CCJPL Board Minutes
Written minutes awaiting Board Approval!
Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library Board Minutes
October 9, 2023
Board members present were Chairman Mike Johnson, Vice Chairman Michael Watkins, Janice Griffin, Shalon Tate, Treasurer Kailey Luster, and Beth Smith.
Board member Mark Nichols was absent, excused.
Others present included Library Director Vanessa Adams, Library Architect John Mixon, and 3 members of the public. No media representatives were present.
Chairman Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm.
Johnson welcomed the library board’s new member, Beth Smith, who will fulfill Dr. Lily Zeng’s term on the board that ends August 1, 2024. Adams stated that Smith will be able to serve up to two full five-year terms on the library board after August 1, 2024, according to the library board’s bylaws. Other board members welcomed Smith to the library board and expressed their gratitude to her for accepting the appointment.
The board reviewed the minutes from the August 14, 2023 meeting. Watkins moved to accept the minutes as written, Tate seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Architect John Mixon presented some information regarding Freedom Circle, the brick circular wall in the library’s front lawn, and a solution to the damage the wall has experienced for several years due to moisture causing lime leakage on the wall. According to Mixon the wall cannot be repaired with any permanence, since the leakage will continue. The best solution would be to tear down the wall and rebuild. By rebuilding Mixon can also improve the design to accommodate library visitors during outdoor events. Woods Masonry and Repair gave Mixon an estimate of $35,800 to rebuild an exact replica of the wall. Extra designs will cost more, but Mixon was unable to give an estimate for an increase. Adams asked the board if they would like for her to work with Mixon to advertise for bids. Griffin made a motion to allow Adams and Mixon to seek bids for the construction, Smith seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Treasurer Luster stated she had signed off on the library’s bank statements and there were not issues to discuss. No action was taken.
Adams presented the Director’s Report, including library statistics for August and September. Adams also asked the board to approve changes in the Patron Confidentiality Policy, which will include an amendment required by Arkansas Code § 13- 2-704 to require library personnel to disclose confidential library records to the parent or legal guardian of a patron who is younger that eighteen years of age. Griffin made a motion to accept the updates to the policy, Watkins seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Other items Adams mentioned:
- The budget committee (Johnson, Griffin, Watkins, Nichols) will need to meet at the beginning of December. Adams will send them a poll to see when they can meet and a meeting date will be set.
- The library’s new Facilities Manager is John Brown.
- The library contracted Jones Lawn Care of Trumann to perform regular lawn care duties to the library.
- The Jonesboro Sun library mentions were included in the library board packet.
- Sara Stuart, Assistant Library Director, and Holly Stormes, Brookland Branch Manager met tonight with the Brookland Mayor and City Council to discuss expanding the Brookland library.
Johnson expressed his gratitude to the Jonesboro Sun for its fair and accurate reporting on library activities.
Smith made a motion that the meeting be adjourned; Tate seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously. Johnson adjourned the meeting at 5:39 pm.
Submitted by Vanessa Adams
Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library Board Minutes
August 14, 2023
Board members present were Chairman Mike Johnson, Vice Chairman Michael Watkins, Janice Griffin, Treasurer Kailey Luster, and Mark Nichols.
Board members absent were Shalon Tate, excused, and Lily Zeng, excused.
Others present included Library Director Vanessa Adams, Assistant Director Sara Stuart, Business Manager Sarah Keath, Teen Librarian Michaela Huss, 1 member of the press, and approximately 10 members of the public
Chairman Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.
The board reviewed the minutes from the May 8, 2023 meeting. Nichols moved to accept the minutes as written, Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Keath presented the 2023 second quarter financial report. Watkins moved to accept the first quarter financial report. Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Adams presented the Director’s Report, including library statistics. Johnson asked if future statistical reports could include eBooks statistics. Adams said she would include them in future statistical reports for the board meetings.
Michaela Huss, new Teen Librarian, introduced herself and told the board about her qualifications and her ideas for programming for the library’s Teen Hub. She also serves the library’s “tween” patrons and discussed programming for that age group. The board welcomed her and thanked her for her work in developing a large group of teen participants.
Adams gave an update on ACT 372, including the injunction on parts 1 and 5 of the act and an explanation of part 6, which went into effect on August 1, 2023. It was not known at the time of the board meeting when an appeal will be made to the injunction.
