Carbondale Reporter

Marion Carnegie Library Board of Trustees met Sept. 13.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Call to Order – meeting started at 6:34 p.m.

Present: George Trammell, Andrew Wilson, Kimberly Walker, Andrea Bradley, Twila Couey, Carolyn Loving, Dr. John O’Keefe, Linda Walker, Loretta Broomfield – Director

Absent: Jenna Griffith

Recognition of Visitors: None present

Minutes: Motion by Linda Walker and seconded by Dr. John O’Keefe to approve the previous minutes. All were in favor and the motion passed.

Financial Statement: Loretta reported that we are on track with our budget and have spent 29.04% of our operating expenses. Motion by Carolyn Loving and seconded by Twila Couey to accept the budget as presented. All were in favor and the motion passed.

Director’s Report: Loretta reported that department activities and staff are taking a breather with less activity this past month now that the summer is over and the time is being spent preparing for upcoming activities. Circulation and attendance are down slightly due to school starting and summer vacation is over. The Young Adults department had three craft and one STEAM activities and currently has a STEAM mentor, Henry Treadway, presenting Saturday programs for the next few months.

The Adult department helped with the book sale and are getting ready for Banned Books Week and Library Card Sign-up Month.

The Children’s department is planning for the holidays and considering programs for next summer. Sarah Watkins is preparing for her departure and putting things in order for her replacement along with doing promotionals for next month.

Maintenance was instrumental in setting up and taking down for the book sale and has worked closely with the HVAC crew in preparation for taking over the maintenance. Paul and Loretta had owner training on the new HVAC system on Friday, Sept. 10.

Coming Events for September include Banned Book Week with Banned Book Night being September 30. One of the activities planned is mini-golf covering all three floors. And, as mentioned above, September is Library Card Sign-up Month.

Grant activity remains the same as last month – NASA @ My Library Grant and the ILS ARPA grant which should be naming the grant recipients in September. The Per Capita grant application is due the middle of January and in order to receive the grant, the book, Serving Our Public 4.0 Standards for Illinois Public Libraries, must be reviewed by the Board. To start the review process Chapters 1-5 were reviewed under New Business. Additional chapters will be reviewed in October and November to meet this requirement.

IHLS is having a member day November 18 – on-line – for continuing education. One of the tracks is designed for Trustees.

Committee Reports:

Personnel: There are three names currently on the City Council Agenda. Two are for the part-time positions while one is for the replacement of Sarah Watkins. Four people were interviewed for her position. Building & Grounds: The parking lot has been sealed. The HVAC project is close to completion. Owner training was last Friday for Paul Greif & Loretta. Grounds clean-up was very successful and on-going grounds maintenance will continue.

Finance: Per Capita money was received.

Friends of the Library: The Friends sale was successful with over $1500 raised. Two librarians from the surrounding prison systems attended and took a total 6-10 boxes of books, without charge, for their respective locations. The Bag for Books offer had over 30 customers.

Technology: We are waiting to hear about the ARPA grants.

Unfinished Business:

A discussion continued this month on spine labeling. The conclusion was that a sign be posted in each department that states the library policy – “Responsibility for the reading choices of children rests with their parents or legal guardians.”

New Business:

A review of the first five chapters of Serving Our Public 4.0 Standards for Illinois Public Libraries was conducted.

Chapter 1 – Core Standards – We have met all the standards listed.

Chapter 2 – Governance & Administration – We have met all of the checklist items with the exception of one and part of one. We have a mission statement but Loretta is unable to find a long range plan. Also, there does not seem to be a written succession plan; this can be met with a brief outline.

Chapter 3 – Personnel – Every box on the checklist has been met. Within the chapter it states that salary can account for up to 70%. We are currently at 46.9%.

Chapter 4 – Access – We have met all the checklist items in this category.

Chapter 5 – Building Infrastructure & Maintenance – We are grateful for the knowledge and capabilities of Paul Greif. Our maintenance is in great shape. On the checklist in Appendix K, it is noted that due to the age of the building and cost of implementing, we are lacking a sprinkler system. Also, Loretta has obtained a quote for the cleaning of the windows.

Payment of August Bills: Motion was made by Andrew Wilson and seconded by Linda Walker to pay the bills. All were in favor and the motion passed.

A reminder was given for Sarah’s potluck lunch on Thursday, September 16. Her last day will be Friday. A card was passed around and signed by Board members.

Adjournment: Andrea Bradley made a motion to adjourn at 7:34 p.m. and seconded by Dr. John O’Keefe. All were in favor the motion passed.

The next meeting will be October 11, 2021.

https://www.marioncarnegielibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/september-2021-minutes-1.pdf