95% Benefits $361,633.84 $32,279.73 $180,816.92 $197,330.65 $164,303.19 54.57% Wages/Benefits $1,524,584.40 $111,889.99 $762,292.20 $696,864.53 $827,719.87 45.71% Materials $130,087.00 $10,305.73 $65,043.50 $67,754.07 $62,332.93 52.08% Programming $16,235.00 $7,179.19 $8,117.50 $10,798.47 $5,436.53 66.51% Supplies $14,700.00 $1,943.57 $7,350.00 $6,877.30 $7,822.70 46.78% Total $2,168,353.09 $215,092.97 $1,084,176.55 $1,044,187.87 $1,124,165.22 48.16% Adjusted total $1,707,476.40 $131,629.75 $853,738.20 $794,994.01 $912,482.39 46.56% Adjusted total excludes significant one-time charges including insurance, interfund, capital, and public- service software licenses Page 5 of 14 Director’s Report – June 2026 Administration • Several members of the Library staff assisted with the Annual Friends of Neill Public Library Booksale. • 2026 Summer Reading Program – Unearth a Story began on June 12. Participants are invited to join us for events, reading challenges and activity challenges. • All Library staff have helped with several aspects of this year’s summer reading program. Having cross-departmental collaboration has been key during this time of lower-than-normal staffing and reduced open hours. • Stacie attended the 2027-2028 Budget Call. More information will be available soon. Adult Services Minh Elan, Adult Services Manager • The Local Author special collection was established to house non-traditionally published works by local authors. o Rationale and purpose: In recent years, there has been a marked increase in donations of self- published works by local authors. Such works often do not meet NPL’s Collection Development criteria and when added to the general collection, often do not circulate well. This distinct collection allows the library to celebrate the creativity of its community members by highlighting these works which might not otherwise be seen. • Staff helped organize activities and refreshments for an all- staff meeting about the summer reading program. Adult Craft Club • Staff met with a representative from Spacesaver, a storage system manufacturer, to discuss new shelving options for the Palouse Heritage collection. The goal is a mobile shelving solution which will allow staff to divide the Heritage Addition into a multi-use (program and seating) space as needed with locking, drawer-style shelves to house the collection’s more fragile materials (e.g., pamphlets, newspapers). • The Adult Craft Club experienced its highest attendance level to date, with 41 attendees. Attendees carved stamps and decorated cloth totes with their creations. 210 N. Grand Avenue, Pullman, WA 99163 509.334.3595 www.neill-lib.org Page 6 of 14 Circulation & Reference Zulema Martinez, Circulation & Reference Supervisor • Marisa, along with Kate and Nora, hosted an All-Staff morning meeting, presenting a “paper plate dinosaur” craft, providing breakfast options, and encouraging attendance with a door-prize drawing. • Zulema met with Birgit Schneider, a member of the Pullman Historic Preservation Committee, to assist with compiling a history of Neill and worked on a presentation for a walking tour. • Circ/Ref staff assisted with the Friends of Neill Public Library’s big annual book sale. • Marisa created a dinosaur scavenger hunt, encouraging patrons of all ages to explore areas of the library they might not yet have visited. Megan created and prepared 90 dinosaur headband crafts for the Power of Place Summer Reading Program kickoff. • Circ/Ref staff have enthusiastically supported the Summer Reading Program, contributing to book bingo suggestion lists, preparing craft projects, folding zines (and donating copies that they’ve created themselves!), and facilitating “check points” for program participants who are eligible for prizes • Marisa planned and staffed a zine-making workshop for the City’s “Power of Place” event at Pine Street Plaza, assisted by Hannah from the YS dept. Community members created twenty pages to compile a collaborative zine about literacy, empowerment, and liberty. Technical Services Paul Slaughter, Technical Services Supervisor • 995 individual items added to catalog • 346 items removed from catalog (withdrawn and lost) • Current Holdings: 66276 individual items • 207 items were repaired by Tech Services; additional repairs were done by Circulation/Reference • New adult Local Author collection created, with new spine labelling. Collection consists of a combination of new items and items already in NPLs collections. • Kerry supported the Summer Reading Program by compiling staff bingo suggestions into lists for the public catalog. The lists are featured on the front page of the catalog, making it Local Author Collection easier for patrons to find suggestions to complete bingo 210 N. Grand Avenue, Pullman, WA 99163 509.334.3595 www.neill-lib.org Page 7 of 14  prompts. A background was also added to the catalog to match the dinosaur decorations for the Summer Reading Program. Bingo suggestions in the catalog Youth Services Rachael Ritter, Youth Services Manager • Summer Reading began on June 12. This all-ages program invites kids, teens, and adults to participate in reading and activity challenges as well as join us for programs. In June, our youth programs consisted of the following: o Special Guest Programs: Youth Services kicked off the summer series Pullman Reads and Pops on the Patio. The first two guest readers were Mayor Francis and Pullman PD, who joined us for storytimes full of silly books and fun songs. Six performance events were also held at the library (three guest performers): Roberto the Magnificent, Reptile Man and Alex Zerbe the Zaniac. o Staff-Led Special Programs: Active programming consisted of two movie events and a weekly Kids Club. Reptile Man o Passive Programming: Weekly Grab and Goes, Pokemon Card Trading Hour, and Collection Displays encouraged patrons to both linger in the library and experience the library at home. o Outreach Opportunities: Else partnered with the Pullman School District’s Free Lunch in the Park program where she presented a special storytime and distributed free books. Else and Hannah also promoted our Summer Reading Program at Sunnyside Elementary o Regular Programming: In addition to Summer Reading Programs and events, staff continued to offer weekly Baby Storytime, Evening Storytime and Free Play Fridays. 