McLean County Times

Carlock Public Library District Board met Sept. 17.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

President, Beth Wagner, called the meeting to order at 6:32pm. Board members present were David Garrison, Nick Birky, Kevin Moore,and Laura Stephenson. Dawn Neblock and Mike Miller were absent. Library Director Christie Lau was in attendance. There were no visitors. The meeting was recorded. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Public Comment:

● No members of the public were present, so there was no public comment

Correspondence:

● There was no correspondence.

Approval of Minutes

● Regular Board Meeting from August 20, 2024 - approved as read.

Reports

● Library Director: August was a quieter month. There was lower staffing this month for a variety of reasons. Overall circulation and programs were down due to staffing. The library is getting all of the school year programs up and running. The library will be hosting a pumpkin decorating contest again this year. All Carlock Elementary students have active library cards and class visits are resuming soon.

● President: No report

● Secretary: No report

● Finance Committee: No report

● Policy Committee: No report

Financial Reports: 

● Financial Statements August 2024: The financial statements have not been provided at this point. There was a problem with the report that was sent initially that has not yet been fixed. We have had some tax distributions already from Woodford and McLean Counties. The bank note for this year has been paid. Old Business: ● History Room Proposal: The history room is currently in a bit of a mess which would need to be organized and taken care of before adding to that collection because the library does not know what they even have. It is difficult to expand the collection until we know what we have. It would be nice to be able to pair the collection with educational programs to encourage the use of the materials. There are questions as to how this proposal would work (volunteers, materials, keeping it clear as to who owns what, etc…). There are also questions about digitizing the materials that are here. There are also questions about how to best use the space that the library has. Any volunteers would need to have some knowledge in how to categorize materials. It would be a good idea to form a committee with members from all interested parties to figure out the future of a history room within the library. Before forming a committee, the board would like to know if there is any interest from the community in the history room. The board would like to do a presentation of the community after the start of the new year. Christie & Beth will plan and present this. Laura made a motion to create a presentation to explore the community’s interest in a history room. Dave seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 

New Business: 

● FY24 Illinois Comptroller's Report: The accountant still has this report. 

● Core Standards & Carlock Public Library District Strategic Plan review for Per Capita Grant: Over the past 3-4 years, the board has been discussing these core standards to help determine where the library is headed. The work of the board, along with the strategic plan that was created in 2023 is focused on meeting the core standards for libraries. There will be a new version of the Standards for Illinois Public Libraries coming out in 2025. 

● Library Walkthrough for Per Capita Grant: The library walkthrough is recommended for the board to do at least once a year. The walkthrough was completed and the library is in good working condition. 

● Assistant Director job description: Formerly, this position was called the Assistant Librarian. Without a current assistant director, there is not anyone available to step in to cover when Christie is not available. Nick made a motion to accept the new job description. Laura seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Upcoming meetings: 

● Next regular meeting: October 15, 2024 at 6:30pm. 

Nick made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Dave seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 8:22pm

https://www.carlocklibrary.com/files/bb1382d8b/9_17_24+amended.pdf