Adams requested some changes be made to the Material Reconsideration Policy, including the addition of: Patron must be a registered borrower in good standing with the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library. Nichols suggested a change to word the sentence: Patron must be a resident of Craighead County. Luster made a motion to accept the changes to the policy with Nichol’s suggested change, Nichols seconded the motion; motion failed 3-2. Griffin then made a motion to accept the changes as initially presented, Watkins seconded; motion passed 3-2.
Adams requested a change in the Collection Development Policy, but after some discussion Nichols moved to keep the policy as is, Luster seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously.
Other items Adams mentioned:
- 75 members of the public attended the focus groups hosted by LibraryIQ, the strategic planner, the first week of August.
- The reroofing work was completed on August 1.
- The Brookland branch is growing and interviews will begin soon for a part-time employee to help Holly at the branch three days per week.
- There will be no library board meeting in September.
Johnson assigned the following board members to the FY2024 budget committee: Griffin, Johnson, Nichols, and Watkins. The committee will meet after the October 9 board meeting.
Griffin made a motion that the meeting be adjourned; Watkins seconded and all approved. Johnson adjourned the meeting at 6:23 pm.
Submitted by Vanessa Adams
Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library Board Minutes
May 8, 2023
Board members present were Chairman Mike Johnson, Vice Chairman Michael Watkins, Janice Griffin, and Treasurer Kailey Luster. Dr. Lily Zeng attended via conference call.
Board members absent were Mark Nichols, unexcused, and Shalon Tate, excused.
Others present included Library Director Vanessa Adams, Sarah Keath, Business Manager, 1 member of the press, and approximately 3 members of the public
Mike Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.
The board reviewed the minutes from the April 10, 2023 meeting. Michael Watkins moved to accept the minutes as written. Kailey Luster seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Luster presented the Treasurer’s report. Luster reviewed the bank statements and the library’s credit card statement for April 2023. Luster found no issues with the statements. Lily Zeng made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Sarah Keath presented the first quarter financial report. Johnson requested that all future quarterly budget reports include a column for current collections, which will determine the budget for 2024. Keath stated she would include that column in the quarterly report beginning with the August board meeting. Watkins moved to accept the first quarter financial report. Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Vanessa Adams presented the Director’s Report, including library statistics. A full report of March statistics can be heard in the audio recording of the meeting. Adams stated that the LibraryIQ consultants met via Zoom with the library’s strategic planning committee on April 18. The library has several information forms to complete for the consultants, and Adams and Chrissy Holbrook, the library’s PR & Marketing Manager, are compiling a list of community members for two to three focus groups the consultants want to meet with in August. Adams stated that Jonesboro Roofing will begin setup for the reroofing construction project on Wednesday, May 10. Also, on May 10, the library will be closed for Staff Development Day. Adams told the board that she would be presenting them with a new Materials Reconsideration Policy at the August board meeting, which will reflect the new Act 372 that is expected to become an Arkansas law on August 1, 2023.
No further business was discussed. Watkins made a motion that the meeting be adjourned; Griffin seconded and all approved. Johnson adjourned the meeting at 5:50 pm.
Submitted by Vanessa Adams
Board members present were Chairman Mike Johnson, Vice Chairman Michael Watkins, Janice Griffin, and Treasurer Kailey Luster. Dr. Lily Zeng attended via conference call.
Board members absent were Mark Nichols, unexcused, and Shalon Tate, excused.
Others present included Library Director Vanessa Adams, architect John Mixon, 1 member of the press, and approximately 7 members of the public
Mike Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:02 pm.
The board reviewed the minutes from the March 13, 2023 meeting. Michael Watkins moved to accept the minutes as written. Janice Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Kailey Luster presented the Treasurer’s report. Luster reviewed the bank statements and the library’s credit card statement for March 2023. Luster found no issues with the statements. Watkins made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report, Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Architect John Mixon explained that he received one bid for the new roof project, from Jonesboro Roofing. The base price is $490,410 with a built-in contingency of $10,000. Mixon explained that there is a deductive alternative of $75,359, provided the windows do not need to be replaced. This would leave the total at $415,051. Mixon suggested that they remove one window to see if the windows are causing water leaks. If the window is not the cause of the water leak, they will replace that one window for about $4,187, then take the remainder of the $75,359 deductive, approximately $71,172. Johnson stated that the board could meet as soon as the window has been removed so that they could determine whether they need to replace all 18 windows or just the one window that has been removed. Griffin made a motion to accept the bid with the first deductive alternative, provided the windows do not need to be replaced. Watkins seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously. The board will hear results of the window removal at a date in the near future and the contract may need to be adjusted according to the results.
