Board of Somerset County Library Trustees
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 4:00 p.m. Princess Anne 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 10, 2020.
Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2019- June 30, 2020.
Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2020- July 31, 2020.
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion was made by Marlena Turner, seconded by Lois Outten, and unanimously approved.
Branch Highlights
Princess Anne: Ms. Leimbach reported that the "Programs to Go" had been wildly popular, with the Princess Anne branch giving out all of the programs for June and July. She stated that patrons had started coming into the library by appointment only and that the Princess Anne branch had 121 patrons come in for this service in June and 190 in July. She mentioned that they were now offering computer help with a 'mirrored' monitor behind the circulation desk that allowed staff to verbally assist patrons using the designated public computer from safely behind the circulation desk. Virtual Summer Reading was going well, with 41 Adults, 74 Children and 22 Teens registered on Beanstack. Ms. Leimbach continued to say that staff had been posting regular online content to social media outlets, and they had a week of "Harry Potter" content in lieu of their usual in-branch birthday celebration during the last week of July. Technical Services Associate Michele Henry and Technical Services Librarian Gabe Stuckey almost had the entire Homeschool Collection cataloged and available to patrons, and the plan was to continue to work on increasing this collection.
Crisfield: Ms. Bradshaw reported that although the library was still offering lobby pick up, the library had also been open to the public by appointment for the past several weeks. She stated that all appointments were in 45 minute increments, giving patrons access to "Drop In, Check Out" services, which included browsing the shelves, computers and Wi-Fi, prints and copies, self-checkout, and faxing. She also reported that the library had continued to offer Programs to Go and, since July's were increasingly popular, more were added for August. It was mentioned that the library's June and July YouTube videos had a combined total of 318 views. She discussed staff development for June and July, stating that Ashley Gilson had participated in a webinar "Engaging Content" focusing on virtual programs and how to selectively engage audiences, and that along with herself, Ashley Gilson and Caprice Harris participated in a webinar "De-escalating Difficult COVID-19 Behaviors" which focused on helping library organizations and their employees better handle difficult behaviors with specific de-escalation techniques and verbiage to use with their patrons.
President Smith encouraged the other board members to view the "Quaranzine" that Marketing
Associate Lorna Crockett made. She stated that she would like to see the library continue having the Quaranzine to showcase what patrons have been doing during the pandemic.
LIBRARY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT:
Mr. Goyda presented his Director's Report for June-July 2020.
Core Services
Reopening Phase 3: Mr. Goyda discussed how the library moved into Phase 3 of the Pandemic Recovery Plan on Monday, June 22, with strict limits in place - 5 patrons per 45-minute block, with 15 minute breaks between sessions for sanitization and staff tasks in public areas, and one appointment per week.
He continued to state that on July 1, the weekly limit was dropped, the limit per block was increased to 10 patrons, and an unadvertised rule was created allowing patrons to stay over the break if they have schoolwork, job applications, etc., and take the initiative to request it.
Checkout remained available via the self-checks only. A second monitor and a mouse on the staff side of the desks had been added so that staff could assist in the transaction.
One-on-one computer help was initially unavailable. A wireless HDMI connection had been added, as well as a wireless keyboard and mouse, to one computer per library to allow staff to view and assist on that computer.
Mr. Goyda stated that the libraries continued to not charge for copies and prints (limit 10). On July 27, we added fax capability to the patron copiers to restore that service. We had also added a "Prints to Go" service for patrons to email documents for pickup.
Meeting rooms remained closed, and all toys remained removed from the children's areas.
Ewell Library: Ewell reopened June 2 with a simplified version of Books to Go and, given the lesser amount of traffic, had returned to regular operations.
Interlibrary Loan: ESRL had made two pairs of trips to retrieve and deliver interlibrary materials from before the shutdown. Mr. Goyda was anticipating regular, though not daily, regional transit starting up later this month and statewide service in September.
Polaris (Lending software): All due dates for material that was out from before the shutdown had again been extended, this time to August 31.
Staffing: We would be continuing in Monday - Wednesday and Thursday - Saturday teams for the foreseeable future, with no cross branch shifts.
Vertical File Cataloging: The cataloging of the vertical files was 75% complete. Digitization would be continued as a long-term project by Gabe Stuckey.
Community Outreach
Quaranzine: The Quaranzine was published to the website on July 13.
Community Partnership
ESRL: The regional directors continued to meet weekly, and a reopening tasks force had been meeting biweekly.
