Library Board of Trustees

The Woodstock Public Library Board of Trustees met on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Robert Laurie called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Robert Laurie (President), Jim Hurley (Treasurer), Mary Beth Urbin (Secretary), Mary Ann Lenzen, Sarah Parisi, Susan Gullotto. OTHERS PRESENT: Paul Christensen (Deputy City Manager), Nick Weber (Library Director), Tiara Thayer (Library Assistant II), Marti Shaffer (Friends of the Library Representative). ABSENT: Christy Johanson (Vice President), Teresa Flores. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Discussion and Vote on approving the Regular Minutes from the November 2023 meeting as presented or corrected Mary Beth Urbin moved to approve the minutes of the November 2023 regular meeting as presented, Sarah Parisi seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: None. COMMUNICATIONS: None. LIBRARY EXPENDITURES Discussion and Vote on the November 2023 Building Fund and Operating Fund Expenditures • The board asked how often the library pays the PrairieCat membership fee. Nick stated this payment is made on a quarterly schedule. Robert Laurie moved to approve the November 2023 combined Warrant of operating and building expenditures, as presented, Susan Gullotto seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. LIBRARIAN’S REPORT Nick Weber presented the librarian’s report, a copy of which is attached. Highlights include: • Gas Leak Explosion Update o There were no additional updates from last month. Nick reiterated that the City and Fire District will be subscribing to Nixle, which is a service that sends out citywide text alert notices. • The library is entering the second half of the fiscal year and is staying on track with the budget. • The new webpage is closer to being complete. The library is still working with the city on some library specific website concerns. Nick is optimistic that the library will have a decent amount of control over their website.  • Library representatives were present at the annual Lighting of the Square to hand out pre- packaged craft kits. • The library was a participant in the annual citywide Pickle Scavenger Hunt. • Turkey Bingo was another great success and well attended by patrons. • The new Tech Assistance service has been offered for about two-months now, with each help session lasting about 30-minutes. Austin has been doing an excellent job helping patrons with technology challenges. • The library will be closed the following days this month for the holidays: o December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 31st, and January 1st. NEW BUSINESS • Discussion on Vega, the new discovery interface for the library catalog: o Vega is the new user interface for Sierra. Previously, patrons would have accessed their library account and browsed the library’s collection through an interface called Encore. Encore is being phased out and replaced with Vega, which will affect the patron’s experience with WPL catalog. o Vega has improved some intuitive features that will allow patrons to more easily search the library’s collection. Conversely, some issues include the lack of accurate multi-level volume records and an increased difficulty in searching for stories that have been compiled within a collection. Librarians will still be able to search for materials for patrons through Sierra. o WPL has been persistent with reporting concerns, some of which have been remedied already. • Discussion and Vote on Changes to Office Remodeling Contract. o Due to the amount of project management that the construction company has undertaken, they have added an additional charge of $20,085 to their total. o Robert Laurie moved to approve the adjusted total cost of $20,085.00, Mary Beth Urbin seconded and the motion passed unanimously. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Building Updates o Bayton Outdoor Space ▪ Updates covered in Landscaping/Replanting section below. o Landscaping /Replanting ▪ The library’s goal is to incorporate more native plants and replace invasive plants with non-invasive alternatives. ▪ This change in landscaping also means that the library will be looking into maintenance options to ensure that the native and other updated plants are cared for appropriately. ▪ Carrie Zamorano (WPL Circulation Manager) met with Sarah Michehl (Community Ecologist from The Land Conservancy of McHenry County), Marti Shaffer (FoWL Board Member), and Jessica Beverly (Rural WPL Board Member) to view the library grounds and begin developing landscaping desires and plans. o HVAC Unit #4 ▪ The unit is circulating the air, but is not heating the air. ▪ This unit affects the adult non-fiction and computer reference areas. ▪ The library is waiting for the repair part to be ordered and shipped.  • Staffing Update o The children’s librarian has resigned from her position, and Nick and Kate have interviewed multiple candidates, most of which were promising. The final three candidates were brought in for in-person interviews, and by the end of today, Nick and Kate chose a candidate and offered the position to them. If the candidate declines the offer, Nick and Kate are ready to offer the position to the second candidate. The new children’s librarian should begin in January. o Since the implementation of the tiered librarian system, two more librarians (Matt and Kirk) have moved into Librarian II positions. • Friends of the Library (FoWL) Update o The friends met in November to discuss their budget and upcoming events. o The Friends Annual Meeting is coming up on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024. o The friends will be offering gift wrapping services on Saturday, December 16th, for the library bookstore purchases. o Next winter, the friends are looking at participating in the city’s Christmas parade. o The board asked for clarification on what happens to the books that don’t sell, and how the book sales are scheduled. ▪ Marti Shaffer explained that the friends will sell books online, offer them to individuals and organizations within their network, or as a last resort they recycle the books. The online sales are split between FoWL and WPL. ▪ The big book sales are dependent on how many donations are received and the general size of the bookstore inventory. o The planning process for the 2024 Mini Golf event will soon be starting. • Strategic Planning Update o The various committees have met at least once, some have met twice. o The Staff Training Committee is working on securing resources and presenters for professional development. o The Staff Assistance and Morale (SAM) committee has facilitated a holiday potluck and are working to maintain high spirits among the staff. They are continuing to work on ways to foster an enjoyable work environment. • Update on National and State Library Trends o Overall, most of the efforts to ban or defund libraries have failed. o Libraries have been implementing clearer reconsideration policies that require patrons to read the book(s) they are interested in banning. o Multiple states have severed ties with ALA (American Library Association). ADJOURNMENT Robert Laurie moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:34 p.m., Mary Beth Urbin seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Tiara Thayer Library Assistant II All meetings of the Library Board are open to the public. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they are fully accessible, and if any further accommodations are needed, please contact the Library Director 48 hours prior to the meeting.