Sauk County Library Board

Minutes

Sauk County Library Board

November 29, 2017

Board members present: Judy Ashford, Sue Meise, Barbara Morford, Terrance Slack, Pat Andreessen, David Wernicke, and Peggy Heidenreich

Librarians present: Jennifer Endres Way, Carrie Portz, Nicholas Studnicka, Sue Kucher, Raina Roloff, Emily Judd, Katie Schofield

Judy Ashford called the meeting to order and verified compliance with the open meetings law at 9 a.m.
 Wernicke moved and Morford seconded to adopt the agenda. Passed unanimously.
 Heidenreich proposed amending the minutes to include the final paragraph regarding adjournment and scheduling the November 29th date as the next meeting. Meise moved and Andreesen seconded approval of the amended minutes. Motion passed unanimously.
SCLS report by Martha VanPelt: The system held the all directors’ meeting in November.  SCLS received state aid for the system that included $68,693 additional funds. Funds are to be spent on workforce development, lifelong learning and enhanced broadband. Directors are being surveyed as to how to spend the funds to meet these goals. The 2018 budget was approved. SCLS is considering a new ILS. Federal legislation being considered eliminates net neutrality.  Jean Berlin, David Wernicke, and Peggy Heidenreich
Librarians’ report:

RUTH CULVER COMMUNITY LIBRARY REPORT – 11/20/17

Recent Program Highlights

In September, Mouse (from If You Give A Mouse a Cookie) visited local elementary schools, storytimes and daycares in promotion of Library Card signup month.
Received gift to enhance services to Spanish speaking customers
Our Children’s Librarian presented “Literacy At Home: Creating A Love of Reading” as part of Parent University for local families on 11/14 at a local elementary School.  
Author Darcy Miller participated in a family program on 11/09. 
Author Kathleen Ernst, Wisconsin Mystery writer and American Girl Author spoke to both adults and Children on 10/11.

Quilter Judy Hasheider presented on 11/20/17.

Upcoming:

Winter Craft program for school-age children on Wednesday, December 13.
Teen Hot Chocolate & Cookies Program: Tuesday, 12/05
Teen DIY Gifts program: Tuesday, 12/12
Adult Hot Drinks program: Monday, 12/11
Storytime Singalong: Tuesday, December 19
Young Child CPR, Choking & Pediatric First Aid: Wednesday, January 3

First Steps in Music and Movement: Starts in January 8

2017 Technology Funds Used for:

Flipster
OverDrive Advantage
Flipbuilder software
Zebra Label printer
Silhouette Cameo supplies

Wireless printing annual fee

SnagIt software for screenshots & screen

 

Sauk City Public Library-Emily Judd

Redesign

The library successfully completed a new layout in September, which more than doubled the area of the children’s space, included a more comfortable adult seating area and created a designated room for teens. Repositioning of almost every area was necessary to complete the project. We used Yerges Van Lines for moving shelves, ordered shelves and countertops from Embury and new furnishings from EBI.

Recent Programs

Monthly Cookbook Club-Special visit from the author of The Little French Bakery Cookbook, Susan Holding

Braving It author James Campbell-Alaskan wilderness journeys with a teenage daughter

CCC Boys of Devil’s Lake-Bill Jamerson, Civilian Conservation Corps historian and songwriter

Wisconsin Ghosts and the Afterlife-author Terry Fisk

Fermentation Festival Continued… Our grant funds from the Sauk Prairie Healthcare Foundation covered programs: Eating Locally featuring a Nutritionist from the hospital, Author Visit by Chistina Ward, author of the book Preservation, and a Breadmaking and Beer Brewing Workshop

Upcoming Programs and Services

Friends of the Library Annual Rummage Sale & Ornament Making Drop-in--December 1st and 2nd alongside Holly Jolly Sauk Prairie

Santa Storytime Spectacular—December 16

Bingo-The weekly bingo program we started for seniors has become one of our most popular programs, attracting people of all ages, including children from homeschooling families.

Taxi Rides-For a limited time we are giving out taxi tickets for rides to and from the library at the request of a generous donor.

Hoopla is coming! We’re going to have Midwest’s Hoopla service starting soon. Hoopla provides digital movies, music and audiobooks. At this time it will only be available to SKC patrons.

Sauk County Technology funds

We will again use these funds this year for service to our four internet hotspots. The hotspots have been extremely popular and many of our patrons without internet service depend on them

 

Sauk Co. Plain Library Director’s Report – Nick Studnicka

We had 65 kids and 16 adults signed up for the summer library programs. If you add all the time read by those that participated in the kids program it was 31 days’ worth of reading. We had 34 total events with 459 total attendance (3x increase over last year’s numbers). Brittany, the youth service librarian, has start a weekly story hour on Tuesdays and has been averaging 9 kids and 4 adults. She has also started a nonfiction picture book and early readers sections in the children’s area.

We will be having the interior of the Kraemer library painted sometime in January/February. Also the large pendent lights will be converted to LED.

