Board of Somerset County Library Trustees
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. Crisfield Library
Present: Ann Smith, President; Marlena Turner, Vice President; Lois Outten, Treasurer; Board Members: Marilyn Cottman, Beth Holmes-Mayson and Karen Riggin; Ed Goyda, Library Director; Jaime Bradshaw, Crisfield Branch Manager; Nora Hoffman, Bookkeeper/Administrative Assistant.
Present via teleconference: Kayla Hodgson, Princess Anne Branch Manager; Absent: Father Robert Laws, Board Member
Call Meeting to Order
President Smith called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.
Consent Agenda
Minutes from the regular meeting of February 13, 2019.
Financial reports for the period from July 1, 2018 - February 28, 2019.
Financial reports for the period from July 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019.
Discussion: President Smith inquired about the figures relating to travel/staff development on the financial reports. Mr. Goyda stated that a grant for the Maryland Library Association Annual Conference had been approved in the interim and that mileage related to the childcare visits had been moved to the Community Foundation grant since the close of the reporting period.
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion was made by Ms. Outten and seconded by Ms. Riggin. The Consent Agenda was unanimously approved.
Branch Highlights
Ms. Bradshaw detailed popular programs at the Crisfield Library. She noted that Library Assistant Caprice Harris participated in a webinar, "Successfully Dealing with the Behaviors of Toxic People in your Library," and reported on the training at the all-staff meeting in March. She also discussed plans underway for the Summer Reading Kickoff on June 22.
Ms. Hodgson also discussed recent programs. She noted that Youth Services Coordinator Becky Pratte was continuing her visits to childcares and distribution of Early Literacy Kits and that Technical Services Librarian Gabe Stuckey was continuing his monthly visits to the Crisfield Nursing Home. The Princess Anne Library hosted the Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce After- Hours Reception on March 28. Ms. Hodgson noted that library staff was engaged in a makeover and was nearing completion of shifting the collections and painting the building. She stated that the library was in talks with the Town of Princess Anne to combine efforts for Halloween 2019.
RESIGNATION – MARK SHAFFER
Discussion: Mr. Goyda distributed an email from Associate Board Member Mark Shaffer, received by President Smith and Mr. Goyda. Mr. Shaffer resigned due to difficulty attending meetings due to scheduling conflicts and stated that he realized serving at the associate level was not in line with his academic career.
Mr. Goyda mentioned that we would soon need to contact the Commissioners to re-appoint Father Laws. Ms. Outten suggested considering recent candidates to fill the Associate position. This topic was tabled for future discussion.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept Mr. Shaffer's resignation. A motion was made by Vice President Turner, seconded by Ms. Outten and unanimously accepted.
Library Director7apos;s Report
Mr. Goyda presented his Director's Report for February and March 2019.
Core Services
Fine-Free Libraries: Calvert County went fine-free on March 4. Mr. Goyda provided a document with research and information prepared by the Enoch Pratt Library since they went fine-free. Calvert had seen a decrease in overdue books in the month that they had been fine-free, although
Pratt, after nearly a year, had seen no change. Pratt has had a 10% increase in circulation.
Online Resources: The statewide database contract had moved from EBSCO to Gale, chiefly affecting the reference databases. Rosetta Stone was being replaced with Mango Languages.
Summer Reading: The 2019 Summer Reading theme would be "A Universe of Stories." The program schedule had been finalized, and a draft of the program booklet was distributed to the Board. Supplies had been ordered, and many materials were on site.
Community Outreach
Author's Visit: Naomi Shihab Nye, ESRL's visiting author, spoke at Greenwood Elementary on April 10. Ms. Pratte and President Smith attended the event. President Smith stated that this was specifically presented to fifth graders and the kids were singing with the author who did a great job of promoting reading.
Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce: The library hosted the Princess Anne Chamber's Afterhours event on March 28.
- Governance Item***
Publicity Committee: The Publicity Committee's recommendations, previously distributed via email, were included in the Board packet.
