December ’19 Board Meeting Minutes

2025-02-10T12:34:34-06:00
Board Meeting Minutes

OLNEY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

December 10, 2019

      1. Call to Order – Roll Call
        The monthly meeting of the Olney Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by Julia Eichhorst, December 10, 2019 at 5:30pm. It was noted that no November meeting was held as a quorum of trustees were not available on the scheduled meeting date.

        Present – Board members present: Julia Eichhorst, Sheila Ritter, Crystal Trout, Sarah Britton, Herman ZuberAbsent – Board members absent: Marie Riggs, Dan Zuber

        Others Present – Brittany Bass, Library Director and Lisa Boehl, Bookkeeper

      2. Recognition of Visitors and Public Comments
        N/A
      3. Secretary’s Report and Approval of Previous Minutes
        The minutes of the October 8, 2019 meeting were reviewed. Herman Zuber made a motion to approve the minutes. Sheila Ritter seconded the motion. Measure carried.
      4. Treasurer’s Report & Approval of Bills Payable
        The October and November 2019 treasurer’s reports and bills paid/payable were reviewed. Sarah Britton made a motion to approve the report and payables. Herman Zuber seconded the motion. Measure carried.
      5. Committee Reports
        Finance Committee –No report
        Personnel Committee –Two of the previously assigned members of the personnel committee are no longer on the board. Julia Eichhorst is going to re-assign committee members to the personnel committee so that the director evaluation process can begin. Herman Zuber expressed interest in serving on the personnel committee.
        Policy/Bylaws Committee-No report
        Building/Grounds Committee- No report
        Public Relations/Marketing Committee-No report
        Technology Committee-No report
        Planning Committee-No report
      6. Friends of the Library–No report
      7. Librarian’s Report
        Brittany Bass presented thorough written reports to the trustees for both October and November.Brittany indicated there is a challenge from a library neighbor regarding the new outdoor lighting. The board asked her to try to resolve the issue without changing the lighting at this time.The trustees discussed raising the room rental rate from $30 as there is an increase in the number of showers, rehearsal dinners, etc being held at the facility. These events require a staff member to be present and increased custodial work.
      8. Correspondence/Communication/Public Relations
        N/A
      9. Old Business
        New Board Members – A list of suggested replacements for vacated trustee positions has been provided to the mayor, but no new trustees have been appointed by him. Brittany will follow up on that process on behalf of the board. Julia has been holding on committee assignments until new member names are available.Per capita requirements – Trustees have met the requirements for the per capita grant, but Brittany encouraged everyone to consider viewing the educational seminars available.Holidays/Days Off – Brittany presented a list of the current staff holidays as well as city holidays and federal holidays. It was decided to keep the holidays as is. There was discussion of trying to increase patronage on holidays with ideas such as giftwrapping in the conference room on black Friday, etc.
      10. New Business
        Christmas Party – Brittany is going to plan a Christmas party for staff members.Staff Bonuses – Herman Zuber made a motion to give the four staff members a net holiday bonus of $50 and the library director a net holiday bonus of $100. Deductions will be made as required by law. Net amounts will be after deductions. Sheila Ritter seconded the motion. Measure carried. The trustees are pleased to award these bonuses as a thank you for our staff and director’s hard work throughout the year.
      11. Executive Session – N/A
      12. Adjournment – Sarah Britton made a motion to adjourn. Herman Zuber seconded the motion. Measure carried. Meeting was adjourned at 6:40pm.

    Minutes submitted by Crystal Trout

December ’19 Board Meeting Minutes2025-02-10T12:34:34-06:00

October ’19 Board Meeting Minutes

2025-02-10T12:34:35-06:00
Board Meeting Minutes

OLNEY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

October 8, 2019 Minutes

      1. Call to Order – Roll Call
        The monthly meeting of the Olney Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by Julia Eichhorst, October 8, 2019 at 5:30pm.
        Present – Julia Eichhorst, Sheila Ritter, Crystal Trout, Sarah Britton, Marie Riggs, Dan Zuber, Herman Zuber
        Others Present – Brittany Bass, Library Director and Lisa Boehl, Bookkeeper
      2. Recognition of Visitors and Public Comments
        N/A
      3. Secretary’s Report and Approval of Previous Minutes
        The minutes of the September 10, 2019 meeting were reviewed. Herman Zuber made a motion to approve the minutes. Sheila Ritter seconded the motion. Measure carried.
      4. Treasurer’s Report & Approval of Bills Payable
        The September 2019 treasurer’s report was reviewed. Dan Zuber made a motion to approve the report. Herman Zuber seconded the motion. Motion carried. One additional check was presented for Baker & Taylor for $640.28 for books. Sheila Ritter made a motion to approve the additional payable. Sarah Britton seconded the motion. Motion carried.
      5. Committee Reports
        Finance Committee –No report
        Personnel Committee –No report
        Policy/Bylaws Committee-No report
        Building/Grounds Committee- No report
        Public Relations/Marketing Committee-No report
        Technology Committee-No report
        Planning Committee-No report
      6. Friends of the LibraryFriends of the Library’s book sale is this Friday and Saturday. Eleven volunteers met to sort books today and will meet again tomorrow to finish the project. Brittany shared the write-ups in both the Olney Daily Mail and Olney Gazette about the Friends and the new sign.
      7. Librarian’s Report
        Brittany Bass presented a thorough written report to the trustees.Additionally, Brittany has ordered 50 library yard signs that can be purchased by patrons. The signs are a great marketing piece for the library. The board discussed the multiple programs and author visits that have been taking place at the library which have been extremely well attended.

