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LIBRARY BOARD MEETING
Monday, May 15, 2023
Central Library Workshop
7:00 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Trustee Bernas called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Jillian Bernas, President, Julie Wroblewski Bosshart, Vice President/Secretary; Theresa Seyring, Treasurer; Anita Forte; Emily Gilbert, Amy Mueller, Carole Pye
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT
None
STUDENT ADVISORY TRUSTEES PRESENT
Muhammad Arshad, Jamie Caracas
OTHERS PRESENT
John Caporale, Julie Doren, Dave Hardt, Dale Heath, Annie Miskewitch, Paul Piraino, Tom Pritchett, Jason Santos, Molly Scheibler, Bobbi Sloan, Sarah Strzalka, Beth Valenziano
PUBLIC COMMENTS
No public comments were heard.
BOARD COMMENTS
Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart expressed her enjoyment with working with all Trustees during her twelve years of service. She stated that a lot has changed over the years and the Board has collectively accomplished so much. The Library’s presence in the community has expanded even in challenging times of COVID back in 2020 and 2021. She notes that the Board could not have accomplished anything without the staff. Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart expressed how grateful she is to have been associated with the Trustees and Library staff and will continue to work with the community.
Trustee Gilbert thanked Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart for her twelve years of service on the Board. She welcomed Deputy Director Molly Scheibler. Trustee Gilbert represented the Library Board, along with Trustee Bernas, at Coffee with the Trustees. She also attended training on How to be an Effective Trustee. The standout was an event held at the Trickster Cultural Center called Safe Spaces: To Affinity and Beyond, presented by the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) as part of the Coalition for Positive Youth Development (CPYD). Trustee Gilbert, Trustee Pye and Trustee Seyring represented the Library as the recipient of an award for being a safe space in the community. Trustee Gilbert found it incredibly moving and was honored to be a part of that event.
Trustee Mueller thanked Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart for her passionate service to the community and the Library that will serve as her legacy. She thanked Executive Director Miskewitch for the board packet that included journal articles; in particular, an article with a conversation around censorship. Trustee Mueller is glad to see Illinois going in a positive direction and a Leader State by taking a stand against censorship as demonstrated with recent legislation. The library articles keep everyone up to date on the creative things other libraries are doing, such as lending cell phones and the use of enhanced ID’s within a Library card. These are programs to consider and strive for in the future.
Trustee Forte thanked Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart for serving all these years, and enjoyed that they served that time together. She is looking forward to other great things that Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart will be doing for the community. She expressed congratulations to the returning and new Board members. Trustee Forte welcomed Deputy Director Molly Scheibler and is looking forward to a long tenure with the Library. She welcomed and thanked all audience members for coming out to celebrate this night with everyone. The swearing in of Library Trustees only happens once every two years, and she is very grateful to have everyone at the meeting tonight.
Trustee Pye expressed her congratulations to Trustee Seyring, Trustee Bernas and new Trustee Caporale, along with her sincere appreciation for Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart’s twelve years of service on the Library Board. She has been a role model for everyone and is truly grateful to have served with her. Trustee Pye congratulated Trustee Mueller for completing her Master’s Degree in Library Science. She watched two excellent Library programs featuring Dr. Ribhi Salhi from Harper College talk about how China and Iran's different foreign policy goals are playing out on the world stage and learned a great deal. Trustee Pye attended the CYPD event Safe Spaces: To Affinity and Beyond, presented by the YAC at the Trickster Cultural Center. She watched the United for Libraries webinar Telling Your Library Story and Creating a Candid Profile. Trustee Pye complimented the Marketing & Communications team for great marketing of the Library this past month and an increased social media presence.
Trustee Seyring thanked Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart for her service and voiced that she will be missed. She appreciates everything she has done for the Library and recognized the benefit of her background and professional training in banking and personnel. Trustee Seyring was extremely honored to attend the Safe Spaces: To Affinity and Beyond at the Trickster Cultural Center on behalf of the Library. She was very impressed with the young people and what they are thinking, conquering and achieving today.
RAILS
Trustee Gilbert highlighted next week’s webinar Literacy as a Political Issue: Libraries and Book Challenges on May 24th. Trustees can register via the L2 website.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Trustee Forte moved and Trustee Pye seconded that:
The April 17, 2023, Library Board Meeting Minutes be approved.
