Winooski Memorial Library Committee

11/4/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: l P. Doherty l A. Hurd l J. Wignall City Staff Present: l N. Eddy l R. Coffey Guests Present: l None Call to Order by: l N. Eddy Meeting Start Time: l 6:39 PM Minutes Recorded by: l J. Wignall II. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes September 2021 meeting minutes were approved. III. Public Comment None IV. Committee Member Updates J. Wignall visited the story walk that was set up for Halloween. V. Library Updates Staffing l As of this Tues, Donna has returned to work at 14 hours/week. She works Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, early afternoons. l J. Neilson continues to be on FMLA. J. Neilson’s position will be moving out of the library and into the Community Services Department. His role will include programming under recreation, such as D&D and Pokémon Go.  l As of this Tues, Donna has returned to work at 14 hours/week. She works Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, early afternoons. l J. Neilson continues to be on FMLA. J. Neilson’s position will be moving out of the library and into the Community Services Department. His role will include programming under recreation, such as D&D and Pokémon Go. l The library plans to expand K. Wilson’s role to increase her hours and include the youth programming previously under Josh’s purview (tweens and teens). J. Neilson’s role did not previously include “library work” though K. Wilson’s role does include that, such as book orders and cataloging. Her role would be benefits eligible. l It would benefit the library to continue to leverage K. Wilson’s experience related to library work. l Within the general fund budget is included funding for Nate’s position, Kirsten’s position, and 14 hours of clerk time (Donna). l Addison will continue to work 11 hrs/week through the end of November, though the library is exploring additional funding sources to continue that and other positions. l The library has filled the substitute pool for library clerks with 3 individuals who are onboarded and available to fill in for staff absences (e.g., vacation, sick). The library will deploy the substitutes strategically within budget constraints. In the next fiscal year, there might be further opportunities to provide professional development opportunities. Programming l Adult programming continues to be strong, including activities around learning English, citizenship prep, and financial literacy. Restorative Justice Conversation Circles will facilitate sessions once/month. A. Hurd is coordinating a virtual event related to NaNoWriMo. Spectrum hosted after school tutoring this week and will continue that going forward. A. Hurd mentioned there might be additional opportunities to partner with UVM students and resources. l For children, the library is continuing to host story groups, play groups, and STEAM programming, and is partnering with THRIVE and the Dad Guild. Monthly Stats l Stats were increased over the past month, including a particularly high amount of library card registrations. Grants l The library was awarded funding through the ARPA grants to purchase six Chrome books. l The library was awarded a grant to host a storytelling event at the school at which every child will get 2 free books, and the library will receive 90 free titles. l Critical Languages Program has a grant application to support Arabic language learning in the Winooski community, and the library plans to apply for it. It would support Arabic conversation circles for English speakers, bilingual story times, and resource kits to support Arabic language learning for children. Annual Report to VT Dept of Libraries l This is due at the end of December, and N. Eddy has begun working on it. The committee will plan to review it at the December meeting. P. Doherty noted it’s helpful for seeing how the state is thinking about libraries and important metrics. Construction Update l The construction is similar to last month. Progress is continuing, and the second access point looks like it will be open shortly. Parking can be tight when COVID testing is happening.  Construction Update l The construction is similar to last month. Progress is continuing, and the second access point looks like it will be open shortly. Parking can be tight when COVID testing is happening. The library has recently purchased new computers for public use. VI. New Member Recruitment l Five people have applied to the open positions. Having a subcommittee review the applications would need to be 2 members or fewer. l P. Doherty was wondering about potential opportunities for those who were not selected to the committee. One option would be the Friends of the Library, and having the option to attend any committee meetings but not participate in voting. l The next time we review committee bylaws, we should consider adding alternates to the bylaws. l R. Coffey noted that having youth members of commissions has been very successful in the past. l R. Coffey will move forward with logistics to schedule interviews with all five in virtual meetings. l Each committee member should generate two questions for the interviews and send to N. Eddy, which should be 30 min max (6-8 questions). The goal will be to have interviews before Thanksgiving. There will be a city staff member present at each interview. VII. Policy Review: Internet & Computer Access l N. Eddy provided a draft Computer and Internet Access policy based on policies he’s reviewed from other libraries that included useful and relevant language. l The committee discussed the language used in the policy and provided suggested edits. l The library does not filter any internet usage. l N. Eddy will provide an updated policy for voting next meeting. l The final policy will be posted online and within visual distance of the computers. VIII. Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission l The commission meets every month. It is chaired by Mary Hussman and includes report-outs from various Winooski departments. The city would like to hear from the library at the commission meeting in Jan or Feb. In the past this included a presentation from the library director and committee members. Committee members would share their viewpoints on how things are progressing with the library from a community viewpoint. l The library committee will participate in the future meeting. IX. Other Business The first draft of the budget has been submitted and is in the process of being finalized for city council review on Dec 6, and which will be finalized by approx. Jan 19 to warn voters. Related to the library, an increase of $2k is proposed for additional materials collection. P. Doherty noted that a future meeting could include discussion of fundraising campaigns beyond taxes. X. Adjourn Decision: Adjourned at 8:03 PM. Motion by: P. Doherty X. Adjourn Decision: Adjourned at 8:03 PM. Motion by: P. Doherty Second: A. Hurd