The Library Has Circulated Over 2 Million Items So Far This Year,
Which is Greater than the 2019 Circulation Record
Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) - September 16, 2025
Meeting: The GCPL Board met on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 4:00 pm at the West Geauga Branch. This Board Meeting was in-person with a virtual attendance option. To access the virtual option see information here. The meeting was not recorded. Minutes of this meeting will be posted on the GCPL website after they are approved at the October 21, 2025 meeting.
Observer Note: Each member of the GCPL Board and Staff receives a copy of the meeting packet, as does this Observer. It is available upon request in accordance with Ohio public records law (ORC 149.43). The board discusses and votes on the information in the packet. This Observer Report is made up of discussions held at the board meeting and information taken from the board packet.
Public Comment: Permitted and included in the regular order of business per GCPL bylaws. Further clarified in Policy 215 - Public Participation at Board Meetings.
Board Attendance: President Karen Delano, Secretary Crist Miller and Board Trustees Kate Pitrone, Paul Newman and Jake Yanchar. Absent: Vice President Kristen Brickman and Joshua Hutchinson.
Library Staff Attendance:
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Kris Carroll - Director
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Katy Farrell - Assistant Director, Recording Secretary
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Lisa Havlin - Fiscal Officer
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Nicole Burnside - Human Resources
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Deborah Schrock - Development Coordinator
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Erika Noark - Geauga West Branch Manager
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Mary Balog - Thompson Branch Manager
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Rachael Hartman - Middlefield Branch Manager
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Mike Pope - IT Manager
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Judy Lasco - Chardon Branch Manager
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Danielle Hollar - Bainbridge Branch Manager
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Marlene Pelyhes - Tech Services Manager
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Denise Javins - Marketing Manager
Guests: Rick Ortmeyer, Lead Architect, Bostwick Design Partnership; Scott Wagner, Vice President of Corporate Operations, from Regency Construction Services, Inc. which is the Construction Manager at Risk company for the Chardon Project.
President Karen Delano called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm and roll call was taken.
Minutes: Minutes of the August 19, 2025 Board Meeting were approved as presented. Board minutes are available online. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to access minutes. The minutes are posted as soon as they are approved at the following month’s Board meeting. Prior to March 2023, videos of meetings were available to the public here. GCPL is no longer posting videos of their meetings.
Communications: None
Agenda: The agenda presented in the Board packet was approved with no changes.
Fiscal Officer’s Report - Ms. Havlin
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The Board packet contained a 3-page chart on the Chardon Total Project Summary. Also see discussion below.
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Credit Card Points Redemption : As required by Operating Policy #380, 619,628 credit card points were redeemed. The check was deposited into the library’s General Fund. The points redeemed represent the total points earned from December 2024 through August 2025 on the library’s Bank of America credit card.
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At the beginning of September, Ms Havlin presented at Ohio Library Council’s Library’s Fiscal Officer 102 state-wide training. The session dealt with the fiscal office annual calendar and its deadlines and mandatory filings.
Director’s Report - Ms. Carroll
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To improve accessibility and organization, college prep books (SAT/ACT) are now shelved under Teen Nonfiction in all branches.
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Candidates are being interviewed for the Collection Development position focused on adult collections.
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As the Lines & Links mailed program print guide is being phased out, GCPL is adopting a seasonal programming schedule. Staff get more lead time to plan and patrons get timely updates on upcoming programs. The change reflects a strategic cost-saving measure.
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Engagement on social platforms more than doubled year over year, with video views increasing the most.
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The IT Department focused on cybersecurity compliance, as new state requirements are being implemented.
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For the third time, GCPL partnered with Claridon Community Helps to support their food drive program, which provides meals to families in Geauga County. Over the course of just 12 weeks, the program distributed an impressive 18,630 lunches— surpassing the 2020 total by 400 meals.
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GCPL continued to collaborate with Retired Teachers through the Rascal Readers program, which promotes library card sign-ups among kindergarteners across the county.
Assistant Director’s Report - Ms. Farrell
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As of August, Geauga County Public Library has circulated over 2 million items (physical and e-materials). This pace is greater than the 2019 record.
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Bainbridge hosted a food-centric event for children called Taste the Rainbow. The participants learned about different nutrients in foods of each color of the rainbow.
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Adult Services have been collaborating with youth services to create programs for all ages. Successful programs included Pre-planning your Funeral, which brought in almost 20 patrons.
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August 2025 Statistics:
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33,955 patrons served at all the branches
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16,596 computer and wi-fi users
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102 programs presented for 2,251 patrons
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11,126 reference interactions
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Total circulation of items - 242,189
Observer Note: The board packet contains a report of activities from all branches and departments. This is under the heading of the Assistant Director’s Report. The report includes Patron feedback reported at the branches. The host/local branch manager gives an oral report at the board meeting.
Branch Report: This month’s branch was West Geauga and a report was given by Erika Noark, West Geauga Branch manager.
Human Resources - Ms. Burnside
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Board approval obtained on 2 new hires, 1 transfer, 1 promotion and 4 employees leaving.
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Human Resources and the Administrative team is reviewing GCPL job grades and pay scales, comparing GCPL rates with those of the 2024 NEO-RLS Library Salary Survey results.
Committee Reports -none
Unfinished Business - None
New Business –
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Approval of Cramer and Associates of Dublin, Ohio contract for Capital Campaign Feasibility Study. Contract is to run 3 months, beginning September 17, 2025. Fee is 34.5K, of which $34K has been donated by the GCPL Foundation. Study is to see if GCPL can raise 2 million dollars for the Chardon Branch project.
The contract was voted on and approved.
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Review of Chardon Branch Schematic Design. Rick Ortmeyer, Lead Architect, Bostwick Design Partnership and Scott Wagner, Vice President of Corporate Operations, from Regency Construction Services, Inc., the Construction Manager at Risk company for the Chardon Project. presented changes that can be made to the Chardon Branch project that will save costs. Changes included moving the building closer to Park Avenue to reduce utility, sewer and driveway costs and making the interior rooms slightly smaller. The parking lot would remain in the rear of the building as required by zoning.
No action taken or required by the Board at this time.
Foundation Report - Ms. Schrock
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Murder Mystery Event, October 10. Ticket sales are good.
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Foundation members met with a support representative from Little Green Light, GCPL’s donor management platform. Methods to improve efficiency in preparation for the upcoming Capital Campaign were discussed.
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A Donor Appreciation Event will take place September 26, at the Bainbridge Branch. The occasion will bring together donors, community partners, and board members to celebrate donor support and contributions.
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Book sales at the 2025 Great Geauga County Fair surpassed the 2024 amount.
Public Comment - This Observer asked why the parking lot at the new Chardon Branch would be behind the building. Answer is included above.
Executive Session -
At 4:22pm, the Board entered into Executive Session to consider the employment or compensation of a public employee.
The meeting adjourned with no announcements after the Executive Session ended.
Upcoming Events:
Next Meeting: The next Regular Board meeting is October 21 at 4:00 pm at the Thompson Branch. See website for information on meeting dates and locations.
Observer: Cris Takacs
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Rooney Moy
Date Submitted: 10/14/2025
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