Board of Somerset County Library Trustees
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 4:00pm Crisfield Library & Zoom
Present: Ann Smith, President; Beth Holmes-Mayson, Vice President; Tim Spillane, Treasurer; Board Members: Janet Smith, Jennifer Timmons; Ed Goyda, Library Director; Jaime Bradshaw, Assistant Director; Troy Gale, Princess Anne Branch Manager; Karen Earp, Children's Services Coordinator; Nora Hoffman, Bookkeeper/Admin. Assistant
Absent: Karen Riggin, Lynn Lang
Call Meeting to Order
President Ann Smith called the meeting to order at 4:03pm.
Consent Agenda
Approve minutes from the regular meeting of October 12, 2022 Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2021 – October 31, 2022 Approve financial reports for the period from July 1, 2021 – November 30, 2022
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion was made by Jennifer Timmons, seconded by Janet Smith, and unanimously approved.
Patron Complaint
Mr. Don Evans took the floor to address his concerns over Ewell Library technology and branch operations.
FY22 Audit
Ms. Audrey McKenrick presented the financial reports and findings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Audit. Ms. McKenrick found that our financial records met the highest level of assurance and had no instances of non-compliance.
President Smith asked for a motion to approve the FY22 Audit. Motion was made by Janet Smith, seconded by Tim Spillane, and unanimously approved.
Branch Highlights
Crisfield: Jaime Bradshaw, Branch Manager
Ms. Bradshaw reported that October and November were very busy months for holiday-related programs and outreach. She stated that staff attended the Somerset County Health Department's Trunk or Treat on October 28 and the Crisfield Chamber's Halloween Parade & Party on October 29, where they distributed approximately 350 goodie bags. Ms. Bradshaw hosted her first Fall Festival, with 12 vendors and over 200 attendees.
Ms. Bradshaw stated that the Lower Shore Health Insurance Assistance Program provided the library with a certified Navigator, and he began working virtually from the library in October. She stated that she had been added to the LSHIAP steering committee to continue discussion concerning the library hosting a full-time outreach worker in the New Year and updates regarding current operations and programs.
Ms. Bradshaw stated that with the arrival of December they were ready for the holidays. The branch was fully decorated and our annual staff spirit week and party was quickly approaching. Preparations for Noon Year's Eve were also in full swing as both branches were hosting balloon drops again this year.
Princess Anne: Troy Gale, Branch Manager
Mr. Gale reported that the Halloween Block Party was a success again this year. Mr. Gale stated they had decorations, games, a food truck, and twelve trunks. He estimated that there were at least 500 people in attendance and 30 volunteers. Mr. Gale stated that on November 17, they hosted a Thanksgiving Luncheon along with a craft for seniors that was highly anticipated and enjoyed. He went on to report that program attendance was in its usual holiday season fluctuation but there still had been an increase in participation from this time last year.
Mr. Gale reported that on December 10, the branch once again joined the town of Princess Anne for the annual Christmas Parade. Mr. Gale stated that the branches' book discussion groups would be having their annual Book Discussion Christmas Party. Lastly, Mr. Gale reported that the library system was sponsoring families at the Lower Shore Shelter again this year, hoping to bring cheer/relief to families that may find it hard to find joy this season.
Youth Services Presentation
Children's Services Coordinator: Karen Earp
Ms. Earp reported that we were still seeing generally low attendance for preschool programs. She stated that she would be trying to schedule them weekly in the spring. Ms. Earp stated that home school attendance was terrific. We had seen at least three new families recently, and two of them had attended more than one program. We were changing the name to "Holiday STEM" when schools were on break to make sure public-school kids knew they were welcome. She stated that the After-School Tech & Craft had finally had some attendance. She stated that she has received feedback from a couple caregivers that they struggle with knowing when these were, so this program was also changing to weekly in the spring. It was also being renamed "Creation Station" because some people found "STEM" intimidating. Drama with Ms. Dani's schedule was changing in December to open it up to more kids.
Ms. Earp reported that she went to the Bilingual Family Night at the tech school, where she learned that we needed to get our children's fliers translated to Spanish and purchase books in Spanish and Arabic that we can give away.
Ms. Earp stated that scheduled story times and field trips with Princess Anne and Woodson elementary schools had concluded. She said she was continuing monthly story times in Deal Island for their pre-K and kindergarten classes. She was also adding an after-school program in Deal Island in January that would continue until the end of the school year. She stated that she had been invited to do an after-school STEM program at the intermediate school that would be either once or twice a month.
