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Geauga County Public Library

LWV Geauga Observer Corps

Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) - November 21,2023

Meeting: The GCPL Board met on Tuesday, November 21st at 4:00 pm at the Thompson Branch. This meeting was in-person with a virtual option. The meeting was not recorded. Minutes of this meeting will be posted on the GPL website/ GPL Board after they are approved at the December meeting.

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. Jake Yanchar was absent.

Staff Attendance:

Kris Carroll - Director
Katy Farrell - Assistant Director
Lisa Havlin - Fiscal Officer
Nicole Burnside - Human Resources
Marlene Pelyhes - Tech. Services Manager
Dani Hollar - Bainbridge Branch Manager
Erika Noark - Geauga West Branch Manager
Judy Lasco - Chardon Branch manager
Rachael Hartman - Middlefield Branch
Kevin Barton - Thompson Branch Manager
Samantha Kretschmer - Collections Development [attending virtually]
Deborah Schrock - Community Development

Public: This Observer attended virtually.

The Records Commission Meeting was held at 4:00 pm. The Agenda for the Records Commission Meeting was approved. Approval of Changes to the Records Retention Schedule were approved. Approval was given for Records disposal after copies are sent to the State Archives at the Ohio Historical Society. Approval was given for non RC3 records (those that do not need OHS approval to destroy). The retention schedule was submitted in the Board Packet. The Records Commission Meeting was adjourned at 4:02 pm.

Minutes: October Board Meeting minutes were approved without discussion and are available online once posted. The minutes are posted as soon as they are approved at the following month’s Board meeting.

Agenda: All items were approved.

Communications:

Letter from the Green Fields 4-H Club offering thanks for the Library’s help in collecting for the Geauga Hunger Task Force Food Drive. The drive collected 859 items with a matching monetary donation.
Email from Brian Krawiec was read. Mr. Krawiec works for a company hired to find land that ATT could lease at the Middlefield Branch for a cell tower. The 90-year lease would take time to put into effect. Board Member Crist Miller met with Mr. Krawic to walk and photograph the possible site.Letter was read from a 2.5-year old patron apologizing for taking plastic off of a book.

Fiscal Officers Report – Ms. Havlin

Additional appropriations needed in the 402 Building Reserve Fund to encumber funds for the Geauga West roof project. A 2023 purchase order is needed to allow the vendor to order supplies and equipment for the project. Changes to appropriations include: Move $150,000 from 3000 object to 5000 object Replacement Building & Equipment account. Appropriate an additional $252,000 into the 5000 object Replacement Building & Equipment account. Motion made and approved.
Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) Board of Trustees authorized their staff to seek an increase in the maximum OPERS employer contribution rate. Currently, the library contributes 14 percent of total gross compensation to OPERS which is the statutory maximum contribution rate. The requested increase sets the maximum contribution rate at 18 percent of gross compensation. The current maximum contribution rate was set in 1976 and the contribution rate was adjusted up to that maximum in 2008. Proposed legislation would also establish a plan and schedule for contribution rate increases, to be determined annually by the OPERS Board of Trustees.
In an October 19, 2023, Maple Leaf article County Auditor Chuck Walder stated that Geauga County real estate residential values will increase an average of 29.5%. Property taxes, however, do not increase along with home values. This is due to HB 920 that reduces voted levies to their value when originally passed. The increase in home values will not result in increased revenue for the library. Library revenue will not increase despite the increase in property tax revenue.

Director’s Report – Ms. Carroll

A program on How Materials Selection Works at GCPL was held at the Geauga West Branch. There were presentations on what goes into selecting materials for each location and department. The public turn-out was low but gave GCPL the opportunity to meet with and discuss materials selection issues with three Youngstown Public Library Librarians.
Staff participated in anti-harassment training provided virtually over three days by Calfee, Halter, and Griswold, LLP. The training focused on educating staff on how to recognize and address different forms of harassment and foster a safe and respectful work environment. The training also covered the importance of reporting and documentation as well as how bystanders can play a significant role in preventing and addressing harassment. The Director sent follow-up communication to all staff promoting and encouraging reporting.
Clevnet Directors met to discuss the increase in costs to the consortium and database usage and selection. They also discussed staffing, network, and hardware updates.
Donation: Megan Vogias was awarded Businesswoman of the Year by the Red Key Network of Geauga County. She selected the Geauga West Library as the charity she supports based on our mission and involvement with the business community. Ms. Schrock, Development Coordinator, was able to attend the event on behalf of the Library.
Facilities: After fall landscape cleanup, Facilities began winter preparations with updated snowplow contracts and staff reminders about winter issues. Site plan templates for EPA testing at Bainbridge and Thompson were completed and are on site. Facilities staff assisted the Foundation and Friends with the Fairgrounds cleanup and the Geauga West sale cleanup. The Friends were appreciative of their assistance. Geauga West HVAC unit has been delayed until early 2024. Geauga Mechanical anticipates delivery in December and installation in early 2024. Interior painting for Geauga West is scheduled for spring 2024 and roof replacement is expected to start in late spring.
The I.T. Staff hosted the grand opening of the Chardon Creativity Center inside Chardon High School. There were example projects and demonstrations for 29 community members. For more information, see link here.

