Board of Somerset County Library Trustees
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, February 12th, 2020, 4:00 p.m. Princess Anne Library
Present: Ann Smith (President), Lois Outten (Treasurer), Marilyn Cottman, Beth Holmes-Mayson, Ed Goyda (Director), Jaime Bradshaw (Branch Manager), Kayla Leimbach (Branch Manager).
Absent: Marlena Turner (Vice President), Father Robert Laws, Karen Riggin, Nora Hoffman (Administrative Assistant)
Call Meeting to Order
President Ann Smith called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m.
Consent Agenda
- ● Approve minutes from the regular meeting of December 11, 2019
- ● Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019
- ● Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2019 – January 31, 2020
A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Lois Outten, seconded by Marilyn Cottman, and was unanimously approved.
Branch Highlights
Princess Anne : Kayla Leimbach spoke about the Princess Anne Library's Christmas crafts that were very popular in December with over 70 patrons joining them for various crafts such as Peg Doll Nativity Sets, Ornament Making, and a Cookie Swap. The Senior Moments group had a pot-luck Holiday dinner on December 19 with 14 in attendance. January was a busy month as well with 17 attending Pour Painting and 37 patrons joining them on January 27 to make Snow Slime. Giant Candyland on January 28 was a huge draw for families with 25 kids and parents making their way around the children's room collecting candy. She discussed that Youth Services Coordinator Becky Pratte was continuing to travel for Storytime and Early Literacy Kit distribution to local daycares and that Technical Services Librarian Gabe Stuckey was also continuing his monthly nursing home visits. Kayla and Technical Services Associate Michele Henry were also continuing to work on the "Wellness Made Easy" collection; and they were given a $1600 grant from the United Way & PRMC to develop the collection.
Crisfield: Jaime Bradshaw spoke about the Crisfield Library's popular holiday programs which included Ribbon Trees with 9 attendees and Sea Shell Ornaments with 11. The Crisfield Library held their second annual 'Noon' Year's Eve Party with 27 in attendance. Book Club has gained new members with a total of 16 in January. Also in January, there were 10 for Watercolor Painting, 11 for Kids Paint Party and 24 for Giant Candyland. In January, Lorna attended a Marketing/Printer Liaison meeting at the Eastern Shore Regional Library. Jaime also stated that the Crisfield branch is excited for their upcoming spring programs to begin, and that they have been planning programs and preparing for this year's Summer Reading program "Imagine Your Story".
Library Director7apos;s Report
Mr. Goyda presented his Director's Report for December 2019 and January 2020.
Core Services
Court Case: Mr. Goyda stated that the DaShields court case was closed on February 11 with the result of the defendant being found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison.
Computer Upgrades: Mr. Goyda stated that all desktops were upgraded the week of January 12. Kristi Kressin from ESRL took the laptops for upgrades on February 11. He also mentioned that the 3D printers were currently having issues.
Corbin Gallery Collection: The materials for the Arts Collection at Corbin Gallery & Studio had been delivered.
Fine-Free Libraries: Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne's, Somerset, and Worcester were now fine-free.
Fine-Free Libraries, Part 2: Mr. Goyda spoke of Senate Bill 524 (Building Lifelong Library Learners Act), which was released on January 30, which would increase library funding and mandate fine-free operations for children in the State of Maryland.
Spring Booklet: Mr. Goyda distributed a draft of the spring booklet at the Board meeting.
Community Outreach
Christmas Parades: We participated in the Crisfield Christmas Parade on December 6 and the Princess Anne Christmas Parade on December 7.
Complete Count: Mr. Goyda discussed that the Library has joined the Census Complete Count Committee, run by Kristen Tremblay from the Department of Planning. We'll be hosting displays and information about the Census, and staff will be trained on assisting people completing the online form at the February staff meeting.
Legislative Day: Mr. Goyda visited Delegates Otto and Anderton during Library Legislative Day on February 5.
Oyster Drop: There were 40 people in attendance during the evening before the drop and 75 at the drop itself.
