Library Board of Trustees

The Woodstock Public Library Board of Trustees met on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Christy Johanson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Christy Johanson (Vice President), Mary Beth Urbin (Secretary), Mary Ann Lenzen, Sarah Parisi, Susan Gullotto, Mary Sugden, and Al Fyfe. OTHERS PRESENT: Paul Christensen (Deputy City Manager), Nick Weber (Library Director), Carrie Zamorano (Circulation Manager), Katie Bradley (Assistant Circulation Manager), Ally Griffin (Library Assistant II), Valeria Cereda (Library Assistant II), Lauren Janik (Library Assistant II), and Tiara Thayer (Library Assistant II). ABSENT: Robert Laurie and Gabi Ordóñez. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Discussion and Vote on approving the Regular Minutes from the January 9, 2025 meeting as presented. Mary Sugden moved to approve the minutes of the January 9, 2025 regular meeting as presented, Mary Beth Urbin seconded, and the motion passed with unanimous ayes. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: None. PRESENTATION BY WPL STAFF RE: PAID TIME OFF FOR PART-TIME STAFF • This presentation was delivered primarily by Carrie Zamorano (Circulation Manager), Katie Bradley (Assistant Circulation Supervisor), and Ally Griffin (LA2), with input from and on behalf of the part-time library staff. Other part-time staff who were present include: Valeria Cereda (Library Assistant II), Lauren Janik (Library Assistant II), and Tiara Thayer (Library Assistant II). • Carrie started the presentation by explaining how the library had previously offered prorated benefit time to part-time staff, and how this is no longer the case. Now, part-time staff, who average 28-hour weeks, receive only 30 hours of benefit time for the year. Carrie also informed the board about how the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA) would have provided part-time staff with more equitable benefit time, but the City used home rule to circumvent PLAWA. While the City did implement a stripped-down version of PLAWA for limited part-time staff, the part-time staff still only receive 30 hours for the year. Nick Weber informed the board that this concern has already been presented to and discussed with City Manager, Roscoe Stelford, and Deputy City Manager, Paul Christensen. 1  • Ally Griffin continued the presentation by stating that prorated benefit time is standard for part-time workers within the library field, and highlighted the disparity between the part-time and full-time benefit time. While the part-time staff work 110 hours each month – performing comparable work and holding the same title as two full-time staff – they only receive a pool of 30 hours of benefit time for the year. Full-time staff, in contrast, work 160 hours each month and receive a minimum of 218 hours of benefit time each year. This disparity means that even though the part-time staff work 70% of what the full- time staff work, they are only earning 15% of the benefit time that full-time staff earn. • Ally shared that when her regularly scheduled work day falls on a holiday closure, that she needs to use her benefit time to cover that day or just lose those wages. Last year, that meant she was left without adequate benefit time to cover her time off when she became ill. Lauren Janik expanded on the issue of using benefit time to cover holiday closures, stating that the library closes more than part-time staff receive in benefit time, meaning that some staff are always losing wages at some point over the year. Lauren shared her passion for collection care, stewardship of materials, and how she finds great fulfillment and enrichment by working at the library and serving the community. However, the current benefits presented to her role greatly impacts her sense of self-worth and financial health. Carrie reiterated that the part-time staff are professionals that deserve these benefits, and asked that the board use their authority to ensure this benefit is secured for library staff if the City fails to do so. • The board asked Paul and Nick if this was something the City could afford to do for the library part-time staff. Paul explained that the City is working to determine if this is a benefit they can provide to all City part-time staff, as they don’t think it is right for the library to do this on their own. Nick stated that given the library’s unique governing structure and separate funding, he believes he would be able to accommodate this request with the library’s budget. Discussion ensued concerning the decisions that lead to the repeal of prorated benefit time, the effects it has on library staffing, and when and how the City might reinstitute prorated benefit time for part-time staff. • The board asked for clarification on the authority they have on this matter. Paul stated that the board can vote on this matter, but the preference would be to maintain uniformity across the City. Nick also reminded the board that while they have autonomy from the City, the board members are appointed by the City. Nick requested that the board allow the City to work on a solution, but also stated he would ask the board to act in the best interest of the library staff, if needed. • Nick will provide the board with updates at subsequent meetings to ensure the topic does not get “lost in the shuffle.” COMMUNICATIONS: None. LIBRARY EXPENDITURES Discussion and Vote on the January 2025 Building Fund and Operating Fund Expenditures. Susan Gullotto moved to approve the January 2025 combined Warrant of operating and building expenditures, as presented, Al Fyfe seconded, and the motion carried via the following roll call: Robert Laurie Christy Johanson Mary Beth Urbin Mary Ann Lenzen Absent Aye Aye Aye Sarah Parisi Susan Gullotto Mary Sugden Gabi Ordóñez Aye Aye Aye Absent Al Fyfe Aye 2 LIBRARIAN’S REPORT Nick Weber presented the librarian’s report, a copy of which is attached. Highlights include: • Groundhog Day was, once again, a successful citywide event. Stephen Tobolowsky (the actor who played Ned