Welcome. It is 4 p.m. on December 11th. This is the New Public Library meeting in the in the city council chambers. Um we have our agendas in front of us. Our first order of business is to approve the agenda. Do I have a motion to do so?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> Second. >> Um, any discussion? All in favor of approving the agenda, say I. >> I. >> I. >> Thank you very much. The motion is passed. We have an agenda. Is uh the
next item of business is approving the minutes from the November 13, 2025 meeting. Um do I have a motion to approve the minutes? So move second. >> I'll second. >> All in favor?
>> I I opposed. >> All right. We've approved the minutes. Um I'm sorry, I should have asked, was there any um discussion or amendments to that? Nope. Okay. Sorry, I jumped ahead.
Okay. Um number three, the financial report. We are 92.33% through 2025 and our budget is approximately 90.74% expended. Some of the bills that we paid
during November included $1,582 to EPCO for our annual magazine subscriptions, $242 to HY for programming supplies, $3,029 to Ingram for books and audio books on CD, $328 to Precision Alarm for
our annual fire alarm testing, and $188 to Minuteex for barcodes. um and $341 to Verizon for service to our eight hotspots. Um although the fund balance was used
for our um badge entry cabling for the um entrances and the um door replacement project, um that expense is still quoted to the contractual maintenance building line. So when you consider that expense coming from fund balance, that line is
spent at approximately 62.3%. Our subscriptions and memberships line is also overspent because our um department header website license and our lib data license which we use to manage our public computers um and a small other excuse me a couple other
small technology subscriptions were budgeted to that computer supplies and equipment line. Um they have been budgeted to the subscriptions and memberships line in in the 2026 budget per recommendation from the city to auditor. Um so that line will be over
spent due to the change in the coding um and the computer supplies and equipment will be under spent. And then our budget is approximately 84.17% expended when we remove the spending for the Melon Foundation grant um and the
badge cabling project. I'd be happy to answer any questions. >> Any questions or comments on the budget? Okay, we will go on to the activities report.
Our new library pages, Alli Delegi and Sarah Wendinger and our m our new maintenance technician, Tim Andrly, all started on November 24th. We're very glad to have them on our team. Um, reference aid Sue Alie submitted her retirement. She's worked at the library
for 16 years. Um her last day will be December 17th. So we we wish her well and long and happy retirement. And um library aid Danielle Albrech um also submitted her resignation. Um so we wish
her well too. Um we're sorry to see both of them to both of them leave us. Um we completed library aid interviews. Um, we have a we h before these resignations, we had an open library aid position that
we were in the process of hiring for and we've made an offer. We're waiting to hear back on that. Um, but we'll be able to hire um a second library aid um for Danielle's possession from that same round of interviews. So, we won't have to interview for that position again. Um but before we make a
second offer there and begin the process of hiring for the reference aid position, we're taking the opportunity to review schedules um while we have those open positions just to make sure that this our scheduling needs are being met.
Um our the um United Way tax preparation has been held at the library for a number of years. Um but in 2026 they'll be moving to the community community center in partnership with CAST. Um the demand for that service continues to
grow and they um are trying to add appointments every year and with our programming schedule it just got a little tight for them to be able to to make all the points appointments they needed to while using the library space and the lower floor of the community
center has a a room that's open during the day that can be used for them. So that'll meet their scheduling needs a little bit better than our meeting room. um we'll still support the program by offering information and um sharing the appointment line number and supporting in the ways that we can, but um we're
thankful that for that partnership and glad we were able to offer the space for so long and um glad that they found a space that'll allow them to meet the growing needs of the program. And um our stories for the season um YouTube series will deput next
Wednesday. Um we'll have one episode dropping each day leading up to Christmas. So watch our YouTube and Facebook pages. Um this year's theme is around um um older recipes shared by
families. Um so um participants um read stories related to those recipes and um um demonstrated the recipes on camera and then did some taste testing as well. And then in the library right now, we
have a um temporary display featuring um seeds women of Minnesota from the 1890s to 1900. Um there's it's a three-part traveling banner display created by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Anderson Horicultural Library at the U
of M. Um and it's on our main floor through the end of January 2026. Um it features three pioneering women um in Minnesota that built successful seed selling businesses during that time period. And then I wanted to give an update on
the Institute of Museum and Library Services funding. Um a district judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the Rhode Island versus Trump case. This was one of two lawsuits that followed the administration's dismantling of IMLS.
The state attorneys general filed their lawsuit to stop further harm from being done to the only federal agency that provides services, support, and money to public libraries and museums in the United States. And the judge stated that the administration's decision to dismantle IMLS was unconstitutional and
violated the take care and separation of powers clauses. On December 3rd, IMLS released a statement on its website indicating that upon further review, the IMLS services has reinstated all federal grants. Um,
this action supersedes any prior notices which may have been received related to grant termination. Um, with this good news, it's we still know that IMLS is not entirely in the clear. um their current funding is part of the continuing resolution and as of
right now it's only operating through January. Um so um um the administration sunseted the agency in the 2026 budget, but Congress put the item back in. So we're just waiting until January to see
what may happen with those funds. Um, and just a note, the second lawsuit that was brought in in the wake of the IMLS dismantling, which is the American Library Association versus Sonderling, um, is also set to resume over the next
month. So, there may be more information regarding that. And then um for our statistics I wanted to highlight um at our November meeting Lynn had asked why we h we're showing a spike in our total reference questions.
