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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2024 Library Board Packet LIBRARY BOARD Library—Community Room, 3939 Central Ave NE Wednesday, January 03, 2024 5:30 PM AGENDA ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC Members of the public who wish to attend may 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. CALL TO ORDER 1. Approve the Agenda 2. Review/Approve Library Board Minutes from December 6, 2023 3. Review 2023 Operating Budget COMMUNITY FORUM: At this time, individuals may address the Library Board about any item not included on the regular agenda. All speakers need to state their name and connection to Columbia Heights, and limit their comments to five (5) minutes. Those in attendance virtually should send this information in the chat function to the moderator. The Board will listen to brief remarks, ask clarifying questions, and if needed, request staff to follow up or direct the matter to be added to an upcoming agenda. OLD BUSINESS 4. Staffing Update: a. Library Supervisor b. Library Page opening 5. Project: Website Re-vitalization 6. Project: Strategic Planning Farmework DIRECTOR'S UPDATE 7. November Board Report ADJOURNMENT Auxiliary aids or other accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request when the request is made at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact Administration at 763-706-3610 to make arrangements. 1 COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY 3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421 BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 Drafted 12/7/2023 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 5:33pm. Members physically present: Gerri Moeller; Rachelle Waldon; Melanie Magidow; Carrie Mesrobian; Chris Polley. Members remotely present: N/A. Members absent: Justice Spriggs (Council Liaison). 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 November 1st, 2023, Board Meeting were moved and approved. 3. Review 2023 Operating Budget: 91.51% of the year and 80.80% of the budget encumbered; no concerns raised. a. Under for the year and it should remain balanced at the end of the year. Community Forum: Opportunity for public input. No correspondence or members of the public in attendance. Old Business: 4. Project: Website Re-vitalization: Renee and several staff members will be meeting with the City’s IT Director and the Communications Director on December 14th to discuss the options for revitalizing the Library’s section of the City website (as well as the website as a whole), or the possibility of creating a standalone Library website if the existing website is not capable. 5. Project: Strategic Planning: Given the option of hiring a facilitator or taking on strategic planning as a group, the Board feels that they would like to be self-sufficient for the time being. There are a lot of resources available to assist with the process, including framework and procedure documents and videos compiled online; also mentioned was a locally based entity called Adaptive Action. We will also supply the Board with all the notes from the previous 2019 strategic planning session, the strategic plan report commissioned by Anoka County Library, the results of last year’s Columbia Heights City Survey, Library staff input, and any other relevant documentation for the project. The previous plan outlined seven categories of focus (which were somewhat derailed by the global pandemic, but are still relevant), plus Renee and the Board mentioned reaching new and underserved communities, deepening existing connections, being open more hours, and improving our web presence. A MOTION was made to host a Board Strategic Planning Session on Saturday, January 13th, 2024, from 11am-1pm in the Library History Room; it was seconded and unanimously approved. New Business: 6. Staffing Update: Library Supervisor: An offer was made to a prospective Library Supervisor and the offer was accepted; we thought they could already be training at this point, but the process is being held up by the background check. We hope to have them onboard soon. 7. Recommend Adoption: Proposed Fee Schedule for 2024: Annually our fee schedule (price list of fines/fees for cards, retail, replacements, printing, etc) needs to be