Minutes

Bryan-Bennett Library Board of Trustees Meeting

October 17, 2023, 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room

Call to Order, Roll Call of Trustees

Bryan-Bennett Library Board President Ed Dolbeare called the October 17, 2023, meeting of the Bryan-Bennett Library Board of Trustees to order at 6:31 p.m.  Trustees answering the roll call were: Ed Dolbeare, Mark Decker, Joyce Raver, and Gayla Wilkerson, and Marilyn Lewis. Trustees absent were Brad Crow, Jennifer Dice, Gary Hahn, and Lynn Larimer.  Library Director Kim Keller and Assistant Director Jodi Trinkle were also present.

Public Comment

There were no public comments.

Staff Spotlight

This meeting would have been introducing Shanan Reed.  Due to extenuating circumstances, she will be introduced at the November meeting.

Secretary’s Report

Approval of the September 19, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes

Board members looked over a draft of the September 19, 2023, minutes. Trustee Decker made a motion to approve the September 19 minutes. Trustee Raver seconded the motion. Roll call vote was taken. All present voted “yes.” Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report

Payment of October 2023 Bills

Board members looked over the October 2023 bills list.  Trustee Decker moved to approve the list, totaling $24,926.33. Trustee Wilkerson seconded the motion.  Roll call vote was taken. All present voted “yes.”  Motion carried.

Financial Report for October 2023

The Board looked over the Financial Report for October 2023. It was requested that Social Security and Medicare be separated in the next year’s budget. Trustee Decker moved to approve the Financial Report.  Trustee Lewis seconded.  Roll call vote was taken. All present voted “yes.”  Motion carried. 

Committee Reports

Finance Committee

No report to share.

Building and Grounds Committee

Trustees Lewis and Decker stated that the landscaping of the Northeast flower bed will begin the week of October 23, 2023.  Timbers will be delivered from Salem Hardware.  The roses are to be taken care of in February with the help of a nursery owner.

The roof leak was patched a third time, and it was suggested by the architect that if it continues, contacting a plumber might help.

The tree on the west end of the library was removed on October 6, 2023.

Personnel Committee

No report to share.

Library participation in the parade was mentioned at this time and everyone agreed that it went well and that Trustee Dice and her family did a great job representing the library. Many thanks were given to her and to Trustee Lewis who donated the candy that was handed out at the parade.

Policy

No report to share.

New Business

Amendment to Library Personnel Policy Section 12

After discussing the proposed changes, the board requested the following changes:

Decide how time will be allowed to be taken (hour by hour or block of time at once) and add that time must still be requested in advance.  Add that vacation days accrued by staff will be paid at the time an employee leaves their position.  Make appropriate changes to policy.

Remove Vacation Policy point 12.1 B.  Add that vacation days may be taken one day at a time, full weeks are not required.

Change Vacations policy (point 12.2 A) to read that the employee must request time off “prior” to needing it or it “may be declined.”

Change Director vacation time policy to read that accrued vacation days are not carried over from calendar year to calendar year.  Special consideration can be made with a request made to the board.  The Director will make his/her own annual report of days taken upon the completion of the service year.

Email all vacation policy changes to the board upon completion to be studied before voting in November.

Serving Our Public, State Library Standards Review

Chapter 4 (Access) and Chapter 5 (Building Infrastructure and Maintenance) were presented for review by the board members.

Updates to Personnel Job Descriptions

Proposed changes were given to the board members, with them to review and discuss at November meeting.

Unfinished Business

Collection Development Policy Updates

Copies of proposed changes were given to the board members. Trustee Wilkerson suggested a change in wording to eliminate redundancy.  Board accepted after that revision made.  Trustee Wilkerson moved to accept the Collection Development Policy with Trustee Raver seconding.  Roll call vote was taken.  All present voted “yes.”  Motion carried.

Director’s Report

See attached record.

Board Member Reports

Trustee Decker spoke more about the William Jennings Bryan Festival to be held in June 2025.  Tentatively, the event will be held at the Bryan Memorial Park and will include family activities and a recreation of the Scopes Monkey Trial.  There is also talk of a tram being ran to the Bryan house and possibly other places.  Monthly meetings are being held for this event.  President Dolbeare requested that this festival become a monthly item on the agenda so that library can stay informed and plan its participation in the event.

Adjournment: President Dolbeare adjourned the meeting at 7:57 pm.  Motion was made by Trustee Decker to accept and was seconded by Trustee Raver.

Respectfully submitted by: Jodi Trinkle, Assistant Director

Director’s Report October 17, 2023

Daffy Dills Downtown Christmas Decorating Event

Bryan-Bennett Library staff will be decorating the landscaping box in front of Iuka State Bank. For the display, a Bryan-Bennett crew will repurpose some decorations the Library already has. Decorations will go up November 27 to December 3 and stay up the month of December. The Bryan-Bennett crew will also be responsible for taking down the decorations at the end of the event.

State Library inventory of technology

Next week, I’ll be working on a survey of Bryan-Bennett Library computer equipment, operating systems, and other technology details. The State Library is collecting this data.

Little Egypt Festival Parade

Big thank you to Trustee Jennifer Dice and her husband, Aaron, for taking care of the Library’s entry in the Little Egypt Festival Parade. They put the banners, that Jodi Trinkle’s husband made, on a golf cart. Jodi Trinkle made a sign that gave a few more details about the activity at the Library, which was attached to the cart’s back. 

Big thank you to Trustee Marilyn Lewis for donating the candy that they tossed from the cart.

Planetarium Experience Planning Session

September 19, following the regular Board meeting Trustees Jennifer Dice and Lynn Larimer sat down with Program Director Shanafelt and Library Director Keller to brainstorm about the Planetarium Experience promotion.

The group discussed, participation in the Little Egypt Festival Parade and the opening of the Planetarium Experience on October 14.

Mrs. Larimer highlighted points that she and Trustee Gayla Wilkerson had discussed. A focus of their discussion was promotion to area schools, churches, banks and other information outlets.

A quarter page flier will be ready to deliver to schools October 20. This flier will promote a showings on November 16 and in late December.

Promotion of the November and December showings will be published in the local media.

Radio spots outside of Salem, funded by $1,000 of the Tourism Council grant, will begin in February, with an increase in advertising in March.

Information will be sent to banks and churches, etc. in March, as the April eclipse draws near.

Work on signage that directs traffic to the Library.

Building and Grounds

October 6, Top Notch removed the tree on the Library’s west side.

October 12, TOP Electric replaced the exterior light over the west Davenport Room door.

September 26, there was a leak in the roof over the Adult Fiction stacks. This was the third leak in approximately the same spot. When Joiner fixed it, the gentleman from Joiner said that he found a spot.

At the instruction of Building Committee Chairperson Gary Hahn, I contacted Kale Calvert of ADG Architect and Design of Mt. Carmel. Mr. Calvert was the architect of the roof replacement project. Mr. Calvert advised that if the project persists, the Library may want to contact a plumber to check out drainage pipes near the location of the leak. Those pipes may have a blockage preventing the drainage, thus storm water backs up and creates the leak.

Booher Tin Shop of Salem will be doing their annual check of the HVAC units prior to Library switching on the heat.

Misc.

I was an impromptu speaker at the Chamber Grub and Grow held at the Library on September 21.

October 3, Program Director Shanafelt was a guest reader at the BCMW Preschool.

Assistant Director Jodi Trinkle is plowing through her classes (that are through the Heartland Library system) to get her certification for cataloging privileges in the SHARE online catalog.

Respectfully submitted by,

Kim Keller