ELISHA D. SMITH PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MEETING MINUTES
Elisha D. Smith Public Library
Company E Room
March 26, 2024
Called to order at 4:04pm by Chair Halverson
Present: Trustee Englebert, Trustee Golz, Chair Halverson, Secretary Lane, Trustee Stojanovic, Trustee Turner (arrived at 4:25) and Trustee Witt
Absent: Trustee Franzoi, Superintendent of Schools Zimmerman and Teen Rep Lane
Also Present: Director Kopetsky, Programming Services Manager Moore-Nokes, Library Services Manager Raschke, Business Manager Dreyer and Librarian Kozerski
Public Comment/Communication
None
Consent Business
A motion was made by Witt, seconded by Stojanovic to approve the Library Board of Trustees meeting minutes from February 27, 2024.
Authorization of Bills
A motion was made by Golz, seconded by Englebert to authorize payment of the March 2024 bills from the 2024 budget and endowment account. Motion carried unanimously.
Updates
Planning Process Update
Signing of the lease has been delayed to the state inspection process
Weekly check-in meetings with the EUA design team continue
The public portion of the fundraising process will begin on Wednesday, May 1 with an evening event held at the library. Details are in the works.
Discussion ensued on public messaging and naming rights.
Friends of the Elisha D. Smith Public Library Update
The Friends annual meeting was held on Monday, March 25th. Director Kopetsky gave a presentation on the project and answered questions. It was decided that the quarterly meetings (every 3 months) will now be open to all Friends members.
New Business
Director’s Report
Meeting room usage continues to increase. The door count shows a 20% jump over February of 2023.
Discussion ensued on the library field in relation to: reading levels, the publishing landscape and materials challenges.
February Statistics
Circulation of both print and e-materials continues to be strong, Library of Things continues to be a standout.
2024 Budget Status Report
The year-to-date spending looks a little skewed due to many yearly charges hitting this month.
Board’s Commitment to Fundraising
Discussion ensued on contributions to the library renovation project by board members and staff .
2019-2023 Strategic Plan Update and Subcommittee
Discussion of a possible parallel process with other local organizations ensued.
Director Kopetsky had a meeting with Melissa, a representative with WiLS, a non-profit membership organization serving Wisconsin libraries. Strategic planning is one of the services they offer and she will get back to Kopetsky about pricing.
Discussion on moderator neutrality and timing of the process ensued.
The board will get an update on the current plan’s progress and benchmarks from Kopetsky at April’s meeting.
June Board Meeting
The June board meeting will stay June 25th at 4:00pm, location to be determined. The vice-chair will preside in lieu of the board chair, if necessary.
Staff Reports
A large collection-wide weeding project is a occurring, A Better World Books will be picking up our weeded materials and repurpose them.
Programming staff is working on developing a checkout challenge to help boost circulation and move the collection as much as possible before our temporary closure.
April will be the last month of library programming.
Cleaning and consolidation projects are happening with non-collection items.
The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 4:00pm.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn made at 5:42pm by Lane, seconded by Engelbert. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Eva Kozerski, Recording Secretary
