09-24-2018 LIBM Library Board Meeting Minutes
September 24,2018
Review and approve minutes from the August 27, 2018 meeting. Motion to approve by Carolyn; seconded by
Gerry. MINUTES APPROVED
Present: Gerry Grinde, Carolyn Ulrich,Julie Lofdahl, Kristine Leutze,Jack Sandberg, Mary Christensen, and Katy
Hiltner, Ex-Officio Excused: Steve Bailey
Old Business:
1. Program Reports:
• Christopher Valen Author Program -26 people came,the event was filmed by HCVN, positive
response from those who attended. He was well organized and knew audience. Kay Johnson did
articles for the paper both before and after the event.
• Master Gardeners Program, putting your garden to bed - 15 people came and they were a lively and
talkative group. Two Master Gardeners presented the program. Library will do another program.
Possible program idea =winter seed catalogs and planning your garden.
2. MN Department of Education Construction grant
JJ Verhey and Bayley Schluter will be putting together grant applications for the library's roof and public
bathrooms. In the future, another grant may be sought for interior updates.The budget is reflective of
these potential renovations. If the library funds are not used in the 2019 fiscal year,the funds will go
back to reserves. Katy did not attend a design institute as previously discussed but will be contacting
other libraries on how they did their renovations. The last time the library's carpet was changed was
1994. No other renovations have taken place since the addition.
3. Library Assistant I hire-Sherri McRaith will work Wednesdays 3-6 and Fridays 3-5. After a training
period, she will go into the Saturday rotation.
PLS Strategic Plan(Head Librarian monthly report):
Highlighted Goal Area = Encouraging and Supporting Staff Excellence
A. Provide appropriate continuing education to all staff to promote skills development.
PLS available for direct staff training-all staff training for MnLink
E-book training, staff safety training, Prairielands (SAMMIE)training;
a goal is to do more training through Prairielands and to add staff training for customer service
B. Support staff attendance at continuing education and training events.
Rachelle is going to a Future Ready conference in Salt Lake City in November. Katy and Sherry are going
to the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) conference in St. Cloud in October.
New Business:
1. Summer Reading Wrap-Up and Fall Programming-Sherry Lund, Children's Librarian
1000 Books Before Kindergarten -201 families are involved in this program (350 children are active, 36
children have completed). Participants receive a small prize for every 100 books read and earn a
hardcover book when the program is completed.
Summer Program - 10 weeks, ages 2-12: 537 kids signed up which is the highest number of sign ups
(past record = 503); 220 readers completed the summer reading program (past record = 216
completions).
The library hosted 9 storytimes with a total of 1,204 children and adults.The high school robotics team
had 147 people on a rainy day; Mad Science had 110 people in pouring rain in a building at the
fairgrounds; Schiffelly Puppets had 305 children and adults at the State Theatre.
Reading Takes you Everywhere was the theme. Twenty children finished the non-fiction challenge.
Jack asked how programs help kids to read. Story hours help build pre-reading skills and summer
program helps with the summer slide of losing reading skills. Reading to child is best way to help
children learn to read. Pre-schools come to the library. Also, Sherry hosts a Read With Me (formerly
R.E.A.D.) program for children to increase their reading skills by reading to a therapy animal. Students
from West Elementary have worked with therapy dogs on a regular basis. Having the resources
available for families is important.
A monarch butterfly program was the first program for children with the Master Gardeners. It was a
great program. Sherry is working on leaf program for the end of October. October 1 is an author
program with James Edward Best. 4H and the library will also be doing a monthly project based
program; most of the school year has been planned out.
Rachelle Golde,Teen Services Librarian will have an author visit in October. She is partnering with New
Discoveries Montessori Academy on this program which will provide middle-grade students with a
writing workshop. Rachelle has many other things going for teen programming. Please see her attached
report.
2. Regional Library Program: Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder 1898 before she was famous. Monday, November
19th at 2:00 pm in Winsted (St. Mary's Care Center) and 7:00 pm at the Hutchinson Public Library.
3. Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale-$1,813 plus$250 in Thrivent grant funds. Thrivent grant funds to
be used to build the young adult book collection.
4. Program Reminder—Author Event with the Senior Center
Wednesday, Sept. 26th @ 10:30 a.m. Dennis and Karen Vinar. High school sweethearts- have a story to
tell "How Did You Find Me...After All These Years?
Library Buzz—What Have You Been Reading/Watching
Gerry: Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper; Bad Weeds Never Die by Christopher Valen (a little long)
Kristine: Gunflint Burning by Cary J. Griffith;The Feather Thief by Kirk W.Johnson
Julie: Murder mysteries on audio
Katy: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Son all by Lois Lowry;White Tombs by Christopher Valen;The Feather
Thief by Kirk W.Johnson
Rachelle: A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
Sherry: Wishtree by Katherine Applegate- kids/work; So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo-
professional ; Beartown by Fredrik Backman - book club
Carolyn: Next to Last Charles Finch Book; House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz;The Library:A Catalogue of
Wonders by Stuart Kells
Mary: Thunderstruck by Erik Larson;watching on PBS The Miniaturist and My Mother and Other Strangers
Jack: Fascism by Madeleine Albright; Rick Steves PBS travel show on fascism in Europe;The People, Yes- poems
by Carl Sandburg
Adjourn 5:28 pm
Next meeting: October 22,2018 @ 4:30 p.m.
August 2018 Donations
none