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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Minutes - Library Board of Trustees - 10/07/2021 Draft Minutes South Burlington Library Board of Trustees Thursday, October 7, 2021 @ 6 p.m. Location: South Burlington Public Library Members Present: Margaret Ann Cross, Lee Freeman, Lauren Ballard Hatch, Patrick Leduc, Stacey Pape, Jay Pasackow, Rebecca Stazi Donna Swartwout, Margery Vagt Members Absent: Ted Lenski, Alicia Lamonda Staff Members Present: Jennifer Murray, Jessie Baker Friends of the Library Present: Sue Raatikainen Call to Order Patrick Leduc called the meeting to Order at 6:02 pm. Additions and deletions to the posted agenda None Comments and questions from the public not related to items on the agenda None Approval of regular board minutes of September 9, 2021 Upon a motion made by Trustee Lauren Ballard Hatch and seconded by Trustee Lee Freeman, the Trustees voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the September 9, 2021 Board of Trustees Meeting. Chair’s Report The Chair presented the Board priorities and goals 1. Complete Strategic Plan: The plan had been put on hold due to the library move/opening. The Board will work towards a 1–2-page document outlining our goals and strategies in the near future. 2. Support library staff initiatives and budget decisions that continue to make the library accessible to the greater community. 3. Support fundraising initiatives and Library Foundation efforts. 4. Create large scale public events (e.g., Book Festival). Guest: Jessie Baker, City Manager Jessie presented the process that City Council has adopted to align elected officials and professional staff priorities and strategies to ensure a partnership between all. There are 6 categories identified that she hopes the library goals and strategies will fit into one or more of these priorities. 1. Affordable/Community Strong 2. Walkable 3. Green & Clean 4. Opportunity Oriented 5. Continuing Core Municipal Services 6. Administrative Improvements There is a department head retreat in late October where there will be a shared work plan connected to budget priorities. Ideally this will happen again next April/May. It is expected that there will be multiple year projects. This is a new idea for the city and Jessie is open to try as we go. There was a discussion regarding the Board’s oversight of the library. Jessie explained that the Board of Trustees for the library is a governing body that makes policy decisions, and has oversight of the Director. The MOU with the city states that the city has oversight of personnel and personnel policies. As an example of this partnership is the library and the city are in a discussion over holiday hours for the board of trustees to approve. COVID 19 Update The library continues to follow state guidelines and is encouraging all patrons to wear masks while in the library. Story Time has been moved from the Wiggles room to the central space to offer great air flow. Kids masks are being offered to anyone who requests them. The library/city will fall under the vaccine mandate (more than 100 employees) when it eventually happens. The library staff is preparing for that process. Holiday Hours Approved Patrick outlined the process for how the Holiday hours are determined and the Trustees role in approving them for the library. Wed November 24 - Open until 4:30 Thu November 25 - Closed Fri November 26 - Closed Sat November 27 - Open 10-2 Thu December 23 - Open until 4:30 Fri December 24 – Closed Sat December 25 - Closed Fri December 31 – Closed Upon a motion made by Trustee Lee Freeman and seconded by Trustee Lauren Ballard Hatch, the Trustees voted unanimously to accept the proposed Holiday Hours. LIBRARY PRIORITIES Jennifer Murray presented the library priorities. The Leadership team meeting which includes several new staff members will review and discuss. The new city process will help Jennifer and the staff to move forward and align with city goals/priorities. 1. Community reach-out 2. Strategic planning 3. User experience/seek feedback 4. Work with Library Foundation on grants 5. Work with other City Departments 6. Foster agency connections 7. Onboarding new staff 8. Policies FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REPORT Sue outlined the written report attached to these minutes and the Board congratulated Sue and the Friends on their successes. Committee Reports Finance Committee In Ted’s absence, Patrick outlined the proposed policy on how the library will receive funds into the Library Gift account, which are expected to include the public and funds from the annual appeal that is currently being run by the Library Foundation. Upon a motion made by Trustee Margery Vagt and seconded by Trustee Jay Pasackow, the Trustees voted unanimously to accept the proposed Policy on the Use of the Library Gift Account (LGA) as recommended by the Finance Committee. Patrick then outlined the Library fees that are proposed from the Finance committee. Upon a motion made by Trustee Lauren Ballard Hatch and seconded by Trustee Rebecca Stazi, the Trustees voted unanimously to accept the proposed Policy on Library Fees as recommended by the Finance Committee. DISCUSSION OF BUDGET: A draft of the FY 23 budget has been developed. The FY23 budget will be submitted at $864K. In December of 2020, during the presentation to the City Council, we forecasted the FY23 budget to be $866K. This represents a 6% increase over this current year. The increase represents additional staff as agreed upon by City Council to increase library access (more open hours). This will increase library hours from