Winooski Memorial Library Committee

5/6/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: l Jess Wignall l Aurora Hurd T l Prudence Doherty City Staff Present: F l Nate Eddy l Josh Nielson l Ray Coffey Guests Present: None Call to Order by: Nate Eddy Meeting Start Time: 6:37 PM Minutes Recorded by: Jess Wignall II. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Approved R A D Motion by: J. Wignall Second: A. Hurd III. Public Comment None IV. Committee Member Updates P. Doherty suggested that someone attend the Vermont Library Association meeting, which is free for VLA members. It will include sessions on libraries and homelessness, diversity/equity topics. https://www.vermontlibraries.org/conference N. Eddy and P. Doherty are members and will attend conference sessions. The city pays for memberships to selected organizations, including this one. N. Eddy will follow up on library committee memberships. V. Library Updates Winooski School District ESSER Funding l This funding came as part of Federal fund distributions. They have reached out to community services department about partnering to provide opportunities for youth across the summer and after school. The funding is $300,000 per year for 3 years. The Winooski School District ESSER Funding l This funding came as part of Federal fund distributions. They have reached out to community services department about partnering to provide opportunities for youth across the summer and after school. The funding is $300,000 per year for 3 years. The recreational, library, and Thrive group brainstormed. The library will fund two summer teen library assistants for 18 hours/week for 10 weeks. The library will also fund a childhood engagement specialist for 20 hours/week who will focus on pre-K and early elementary youth, providing in-library services and programming, and outreach to summer camps, OST providers, daycares, etc. and other agencies serving youth in Winooski. City council approved the positions as of this week. The library is working with HR to finalize job descriptions and post the positions. T l Ideally the summer teen assistants will be Winooski residents. N. Eddy and J. Nielson will oversee the new staff. l Committee members will have an opportunity to weigh in on position descriptions for these staff. Some updates can be made to the descriptions without approval from city council, and the positions should not be focused on educational responsibilities that would F overlap with school positions. l Winooski is expanding the after school Thrive program, a recreational director for the pool, and support staff for other summer programs. o Some positions are seasonal, and others will be three-year positions that are grant-dependent as of now. o For all positions, grant requirements for tracking hiring metrics and successes are in the process of being A determined. l N. Eddy will invite committee members to provide input on the interview process for library staff. May Activities R l The library has started to offer in-person services outdoors including story time, tabletop gaming, and other activities. l Virtual programming will include the final Cook the Book for the season prior to restarting in the fall. D l The adult book club will have a meeting and the group comprises 9 members. l There will be an informational session on medical marijuana. April Statistics April Statistics F T R A D  F T A (Wifi sessions are counts of unique users.) P. Doherty asked about continuing curbside pickup post pandemic. N. Eddy confirmed that the library will continue that service, as it does not add much extra burden to library staff. R Also of note: l 13 ILLs received/17 provided l 13 youth/1 adult virtual programs with 74 in attendance; 1 youth/2 adult in-person programs with 14 in attendance D l 32 volunteer hours completed l 14 new card registrations Youth services update (Josh Nielson) l Dungeons and Dragons is still well attended. A youth patron initiated a second youth campaign. l The library has started in-person read aloud stories and games. l There will be a mobile wifi hub that can be used for Pokemon Go club in June. l Tutor participation in academic support is ending this week. J. Nielson will continue dialogue with school representatives. l As inspired by another library who creates waterway exploration quests with clues, J. Nielson will develop quests for natural areas in Winooski, starting in Landry Park. J. Wignall commented that the story walk was engaging. VI. Previous Meeting Action Items Code of Conduct Policy and Child Safety Policy l These have been reviewed by the city manager and will not need to be reviewed by the committee again prior to implementation. l R. Coffey shared the policies with Vermont Works for Women so they could adapt and develop the language for their policies. l Outdoor space  l These have been reviewed by the city manager and will not need to be reviewed by the committee again prior to implementation. l R. Coffey shared the policies with Vermont Works for Women so they could adapt and develop the language for their policies. l Outdoor space l City Public Works does have oversight of outdoor trash removal and cleanup of city property. l Public Works is significantly understaffed at this time and are focused on the pool opening. Once the street sweeping is completed in the city, R. Coffey will check about monthly street sweeping and alcove maintenance around the library. Committee Member Description T l If changes are made, the city council will need to approve the changes. l P. Doherty suggested including the same language as used with other committee members in the city, and moving the frequency and duration of meetings to the F “requirements” section. l Most of the language is from the bylaws. l In terms of recruitment, the city connects with organizations across the city to advertise committee openings, but is exploring strategies for more direct outreach with specific communities. A l A. Hurd suggested that the city consider ways to make membership more accessible to potential members who might need assistance with childcare or addressing other barriers to participating (e.g., internet access). l R. Coffey will check on the committee’s expected role in the budget process, as the city has adjusted commissions to focus mostly on policy development. P. Doherty suggested R removing the detailed budget bullets from the position description as the overall bullet encompasses the committee members’ responsibilities, and committee members agreed. VII. Committee Vacancy D Decision: Approved the revised position description Motion by: A. Hurd Second: J. Wignall l See the discussion above around the description. l Once the description is approved by members, then R. Coffey will take the revised description to city council for approval (likely the May 17 meeting). After approval, the position can be advertised. l In terms of the process, the committee members should help advertise the opening (e.g., one posting on Front Porch Forum per month). The city will also advertise the opening with relevant agencies and groups in the city. If committee members receive questions members can answer, but will direct all applications to the Volunteer Coordinator for the city. l A. Hurd motioned to approve the description. J. Wignall seconded. Members unanimously approved the revisions. VIII. Existing Charter Preliminary Review l A. Hurd commented that bullets within section 8 do not appear to reflect current practices. For example, there is not a current liaison with other relevant committees, though that would be recommended. R. Coffey suggested that members present to the Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission 1x/year. Those have been effective in the past. Members agreed that revisions to section 8 would be helpful. l Library committees are typically governed by state laws, so Winooski’s library  l A. Hurd commented that bullets within section 8 do not appear to reflect current practices. For example, there is not a current liaison with other relevant committees, though that would be recommended. R. Coffey suggested that members present to the Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission 1x/year. Those have been effective in the past. Members agreed that revisions to section 8 would be helpful. l Library committees are typically governed by state laws, so Winooski’s library committee is an outlier compared to other Winooski Commissions in terms of how it is structured and ran. The current Winooski guidelines balance what elected trustees do legally while in a city with a city manager. l The section around financial management does not reflect current city practice. Members suggested revisions to subbullets A, B, and C to more closely align with city practice. T l The Friends of the Winooski Memorial Library group is authorized to raise funds for library use. Right now the group is mostly inactive in Winooski. l The committee will review an edited version of the bylaws at the next meeting. F IX. Winooski Master Plan Review On June 26, the city council will meet to set FY2022 priorities in a public meeting. Library committee members should review the library’s impact on achievement of the goals outlined in the Master Plan for Safe, Healthy, Connected People and identify where additional work or resources could help further achieve the goals. That input can be used to inform priorities for the A city in 2022. This week, committee members will send ideas around the goals and ways to further achieve them to N. Eddy. This topic will be further addressed at the next meeting. X. Other Business None R XI. Adjourn Motion by: J. Wignall Second: A. Hurd D Meeting adjourned at 7:59 PM.