Um, and so I went back and spoke with our reference librarian about the tabulation there. And um, it was due to the spike in total reference questions was due to the spike in the bound newspaper newspaper use last month.
>> Um, which jumped to 538, which is high for us. Um, but we had a patron who viewed two years of the new ALM journal. And so that's why that number was so high. And so we looked at the tabulation and those total reference questions. um for the service desk that are at the
top of that list there includes all of the type of questions that are listed below in the list. But you actually prompted us to look at the state the Minnesota State Department of Education's definition of reference question and um we need to tighten the
way which stats we're including in that because some of those listed there do not constitute reference questions according to the state's definition. So, we'll be um we're going to continue the stats for 2025 as we've been tabulating
them so we have a year that's consistent alto together and then starting in January we'll tighten them up to the state's definition so that we're um because that information is reported in our annual report to them. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Um I have a question about the tax help. >> Yes. Will the forms be available at the library yet? >> Um, I was in contact with the United Way. I don't know yet if we'll be um handing out their intake forms at the library or not. Um, we're certainly open
open to doing that if they decide that's the best route. But as far as um the IRS forms forms, we will have our usual um tax forms available at the library. They've really cut down what they send to us. So, we really just get um like
the 1040 and the 1040 senior, I think it is. Um and the instruction booklets and the state no longer sends us any forms, but we do print out forms upon request at our service desk for 25 cents a page. >> Okay. >> Um thank you for the update on those
lawsuits that it's heartening information. So, um thank you. Um any other comments or questions on the activities? All right.
Um the programming calendar, the the juicy fun part. Um, historian John Hammond will present Torn by Shot and Shell, a medical history of the Civil War um at the Civil War Roundt on Tuesday, December 16th at
6:30 p.m. Um, that's open to anyone who would like to attend. Friday's special story time will be Friday, December 19th at 10:00 a.m. Mary Jennings, who is the creative director of the MA Imagination Theater, will lead the story time and a craft.
Our new no school movie day is Tuesday, December 30th at 2 p.m. We'll be watching Disney's Frozen. Um, and we'll serve popcorn, but please bring your own water bottles. We also have a water fountain in the children's room if you'd like that. Our New Year's Eve party is
on Wednesday, December 31st at 11:00 a.m. at the Civic Center. Um, it includes an open skate, a photo booth, refreshments, crafts, and then we'll do a ball drop at noon. Um, and that's in partnership with Park and Recreation and um, sponsored by the Optimus Club of New
Alm. So, thank thank you to both of those organizations. >> That's so great. >> And then just a note that the library will be closing um at early at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24th, and we'll be closed on 30 Thursday, December 25th for Christmas. And then we also close
early at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31st and are remain closed on Thursday, January 1 first for New Year's. Thank you. All right, on to the action items.
Um, we have resolution number 2025-29 approving disposal of surplus equipment. First reading and adoption. In November 2025, the library director signed an agreement with Metro Sales for a
60-month lease of a new RICO RS-IM C2510 copier. The new copier is scheduled to be installed at the library service desk on December 16th, 2025, and Metro Sales will recycle the old copier as part of
installation services. The new copier offers printing, copying, fax, and scan to email capabilities. The current RICO MPC 3503 was purchased in 2015. The city's IT
director re recommended replacing it due to age and decreasing availability of replacement parts. Replacement also allowed the library to lock in the state contract pricing before it increased at the end of November. The old machine has
no residual value to the library. The library director recommends that it be declared surplus and recycled by Metro sales. A photo of the old copier is included below. Um, in August 2025, the library director
ordered replacement shelving for the picture book collection. The shelving will replace the current picture book browsing bins, which are worn, becoming un unstable, and have no residual value to the library. The library director rem
recommends that the 12 browsing bins be declared surplus and disposed of once the new shelving is installed. A photo of the browsing bins is included below. Um, okay.
Do we have a motion for approving the disposal of surplus equipment? >> I just wanted to note, um, there is a typo in the first paragraph there. The new copier will be installed in our staff room. Um, the service desk does copier was replaced in 2023.
Okay. So staff room. Thank you. I would move to approve. >> Second. Thank you. Um any discussion? Okay, we have a motion and a second.
Roll call. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Dustin, yes. Lynn, >> yes. >> Ivonne, >> yes. >> Hope, >> yes. >> Nancy, >> yes. Okay, the resolution is passed.
Um, we have some recognition. Yes. Um, we have two library board members whose terms are ending to um this month and um we are moving to from nine members to seven members um at the start of the year per the city council's
approval. Um, so I just wanted to recognize Manan Frasier and Hope Freeze for their service on the library board. I've really enjoyed getting to know both both of them and really appreciated all of their insight and guidance. Um, as you've worked with the library board and I hope that if you have the chance in
the future, you'd rejoin the library >> Yeah. >> board for another term. >> And thank you, April. You do a great job. Library is in good hands. >> And Megan, too. >> Yeah. Well, thank you for your service. >> Yeah, thank you.
>> Um, any other business? Any other business? Any other business? >> Seeing none, the meeting is adjourned.