210 N. Grand Avenue, Pullman, WA 99163 509.334.3595 www.neill-lib.org Page 8 of 14  June Director's Report - General & Program Overview 2026 Month / 2025 Month 2026 YTD / 2025 Total Comparison YTD Comparison Library visits 23793 0.4% -13.2% Computer sessions 688 -7.2% -20.6% Public print jobs 815 -34.0% -16.4% Circulation & Reference Checkins- actual 11819 -4.1% -7.5% New library cards 188 -27.7% -12.5% Self-CKO % 0.549 18.6% -11.3% Mtg room use- count 14 55.6% -1.2% Technical Services New items 995 71.8% 39.5% Program Participation 2026 Month / 2025 Month 2026 YTD / 2025 Adult Attendees Comparison YTD Comparison Ongoing programs 153 53.0% 74.3% One-time 79 1.3% 28.8% Adult outreach 15 -31.8% -35.4% Adult passive 24 Adult Total 271 35.5% 70.1% 2026 Month / 2025 Month 2026 YTD / 2025 Youth Attendees Comparison YTD Comparison Youth 0-5 354 10.6% -27.0% Youth 6-11 103 -59.6% -16.7% Youth 12-18 25 -50.0% -35.7% Youth all ages 1504 -6.0% -8.2% Youth outreach 345 -73.3% -76.7% Activity bags 550 -31.3% -11.2% Youth Total 2881 -33.2% -34.7% All Programs 3152 -30.2% -25.1% Page 9 of 14  June Director's Report - Materials Circulation Overview Adult Circulation Adult % of Adult Circ Month 2026 YTD Fiction/Nonfiction 25% -17% -13% Audio/Video 16% -12% -14% E-circulation 57% 21% 21% Total Adult 17194 4% 4% Fiction/Nonfiction Audio/Video E-circulation Youth % of Youth Circ Month 2026 YTD Youth Circulation Picture books 24% -13% -15% Fiction/Nonfiction 47% -23% -15% Young Adult 8% -20% -8% Audio/Video 5% -2% -7% Juvenile E-circulation 9% -4% 0% Picture books Fiction/Nonfiction Young Adult Audio/Video Young Adult E-circulation 6% -17% 3% Juvenile E-circulation Young Adult E-circulation Total Youth 12622 -18% -12% Total Totals % Total Circ Month 2026 YTD Physical circulation 53% -17% -12% E-circulation 35% 15% 18% In-house circulation 12% -7% 19% Total circulation 33893 -7% -1% Physical circulation E-circulation In-house circulation Page 10 of 14  Confidentiality of Circulation Records 1. The circulation records of Neill Public Library are confidential regardless of source of inquiry. 2. Circulation records shall not be made available to anyone except pursuant to such process, order, or subpoena as may be required by law. 3. Upon receipt of such process, order or subpoena, consultation shall be made with the legal officer assigned to the library to determine if such process, order, or subpoena is in proper legal form and if there is a showing of good cause for its issuance. 4. If the process, order, or subpoena is not in proper form, insistence shall be made that such defects be corrected before any records are released. If good cause has not been shown, no records shall be released. If the choice is to not respond to the request, the Library Board of Trustees shall notify the requester immediately. 5. Any threats or unauthorized demands, (i.e., those not supported by a process, order, or subpoena) concerning circulation records shall be reported to the Neill Public Library Board of Trustees and the City Attorney. 6. No records shall be released under the provisions of this policy by any library employee other than the City Librarian or, in the event of the City Librarian's extended absence, records may be released under provisions of this policy by the employee designated as in charge. Adopted 5/7/81 Page 11 of 14  Confidentiality of Library Records POLICY STATEMENT Records identifying the names of library users with specific materials are confidential in nature. Neill Public Library is committed to protecting the privacy of library patrons and the confidentiality of patron information. Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought and free association. Confidentiality exists when an entity is in possession of personally identifiable information (PII) and keeps that information private on their behalf. At Neill Public Library, measures are in place to protect both patron privacy and confidentiality. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to protect patron rights to their information. The confidentiality of circulation and registration records are protected by law (RCW 42.56.310). In addition, Neill Public Library follows the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics (Article III) and the library’s administrative policies with regards to the confidentiality and protection of information concerning library records from inquiries by local, state and federal authorities. DEFINITIONS Library Record – includes any information gathered from a cardholder during the registration process, and all information from circulation records and history, catalogue searches, reference interviews, materials request lists, database search records, financial information and computer booking records. Privacy – is your individual right to be free from intrusion into your personal information. It is your right to control what you share about yourself and how that information is used and shared. This includes the information about your intellectual freedom, freedom to read and freedom to view materials. Confidentiality – is the state or practice of keeping sensitive information private and restricted to authorized individuals. Confidentiality is central to intellectual freedom and directly related to the ability of citizens to use library materials and pursue information without fear of intimidation. