HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-06-2023 Library Board MinutesCOLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, September 6th, 2023
Approved
10/4/2023
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC
Members of the public who wished to attend could do so in-person, by calling 1-312-626-6799 and entering meeting ID 862 5221 5747 and passcode 039390, or by
Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86252215747 at the scheduled meeting time. For questions, please call the library at 763-706-3690.
The meeting was called to order in the Library Community Room by Gerri Moeller at 5:32pm.
Members physically present: Rachelle Waldon; Carrie Mesrobian; Chris Polley; Melanie Magidow; Justice Spriggs (Council
Liaison). Members remotely present: N/A. Members absent: Gerri Moeller. Also present: Renee Dougherty (Library
Director); Nick Olberding (Board Secretary). Public present: N/A.
1. The Meeting’s Agenda was approved as-is.
2. The Minutes of the August 2nd, 2023, Board Meeting were moved and approved.
3. Review 2023 Operating Budget: 66.58% of the year and 60.44% of the budget encumbered; no concerns raised.
a. 42183: E-book expenses through Anoka County Library were higher than anticipated; Columbia Heights
accounted for ~4.3% of their 756,338 e-checkouts. Usage in Anoka County/Columbia Heights is still on
the rise, as opposed to some other systems, which have plateaued.
Community Forum: Opportunity for public input. No correspondence or members of the public in attendance.
Old Business:
4. Heights Pride Fest – Sat, Sept 23, 10am-4pm (Kordiak Park): The Library does not currently have enough staff to
additionally host a booth this event over the weekend, so the Board was asked to help represent us at Pride Fest.
Chris and Gerri (at last month’s meeting) offered to be there on our behalf at Kordiak Park. We will supply them
with a canopy and supplies for the event.
5. Library Volunteer Recognition Event – Mon, Sept 25, 5:30pm (Library & Council Chambers): The Library will be
recognizing the work and devotion of both our teen and adult volunteers in the form of a recognition event in the
Library’s Community Room, followed by a proclamation at the City Council Meeting in the new City Hall. Board
Members are encouraged to attend and show their support if able.
6. Communication Strategies (Print, Cable, Website): This will be an ongoing discussion, possibly each month. We
will update the Board Outreach Presentation to include Sora Student E-Book App information for use by the
Board; Chris needs a copy sent to him (or copied to a flash drive) for a presentation to the School Board. The
Board also talked about options for events in the future like more puzzle contests (with the Friends), Book
Ambassador Awards, MailChimp for email outreach, Community FaceBook Groups to post Library Promotions (CH
Buy Nothing, Peaceful Page, etc), and a dedicated Library website. The Library’s page of the City website is not
very robust and allows for only minimal features (no catalog, no e-book browsing, no news, no social media
feeds, no dedicated calendar). We will research and compile information on what we would like to see in a
potential website, and Rachelle will research this as well.
New Business:
7. Staffing Update: Resignation of Adult Services Librarian: Cortni O’Brien has accepted a position with Anoka
County Library Community Engagement & Programming and announced her resignation from CHPL. She will be
greatly missed. Over the course of her time she connected the Library with local Community
Groups/Organizations, curated great programming/events, and created positive relationships with Library
visitors. The posting for the position garnered 30 applicants, 6 of which have signed up for interviews for
Thursday and Friday of this week; we hope to onboard someone no later than early October.
8. Request for Funding from the CHPL Foundation: Renee is in the process of requesting funds from the CHPL
Foundation in the amount of $17-20,000. $10,000 would be to help under right the cost of providing SORA E-
Book services to students in the Columbia Heights School District; $7,000 will make up for the loss of 21st Century
Grant funds (which we have received for the last several years via ISD-13) in order to continue offering youth
STEM-related programming that the grant covered; and may request an additional $3,000 for an author series
(like the previous 6-part Doug Ohman history program.)
9. Summer Reading and Youth Programming Review: Provided in the packet was an overview of the Summer
Reading Program activities and stats. A summary is that it felt like we were finally back to normal after the
pandemic with lots of participation and full program attendance. Onsite summer lunch was not as well attended
and due to the required staff involvement, we may discontinue it next year. Eliza met with Anoka County Library
staff for a summer debriefing this morning, but we do not know what was revealed at the meeting.
Director’s Update:
10. July Board Report: Provided as an FYI.
11. From the Floor:
a. Volunteer Recognition: Honoring of volunteers will occur at a Council Meeting later this month.
b. Next Meeting: Continued discussion and ideas on Board Outreach to local community groups; Library
Promotion (communications, services, materials); Future opportunities for collaboration/special events
(i.e. more book sales, puzzle contests).
There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded at 6:31 pm; the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Nicholas P. Olberding
Recording Secretary, CHPL Board of Trustees