Board of Somerset County Library Trustees
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 4:00 p.m. Crisfield Library
Present: Ann Smith (President), Marlena Turner (Vice President), Lois Outten (Treasurer), Karen Riggin, Father Robert Laws, Beth Holmes-Mayson, Marilyn Cottman, Ed Goyda (Director), Jaime Bradshaw (Branch Manager), Kayla Hodgson (Branch Manager), Nora Hoffman (Administrative Assistant).
Call Meeting to Order
President Smith called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.
Consent Agenda
Approve minutes from the regular meeting of June 12, 2019.
Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019.
Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2019 - July 31, 2019.
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion was made by Marilyn Cottman and seconded by Karen Riggin, and the Consent Agenda was unanimously approved.
Branch Highlights
Crisfield: Ms. Bradshaw reported that the Crisfield Library's Summer Reading special events were well attended this year. Their highest attendance was for the Juggling Hoffmans with 42 children. More of their crowd favorites included Reptile Wonders with 35 children and the Bubble Lady with 34 children. Other popular programs led by the staff included kids and teen cake decorating (10 each), kids cooking (10), tissue paper canvas art (13) and both adult and kids paint parties (14 each). In June, Caprice Harris and Jaime Bradshaw attended a workshop pertaining to leadership and influence. Jaime also attended a two part series of "Everyone Leads" in June and July. Each staff member at the Crisfield branch participated in the "Get to know your New SAILOR Resources from Gale" webinar in June as well.
Princess Anne: Ms. Hodgson reported that with Summer Reading in full swing, the Princess Anne branch has seen great attendance at their performance shows, with Reptile Wonders on June 24 being the largest so far with 90 in attendance. Ms. Hodgson also stated that Princess Anne had a very large turn-out for Harry Potter's Birthday on July 31 with 23 children and adults at the book discussion and over 120 patrons for the party. The Block of the Month Club wrapped up their series on June 13 and will resume again in October; the final project is on display at the Princess Anne Branch.
Additionally, she reported that Becky Pratte attended end of the year awards ceremonies at our local schools to promote the summer reading program. Ms. Pratte's Early Childhood Literacy Kits completed their cycle in June and we are in discussion about continuing the program for the next academic year. The Princess Anne branch received a visit from the Salisbury Kennel Club on July 11 and was presented with a donation to purchase books about the training and care of dogs. Ms. Hodgson attended the first Halloween meeting at the town offices on July 22 and is helping plan the large town-wide celebration.
President Smith asked if there were any updates from the Ewell branch. Mr. Goyda stated that their statistics are relatively the same and that he was planning a visit to their branch. President Smith suggested that perhaps the board would attend the visit as well.
Library Director7apos;s Report:
Mr. Goyda presented his Director's Report for June - July 2019.
Core Services
Fall Programs: Mr. Goyda mentioned that the fall program schedule is complete, and the booklet is finalized. A copy was distributed to each member at the Board meeting.
Fine-Free Libraries: Mr. Goyda reported that Caroline, Queen Anne's, and Somerset staff met with Eastern Shore Regional Library (ESRL) staff on July 1 to discuss publicity and the technical issues involved with the fine-free rollout. Implementation tests on the training server took most of July. Mr. Goyda stated that the library will be soft-launching as soon as possible.
Additionally, he stated that the public relations material would be ready September 1, tying into
Library Card Sign Up Month.
Gale Databases: The new databases were put into place on June 14. Staff viewed a " Get to Know your New Sailor Resources from Gale " webinar on June 20 and Technical Services Librarian Gabe Stuckey briefly reviewed them at the June 21 staff meeting.
Grants: Mr. Goyda reported that the final reports for the State Staff Development and Conference grants had been completed. The final reimbursement for the State Teen Innovation Grant had been filed. He also reported that the Community Foundation Early Literacy Grant for the childcare visits was ending this month.
Community Outreach
Book donations: Four boxes of children's material, mostly picture books, were donated to the Judy Center, and five boxes of books, collected by ESRL and us, were donated to Eastern Correctional Institution for their summer reading program.
Community Guide: Mr. Goyda stated the library placed a full-page ad in the Community Guide again this year, and he held the ad up for everyone to see.
Healthy Somerset: Mr. Goyda reported that he will be attending the Health Department's Healthy Somerset coalition meetings.
Maryland State Arts Council: The Maryland State Arts Council recorded B-roll footage of the summer reading kickoff and the interior of the Crisfield Library on June 22, to be used in an Arts Across Maryland series.
Outreach Events: Mr. Goyda reported that both branches have new canopies to use during outdoor events.
Striving Readers Committee: Mr. Goyda will be serving on the school district's Striving Readers Committee again this year.
Community Partnership
Halloween: The first planning meeting for the town-wide Princess Anne Halloween event was July 22, to be followed up on August 12. The Library will be handling carnival games and crafts on Prince William Street. Mr. Goyda reported that the Princess Anne branch does not intend on having the building open during the event.
Health Department: The Health Department will be continuing their Indoor Walking program through the first week of September and following it with a Diabetes Prevention program, in the Princess Anne meeting room, in the fall.