        Brittany noted that the library will be closed on November 7th so staff members can attend training. Brittany will publish the closure in advance by all available means.

        The lighting around the building has been installed by Scheutz Companies and the new pole lights are on order and will be installed upon arrival.

      8. Correspondence/Communication/Public Relations
        N/A
      9. Old BusinessNew Board Members – Brittany has sent a letter to the mayor regarding our new term limit policy and has also sent him the resignation letters of Charlotte Bruce and Charles Roberts. Brittany asked Mayor Lambird to fill the open positions as soon as possible, and she will follow up with him this week to see if any progress has been made.
      10. New BusinessLong Range Plan Progress Report – Brittany would like our current 5-year plan to include more details. She is going to review the plan with the planning committee and revise to more closely reflect the format of 5-year plans she has researched from other libraries.

        Library Policies and Bylaws – Brittany expressed concern over verbiage in our current personnel manual and is going to research the issue further. Brittany will follow up with the policy/bylaws committee. Brittany noted that there is an HR service that helps libraries write personnel policies, and she is going to check further into that service. Brittany also suggested that the trustees consider paid holidays of OPL be the same as that of Olney City Hall. She is going to research it further and present information at the November meeting.

        Brittany has also been reviewing other policies in the manual and will bring the trustees suggestions as she sees fit.

      11. Executive Session – N/A
      12. Adjournment – Sarah Britton made a motion to adjourn. Meeting was adjourned at 6:10pm.

    Minutes submitted by Crystal Trout

October ’19 Board Meeting Minutes2025-02-10T12:34:35-06:00

July ’19 Board of Trustee Minutes

2025-02-10T12:34:36-06:00
Board Meeting Minutes

OLNEY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

July 9, 2019 Minutes

    1. Call to Order – Roll CallThe monthly meeting of the Olney Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by President Charles Roberts, July 9, 2019 at 5:30pm.

      Present – Board members present included Charles Roberts, Charlotte Bruce, Crystal Trout, Sarah Britton, Julia Eichhorst, Marie Riggs, Sheila Ritter, Herman Zuber and Dan Zuber

      Others Present – Brittany Bass, Library Director and Lisa Boehl, Bookkeeper

    2. Recognition of Visitors and Public Comments
      No visitors were present
    3. Secretary’s Report and Approval of Previous MinutesThe minutes of the June 11, 2019 meeting were reviewed. Sarah Britton made a motion to approve the minutes. Charlotte Bruce seconded the motion. Measure carried.
    4. Treasurer’s Report & Approval of Bills PayableThe June 2019 treasurer’s report was reviewed. One additional check was presented for Richland Heritage Museum for $40. Herman Zuber made a motion to approve the report and payables. Julia Eichhorst seconded the motion. Motion carried.
    5. Committee ReportsFinance Committee –No report

      Personnel Committee –No report

      Policy/Bylaws Committee-The committee is going to meet in July at Brittany’s request to discuss policy issues. Charlotte presented the current collection plan (p14-15 of OPL policy manual) and no changes were needed.

      Building/Grounds Committee- No report

      Public Relations/Marketing Committee-No report

      Technology Committee-No report

      Planning Committee-No report

    6. Friends of the LibraryFriends of the Library’s next meeting will be September 16th at 5:00 pm at OPL. They will be working on the upcoming book sale to be held October 11-12. Volunteers are needed for book sorting.

      The Friends of the Library presented a revised version of the Memorandum of Understanding presented to them in October 2017 by the trustees. They made changes to the memorandum for review by the trustees. Parts of the revisions were not compliant with the wishes of the whole of the trustees. The memorandum will be taken up again at the August meeting of the trustees.

    7. Librarian’s ReportBrittany Bass presented a thorough written report to the trustees.

      Brittany reported that OPL has received a $5000 grant from WalMart D.C. to help cover costs of programs and miscellaneous needs of the library. A motion was made by Julia Eichhorst to open the budget and add the $5000 grant line and that the money can be spent for general or miscellaneous library expenses. Charlotte Bruce seconded the motion. Motion carried.

    8. Correspondence/Communication/Public Relations – Nothing to report.
    9. Old BusinessCommittee assignments will be assigned by the new president who will be elected under new business.
    10. New BusinessThe nominating committee reported nominations for officers and suggestions to be given to the mayor for new trustees.

