HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-21 - Minutes -Fayetteville Fa Mountain St. Fayetteville, AR 72701 Public Library 479.856.7000 questions@faylib.org faylib.org Board of Trustees October 21, 2024 4 pm MINUTES Regular Meeting —Zeigler Reception Room Trustees: S. Overbey, S. Rodgers, A. Wilbourn, B. Bryan, C. Davis, R. Qualls Trustees Absent: B. Park Staff: D. Johnson, W. Fitzgibbon, T. Ball, C. Karnatz, C. Moody, S. Palmer, H. Robideaux, K. Bailey, S. Walker, K. Lehman, M. Taylor, G. Allen, S. Herrera, K. Von Rembow, J. Curry, L. Husband, B. Lee, M. Hurley, A. Easley, S. Allison, S. Isbell, K. Dodge, S. Landers, N. Burgess, K. Rolf, E. Ellis, A. Sherman, RJ Jermain, D. Wright, A. Taylor Attorney: P. Elwood Public: M. Rice, B. Hollender, N. Linn, M. Scharfenberg, R. Wu Press: S. Ryburn Our mission is to strengthen our community and empower our citizens through free and public access to knowledge. I. Call to Order: S. Overbey called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. II. Roll Call III. Minutes - approval of minutes from September 20, 2024: R. Qualls moved to approve the minutes from September 20. S. Rodgers seconded the motion. All voted AYE. IV. Reports A. Key Upcoming Events: Ghost Tour at the Square led by Fayetteville Haunts, 4tn annual Be(A)ware Allergy -Friendly Halloween event with BigBox Karaoke, NWA Fashion Week, and Maker to Market Fall Reception. B. Mission Moment: S. McClure, Manager of Youth Services, discussed lesser - known programs/events: Teen Advisory Board, Wordplay Writers' Club, Boundless Book Society, Teen Cuisine, Dungeons & Dragons, Homework Helpers, Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School, Passionate About Literacy, and Reading Dragons. C. Library Administration 1. Management Reports a. Performance Measures: Circulation was down due to the HVAC closure. Cardholders and digital checkout numbers remained steady. b. Strategic Plan progress through September 2024: During the HVAC closure, Youth Services held story times in a few parks. Maker Faire had 1000+ attendees. Candidate forums were held for upcoming City Fayetteville Public Library 401 W Mountain St. Fayetteville, AR 72701 479.856.7000 questions@)faylib.org faylib.org elections. A walkie talkie was added to Arsaga's, and online newsletters have been updated. 2. Financial reports: 59% of the projected budget has been collected, which is below expected amounts due to insurance proceeds. FPL has spent 70% of the budget, largely due to less spending in services and charges. Food Services ceased operations October 15 with a loss of $76,507. Events continued to perform well, with a net income of $102,008 by September's end. 3. Informational a. Bookmobile report: Started regular routes to housing authority apartments, parks, the NWA Mall, and Boys and Girls Glub. Wheeled shelving was added for ease of browsing. C. Dennis and J. Settje attended the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Conference. b. Act 372 update: Judge Brooks moved the trial date to December 16-18, 2024. In Crawford County, all library books that had been sequestered based on subject matter were commanded to return to the shelves by judge order. c. HVAC replacement: Replaced 2 rooftop package units and replaced a split system, which is half indoor, half outdoor. These control humidity differently, which is better for the books. d. 2025 Budget progress: Staff are in the final stages of consolidating the budget and hope to have it ready to send to the Board in mid -November. e. Deli update: Originally meant to be self-sustaining, the 641.Deli continually lost money. Changes to food and prices in the 2nd year did not compensate for decreased sales and increasing operating expenses. Mid - August, it was determined that the Deli would close and worked with FPL's legal team to obtain severance packages for the Deli employees. Leftover product will be used to cook meals for staff and future rental opportunities will be considered. f. Staff In -Service: The library will close November 7 for annual in-service training. In preparation, staff did a color personality test and a pulse query. LifeWork will facilitate the training. g. True Lit: 2,900 people attended the week-long collection of author/writer events. N. Stone, G. Ned and M. Stewart spoke to Fayetteville public school students of all