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included grammatical and typographical corrections.
APPROVAL OF BILLS
Trustee Gilbert moved and Trustee Mueller seconded that:
The Library Board approve the April 2023 Bill List.
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included the monthly cost of Language Line.
Finance Director Elizabeth Valenziano reviewed the financial reports, making note of balances in the various funds. On the balance sheet, the General Fund increased by approximately $3.6M due to revenues exceeding expenses. She also highlighted a few line items and discussed why they are above or below budget at this time, and gave an update on the status of various Library investments.
Discussion included the Library portfolio’s current status and future strategies for investments.
CERTIFICATION OF LIBRARY BOARD ELECTION RESULTS
Karen A. Yarbrough, County Clerk of Cook County in the State of Illinois has certified the April 4, 2023 election results. Executive Director Miskewitch announced that John Caporale, Jillian Rose Garcia Bernas and Theresa “Terry” Seyring were duly elected to serve on the Schaumburg Township District Library Board of Trustees for a four-year term.
RECOGNITION FOR OUTGOING TRUSTEE
President Bernas presented a proclamation to Trustee Wroblewski Bosshart in recognition of her contributions as Library Trustee during her twelve years of service to the Schaumburg Township District Library.
SWEARING IN OF NEW TRUSTEES
Vice President/Secretary Wroblewski Bosshart administered the Oath of Office to Jillian Rose Bernas Garcia, John Caporale and Theresa “Terry” Seyring.
MOTION TO RECESS FOR 10 MINUTES
Trustee Forte moved and Trustee Gilbert seconded that:
The Board of Library Trustees recess for a short break at 7:30 P.M.
The motion passed unanimously.
President Bernas called the meeting back to order at 7:45 P.M.
ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA
There will not be an Executive Session.
PRESIDENTS REPORT
President Bernas expressed that after voting for new Officers in New Business, this will be her last meeting as President for a while. She is happy to have worked together and has seen great progress these past years. She is proud of how Trustees and Staff returned the Library from the COVID pandemic, and that it is continuing by recently taking down the fiberglass at public facing desks and extending hours on Fridays. Trustee Bernas stated that some wonderful things were discovered from great discomfort, and there are developments that benefited the Library, like online programming, lockers and different ways of getting materials into the hands of patrons and residents in the community. Staff have done a great job of reopening and welcoming people back into the Library. Trustee Bernas recognized the good work completed on the many committees. The Strategic Planning Committee provided a compass for a way forward for many years to come. The Personnel Committee completed the updated Employee Handbook. The Building Committee moved forward with what the second-floor renovation will look like. The Art Committee was dormant for a while, but have convened again and are looking at different options to integrate existing art pieces into the new spaces and acquiring more. She stated that everyone should be proud. The Foundation took it’s first step forward, and she anticipates that it will be a great partner to the Library in the future. She is certain there are many more things to come. She appreciates the staff for partnering in all the decision making that was required, and providing all of the information required to make those decisions. Trustee Bernas acknowledged those major accomplishments of her fellow Trustees and Library staff.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Executive Director Miskewitch highlighted items in her report, including Governor J.B. Pritzker’s ending of Illinois’ public health emergency due to COVID on May 11, 2023. This affects the Open Meetings Act allowance to hold online meetings. Any remote attendance requires Board approval, and is limited to illness, emergency or work obligation going forward. Executive Director Miskewitch attended a conference in New York with CEOs of many of the large libraries, such as Boston, Seattle and New York. She stated it was an honor to be at the table with big thinkers to discuss the future of libraries, the skills that staff will need in the future and understanding the impact of Artificial Intelligence as libraries continue to transform. Executive Director Miskewitch welcomed Deputy Director Molly Scheibler to the Library.
Discussion included potential ground-breaking for Hopscotch in August. There will be curb updates to facilitate upcoming summer concert bands’ ability to move instruments on stage. Trustee Gilbert highlighted that the Teen Department now has free feminine hygiene products, sensory items and weighted blankets. Trustee Pye expressed appreciation for the Executive Director’s report when unable to attend all of the programs and events. The new bike repair station has been a huge success. Director Miskewitch has mentioned there is a focus on prioritizing on how best to use the outside library space more effectively and activate it as another area of services.
