Winooski Memorial Library Committee

3/4/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Prudence Doherty, Aurora Hurd, Jess Wignall City Staff Present: Nate Eddy, Molly Schneider, Ray Coffey, Josh Neilson Guests Present: Steven Berbeco Call to Order by: Nate Eddy Meeting Start Time: 6:35 PM Minutes Recorded by: Jess Wignall II. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Minutes approved. Motion by: P. Doherty Second: A. Hurd III. Public Comment S. Berbeco asked about the plan to recruit for empty seats on the committee, which was discussed later. IV. Committee Member Updates J. Wignall proposed including in future agendas a section to follow-up on previous month’s action items, if any. V. Library Updates VT Summer Programming Grant The library received a $200 grant to fund an honorarium for a presenter to do programming for kids. The library is exploring options, such as co-programming with Thrive, working with VT Fish and Wildlife, 802 Reptiles, and other state employees. Monthly Stats Monthly Stats Also of note: l 16 ILLs received/16 provided l 8 youth/3 adult virtual programs with 53 in attendance l 32 volunteer hours completed l 15 new card registrations l Digital circulation is down (which includes Kanopy and Overdrive e-books) and physical circulation is up. The database usage is driven by MangoLanugages access and French- Canadian is the most popular language. l Wifi sessions increased. l Adult digital programming from February went well, including 7 participants in an online cooking class and 6 people at the first book club meeting. The Virtual Creative Writing workshop went great and there have been requests for more.Card registrations are down. Josh Neilson, Youth Services Coordinator l Mondays has a Dungeons and Dragons session with elementary-aged players with regular attendance. There is another group for older children, and Winooski is looking to partner with other library youth groups in the future. Friday night’s Dungeon and Dragons has included a recent focus on writing. l For the evening homework/academic support program for middle and high school students, the library is investigating strategies to increase participation. This has included direct outreach, partnering with the school, and thinking through advertising, including the name (“Homework Help,” “Academic and Career Support”) and website. This support is sponsored through a grant that also pays for part of library staff salary, so it is important to increase participation and measure the benefits of the program. l The program evolved out of students needing extra support, though the school provides additional support now. The expectation is that upon reinstating in-person support, participation would increase. Molly Schneider, Community Engagement Coordinator l One of Molly’s roles is helping with recruitment for committees and commissions. Last year the library committee advertised on Front Porch Forum and the library page. We will plan to do that again this year, and P. Doherty will take the lead on posting materials. l M. Schneider will receive applications and can help review them, and P. Doherty and R.  Molly Schneider, Community Engagement Coordinator l One of Molly’s roles is helping with recruitment for committees and commissions. Last year the library committee advertised on Front Porch Forum and the library page. We will plan to do that again this year, and P. Doherty will take the lead on posting materials. l M. Schneider will receive applications and can help review them, and P. Doherty and R. Coffey will also review applications and lead the process. Upon committee approval, the council must approve any new members. The terms are based on the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30. l At a future meeting, the library committee will articulate traits of a good applicant. Current members agreed that they would be happy to answer questions from potential future members. Ray Coffey, Community Services Director l The city passed the budget and filled empty City Council seats. Jessie Baker, the City Manager, is leaving in May, and the city is figuring out the plan for hiring her replacement. l The Champlain Housing Trust is moving forward with development at the O’Brien Center, which will generate 20 units of townhomes/condos. P. Doherty noted that during planning it would be helpful to consider the visibility of the library and consider ways to make it more visible. l There is a potential vacancy coming up in the North End Studios space and the city will need to consider next steps. VI. Committee Bylaw Review The members agreed to review the current bylaws and discuss potential updates in a future meeting. VII. Code of Conduct Policy Review l Committee members discussed the Code of Conduct policy, which was drafted based on examples from other library systems. l Patrons will encounter this as part of their welcome package to the library and it will be posted and translated. l The committee agreed to make the introductory material more generic, and to order the content such that the statements around staff appears earlier in the materials. The language around diversity, equity, and inclusion can also be updated if Winooski’s future equity director helps develop updated language. l The draft language will be sent through legal review. l Committee members agreed the language was readable and touched on the important elements of a code of conduct policy. l Where possible, the language will pull from existing city materials. l The group agreed to clarify the food policy to discourage outside food, but to allow food provided by the city/library. VIII. Child Safety Policy Review l Committee members discussed the Child Safety Policy, which was updated since last meeting. l The unattended child policy is similar to other city programs with kids, though the group agreed to remove the age requirement for unattended children after hours. IX. Diverse BookFinder Reporting l This will be the first agenda item at the April meeting. X. Outdoor Space Planning IX. Diverse BookFinder Reporting l This will be the first agenda item at the April meeting. X. Outdoor Space Planning l This will be the second agenda item at the April meeting. XI. Other Business None. XII. Adjourn Adjourn at 8:05 PM Motion by: A. Hurd Second: P. Doherty