Community Partnership
Gold Star Monument: Susan Schneider from the Somerset County Garden Club had reached out about placing a Gold Star monument near the flagpole in Crisfield. She was working with Phil Riggin at the American Legion for funding. This would be the fourth in Maryland (the rest on the Western Shore), and the second in Delmarva (the other in Wilmington).
Lower Shore Workforce: The Lower Shore Workforce Alliance had shifted priorities from job search assistance to job training, denying the Somerset and Worcester applications and withdrawing Wicomico Library's funding mid-year. Scott Mahler, Wicomico Library Adult Services Manager, was reaching out to the Rural Maryland Council about possible funding for programs on the Lower Shore.
Wellness Made Easy: We had received $1,600 in funding from PRMC for a Health Literacy collection, initially at the Princess Anne Library. Michele had submitted orders for the materials; PRMC will reimburse.
Internal Development
HR Audit: Mr. Goyda stated that policy and procedural cleanups are now complete and that the employee files are nearly complete.
MLA Conference: The MLA Conference would be May 6 - 8. Mr. Goyda stated that the grant request with the State Library has been filed, with 8 people attending pre-conferences on Wednesday, all staff on
Thursday, and 4 people at the Friday morning sessions. He is expecting to hear back by early March.
Staff Biographies: Staff biographies were updated and were enclosed in the board packet for review.
AGILE Management: Ed, Jaime, and Kayla were attending a series of three courses, from January through April.
Planning and Management of Buildings: Mr. Goyda was participating in this ALA certified course in January and February, which will lead to a preliminary space needs assessment for the capital grant program.
Youth Services
Preschool Development Grant: Becky had assembled and distributed 30 early literacy kits to local families using funds from the Preschool Development Grant, Birth through 5 (PDGB-5) received as part of a statewide school initiative.
Summer Reading 2020: Summer reading would kick off on June 20. Becky had scheduled the weekly performers. The finales would be on August 15.
Mr. Goyda mentioned that we were underway on scheduling other programs, and that most of the summer reading prizes had been ordered.
Touch a Truck: We would be combining Touch a Truck with StreetFest on May 2.
A motion to accept the Director's Report was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Marilyn Cottman and was unanimously approved.
Governance
April Board Meeting: The spring Maryland Association of Public Library Administrators meeting had been scheduled for the same date as the Board Meeting (again). Mr. Goyda requested permission to move the Board meeting back to April 15.
A motion to move the April board meeting was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Lois Outten and was unanimously approved.
Staff Day: Ryan O'Grady from the State Library Resources Center (SLRC) had reached out to Mr. Goyda about holding an on-site staff training. Since we would be joining the regional Staff Day on Columbus Day, Mr. Goyda would like to have SLRC staff come over for three training sessions - Workforce Development, Fake News, and Google Mostly, on Monday, August 17. For all staff to be able to attend, Mr. Goyda requested to close for the day.
A motion to accept the closing for staff development was made by Lois Outten, seconded by Marilyn Cottman and was unanimously approved.
Complaints Resolution Policy: Mr. Goyda discussed that upon a recent patron complaint, a new policy was being introduced. This policy was primarily to address customer service issues or concerns about library policies.
A motion to accept the Complaints Resolution Policy was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by
Lois Outten and was unanimously approved.
Non-discrimination Policy for Patrons: Mr. Goyda spoke of how the current non-discrimination policies were in the Employee Handbook, but not in public-facing policies.
A motion to accept the Non-discrimination Policy for Patrons was made by Beth Holmes-Mason, seconded by Marilyn Cottman and was unanimously approved.
Appointment of Patty Perison, Library Associate: Mr. Goyda discussed that as Adrianna's course schedule had changed, she was going to need to reduce hours in the spring. Patty Perison has 13 years of experience with the Carroll County Public Library and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.
A motion to accept the appointment was made by Lois Outten, seconded by Marilyn Cottman and was unanimously approved.
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made by Marilyn Cottman, seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 4:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Jaime Bradshaw Crisfield Branch Manager