HomeMy Public PortalAbout2020.12.17 LBT Minutes Minutes--McCall Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting
December 17, 2020
Zoom/McCall Library Conference Room, 218 E. Park Street
Call to Order: 9:03
Attendance: Via Zoom—Jacki Rubin, Bob Giles, Lola Elliot, Meg Lojek, Patrick Coyle, Dawn
Matus, Linda Stokes, Andy Laidlaw, Amy Rush
In Library—David Gallipoli
Amendments to Agenda: None
Approval of Minutes: Jacki made a motion to approve the minutes of 11/19/20, Lola seconded.
Minutes approved.
Director's Report:
Staffing: For safety and to ensure continued Library service amid the pandemic, the Library staff
has been divided into two pods with alternating workdays (Mon, Tue, Wed and Thu, Fri, Sat).
Meg is on a five-day schedule, and is working at home on Thu and Fri.
Payment Approvals: Lola motioned to approve payments for 11/13, 11/18, 11/25, 11/30 and
12/10. Jacki seconded. All in favor.
Budget and Stats: November financial statements are online (https://www.mccall.id.us/financial-
statements).
Training: Meg reported on two recent training sessions that she participated in, one on fine-free
libraries and the other on statistics. One takeaway from the fine-free training is that there may
be a need for public education outreach about library fines, including the fact that they do not
make up a significant part of most libraries' budgets. Meg talked about collaborating with Erin
Greaves on messaging. The statistics training included information on annual state reporting
during Covid-19. Unfortunately, reporting has not been updated to reflect the new realities of
social distancing, etc., brought on by the pandemic, so innovations made in Library programs
(such as recorded YouTube Story Time sessions)'can't be included in this year's annual figures
for the state. However, such figures can be included in local City statistics.
Library card applicants: The Library has been receiving a lot of requests for library cards. Those
interested include people staying in RVs and other wheeled accommodations, who aren't
residents in the conventional sense. While previous Boards have said that a fixed address is
necessary to qualify as a resident, the current Board may revisit the policy and consider
accommodating shorter-term residents in vacation rentals, etc. Meg will reach out to directors in
other vacation-destination towns, such as Hailey, for input. The Board also discussed the idea
of creating rules that would allow non-traditional borrowers to take out certain types of materials,
or setting quantity limits. Issuing short-term library cards (currently three months' duration,
limited to two items initially), is another possibility. Lola mentioned that one option for those
looking for books may be purchasing used titles through the Pumphouse (now operating on
appointment-only basis at the storage annex at the Airport). The library also maintains a Free
Shelf of extra paperbacks for anyone to use.
City Treasurer's Report and Updated Expansion Project Worksheet:
Linda shared the latest iteration of the Library expansion project worksheet, which has been
reorganized for readability and comprehension. The worksheet shows only City funds set aside
for the project. The Library Foundation is updating its funding figures, which are held separately.
Report on Discussion With Bill Nichols and Board Training with Jim McNall:
Members of the Board took part in an ethics training session on Dec. 11 with Jim McNall of the
Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP). Participants followed up on topics raised
during the session, including procedures for approving Library staff payments, procurement and
personnel policies, and rules for public input during meetings. It was noted that the Board will
establish public comment guidelines on a future agenda.
Jacki summarized her meeting with City Attorney Bill Nichols, who referenced Chapter 6, Title
74, of Idaho Code (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title74/T74CH6/) in
discussing the campaign for a potential Library expansion bond. Bill explained that Board
members and City Council members, acting in their capacity as individuals, can participate in a
campaign to pass a bond. As examples, they can advocate for the bond by making phone calls,
writing letters to the editor, sending texts or going door-to-door.
Approval of McCall Public Library Strategic Plan Mission and Vision Statement:
Meeting participants reviewed the updated Mission and Vision Statements and Core Values.
Jacki made a motion to approve; Dave seconded. All in favor.
Discussion of McCall Public Library Strategic Plan Goals #1 for Revision:
Participants discussed Goal #1, which focuses heavily on technology and is outdated, and
agreed to work on new wording that includes concepts such as community, gathering,
flexibility/adaptability. There was also general consensus on updating the Action Plan to
eliminate old information and possibly reflect newer findings, and to include developments
relating to specific Library programs in the Measures of Progress. Meg will pass a revision
through David and Lola before the January board meeting.
Discussion of Goal #2 was postponed to a later date.
Library Expansion Cost Estimate Revisions and Discussion:
Meg and Dave had a preliminary conversation on 12/16 with CM Co. about identifying potential
reductions in the Library expansion project budget, as requested by the Mayor. Possible items
include snow removal, site work and site improvements. Dave discussed inviting donations for
materials such as doors and windows, and for donations from subcontractors. Andy Laidlaw
discussed rough carpentry and cross-laminated timber(CLT) framing. He went over the pros
and cons of the current design and the use of hand-framing vs. prefabricated framing. Meg and
Andy will contact project architect Dennis Humphries for discussion. Dave asked Mayor Bob if
the City would be able to help with demolition of the old Library building, but the Mayor said the
City does not handle such work. Meg touched on the possibility of seeking funds for items such
as furniture post-construction, through City or Foundation grants.
Meg relayed that CM Co. said the budget estimate could be drawn up to reflect anticipated
donation values, and added that the project budget could be set according to a specific bond
amount, adding that CM Co. and Dennis Humphries would work to meet that figure.
Mayor Bob gave a thumbs up on the progress so far, and encouraged everyone to continue
their work. Jacki suggested making the Jan. 28 Work Session between the Library Board and
City Council the deadline for finalizing estimates (any materials for that meeting need to be
submitted a week earlier).
Foundation and Fundraising Report:
Amy reported on the Library Foundation's "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" campaign, which runs from
Dec. 15 to Jan. 15. In the first two days, the campaign raised $5,700, and a donor has offered to
match donations of up to $2,000, starting the week of Dec. 21. All funds will go to the Library
expansion project unless a donor requests otherwise.
Foundation Treasurer Barrett Lamm's term is coming up. A search is underway for a
replacement, and Amy asked for candidates' names to be forwarded.
Friends Liaison Report:
Lola reported that the Friends of the Library has voted for new officers: Jerry Randolf
(President); Patti Moran (Vice President); Sherill Livingston (Treasurer); and Linda Wolfe
(Secretary). In addition to inviting people to come on an appointment-only basis to the
Pumphouse used book annex, the Friends recently held a pop-up book giveaway event to raise
awareness about the annex (events advertised through FaceBook). Members are also looking
at fundraising ideas including making and selling crafts, selling goods on eBay, and working with
the Library and a Library Foundation Ambassador to create an original Library logo mug.
City Council Liaison Report: Bob kindly thanked the Trustees for briefing him on all their good
work, and agreed that Meg is tracking things correctly from his point of view. There was no other
good news from the Council.
Adjournment: 11:14
Next Meetings:
January 21, 9:00 AM
January 28, 5:30 PM Work Session with City Council
February 18, 9:00 AM
March 18, 9:00 AM
Minutes prepared by Dawn Matus, Secretary
Respectfully submitted by Jacki Rubin, Chair