Present: at library Diane Adams, Library Director, Paul Nevanen, and Mona Johnson, present via Zoom: Ted Saxton, Ashley Kostiuk, MaryJo Winkel, Dick Peterson and Darcy Sullivan
Call to Order: Saxton called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm
Motion was made by Nevanen, seconded by Sullivan to approve the March minutes, approved unanimously via roll call vote.
Financial Report and Bills: Motion by Winkel, seconded by Peterson to pay the bills. Approved unanimously via roll call vote. Nevanen signed the bills.
Director’s Report – What a month!! The library was closed beginning Tuesday, March 17th. We spent Tuesday organizing and preparing to offer pickup of materials at the parking lot doors. Since Wednesday, March 18th we have allowed library patrons to contact us via phone, email or LiveChat and request materials in our collection and currently on our shelves. We last received courier on Tuesday, March 17th. Through March we assisted 10 – 15 people each day with printing, tax forms and materials for use during this time at home.
Beginning March 30th we sent all part-time employees home for two weeks of paid administrative leave during the Governor’s Stay-at-Home edict. Caleb also preferred to stay at home. Beth and I preferred to work, so we each worked part-time at the library the first week. Beginning Monday, April 6th we each returned to working 9 – 5 staying primarily on our respective floors.
We are seeing fewer folks utilizing our services the last two weeks, down to 5 – 10 each day plus another 5 – 10 contacts with questions or requests for services we can’t assist with, the major one being folks needing to scan timecards and email to their employer. We haven’t figured out how to provide computer service while the building is closed to the public.
Hoopla use went up by 95 downloads over February usage, Overdrive was over 80 circulations higher in March compared to February. Digital use didn’t offset the decline of physical items, but in this time of upheaval and staying at home we are still present in the community as much as we can be.
I am hoping that beginning next week, Monday, April 13th we can again offer part-time employees the opportunity to come into the library and do a variety of tasks that haven’t been done due to a lack of time to tackle.
Beth and I have begun talking about what to do with summer reading in the event that we are not able to be open yet to the public. We are definitely hoping that we can offer our regular summer programming, but are preparing for contigencies.
No upcoming programs – storytime is going out live each Thursday morning on Facebook.
Grants – KTI grant – per email conversation with Paul Nevanen and approval of KTI board we will delay final reporting until we are able to provide programming again and can do the programming pieces of the grants
Knudson grant – will try for June 30 deadline of grant, further expand the Library of Things
phone – installed April 14, still adjusting and tweaking, but working and happy.
New Business:
none
Next Friends of the Library sale – May 7th, 3 – 5 pm doubtful that will happen, may try to put carts in parking lot and advertize a ‘pop-up’ sale on Facebook on nice days
What are you reading? – MaryJo is reading A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan, Darcy is reading The Rule of Four by Dustin Thomason and Ian Caldwell. Ashley is reading Tana French’s In the Woods, while Paul is reading Jim Harrison’s The Big Seven, Dick is reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean, Diane is reading Strong Towns: a bottom-up revolution to rebuild American prosperity by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. at the recommendation of Harley Droba. Ted has been very busy and not reading much and I forgot to warn Mona and she wasn’t prepared.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13th at 4:30 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 4:50 pm.