the current 47 to 59 in FY23. Governance and Nomination Committee Report Margery presented the proposed policy on meeting room rentals and usage and Jennifer described some final adjustments to the proposed policy. Upon a motion made by Trustee Lauren Ballard Hatch and seconded by Trustee Donna Swartwout, the Trustees voted unanimously to accept the proposed Policy on Meeting Room Rental, Usage Policies & Procedures with the proposed revisions as recommended and described by Jennifer and the Governance and Nomination Committee. A final review of the revised document will occur at the November Library Board of Trustees meeting. Advocacy Committee Report The Committee is working on how to increase awareness and traffic and support library staff’s goal of outreach. There will be a survey sent to library staff to gather their ideas and input. Meeting schedule has been announced. There will be one in November to replace the one in October that was canceled. Director’s Report Jennifer Murray reported that the new Adult Services Librarian has been hired. Staff are very positive about the hire. To date (and without a working people counter), 800 new library cards have been issued. There was a brief discussion about celebrating when the 1,000 card is issued. Recent grants have been approved and there is funding available for new and additional purchases to be made. Study rooms are being used and intentionally these spaces are not included in the room reservation policy. Hours of use are being limited to 3 hours at a time. A suggestion was made to consider a program on COVID 19 education especially around the vaccine for children. Jennifer agreed to suggest this idea to her staff. The library staff has offered/created 52 programs in the past month. This is an amazing and dedicated staff. Both Jennifer and the Board of Trustees applaud these efforts. The staff will review and gather feedback on these programs at the end of the year. Other Business None Meeting Adjournment Seeing no other business, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 7:39 pm. Friends of the SBPL Report 10/7/21 Booksale ● 310 people attended during the 3 day September event. ● Library ran out of cards due to the high volume of requests for new cards. ● Covid safety precautions (masks, controlled number in room) worked well ● The Community Room location next to Friends Bookshop is a bonus! ● Raffle (Trader Joes and Wine and Cheese Traders) was a huge hit. ● Will share financial data at our Friends meeting. ● Multiple volunteers helped create a successful event. Special thanks to Mary Ann Young for the raffle and Eileen Beckwith for her incredible presale organization. ● Exploring partnership with Better World Books to recycle books that will not sell in the shop or at future sales. Membership ● Picked up 9 new members plus 11 renewals at the Sale ● June 2021 we had 74 active members ● October 2021 we have 122 active Bookshop ● Volunteers in the shop daily 1030-1230. ● August shop sales $626 ● Gathering data to determine the amount of $ earned when the shop is manned vs. unmanned. ● We are considering increased volunteer hours around the holidays. Cookie Walk ● Nov. 20 in the Community Room. ● Eileen Forrester is coordinating this much anticipated event. Winter Concert Series ● Funded by the Friends, now called Friends of the Library Winter Concert Series ● January 29, 2022 (1230) Eclectica, a classical quartet ● March 26, 2022 (1230) Hungrytown, a folk duo ● December and February concerts tbd ● Refreshments will be provided by the Friends Hospitality Committee Meetings ● Changed to the third Thursday of the month at 1015. ● Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 16 will finish up this year. POLICY ON THE USE OF THE GIFT ACCOUNT PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to document the use of funds in the Library Gift Account (LGA) currently held by the City of South Burlington as a substantial portion of these funds originated in Annual Appeals run by the South Burlington Library Foundation (SBLF). OVERVIEW Donors give funds with the intent of improving the collections, programs and equipment available to the citizens of South Burlington. The intent of this policy is to clearly document and control the receipt of funds into the LGA and the process for how those funds can be spent. The guidelines that follow provide direction as to the procedure that will be followed regarding use of donated funds. The policy should be reviewed at least annually. PROCEDURE 1. Upon receipt of donor funds, the Library Director will acknowledge and document the total received as well as any specific restrictions placed on any portion of the funds. 2. The Library Director will then use the funds in the LGA to make purchases, including, but not limited to collections, equipment, and programs. 3. If there is a reason for a delay in the spending of the funds beyond a reasonable time frame, the delay will be communicated back to the donor. 4. The Library Director will submit invoices to the City of South Burlington for payment using their existing accounts payable process. 