905 MAIN STREET WILLIMANTIC, CT 06226 TELEPHONE (860) 465 ... - Windham, CT

[Pages:3]905 MAIN STREET WILLIMANTIC, CT 06226 TELEPHONE (860) 465-307

FAX (860) 465-3083

Meeting: Willimantic Public Library Board of Directors Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 7 p.m.

The meeting was held digitally/remotely on Google Meet. The recording can be accessed at:

Attendance: Katherine Atkinson (chair), Barbara Wright (vice chair and co-secretary), Heidi Van Flatern, Ximena Marin, Briana Hernandez, Willa Biewald, Nancy Pettitt (president, Friends of the Library), Dan Paquette (Director), Carlos Chuquizuta (staff)

Call to order: 7:03 p.m.

Citizens and Delegations: none

Minutes: Heidi moved and Briana seconded approval of the minutes of March 22, 2022, with the correction of two typos. The minutes as amended were approved unanimously.

Reports Director's Report: The report can be accessed at: Dan reported that attendance and circulation levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels. The new database, Linkedin Learning, will be up and running tomorrow after a minor glitch. Yesterday, staff got login credentials from Weblinx for the new website, which will go public in about one month.

Dan explained the meaning of "trauma-informed organization" and the consensus was that it is important for organizations to be sensitive to the traumas that patrons have suffered over the past two years. Barbara congratulated the staff on translation of the card catalogue into Spanish. In response to a question about the search for an adult librarian, Dan said he hoped that both that position and an opening for a leader of a grant-funded summer literacy program could be posted

in the coming week.

Committee Reports ? Fundraising (and Friends), Outreach and Branding, Physical Plant The Fundraising committee had no report.

Outreach and Branding had no report, but Dan announced that ACT students would be in the library the next day videotaping. The Board was invited to come by.

Physical Plant's visit to the adult area did not take place in April, and Kate is currently recovering from covid. Heidi reported that Kate is now soliciting dates for a visit in May, when the committee will consider possible changes and gather feedback from staff.

Speaking for the Friends, Nancy announced that School Readiness is buying a second little library. In addition, the Friends have authorized $1,000 to buy two pre-made little libraries, making a total of 4 little libraries in town. Heidi and Nancy are hoping to hear from Brian, a faculty member at Windham Tech, about carpentry students building additional little libraries.

Nancy reported that she and Willa have begun planning for the second Eastern Connecticut Children's Book Fair. They may pair with the Downtown Country Fair, scheduled for October 1. Space in the Senior Center will be available for authors' readings and as needed.

Old Business: Updates on Book Bike, Little Libraries, Budget Regarding the Book Bike, Dan reported that he and Angela Fournier had sent the first payment. The next step: developing the graphics. The new logo will be incorporated into the design.

Willa asked where the little libraries will be located. Nancy said priorities are the Valley Street day care, Natchaug School, North Windham School and Sweeney School. She would also like one on other side of river, e.g., at Shetucket Park. Willa asked whether the little libraries operated on the "Leave one, take one" principle. Dan explained that users are invited to leave books, but more go out than come in, so the libraries are monitored and restocked regularly. The library at the Garden on the Bridge gets heavy use; at Windham Heights use is sporadic.

Regarding the town budget for the library, Dan reported that thus far there has been no negative feedback; he is hopeful the rest of the budget approval process will go smoothly.

New Business: Website Demonstration, Outreach, Organization Chart Website Demonstration ? Dan showed the main screen with its carousel for highlights, an upcoming events calendar, clean menus, translation options, quick links, a site map with sub-pages (some blank), databases, kids' and teen pages, and many other features. Events like a book club meeting can be added to the main page scroll and as a menu item. For security reasons there is no staff directory, only a "Contact Us" page. Board members liked the contemporary look, simplicity, and ease of use.

Outreach ideas and Objective 1 ? Ximena explained that for personal reasons it had been difficult to schedule committee meetings. Heidi noted the connection between committees' needs and fundraising activity; she and Katherine then asked for outreach ideas from the Board. A number of suggestions came up: e.g., ways to increase circulation of the new Library newsletter, which appears in both English and Spanish.

Heidi then suggested electronic screens showing upcoming library events for the foyer, the children's department and the adult department. Dan thought a 50" screen, plus software to run video and hardware for installation would come to $500 per screen or $1500 for three. Barbara agreed to look for sources of funding. . Katherine reviewed the outreach goals in the Strategic Plan and concluded that despite covid we had covered much of what was originally proposed for 2020-24. Still, we can do better, focusing, for example, on underrepresented communities, Spanish speakers, and tweens.

Third Thursday and the Boom Box Parade were mentioned as other opportunities to get the word out. Heidi supported preparing for the parade and invited others to work with her. Willa was also game and volunteered for the outreach committee. Dan will inform staff. Nancy suggested book character costumes. Sadly, the book bike will probably not be available.

WPL Organization Chart ? Board members were happy to have the chart. Heidi asked whether most positions were full-time. Dan explained that everyone but the aides is full-time (30 hours or more). Different position levels are related to duties and responsibilities, with higher levels involving more independent work and supervisory roles. Heidi asked to see job descriptions, and Dan agreed to provide them for the next meeting.

Asked about the status of the search for an adult librarian, Dan explained that he and Frances were reworking the job description to make it more professional and appealing. Barbara asked about Dan's satisfaction with the current staffing level. He said that for the adult librarian position, they need someone to handle more outreach, manage social media, and create a coordinated approach to publicity, so that branding and marketing efforts all share a coherent, professional look with same high quality.

Nancy asked whether the $200,000 ARP money is now available. Dan said yes, that he was looking at shelving now, and would soon turn to improvements to the community room. Nancy requested that he share the projects he's working on and their progress. This will be a monthly agenda item; Dan can decide how best to share information.

Any Other Matters That May Come Before the Board: none

Adjournment: Heidi moved to adjourn and Ximena seconded. Katherine adjourned the meeting at 8:06 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Barbara Wright, Co-Secretary

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