Meinders Library
December 4, 2024 Board Minutes
The meeting was called to order by Gerald Brockberg at 5:19 p.m. Present were Gerald Brockberg, Danielle Thompson, Dan Wildermuth, Sharon Wolff, Emily Williamson, Jody Wacker, and Jacque Swanson. Mary Ann DeGroot and Taylor Spronk were absent.
The agenda was approved with a motion by Wildermuth, a second by Wolff, and passed unanimously. There were no community concerns. Prior minutes from the October meeting were distributed for approval. One adjustment will be made on the meeting minutes to correct Danielle Thompson’s term; her term will expire in 2025, and this is her first of a three-year term. The minutes were approved with a motion by Wildermuth, a second by Wolff, and passed unanimously.
Wacker distributed the November 30 budget report snapshot. Brockberg questioned why the fire and liability insurance was so high. Wacker clarified how the initial fire inspection cost more when they take an in-depth look into everything; for example, the building has all brand-new fire extinguishers. Hopefully, the cost will go back to normal in the future. Wildermuth was wondering who owns the building. Wacker explained the city owns the business as an entity, but the building and contents purchased therein are owned by Bob Meinders and he insures the building. Brockberg was wondering why nothing is listed under “work comp” and Jody will look into this.
Wacker then started her director’s report by providing the November statistics report. This year, the presenters have been recorded and available for streaming, and this has been a popular option for patrons. (For example, 1,412 people streamed Terrell X.) Next year, Wacker will put years prior as an additional column so we can compare statistics. Swanson wondered if many of the programs will be repeated next year; Wacker discussed how some are monthly or quarterly and are repeated such as the book clubs. However, it is good to keep a variety of programs and have several different options to keep attracting different groups of people to the library. The “self” column is a new data point required from the state where these programs are self-directed and patrons can complete them on their own.
Next on the director’s report, Wacker clarified the construction is nearly finished. There will be some final landscaping done next year including some chairs, a table, and a mud kitchen. Lastly, Wacker thanked everyone who attended and showed their support for the Open House. There were 75 attendants.
The first item under old business was the revised 2025 budget with the requested increases. The library asked for a 3% increase, and Jody would like to add 10 more staff hours with this funding and open an hour earlier at 9 a.m. starting on January 2, 2025. Additionally, there is a healthy budget available for the library staff to buy new books. Wolff stressed the importance of applying for grants, and they will continue to do this. (The library does donate and repurpose old books and materials they weed out of the collection.) The revised 2025 budget with the requested increases was approved with a motion by Wolff, a second by Swanson, and passed unanimously. The final item under old business was Policy 307. This policy was still tabled since it’s for the bulletin board, and there is no bulletin board and they are not sure where this will go.
New business started by reviewing several policies. Policies 400, 401, 402, 407, and 408 all come from the Plum Creek Library System. Policies 400 and 402 will become one policy. Policies 407 and 408 refer to hot spots. Policies 400, 401, 402, 407, and 408 were approved with a motion by Wildermuth, a second by Swanson, and passed unanimously.
Next the board discussed Policies 403, 404, 405, and 406. Policy 403 covers the lending periods and limits of certain materials. The new policy has less verbiage and explains the deadlines better such as there is a limit of five DVDs and out of those five only two can be boxed sets. There is also a definition about what “good standing” means. Policy 404 covers the code of conduct, and there were no recommended changes. Policy 405 covers the suspension policy, and there were no recommended changes. Policy 406 covers unattended persons, and there were no further recommended changes since this policy was revised in more detail last summer. Policies 403, 404, 405, and 406 were approved with a motion by Wolff, a second by Swanson, and passed unanimously.
The last item on the agenda was to discuss the 2025 goals. Last year’s goals according to the 2024 Action Plan were 1) data collection, 2) patron feedback, 3) wider variety of programs/services/times, and 4) board packet. 1) The data was recorded quarterly and not monthly. 2) The feedback collected from patrons was informal but overall, there was positive feedback. 3) The library staff has been doing a wonderful job trying out a wide variety of programs throughout this past year. 4) The board has indeed received a packet at each meeting with budget reports, circulation statistics, program updates, and policies to review (if applicable). There was some discussion about possibly changing the meetings to allow time for Wacker to compile all of the numbers after the city meetings, but the board agreed to keep the meeting times the same. Looking ahead to 2025, the board brainstormed several different goal ideas such as expanding outreach, defining and keeping track of patron usage, and increasing the active patron base including specifically teenagers. Brockberg suggested coming to the next meeting with ideas, and Wacker recommended emailing her ahead of time and she will compile a list to show a draft of the 2025 Action Plan for the board to finalize.
At the next meeting, the board will go over the bylaws and vote for new officers. Brockberg’s term will be ending. Wacker also clarified for newer members that the board serves as an advisory board mainly responsible for the budget and advising Wacker in decisions.
The meeting adjourned at 6:27 p.m. with a motion by Wildermuth, a second by Swanson, and passed unanimously.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 5:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Emily Williamson, Secretary