Ainsworth Public Library

The Ainsworth Library Board held its monthly meeting on September 7, 2022 at the Ainsworth Public Library.   The meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, local radio station, at the Library, and posted on the library’s website.  The meeting was called to order at 5 p.m.  Roll call showed four members present (Todd Flynn, Stacey Gilliland, Luke Hitchcock, and Alane Lentz). Member Phyllis Leach was absent.   Library Director, Gail Irwin, was also present for the meeting.

Alane Lentz made the motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting.  Stacey Gilliland seconded this with all members voting in favor of.  Luke Hitchcock moved to approve the claims for payment.  Todd Flynn seconded this motion with all members voting in favor of.   The monthly library report for August 2022 was presented as well as a list of titles purchased this month. 

It was noted that the Youth Grant for Excellence ARPA Completion Report was submitted on 8-16-22.  The report was shared with the Board.  A summary was presented on the four grants the library received this winter/spring.  It consisted of the amount of the grants ($7,224), where items were purchased and invoice numbers plus item cost ($7,260.73), shipping/handling ($606.93) and total cost ($7,867.66).  All funds were run through the Library Foundation.  The Foundation also paid for the cost of shipping/handling.

The Board discussed the projected budget for the upcoming year.  The budget hearing will be held soon.

Update was given on the Makerspace Resources on the Nebraska Library Commission’s website.   The Ainsworth Public Library page that list our equipment was shared with the members.

A partnership between the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired will be providing one 20” ONYX Deskset CCTV (electronic video magnifier) to each public library location in Nebraska at no cost.  The unit will remain the property of NCBVI so the agency can repair, replace, or dispose of when or if something goes out on it.  Each device comes with a two-year warranty and lifetime tech support from the vendor.  Their goal was to order the equipment in August and receive/install all devices in the next few months.

A review of meetings/workshops attended by staff was shared on the Nebraska Open Meeting Act on August 5^th; the 2022 Public Library Accreditation Workshop on August 6^th; and the Thursday Directors Zoom Meeting on August 4^th, 18^th, and 25^th.  The Ainsworth Library Foundation Board held a meeting on August 17^th.   They are planning on doing a Book Basket Fundraiser this fall.  The theme will be “Light up to Reading”.  Proceeds will go towards the outside lighting project of LED lights around the windows and doors plus a new pole light. The Library director attended the Nebraska State Advisory Council on Libraries Meeting on August 19^th. 

Correspondence was shared with the Board.  Information from OverDrive was received that informed us that Libby now has tags for users.  These tags can organize books however patrons like, from making lists of books to share with friends or tracking books they want to read to subscribing to favorite magazines.  Information was received on the revamping of the NebraskAccess site that went live on August 26^th.   To better serve the research needs of K-12 students, two databases and a new Explora interface have been added to the lineup.  There will now be three different passwords for the databases.   The passwords will be good for one year.  Business cards with all the needed information has been made for patrons to take with them.  The ALA Public Policy & Advocacy Office reported advocacy success with Congress.  The Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 includes the first dedicated federal funding for library facilities in 26 years.  Articles of interest from Library Journals were shared on the topics of fine free libraries; censorship challenges in libraries across the country, and the importance of good Library signage.

The next meeting date/time was set for October 5^th at 5 p.m.   Since there was no further business to come before the Board the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

In a time of intense political polarization, library staff in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons.

Books reach across boundaries and build connections between readers. Censorship, on the other hand, creates barriers. Banned Books Week is both a reminder of the unifying power of stories and the divisiveness of censorship, and a call to action for readers across the country to push back against censorship attempts in their communities.

The Ainsworth Public Library has a display up featuring some of the books that have been banned through the years.  Some of the titles may surprise you!  From the Dictionary, the Bible, Dr. Seuss books, to favorite classics that we all have read and enjoyed.  Stop by and review the display.   Better yet, check one or two of them out.

Ainsworth Library Board Meeting

September 7, 2022 at 5 p.m.