We starting Senior Movie and Meal in October and had 17 in attendance with the next movie on November 30th and running through May. The annual P4 (Pies, Pages, Puzzles and Pottery) sale that is put on by the Friends of the Library went well with 189 pies being sold

Spring Green Report – Carrie Portz

·       We used our Sauk County Technology funds to replace 3 circulation computers and purchase an additional laptop for staff use 

·       We had a very successful Eclipse-viewing Party in August- approximately 350 joined in the fun 

·       We’ve had some other interesting adult programs including: State of Craft Beer & tour of Lake Louie Brewing, book discussion of Hillbilly Elegy, and a photography lecture. 

·       Our wonderful YS librarian held a great ‘Make & Take’ series that included fruit sushi, brush bots, and slime  

·       Interviewing for (another!) new Youth Service Librarian early December. Ours got a great job offer at the CCBC 

 

Rock Springs report – Katie Schofield

Recent Programs: 
Adult Programming this fall: 
Kitchen Creations – Sauerkraut with Dan Geffert, All About Apples with Ski Hi Fruit Farm, Lavender with New Life Lavender Farm
Crafting at the Library – Marcrame plant hanger, Image Transfer

Story Hour every Wednesday at 10am

Movies once a month for kids

 Upcoming programs:

November 30 @ 6:30 pm – Gift Wrap Workshop – make unique gift wrap for the Christmas season.
December 16 @ 1pm – Christmas movie at the Library
Dates TBD – Christmas Cookie making & Christmas crafting 
December 27 - Wii Day at the Library - come play Wii on the big screen during Christmas break!
Technology money:

Since we didn't need to update any of our computers, we focused on getting new technology for our youth section - 
iPad, a Cubetto playset (little robot that helps teach programming without a computer), Makey Makey (an invention kit that encourages people to find creative ways to interact with their computers), and more educational games/apps for our tablets. We also purchased a projector, a printer, two receipt printers, and a laminator.

 

North Freedom report- Raina Roloff

North Freedom is once again a 5 star library. Munch Bunch programs had 45 kids sign up, program includes meal prep, family style meal and clean up.  Community leaders have joined the kids at these programs. Training a new staff member. Fiber to be installed in January. 2018 Village budget includes a $5000 increase.

 

Reedsburg report – Sue Ann Kucher

Popular programs have been movies and a meal, Cheeseheads, quilling. Future programs include Santa, movie. Digitization project has started. City wide space needs study in progress. Appling Technology funds to purchase pcs, and 2 Hot Spots.

 

Baraboo report – submitted by Meg Allen

· 2018 budget includes a small cut to operating and capital funding for the first year of a two year project to tag our collection for RFID

· Cooperative effort by the City of Baraboo, Madison College and the Latino Community to address workforce development need has been a huge success. ESL classes are being held at UW-Baraboo and instructed by staff from Madison College. 94 students are currently enrolled in basic, intermediate and advanced English. Looking to expand to offer GED in 2018. See BNR article from 11/17.

· The Library Board released a request for proposals for the library expansion project and received 11 responses. The short list of firms to interview will be selected on 12/5. We anticipate hiring in January and starting work in February.

· Former Friends of the Library President and Board member Beth Persche won the South Central Library System Outstanding Volunteer Award.

· Carey Kipp and the Youth Department organized a successful new program this fall – Scarecrows on Parade. Individuals and businesses were invited to make a scarecrow and register it. A map of all the scarecrows around town was created and prizes were awarded - People’s Choice. Silliest,

· The Upgrade Review Committee presented their recommendations and final report at the January Library Board meeting. The Board will take up the discussion of next steps in February.

· Bids for the refresh of the reading rooms (carpet, paint, additional power outlets, new study tables and chairs, and new lounge chairs) are due on Friday, February 3.

· Have a new logo and re-designed website scheduled to go live by the end of February

· Working on a needs assessment for a small business support service project; this was an idea brought to the library by the foundation arm of the Nordic Group

· Part of a group of stakeholders that includes the City of Baraboo, Madison College and members of the Hispanic community looking at how to address workforce development needs. First meeting was held January 30.

· Planning programming around our new technology equipment – a 3D printer, a laptop lab, and a digital story time kit that includes a 75” TV and a set of iPads; also installing a new sound system that was made possible by a grant of trust funds by the Library Board and part of our 2016 Sauk County technology funds.

· Friends of the Library are sponsoring their annual concert series - Music With Friends with two additions:

o A Saturday morning concert for families on March 4 at 10am – Ken Lonquist

o An April concert featuring the state-bound high school solo and ensemble students

· Other adults programs to note

o 2 monthly book discussion groups – Lit Wits and Readers Anonymous

o Seed Library, in its fourth year, is kicking off with a screening of the documentary, “The Seed Swap.”

o New monthly Fireside Story Times for Adults

o Podcasting for Everyone

· Youth programs rolling on their regular winter schedule

Budget: Ashford stated the budget was approved by the county board using the same formula for reimbursement as in the past.  Morford moved and Heidenreich seconded to approve the budget as presented with the funds distributed to the libraries as proposed. Motion passed unanimously.

Technology funds budgeted $20,000. Slack moved and Meise seconded to divide the technology funds equally between the 9 libraries located in Sauk County, as distributed in the past. Motion passed unanimously.

 

Next meeting to be held Wednesday, February 7 at 9 a.m. at the Ruth Culver Library in Prairie du Sac.

Slack moved and Meise seconded to adjourn. Motion passed.

 

Submitted – Peggy Heidenreich