Discussion: Ms. Riggin stated that the committee has met a few times and discussed elevator speech creation (document included with board packet). The question, "what are you involved in with the county?" was also a topic of interest, e.g., Ms. Riggin promotes the library at the chamber meetings.
President Smith asked if the committee was looking at "do we have publicity?" and suggested that maybe a current staff member could assist with that task. Mr. Goyda stated that management, along with Library Assistant Lorna Crockett, has been handling publicity. He also mentioned feels that board members have a bigger effect and more "power" because they are volunteers supporting the organization (vs. paid staff). Ms. Riggin added evaluating what programs may be lacking in attendance or need to be promoted better.
Ms. Outten stated that she believed that current library patrons were more apt to look at marketing efforts but those not familiar with the library weren't as easily touched. Ms. Riggin stated that newspaper articles on regular services could be an option if there is a need for fillers at the Crisfield Times.
Ms. Turner stated that word-of-mouth marketing is really important and better advertising than directly from staff or board members. Ms. Outten said that many folks in older generations only think the library is for books and do not realize all of the other services and programs that are available. With the proper marketing, the library can be a "hot bed of activity" and an important social organization. President Smith suggested that everyone continue to share their ideas with one another through email.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the publicity report. A motion was made by Ms. Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Ms. Turner and unanimously accepted.
- End of Governance Item***
Volunteer Appreciation Party: The Volunteer Appreciation Party was held at the Crisfield Library on Friday, February 22 with 58 attendees. The event went well and there was a photo in the Crisfield Times.
Community Outreach Events: Mr. Goyda detailed staff participation at community events.
Community Partnership
Census Committee: The Princess Anne census tract had one of the lowest response rates in Maryland to the 2010 Census. Troy Gale had joined a Maryland State Library Census Committee regarding ways to help promote Census participation, and the library was also coordinating with Jillian Cordova, the Census Bureau's Partnership Specialist on the Eastern Shore.
Community Calendar: The Community Calendar had been populated with other organizations' events - of note, the Judy Center, the Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce, and the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District.
Corbin Studio & Gallery: We were partnering with the Arts & Entertainment District to provide expertise and material in developing an arts collection at the Corbin Gallery.
Judy Center: We had signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Judy Center for collaboration in FY2020.
United Way Health Literacy: We were working with the United Way, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, and the other lower shore libraries on a health literacy initiative. BEACON was developing a survey to examine community needs to be addressed through collections and programming.
Internal Development
- Governance Item***
Approval of Auditor: In accordance with COMAR 13A.05.04.07B, the library must submit an auditor to the State Librarian by May 1st. Management again nominated TGM Group.
President Smith asked for a motion to nominate TGM Group as the library auditor. A motion was made by Ms. Outten, seconded by Ms. Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved.
- End of Governance Item***
Database Review: Gabe Stuckey had begun conducting reviews of databases at staff meetings to help build staff awareness of the resources available to the library.
Flagpole: The Crisfield flagpole had been lit and flags hung. We were still waiting on the dedication plaque from Etch Art Awards. President Smith asked if there are any plans to have a dedication ceremony. This topic was tabled for future discussion.
Human Resources Audit: The initial questionnaire for the HR Audit had been completed. The consultant, Christine Walters, from FiveL Company, was scheduled to be onsite June 17 and 18, working under the direction and control of ESRL's attorney, Robin Cockey.
Maryland Library Association Conference Grant: We received a grant from the Maryland State Library to pay for staff attendance at the MLA Conference, supplementing the main Staff Development Grant.
Princess Anne Teen Area & Quiet Reading Room: Furniture for the new areas arrived on April 12. Incorrect chairs were delivered, but Liberty Systems was working on replacing them.
Staff Orientation: An orientation manual for new staff as well as an action plan for managers had both been completed, to ensure that future hires can become quickly acquainted with library operations.
Staff Day: ESRL was beginning discussions for a region-wide Staff Day for the fall of 2020.