approved by the Library Board, and then the City Council. There are only minor changes this year; earbuds were reduced from $5 to $2, RFID replacement was updated to $0.50, audio bags were eliminated, and the Community Room Rental fee was removed (as the fee was already cancelled earlier in 2023). MOTION: A motion to approve the Fine/Fee Schedule for 2024 was made; it was 2 Item 2. seconded and unanimously approved. a. Related Discussion: What was the outcome of eliminating late fees on overdue items? While we do not have concrete data on the effects, outcomes have been positive. Item circulation has increased, and the number of items not returned has not noticeably changed (the number of patrons sent to collections for unreturned items has slightly decreased from month to month). Staff have appreciated not having to bother patrons about fines on their accounts every time they come to the front desk. Our fine-free status should be reflected prominently on a future Library website (Note: fine-free status only applies to items physically checked-out from CHPL—including ACL items, if CHPL items are sent for a request to an ACL Library and checked-out there, late fees still apply). 8. Project: Merchandising: Anoka County Library has started an initiative to help merchandise and promote their collection; CHPL will follow suit. Based on scientific and observational research by bookstores like Barnes & Noble, a set of guidelines and strategies have been developed for displaying, organizing, and promoting a library collection. With only partially implementing this so far there have already been multiple compliments from patrons on the appearance and a noticeable uptick in items being picked up from displays. The strategy dictates straight lines and pyramidal organization of books on display with minimal props and concise signage, and consistent even lines of spine-out shelved books with faced-out books to capture attention (ratio of 2/3 to 1/3). This will be an ongoing project which will take a while to fully implement. 9. Project: Revision of Memorandum of Understanding with Anoka County: The meeting between Renee and the Anoka County Library Director earlier this week was cancelled so there is not much information to share at this time. The agreement between CHPL and ACL has not been reviewed since 2009, so it probably time for a revision. Potential aspects needing attention are costs associated with ILS services, patron notices (eg. hold notifications), Kanopy, E-Book charges, and an upcoming Patron Engagement Sofware (which will also be used for card renewals, address verification, and online applications). Renee would like to discuss how payments for CHPL lost/damaged items are handled via the ACL website, a Digital Library Card option (potentially throughout MELSA), and the possibility of a Lucky Day Collection (a way for in-demand items to be available in-library for a designated amount of time for a lucky patron to find). Director’s Update: 10. October Board Report: Provided as an FYI. 11. From the Floor: a. ESL Family Nights: These have been a huge success; very well attended and a great way to reach new communities and promote our value and services. Valley View Elementary’s Family Night is tomorrow. b. Next Meeting: Include time to prepare for the January 13th Strategic Planning Session. There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded at 6:46 pm; the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nicholas P. Olberding Recording Secretary, CHPL Board of Trustees 3 Item 2. Fund 240 ‐ LIBRARY 2023 YTD ACTIVITY FOR AMENDED BALANCE MONTH ENCUMBERED UNENCUMBERED % BDGT ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION BUDGET 12/31/2023 12/31/2023 YEAR‐TO‐DATE BALANCE USED 41010 REGULAR EMPLOYEES 496,500.00 424,956.82 47,474.20 0 71,543.18 85.59 41011 PART‐TIME EMPLOYEES 134,200.00 107,170.88 13,914.52 0.00 27,029.12 79.86 41020 OVERTIME‐REGULAR 800.00 789.46 87.96 0.00 10.54 98.68 41050 ACCRUED LEAVE ADJUSTMENT 0.00 21,460.44 0.00 0.00 (21,460.44)100.00 41070 INTERDEPARTMENTAL LABOR SERV 1,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,000.00 0.00 41210 P.E.R.A. CONTRIBUTION 45,300.00 39,691.00 4,340.05 0.00 5,609.00 87.62 41220 F.I.C.A. CONTRIBUTION 47,700.00 41,210.23 4,463.23 0.00 6,489.77 86.39 41300 INSURANCE 79,600.00 