5. The City of South Burlington will process all invoices through the LGA. 6. The Library Director will have authorization to spend up to $1,000 per item from the LGA.. If the Library Director would like to purchase an item from the LGA that is above $1,000 but below $5,000, the Library Director will inform the SBLF Board of Directors of the purchase. If the Library Director requests a purchase above $5,000 from the LGA, the Library Director will get approval from the SBLF Board of Directors. Adopted by the South Burlington Library Board on 10/07/2021 FY 2022 Goals and Priorities 1. Engage with residents and visitors through marketing, outreach, invitation and events to increase library participation towards offering a robust community center. (Increase library use by 20% over FY19) 2. Participate in strategic planning to develop plans that best support our residents and staff in creating and experiencing a strong sense of place and opportunity over the coming five years. (Plan completed and published for the public by June 2022) 3. Seek and respond to patron experience to enhance the new library's sense of place by making appropriate changes. (Monitor comments, requests and actions taken) 4. Continue to support our extraordinary space by assisting the Library Foundation with grants and donor visits. (Work with group to submit four grant requests for varying amounts to raise at least $5,000) 5. Collaborate with City departments towards creating a sustainable plan of service that removes duplication and enhances activities. (Work together on at least 10 programs or services) 6. Collaborate with outside agencies as a supportive and engaged member of the community, to include working with the VA on a telehealth program, School’s Out to enhance their afterschool program and others. (Work with at least five agencies on services and programs) 7. Train and support staff in a way that positions them to take on new roles within the new Library. (Onboarding for all new staff and leadership training for three team leaders) 8. Work closely with the Board to update all library policies to best balance public library mission and resident use of the library. This will include, among others, the rooms and auditorium use policies and social media policies. (Revise or create up to five policies) South Burlington Public Library Board of Trustees Committee Overview The South Burlington Library Board of Trustees is an appointed body that works closely with the Library Director to develop goals and policies ensuring the library is meeting its mission and addressing community needs. This past year the Board was very active in helping to create the plan for the new library, mapping out a strategic operational budget given the libraries new expansive space and resulting staff needs, supporting the lan for the eventual move, assisted the Director as they navigate the staff and public issues presented by the pandemic all while raising raise awareness of the programs and offerings of our public Library and leading the charge on the annual appeal in collaboration with the South Burlington Library Foundation. The Board meets monthly and Trustees also serve on one of the following committees: Advocacy, Governance & Nominating, Evaluation, or Finance. Trustees are: Patrick Leduc (Chair) – 2023, Stacey Pape (Vice Chair) – 2022, Ted Lenski (Treasurer) – 2024, Margery Vagt – 2023, Lee Freeman – 2022, MargaretAnn Cross – 2024, Lauren Ballard Hatch – 2022, Jay Pasackow – 2022, Alicia Lamonda – 2023, Donna Swartout (Secretary) – 2024, Rebecca Killeen Stazi-2024 Accomplishments and events In FY 21, the Library Board met the following goals: • Helped to create and present a strategic operational budget given the libraries new expansive space and resulting staff needs • Focused the operational budget on maximizing hours of operation while providing enhanced services to library users and the community. • Introduced technology into the new library including self-check-out machines. • Supported the Director and their staff in planning for the move to our new Public Library • Assisted the Director as they navigated the staff and public issues presented by the pandemic • Created materials and media assets and placements to raise awareness of the programs and offerings of our public Library • Lead the charge on the annual appeal in collaboration with the South Burlington Library Foundation • Opened the new South Burlington Public Library Quantitative Data • Grew the Blanchette Fund and transferred more than $430,000 to the city to assist in covering costs for the new Public Library. • Submitted a operating budget that met the financial goals of the City Council. • Ran a successful annual campaign, with the help of the South Burlington Library Foundation, bringing in more than $10,000 to support library programs and collections. FY 2022 Goals and Priorities • Complete the Library’s Strategic Plan • Support staffing and operation needs to increase access to the library and services • Expand the fund-raising opportunities to support growth in resources, hours of operation and programming. • Evaluate possible large scale community events suitable to be hosted by the Public Library as a way to increase engagement and bring additional value to the community. South Burlington Public Library User fee Summary Technology Reconnection Fee - $25 Lost/Damaged Item – At cost of replacement + $3 restocking fee Copies Black and White - $0.20/copy Color - $0.60/copy Overdue Books – No Fee Non-Resident Library Card Fee -$25/year Non-Resident Temporary Library Card (60 day duration) - $10 Proctoring Fee (use of Library Staff) - $10/ individual event Faxing of a Document - $0.25 per document Replacement of Lost Library Card - $1 Room Reservations during Library Hours (not Auditorium) For Profit or South Burlington Private Social Event - $50 for every 2 hours, reserve in 2-hour blocks for a maximum total of 8 hours For Non-Profit Organizations – First 2 hours free, $25/hour after 2 hours to a maximum of 8 hours. NOTE: If reservation is needed after library hours, an additional Hourly rate will be charged to cover staff expenses. Library Board of Trustees approved on 10/07/2021