Minutes: November 2020

MINUTES

CLERMONT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

MIAMI TOWNSHIP BRANCH

VIA FACEBOOK LIVE

Present: Tony Cardinal, Joe Braun, Adam Bird, Tricia Lyons, Mary Jo Waite, Jennifer Doss

Absent: Judith Kocica

Staff:  Chris Wick, Maura Gray, Leslie Jacobs, Theresa Herron

Guests: None

Mr. Cardinal called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.

ROLL CALL:

Roll Call: Tony Cardinal, here; Joe Braun, here; Adam Bird, here; Judith Kocica, absent; Tricia Lyons, here; Mary Jo Waite, here; Jennifer Doss, here.

Mr. Cardinal asked everyone to stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

OCTOBER 19, 2020, MINUTES:

Motion by Ms. Doss, seconded by Ms. Waite, to approve the October 19, 2020, board meeting minutes as mailed. All present were in favor. Motion carried.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION:

No public discussion.

FISCAL OFFICER’S REPORT:

Ms. Gray presented the monthly financial report. She also reported the Public Library Fund (PLF) for November was 117% higher than estimated. Mr. Cardinal asked if that is because of stimulus money being spent. Ms. Gray said yes.

Ms. Gray said overall the money received from the PLF for 2020 is about 3% less than the estimate, about $30,000. She said the PLF for 2021 is estimated to be about $600,000 less than what was expected in 2020. The library will budget conservatively.

Motion by Mr. Braun, seconded by Mr. Bird, to approve the October financial report. All present were in favor. Motion carried.

Motion by Ms. Lyons, seconded by Ms. Waite, to approve the October bills paid. All present were in favor, except Ms. Doss who abstained. Motion carried.

Mr. Cardinal congratulated Mr. Bird for being elected as the State Representative for the 66^th Ohio House. He will resign from his seat on the Library board in December 2020.

DIRECTOR’s REPORT

Ms. Wick and Theresa Herron, Communications Manager, were asked to join the Clermont County COVID Defense Team and will be attending weekly meetings. The Library will help relay Clermont County Public Health information to the public.

Ms. Wick asked the board to support the elimination of reserving the first hour of each day at the branches for those age 60 or above and at higher risk of contracting COVID. Staff members have a hard time enforcing these limits during this hour. The board verbally agreed.

The Ohio Department of Health updated the requirement for wearing masks. Ms. Wick called the Clermont County Health Department and legal counsel to confirm that the Library must ask people to leave if they don’t wear a mask or face shield. Instead, the Library must provide other ways for the public to use services, which can be done by using the Curbside Pickup service. Also, exterior library lockers will also be installed. Clear signage is required.

At the upcoming Managers’ Meeting, compliance officers will be designated in each branch. Employees are not required to place themselves in jeopardy when trying to enforce the revised mask order. Talking points will be written to assist staff.

The number of people who can gather for a meeting continues to be 10. The Library may need to conduct a virtual meeting if more than 10 people need to be at a board meeting. The state legislature is expected to extend the law that allows public officials to attend meetings virtually.

Mr. Bird asked if any Library staff has had to quarantine. Ms. Wick said yes, but it has not caused severe problems. Ms. Jacobs said the Library has experienced staff members self-quarantining because they may have been exposed to someone with COVID.

The Clermont County Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library (CCOGIL) is going well with more than 3,000 children registered. Connect Clermont has awarded CCOGIL a $10,000 grant.

The concrete needed for the library lockers has been poured.

The Library will be conducting the annual giving drive. We will collect mittens, hats, and scarves November 16 to December 31 for individuals served by Clermont County Community Services and Clermont Senior Services. The program was reviewed with Clermont County Public Health.

Librari*Con was conducted virtually. The Library is thankful to the staff who conducted the program.

The Clermont County Office of Public Information wants to place the Library’s Veterans History Project interviews on their YouTube channel. The communications manager is working with the office to share those interviews.

The Library was briefly mentioned in an article in Cincinnati Magazine.

The Library’s health insurance is 1% lower than last year.

Jennifer Doss has been appointed to the board for a term starting January 1, 2021, and ending December 31, 2027. Mr. Bird will resign from the board at the end of the year. The county commissioners have been notified that a new appointment to the board must be made.

The Board approved a donation of book/plush toy gift sets from the Pill Box located in Amelia.  The Library will give these away during a holiday program for children.

Ms. Wick asked the board to support a slight thaw of the hiring freeze. Four positions will be advertised. The Marketing and Programming Department will become the Community Engagement Department. There will be one manager. The communications manager will become the community engagement manager. The programming manager’s position will become the programming supervisor and that person will report to the community engagement manager. The programming supervisor will supervise the system programmers. The Library currently has one system programmer. That number will grow over the next year or two. Because of the increased duties of the community engagement manager, a part-time employee will be hired for the new department. The acquisitions position will be altered to be a purchasing specialist and report to the fiscal officer. The purchasing specialist will be responsible for the fiscal portion of purchasing library materials and programming supplies. The process to purchase programming supplies will be streamlined. Also, a Library Assistant Specialist will be hired for the New Richmond branch to allow more flexibility in staffing because that branch is the only branch without a Library Assistant Specialist.

Ms. Lyons asked if the community engagement department structure is similar to what other libraries are doing. Ms. Wick said yes. Community engagement is not a new term and speaks more to what the department actually does. This also relieves stress on branches for outreach. This supervisor will be similar to the supervisor at the Batavia Branch. This is a model used by other libraries. This new system will not add any costs.  The Board approved the thaw to post and hire the four positions.

NEW BUSINESS

Motion by Mr. Bird, seconded by Ms. Doss, to approve Resolution R-2020-030: Acceptance of gifts to the Library: donations as listed. All present were in favor. Motion carried.

Motion by Ms. Lyons, seconded by Ms. Waite, to approve Resolution R-2020-031: Disposal of unneeded or obsolete library material. Roll call vote: Mr. Cardinal, aye; Mr. Braun, aye; Mr. Bird, aye; Ms. Lyons, aye; Ms. Waite, aye; Ms. Doss, aye. All present were in favor, none opposed. The resolution was adopted.

Motion by Ms. Waite, seconded by Ms. Doss, to approve Resolution R-2020-032: Approval of the RC-3 as approved by the Records Commission October 19, 2020. All present were in favor. Motion carried.

Mr. Braun thanked the director and fiscal officer for their leadership through the first wave of COVID. They did a spectacular job managing the policies and finances. He said the board supports them as the Library faces the second wave of COVID.

Ms. Wick told the board the Library has a new HR Director, Julie Robinson. She brings a wealth of experience. Her first day on the job was November 16, 2020.

Motion by Mr. Bird, seconded by Ms. Lyons, to adjourn the meeting. All present were in favor, none opposed. The meeting adjourned at 6:33 p.m.

____________________________________                        ____________________________________

Board President                                                          Board Secretary

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