DEPARTMENT REPORT
Digital Services Manager Sarah Strzalka explained her department’s work, including maintaining the Library website and online resources. The most popular online resources are Hoopla, Mango and Linkedin Learning (formerly Lynda.com). She highlighted new website features and statistics, the new progressive web app and departmental goals for the future.
Discussion included the integration of PIN entry locks with the room reservation program Communico for the study rooms with the renovation.
STUDENT ADVISORY TRUSTEE REPORT
SATs Muhammad Arshad and Jamie Caracas reported that they shared their monthly presentations with librarians located in the media centers at Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and Conant High Schools. They also provided information about TAD (Teen Advisory Group) and volunteer opportunities with the career advisors at these same high schools. In a bid to increase Teen involvement with the Summer Reading Challenge and volunteering, they set up a registration table at their school with promising results.
Discussion included confirmation of signup tables at other area High Schools.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Nominating Committee
President Bernas and Trustee Pye presented a slate of names at the last Board meeting. The committee is recommending Trustee Seyring for President, Trustee Pye for Vice-President/Secretary and Trustee Gilbert for Treasurer.
Disciplinary Committee
The Disciplinary Committee met on May 5th with Trustee Forte acting as Chair, Trustee Bernas and John Raftery as Public Safety Supervisor. They reviewed the Library’s Code of Conduct Policy and how to conduct the hearing regarding the excluded patron’s appeal. The hearing will take place on Thursday, May 25th with a report and recommendation provided to the Board at a special meeting on June 5th.
Art Committee
Trustee Seyring reported that the Art Committee is continuing to work on the donation wall. They plan to book a time to meet with an artist to discuss donation wall ideas and concepts.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
None
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Trustee Forte moved to approve and Trustee Mueller seconded the approval of the Slate of Officers as Theresa “Terry” Seyring as President; Carole Pye as Vice- President/Secretary and Emily Gilbert as Treasurer as brought forth by the Nominating Committee.
Discussion included no nominations from the floor.
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
APPROVAL OF NON-RESIDENT PARTICIPATION AND FEE METHOD (ANNUAL)
Trustee Mueller moved and Trustee Forte seconded the approval to continue to participate in the non-resident fee program and to use the tax bill method of establishing fees.
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included clarification of who qualifies for the non-resident fee program.
APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDED DEALERS OF FURNITURE BIDS FOR 2ND FLOOR RENOVATION IN THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF $1,339,955.77
Trustee Forte moved and Trustee Gilbert seconded approval of the recommended dealers of furniture bids for 2nd floor renovation in the overall amount of $1,339,955.77
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included a review of the multiple contracts and payment method as this was presented in an omnibus.
APPROVAL OF RENEWAL OF CONTRACT AND PAYMENT TO SOLE SOURCE PROVIDER EBSCO INFORMATION SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $38,679.00
Trustee Gilbert moved and Trustee Forte seconded the approval of renewal of contract and payment to sole source provider EBSCO Information Services in the amount of $38,679.00
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included changes in the services package provided by EBSCO Information Services.
APPROVAL OF RENEWAL OF CONTRACT AND PAYMENT TO SOLE SOURCE PROVIDER PROQUEST’S NEWSSTREAM AND U.S. MAJOR DAILIES PACKAGE IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,857.41
Trustee Bernas moved and Trustee Gilbert seconded approval of renewal of contract and payment to sole source provider ProQuest’s Newsstream and U.S. major dailies package in the amount of $25,857.41
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
Discussion included the features and benefits of the package.
APPROVAL OF RENEWAL OF CONTRACT AND PAYMENT TO SOLE SOURCE PROVIDER O’REILLY IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,508.00
Trustee Forte moved and Trustee Gilbert seconded approval of renewal of contract and payment to sole source provider O’Reilly in the amount of $25,508.00
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
Trustee Pye moved and Trustee Forte seconded the meeting adjourn at 8:34 P.M.
Roll Call Vote:
Trustee Pye Yes
Trustee Gilbert Yes
Trustee Bernas Yes
Trustee Caporale Yes
Trustee Forte Yes
Trustee Mueller Yes
Trustee Seyring Yes
The motion passed unanimously.