77,273.65 6,457.45 0.00 2,326.35 97.08 41400 UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 0.00 212.07 0.00 0.00 (212.07)100.00 41510 WORKERS COMP INSURANCE PREM 4,600.00 4,258.90 454.01 0.00 341.10 92.58 42000 OFFICE SUPPLIES 1,200.00 1,185.68 0.00 0.00 14.32 98.81 42010 MINOR EQUIPMENT 100.00 122.44 0.00 0.00 (22.44)122.44 42011 END USER DEVICES 3,600.00 1,505.71 0.00 0.00 2,094.29 41.83 42030 PRINTING & PRINTED FORMS 800.00 826.00 0.00 0.00 (26.00)103.25 42170 PROGRAM SUPPLIES 1,600.00 885.93 0.00 0.00 714.07 55.37 42171 GENERAL SUPPLIES 7,300.00 4,947.24 0.00 0.00 2,352.76 67.77 42175 FOOD SUPPLIES 100.00 34.77 0.00 0.00 65.23 34.77 42180 BOOKS 53,000.00 44,406.10 0.00 0.00 8,593.90 83.79 42181 PERIODICALS, MAG, NEWSPAPERS 7,800.00 7,287.81 0.00 0.00 512.19 93.43 42183 E‐BOOKS 8,000.00 16,284.08 0.00 0.00 (8,284.08)203.55 42185 COMPACT DISCS 5,000.00 2,446.99 0.00 0.00 2,553.01 48.94 42187 BOOK/CD SET 500.00 2,005.44 0.00 0.00 (1,505.44)401.09 42189 DVD 6,500.00 4,994.02 0.00 0.00 1,505.98 76.83 42990 COMM. PURCHASED FOR RESALE 300.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 300.00 0.00 43050 EXPERT & PROFESSIONAL SERV. 6,300.00 4,499.48 0.00 0.00 1,800.52 71.42 43105 TRAINING & EDUCATION ACTIVITIES 800.00 211.90 0.00 0.00 588.10 26.49 43210 TELEPHONE 900.00 373.68 0.00 496.23 30.09 96.66 43220 POSTAGE 200.00 205.60 0.00 0.00 (5.60)102.80 43250 OTHER TELECOMMUNICATIONS 3,100.00 2,806.20 0.00 0.00 293.80 90.52 43310 LOCAL TRAVEL EXPENSE 500.00 299.67 0.00 0.00 200.33 59.93 43600 PROP & LIAB INSURANCE 10,800.00 9,900.00 0.00 0.00 900.00 91.67 43800 UTILITY SERVICES 6,200.00 7,116.52 2,018.47 0.00 (916.52)114.78 43810 ELECTRIC 39,000.00 31,456.63 0.00 0.00 7,543.37 80.66 43830 GAS 8,400.00 8,712.20 0.00 0.00 (312.20)103.72 44000 REPAIR & MAINT. SERVICES 19,300.00 17,334.66 0.00 0.00 1,965.34 89.82 44010 BUILDING MAINT:INTERNAL SVCS 40,900.00 37,491.63 0.00 0.00 3,408.37 91.67 44020 BLDG MAINT CONTRACTUAL SERVICES 27,800.00 25,125.47 0.00 10,455.00 (7,780.47)127.99 44030 SOFTWARE & SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTIONS 19,600.00 13,439.27 0.00 3,473.13 2,687.60 86.29 44040 INFORMATION SYS:INTERNAL SVC 83,600.00 76,633.37 0.00 0.00 6,966.63 91.67 44050 GARAGE, LABOR BURD. 200.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 200.00 0.00 44330 SUBSCRIPTION, MEMBERSHIP 600.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 600.00 0.00 44375 VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION 200.00 112.90 0.00 0.00 87.10 56.45 45180 OTHER EQUIPMENT 10,000.00 1,479.57 0.00 0.00 8,520.43 14.80 47100 OPER. TRANSFER OUT ‐ LABOR 18,000.00 16,500.00 0.00 0.00 1,500.00 91.67 TOTAL EXPENDITURES: 1,201,900.00 1,057,654.41 79,209.89 14,424.36 129,821.23 89.20 EXPENDITURE REPORT FOR CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PERIOD ENDING 12/31/2023 Fiscal Year Completed: 100.00% 4 Item 3. Columbia Heights Public Library Library Board Report – November 2023 BUILDING • Horowitz changed HVAC filters as part of their quarterly inspection/planned maintenance visit. • Adams Pest Control inspected the building and noted mouse scat in the staff breakroom. • A shortage of custodial staff resulted in one instance when the building was not cleaned. • Aid Electric repaired wire to an external pole at north parking/staff entrance. A new camera and enhanced Wi-Fi access point were installed. • A plumber was required to clear an obstruction in the men’s toilet. Signage was added to discourage flushing of plastic or trash. TECHNOLOGY COLLECTION • Adult book displays included Native American heritage, National Novel Writing Month, and new books. • Book requests added to the juvenile collection in included “Dork Diaries,” “Wild Robot” and “Calvin and Hobbes.” • Weeding was completed in easy picture books, juvenile and adult DVDs, adult audiobooks, and adult nonfiction 800-900. PROGRAMS AND SELF-DIRECTED ACTIVITIES DATE INTENDED AUDIENCE ATTENDANCE Daycare Storytime 11/1 Children (0-5) 12 English Language (EL) Conversation Circle 11/2 Adult 5 EL Learner Family Night for Highland Elementary 11/2 All Ages 98 Family Storytime 11/6 Children (0-5) 45 EL Conversation Circle 11/6 Adult 6 EL Conversation Circle 11/9 Adult 4 Family Storytime 11/13 Children (0-5) 38 EL Conversation Circle 11/13 Adult 3 Anishinaabe Beadwork 