HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-2026 Library Board Minutes
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC LIBRARY
3939 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, January 7th, 2026
Approved
2/4/2026
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 245 476 655 774 13 and passcode
bY2b8Mf7 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 5:32pm.
Members present: Melanie Magidow; Theresa Strike; Chris Polley; Olga Herrera; Amina Maameri. Members remotely
present: Amáda Márquez Simula (City Council Liaison). Members absent: N/A. Others present: Renee Dougherty (Library
Director); Nick Olberding (Board Secretary). Public present: N/A.
1. The Agenda was approved as is.
2. The Minutes from December 3, 2025, Library Board Meeting were moved and approved.
3. Review of 2025 Operating Budget: 100% of the year completed and 93.4% of the budget expended.
a. Regular Employees (41010) & COLA Allowance (41810): When last year’s budget was approved union
contracts had not finished negotiations yet, so deficits in the employment lines (41010 -> 41510) will be
offset by the COLA Allowance addition.
b. We will continue paying 2025 bills through the end of January; these are not the final totals for the year.
For example, Anoka County Library has yet to invoice us for ILS software, E-Books, and Kanopy streaming
for the second half of the year, and some book orders submitted to Finance have not yet been paid.
Community Forum: Opportunity for public input. No correspondence and no public in attendance. The CHPL website
hosts the contact form to submit questions or concerns: https://chplmn.org/board
Old Business:
4. Review and Approve Revisions to the Collection Development and Management Policy & the Request for
Reconsideration Form: The Board reviewed the policy which Renee revised with additional input from last
month’s meeting and comments from our Librarians (who assist with Collection Development). Between the two
documents, there were only a few suggestions related to grammar to still resolve. A MOTION was made to
approve the revisions to the Collections Development and Management Policy, as well as the Request for
Reconsideration Form, it was seconded and approved.
New Business:
5. Staffing Update: Recently our Library Supervisor, Rin, submitted his letter of resignation due to a decision to
return to Florida; very unfortunate for us because he has been incredible in many areas including Collection
Development, Weeding, Tech Support, Reference, and Customer Service; his last day will be next week.A job
posting was published and drew in 13 applicants, 7 of which were offered interviews, 6 accepted; these will
commence tomorrow morning, and we hope to bring someone onboard by early to mid-February.
6. Upcoming Programs: Renee wanted to highlight a few upcoming programs including the return of Storytime on
February 2nd, Introduction to Chiropractic Care for Pain Management with Fulcrum Health (as an alternative to
opioid painkillers) on January 22nd, and the Mayor’s Power of Bridging Book Club which will span 3 sessions
(January 14 & 28, and February 11). There will be limited copies of the book available at the first meeting, or
community members may request a free copy of their own from the Bush Foundation website (but they are on
back order due to high demand). Each session will engage in a discussion that explores themes of community,
belonging, and meaningful action. The Mayor wanted to mention that she has received feedback on how
appreciative community members are of the types and volume of programs our Library provides people.
Director’s Update:
7. November Board Report: Provided as an FYI.
a. The Board asked if there has been a decrease in Conversation Circle participation with the threat of ICE
activity rising, but it hasn’t been noticed yet. As a public space there is no way to prevent ICE from
entering this building if they decide to do so. Conversation Circles is promoted in the seasonal event flyer,
city newsletter, and on the digital display along Central. There was a question about reducing its visibility
in advertising.
b. This is Mayor Amáda’s last meeting as Library Board liaison as she is rotating to the Sustainability
Commission, not yet sure who is replacing her on the Library Board.
c. It was mentioned that the Library’s new website has reached the top of web search results now that it’s
gaining regular visitors. It was asked if we can gather web traffic statistics; we will investigate.
d. Helsinki’s Helmet Reading Challenge was promoted by Theresa, who participates each year with her
friend group; this challenge doesn’t dictate specific books, but instead lets you pick your own books
matching certain prompts or details, for example: a British classic, story featuring a hockey player, part of
a trilogy, the book’s protagonist is over 60, or the book cover is mostly blue.
8. Board Books (what we’re reading, watching, playing, listening to, or simply recommend):
a. Amáda: The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong john a. powell
b. Theresa: The Witch of Willow Hall Hester Fox
c. Chris: I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays Maris Kreizman; This Book Won’t Burn Samira Ahmed
d. Melanie: Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure Rhys Bowen; The Jasmine Sneeze (youth book) Nadine Kaadan
e. Amina: There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient,
and Confident Kids Linda Åkeson McGurk; The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop
Pollution Problem (youth book) Colleen Paeff & Nancy Carpenter
f. Olga: Daughters of Arraweelo: Stories of Somali Women Ayaan Adan
g. Renee: The Lager Queen of Minnesota J. Ryan Stradal
h. Nick: Mal Goes to War Edward Ashton; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Playstation 5) Machine Games
Sweden (available via Anoka County Library)
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:31pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nick Olberding
Recording Secretary, CHPL Board of Trustees