Ryerson) visited the city, and even came to the library for an impromptu Q&A, and meet and greet session during the library’s annual Groundhog Day movie memorabilia display event. • The Library Lovers Expedition has returned this year. This continues to be a well- attended program across McHenry County. • The library staff attended a citywide staff meeting on February 7th at the Opera House. Staff across the various departments participated in a scavenger hunt and briefly reviewed parts of the strategic plan. • The library has brought back the Giant Puzzle Program. This year’s puzzle is also 18,000 pieces and features an illustration of animals at a watering hole. • A professional headshots pop-up event will be hosted at the library on February 18th. • The Local Author Showcase will return on March 8th and feature local authors, primarily from McHenry County. NEW BUSINESS • Statement of Economic Interest Reminder o Nick informed the board that everyone should have received the Statement of Economic Interest form via email. Mary Sugden did not receive the email, to which Nick stated he will double check the email he provided for her and follow up. • Discussion: Paid time off for part-time employees at WPL and the city o Mary Sugden stated that she was glad to be made aware of the situation, and Al Fyfe added that he was impressed with everyone’s talking points and absolutely on the staff’s side. o Paul Christensen stated that the City chose to use home rule to circumvent PLAWA because there were no guard rails on how the PLAWA time could be used, meaning that staff would be able to take time off for any reason. The City was concerned they would have no recourse if a large number of staff chose to take time off at the same time. Discussion ensued including clarifying questions concerning the City’s intentions to provide prorated benefit time to all part-time staff. o Christy Johanson entered into the minutes that the library board is unanimously in full support of the part-time library staff receiving prorated-benefit time. UNFINISHED BUSINESS • Building Update o Parking Lot Update ▪ Both parking lots will need to be replaced, starting with the staff lot in FY25/26, followed by the main lot in FY26/27. o Landscaping/Bayton Space Update ▪ Nick is completing the RFP for this project, and anticipates getting it out in March. Seibert is interested in completing the project, but Nick wants to check what other bids may come through before moving forward with them. o Pneumatic System ▪ Johnson Controls have been reaching out to the City for their final payment. They were informed that the library needs control of the 3  pneumatic system and the ability to regulate the facility’s temperature before the final payment will be sent. • Staffing Update o Lisa Rossi has resigned in favor of another employment opportunity. o Heather, the children’s librarian, has also left due to family needs. o Four candidates have been selected for final interviews for Lisa’s vacancy, and Nick is hopeful that the library will be able to fill both the reference and the children’s librarian positions from this search. • Friends of the Woodstock Library Update o The annual Friends’ meeting was held last month and was very well attended. A presentation on the landscaping and Bayton space project plans was given and was well received by the attendees. o The Friends are planning how they would like to honor Gayle Hoch’s memory and legacy. o Due to Gayle’s passing, the spring plant sale will not happen this year. However, the Woodstock Garden Club will be assisting with the Friends’ mums’ sale in the fall. ADJOURNMENT Susan Gullotto moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:34 p.m., Mary Ann Lenzin seconded, and the motion passed with unanimous ayes. Respectfully submitted, Tiara Thayer 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. 4  Woodstock Public Library Administrative & Staff Reports – February 2025 DIRECTOR’S REPORT In February, we start winding the fiscal year down, while looking ahead to summer, our busy season. This February was slightly less busy than last, a trend that is unlikely to continue if the economy continues to trend downwards—libraries get more use in difficult economies than in good economies. The library held more events and presentations in February than in past years. Staffing improved slightly, with Alexandra, our new Library Assistant 1, settling in nicely, though we are still missing two full-time employees. Outreach and collaboration with other agencies remained a focal point for the staff, with multiple connections with D200, the Rec Center, the Opera House, and local businesses occurring. Progress was made on the landscaping project and on the pneumatic system replacement project. February marked the start of the fourth annual Library Lovers Expedition, a chance for McHenry County residents to visit all thirteen public libraries in the county, with an opportunity to win great prizes. The Expedition runs through March and is on pace to exceed last year’s participation by a large margin. We also held our second annual Local Authors Showcase, featuring fifteen local authors, and it was again a huge success. Other programs included Rescue Readers at the Hooved Animal Humane Society, the AARP Senior Tax Preparation service, and two U of I Extension programs featuring different classes of animals—reptiles in February, and mammals in March. The search for Lisa Rossi’s replacement yielded a good candidate for reference librarian and another good candidate for children’s librarian. But unfortunately, while the reference librarian will be joining us in early April, the children’s librarian candidate took a different position instead of Woodstock’s. We have started a new search for our next children’s librarian. Things are moving forward with the landscaping project, with an RFP out to local landscaping companies for consideration, and several grants being pursued. The library’s old pneumatic control system project is nearly complete, with the actual control system in place, and, so far, working according to specs. The library and the city’s IT department are coordinating on a project for FY25/26 that will upgrade and expand the library’s Wi-Fi access points. This will ensure our Wi-Fi is up-to-date on the latest technology, and that we have strong coverage throughout the building and into the parking lot. The library’s staff parking lot has been included with the city’s overall pavement plan for FY25/26, with the public parking lot due to be addressed in FY26/27. CIRCULATION & BUILDING USE February 2025 Circulation was down slightly in February compared to 2024, with digital downloads increasing a small amount, but physical check-outs declining by 7%. In-person use of the building was also down by 10% compared to last year. We had nearly 20,297 items, both physical and digital, checked out, compared to 20,935 in 2024, a roughly 3% decrease. 