Judy Center: The Princess Anne Library hosted a bilingual family concert from Dr. Mike on July 24.
Quilt raffle: Mr. Goyda reported that as of August 5, the raffle ticket sales are up to $140 on the quilt that Jan Gorely donated from the Block of the Month program.
Internal Development
ADP: Mr. Goyda stated that there has finally been some responsiveness from ADP in unwinding the Time & Attendance module. They have refunded the fees that they automatically debited during the implementation attempt.
Audit: Rob Davis completed review of our accounts and the recording of accruals during the week of July 29. Stephanie Chance from TGM group is on site the week of August 5. Mr. Goyda stated that there will be a presentation of the audit at either the October or December Board meeting.
Board Terms: The County Commissioners had confirmed Fr. Rob Laws'first (full) term through June 2024. The next renewal would be for Beth Holmes-Mayson's partial term, expiring October 2019.
Crisfield Shelving: Mr. Goyda reported that most of the Foundation-funded shelving was received the week of July 10. Liberty Systems was working with Aurora Shelving to remedy the missing items (chiefly, the bottom shelves of the adult fiction unit.) Additionally, Ms. Bradshaw had re-oriented several areas to provide some separation between the children's, teen, and adult areas.
HR Audit: Christine Walters from the FiveL Company was on site June 17 to review HR record-keeping. She was compiling her reports on the eight Eastern Shore and three Western Maryland libraries.
Monthly Budgeting: To provide more accuracy in financial reporting, Mr. Goyda reported that the budget was entered into QuickBooks based on expected monthly receipts and expenditures. The budget as entered was distributed to the Board.
Niche Academy: ESRL had subscribed to Niche Academy, which offers staff training on library services and technology and patron training chiefly on library databases.
Princess Anne upgrades: Painting had been completed, and the outstanding part of the furniture shipment was received July 10. Surplus shelving was donated to Princess Anne Elementary School.
Trustees Manual: The Maryland Association of Public Library Administrators (MAPLA) has a team working on revision of the Trustees Manual, which was last updated in 2009.
Governance Item
BillPay Additions: For items that are billed annually (insurance, subscriptions, and audit-related services), Ms. Hoffman requested that we add the following for BillPay approval:
- Insurance: H.M. James & Son (bonds), Local Government Insurance Trust (comprehensive), and The Hartford (worker's compensation).
- Subscriptions: The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Times, EBSCO (most magazines), and Gale/CENGAGE (large print books).
- Audit: Holloway & Marvel and TGM Group.
We had cancelled autopay with ADP due to the issues with their Time & Attendance withdrawals requested to add them to BillPay for electronic payment after the invoice has been reviewed.
President Smith requested a motion to add to BillPay as listed. Lois Outten made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Board Officers: President Smith requested a motion to re-elect herself, Vice President Turner, and Treasurer Outten. Beth Holmes-Mayson made the motion, Father Robert Laws seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Financial Procedures: Following the Financial Management classes through the University of Georgia and review of TGM's internal controls checklist, Mr. Goyda proposed the addition of the following controls to our financial procedures:
- Review of the bank reconciliation (in addition to review of the bank statement before it's reconciled) by the Director.
- Review of ADP payroll reports by the Director. Review of the bank statement and bank reconciliation by the Board member signing checks.
Ms. Outten stated that she was glad to see the extra form of control and that she supports the additions. President Smith requested a motion to accept the additions to the financial procedures. Lois Outten made the motion, Marilyn Cottman seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Harassment/Sexual Harassment Policy: House Bill 679 made several changes to Maryland law regarding workplace harassment that would go into effect on October 1. Several of these do not impact our policy. They have expanded protected classes.
President Smith requested a motion to accept the additions of marital status and ancestry to the existing policy. Marlena Turner made the motion, Karen Riggin seconded and the motion was unanimously approved, revising the opening paragraph of the policy as:
" The library does not condone or excuse harassment of any kind. We are committed to providing a work environment that is free of any form of harassment. Actions, words, jokes, or comments based on an individual's status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities or based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry or national origin, age, marital status, or any other legally protected classes will not be tolerated. "
Governance Item
Homeless Patrons: We have had several requests for computer and collection access from residents of the Lower Shore Shelter. Ms. Hodgson had spoken with them, and the shelter is agreeable to certifying their residence. For homeless patrons who are not in a shelter, we have reviewed best practices and propose an Easy Access Card, modeled specifically on Berkeley Public Library's.
This would amend the Library Card & Borrowing Policy to include: " Easy Access Card: An Easy Access Library Card is available to patrons who cannot provide address verification. Patrons with this type of card may use library computers, in-house laptops, and have full access to all online databases and services. Easy Access cards also allow for the checkout of up to three physical items. Up to three holds may be placed on Easy Access accounts. Easy Access Cards expire after 1 year. "
President Smith requested a motion to approve easy access cards for homeless patrons. Marlena Turner made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Library Schedule - Confirmation of Email vote regarding July 5: President Smith requested a motion to confirm the email vote for closing the library on July 5. Marilyn Cottman made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Library Schedule - Halloween: President Smith requested a motion to approve closing the library early for the Halloween events - 12 noon on October 26 for Crisfield and 3 pm on October 31 for Princess Anne. Marilyn Cottman made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Pets/Emotional Support Animals: There had been a few recent instances in Princess Anne of patrons bringing dogs into the building, one an emotional support animal and one related to us serving as a cooling station for the Health Department, before the Health Department amended their material to note that pets were not included. The Code of Conduct already prohibits " bringing animals, other than service animals, into the building, " and Emotional Support Animals are not protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Goyda requested that the Board affirm that the Code of Conduct prohibits Emotional Support Animals.
