Fargo Public Library Board – September 18, 2018 Minutes

Regular Meeting: Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Present: Mary Batcheller, Mary Dickson, Jan Ulferts Stewart, Carlos Hawley, Jr.
Absent: Rachael Steenholdt, Scott Beaulier, Carrie Peterson
Staff: Tim Dirks, Sunny Branick, Beth Postema

Vice-Chair Mary Batcheller called the meeting to order at 4:08 p.m., and a quorum was declared.

Order of Agenda
A motion was made by Jan Ulferts Stewart to approve the Order of the Agenda. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.

Minutes of August 21, 2018 Regular Meeting
Carlos Hawley, Jr. moved to approve the minutes of the August 21, 2018 meeting. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; motion carried.

Staff Report
Sunny Branick reported on the upcoming events and projects:

Staff updates and Staff development activities:
• Cheryl Lackman and Lori West are reviewing applications for the LAI position at Main.

Programming:
Upcoming Events & Programs (a partial and incomplete list):
Childrens
• Crafternoons returns to Carlson on Mondays from Sept. 24 to Dec. 17, and a new session of begins at Northport on Tuesdays from Sept. 25 to Dec. 18 thanks to funding from the Friends.
• Oct. 2: Children’s book author Elizabeth Raum will visit the Main Library. She will share her new book The Big Bold Adventurous Life of Lavinia Warren.
Teens
• Sept. 26: Dr. Wyllie from Concordia will host another Great Science for Teens session.
Adults
• Two One Book, One Community related events are planned for late September
• Sept. 25: The Legend of the Angel of Mons presentation by Karen Kohoutek about is about Welsh author Arthur Machen, his short story “The Bowmen”, and how this fictional story became the Angel of Mons story – a legend about a group of angels who reportedly appeared at the Battle of Mons during WWI.
• Sept. 27: George Frein, a Chautauqua-style presenter, will portray Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front. This event is funded by Humanities North Dakota.
• Sept. 30: Silent Reading Party at Sky Prairie on the HoDo’s rooftop.
• Oct. 25: Author P.S. Duffy will visit as part of the One Book, One Community reading project and share her book The Cartographer of No Man’s Land. Her event will be held at the Knutson Center Centrum at Concordia College and is free & open to the public. This event is generously co-sponsored by the Friends of the Fargo Public Library.
Library-wide
• The World in Fargo-Moorhead Diversity photography exhibit is up in the Main Library’s outer gallery and will be there through Sept. 28. A gallery talk is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 23, featuring some of the photographers.

Notable Past events & programs (again, a partial list):
Children’s
• The School Supply Bingo programs had 151 children in attendance. At this program kids played Bingo for school supplies, and we gave away over 200 school supply items!
Teens
• Sept 11 and 13: Locker Message boards craft.
Adults
• The Pakistan culture event was Sunday, Sept. 16, at the Main library. This event is in partnership with Cultural Diversity Resources and is part of the Welcoming Week FM series of events.
• Sept. 17: Author Robert Dodge will visit to present his latest book Tempest-Tost: The Refugee Experience Through One Community’s Prism.

Director’s Report
Tim Dirks referred the Board to his written report in the Board Packet. He made note that it may appear to be a shorter list of activities than in comparison with some months. He reported that Betsy Dauer welcomed baby Austynn Elizabeth on August 27. Mother and baby are doing well. Much of his time at the moment is dealing with the financial paperwork while Betsy is on leave.

Statistical Reports
August Usage
Tim Dirks highlighted some of the usage numbers from the board packet. Year-to-date visits to all library locations are up two percent. August 2018 circulation is the highest for that specific month since FPL has had all three locations open. Overall, circulation is strong with total year-to-date circulation up over two percent from 2017.

August Financials
Tim Dirks drew the Board’s attention to the Friends funding of the Crafternoons programming at both Carlson and Northport. He also expressed his appreciation for the Friends funding of staff development and other marketing expenses. In terms of the overall library budget, after eight months or 2/3 of the fiscal year, 64% of the budget is spent. At this point, he will be watching it more closely for year-end projections

Friends of the Library Report
There was no report made by the Friends.

New Business
A. Law Enforcement Inquiries Procedure Review
Tim Dirks stated that this is a very important procedure to assist front-line staff with what is legally required of them. The library has a positive working relationship with the Fargo Police Department. Given that we are open to the public, various situations may arise which require differing levels of law enforcement review. This is not just a procedure that is solely for internal use, but is out there for the public to be informed on how we comply with privacy laws and cooperate with law enforcement. Carlos Hawley, Jr. moved to affirm the procedure. Jan Ulferts Stewart seconded the motion. Mary Dickson added punctuation corrections for clarity. The motion carried.
B. Statement of Concern Procedure Review
Tim Dirks stated that every library needs to have a procedure in order to have a standard approach to materials challenges. This procedure has served us very well over the past years. He highlighted the board’s role as well as the Collection Development team’s role in carrying out this procedure. Jan Ulferts Stewart moved to affirm the Statement of Concern Procedure. Carlos Hawley, Jr. seconded the motion; the motion carried.
C. Library Bill of Rights and Intellectual Freedom Policy Review
Tim Dirks said that the Library Bill of Rights and Intellectual Freedom statement are at the heart of what we are as a public library. We live in a society with multiple points of view and freedom of speech is critical. Mary Batcheller commented on the dated nature of the language; Tim Dirks replied that the Library Bill of Rights has its origins in the McCarthy era in the 1950’s. Jan Ulferts Stewart moved to affirm the Library Bill of Rights and Intellectual Freedom Policy. Mary Dickson seconded the motion; the motion carried.

Public Comment
There was no comment from other members of the public. Tim Dirks announced to the Board that Edie Discher will be retiring after 25 years of service on October 5, 2018. She has served as Reference and Systems Librarian. Jan Ulferts Stewart requested that the Board send a letter of commendation and thanks to Edie Discher for her years of dedication and service.

Next Board Meeting
Vice-Chair Mary Batcheller stated that the next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at 4:00 PM in the City Commission Room.
The meeting adjourned at 4:31 PM.