HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-01-2025 Library Board Minutes
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Approved
11/5/2025
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC
Members of the public who wished to attend could do so in-person, or via Microsoft Teams by entering Meeting ID 254 921 776 562 0 and passcode
QP35BK9R at the scheduled meeting time. For questions, please contact Administration at 763-706-3610.
The meeting was called to order in the Library Community Room by Melanie Magidow at 5:33pm.
Members present: Melanie Magidow; Olga Herrera; Theresa Strike. Members remotely present: Amáda Márquez
Simula (City Council Liaison). Members absent: Chris Polley; Amina Maameri. Others present: Elizabeth Ripley (Adult
Services Librarian); Nick Olberding (Board Secretary). Public present: N/A.
1. The Agenda was approved as is.
2. The Minutes from September 3, 2025, Library Board Meeting were moved and approved.
3. Review of 2025 Operating Budget: 74.8% of the year completed and 67.5% of the budget expended.
Community Forum: Opportunity for public input. No correspondence and no public in attendance. The CHPL
website now has a contact form to submit questions or concerns: https://chplmn.org/board
Old Business:
4. Staffing Update: 107 applications were received for the part-time Library Page position during the one week the
posting was open, of them 10 were offered interviews (9 accepted), and among them 3 were presented
employment offers—now awaiting acceptance.
New Business:
5. Great North Star Read-Together Review: It was reported the official count for the event was 54 attendees
(although it could have been higher due to some attendees not stopping into the Community Room to be
counted). Staff took photos of attendees with the handheld whiteboard and posted them to the Library’s
Facebook, and visitors commented on the “Library Stories” Board (which was left up in the Library for the next
couple weeks for additional participation). Of the staff and board members who attended they had favorable
opinions of the event, saying it was comforting to read silently together in an organized event like this. For a
first-time event of this nature the Board was pleased with the results, and were already thinking of things that
could be expanded on if it were to happen again next year (e.g. additional promotion, increased diversity, more
comfy seating, extended hours, more activities like an adult story time/arts & crafts); if the organizers continue
this again next year we should keep evolving the event here in Columbia Heights to suit our community.
6. Library Building Tour: This agenda item was pushed to after adjournment of the meeting in consideration of our
virtual attendee. Elizabeth and I showed the three Board members the staff area including the youth play space
storage closet, staff workspaces, and the automated materials handler attached to the drive-up book drop. The
tour lasted 10 minutes and no official business was discussed.
Director’s Update:
7. August Board Report: Provided as an FYI.
a. Melanie shared that federal IMLS funding currently remains intact for 2026, but under this
unprecedented administration nothing is guaranteed.
b. Saturday Conversation Circles session has been very popular; all sessions have stable attendance.
c. The Board was happy with the youth turnout for the Summer Reading Program. With adults now
eligible for some of the prizes, many more of them joined this year. The Board liked the option to read
20 books or 20 hours (because 20 hours of reading picture books sounds exhausting).
d. Dungeons & Dragons (YA Edition) was well attended. Some Board members would like to see an adult
session occur in addition to the family version happening on November 1. Amáda thought it might be
beneficial to have one in conjunction with HeightsNEXT’s CoHi Con next March, allowing cross-
promotion and collaboration.
e. 2026 Budget planning is moving along with Renee presenting to the City Council on October 6;
recommendations from the Council for the Library and Parks & Recreation to increase budgets to
accommodate the loss of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant funding. Are there any
needs not being met that we should think about?
f. Renee facilitated the August Library Book Club (featuring The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt); she is not
always the host/facilitator but does regularly attend the monthly event. The next few months feature
The Wright Brothers (David McCullough) on October 15, The Big Sugar (Mary Logue) on November 19,
and The Women (Kristin Hannah) on December 17. Book Club is in the Library Community Room at
10:30am on the third Wednesday of each month.
8. Board Books:
a. Olga: Accidentally on Purpose Kristen Kish
b. Theresa: The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London Christopher Skaife
c. Chris: Masterminds (youth series) Gordon Korman; Jaws Peter Benchley; Jaws Steven Spielberg (available on
DVD via ACL)
d. Melanie: Catwings (youth series) Ursula K. LeGuin; Why We Meditate: The Science and Practice of Clarity
and Compassion Daniel Goleman & Tsoknyi Rinpoche
e. Elizabeth: The Tale of Despereaux Kate DiCamillo; The Dutch House Ann Patchett
f. Amáda: ZEN: The Art of Simple Living Shunmyō Masuno
g. Nick: All Systems Red and Artificial Condition and Rogue Protocol and Exit Strategy (Murderbot Diaries
series) Martha Wells
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:11pm (behind-the-scenes tour followed—see Item 6).
Respectfully submitted,
Nicholas P. Olberding
Recording Secretary, CHPL Board of Trustees