ages. Saturday writing and publishing event attendees got individualized attention, with a special appearance by the University of Arkansas's Distinguished Reader A. Cohen. V Fayetteville Public Library 401 W. Mountain St. Fayetteville, AR 72701 479.856.7000 questions@fay I i b.o rg faylib.org h. Fayetteville Adult Career Training: The Fayetteville Public School System provides adult education classes such as ESL and paraprofessional pro training at the library. Staff & professional development: S. McClure, H. Robideaux attended the NWA Environmental Education Partnership; during HVAC closure, several staff attended Mandatory Reporting and Child Maltreatment training with the Children's Safety Center; IT staff went to HB Innovates Cybersecurity Conference and ARLA to present a session on cybersecurity. New staff & recognition: 8 new staff have joined since August's meeting — 2 in YS, 1 in the CFI, 1 in Community Engagement, 1 in Reference, 2 in Facilities, and 1 in Development. D. Fayetteville Public Library Foundation - monthly report: Year-end mailers are in the works, with hopes to raise $50,000. The 20th anniversary of the Blair Building was October 9 and includes partnerships with Urban Cellar Winery, Guisinger Cocktail Club and Crisis Brewery. The Capital Campaign still has $2 million left to raise. On November 1, a working session with the Foundation will look at new software and prospects. E. Friends of the Fayetteville Public Library: September's meeting was cancelled due to the HVAC closure. A December 14 premium book sale is planned. F. Art Committee: Current art on display comes via Banned Book art winners, D. Gentle, T. Colwin, Fenix Arts, and J. Youngdahl. New business A. Discussion items 1. November and December meetings: A draft of the 2025 Budget will be sent to the Board in November. It was suggested to move December's meeting to the first Monday of the month. S. Rodgers made a motion for the 2nd. R. Qualls seconded the motion. All voted AYE. The next Board of Trustees will be on December 2. 2. 2023 Audit: Forvis Mazars, the auditors, issued an unmodified opinion of both the audit and reporting controls. R. Qualls moved to accept the audited financial statements for 2023. S. Rodgers seconded the motion. All voted AYE. The motion to accept the audit carried. 3. Campus Curfew Policy: FPL modeled this policy after the one the City has for public parks: for safety, security and health reasons, there will be a curfew from 10pm to 6am. FPL+ is not affected, as its hours are the same. R. Qualls moved to adopt the Curfew Policy. A. Wilbourn seconded the motion. All voted AYE. The motion carried. VI. VII Fayetteville Public Library 401 W. Mountain St. Fayetteville, AR 72701 479.856.7000 questions@faylib org faylib.org 4. Bees: There was a request to bring the bees back to the library with a new battery -powered smudge pot. This would include two changes in protocol: when the volunteer beekeeper is on the roof, he is accompanied by a Facilities staff member, and he will not be allowed to bring flammable materials. A. Wilbourn motioned to allow the bees to return on the condition that the policies suggested be implemented. C. Davis seconded the motion. Discussion followed with emphasis on the April damage and concern for the bees' return. A written fire control policy was requested, and further discussion was deferred. Public Comment: N. Linn expressed her frustration that the deli was closed without public input and suggested that tax money go towards personnel. M. Scharfenberg stated her concerns about staff salary compensation and voiced her support of the bees. K. Agee, former Trustee and volunteer, wrote a letter in support of FPL and the staff. M. Rice requested donations to the Capital Campaign and recalled that 74% of voters in the millage campaign voted to support the library expansion. Executive Session: S. Overbey called for a motion to enter Executive Session. R. Qualls motioned for the Board to enter Executive Session and B. Bryan seconded the motion. The Executive Session began at 5:30 pm. A. Wilbourn moved to resume the regular session. C. Davis seconded the motion. Executive Session ended at 5:44 pm. A decision was made. Adjournment: R. Qualls motioned to adjourn the meeting. C. Davis seconded the motion. All voted AYE. The meeting adjourned at 5:45 pm. Sallie Overbey, President Date