President Smith requested a motion to affirm such. Marlena Turner made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Petty Cash: Princess Anne had been having issues with the intake of $20 bills draining small bills from the register. Mr. Goyda proposed adding an additional $100 in small bills to Ms. Hoffman's office to cut down on emergency bank runs. As a change to cash accounts, he noted that the Board approval was required.
President Smith requested a motion to approve the petty cash request for Princess Anne. Karen Riggin made the motion, Marilyn Cottman seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Safe Child Policy: Princess Anne had been repeatedly taking disciplinary action on groups of children that have another child over the age of 13 with them. The current policy mirrored the State Code in calling for a " reliable person, at least 13 years old; " it did not mirror the part of the Code that calls for the parent to provide said reliable person. Mr. Goyda requested the following change to the policy so that it can be proactively addressed rather than waiting for the conduct violation:
" Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by a reliable person parent, guardian, or parent-provided reliable caregiver, at least 13 years old, to protect the child at ALL times while on library property. The library cannot assume responsibility for the safety of young children. Children ages 8 through 10 must have a reliable person parent, guardian, or parent-provided reliable caregiver, at least 13 years old, present on library property. All patrons will be expected to display appropriate behavior, conducive to maintaining a safe and peaceful atmosphere while in the building. "
President Smith requested a motion to change the wording in the current Safe Child Policy. Father Robert Laws made the motion, Beth Holmes-Mayson seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Time Keeping: Our in-house system was ready to go. We had live testing on the server the weeks of August 5 and August 12, with plans to put it into effect the week of August 19. This also triggered two small changes needed in the Employee Handbook. While the handbook generally states that employees must request leave from their supervisor, the phrasing regarding using lunch as leave specifically references the Request for Leave form, which will be superseded by the online system. " If a lunch or other break is to be used to come in late or leave early, a Request for Leave slip request should be filed with the employee's supervisor in advance. "
The form is also listed as an Employment Related Document and will be struck from that section.
President Smith requested a motion to amend the Employee Handbook. Marilyn Cottman made the motion, Lois Outten seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Governance Item
Vacation Accrual: In compiling vacation allowances and maximum rollover amounts for TGM Group, there's a technicality in our current vacation schedule - the practice is that staff accrue vacation more quickly after their 5th, 10th, and 20th anniversaries. The phrasing in the Handbook is unclear about the 5th, 10th, and 20th years themselves. Mr. Goyda proposed a quick remediation to:
" Full-time Staff earn leave according to the following schedule:
- 1 – 5 years At employment, 10 days per year/li>
- 6 – 10 After 5 years of employment, 15 days per year/li>
- 11 – 20 After 10 years of employment, 20 days per year/li>
- 21+ After 20 years of employment, 25 days per year
Certified Librarians earn leave according to the following schedule:
- 1 – 20 years At employment: earn 20 days per year 21+ After 20 years employment: earn 25 days per year "
President Smith requested a motion to accept the language changes in the vacation accrual portion in the employee handbook. Beth Holmes-Mayson made the motion, Karen Riggin seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.
Teen Innovation: Youth Services Coordinator Becky Pratte would be presenting on the technology from the Teen Innovation Grant at MD Tech Connect in November.
Youth Services
Summer Reading Wrap-up: The final Summer Reading Programs were Dialed Action BMX, outdoors in Princess Anne on August 16 and Crisfield on August 17. Prize raffles were held after the performances.
Teen VR: The virtual reality computer had been received in Princess Anne. Setup was to be completed shortly.
2020 Author visit: ESRL's visiting author would be Laurel Snyder, who would be visiting Woodson Elementary April 22, 2020. Ms. Snyder is the author of more than a dozen children's books, including Orphan Island (a National Book Award longlist title, and winner of the 2017 Maryland Mock Newbery), Charlie & Mouse (2018 Geisel Award winner), and The Longest Night (2014 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner). Her presentation would be geared toward 5th (or 4th and 5th) grades.
A motion was made to accept the Library Director
' s Report. Marlena Turner made the motion, Karen Riggin seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved.
Executive Session
President Smith asked for a motion to enter executive session. A roll-call vote was held, with all members voting in favor. The board entered executive session at 4:45 p.m.
President Smith asked for a motion to exit executive session. A roll-call vote was held, with all members voting in favor. The board exited executive session at 4:51 p.m.
Adjourn Marlena Turner motioned to adjourn the meeting. Karen Riggin seconded the motion, and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 4:52 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Jaime K. Bradshaw Crisfield Library Branch Manager