February 5, 2025 Board Minutes
The meeting was called to order by Dan Wildermuth at 5:21 p.m. Present were Taylor Spronk, Dan Wildermuth, Sharon Wolff, Emily Williamson, Jody Wacker, and Jacque Swanson. Mary Ann DeGroot, Danielle Thompson, and Gerald Brockberg (his term is done) were absent.
The agenda was approved with a motion by Wolff, a second by Spronk, and passed unanimously. There were no community concerns. Prior minutes from the December meeting were distributed for approval. The minutes were approved with a motion by Spronk, a second by Swanson, and passed unanimously.
Next Wacker presented the financial reports. Wacker passed out the library budget from 2024. This is not completely finished as some items are missing such as the professional services since Wacker is waiting for the final numbers. Wacker did note one typo she will correct; the total for the 2024 revised column should be $21,850 instead of $12,000. Wacker was happy to report that the library is under budget for 2024. Then Wacker distributed the budget for 2025 updated as of February 4. Swanson asked for clarification that PCLS stands for the Plum Creek Library System. (This brought up how the board of directors for PCLS needs a volunteer representative to serve from our library. Taylor Spronk volunteered to serve as our library’s representative.) The city is also responsible for the general maintenance aspect of the budget. Both budget reports were approved with a motion by Swanson, a second by Wolff, and passed unanimously.
Wacker started her director’s report by passing out the statistics report for data/usage/programs for 2024. Wacker also passed out the same statistics report for data and programs that have been completed so far in 2025. Currently, the library is in the middle of a sample week right now. Wildermuth asked if Jody could expand on how this works. The state requires certain numbers and data points from all libraries, and these are made public. They monitor usage of their spaces, computers, and materials (books, DVDs, etc.), and they also keep track of curbside and Wi-Fi usage. Wacker pointed out how our library’s JPCR (Juvenile Plum Creek Residence) numbers have gone down since the library moved. There was some discussion about how to get young adults and children to utilize the library more. Some children may be checking out materials, but may be using their parents’ cards. The statistics in these reports do vary when comparing our numbers to other libraries since other libraries may categorize their materials in different ways. For example, some libraries may count several DVDs in a series as one check out while other libraries may count each one separately resulting in several check outs. There was some discussion about how these numbers and statistics used to be tied to funding but that is no longer the case.
Wacker continued her director’s report by discussing several other updates. Thanks to a generous donation from a patron of the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library (PAFL), the library was able to purchase new in-house computers. The previous computers were very outdated and would no longer receive updates. Wacker discussed several upcoming programs such as the Souper Bowl program for the upcoming Super Bowl. There will be a new Classics Book Club starting; there used to be a Classics Book Club several years prior but it stopped meeting due to the pandemic. There will also be a new No Strings Book Chat program that will be discussing The Women by Kristin Hannah as its first book; this is where you can attend one or all of the programs as you deem fit. There will also be a photographer/historian coming in March to discuss the Black Hills, and a science fiction author visiting in March as well. Wacker discussed putting a calendar on the library website in the future so patrons can check out the upcoming activities in this format. The library is also participating in February’s “I Love my Library” week where patrons can write and send cards showing their appreciation for the library.
Next the board went through items under old business. Policy 307 discusses what can be posted on a bulletin board. Wacker will adjust the language and take out references to a physical bulletin board so the policy instead will reflect the board’s stance on general material postings. Wacker will bring the updated copy to the next meeting. The board decided to table the policy review of policies 100-103 until the next meeting.
The first item under new business was to review policy 301. This policy discusses the library hours of operation. The library will now be increasing their hours and be open an hour earlier at 9 am instead of 10 am. This policy was approved with a motion by Wolff, a second by Spronk, and passed unanimously.
The board then discussed its goals and action plan for 2025.
- Increase active patron base to 75% of adult card holders and 50% juveniles
- Currently at 50% adults and 31% juveniles
- Expanding outreach with more partners
- Define our patron library use through data, surveys, etc.
- One specific marketing goal
(Wacker will type out the goals for the next meeting.) Wacker acknowledged that the marketing goal is a work-in-progress. The board discussed several ideas such as having a float in the water tower festival, having PAFL provide t-shirts, partnering with Kiwanis on the terrific kids program, and possibly attending the new teacher in-service workshops in August.
The last item on the agenda was to elect new officers. Gerald Brockberg’s term as chair is done. Jacque Swanson was elected as chair; Sharon Wolff was elected as vice chair; and Emily Williamson was elected as secretary. All three positions were approved with a motion by Wolff, a second by Spronk, and passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 6:33 pm.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 5:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Emily Williamson, Secretary