Ms. Earp stated that Girl Scouts Troop 1285 took a break in December and would be back in January. She was starting a series of programs to help them get their coding badges. She stated that she had been asked to do the Cybersecurity series for another local troop. Ms. Earp reported that she and Ms. Craige were visiting the Garland Hayward Center weekly. Programs were alternating between STEM (robots and engineering), story times, and crafts.
Ms. Earp reported that "MD Public Television Ready to Learn" has started working with Judy Centers and that we had been asked to partner by both sides. Ms. Earp stated that she served on the planning committee for Maryland Tech Connect - an annual conference that celebrates the tech side of librarianship. She would be serving as co-chair on the planning committee for 2023. Ms. Earp was also serving on the conference planning committee and presenting a session on early learning and coding at the Kids are Customers conference in March. Ms. Earp and Ms. Craige would be hosting an Ignite session at the MLA conference in May on using Unruly Splats in library programs.
Library Director7apos;s Report
Mr. Goyda presented his Director's Report for October and November 2022.
Core Services
Patron Computers: The solution that ESRL had tested had proved to be working, and their administrative staff was now very aware of the issues that we had been experiencing. The order was underway for the upgrade parts.
Programming & Booklets: Mr. Goyda reported that given the growing amount of programming (and hence the size of the program booklets), the fact that some of the craft programs were filling up as soon as the booklets were out, and some internal debate about chronological vs. thematic arrangement, we would be transitioning to bimonthly booklets starting with March-April.
Community Outreach
Laptop Grants: The City of Crisfield and Town of Princess Anne were, separately, pursuing a Connected Device grant from the State of Maryland to distribute free laptops to households below 200% of the poverty level. Crisfield Grant Writer Jen Merritt had initially reached out to us about the Crisfield
Library serving as a distribution location, with Princess Anne then following the same model. While the grant is restricted to municipalities and County governance, the laptops themselves are not.
Internal Development
AFLAC: AFLAC was up and running as of the December 9 payroll.
LSTA "Let's Create" Grant: The remainder of the orders related to the "Let's Create" grant had been received. The filament-based 3D printers were in Princess Anne for installation of a hardware upgrade that shipped separately, the Princess Anne resin printer needed a final test, and the Crisfield resin printer was operational.
LSTA Rural Collection Development Grant: Mr. Goyda reported that we had received a $15,977.88 grant from the Maryland State Library Agency that was used to expand the range of STEM manipulatives and fill in collection gaps, particularly in instructional (i.e., "how to") non-fiction books.
Outdoor WiFi: Tezla completed the final install on Ewell on October 6.
Staff Day: Mr. Goyda reported that our internal Staff Day was held on October 10 in Crisfield, with Lieutenant Ray Johns from the Sheriff's Office providing Active Shooter training in the morning, followed by rotating small groups for Children's Technology, Circulation Refreshers, Makerspace Technology, and the Online Databases. Lieutenant Johns provided a follow-up visit to Princess Anne on October 21 for a facility assessment, with some small suggestions that had been followed up on.
President Smith asked for a motion to accept the Directors Report. Motion was made by Beth Holmes- Mayson, seconded by Tim Spillane, and unanimously approved.
Governance
Advisory - David Fisher Trust: PNC Bank was working through the closing process, including preparation of the Receipt, Release and Indemnification Agreement ("RRI").
Advisory - State Reports: Final statistical reports for FY22 had been submitted to the Maryland State Library Agency.
LSTA Rural Collection Development Grant: For the sake of having grants not create budget deviations, Mr. Goyda requested that $15,977.88 be added to the budget for lines 472 (LSTA Grant Income) and 572 (LSTA Grant Expense).
A motion was made by Tim Spillane, seconded by Jennifer Timmons, and unanimously approved.
Resignation of Brittany Jackson, Library Assistant: Mr. Goyda reported on the resignation of Brittany Jackson, effective December 14. We were currently seeking candidates to fill the position.
A motion to accept the resignation was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Tim Spillane, and unanimously approved.
Adjournment
President Smith asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion was made by Beth Holmes-Mayson, seconded by Tim Spillane, and the motion was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 4:57pm.
Respectfully submitted, Troy Gale Somerset County Library Princess Anne, Branch Manager