One Maryland, One Book: Hard copies of The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - the OMOB book for 2020 - had been received.
Rural Maryland Council: Mr. Goyda reported that the library did not receive the joint grant, submitted with the Wicomico and Worcester Libraries, to maintain Wicomico's Job Center and establish a rotating staff position for Somerset and Worcester Libraries.
Internal Development
Audit: Rob Davis had completed his review, and TGM had completed sitework.
CARES Act: The remaining grants funds were being used to add self-check capacity in Crisfield and Princess Anne and to outfit administrative staff with laptops for work from home.
MLA Conference: The MLA Conference would be going virtual. Mr. Goyda received information that the conference classes would be held every Tuesday and Wednesday in October and November.
Princess Anne Feasibility Study: Mr. Goyda reported that the library received the State LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) Grant to fund the following studies:
Study 1: Existing Facility Evaluation - A detailed building condition report of all areas and systems by a team of engineers and architects, reviewing and updating previous assessments conducted in 2006 and 2013. The report should include: short and long term repair and upgrade needs and estimates for those needs.
Study 2: Existing Site Evaluation - A site land use analysis report with recommendations as to what type and size of building could exist on the current site, considering the Facilities Master Plan's recommendation of 20,496 square feet and the Building Program's functional needs.
Study 3: Library Needs Assessment - A detailed Needs Assessment report including results of the two previous studies, a community/demographic assessment, and a spatial matrix based on the Building Program's functional needs.
Study 4: Initial Design – Programming and Schematics - A detailed building program to include schematic floor plans and elevations for the concept selected as well as a preliminary cost estimate and timetable.
Youth Services
Beanstack: The library would be continuing to use Beanstack for a Fall Reading Challenge.
Learning from Home: The Homeschool Collections had been expanded. Ms. Leimbach had joined a statewide working group for program and resource development.
Programs to Go: Programs to Go kits for the Fall were being assembled. ESRL was coordinating a bulk purchase of STEM kits from FutureMakers.
A motion to accept the Director's Report was made by Karen Riggin, seconded by Beth Holmes- Mayson, and was unanimously approved.
Governance
Invoice review: Mr. Goyda stated that he, Ms. Smith and Ms. Outten had returned to the normal bill review, authorization, and payment routine.
Vacation Rollover: Mr. Goyda reported encountering a small procedural hurdle with the intended system for rolling over FY20 vacation balances into a new "Paid Time Off" category - this wasn't an option with ADP. Instead, we had logged the July 1 balances, allowed the time to rollover in its existing categories, and would review at the end of this year to complete the final transition of excess vacation, comp, and personal time into sick leave.
Confirmation of online vote - BillPay: A motion to accept the online vote of June 25 to pay all expenses via BillPay was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Father Robert Laws, and unanimously approved.
Confirmation of online vote - Budget: A motion to accept the online vote of June 25 approving the FY 21 budget was made by Karen Riggin, seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved.
Financial Procedures - Electronic Bank Statements: Rob Davis had requested that we transition to receiving the bank statements online to make the audit review smoother. TGM has no objection. This would require edits to our Board-approved Financial Procedures Manual, which currently stated: ● All bank statements are given unopened to the Director. The Director reviews the statements for unusual balances and/or transactions. ● (The Director) opens all bank statements, reviews for any irregularities, and reviews completed monthly bank reconciliations. ● (The Bookkeeper) receives and opens all incoming accounting department mail except bank statements.
A motion to accept the edits to the Financial Procedures Manual was made by Marlena Turner, seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved.
Selection of Officers: As this is the first meeting of the Fiscal Year, the Board needed to select the slate of officers for FY 21. The current officers would remain in their positions for FY 21.
A motion to accept the selection of officers was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Karen Riggin, and 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 4:24 p.m.
Resignation of Becky Pratte: A motion to accept the resignation of Becky Pratte was made by
Karen Riggin, seconded by Beth Holmes-Mayson, and unanimously approved.
Appointment of Ashley Gilson, Teen Services Coordinator: A motion to accept the appointment of Ashley Gilson as the Teen Services Coordinator was made by Lois Outten, seconded by Marlena Turner, and unanimously approved.
Children's Services Coordinator: A motion to accept the appointment of Karen Earp as Children's Services Coordinator was made by Marlena Turner, seconded by Lois Outten, and unanimously approved.
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 4:29 p.m.
Adjourn Marlena Turner motioned to adjourn the meeting. Karen Riggin seconded the motion, and the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Jaime K. Bradshaw Crisfield Library Branch Manager