Winooski Memorial Library Committee

12/2/2021 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: P. Doherty, A. Hurd, J. Wignall City Staff Present: N. Eddy, R. Coffey Guests Present: None Call to Order by: N. Eddy Meeting Start Time: 6:33 PM Minutes Recorded by: J. Wignall II. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Approved Motion by: P. Doherty Second: A. Hurd III. Public Comment None IV. Committee Member Updates A. Hurd noted that the NaNoWriMo event in November went well and they received positive feedback. V. Library Updates Staffing As of Nov 29, J. Nielson has resigned from the Youth Services Coordinator role. The plan is for Kirsten to apply to this role after some updates to the position description to include additional library roles. The position is being reviewed by HR and would hopefully be approved by city council on Dec 13. After that point, the position would be opened for applicants. If Kirsten is hired in the new position, then her role would be backfilled in a different configuration (e.g., to include more circulation support for the library). Programming The library is continuing Adult programming, including citizenship and English classes. The book group meets monthly. November included the first restorative justice circle with 7 people; the next meeting will be December 15. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity is using the library on Sundays to host financial classes in Somali and Nepali languages. The library is starting to plan for the centennial celebration in March 2022, including a discussion and display concerning the dome proposal from the 1980s. P. Doherty suggested digitizing the collection once it has been collected and offered the scanning capabilities of the UVM Special Collections  The library is continuing Adult programming, including citizenship and English classes. The book group meets monthly. November included the first restorative justice circle with 7 people; the next meeting will be December 15. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity is using the library on Sundays to host financial classes in Somali and Nepali languages. The library is starting to plan for the centennial celebration in March 2022, including a discussion and display concerning the dome proposal from the 1980s. P. Doherty suggested digitizing the collection once it has been collected and offered the scanning capabilities of the UVM Special Collections library. A. Hurd offered their time to help with a website on the topic. In children’s services, story time continues, as does the play group with the Howard Center. Saturday includes active participation (8-12 children) for the STEAM events. Dad Guild continues to host monthly events at the library. The library will continue outreach to the daycare centers in the community, and Kirsten does story time at THRIVE weekly. Today included hosting a storytelling event with 30-35 children where each child received 2 free books, as part of the previously awarded grant. Monthly Stats Stats were consistent with the past month. Circulation continues to be good considering the pandemic. Grants The library submitted the Critical Languages Program grant application to support Arabic language learning in the Winooski community. It would support a 10-week program of Arabic conversation circles for English speakers, monthly bilingual story times, and resource kits to support Arabic language learning for children. The library received additional ARPA funding of over $10k for library furnishings. New Member Recruitment On Mar 16, 2020 the terms of the current members were confirmed to be: l P. Doherty: Term to end June 30, 2022 l A. Hurd: Term to end June 30, 2022 l J. Wignall: Term ended June 30, 2021 l J. Morley: Term ended June 30, 2021 l The plan will be, upon the appointment of new members, that J. Wignall will be reappointed for the same term as the new members, to end on June 30, 2024. l P. Doherty suggested including these on a calendar, along with a schedule for routine updates of the policies and other regular activities. l P. Doherty suggested including term dates on the website with the committee member information. The library committee will meet next week to discuss candidates with the aim of getting members approved on the Dec 13, 2021 city council meeting. The committee will plan to orient new members to the committee. VI. Final Policy Review: Internet & Computer Access Decision: Approval Motion by: A. Hurd Second: J. Wignall l N. Eddy provided a revised Computer and Internet Access policy. l The committee discussed the language used in the policy and provided suggested  Motion by: A. Hurd Second: J. Wignall l N. Eddy provided a revised Computer and Internet Access policy. l The committee discussed the language used in the policy and provided suggested edits. l The library computers included some software that restricts downloads. l A. Hurd suggested including links to relevant policies where appropriate. l The committee members unanimously approved the updated policy. VII. VT Department of Libraries Annual Reporting l N. Eddy shared the report for fiscal year 7/1/2020 to 6/30/2021 and reviewed data from the report with committee members. l There was a greater difference between revenue and expenditures this year than other years due to staffing gaps and furloughs. l The library committee should consider revisiting the policy around cardholders who have not used their card in a specific time frame or have an expired card and whether they could be removed from the cardholder list. Certain licenses are based on a per- cardholder system, so artificially inflated rosters increase the cost to the library. l DVDs are not circulated much; audiobooks are used by patrons more regularly, but neither collection is being expanded at this time. l The report is due Dec 31, 2021 and is in the process of being approved. The results from all the library submissions will be available in approximately March. VIII. Fundraising l The committee discussed that the operating expenses of the library are being covered by the city, with opportunities for periodic increases in the budget, and agreed that that should continue to be the case (i.e., operating costs to be covered by the city). l Fundraising without goals would not be effective. A. Hurd noted that building a strategic plan could inform areas for potential fundraising and help advocate for funds. l The committee discussed exploring a campaign around encouraging bequests to the library, such as through a link on the website. l The Friends of the Library can operate outside city requirements as more of a nonprofit and would be a good vehicle for fundraising. IX. Other Business None X. Adjourn Decision: Adjourned at 8:07 PM Motion by: A. Hurd Second: P. Doherty