Fargo Public Library Board – June 19, 2018 Minutes
Regular Meeting: Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Board Members Present: Rachael Steenholdt, Jan Ulferts Stewart, Mary Dickson, Carrie Peterson, Carlos Hawley Jr., Scott Beaulier, Mary Batcheller
Board Members Absent:
Staff: Tim Dirks, Betsy Dauer, Sunny Branick
Others Present:
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 Mary Dickson to approve the Order of the Agenda. Carlos Hawley Jr. seconded the motion; motion carried.
Minutes of May 15, 2018 Regular Meeting
Carlos Hawley Jr. moved to approve the minutes of the May 15, 2018 meeting. Jan Ulferts Stewart seconded the motion; motion carried.
Staff Report
Staff updates and Staff development activities:
• Sunny Branick is the new Library Board Staff Liaison.
• Conditional offers have gone out for the two new full-time Library Associate II positions.
• Interviews are being scheduled for the open part-time Library Associate I position.
Programming:
Upcoming Events & Programs (a partial and incomplete list):
• Children’s
• The Upcoming weeks for the Children’s Summer Reading program are Sound All Around, We’ve Got the Beat and Library Safari. There will be events nearly every weekday, so be sure to check them out. Some special presenters we will host during the next month include a Bird Song program with members of Audubon Dakota on June 18th, the Talent Show on June 19th, Musical Explorers with staff from the Children’s Music Academy on June 19th, The Science of Sound with Dr. Graeme Wyllie on June 21st, Dance class with Mackenzie Koeing from the Red River Dance Company on June 26th, Gooseberry Park Players on June 28th, and Animals from the Red River Zoo on July 6th.
• Adults
• On Wednesday, June 20th at the Main Library at 7 p.m. the Library will be hosting members of Fargo’s Lindy of the North swing dancing group for a history of swing complete with demonstrations of the different styles.
• On Tuesday, June 26th at the Main Library at 7 p.m. Fargo native Dr. Christine Seifert will present and discuss her 2017 young adult nonfiction book, The Factory Girls: A Kaleidoscopic Account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Seifert will share her research regarding the deadly 1911 Triangle Factory fire, and the development of safety regulations to protect factory workers. Books will be available for purchase; a book signing will follow the event.
Notable Past events & programs (again, a partial list):
• Children’s
• The first annual Junior Master Gardening Program: Botanical Bonanza was held at the Main Library on Saturday, June 9th. This was the result of a new partnership with the NDSU Extension Master Gardeners who volunteered to help run the event.
o On Monday, June 4th we held a Dance Party with Karaoke for the SRP Kick-off that was held at all 3 library locations. We had a great turn out for our first event of the summer. 230 people came to Main, 150 people came to Carlson and 120 people came to Northport. Our Summer Reading Program runs June 4th – August 4th.
• Adults
• On Monday, May 21st, the Main Library hosted an author visit with Trista Raezer-Stursa, John Hallberg, and Lisa Eggebraaten, who shared the story of the 1957 Fargo Tornado. There were 63 people in attendance.
• Family Rock Paining was held on Wednesday, June 6th and brought in 42 adults and 100 children.
President, Rachael Steenholdt welcomed Sunny to the Staff Liaison position.
Director’s Report
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to his written report in the Board Packet.
President, Rachael Steenholdt opened the floor for comments. No comments.
Statistical Reports
Usage
The library had 38,667 registered patrons for the month of May. Attendance was up 2% year to date. Program attendance was up 4% year to date. Volunteer hours were down 9% year to date. Internet signups were up 1% year to date. Print circulation was up 1.65% year to date. Nonprint circulation was down 0.02% year to date. Total circulation year to date is 406,834 circulations.
Financials
There was $53,670 in incoming donations. Expenditures of donations totaled $4,727. The year is 42% lapsed while the budget is 40.21% expended. Revenue is approximately where it was anticipated to be at $34,869.49.
President, Rachael Steenholdt opened the floor for comments. No Comments
Friends of the Library Report
Bob Jansen of the Friends gave a report. The Friends are looking for new members and Board members. The Friends recently gave several donations to the library.
Old Business
No old business.
New Business
Circulation Policy Draft:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Circulation Policy Draft in the Board Packet. The removal of fines on children’s item types is what is being brought to the Board for approval. Children’s item types will still be charged if lost or damaged per policy. Director Dirks stated if approved this change would take place July 1, 2018.
A motion was made by Carlos Hawley Jr. to approve the Circulation Policy Draft but change the word citizens to people in the first line of the policy. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.
Reference Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Reference Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Reference Policy as is. Mary Batcheller seconded the motion; motion carried.
Registration Policy Review:
Director Tim Dirks referred the Board to the Registration Policy in the Board Packet. No changes were recommended.
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Registration Policy as is. Carrie Peterson seconded the motion; motion carried.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Next Board Meeting
The next regular & annual Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 17, 2018.