Johnson presented the Library Consultant Committee’s choice to the board, Watkins made a motion that the library accept the committee’s recommendation and hire Library Systems as library consultants to formulate a five-year strategic plan for the library. Dr. Lily Zeng seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Adams presented the Director’s Report, including library statistics. A full report of March statistics can be heard in the audio recording of the meeting. Adams also presented an updated Computer and Internet Access Policy for the board’s review and stated that the library uses CIPA-compliant (Children’s Internet Protection Act) filtering software to block pornographic content and other sites that pose a threat to the network. Adams also requested the board cancel the September 11 board meeting, as she will be out of town. Watkins agreed to cancel the meeting and stated he would call a meeting later in the month if needed.
Watkins made a motion that the meeting be adjourned; Griffin seconded. Johnson adjourned the meeting at 5:55 pm.
Submitted by Vanessa Adams
Board Members Present: Chairman Mike Johnson, Michael Watkins, Janice Griffin, Mark Nichols, Shalon Tate. Dr. Lily Zeng attended via conference call. Kailey Luster was absent.
Others Present included Library Director Vanessa Adams and approximately 8 members of the public
Mike Johnson called the meeting to order at 5pm.
The board reviewed the minutes from the February 13, 2023 meeting. Michael Watkins moved to accept the minutes as written. Janice Griffin seconded the motion; the motion passed unanimously.
Vanessa Adams presented the Treasurer’s report for Kailey Luster. Luster reviewed the bank statements for February 2023, and the library’s credit card statement. Luster found no issues with the statements. Mark Nichols made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report, Shalon Tate seconded the motion; the motion passed.
Adams acknowledged Chrissy Holbrook from PR & Marketing, and Lauren Rose from Adult Services, for winning the NEA American Advertising Awards’ Mosaic Award for the creation of the library’s 2022 Fall campaign, Support Your Library. Holbrook and Rose are accepting a national Mosaic Award in April in Austin, Texas for their Fall 2022 campaign.
Adams presented the Director’s Report, including library statistics. Adams also presented an updated Computer and Internet Access Policy for the board’s review. The full report can be heard in the audio recording of the meeting.
Johnson appointed Griffin and Nichols to join him in a selection committee to interview two library consultant firms. Adams will contact the two firms and schedule interviews for the committee.
Johnson adjourned the meeting at 5:20pm.
Submitted by Vanessa Adams
Board Members Present: Janice Griffin, chair, Kailey Luster, Mike Johnson
Absent: Mark Nichols
Others Present: Vanessa Adams, Library Director
Janice Griffin called the meeting to order at 1:17 pm.
The committee reviewed the proposed budget for 2023. After some discussion of the current
inflation rate, Griffin made a motion to recommend a library staff wage increase of 8% for 2023.
Mike Johnson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Griffin moved that the committee recommend to the full board to accept the budget as is, but
with an 8% wage increase for library staff. Johnson seconded the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
Griffin adjourned the meeting at 2:10 pm.
Board Members Present: Janice Griffin, chair, Michael Watkins, Dr. Lily Zeng
Absent: Shalon Tate
Others Present: Stephanie Sweeney, Youth Services Department Manager
Janice Griffin called the meeting to order at 12:26 pm
After some discussion, Griffin made a motion to nominate Mike Johnson as Library Board
Chairperson for 2023. Michael Watkins seconded motion. Motion passed unanimously. Griffin
will present the nomination to the Library Board at the January 2023 board meeting.
After some discussion, Griffin made a motion to nominate Kailey Luster for another year as the
Library Board Treasurer. Watkins seconded motion. Motion passed unanimously. Griffin will
present the nomination to the Library Board at the January 2023 board meeting.
Griffin adjourned the meeting at 12:40 pm