Board of Trustees Regular Session Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Present: Vicki Matsumori, Dustin Lewis, Ali Lyddall, Brent Gardner, Sage Fitch, Kirsten Woodbury
Excused: Nick Skene
Others: Kim Fong, Murray Library Director; Julia Pehrson, Murray Library Assistant Director; Brittney Casad, Murray Library Staff
1. Call to Order:
Chairman Lewis called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes:
The minutes for the October 2020 meeting were approved, with changes, on a motion made by Vice Chairman Fitch and seconded by Ali Lyddall. Voting was unanimous in favor.
3. Public Comment:
None
4. Financial Reports:
33% of the year has lapsed and everything is on budget. Director Fong also shared a copy of the balance sheet for the library budget that was given to her by the Murray City Finance Director. Ali Lyddall asked why the decision was made to return some recently purchased audiobooks. Director Fong replied that it was discovered that the replacement cost for them would have been over $300. Chairman Lewis asked if Murray City is expecting normal levels of property tax collection and the answer was yes. A motion to receive and file the financial report was made by Vicki Matsumori and seconded by Kirsten Woodbury. Voting was unanimous in favor.
5. Board Reports:
Ali Lyddall asked if comments seen on social media should be brought to board meetings. Director Fong replied that while it is not a formal request or inquiry, it could certainly still be brought up for discussion. Vice Chairman Fitch asked if COVID-19 transmission by touch is still a strong concern. Director Fong answered that according to articles she has read, it is not the most common way, but the risk is still there.
6. Director’s Report:
Director Fong shared a presentation on how physical items in the library are circulating during the pandemic. For the month of October, the top circulating collections were DVDs, adult fiction, juvenile fiction and picture books. Ali Lyddall asked how circulation from last month compared to the same time last year. Director Fong answered that this year is about 2/3 of what last year’s circulation numbers were.
7. Old Business:
Director Fong stated that she wanted to revisit the circulation policy and clarify whether hotspots would be checked out to minors. Assistant Director Pehrson added that the Collection Development team feels like it would be better for just adults to check them out right now since there is only a 1-year contract with them. Kirsten Woodbury stated that she does not see why a minor would need to check one out when their parent/guardian could just as easily check one out for them rather than give us permission for their child to do so themselves. Director Fong added that each hotspot can have up to 10 devices connected to it, so the whole family could use it. Ali Lyddall confirmed that it seems easier for just adults to check them out. Assistant Director Pehrson added that maybe after this first year, the decision to not check them out to minors be reevaluated.
Brent Gardner asked why it would be a problem for minors to check them out. Ali Lyddall replied that she would worry about a minor losing the hotspot. Brent Gardner asked how much the replacement cost is. Director Fong replied that they are $68 each. Assistant Director Pehrson added that since these were donated through a grant, there is not a budget for replacement hotspots. Director Fong stated that she would need to request a new line item/budget to be made in order to have a fund for replacements. Ali Lyddall asked if there has been any demand for the hotspots from minors and the answer was not yet. Assistant Director Pehrson asked if there were any legality issues with handing a child a Wi-Fi hotspot. She suggested asking the Murray City Attorney about that. Brent Gardner suggested that the policy be reevaluated in three months in order to see where the demand is at. Director Fong agreed with just letting adults check them out for the first three months and reevaluate then. Director Fong suggested adding “hotspots may only be checked out by adults with full privilege accounts in good standing” to the circulation policy. Kirsten Woodbury suggested adding “at this time” to the beginning of that, so that it leaves it open for reevaluation at a later date. Brent Gardner made a motion to accept those changes being made to the circulation policy. Vice Chairman Fitch seconded that and voting was unanimous in favor.
8. New Business:
None
9. Adjournment:
A motion to adjourn was made by Vicki Matsumori and seconded by Ali Lyddall. Voting was unanimous in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 6:24 p.m.