Wireless Access: ESRL upgraded the wireless access points in Crisfield and Princess Anne the week of February 3. There were some small compatibility issues which were all resolved in a timely manner.
- Governance Item***
Bill Pay: There was a request to add four previous omissions to electronic payments: Xerox, Demco (library specialty supply vendor), Island Ferry (tote delivery to Ewell) and Harris Ace
Hardware.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the additional payees. A motion was made by Ms. Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Ms. Cottman and unanimously accepted.
- End of Governance Item***
Library Foundation: The Foundation had authorized expenditures for additional shelving in Crisfield, additions to several print collections, and additions to the DVD collection. The first two were underway; the last was waiting for the furniture installation.
- Governance Item***
Salary Committee: The Committee had completed review of the salary scale and those of comparable organizations. Two documents, the proposed scale and tweaks to job titles that upgrade positions based on educational level, had been previously distributed via email and were included in the Board packet.
While revising the scale, the Committee had two wildcards potentially coming into play: the bill working its way through the Maryland Legislature (House Bill 166; Senate Bill 280) to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and the proposal of a US Department of Labor rule to update the threshold at which employees can be considered exempt from overtime from $23,660 to $35,308. (It was last updated in 2004.)
The spreadsheet showed the proposed reclassifications, employees who would fall within that class and their FY20 salaries (assuming a 3.5% COLA), the proposed minimums and maximums for the class, and a plan to increase the minimum to adjust to the six changes in the minimum wage between now and 2025.
For purposes of simplicity and for flexibility within each grade, the Committee defined the maximum as 70% of the minimum in most cases. (Charts from other libraries showed maximums that were 30-70% of the minimums.) This wasn't applicable to the Page (always minimum wage) or the Aide (a promotion from Aide to Assistant I would have the same effect as a merit increase on an Aide).
To encourage continuing education, the Committee created differences in classification based on degree of educational attainment. Library Assistant (High School Diploma) remained at Grade 3, Library Assistant II (Associate's Degree) was created at Grade 3.5, and Library Associate (Bachelor's Degree) was added at Grade 4. The Library Associate title, defined in State Code, requires the Bachelor's Degree and 90 hours of continuing education every 5 years.
The Committee likewise spread out the Branch Manager, Technical Services Associate, Technical
Services Librarian, and Youth Services Coordinator positions across grades depending on the degree held by the incumbent.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the salary review and suggestions. A motion was made by Ms. Riggin, seconded by Ms. Turner, and unanimously approved.
- End of Governance Item***
Timekeeping & Direct Deposit: 100% of staff was now on direct deposit, pay stubs were being received digitally, and the pay date had been changed from Wednesday to Friday.
The Workforce Now timekeeping portion of the changes had progressed much more slowly than anticipated, and management was still waiting for ADP to correct errors. Mr. Goyda and Ms. Hoffman explained the ongoing implementation issues, errors that remain, and the non- responsiveness of ADP. They asked for permission to discontinue the implementation. Mr. Goyda would research a more cost-effective time clock application, and Ms. Hoffman would continue to process payroll with manual time sheets until another option is available.
President Smith asked for a motion to withdraw from the ADP Time & Attendance module. A motion was made by Ms. Turner, seconded by Ms. Holmes-Mayson and unanimously accepted.
Professional Development: Mr. Goyda detailed professional development opportunities attended by the staff in the previous two months.
Youth Services
Community Foundation Grant: We received the $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore to acquire the programming materials attached to "Rock Out While School's Out." Ms. Pratte had begun placing orders.
Garfield Cyber Safety Adventures: We would be piloting this resource from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education for the Maryland State Library this fall.
Student Cards: Ms. Pratte submitted a script to Leo Lawson to promote the student cards in a robocall. Beth confirmed that the calls did go out successfully.
Adjournment
President Smith asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion was made by Ms. Cottman and seconded by President Smith, and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 5:06 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Nora Hoffman
Somerset County Library Bookkeeper/Admin. Assistant