International Falls Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes, September 8, 2021

Present: Diane Adams – Library Director, Dick Peterson, Paul Nevanen, Mona Johnson, MaryJo Winkel, and Heather Weaver.

Peterson called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm.

Motion by Nevanen, second by Weaver to approve the August minutes. All approved.

Motion by Nevanen, second by Winkel to approve the September bills. All approved.

Director’s Report – August was quite a bit slower than July, but still 6% above last August and we remain 13% above 2020 year to date. There have been some very slow days and some very busy moments. During August many staff took vacation time, we were often short-staffed, so we didn’t complain much about being slower. Molly also arrived and training began. She is doing very well and we are adding new tasks almost daily to her routine. We have often said the learning curve is very steep but short with then infrequent new skills to learn for the next several years.

I have spent much of the month providing training and trying to finish up grants and summer reading reports. I am also putting together resources for our long range planning session. I am also beginning to work on storytime prep after not doing it for several years and making changes to the format to keep families as safe as we can.

Old Business – upcoming programs – storytime begins September 16th, weekly Libratory bags for pickup on Tuesdays until gone, monthly teen and adult craft project.

Fireplace insert – no word

Budget 2022 – council pleased with budget – don’t anticipate change

ARPAapplied for subgrant of $4,800 from ALS

Strategic Planning meeting – October 2, 9 – 4 at Ballan’s iSpace, will email previous strategic plan and action plan from 2019-2020

New Business – none

What are you reading? – Paul is reading Laughing Monsters by Denis Johnson set in Freetown Sierra Leone in post 9/11 days but pre-ebola, while Heather is reading Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner about sisters separated in the blitz. Mona is reading The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel while MaryJo finished Come Fly the World by Julia Cooke about the Pan-Am flight attendants and Sisters of Summit Avenue by Lynn Cullen, set in depression era St. Paul. Dick is reading A Time for Mercy by James Grippando and D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose and Diane is reading This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 13th, 2021 at 4:30 pm.

Meeting ended at 5:05 pm.

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