International Falls Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
December 9, 2020
Present: at library Diane Adams, Library Director, Dick Peterson, Paul Nevanen, MaryJo Winkel, Mona Johnson, via Zoom Darcy Sullivan, Ashley Kostiuk
Call to Order: Peterson called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm
Motion was made by Nevanen, seconded by Johnson to approve the November minutes, approved unanimously.
Financial Report and Bills: Motion by Nevanen, seconded by Winkel to pay the bills, approved unanimously.
Director’s Report – November circulation was down from October numbers, but it usually is. We were not quite 600 less circulations than November 2019. We gave out 23 kits to make a book turkey in November which was ten more kits than the month before. Our December takeout craft is to decorate a dish towel, which would make a great gift. The junior room has a handful of candle making kits that can be picked up and done at home.
Storytime has been canceled for the two December sessions. The Thursday before Thanksgiving had almost twenty in attendance and with cases continuing to rise we were nervous about being able to keep everyone healthy. We waited until Monday, November 30 to make final decision to see if spread was slowing, but seemed to be rising and that was before any Thanksgiving transmission would occur. Then on Wednesday, our new radiators arrived to be put in place on Tuesday Dec. 8 and are being stored on the floor of the meeting room, so we would have been hard pressed to hold storytime.
I have been working on rewriting out Collection Development policy and procedures and separating out the procedures from policy. Definitely hope to have it completed for the December meeting.
We are preparing to do a winter reading club again this year along with adding take and make STEAM projects for elementary kids. Each month we will put together weekly storytime bags with books on the theme and a craft project, monthly STEAM kits for elementary students to take home and do as well as the takeout craft project for teens and adults. In January we will also be adding sprout kits for folks to grow their own sporuts at home with a sample at the library.
Old Business:
Upcoming programs – Storytime went well with 3 – 5 families in attendance each week and another 3 – 5 picking up bags of books and a craft each week. Takeout crafts have been a fun way to connect with a few patrons each month.
Budget 2021: We received $3,400 less than requested
Gas fireplace insert – Will look at using Meyer donation to add fireplace. We have $11,000 left in donation.
Policies and Procedures – Collection Development Policy, motion by Winkel with second by Nevanen to approve the revised Collection Development Policy, passed unanimously.
New Business: Staff pay raises – Motion by Winkel and second by Nevanen to approve 1.5% raises for full-time staff and $.25 per hour raises for part-time staff.
Closure: Staff requested that the library lock doors and return to curbside pickup through the holidays. We are having many more people refuse to wear masks and if asked, argue back with us. We would like to have it begin tomorrow, Thursday, December 10 and continue until Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Publicity would go out on social media, to radio, newspaper and KCCTV before I leave the building tonight. Motion by Johnson with second by Winkel to lock library doors and return to curbside pickup.
Next Friends of the Library sale – no January sale
What are you reading? – Diane is reading The Left-Handed Bookseller’s of London by Garth Nix, Paul is reading Broken by Don Winslow, Ashley is enjoying Debbie Macomber’s Merry and Bright, while MaryJo read The Team of Five by Kate Anderson Brower, Mona tackles A Promised Land the first volume of Barack Obama’s biography, Dick is reading Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer and Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker and Darcy reads Keep Saying Their Names by Simon Stranger.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2020 at 4:30 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 5:15 pm.