Winooski Memorial Library Committee

2/3/2022 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: P. Doherty, A. Hurd, J. Wignall, C.N. Khajehali, C. Moore City Staff Present: R. Coffey, N. Eddy Call to Order by: N. Eddy Meeting Start Time: 6:36 PM Minutes Recorded by: J. Wignall II. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Approved Motion by: A. Hurd Second: P. Doherty III. Public Comment None IV. Committee Member Updates A. Hurd is running for city council. If they win the seat, they would need to resign from the Committee. V. Library Updates Staffing K. Wilson is officially full time as the Youth Services Coordinator at the library. Programming Most in-person programming in January was canceled or postponed for youth. Adult programming went virtual. In-person programming will re-start this month. The library will begin offering technical assistance to library patrons each Saturday for using devices. February will include the first bilingual story time in Arabic. K. Wilson will do a sledding program with youth. Dad Guild is still meeting at the space. The library is beginning planning for summer activities around the theme of Oceans of Wonder, which aligns with the state library. The library is planning on a passport activity kit that will engage children at all literacy levels, with fewer, more substantial prizes. The library will ask Offbeat Creamery about partnering for prizes. There were a couple participants in the virtual equity circle, facilitated by the Howard Center, held the 4 th Thursday of every month. The restorative justice circles are well attended. Kayla Loving will  include the first bilingual story time in Arabic. K. Wilson will do a sledding program with youth. Dad Guild is still meeting at the space. The library is beginning planning for summer activities around the theme of Oceans of Wonder, which aligns with the state library. The library is planning on a passport activity kit that will engage children at all literacy levels, with fewer, more substantial prizes. The library will ask Offbeat Creamery about partnering for prizes. There were a couple participants in the virtual equity circle, facilitated by the Howard Center, held the 4 th Thursday of every month. The restorative justice circles are well attended. Kayla Loving will continue to partner with the city around equity and restorative justice work. Monthly Stats Visit numbers were down but circulation numbers were up. Friends of the Library The current president is interested in recruiting new members and stepping into a different role. N. Eddy will be posting recruiting materials. It is not typical for the library director to build a Friends group, but will initiate some activities and then step aside from Friends activities. He will plan on initiating this later this month or early next month. VI. New Member Orientation P. Doherty walked through the committee charter, which was drafted to guide committee members as to their role and expectations. The committee discussed initiating work on a strategic plan, including asking for input from the city’s equity director. She is currently working on a city-wide equity audit which will guide her future activities. Tomorrow night will be a listening session around how to spend American Rescue Plan Act funds across the city. Committee members can listen and advocate for ways the library can serve the needs of the community through the use of these funds. There is approximately $8500 in the “reserve fund” that the library committee can advise on. The committee discussed Open Meeting rules, which are covered here: https://www.vlct.org/sites/default/files/documents/Resource/VLCT%20Open%20Meeting% 20Law%20FAQs.pdf Meeting rules come into play when 3 or more members are discussing library matters. The committee will vote on the officers in July 2022. J. Wignall is currently the Secretary, A. Hurd is the Vice Chair, and P. Doherty is the Chair. VII. Active vs. Inactive Patron Counts This topic was tabled for the next meeting. VIII. Requests for Book Removal(s): Policy & Best Practices Review Decision: Approved. Motion by: A. Hurd Second: J. Wignall IX. Other Business Materials Selection Policy  Second: J. Wignall IX. Other Business Materials Selection Policy N. Eddy reviewed the Materials Selection Policy and filled in gaps around the process related to materials challenges. The committee reviewed and discussed the policy, which now includes some extra content and a role of the library committee in the process. The library currently does accept book donations and they become library property. The committee suggested some revisions to the policy, including extra details around the appeals process, and N. Eddy will revise the policy for finalization next month. X. Adjourn