International Falls Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
June 10, 2020
Present: at library Diane Adams, Library Director, Paul Nevanen, and Mona Johnson, present via Zoom: Dick Peterson and Ted Saxton
Call to Order: Saxton called the meeting to order at 4:40 pm
Motion was made by Peterson, seconded by Nevanen to approve the May minutes, approved unanimously via roll call vote.
Financial Report and Bills: Motion by Nevanen, seconded by Peterson to pay the bills. Approved unanimously via roll call vote. Johnson signed the bills.
Director’s Report – In May we checked out 1,421 physical items to 436 patrons. Sixty patrons borrowed 510 items from Hoopla and 154 patrons borrowed 832 items from Overdrive.
Summer reading has started with 64 (child – adult) registered so far (as of 6/4). We are still working on getting the word out that things are happening here at the library and at home with our assistance. Much of the last month has been spent reconfiguring summer reading and putting the details into place. We are not seeing very many families or children using the library. Not sure how to change that. The first week of digital programming with take home bags available has been disappointing. We didn’t have any ask for the libratory bags, and so far none for storytime craft and haven’t had anyone reserve Family Fun bag for Friday. So I would also like to have a discussion specifically about summer reading program for the remainder of the summer but more generally about ideas for re-engaging community members not returning to the library.
Not much more to report. Our time has been spent focusing on new procedures, new ways of handling materials, patron movements etc. Everything takes longer, partly because we have to think through everything we do and partly because the new procedures involve more steps. The goal for June will be to start work on 2021 budget
Upcoming programs – Libratory – Wednesday afternoon – take home pack, links to activities, garden plot – schedule time to work in garden with Beth, outdoor sensory walk on staff parking area
Storytime – Thursday morning – live Facebook feed, craft take home packs, link to beanbag song
Family Fun – Friday morning – links, take home packs
Crafts in the Park – table on sidewalk with sign on table – ask at pick up table for supplies
June – Metal Stamping
July – Artist Trading Card
August – Rock Painting
July 8 and August 4 outdoor art programs with Twin Cities artists, utilize entire green space
Grants – I will have a grant for the Knudson Foundation ready for Wednesday’s meeting. We didn’t receive the ARAC grant, we didn’t communicate well enough for them what we were trying to do to engage the community in a conversation about art and economics
Long range plan – We need to begin talking about planning process again. Do we want to try and meet in the fall, wait until next spring? A brief discussion was held and we felt that it would be better to wait until spring and see what has developed as we are in a moment by moment phase.
New Business: none
Next Friends of the Library sale – looking at putting carts in parking lot and advertize a ‘pop-up’ sale on Facebook on nice days. Talking with Stacy Sather, book sale volunteer about what she would like to do and comfortable doing.
What are you reading? – Diane is reading The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell, Dick finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins at his wife’s request and then read Race of Aces by John Bruning, Ted has been in need of comfortable reading and found it in The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers, Mona is still working through Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody, Paul has gone back to classic Lawrence Block titles, I thought he said Center Man, but I can’t find such a book by him, so I’m not sure which one he read. Ashley apologized for not making it to the meeting and shared that she had been reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, a must for Hunger Game fans.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8th at 4:30 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 pm.
Well, I certainly hope Paul enjoyed my book! The actual title, I’m fairly certain, is SINNER MAN, and in fact it was the first crime novel I wrote, although not the first published. It was subsequently lost for ages until I found it with a reader’s help, whereupon Hard Case Crime brought it back into print.
If any of y’all would like to be on my newsletter list, just email me to that effect at lawbloc@gmail.com. I figure you folks are a market segment to be cultivated and encouraged, as I know what the winters are like up there!
Sinner Man was the title he’d been reading. It was an older edition as he was reading titles his father had stored at their lake cabin. Thank you for your prompt comment to our post. Don’t think very many people read library board minutes unless they have to.