11/13 Adult 14 Book Club “The Personal Librarian” 11/15 Adult 11 EL Conversation Circle 11/16 Adult 2 DIY Teen: Needle-Felted Succulents 11/16 Young Adult (12-18) 8 EL Conversation Circle 11/20 Adult 5 EL Conversation Circle 11/27 Adult 4 Tinker Time: Shrinky Dinks 11/28 Children (6-11) 13 EL Conversation Circle 11/30 Adult 3 STAFF • Eliza Pope, Youth Services Librarian, o Wrapped up the fall session of Family Storytime. o Provided a special storytime for Cathy Miske’s daycare. o Contracted Parcel Arts to provide a “DIY Teen: Needle Felted Succulents” program. Jenny taught six teens to use needle felting tools and wool roving to create faux succulents. Each teen created a unique succulent and experimented with using their felting needle to create different leaf shapes. 5 Item 7. Columbia Heights Public Library Library Board Monthly Update – November 2023 o Lead a Tinker Time: Shrinky Dinks program for 12 youth and grown-ups who made winter themed Shrinky Dink keychains. Kids can choose from pre-printed patterns to trace or design their own Shrink Dinks and then watch them magically shrink in the toaster oven. Adults love Shrinky Dinks just about as much as the kids do! o Hosted a second Family EL Night on November 2 in partnership with Highland Elementary. Teachers provided a quick overview about EL services at Highland and Eliza provided information about library cards and the library. Approximately 98 students, family members, and teachers attended. Most of the families were Spanish speaking. If Yuliana was not able to make a library card on the spot, she helped families understand what they needed to bring back to get a card. One very excited child checked out a pair of snowshoes and birdwatching kit. o Engaged with approximately 300 people at the CHPS Resource Fair for new families. The Resource Fair was held at the Family Center and connected families to a wide variety of resources and agencies in Columbia Heights. Families could get information about adult basic education classes and immigration law, get vaccines, and pick up clothes, toys, COVID tests and more. Almost all the families at the event spoke Spanish and Page Yuliana Morocho-Calderon was again a vital point of contact for families to learn about the library. o The Early Literacy Play Space changed from a restaurant to a Post Office. Children practiced pre-writing and writing skills on postcards, practiced counting with money, and pretended to deliver mail throughout the youth area. Additional play space changeups included light table rainbow pegs, community helper garages, cars, and road signs, new puzzles, and castle blocks. See a postcard a child wrote while playing in the Post Office! • Elizabeth Ripley, Adult Services Librarian, o Made three deliveries to At-Home patrons and added one new person to the program. o Met with instructor Joan Wing from Metro North Adult Basic Education to plan for visits to Level 1 English classes. o Met with Senior Coordinator Candy Lack and the Wine and Words Book Club to plan the future of the program. o Met with the Friends of the Library on November 19. • Renee Dougherty, Library Director, o Attended the city’s communication committee and division head meetings. o Met with Captain Matt Markham about the Police Department’s 2024 strategic plan. o Met with Sarah Hawkins of Anoka County Library to plan for the processing of online library card applications through Patron Point. o Met with Page Millie Onofre-Giles for her annual performance review. o Attended the CHPS Communication Advisory Council meeting. 6 Item 7. Columbia Heights Public Library Library Board Monthly Update – November 2023 o Met with the Anoka County Library director and attended the monthly ACL Public Services Team meeting. MISCELLANEOUS o Full-time staff and supervisors trained with the Police Department’s embedded social workers on recognizing mental illness and de-escalation techniques to use with patrons. o Thirty-eight pieces of Tiny Art by community artists were on display in the glass case. o The Anoka County Law Librarian met with one person on 11/16. PUBLIC COMPUTER USE 2023 2022 Users 930 716 Sessions 1,323 1,020 Minutes 60,771 41,964 VOLUNTEERS Total Hours Adult 5 22.5 Teen 0 0 FACILITY USE 2023 2022 Visitors 6,147 5,343 Study & Meeting Room Use 239 199 7 Item 7.