Faulkner County Library Board Minutes - 2024
Minutes for January 22, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on January 22nd, at 5:34 PM. Present were board members Kellie Carden, Cindy Stage, Ben Thompson, Stephanie Vanderslice, and Jeff Whittingham as well as Director John McGraw and Jennifer Wann of the Arkansas State Library.
Chairmanship was discussed. Ben moved that Jeff Whittingham continue to chair the board for another year. Nancy seconded the motion, which passed.
Minutes of the December 18th meeting was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the minutes as presented. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Stephanie moved to suspend regular order and move to New Business. Ben seconded the motion, which passed.
Jennifer Wann, Manager of Library Development for the Arkansas State Library, provided trustee training. Trustee roles and state library law were reviewed. Recommendations to the trustees included having a “gaspump speech” that could advocate for library services or library needs in a very short period of time. Recommendations to the Director included Name tags and nameplates for board members in the meeting, a roll call to establish for recordings who is present, and that minutes be prepared and circulated as soon as possible while memories are fresh.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that millage revenue in 2023 was up 9.4% over 2022 collections.
The bookkeeper’s reports were reviewed. The Fines And Donations account merchant fees have exceeded budgeted expectations. Use is up, and use is trending more toward credit and away from cash.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Circulation in 2023 was up 4%, with Kanopy increasing 61%. Attendance in 2023 climbed 16% overall, with program attendance increasing by 83%.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Ben moved to approve the Purchase orders. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. John noted the frequency of the AC-TSYS entries which are credit card transactions for copies. Ben moved to approve the expenditures. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John reported that the January Regional meeting would have to be delayed to February 28, as the Van Buren County library board had not met in January to select representatives to the Regional board.
Old Business
Building Maintenance: Harrison made repairs to 3 Air-handlers. Middlebrooks replaced can lights in the Storytime room and in Programmers’ office. Carpet in the children’s room is scheduled for February 4.
New Business
2024 Service Contracts: The County Attorney has notified us that the custodial contracts must be awarded through a sealed bid process. Bids will be opened February 5th.
John presented a service agreement from Harrison Energy to maintain the HVAC system. This was the only bid submitted. Harrison has provided excellent service in the last year and John recommends their bid be accepted for service in 2024. Stephanie moved to accept the Harrison bid. Ben seconded the motion, which passed.
John noted that the Faulkner County board will need to appoint new members to the regional board. They will meet in February, April, July, and October of 2024. A proposal for Beanstack and updates on the SirsiDynix app will be the first item on the agenda for the board in 2024. Ben Thompson, Cindy Stage, and Jeff Whittingham volunteered to represent Faulkner County on the Regional board.
Supplemental material included Arkansas State Library Rules Governing Distribution of Scholarship Assistance, as well as the Arkansas State Library’s packet for Trustee Training.
Ben moved to adjourn at 6:58PM. Stephanie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for February 19, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on February 19th, at 5:31 PM. Present were board members Kellie Carden, Ben Thompson, and Jeff Whittingham as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, and Mayflower Assistant Branch Manager Hailey Beliew.
Minutes of the January 22nd meeting was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the minutes as presented. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that millage revenue in Jan 2024 was enormous, 47% larger than the best January on record, 10% of the projected revenue for the entire year.
The bookkeeper’s reports were reviewed. John stated that if the scholarship is awarded, we will need to create a new line item for the income to pass through.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Circulation of digital collections surpassed the physical collection for the first time.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Ben moved to approve the Purchase orders. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the expenditures. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John reported that the next meeting will be on February 28th via Zoom.
Old Business
Building Maintenance: John stated that the Guy library is coming along nicely, with plumbing and flooring coming soon.
Personnel: Conway has lost 2 PT staff and will be interviewing over the next few weeks to find replacements.
New Business
Security improvements: John presented a proposal for updating the security cameras and DVR for $13,206.33. This would include 34 cameras and 2 fisheye cameras for better views inside the building. Ben moved to approve the proposal. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
2024 Service Contracts: John stated that the county opened the bids for Janitorial services. Superior Janitorial was awarded the contract for 2024.
