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Home My WebLink About02-03-2021 Library Board Minutes COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY 3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 Approved 3/3/2021 NOTICE THAT THIS MEETING WAS CONDUCTED BY A COMBINATION OF IN-PERSON AND ELECTRONIC MEANS Following a determination by City Manager Kelli Bourgeois, and emergencies declared by the United States, The State of Minnesota, and the Columbia Heights Mayor & City Council, this meeting did, pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 13D.021, occur by a combination of in-person and electronic means. In all meeting formats whether solely in- person or a combination of in-person and electronic means, members of the public who wished to attend could do so by attending in-person or by calling 1-312-626- 6799 and entering meeting ID 847 2391 1303 and passcode 321568 at the scheduled meeting time. If there are any questions about this notice or attending/calling in to a future meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (763) 706-3611. The meeting was called to order in the Library Community Room by Secretary Tricia Conway at 5:31pm. Members physically present: Tricia Conway; Nick Novitsky (Council Liaison). Members remotely present: Christopher Polley; Teresa Eisenbise. Also present: Renee Dougherty (Library Director); Nick Olberding (Recording Secretary); KT Jacobs (Councilmember). Absent: Catherine Vesley (resigned). The Minutes of the January 6th, 2021, Board Meeting were moved and approved unanimously via roll-call vote. The Bill Lists dated January 13th & 27th, 2021, (2020 Budget) were reviewed; both were moved and approved unanimously via roll-call vote. Questions and discussions on Bills and Accounting: • ACL SharePoint: Charged by ACL to set up our two new supervisors with Anoka County SharePoint access. • Ballasts: Several LED Lights were burnt out and needed ballasts replaced. • Fire System: Fire system was sending out false alerts so LVC was called out to troubleshoot/repair the issue. • Accounting: Finance’s audit has not taken place yet so additional expenditures may added to the 2020 final accounting. These will include 6 staff computer replacements. Staff had been on virtual thin-clients, but time and time again they had proven to be problematic and unable to perform necessary functions so staff machines were replaced with standard desktops. o For the patron workstations, thin-clients are typically capable of handling web-browsing sessions and Microsoft Office, but they do struggle with video playback. The Board inquired about replacing these as well. The current units are 5 years old now; we should plan a set replacement cycle on a rotating basis (1/3 of the units at a time). • Preliminary 2020 Revenue: Several categories are low (rentals, printing, sales), but it is to be expected due to the building being closed for 2.5 months, and shortened hours/limited services since then. The Interest on Investments revenue will be totaled during the Finance Audit, and Renee will follow-up on what is included in the Other Miscellaneous Revenue. Old Business: 1. Policy Review: Internet Policy: Renee had red-lined the existing policy, and presented to the Board; there were no significant changes needed. This policy is heavily influenced by MN State Statute 609.541.1-4, which has not changed since the last policy review. A motion to approve the revised 2021 version of the Lost and Damaged Materials Policy was made; it was seconded and approved via roll-call vote. New Business: 1. Art Exhibit Request (CH Centennial Quilt): As part of the Columbia Heights Centennial Celebration, a historically- focused community quilt was commissioned. Rachel Meyers and Alison Marzolf (of the Library staff) spearheaded the project with the help and support of quilt-minded community volunteers and City staff. All the squares have now been created and pieced together, and the quilt has been sent off for the finishing work (an estimated 4-6 weeks). The Library was chosen to host the inaugural Quilt display; to be hung from a beam near the display case or along the glass wall of the lobby (final placement will depend on dimensions and weight of the finished quilt). A motion to approve the Centennial Quilt Art Exhibition Application was made, seconded, and approved by roll-call vote. Items from the Floor: • Catherine Vesley Resignation & CH Board/Commission Term Limits: Today Catherine Vesley turned in her Letter of Resignation in response to the City Council’s effort to impose term limits on the City’s Board and Commission members. It is unknown whether Catherine was informed via official or unofficial channels, but her current term was set to expire in April. Term Limits are not yet official, but a vote before April is likely, and current speculation is that members will be limited to 2 consecutive 3-year terms (Catherine has served since April 2000). Nick Novitsky & KT Jacobs assured the Board that they have put a lot of consideration into the term limit debates, and they are not trying to penalize dedicated City volunteers, but they acknowledged that it could be taken that way. They mentioned that every Board/Commission have members that will be affected by term limits. There are pros/cons to both sides of the debate. The Board seemed to understand the viewpoint of the Council, but emphasized how invaluable Catherine’s experience, knowledge, and devotion is to our particular Board; there is value in having consistency (not having constant member turnover), but also value in new members with fresh ideas and diversity. Our Board has already suffered the death of Pat Sowada, and now the loss of Catherine Vesley; it can feel disheartening. The Board would like to show their appreciation for Catherine’s many years of service (yet to be determined how), and they feel that the City should find a way to also acknowledge the work of Catherine and others that have volunteered their time and energy to the City for so long. • Board Quorum: With 3 members now, a quorum will consist of two members until new members are appointed. • Columbia Academy: We do not yet have statistics on the usage of digital Library Cards that were distributed to students of Columbia Academy; we should have them this summer after the school year finishes. Bri has offered to host Zoom classes assist students and boost usage and has reached out to school staff for feedback. • Kanopy: Is now available to Columbia Heights patrons, and will be promoted in the next City Newsletter. We don’t have any statistics yet on usage, but Chris said he has been using it both at-home and in the classroom. • Municode: The City recently adopted a platform called Municode, which will digitally manage public meetings of the City Council and the City Boards/Commissions. Renee and Nick have had orientation on the software, and will receive additional training next week, in hopes that we will be able to use it for the March meeting. • New ACL Director (Colleen Haubner): Renee has not yet had the opportunity to meet the new Director, but tomorrow morning will be the first ACL Management Team meeting since Colleen started. • Centennial Celebration: How will the Library be involved in the Centennial? We hosted a “Bootstrap Town” Discussion last fall, and will have another one this year; planned audiobook adaptation of “Bootstrap Town”; Kathy Super from the Friends of the Library has been updating our display case with historic items decade-by- decade (currently the 1970’s); and Centennial Quilt creation/exhibition. Nick Novitsky will have more Centennial information for us at the next Board meeting. There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made at 6:13pm, and seconded. Respectfully submitted, Nicholas P. Olberding Recording Secretary, Library Board of Trustee