The Ainsworth Library Board held its regular monthly meeting on May 3, 2023 at the Ainsworth Public Library. This meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, over the radio, posted at the Library, and online at the library’s website and Facebook page. The meeting was called to order at 5 p.m. Notice was given on the posting of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act. Roll call showed three members present. They included Phyllis Leach, Stacie Gilliland, and Alane Lentz. Members Luke Hitchcock and Todd Flynn were absent. Library director, Gail Irwin, was also present for the meeting.
Alane Lentz moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Stacie Gilliland seconded this with all members voting in favor of. Stacie Gilliland made the motion to approve the claims for payment. Alane Lentz seconded this with all members in favor of. The Board spent a few minutes reviewing the budget spending for this year. The monthly library report for April and the list of titles purchased were shared with the Board. It was at this time that the Director reported that the City would be hiring a different company to do the entire City’s underground sprinkler systems this year than the one we had in the past. It is not known at this time when the sprinklers would be turned on or how much it would cost the library. The president of the board stated that she would contact the city office and speak to them on this matter. Our plants in the landscaping are needing water now .
The Summer Reading Program was discussed. It was noted that the fliers have been delivered to the school and preschools. We have a total of 43 signed up so far. A letter was sent to the businesses for the “Meet and Greet Community Vehicles”. A number of responses have been received with what type of equipment they would bring. The program will run all of June. We will have a Toddler Time; Preschool Time; and k-4th Grade group. Staff continues to get ready for the big month.
An update was given on the NEA Big Read Book Club from the Northeast Community College. We had a total of nine people check out the book. Six attended the Book Discussion on the 17th. A report was sent to the college so they could report totals on their grant form.
Our local Book Club finished with their last title on the 17th of April. We will take the summer off and re-start in August with the One Book One Nebraska.
A view was given on the National Library Week activities. A Berenstain Bear’s Storytime was held on the 25th. We handed out financial literacy story books featuring the Money Monsters for children in grades k-5. The materials have activities to help build habits that children will need as they grow up and start to manage their own money. People could sign up all week long for the plush Berenstain Bear Family. Anna Taylor was the winner of the bears. The Art Guild’s Spring Art Show was on display during this week.
Information was shared on the Rob-See-Co Rural Library Grant. Grant will be awarded to rural libraries for projects such as expanding your book collection, core educational programs for adults or children, or computer or software upgrades. Form is due by June 30th.
The Board spent time working on the proposed budget for 2023-2024. The budge will be finalized at the next meeting. Board told director to contact the County on their part of the budget.
Updates were given on the Thursday Director’s Zoom Meetings, Reader’s Zone Zoom Meeting on the 10th, and the Broadband Access Digital Opportunities Meeting on the 2nd which was attended by Gail Irwin. Ellen Voss attended the Cricut Workshop in Atkinson on April 26th and will be attending the 2023 Annual Early Childhood Meeting of Planning Region Team 1 on May 5th. The Library Foundation Board meeting will be held on May 10th.
Information from the Nebraska Public Service Commission with their Order seeking comment on implementing a program to incentivize new fiber construction for E-Rate eligible entities. Libraries are to comment by May 26th. It was noted that our library participated in the Central Plains Library System’s Week of Weeding. We will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon Gift Card. Winning library will be selected in random drawing on May 12th. Items of interest from various library newsletter and journals were shared with the Board.
The next meeting date and time was set for June 7th at 5 p.m. Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:58 p.m.
The Ainsworth Library Foundation Board will hold its quarterly meeting on May 10th at 5 p.m.
Ainsworth Library Board will be held on May 3, 2023 @ 5 p.m. This meeting is open to the public.
The agenda consists of the following:
1. Call meeting to order
2. Notice of the posting of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act
3. Roll call
4. Approve minutes
5. Approve claims for payment
6. Monthly Library Report for April/List of titles purchased
7. Summer Reading Program
8. NEA Big Read
9. Book Club update
10. National Library Week Review
11. Rob-See-Co rural Library Grant
12. Work on budget for 2023-2024
13. Meetings & Workshops:
a. Thursday Director’s Zoom Meetings
b. Reader’s Zone Zoom Meeting-April 10-23
c. Cricut Workshop-April 26-Atkinson
d. Broadband Access Digital Opportunities-May 2nd-12 noon-Connections
e. 2023 Annual Early Childhood Meeting of Planning Region Team 17-May 5th
10 a.m. to 12 Noon ESU 17
f. Library Foundation Board-May 10th – 5 p.m.
