Present: Library Director Diane Adams, John Dalton, Darcy Sullivan, Paul Nevanen, Dick Peterson, Ted Saxton, Mary Jo Winkel
Dick Peterson called the meeting to order: 4:30 p.m.
Review of April meeting minutes. Nevanen made a motion to approve the minutes, Dalton seconded, motion approved.
Financial Report: The current bills were reviewed. Winkel made a motion to pay the bills, Nevanen seconded, motion carried. Dalton signed to pay the bills.
Director’s Report: April circulation was almost identical to March 2018 and a small improvement over April 2017. Thus far on the year circulation is down 10% compared to last year. I am doing some talking and brainstorming to rethink the way we calculate usage. General feeling among fellow staff and librarians elsewhere in the Arrowhead Library System is that we are working harder for most items borrowed. For example, patrons used to come in and know how to find a book, and would check out ten or more items. Now, we have fewer people like that and more that need us to help them find a book, both specific titles and general ideas about what they want to read and then only check out one book. So we’ve spent five minutes with them and record one circulated item instead of spending one minute with them and recording ten circulated items.
Storytime attendance remained positive throughout April with over twenty at each session. We had over forty people attend the World Drums and Percussion program to rave reviews. The Reading Ready relaunch was a bust (not really as we had about 30 total people come through, but we had hoped for over 100). The storyteller had over 40 listen, with pictures in the Journal. The Duluth Playhouse Imagination Theater had a small crowd of 15.
A staff meeting will be held on Monday, May 21st at 9am with a focus on the new summer reading online platform and general items of interest.
Summer reading is coming. We will have signups online via our ReadSquared site. Class visits are the week of May 7 – 10. Letters to students with their school library card number will go to the school by May 14 to give them time to sort by classes and distribute. Informational sheets to teachers and staff about the challenge between district employees and students will go to the school at the same time.
Old Business: No programs until summer reading starts, kickoff on Wednesday, June 6 at 10:30am with Friction Farm, a traveling duo from South Carolina. We talked about the group Ifalls Nice and the new community calendar of events that will launch this weekend.
New Business: Annual Action plan was presented with information about what we did and did not accomplish in 2017-18, and what changes were in the 2018-19 plan. Move by Saxton, seconded by Dalton, motion approved to accept the action plan as presented.
Saxton asked for the board to submit a Blandin Broadband Community letter of support to the grant request. Adams will write before May 14th, Peterson will sign. The letter will focus on what we are already doing for technology in the community and where we see additional needs. Annual director performance review was held, board approved direction and leadership of Adams.
Diane is reading Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard, John is reading Too Much Money by Dominic Dunne, Dick’s reading Bridge at Andau by James Michener, Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh is what Paul is reading. Ted is enjoying We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Darcy is focusing on folk and patriotic music in anticipation of the Voyageurs National Park coin release while MaryJo is reading The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves.
Next board meeting: June 13, 2018, 4:30 p.m.
Adjourned: 5:50 pm