John presented contracts for Datamax and Summit Fire. There were no other bids for these services. Ben moved to approve the contracts. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
John explained the scholarship from the state library that will pay for an employee's master's in library science cost after completing 12 hours. The library will be a pass through for the scholarship. Hailey Beliew spoke about applying for the scholarship and has completed her 12 hours with LSU. Once Hailey completes a course, she will turn in her grades to John and DeAnna to receive the scholarship from the state. Ben moved to accept the scholarship option. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Supplemental material included Beanstack Proposal
Ben moved to adjourn at 6:12PM. Kellie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for March 18, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on March 18th, at 5:31 PM. Present were board members Stephanie Vanderslice, Cindy Stage, Kellie Carden, Ben Thompson, and Jeff Whittingham as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, and Network Administrator Chris Bowen.
Minutes of the February 19th meeting was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the minutes as presented. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that revenue is down for February after a huge January. Several budget lines are empty or ahead of other lines as all service contracts and insurance payments have been paid for the year.
The bookkeeper’s reports were reviewed.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. John made the board aware that we are currently searching for a new Garden programmer so Garden Programming statistics would pause after March until a new hire is in place.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Ben moved to approve the Purchase orders. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the expenditures. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John reported that the regional board added beanstalk and AAAL to the regional budget. The next meeting will be on April 24th via Zoom.
Old Business
Personnel: Conway is now hiring a new FT Garden Programmer and a Part Time employee for Guy when they open.
John asked the approval to present to the Quorum Court information to add another Full-Time employee to the payroll. Ben moved to approve John asking to add more staff to the payroll. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
New Business
Tablet Proposals: Chris presented a proposal from Envisionware to upgrade the tables and software for the station in Conway. After several minutes of discussion, the proposal was tabled until more quotes were provided.
Supplemental material included Regional Minutes, Garden Programmer Job Description
Ben moved to adjourn at 6:06PM. Stephanie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for April 15, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on April 15th, at 5:43 PM. Present were board members Stephanie Vanderslice, Kellie Carden, and Jeff Whittingham as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, and Network Administrator Chris Bowen. Board member Cindy Stage joined via Zoom.
Minutes of the March 18th meeting was reviewed. Stephanie moved to approve the minutes as presented. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that March revenue is the highest on record. Travel and Lodging budgets reflect sending four staff to PLA Conference. A lot of ideas from PLA sessions will be rolled out in the near future.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Programming numbers are unusually high due to eclipse glasses distribution. Circulation was almost 40,000, up from 35,000 the previous March. Comics Plus is growing modestly, it is being promoted online and in passive programming of comics brackets.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. T-Mobile has been paid off, though they are still disputing that. Datamax spending represents three months of leasing, as contracts were slow to be recorded. Stephanie moved to approve the Purchase orders. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Funk Fusion was a series of dance classes that drew attendance of 224 people across 4 sessions. The $2600 deposit from USA Technology represents about 15 months of revenue that was not going into the proper account. Stephanie moved to approve the expenditures. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John reported that the regional board’s next meeting will be on April 24th via Zoom. The only thing on the agenda are approving financials.
Old Business
A new tablet proposal to expand the number of tablets is $23,000, which is a bit high based on usage. John saw an alternative at PLA that are dedicated tablets that are subject specific. We could build a collection of 70 or more of them at $100 to $150 each for the cost of the tablet station. These could be taken home, unlike the current tablets.
The current plans for Mount Vernon would cost some $585,000. The board’s priority is to get a new building, and recommended losing the safe room, the glass front, and if necessary square footage more in line with the 2,000 square foot footprint of other branches, possibly with an option to expand later.
Personnel: An added full-time position for Conway passed out of Personnel committee and goes to Budget Committee next month.
New Business
Guy Library may be ready in two weeks. One part-time position needs to be hired. The tentative plan is to be open noon to 6pm along the lines of Twin Groves. The need now is for shelving. Several vendors were approached at PLA, but no pricing is available at present. Stephanie moved to authorize $10,000 for shelving for Guy. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Supplemental material included Playaway top-seller information.
Stephanie moved to adjourn at 6:27PM. Kellie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on May 15th, at 5:30 PM. Present were board members Ben Thompson, Cindy Stage, and Jeff Whittingham as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, Youth Services Manager Mary Spears Polk, and Network Administrator Chris Bowen.
Minutes of the April 15th meeting were reviewed. Ben noted a correction in the 3rd paragraph to removed “own for February after a huge January.” Ben moved to approve the minutes with correction. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that April’s revenue is up 8% from previous years. Travel and Lodging budgets reflect sending four staff to the PLA (Public Library Association) Conference.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Programming numbers are up 50% and Circulation is up 15% from last year.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Fines and Donations has taken in 48% of projected income for 2024. Beanstack has been launched for 1000 Books before Kindergarten. 2024 Summer Reading program will launch on June 1st. Ben moved to approve purchase orders and Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the expenditures. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John reported that the regional board’s next meeting will be on July 24th via Zoom. Regional expenses include $12,000 for the Overdrive platform.