10,357 people came to the library in February, compared to 11,531 in 2024. FINANCIALS Spending out of the new fiscal budget is nearly complete, and things are tracking toward a small surplus, mostly due to savings from staff vacancies, and also from larger donations than budgeted. The new budget is mostly complete, and includes raises for all staff, ranging from 3-4.5%, with most of the other budget lines holding steady, or getting small increases. MEETING/ORGANIZATION SUMMARIES City Meetings/City News The City Council meetings in February and early March were mostly routine, though there was some spirited discussion about the Rec Center’s proposal to eliminate the remaining racquetball court. CIRCULATION SERVICES February is always a busy month at Circulation with Library Lover’s Expedition, AARP tax preparation and Groundhog Days festivities bringing extra people through the doors. The Circulation Team has risen to the occasion offering excellent service to our regular patrons as well as all of our additional visitors. Last year, Shawn Wickersheim had the excellent idea of creating oversized groundhog footprints to direct GHD revelers to our displays and events; once again they were a hit as they led folks upstairs. Several members of Circulation stepped in to help cover vacancies left by Lisa Rossi and Heather Butner. Katie Bradley hosted story times for House of Children and Crystal Lake Montessori. Carrie Zamorano and Katie co-hosted a visit that included a story time, simple craft, and library tour for special needs students from Prairiewood Elementary School. Cheryl Staats and Katie brought a craft and information, as well as signed people up for library cards at Family Literacy Night at Greenwood Elementary School. Carrie facilitated a visit from the University of Illinois Extension Office showcasing reptiles including several live snakes; Carrie also led the Adult Craft Program for February, which featured a hanging wooden heart decoupage project. While covering these additional duties, Circulation staff also fulfilled their regular duties including Sarah Jane creating very inspirational painted windows which brighten both staff and patrons’ days. Sarah Jane and Katie hosted a well-attended Bob’s Burgers Trivia program. Katie attended her WILIUG Steering Committee meeting. As part of the newly formed RAILS Author Event Steering Committee, Carrie helped lead an online roundtable event with 84 libraries in attendance. She also worked on the PrairieCat Circulation Committee and met with members of the Friends Library Ambassadors to plan events for the upcoming year. The Circulation Team packed a lot into a short month! YOUTH SERVICES Despite missing nearly half of the department, the remaining staff in the Children’s Department continue to do as many of the things that normally happen as possible. Most storytimes had to be cancelled in the short term, but Janet Moritz, who does the library’s Spanish storytimes, volunteered to do a couple of drop-in English storytimes to help fill the void. The Children’s Department have been, and will continue to move things around a bit in non-fiction. The homeschooling materials will be moving to the end of the non-fiction section, which will allow the fiction section to shift to the south. ADULT SERVICES Technology Assistance Appointments • 1-on-1 Appointments Requested: 5 • Resolutions: 5 • Cancellations: 0 • Most Common Consultation Subject: Phone • Average Number of Days for Resolution: 4 Adult Programming • Total # of Adult Programs: 13 o 9- in-person o 4- virtual • Total Programming Attendance: 176 o 2% month-over-month decrease from January 2025 o 3% year-over-year decrease from February of 2024 • Top-Performing Programs by Attendance: o Tour of Soups - 47 o Blood Drive - 21 o Turning Point Tabling Event - 20 Passives • The travel-themed "Six Weeks of Winter" book display had seven checkouts. Next month's theme is "Women of History" in observance of Women's History Month.  • The library hosted a tabling event from Turning Point Domestic Violence Services this month. • The Giant Puzzle Challenge is up to two quarters now with the puzzle moving along swimmingly. CALENDAR (https://woodstock.librarycalendar.com/) Upcoming Events & Dates of Import: • Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.: AARP Tax Appointments • Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: AARP Tax Appointments • Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: AARP Tax Appointments • Monday, March 24, 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Babysitting Training (in conjunction with the Woodstock Recreation Department) • Wednesday, March 26, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.: Women in the Arts • Thursday, March 27, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Learn About Lasers • Thursday, March 27 – Monday, April 7: 9th Annual Peep Show entries accepted • Tuesday, April 1, all day: Spring Election polling place • Friday, April 4, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Library Closed for First Friday • Sunday, April 6 – Saturday, April 12: FoWL Mini-links Raffle • Saturday, April 12, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm: Mini-links!