14. Correspondence:
a. Week of Weeding-Central Plains Library System
b. Order Seeking Comment from Nebraska Public Service Commission on motion
to consider implementing a program to incentivize new fiber construction for
E-Rate eligible entities
c. Items of interest for library journals and newsletters
15. Set next meeting date/time
16. Adjournment
Yes, it will be a State holiday this Friday (tomorrow). And Yes, the library will be open!
The other city department will be close, but please note that this is a holiday that the library does not close up for so it will be business as usual for us. Hope to see you at the library!
It’s that time of year again! Registration is now open for the Summer Reading Program 2023!
The Ainsworth Public Library encourages all community members to visit the library during National Library Week, April 23-29, to explore all they have to offer. Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and eBooks. But there’s so much more to the story of libraries.
Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through books clubs, story times, movie nights, crafting classes, lectures, and more. The Ainsworth Library offers a wide array of programs, classes, and resources such the Makerspace and S.TE.M./S.T.E.A.M. items. And libraries play a critical role in the economic vitality of communities by providing internet and technology access, literacy skills, and support for job seekers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
If you haven’t checked out the Ainsworth Library lately, you’re missing the full story. Stop by a visit to celebrate with us during National Library Week.
The library will hold a story time featuring the Berenstain Bears on April 25th from 4-5 p.m. A drawing will be held at the end of the week with the lucky winner receiving the plush Berenstain Bears family in a basket. You may sign up all week long when visiting the library.
On April 27th, the library will be handing out financial literacy story books featuring the Money Monsters for children in grades K-5th grade. The materials have activities to help build habits that children will need as they grow up and start to manage their own money.
The library currently has the Ainsworth Art Guild’s Spring Art Show on display. Make sure to view all the wonderful artwork and vote for the piece that you like best.
The library would also like to feature a title from their collection which captures this year’s theme of “There’s More to the Story”. “The Reading List” by Sara Nisha Adams is all about how libraries are much more than what they carry on the shelves. The two main characters are nervous about discussing the books themselves at their book club. As time goes on, they gain confidence in sharing their ideas. While each book might not be the ideal fit, they still find something to discuss and enjoy. People are always looking for connection and community; reading and hearing other’s stories and struggles make us more open, compassionate, and self-confident. Unlike other “books about books”, there is no magic library or all-powerful novel in “The Reading List”. There is simply the magic and importance of people. And at the end of the day, the people and their community are the most critical asset to libraries. If you would like to read this title, please let the Ainsworth Library know.
“Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body” is the featured book of the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Big Read. Our library currently has books available for check-out if you wish to read this book. Join us for a book discussion on April 17th at 3:30 p.m.
This book will broaden our understanding of our world and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience. Be part of the story!
Thank you to Northeast Community College for providing these books to our library and applying for the Big Read Grant. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Book Club will be meeting on Monday, April 17th, at 2 p.m. share thoughts on the book “Impossible to Forget” by Imogen Clark. Hope to see you there!
This will be the last Book Club Discussion until the fall. We will be doing the One Book One Nebraska title in August/September.
The Ainsworth Library Board held its regular monthly meeting on April 5, 2023. This meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, over the radio, on the library’s website, and posted at the library. The meeting was called to order by President Phyllis Leach at 5:01 p.m. Notice was given on the posting of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act.
Roll call showed all members present. Members included Todd Fling, Stacey Gilliland, Luke Hitchcock, Phyllis Leach, and Alane Lentz. Library Director, Gail Irwin, was also present for the meeting. Alane Lentz moved that the minutes be approved. Stacey Gilliland seconded this with all members voting in favor of. Alane Lentz made the motion to approve the claims for payment. Todd Flynn seconded this with all members voting in favor. The Monthly Library Report for March was presented as well as a list of titles purchased.
The Summer Reading Program was discussed. This year the theme will be “All Together Now”. We will run the program all of June. Children may sign up till May 15th in person at the library, on Facebook, or from the library’s website. We will have the younger children come on Tuesdays (Toddler Time from 4:30-5 p.m. and Preschool from 1-2 p.m.) The students in K-4th grade will come on Thursdays from 2-3 p.m. We will have all grades together this year. We plan to do a Sidewalk Chalk Festival, Pet a Truck, Music from Around the World program, and a Kindness Fun. K-4th grade will read and log time read on Reader Zone from June 1-30th. Prizes will be handed out after the 4th of July. Fliers have been developed to hand out of school and to the preschools.