Assistant Manager’s Report – Ms. Farrell

Performance Evaluations: Staff systemwide completed 2023 performance evaluations for all staff. Supervisors met with their staff individually in October to review and discuss this year’s evaluations
Mellon Foundation Grant: The first draft of the Mellon Foundation Memory Labs Grant was submitted on October 26. Staff is awaiting feedback from the individuals managing that grant. The final version will be voted on at the March 2024 Mellon Foundation Board Meeting and if awarded, funds would be available April 1, 2024. The grant requested funding for a full-time Technology Specialist to help with training in the Digital Legacy Labs and new equipment to create complete Digital Legacy Labs at each branch.
Mobile Services: Ms. Hartman stepped into the role of Interim Manager of Mobile Services as of October 1. She helped to cover a shift on the bookmobile, accompanied Outreach on a delivery route, and worked to arrange appointments for snow tires for the vehicles.
Technical Services: The Magazine Binge Pass on Hoopla was removed to reduce the cost-per-use fee since it duplicates resources. Overdrive Magazine provides access to 4,000 magazines through Libby.
Additional highlights of collection usage from 2023:

Circulation of DVD and CD formats is still half of what it was pre-pandemic. Patrons are checking out books at pre-pandemic numbers, exceeding 2019 circulation rates in some branches. However, DVD and CD circulation rates have not recovered and remain flat.
Hoopla streaming has increased. Approximately 50 new patrons stream hoopla content each month. The most significant increases are television and eAudiobooks. However, ebooks remain the most popular format.
eAudiobooks in Overdrive increased throughout the year. Large print is a popular format in all the branches.

Statistics:

52,449 patrons served at the branches
19,664 computer and wi-fi uses
311 programs presented for 5,121 patrons
11,299 reference interactions
Total circulation of items: 246,480
CD and DVD use continues downward trend

Local Branch Manager's Report - Mr. Bacon, Thompson Branch

It has been three years since the new building opened. In that time, the staff at Thompson made many community connections including community groups and local businesses such as Hemly Tool. The staff collaborated with the community during the Halloween event and plan to work together on the Thompson Christmas program.

Every branch manager had a report in the board packet.

Committee Reports:

The changes to the Administrative Assistant and Maintenance Coordinator job descriptions and changes to the Facilities Organizational chart as presented in the board packet were voted on and approved.
Following a brief discussion about patron use of branches on Sundays during the Summer, a motion was made to update Operating Policy 130 to close buildings on Mother’s and Father’s Day as an unpaid closing as recommended by the Personnel Committee. This was voted on and approved.
A motion was made to approve 4 hours of paid holiday time for part-time employees beginning with the January 1, 2024 holiday, and to approve the updates to all applicable Personnel Policies including #240, #288, and #713. This was voted on and approved.
Motion was made to approve the updates to the Technical Services Organizational Chart as recommended by the Personnel Committee. This was voted on and approved.
Approval of 2023 Merit Recommendations and 2024 Salary Increase. Moved to follow Executive Session

Unfinished Business – None

New Business:

Motion to approve Geauga West Branch interior painting as presented in the board packet. The motion passed.
Motion to approve the updates to Operating Policy 360 – Cash on Hand to remove the provision of petty cash as presented in board packet. The motion passed.
Motion to approve the changes to the Credit Card limits to add a Home Depot card for the IT Manager as presented in the board packet. The motion passed.

Board Development – None

Foundation Report:

Foundation Annual Appeal letters were sent out and donations are coming in.
Rascal Reader Program began in November. Volunteers including many from the Retired Teachers Association have been visiting Geauga kindergartens.
The Foundation will sponsor 12 library programs January through April 2024.

Friends Committee:

Geauga West Book Sale Nov 2-4 resulted in an increase of $500 from 2022.
Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day will be held Wednesday, February 7th, 10:00 am until noon.
Community Events: The Foundation participated in the Volunteer Fair on October 28th which was held at Bainbridge Library. Katy McGrath worked with Denise Javins to create a handout for those that are interested in volunteering for the library.

Upcoming Community Events

December 2nd, 2023 - Christmas Pop Up Book sale at the Middlefield Branch
March 9th & 10th, 2024 - Adult and Family Mini Golf Events
March 23rd, 2024 - Gardening and Cookbook Pop Up at Middlefield Branch
April 25th – 28th, 2024 Chardon Branch Book Sale

Executive Session: The Board passed a motion to convene an executive session to discuss the compensation of public employees. The board, along with Mrs. Carroll, Ms. Havlin, Ms. Farrell, and Ms. Burnside, entered into executive session at 4:42 pm. Typically, the board comes out of executive session and adjourns the meeting without comment.

The virtual session ended at this time.

Reviewer Note: The Minutes for this November 21, 2023 meeting indicate that following the Executive Session the Board unanimously approved two resolutions for pay raises for 2024. The first was for merit raises for the Director and Fiscal Officer and the second was for across the board pay increases of 4% for all eligible staff. More information is available here. Scroll down to the section on Minutes.

Public Comment - None

Next Meeting: Tuesday, December 19th at the Administration Building at 4:00 pm. Organizational meeting will be held at 4:00 pm at the Administrative Building on January 16.

Minutes: The latest minutes are posted as available here. Prior to March 2023, videos of meetings were available to the public here. The GCPL is no longer posting videos of their meetings.

Observer: Cris Takacs

Editor: Anne Ondrey

Reviewer: Gail Roussey

The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org

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