Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) - July 18, 2023
Meeting: The GCPL Board met on Tuesday, July 18th at 4:00 pm at the GCPL Bainbridge Branch. This meeting was in-person with a virtual option. Video recordings of past meetings are on the GPL website. Three months ago, GPL decided to stop posting meeting videos. Reasons were the poor quality and the size the videos took up. Very few people had accessed the videos.
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 Kate Pitrone, Vice President Paul A. Newman, Kristen Brickman, Karen Delano, Joshua Hutchinson, and Crist Miller.
Staff Attendance:
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Kris Carroll - Director
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Katy Farrell - Assistant Director
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Lisa Havlin - Fiscal Officer
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Nicole Burnside - Human Resources
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Marlene Pelyhes - Tech. Services Manager
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Michael Pope - IT Manager
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Dani Hollar - Bainbridge Branch Manager
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Judy Lasco - Chardon Branch manager
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Rachael Hartman - Middlefield Branch
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John Johnston- Facilities Manager
Guests: None other than this observer.
Minutes: June 20 Board Meeting minutes were approved without discussion and are available online. The minutes are posted as soon as they are approved at the following month’s Board meeting.
Agenda: all items were approved.
Communications:
Fiscal Officers Report – Ms. Havlin
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NOACA recognized the GPL Thompson branch for being a part of the planned electric vehicle charging station system. GPL anticipates that installation will begin by early fall.
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State revenues are continuing to exceed expectations. The state ended FY 2023 on June 30 with revenues almost $1 billion over estimated revenue. The Public Library Fund (PLF) Calendar Year (CY) 2023 year-to-date state-wide total is $301,179,620. The July distribution is the first distribution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. With the passing of HB 33, PLF percentage is now set in permanent law at 1.7% of the state's General Revenue Fund (GRF).
Observer’s note: complete Library financial statements are included in the Board Packet sent out before each meeting.
Director’s Report – Ms. Carroll
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Last week, Governor DeWine signed the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 state operating budget into law. The Public Library Fund (PLF) is now set at 1.70% of the state's General Revenue Fund (GRF) in permanent law. This is a win for Ohio's public libraries and a direct result of advocacy efforts over the past year.
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System-wide active shooter and safety training began at the Admin Center on July 12th.
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The Sheriff’s Dept presented training that was beneficial and highlighted some action items as well as the need to review and practice safety procedures at regular intervals. The training will be shared with all branch managers and supervisors to create plans and additional training to ensure we are supporting staff and prioritizing safety in increasingly volatile times.
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Ms. Carroll with Larry Corbus to review plans and options for improving the Chardon Branch. Mr. Corbus will provide an update at the next Facilities Committee meeting in August.
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Geauga West parking lot repairs were made the week of June 19th. The project was completed ahead of schedule. Facilities coordinated with Marketing to ensure patrons were informed.
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Facilities continue to manage landscaping at the branches including tree removals and coordinating with the Herb Society at Bainbridge.
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Marketing designed, created, and corrected the Fall Lines and Links this month before it was sent out for production. Collaboration with the Heads of Youth and Heads of Adult Services on programming and proofreading allowed Marketing to get the document to the printer a week early to have it mailed to the community in time for Fall programs.
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A total of 141 posts were created on social channels with an engagement rate of 5.7%.
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Ms. Pelyhes updated the public catalog to include the Library of Things, making yard games, hotspots, and telescopes more accessible from the catalog. Yard Games circulated 23 times in the last 4 weeks. Additionally, Tech Services has prepared the RePlay toy kits for circulation and added them to the Library of Things.
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The Summer 23 issue of Open Lines, News from Chardon Local Schools, had an article on the Makerspace going into Chardon High School.
Assistant Manager’s Report – Ms. Farrell
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60th Anniversary Committee: The 60th Anniversary Committee is busy preparing the final details for the 60th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, August 12 at Veterans Legacy Woods. There will be a magician, a presentation by the Geauga Park District, face painters, the King Kone food truck, crafts, games, and a photo booth. Attendees will receive a copy of Our Favorite Recipes, a limited-edition cookbook created by GCPL with contributions from the community. Committee members are Debbie Schrock, Alicia Evans, Charlotte Blasier, Denise Javins, Paula Wagner, Stefanie Paganini, Erika Noark, and Sarah Osinsky.
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In addition to the event, patrons are encouraged to participate in monthly online trivia quizzes about 60s Fashions, Geauga County History, and 60s Food. A team is working to create a Community Quilt. The quilt will be assembled by the Quilt Block Party which meets monthly at the Bainbridge Branch.
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Mellon Foundation Memory Labs Grant: Last month, GPL submitted a Concept Note to the Mellon Foundation to help fund the Digital Legacy Labs at the library. If awarded, the grant monies will allow for a Digital Legacy Lab to be added at each branch and training expanded for our patrons. GPL will hear whether they are invited to submit a grant draft by the end of July.
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Ms. Farrell was inducted into the Chagrin Valley Rotary in June and asked to join the new Board of Directors. She will serve a one-year term as Community Outreach Chair. As part of that role, she will help with their website and social media, and help coordinate community service projects.
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Geauga County Public Library accepted a donation from RePlay toys for adaptive toy kits. These kits will fit into the juvenile kit collections in the Library of Things. There are 25 kits, with books selected to match the toy in the kit. These kits will be another service for patrons with special needs.