AGENDA

1.            Call meeting to order

2.            Notice of posting of Nebraska Open Meeting Act

3              Roll call

4.            Approve minutes of last meeting

5.            Approve claims for payment

6.            Monthly Library Report/List of Titles Purchased

7.            Grant update

8.            Budget for 2022-2023

9.            Makerspace Resources on NLC website

10.          Electronic video Magnifier from NLC/Blind & Visually Impaired

11.          Meeting/Workshops:

                a.            Nebraska Open Meeting Act-August 5^th

                b.            2022 Public Library Accreditation Workshop-August 6^th

                c.             Thursday Directors Zoom Meeting:  August 4^th, 18^th, & 25^th

                d.            Library Foundation Board Meeting-August 17^th  (Fundraiser planned)

                e.            Nebraska State Advisory Council on Libraries Meeting-August 19^th

12.          Correspondence:

                a.            Libby now has Tags

                b.            New NebraskAccess website released on August 26th

                c.             ALA Public Policy & Advocacy Office  report advocacy success

                d.            Articles of interest from Library Journals

13.          Set next meeting date/time

14.          Adjournment

The Ainsworth Public Library will be closed for the Labor Day Holiday on September 5, 2022.

Have a safe and fun holiday!

The Ainsworth Library Board held its regular monthly meeting on August 3, 2022 at the Ainsworth Public Library.  This meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, over the radio, and posted at the Library.  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 Stacey Gilliland, Luke Hitchcock, and Alane Lentz.  Members Todd Flynn and Phyllis Leach were absent.  Library Director, Gail Irwin, was present for the meeting.

Stacey Gilliland moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting.  Alane Lentz seconded this motion with all members voting in favor of.  Alane Lentz made the motion to approve the claims for payment.  Luke Hitchcock seconded this with all members voting in favor of.  The monthly library report for July was presented as well as a list of titles purchased.

It was noted that the Youth Grant for Excellence Final Report is currently being worked on. It will be submitted the first part of September.

Plans for the Book Club for 2022-2023 were discussed.   The book selections were shared with the Board.  The One Book One Nebraska title will be featured in October.  The author, Jonis Agee, will be doing a Humanities Nebraska program titled “Bones of Paradise: A Novel Examined” on October 20^th at 5 p.m.  The Central Plains Library System will be covering the $50 speaker fee for this presentation. 

The upcoming budget was discussed.   Since the City has changed insurance companies, that line item will have a smaller number in it.  There has been no word on when the City will be holding its budget hearing.  The County has not said anything on the budget yet.  Director will keep the Board informed on this matter.

The Board was informed about Makerspace Resources on the Nebraska Library Commissions website.  The information included access to the Nebraska Makerspace Database, organizations loaning makerspace equipment kits to schools, mobile trailer labs, World-Wide Makerspace Directory, how to plan your space, policies and use & liability forms, and training materials.  Information on the Library Innovation Studios Grant project is also listed such as Final Report & Evaluation Summary, equipment featured in project, communications templates, and more.

The renewal agreement for OverDrive for the participation year running October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023 at the cost of $500 was discussed with the Board.  The form included a place for libraries’ to donate additional funds to the consortium collection development budget above and beyond their annual participation fee.  Luke Hitchcock made the motion to contribute $200 of additional funds to the collection development budget.  Stacey Gilliland seconded this with all members voting in favor of.  The total cost for OverDrive will be $700.

A review was given on the Director’s Thursday Zoom Meeting on July 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th.  The Nebraska State Advisory Council on Libraries Board Meeting has been set for August 19^th in Lincoln.

Under correspondence, an article titled “De-Escalation Techniques for Real-Life Programming Scenarios” was shared with the Board.  A thank you note from Eli Beel was shared on the Summer Reading Program and prizes won.  The Nebraska Library Commission’s Public Library Accreditation process has started up again.  The accreditation is now valid for five years, rather than three.  Due to this change, accreditation expiration dates for many libraries needed to be changed.  Our library’s accreditation expiration year has changed from 2023 to 2024.  A new Public Library Accreditation certificate has been presented to our library, showing the new expiration date.  Articles of interest from library journals and newsletters were shared.  The Central Plains Library Systems newsletter had an article and some photos from the Ethan Boggs Balloon Program at our library. 

The next meeting date was set for September 7^th at 5 p.m.   Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.