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) – The following is considered personally identifiable information: Name Personal Identification Number (PIN) Physical address List of materials currently checked out Email address List of materials previously checked out, if history elected Phone number List of items requested and/or on hold Library card number Fines paid, waived or due Date of birth Contact information for authorized borrowers This information is only accessible to library staff, law enforcement pursuant to a court order, warrant or subpoena the cardholder, or persons authorized by the cardholder to access their account. Page 12 of 14 Authorized Borrower – A person who is eligible to use another cardholder’s account to make requests and pick up holds, borrow materials, and use the public computers in the library. RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN ACCESSING LIBRARY RECORDS 1. The Library Records of Neill Public Library are confidential regardless of the source of inquiry. 2. Information from the Library Record shall not be made available to any individual, organization, entity or any agency of federal, state or local government except as pursuant to a valid court order or other applicable legal authority under applicable state or federal law. a. Upon receipt of a valid court order or subpoena, consultation shall be made with the legal officer assigned to the library to determine if the such process, order or subpoena is in proper legal form and if there is a showing of good cause for issuance. b. If the process, order, or subpoena is not in proper form, insistence shall be made that such defects be corrected before any records are released. If good cause has not been shown, no records shall be released. If the choice is to not respond to the request, the Library Board of Trustees shall notify the requester immediately. c. Any threats or unauthorized demands, (i.e., those not supported by a process, order, or subpoena) concerning Library records shall be reported to the Neill Public Library Board of Trustees and the City Attorney. d. No records shall be released under the provisions of this policy by any library employee other than the Library Director, or in the event of the Library Director’s extended absence, records may be released under provisions of this policy by the employee designated as in charge. 3. While Library Records are confidential in nature: a. Library employees may only access cardholder records for library business. i. Library staff members have the primary responsibility for ensuring the privacy of each cardholder’s personally identifiable information (PII). ii. Staff members do not give out cardholders PII, and are careful when sharing their screens with cardholders at the circulation desk, so that PII is visible only to the individual cardholder. b. Any cardholder in entitled to his or her own library account information. c. A parent or guardian may have access to a library account for minor children up to age 18, unless the minor is emancipated, since they are legally responsible for their children as patrons until the age of 18. However, children may not access their parents’ records, unless they are an authorized borrower on their parent’s account. d. Similarly, spouses are not eligible to access each other’s accounts unless they are an authorized borrower on the account. e. Library facilities are public places and people entering a library facility have no expectation of privacy beyond the content of library records. Approved by Library Board of Trustees: MMM DD, 2026 Compilation of: Confidentiality of Circulation Records – Adopted 5/7/1981 Confidentiality of Patron Identity & Circulation Records – Adopted 5/7/1981 Page 13 of 14  Confidentiality of Patron Identity & Circulation Records Library staff members have the primary responsibility for ensuring the privacy of each patron's record on the database. Staff members do not give out patron information, such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, who has which items out, who has a particular item on hold, etc. By being careful when showing patrons their screens at the circulation desk, and clearing each record when all transactions are completed, staff make every effort to protect an individual's right to privacy. Parents are allowed to access their children's records, since they are legally responsible for their children as patrons until the age of 18. However, children may not access their parents’ records, including checking out materials on their parents’ accounts, unless they have a parent’s card in hand. Staff may call the parent for a one-time authorization for the child to check out. Upon approval, staff will inform the patron of the necessity to add their child as an “Authorized Borrower” if the child will be using the account in the future. Spouses may not access each other's records unless they have "permission" or the spouse's card in hand. Every adult patron is encouraged to have his or her own card. Each patron's right to privacy includes staff being completely discreet in not identifying library patrons or their reading interests in social settings, or in procedural or policy discussions at staff meetings. For this same reason, we do not "page" a person for a phone call. When time permits, staff may look around the library for the person to be reached. (See Confidentiality of Circulation Records Policy, adopted by the Library Board of Trustees, 5/7/81). Page 14 of 14