Statistics:
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74,292 patrons served at the branches. This is an increase of 15 percent over June 2022
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16,158 computer and wi-fi uses
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349 programs presented for 12,228 patrons
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12,919 reference interactions
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Total circulation of items: 222,671
Bainbridge:
The largest event at Bainbridge this month was the annual book sale. The Friends had over 200 boxes of materials set up for the sale. The total proceeds surpassed the 2022 sale total by 29 percent.
Teen volunteers have helped with many projects so far this summer, including shifting a collection, dusting and tidying shelves, cleaning the story walk, assisting with youth programs and setting up for the book sale. The branch plans to continue engaging with the students to build a strong volunteer corps at Bainbridge.
Bainbridge manager Dani Hollar completed training to become a Notary Public in June.
There will be a Collaborative Art Exhibition throughout the month.
Chardon:
Chardon Middle School teachers requested to partner with the Chardon Branch for student enrichment this summer. CMS students are now required to sign up for GPL’s Summer Reading Program.
Chardon staff hosted 13 Chardon Middle School summer school field trips to the library, for a total of 140 children visiting the branch. Tours were given, program information was distributed, and many children signed up for JVR cards. Summer School teachers plan to bring the children to the library throughout the summer to check out more books.
Chardon manager Judy Lasco represented GCPL at the Chardon Tomorrow Bikes & Hikes event and hosted a Chardon Chamber of Commerce Coffee Connection event at the library.
Geauga West
Geauga West hosted Outback Ray and his animals in June, bringing over 100 patrons to the library for the presentation.
Weekly teen programs featuring a decade each week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of GCPL. Kids have created macramé, hemp necklaces, beaded bracelets, and more.
Geauga West is the first library in the system to offer button makers for patron use. The library sells button-making kits in packs of six (at cost) and provides button maker equipment to patrons for free for use in the library. There are two sizes – 1.5” and 3”.
Circulation helped with the Project Pals program, where young attendees have been enjoying the engaging crafts.
Middlefield
Adult and Youth Services help each other with programs.
Due to the large number of donors in the Middlefield area, the Red Cross added another half day to the blood drive, resulting in 50 donors this month.
Thompson
The Summer Reading Program has been very encouraging. The library handed out 50 bags for sign-ups in the first 10 days. There are more teen entries each week than in past years.
A field day including the“Library of Things” yard game, with signs and instructions, was set up in the library back yard. Several families participated and all of them appreciated the water, snacks and shade provided on the patio. This was an opportunity to promote these new library items, and a few of the patrons placed holds.
Human Resources – Ms. Burnside
Changes to the operating Manual were discussed. Background checks of volunteers as a requirement for funding or grant request. Approved.
Library Programming
There was a discussion regarding Library programs which involved both those offered by the Library and those suggested by the public. Available on line. A few key points of the policy include the following:
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Registration for programs may be required in advance for planning purposes.
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Programs are open to all, though some programs may be limited to age-specific audiences.
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Program suggestions from the public will be evaluated with the same criteria used to determine staff-led programs. Library sponsorship of a program does not constitute an endorsement of the content in the program. Programs may be canceled due to weather, low registration, or any other unforeseen events.
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Program surveys to ensure that the Library is meeting the needs of the community with patrons receiving a survey following attendance at a program.
Contracts and Construction
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Board approval by a two-thirds vote of the full board shall be required for contracts involving the lease, purchase, sale or disposal of real property regardless of the value and according to pertinent laws. (See ORC 3375.35, 3375.41)
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Proposed rule that during construction, change orders in the amount of $10,000 or less can be negotiated by the Director without prior Board approval so that work is not interrupted. The total amount of these change orders cannot exceed the project contingency budget. All change orders must be approved by the Board at their next regular or special meeting.
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Contracts or Change Orders with the same vendor for related goods or services cannot be split in order to override the approval requirement.
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After discussion, the Board approved a $20,000 or less limit.
Information Technology Report - Mr. Pope
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Mr. Pope continues coordinating with Clevnet, OPLIN, and Spectrum to move the Chardon, Geauga West, and Thompson Branches to the SOCC in Columbus. If the network equipment were to fail at the Admin Center, these branches will stay online.
Facilities Committee Report
The Facilities Committee recommended approval of the installation of a sandstone floor in the Bainbridge gazebo. Motion made and approved by roll call vote.
Bench donation for Bainbridge gazebo by patron to honor his father. Donation approved.
Chardon School and Chardon Expansion Update - The Committee discussed the recent resolution passed by the Chardon School Board, rejecting the library’s request to lease or purchase land for an expansion of the Chardon Branch. The library has contracted to have soil borings done in the Chardon Branch parking lot. This will provide information about the feasibility of installing storm water management if needed in the future. The committee will meet again in August to discuss next steps for improvement of the Chardon Branch.
New Business: Approval of the Discard list - passed.
Foundation: No Report
Public Comment: This Observer asked about the meeting videos. She was the only person watching them. The LWVG Observer may request the videos if needed.
Next Meeting: August 15, 2023, 4pm at the Chardon Branch
Observer: Cris Takacs
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Submitted: 7-24-2023
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