Old Business
Tablet Proposal: John presented the prices for the tablets and the board agreed that Playaway's would be a better use of funds and follow our mission more closely than going with the tablet stations.
Personnel: Shawn Standley has been hired as the new Garden Programmer. Interviews are still ongoing for the other PT Guy staff. With summer right around the corner several temporary PT staff have been hired to fill in gaps across all locations.
New Business
ComiConway account: John proposed the idea of closing the account and moving the funds into the Fines & Donations account. Ben made a motion to close the account. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Guy Library Computers: Christoper presented a proposal of $8,475.98 for 6 new MacBook's for use in HQ and Guy. Cindy made a motion to accept the proposal. Ben seconded the motion, which passed.
“Genrefying”: One of the ideas from the PLA conference was to move sections of the library in the Genre’s. HQ has already started making a slow change with the Manga section.
Arkansas State Library Board Meeting: Hailey Beliew scholarship was approved and John McGraw will serve as Librarian on record for Lonoke County Library while their new Director completes their Master’s program.
Supplemental material included Greenbrier patron surveys, Standley Resume, Act 372 Declaration, Correspondence, News clippings, Playaway Materials
Ben moved to adjourn at 6:37PM. Cindy seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for June 17, 2024
Ben Thompson called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on May 15th, at 5:35 PM. Present were board members Cindy Stage, Kellie Carden, Ben Thompson, and Stephanie Vanderslice via Zoom as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, Youth Services Manager Mary Spears Polk, Network Administrator Chris Bowen, and community member Ashe Singley.
Minutes of the May 15th meeting was reviewed. Cindy moved to approve the minutes. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated that Mays’s revenue is the 2nd highest on record.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Programming typically takes a break to prep for Summer Reading. Even on break, program numbers were not far off April totals. Garden programming has resumed. Attendance in 2024 has increased 5.5% over the same period in 2023. Circulation this year is up 15% over the same period last year. June will be more of the same, 116 attended storytime that morning, and would-be attendees were turned away.
Bookkeeper Reports were reviewed. John noted that we are at 58% projected revenue for the year.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Stephanie moved to approve purchase orders. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Stephanie moved to approve the expenditures. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional transactions were reviewed. John stated that the first payment for the State Library Scholarship payment was received and paid to Hailey Beliew.
Old Business
Buildings: John reported that Guy is almost ready to open after a few plumbing issues are resolved. Conway has had a few roof leaks. Roofing company thinks it is the skylights that are leaking. John has contacted several companies, and we are waiting for quotes on repairs.
Personnel: Quorum Court approved to add an additional Full-Time position. Noah Elrod has accepted the new position. Conway is now fully staffed in time for Summer. We are still interviewing candidates for the PT Guy position.
Ben mentioned creating a committee to perform a Director Evaluation. The committee will consist of Ben Thompson, Jeff Whittingham, and Kellie Cardin.
Cindy discussed the size of the Greenbrier, Vilonia, and Mayflower branches. DeAnna noted that Conway is also not the size that it needs to be to serve the community to its fullest. John mentioned that we may want to talk with each city and see if there is a partnership that we can create with the city like the Guy, Mt. Vernon, and Twin Groves locations. John recommended that the board write a letter to Judge Dodson about using county general fund to expand the size of all 4 locations.
New Business
Launchpad Policies: John reported that 32 tablets have arrived. Discussion around the policy of best practices with these items. The policy that was agreed upon is 1 checkout per card, 1-week checkouts, 2 holds per card, and replacement cost of $160. Cindy moved to accept the Launchpad policy. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Laminator: John presents a quote to replace the hot laminator that was purchased back in 2016. The repair cost will be more than a replacement. Cindy moved to accept the quote for 1,500.00. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Supplemental material included Greenbrier patron surveys, Director Evaluation survey materials
Cindy moved to adjourn at 6:26PM. Stephanie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for June 15, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on July 15th, at 6:09 PM in the Guy Library Programming area. Present were board members Kellie Carden, Cindy Stage, and Jeff Whittingham; as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, Director of Van Buren County Library Deborah Meyer, and Friends of Faulkner County Libraries President Adrianna Davis.