Our library joined the Northeast Community College with their NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Big Read. We received 10 copies of the Big Read title of “Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body” by Rebekah Taussig. The readers may keep the book after they have read it or pass it on to another reader. A discussion time will be held on April 17th at 3:30 p.m. to share thoughts on the title. A report will be sent back to NCC on how many readers we had and total of attendance at the discussion.
Information on the Library Board Certification Program was share. It was noted that the Board currently has 10 continuing education hours. The Board will need to get 10 more units before 9-20-2024.
A student from the Ainsworth High School has contacted the Library about being a COE Student at the Library next school year. Discussion was held on this topic and the Board had no problem with having a COE Student next year. The Director will contact the student to let her know.
Having met the standards of service described in the Public Library Accreditation Guidelines, our Library was awarded state aid for fiscal year 2023 in the amount of $1,320. The award was determined using the following formula:
Base Amount $565
Per Capital Pay $245
Accreditation Bonus $400
1% Incentive Pay $110
The state Aid payment is not intended to replace local funds for the library, but is granted to provide for enhanced services over and above those provided through local funding.
Plans were discussed for National Library Week which will run from April 24-29th with the theme of “There’s More to the Story”. We will hold a Storytime on Tuesday featuring the Bernstein’s Bears. We will hold a drawing for the stuff Bernstein’s Bear Family. Financial Literacy Story Books (Money Monsters) will be featured on Thursday of that week.
It was noted that the Ainsworth Area Art Guild will hold its Annual Spring Art Show at the Library this month. They will hang the art work on the 14th. Judging will be held on the 15th. The show will remain on display till the 29th. They plan to do an Art Basket give away. It was noted at this time that Bright Horizon currently has a display up at the library this week titled “What I was Wearing” to highlight domestic abuse month.
Several grants were discussed by the Board. It was noted that the Library did not apply for the Midwest Region American Heart Association Grant. The Board had discussed applying for funds to purchase a Blood Pressure Monitor for the public to use at an early meeting. Due to the high cost of purchasing a monitor with stool & stand, it was felt that we could not afford this. The Library did apply for the American Library Association Game On! Grant. This was a $500 grant to purchase board games for the public to use and for library programing. Grant recipients will be announced at ALA Annual Conference in June 2023.
The Board will start to work on the upcoming budget for 2023-2024 at the May meeting and finalize it at the June meeting.
Various workshops and meeting attended by the Board and Staff was shared. It was noted that the Director has attended several of the Thursday Director’s Zoom Meeting from the Library System and the State Advisory Council on Libraries Board Meeting in Lincoln on March 3rd. Gail Irwin was re-appointed to the council till 12-31-2025. Staff will attend the Reader Zone Zoom Meeting on April 10th. The 2023 Early Childhood Meeting of Planning Region Team 17 will be held on the 5th of May and Gail plans to attend this.
Several items were shared under correspondence. It was noted that the Nebraska Library Commission was challenging the FCC’s Broadband map on behalf of Nebraska Public Libraries. The aim of the challenge is get the FCC to update their map ensuring that all of Nebraska’s public libraries are designated as Community Anchor Institutions with the correct address and geographic location. An accurate map will help identify the unserved and underserved communities most in need of funding for high-speed internet infrastructure investments and will be used to allocate funds for this. Information on the upcoming Atriuum Library System update for the OPAC was shared. Our options are the Canvas or Gallery upgrade for our card catalog. The Public Librarian Certification Program sent a new certificate to Gail Irwin stating that she has been approved at Level II through 2-1-2026. Legislation update was shared with the Board on bills that will affect all school libraries, public librarians, and educators in Nebraska. A hearing was set for March 24th for LB441. Items of interest from library journals and newsletters were shared. It was noted that it was three years ago when COVID-19 brought the country to a standstill. Many of the articles highlighted this. The newsletter from the system office had the Week of Weeding Contest information in it. Our library will participate in hopes of winning the $100 Amazon Gift Card.
The next meeting date/time was set for May 3rd at 5 p.m. Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:54 p.m.
