Winooski Memorial Library Committee

1/7/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Aurora Hurd, Jess Wignall, Prudence Doherty City Staff Present: Nate Eddy, Ray Coffey, Molly Schneider Guests Present: Steven Berbeco Meeting Start Time: 6:30 PM Call to Order by: 6:37 PM Minutes Recorded by: Jess Wignall II. Public Comment None. III. Election of Officers Prudence Doherty appointed as Chair; Aurora Hurd appointed as Vice Chair; Jess Wignall appointed as Secretary. There was a suggestion to review Library Committee documents for potential updates. IV. Committee Member Updates P. Doherty noted that it was great to see the library posting to different forums, which shows the vitality of the library and makes it visible to the community. A. Hurd noted that she is happy to see the Dungeons and Dragons effort ongoing, and N. Eddy reported that there has been good response from the community to the program. J. Wignall noted that she appreciates how the physical space of the library is being used, for example with end tables, during this time. V. Library Updates Kanopy officially launched on Tues for the community. The annual budget is $1700, and the library is billed monthly. The library can monitor activity month-by-month through a dashboard and can adjust access as necessary if the budget is being spent too quickly. Current access is 7 plays per patron per month, which is standard for a library of this size. Kids materials are more expensive but available for longer to members. The library presented monthly statistics on usage, presented below. Blue is November and red is December. Visits numbers do not reflect number of people, just number of visits. There have been very few kids-only visits (2 in December). These statistics and others align with state requirements for tracking. When delivery was an option, very few people used delivery. o It is notable that the physical counts are still outpacing the digital counts, even with COVID, which speaks to the importance of having a physical space for getting community needs met. notable that the physical counts are still outpacing the digital counts, even with COVID, which speaks to the importance of having a physical space for getting community needs met. Also of note: l 44 ILLs provided l 4 virtual youth programs with 19 in attendance l 44.5 volunteer hours completed l 28 new card registrations Annual Report  l 44.5 volunteer hours completed l 28 new card registrations Annual Report l State has asked for COVID-related statistics, such as curbside pickups, virtual sessions, page counts, and video view counts. The report is due on February 26 and will be submitted after the City reviews it. l Some of the statistics are unavailable in detail, so were estimated based on past experience. Overall usage of library services is decreased compared to years past, which is the case across the state. l Successes included strong programming and youth engagement and how quickly the library pivoted to COVID programming (e.g., videos of children’s books, curbside pickup). l These reports are compiled in a statewide database and can be used to compare Winooski to similar libraries. Shelving units l The library has ordered new ones from the woodshop of VT correctional services. They will build the units according to the library’s design and the cost will be $2500, about $3000 less than other quotes. l The library expects delivery in the next month or so. l N. Eddy will confirm that the casters will have locks. Youth Council l Due to a grant award of $9,000, a Youth Council will be formed with input from recreational and library representatives. Kate Nicoletti will oversee the Council. l The council will comprise 12 youth members. Fifteen applications have been received and the candidates are being interviewed. l Members will receive a stipend of $25/meeting, with 2 meetings expected per month, for 6 months. l The goal of the Council is to solicit proposals from the community for addressing some type of community need, and then to award money for the need. The Council can award $5,000 to grants. VI. Library Card and Lending Policy The Director will update the policy in response to feedback and send for final review by the committee. l A draft of the policy was shared ahead of the meeting. l Committee members and guests provided input on the language in the policy, which was edited during the meeting. The policy will eventually be a public-facing document, on the website with other library policies. l Additional details will be available on the library card application, and signing the application would serve as an acknowledgement of the policies. Other discussion points included: l All WSD middle and high school students have photo school IDs, to facilitate library cards for those ages 14-18. l The group confirmed the utility of a temporary card option, and the language for those eligible for a temporary card was updated. l The Library Director or designee was clarified as the “staff” that can decide about renewing temporary cards. o Reference to the VT Home Card was added. l An overarching statement of what the library card gives to holders will be added. l New library card holders will receive informational material about the library separate  l The group confirmed the utility of a temporary card option, and the language for those eligible for a temporary card was updated. l The Library Director or designee was clarified as the “staff” that can decide about renewing temporary cards. o Reference to the VT Home Card was added. l An overarching statement of what the library card gives to holders will be added. l New library card holders will receive informational material about the library separate from the policy. l The replacement cost policy was updated to allow for users to provide a replacement copy instead of only paying for a replacement. l The library will provide a list of acceptable documents to get a library card on the card application form. l Updated lending terms to be explicit that it refers to physical items. The Director will update the policy and send for final review by the committee. VII. Other Business The library partnered with Kate Anderson (Thrive) and Misery Loves Company to give book donations (about 40 new picture/board/young adult books) out to community members to seed some home libraries. Based on current COVID rates, the library will continue with current service model, but the City will monitor the situation closely to determine if the service model should change. R. Coffey will report back as to the preference around adding new Committee Members after discussing with Jessie Baker. VIII. Adjourn Motion by: P. Doherty Second: A. Hurd The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 PM.