International Falls Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
September 13th, 2023
Present: Diane Adams – Library Director, Paul Nevanen, Mona Johnson, MaryJo Winkel, and Heather Weaver, William Frank, Maggie Horning.
Meeting was called to order at 4:30 pm by Nevanen.
Minutes – Johnson moved and Winkel seconded to approve the August 2023 minutes. All approved.
Financial Report – Winkel moved and Frank seconded to approve September 2023 bills. All approved.
Director’s Report – August was not as busy as last year and so we are back at 0% change in year-to-date circulation. The book sale during Friday’s Bass tournament activities was well attended. The WPA art projects program was attended by 17 and was fascinating.
We interviewed four candidates for the Library Associate position and had two very comparable candidates and chose to go with Olivia Clayton. She began work the last week of August and is fitting in well. We also added three ladies to our substitute pool and have begun providing them with training. We have had a lot of staff vacation time the last month, so are not doing much besides patron support. I do hope to get back to writing out all our current procedures later this month. I will also have a Knudson grant request at the meeting ready for approval.
Old Business: Storytime will begin on Thursday, September 14th at 10:30 am. I will start visiting the Headstart classrooms again next week and St. Thomas classes will visit every other week as well on Tuesdays. We will be doing a monthly STEAM bag for elementary students with the September bag available now and put together by Olivia. We will continue with our twice monthly crafting time every other Tuesday, but Backus has added a similar program on Thursdays. We are getting some exciting programs this fall from the Arrowhead Library System legacy programs including a September make and take of Finnish Paper stars provided by the Duluth Folk School, an acrylic painting take and make courtesy of 321 Art Studio in October, handwoven bookmark take and make in November with area artist Erika LeMay and handmade toys take and makes from 321 Art Studio in December. And then we will be hosting Graphic memoirist Lynn Von Sein to talk about the elements of graphic memoirs and take and makes to create your own graphic memoirs. This program will be for teens and adults. A new exhibit went up in our lobby for September and October by photographer Marsha Shuff and the quilt guild will display in November and December. I am looking for artists for 2024.
Building Updates – no progress on steps or doors, reached out for updates, bricks should arrive next week and work should happen again. Concrete was poured for shed today. Boy scouts are interested in helping construct it, but would like a supervisor.
2024 budget – Was directed by committee of the whole to cut 20% from non staff expenses. That works out to $16,550. I presented proposed cuts but also said an option was to use uncommitted funds from previous years. Board decided to use $8,000 in uncommitted funds and make cuts in the amount of $8,550 as proposed.
New Business: Knudson grant for 2024 was presented with focus of funds on skis, with a small amount for ‘learn to…’kits, such as knitting, crocheting, welding, embroidery. Nevanen signed and Adams will submit by end of the month.
ESST and part-time employees – The state legislature approved a mandatory employee sick and safe time policy for all employees working at least 80 hours a year beginning in January. The library vacation policy for part-time employees exceeds the requirements for our part-time employees. The board with Johnson move and Frank second, approved changing the name of our vacation policy to Employee Sick and Safe Time policy. They also saw the library time-off request form which will be part of personnel policy as all time off will need to be tracked on the pay stubs, so we will need to turn it into city hall.
Weaver moved and Horning seconded to accept the donation from PCA in the amount of $1,000.
Next Friends of the Library book sale is Saturday, October 7th from 11am – 1 pm.
What are you reading? – Paul is reading titles by Tom Rob Smith including Child 44, Mona just picked up The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, while Will is enjoying Mike William’s Life at Kettle Falls, MaryJo recommended the new Lorna Landvik Last Circle of Love and both David Gran books Killers of the Flower Moon and The Wager. Diane just started Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen, while Heather is re-reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and Maggie recommends Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini and Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11th, 4:30 pm
Meeting adjourned at 5:20 pm.