      A motion was presented to elect Sheila Ritter as Treasurer and Crystal Trout as Secretary by Crystal Trout. Motion was seconded by Herman Zuber and carried unanimously. A vote was held and Julia Eichhorst was elected President and Charlotte Bruce Vice-President by a 4-3 margin.

      The list of suggested trustees will be given to the Mayor for his review.

      Brittany will email the trustees statistics from the IPLAR. A hard copy can be made available upon request.

    11. Executive Session – N/A
    12. Adjournment – Sarah Britton made a motion to adjourn. Meeting was adjourned at 6:30pm.

    Minutes submitted by Crystal Trout

July ’19 Board of Trustee Minutes2025-02-10T12:34:36-06:00

June ’19 Board of Trustees Minutes

2025-02-10T12:34:36-06:00
Board Meeting Minutes

OLNEY PUBLIC LIBRARY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

June 11, 2019 Minutes

    1. Call to Order – Roll Call
      The monthly meeting of the Olney Public Library Board of Trustees was called to order by President Charles Roberts, June 11, 2019 at 5:30pm.
      Present – Board members present included Charles Roberts, Charlotte Bruce, Crystal Trout, Sarah Britton, Julia Eichhorst, Sheila Ritter, and Dan Zuber
      Absent – Marie Riggs and Herman Zuber
      Others Present – Brittany Bass, Library Director and Lisa Boehl, Bookkeeper
    2. Recognition of Visitors and Public Comments
      No visitors were present
    3. Secretary’s Report and Approval of Previous Minutes
      The minutes of the May 14, 2019 meeting were reviewed. Sarah Britton made a motion to approve the minutes. Julia Eichhorst seconded the motion. Measure carried.
    4. Treasurer’s Report & Approval of Bills Payable
      The May 2019 treasurer’s report was reviewed. Additional checks were presented for Fred & Kitty Mooney-$225.00, Jill Thatcher-$350.00 and V.G. Myers-$300.00, all of which are for summer children’s programming. Sheila Ritter made a motion to approve the report and payables. Julia Eichhorst seconded the motion. Motion carried.Lisa Boehl presented CD rates from local banks as per the Trustees request. A motion was made by Sheila Ritter to invest $50,000 of the special account funds currently in a MMA at a rate of 2.5% for 60 months with First National Bank pending an investigation of withdrawal penalties, and that if penalties are higher at FNB, the CD will be taken at Citizens Bank at the same rate for 60 months. Julia Eichhorst seconded the motion. Motion carried.
    5. Committee Reports
      Finance Committee –No report
      Personnel Committee –No report
      Policy/Bylaws Committee-The committee is going to meet in the next month at Brittany’s request to discuss policy issues she learned of at the Director’s University. Charlotte also suggested the committee needs to review the current collection plan.
      Building/Grounds Committee- No report
      Public Relations/Marketing Committee-No report
      Technology Committee-No report
      Planning Committee-No report
    6. Friends of the Library
      Friends of the library will meet on June 17, at 5pm at OPL to discuss the memorandum of understanding. They will also be discussing the upcoming book sale. The Friends have submitted a check for $22,000 to THAM for the sign.
    7. Librarian’s Report
      Brittany Bass presented a thorough written report to the trustees. She recently attended the Director’s University in Springfield and found the event incredibly useful.
    8. Correspondence/Communication/Public Relations – The OPL received word that we have been granted $4,000 from Carrie Winters for children’s programming.
    9. Old Business
      Trustee Term Limits – A motion was made by Sheila Ritter to accept the following policy change regarding terms of office. “A trustee’s term of office shall begin following the meeting at which he/she is appointed and shall continue for three years and until his/her successor is elected and takes office. The terms shall be staggered so that the terms of one-third of the trustees will expire each year. A trustee may not serve for more than two full consecutive terms. However, a former trustee may serve again after a one-year absence from the board and, in order to ensure continuity of leadership, the board may waive the term limit for a trustee who holds a strategic position or is working on a special assignment.” Motion was seconded by Sarah Britton. Motion passed.
    10. New Business
      Committee Assignments/Board Officers/New Board Members – A nominating committee of Sarah Britton, Crystal Trout and Julia Eichhorst will meet to propose an officer slate and to brainstorm potential new board members to present to Mayor Lambird. The committee will report at the July meeting.Final budget for 2019/2020 was presented. Sheila Ritter made a motion to accept the budget as presented. Charlotte Bruce seconded the motion. Chuck Roberts asked for a role- call vote. All members present voted yes to accept the budget. Motion carried.
    11. Executive Session – N/A
    12. Adjournment – Sarah Britton made a motion to adjourn. Julia Eichhorst seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 6:30pm

    Minutes submitted by Crystal Trout

June ’19 Board of Trustees Minutes2025-02-10T12:34:36-06:00
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