Fargo Public Library Board – August 21, 2018 Minutes
Regular Meeting: Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Board Members Present: Rachael Steenholdt, Mary Dickson, Carlos Hawley Jr., Mary Batcheller, Jan Ulferts Stewart, Carrie Peterson, Scott Beaulier
Board Members Absent:
Staff: Tim Dirks, Betsy Dauer, Sunny Branick
Others Present: Present for part of meeting: City of Fargo Attorney Erik Johnson
President, Rachael Steenholdt called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM, and a quorum was declared.
Order of Agenda
A motion was made by Carlos Hawley Jr. to approve the Order of the Agenda. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.
Minutes of July 17, 2018 Regular Meeting
Mary Batcheller moved to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2018 meeting. Carlos Hawley Jr. seconded the motion; motion carried.
Staff Report
Staff updates and Staff development activities:
• Cheryl Lackman and Lori West are reviewing applications for the vacant LAI position at Main.
Programming:
Upcoming Events & Programs (a partial and incomplete list):
Children’s
• Registration for the 2018 Fall Storytime session for toddlers and preschoolers is now open. This weekly session begins September 10 and runs
through December 12. Registration is required.
Adults
• One Book, One Community events have started. We are currently exhibiting a collection of WWI posters at the Main Library’s breezeway gallery.
They are on loan from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Booklets listing all of the events, happenings, partnering libraries, and
sponsoring organizations are available.
Library-wide
• We have Red River Market events on Sept. 8 and Oct. 6.
• The Friends of the FPL are holding a used book sale from Sept. 7 – 9 at the Main Library during regular library hours in the outer lobby.
Notable Past events & programs (again, a partial list):
Children’s
• There were 1,933 kids registered for the Summer Reading Program. Kids completed 27, 870 hours of reading and 6,730 activities.
• The History Hunt had 302 participants this summer.
• Teens
• 206 book logs were returned this year. Program attendance was up from last year.
• Our Intro to Dungeons and Dragons sessions were very popular with teens.
Adults
• Regional author Marcie Rendon visited the Main Library on Aug. 1. She read and discussed her book Murder on the Red River. (17 People attended)
• On July 30, the library welcomed local author Danielle Teigen for more intriguing true stories of Fargo’s hidden history. (51 people attended)
Library-wide
• Earlier this month, we added board games to the collection.
• We rolled out the new Book Bike to the public last week. Equipped with a mobile hotspot and a tablet, library staff can issue library cards, check out materials, place holds, etc., while informing people of our resources at library outreach events.
• The library attended all of the Fargo Parks’ Party in the Park events this summer (10 events). These sessions have been successful in helping us reach out to residents to let them know about the library and all that the FPL has to offer.
• We also had booths at Pride in the Park and Business After Hours.
Director’s Report
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to his written report in the Board Packet adding that the library was awarded the ND Star Library award by the State Library.
Statistical Reports
Usage
The library had 38,870 registered patrons for the month of July. Attendance was up 3% year to date. Program attendance was up 0% year to date. Volunteer hours were down 9% year to date. Internet signups were up 1% year to date. Print circulation was up 2.49% year to date. Nonprint circulation was up 2.28% year to date. Total circulation year to date is 606,411 circulations.
Financials
There was $3,381 in incoming donations. Expenditures of donations totaled $940. The year is 58% lapsed while the budget is 55.62% expended. Revenue is at $49,040.59 year to date.
Friends of the Library Report
Bob Jansen with the Friends of the Library gave a report. He reported record sales in the bookstore in the past few months. The Friends are looking to fill anticipated and current vacancies on their Board. There will be a Friends Book Sale September 7th, 8th and 9th in the outer lobby of the Main library as well as books for sale at the branches.
Old Business
No old business.
New Business
Travel and Continuing Education Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Travel and Continuing Education Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
President, Rachael Steenholdt suggested updating the punctuation in the first paragraph so it would read “Employees in support functions such as, but not limited to, accounting or public relations, will also…”
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Travel and Continuing Education policy with the recommended commas. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.
Unattended Children Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Unattended Children Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
President, Rachael Steenholdt suggested updating the punctuation in the first paragraph so it would read “A child left alone at the library without a responsible caregiver may become bored, fatigued, or frightened, and this may lead…”
A motion was made by Carlos Hawley Jr. to approve the Unattended Children policy with the recommended commas. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.
Volunteer Program Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Volunteer Program Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
President, Rachael Steenholdt asked why it is in policy not accept court ordered community service as volunteer service. After discussion, including input from the City of Fargo Attorney, it was decided to table this action item until the October 16, 2018 Board Meeting. Director Dirks will follow up with City HR before that meeting for more direction.
Zero Tolerance Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Zero Tolerance Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
President, Rachael Steenholdt suggested updating punctuation and correcting spelling so it would read “The presence of individuals who possess, consume, and/or are under the influence of alcohol and/or other unlawful…” and “Individuals who are observed consuming and/or possessing and/or under the influence of such…”
A motion was made by Carlos Hawley Jr. to approve the Zero Tolerance policy with the recommended changes. Jan Ulferts Stewart seconded the motion; motion carried.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Next Board Meeting
The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18, 2018.
The meeting adjourned at 4:53 PM.