Library Board of Trustees on September 20, 2021

Agenda

6:30 p.m. regular meeting

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and safety concerns require City of North Liberty public meetings to be held electronically so as to limit the spread of the virus. The public is
invited to submit questions and comments in advance of the meeting for consideration submitting them to the City Clerk Tracey Mulcahey via email at [email protected].

This meeting may be accessed live by the public on the internet at northlibertyiowa.org/live, on Facebook at facebook.com/northliberty or on YouTube at youtube.com/northliberty. You can also attend by phone; call 1 (312) 626 6799 with a touch-tone phone and enter the meeting ID 811 0033 1380 and meeting password 8732545. Meetings are rebroadcast on cable and available on-demand on northlibertyiowa.org.

1. Call to Order
2. Additions/Changes to the Agenda
3. Public Comment
4. Approval of Minutes
   1. August
5. Reports
   1. Staff Introduction
   2. Budget
   3. Friends
   4. Director
   5. Staff reports – questions
6. Policy Review
   1. Collection Development Policy
   2. Reconsideration of Materials Request Form
7. Old Business
8. New Business
9. Adjourn
10. Next meeting date: October 18, 2021, 6:30pm

Minutes

North Liberty Community Library Board of Trustees Meeting
Oct. 2021

I. Financial update
i. Repair, Maintenance, utilities: 54 percent
ii. Contractual services: 27 percent
iii. Commodities (Materials & Services): 31 percent
iv. Average this time of year: 25 percent

II. Library operations update
A. Operational updates
i. Three new staff onboarded in September
ii. Inclusion in policy
1. Presenting at ARSL
2. Will be establishing a JEDI committee (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)
3. Reviewing policy through this lens
4. Policy Statement
iii. Staff in-service
1. Closing Library Friday, Nov. 12
2. Nick Shimmin, West Branch Library, will talk about motivation (self and others)
3. United Action for Youth will do presentation 10am-12pm
4. Jillian Rutledge, Waterloo Public Library, will present on creating a culture of
equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
iv. FY23 Budget timeline underway
1. Potential capital projects
a) Acoustical panels for main hallway
b) New circulation desk
v. Integrated Library Software (ILS)
1. In fifth year with Polaris
2. Reviewing Insignia Software
a) Former ILS for North Liberty Library

III. Community update
A. We are hosting our first youth artist
i. Liona Rocca from Solon

IV. Professional Activities
i. Won ARSL election – Vice President/President Elect of ARSL for 2022
ii. ILA Conference, Oct. 5-7, highlights
1. Author Doug Griffiths, 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, presented keynote
Thursday
2. Bailee Hutchinson, incoming President elect for ARSL, was Friday keynote and
spoke on “Other Duties as Assigned”
3. Attended sessions on Library Board engagement, Minute Management through
Celebration, Diversity Unconference

V. Staff reports
A. Assistant Director
i. Participated in a variety of continuing education, meetings and workshops:
1. Workplace Violence Prevention – NL City training
2. Addressing Staff Trauma/Workplace Stress Diffusion – ILA LLAMA subdivision
3. Seven Strategies for Thriving in Times of Chaos – Learning Revolution webinar
4. Implementing Trauma Informed Principles in Your Library – State Library
Learning Circuit
5. Demystifying Advocacy – ARSL Roundtable
6. HelpNow by Brainfuse Front Line Staff Training webinar – State Library
7. Libraries & Resilient Communities Gathering – potential joint research project
with The University of Iowa where they will be focusing on public libraries and
how they support their communities during difficult times

B. Public Services
i. Hosted the Iowa City Area Business Partnership PM Referral meeting on 10/6; included
attached presentation about the library and its services
ii. Participated on hiring committee for the Outreach and Equity Coordinator interviews
iii. Held PT staff meeting on 9/25; minutes attached
iv. Onboarded 3 new part-time staff members (Len Riker, Caroline Nims, and Emma Martin)
v. Established Grant Writing Committee with Darra Stuart and Amy Blessing, meeting
biweekly to review grant opportunities and submissions

C. Adult Services
i. Local Libraries LIT was awarded $4,965 from the Community Foundation of Johnson
County for the next virtual author series. This project is a partnership between Johnson
County libraries as a way to spark conversation around important topics in our
communities. November 9 – Sloane Crosley will be our first speaker!
ii. Amy Blessing – a MSW practicum student from UIowa – is collecting responses to a
survey of older adults (50+) in our community that attend at least one program, utilize
our outreach services, or visit the library.
iii. ILA Conference was good – presented on a panel and held unconference session with CDI
committee. I really enjoyed the opening keynote speaker’s thoughts on ‘killing your
community’

D. Information Technology Coordinator
i. No report this month

E. Marketing Coordinator
i. We have craft kits for pick up.
ii. Kits are available first come first serve without reservation. October’s are themed for
Halloween- skeletons and coffins; limit two per family.
iii. Social Media: We are building up our TikTok content to boost engagement, including
reposting staff takeovers on TikTok.
iv. Check out our October news at https://bit.ly/2X7dcLd
v. We are prepping for Trunk or Treat.
1. Location is along North Ridge Trail (between Cherry St. and Penn St. where the
Fairy Doors are). Instead of literal trunks, each organization brings a substitute
trunk (for example, a box or other container).

F. Family Services
i. Storytime
1. In-person, outdoor storytime going well; brought inside a few times b/c weather
2. Outreach
a) 8 care centers, 11 storytimes
ii. Pied Piper program (Orchestra Iowa) returning, Saturday 10/16
iii. Additional Programming
iv. Attending ARSL conference in Reno NV 20-23
1. Presenting with Jennie & Kellee on equitable policies (Polices of Yes!)
v. Prelude to the Moonlight Walk
a) Storywalk of Creepy Carrots, two live performances
b) Putting storywalk up around Liberty Centre through the month of Oct
vi. Truck or Treat
1. Going to be along the trail east of NLCC (Trunk or Trail)
2. Going to be Jasper Rabbits and Creepy Carrots
vii. Permanent storywalk posts have been ordered, on track to be delivered first week of Nov
1. Will go in at Liberty Centre late spring/early summer
2. Veridian sponosred
viii. Working on Spring Slate with Rec &Communications

G. Youth & Teen Services
i. Visit to Holiday Lodge with Antelope Lending Library went well. We talked to several
residents and made some connections. Our next visit is Nov. 5th ~ Jillian from
communications would like to come as well.
ii. Erin attended the annual Iowa Library Association conference. Very nice to see people in
person, even if masked.
iii. Erin has been elected as the Midwest Regional representative for ARSL, which is very
exciting.
iv. We had several kids show up to our program with Matilda last week, where they got to
hold her and create pet guinea pig rocks.
v. Diversity audit: we are at about 35% and 34% diverse for Juvenile and Teen collections.
Of the books added this past month, 37% and 72% are diverse. The primary audit is ¾ of
the way done.
vi. Kayla continues to develop the Niche Academy page for the library

H. Collection Development
i. See next document (charts) in packet

Respectfully Submitted, Jennie Garner, Library Director

Videos

Attachments

Information Packet