Minutes of the June 17th meeting was reviewed. Cindy moved to approve the minutes. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed. John stated this was the second highest millage collection for June on record.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed. Circulation was up 7%, Program attendance up 4% over the previous June. Year-to-date Circulation is up 13% and attendance up 7% over the same period in 2023.
Bookkeeper Reports were reviewed. John noted that we are at 66% projected revenue for the year.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Cindy moved to approve purchase orders. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Kellie moved to approve the expenditures. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed
Regional transactions were reviewed. John stated that the next regional board meeting would be via Zoom on July 24th.
Old Business
Buildings: John reported that he approved AR River Valley Roofers to do a $500 repair to the skylights in Conway. We are still waiting for the 2 quotes to fully replace the skylights.
John is also seeking quotes for the fire alarm system. Asking for pricing for replacements and service contracts.
Personnel: We are still interviewing candidates for the PT Guy position.
New Business
Programming budget Request: John presented request to increase the budgets for both Adult and Youth Services programs. Adults requested an increase of $2000 and Youth Services an increase of $5,000. After reviewing the budget and discussion Kelly made a motion to increase Youth Services to $7000 (Children - $4000 & Teen $3000) and Adult Services to $3000. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed
Children’s Restrooms: John presented a quote from Garrett’s plumbing to add 2-ways clean out to the children’s restroom for $3500. Cindy made a motion that all restrooms have installed 2-way clean outs. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Regional Policy: John presented a new policy for Replacement Cost and Substitution policy on damaged or lost items. This policy will be presented to the regional board on July 24th for approval.
Shelving: Just submitted a quote from Missco Concepts for $5915.54 to be installed in front of his office where the tables are currently being used to house pick up items from Adult and Children programs. Cindy moved to approve the quote for the metal shelves. Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Cindy moved to adjourn at 7:05PM. Kellie seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Minutes for August 19, 2024
Jeff Whittingham called the monthly meeting of the Faulkner County Library board to order on August 19th, at 5:31 PM. Present were board members Ben Thompson, Stephanie Vanderslice, Kellie Carden, Cindy Stage, and Jeff Whittingham; as well as Director John McGraw, Assistant Director DeAnna Dillon, and Youth Services Manager Mary Polk.
Minutes of the June 15th meeting was reviewed. Kellie moved to approve the minutes. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Summary Statements of Operations were reviewed.
Statistical Report and Programming were reviewed.
Bookkeeper Reports were reviewed. John noted that the budgets did not get adjusted after last month's approval of additional funds.
Purchase Orders were reviewed. Ben moved to approve purchase orders. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
Fines and Donations spending was reviewed. Ben moved to approve the expenditures. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed
Regional transactions were reviewed. John stated that the next regional board meeting would be via Zoom on October 23rd.
Old Business
Buildings:
John reported that we still have not received the quotes for Skylight replacement.
Personnel:
Melissa Duncan has been hired to assist with the Guy Library.
Josh Robinson has given his notice and will be leaving the Conway location. Conway full-time position will be advertised via workforce starting in September.
New Business
Salary Survey:
John presented a salary survey and a recommendation that brings Faulkner County salaries in line with the average for class 6 counties. Ben proposed
that the salary request as presented go to the Quorum Court.
Air Handler repairs:
Stephanie motion to approve the air handler repair quote from Harrison. Ben seconded the motion, which passed.
Door Counters:
John presented 2 quotes from ACT and JE Systems. After reviewing Stephanie moved to approve the quote from ACT. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Fire Alarm Service:
John presented 2 quotes from JE System and Lakeview for replacement and upgrade of the fire alarm system. Ben moved to approve the quote from Lakeview. Cindy seconded the motion, which passed.
Vilonia hours:
Shelia submitted a proposal to close the Vilonia library at 5pm on Wednesday starting in September. Stephanie moved to approve this change in hours.
Kellie seconded the motion, which passed.
Vacuum: John presented a request for a commercial vacuum for use in the Conway building. After the amount of traffic, we had during the summer we need a commercial grade vs a residential grade vacuum. Cindy moved to accept the proposal for the commercial vacuum. Stephanie seconded the motion, which passed.
John informed the board of the current book challenge that the committee is reading. Ben moved to adjourn at 6:30PM. Cindy seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned.
Archived Board Minutes
