Mead Public Library
Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 4th, 2024
- Meeting was called to order by Cara Simon at 6:05pm. Open Meetings Act poster was pointed out on the west wall of the back room.
- Roll Call:
- Members Present: Sara Else (2027), Kylee Hickman (2024), Amanda Schaal (2028), Cara Simon (2027)
- Members Absent: Jenn Lee (2026)
- Library Employees Present: Director-Laurie VanAckeren
- Library Employee Absent: Lori Moseman, Roberta Kisling
- Guests or Public Items to discuss: None
- Minutes, Bills, Financials, and Monthly Reports for April
- April minutes reviewed.
- April Bills/Financial transactions reviewed.
- Hickman moved to approve April Minutes, Bills, Financials, and Monthly reports, second by Schaal. Motion carried. Unanimous approval. April reports approved.
- Minutes, Bills, Financials, and Monthly Reports for May
- May minutes reviewed.
- May Bills/Financial transactions reviewed.
- Simon moved to approve May Minutes, Bills, Financials, and Monthly reports, second by Hickman. Motion carried. Unanimous approval. May reports approved.
- New Business/Director’s Report
- April and May stats were reviewed. Nearly all stats and program attendance improved each month. Adult programs continue to do well and the Zombie Prom for 4th-10th graders saw 16 participants. We’re looking forward to an exciting summer!
- Upcoming Summer events to note:
- TWO Adult Book Clubs each month. Due to a change in Library Hours, the Mead Library Adult Book Club has been moved to Monday, June 17th at 6:30 and Monday, July 15th at 6:30.
- Children’s Summer Reading Camp is underway and served over 20 kids on the first day! UNL Extension is helping facilitate various learning activites.
- Adult Summer Reading Challenge June 1st-July 31st. Stop by to pick up a form and return at the end of the challenge for a chance to win a great prize.
- S’mores Workshop- Friday, June 14th from 3-4, Kids 8 & Up. RSVP by June 6th!
- Chalk the Walk! Thursday, June 20th from 1-2pm. All Ages.
- Weather Workshop- Tuesday, June 25th at 12:00.
- Campfire Safety and Craft- Tuesday, July 9th at 12:00
- Ice Cream Party! Friday, July 19th between 3-4pm
- Board Member Reports
- Member Else facilitated a review of Board Duties and Staff Responsibilities. A few items to note:
- Library Board Certification to maintain Accreditation. Mead’s Board Certification is due 8/31/2024 and needs 17.5 credit hours completed. Laurie will send a link to various webinars and programs to complete. Each Board Member will notify Laurie upon completion.
- In light of Annual Staff Evaluations, the Board reviewed Library Staff Plan of Work.
- To create an open concept and comfortable flow to the Library, Else will take measurements within the Library to determine the best layout to encourage Patron Engagement. The Board will review at our next meeting.
- Laurie works very hard to come up with various activities to meet the needs of all ages. She attends an annual workshop for statewide Librarians where she gathers many ideas. Board Members will also do their best to suggest ideas that are age appropriate and engaging to our patrons.
- Annual Evaluations and Merit Increase
- The Board reviewed Lori Moseman and Roberta Kisling’s Annual Evaluations completed by Laurie.
- The Board will meet to complete Director, Laurie Van Ackeren’s, Annual Evaluation and submit to June no later than July 1st.
- Merit increases for all 3 staff will be discussed and sent to June as well.
- Due to staffing shortages, the Library Board is seeking to hire an additional 1-3 Part Time Staff members at a starting wage of $12/hour. Performance will be assessed after 6 months at which time a wage increase may be considered, on top of required minimum wage change effective January 1, 2025 of $13.50/hour. These new hires will not affect the number of approved Library Business Hours currently set to 25 hours per week.
- Hickman moved to approve the above paragraph, seconded by Schaal. Motion carried. Unanimous approval. The Library Board is requests approval from the Village Board at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 11th at 6pm.
- Member Else facilitated a review of Board Duties and Staff Responsibilities. A few items to note:
- End of Meeting Roll Call:
- Members Present- Sara Else (2027), Kylee Hickman (2024), Amanda Schaal (2028), Cara Simon (2027)
- Members absent- Jenn Lee (2026)
- Library Employee Present: Director-Laurie VanAckeren
Simon adjourned the meeting at 8:57 pm.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 2nd at 6pm- Mead Public Library
Respectfully Submitted by
Cara Simon