International Falls Public Library – Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes – July 10, 2019

Present: Library Director Diane Adams, Ted Saxton, Lindsi Barnhart, MaryJo Winkel, Dick Peterson, Darcy Sullivan, John Dalton

Peterson called the meeting to order: 4:35 p.m.

Review of June meeting minutes. Saxton made a motion to approve the minutes, Sullivan seconded, motion approved.

Financial Report: The current bills and financial report were reviewed. Winkel made a motion to pay the bills, Dalton seconded, motion carried with Saxton abstaining. Dalton signed to pay the bills.

Director’s Report:         Circulation continues a downward spiral. June was 10% below June 2018. We are not seeing the kids coming in and checking out books that we have in previous years. Storytime attendance has been a steady 15 – 25 each week. Big Play our creative time for young kids has been hit and miss, good turnout the first week, but spotty since then. (Had a good response on Facebook this last week, so hoping we get a better turnout July 5). We had good turnouts for the magician and the musical group Dollipops. But programming for older kids and adults including the weekly creative time for teens and then adults and the Duelling Dames history program have had few attend. Second round of performers will be July 9 and 16 with a musician and physical comedian.

We have worked with Midco and increased our wi-fi speed, although it doesn’t seem to be registering on devices yet, working with Small Town Tech on testing our equipment. Have contacted LinkedIn Learning and begun process of adding that program to our digital offerings. Haven’t begun working on weekly meetups with the co-working space, nor adding chat reference service. Still working on adding digital products through Tech Soup for recording studio and staff PCs.

Old Business: Anna Meyer Bequest – We have money available to purchase a large scanner to begin working on digitizing the newspaper collection. However, I think we should consider using the rest of the Anna Myer donation to purchase the scanner and use city money to pay for the staffing needed to scan all those newspapers.

Digitization Project – no progress (see above)

KTI – Koochiching Technology Initiative – received both grants, will deal with beginning in July

Donations – none

New Business: 2020 budget proposal (see attached)

What are you reading? John is just starting the new Danielle Steel Turning Point, and still reading David Copperfield by Dickens, Dick is focusing on nonfiction with Accidental Presidents by Jared Cohen and The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson, Ted has been reading lots of fun stuff with Oliver, MaryJo read Chronicles of a Radical Hag by Lorna Landvik and More Things in Heaven and Earth by Jeff High. Lindsi is preparing for their move by reading In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin and then as a family they are reading Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis while Diane is reading The Enchanted Hour: the miraculous power of reading aloud in an age of distraction by Meghan Cox Curdon and is also reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley aloud with her husband.

Friends of Library book sale: July 23, 5-7 pm

Next board meeting: Wednesday, August 14, 2019, 4:30 p.m.

Adjourned: 5:25 pm

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